bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lipidomic Analysis Reveals Systemic Alterations in Servicemen Exposed to Repeated Occupational Low-Level Blast Waves
Authors: Arora Palkin , Sharma Apoorva , Trivedi Richa , Sharma Priyanka , Padhy Sankarsan , Shah Shahnawaj , Dutta Suman K , Manda Kailash , Rana Poonam
Published: May 2024

Introduction

Occupational exposure to blast is a prevalent risk experienced by military personnel. While low-level exposure may not manifest immediate signs of illness, prolonged and repetitive exposure may result in neurophysiological dysfunction. Such repeated exposure to occupational blasts has been linked to structural and functional modifications in the brain, adversely affecting the performance of servicemen in the field. These neurological changes can give rise to symptoms resembling concussion and contribute to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Materials and Methods

To understand long-term effects of blast exposure, the study was conducted to assess memory function, serum circulatory protein and lipid biomarkers, and associated concussive symptomology in servicemen. Concussion-like symptoms were assessed using the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPSQ) along with memory function using PGI memory scale. The serum protein biomarkers were quantified using a sandwich ELISA assay, and the serum lipid profile was measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer.

Results

The findings revealed that repeated low-level blast exposure resulted in impaired memory function, accompanied by elevated levels of serum neurofilament light chain (neuroaxonal injury) and C-reactive protein. Furthermore, alterations in the lipid profile were observed, with an increase in lipid species associated with immune activation. These changes collectively point to systemic inflammation, neuronal injury, and memory dysfunction as pathological characteristics of repeated low-level blast exposure.

Conclusion

The results of our preliminary investigation offer valuable insights for further large-scale study and provide a guiding principle that necessitates a suitable mitigation approach to safeguard the health of personnel against blast overpressure.
Supervening Abscess Resulting in Streptococcus pyogenes Toxic Shock Syndrome Complicated by a Recent MRSA Infection in an Active Duty Military Member
Authors: Avis Erik C , Blankinship Daniel R , Murphy Timothy P , Lago Kathryn , Robertson Janelle L , Nelson Kenneth J
Published: May 2024

An 18-year-old male active duty US Army service member presented to the emergency department with a lower leg abscess in the region of a previously debrided methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus abscess. After initial presentation, the patient became hypotensive, exhibited signs of renal failure, and developed a diffuse erythematous rash. Streptococcus pyogenes was grown from intraoperative cultures, and he was diagnosed with Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). The patient subsequently underwent multiple surgical debridements, intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, and intravenous antibiotic administration. Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome may have a rapid onset and cause a sharp decline in hemodynamic status requiring admission to the intensive care unit. Any source of virulent Streptococcal pyogenes infection can cause STSS, including lower extremity abscesses. Therefore, it is imperative for physicians to recognize systemic involvement of seemingly isolated extremity infections. We encourage a high index of suspicion in treating bacterial abscesses for possible complications, and close monitoring of patient status. This suspicion should be even higher during outbreaks of bacteria that can cause STSS, much like the patient presented here.
Neurosarcoidosis-induced winging scapula: Efficacy of infliximab treatment in addressing multifaceted challenges
Authors: Purohit Richa , Khal Ravi Shahu , McCabe Kathleen , Bhanusali Neha , Farooq Maria , Beg Shazia
Published: May 2024

Sarcoidosis, a systemic granulomatous disease primarily affecting the respiratory and lymphatic systems, can rarely manifest as neurosarcoidosis either in isolation or alongside other systemic symptoms. Here, we describe the case of a 45-year-old male with a history of recurrent sinusitis refractory to antibiotics, who presented to the emergency department with sinus congestion and dysphagia. Clinical examination revealed left lower motor neuron facial palsy and enlarged submandibular salivary glands. Despite obtaining negative results from various antibody panels, the patient exhibited elevated angiotensin-converting enzyme levels of 83 nmol/kg/min. Additionally, computed tomography chest scans revealed bilateral hilar and mediastinal lymph node enlargement, findings consistent with sarcoidosis. Otorhinolaryngology evaluation for dysphagia confirmed left vocal cord palsy. Following a negative infectious disease workup, submandibular salivary gland biopsy confirmed sarcoidosis. Treatment with mycophenolate mofetil and oral steroids led to gradual improvement in salivary gland swelling, dysphagia, and facial palsy. However, worsening left shoulder pain prompted further investigation, revealing winging of the left scapula on repeat examination. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine revealed a 6-mm hyperintensity in the left dorsal cord at the C5 level, suggesting possible neurosarcoidosis vs. demyelinating disease. Subsequently, the patient was prescribed anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibitor infliximab. Subsequent MRI of the cervical spine, conducted 6 months after initiating infliximab therapy, indicated resolution of the lesions. This positive outcome was supported by the patient’s report of symptom improvement, notably reduced shoulder pain and improvement in left scapular winging. This case underscores the unusual co-occurrence of Bell’s palsy and vocal cord palsy in the same patient, along with the potential contribution of neurosarcoidosis to the winged scapula. Additionally, it sheds light on the positive response of neurosarcoidosis to infliximab therapy.
Primary immunodeficiency as a cause of immune-mediated kidney diseases
Authors: Zhang Changming , Liang Dandan , Liu Zhihong
Published: May 2024

Primary immunodeficiency (PID) is no longer defined by infections alone, and autoimmunity is an accompanying manifestation of PID. Recurrent infections may trigger autoimmunity through molecular mimicry, bystander activation or superantigens. The diagnosis of PID is still challenging, but genetic analysis reveals the underlying link between PID and autoimmunity. Mutations in relevant genes affecting central and peripheral immune tolerance, regulatory T-cell function, expansion of autoreactive lymphocytes, antigen clearance, hyperactivation of type I interferon and nuclear factor-κB pathways have all been implicated in triggering autoimmunity in PID. Autoimmunity in PID leads to chronic inflammation, tissue damage and organ failure, and increases the mortality of patients with PID. The kidneys are inextricably linked with the immune system, and kidney diseases can be mediated by both infection and autoimmunity/inflammation in PID patients. The manifestations of kidney involvement in PID patients are very heterogeneous and include lupus nephritis, C3 glomerulopathy, kidney thrombotic microangiopathy, vasculitis and interstitial nephritis. Patients with PID-caused kidney diseases have defined immune function defects and may benefit from pathway-based biologics, stem cell transplantation or gene therapy. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of PID are crucial for reducing the mortality rate and improving organ function and quality of life.
Cardiogenic shock without hypotension in acute severe primary mitral regurgitation: a case report
Authors: Saunders Samantha L , Clifford Liam M , Meere William , Spina Roberto
Published: May 2024

A 60-year-old gentleman who presented with features of end-organ hypoperfusion despite initial hypertension was promptly diagnosed with cardiogenic shock following evidence of hyperlactatemia on biochemistry and left ventricular global hypokinesis with severe mitral regurgitation on transthoracic echocardiogram. He responded well to dobutamine and later underwent definitive surgical mitral valve replacement.
A rare case of steroid 11 beta-hydroxylase deficiency in a child revealed by acute pulmonary edema
Authors: El Haddar Zohair , El ouali Aziza , Ghanam Ayad , Benajiba Noufissa , Rkain Maria , Babakhouya Abdeladim
Published: May 2024

We report the case of a 5-year-old boy diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 11-hydroxylase deficiency, revealed by disorders of sex development (DSD) and acute pulmonary edema due to severe hypertension. We considered the diagnosis based on biological and radiological examinations. The sociocultural background and the delayed diagnosis had a significant impact on the therapeutic decisions. All babies should be screened for 11 beta-hydroxylase deficiency, there should be specialized and interdisciplinary medical centers, and early detection is essential to avoiding serious complications of this disease.
Spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome in an adult with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma: a challenging diagnosis
Authors: Abufara Arein A , Alsahouri Mohammad I , Alsalah Qusai A , Arafat Hasan , Hammouri Ahmad G , Aqeel Bashir Abu
Published: May 2024

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is an oncological emergency characterized by metabolic and electrolyte imbalances associated with the rapid destruction of tumor cells. It is commonly recognized when cytotoxic treatment for hematological malignancies is initiated. Spontaneous TLS with solid tumors like rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is exceedingly rare. It has been noted that the highest incidence of this tumor occurs in individuals under the age of 20 years, with an incidence rate of 4.4 cases per 1 million. Here, we present the case of a 22-year-old male who presented with spontaneous clinical TLS. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a large pelvic mass, diffuse lymphadenopathy, and infiltration of the ocular muscles. Subsequently, a biopsy was conducted, and the histopathological results indicated alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Our literature review revealed five cases of spontaneous TLS caused by RMS, with our patient being the only adult among all published cases.
Adenoid cystic/basal-cell carcinoma of the prostate following high-grade urothelial bladder cancer: a case report
Authors: Glavinov Maja Sofronievska , Krsteska Blagica , Stojmenova Vita , Petrovska Tanja , Jovanovic Rubens
Published: May 2024

Adenoid cystic/Basal-cell carcinoma (ACC/BCC) of the prostate is a rare histological type exhibiting various morphological characteristics and an optimal treatment has not yet been established. We report the case of a 63-year-old patient who complained of incomplete bladder emptying and recurrent urinary infection six months after transurethral resection of a high-grade urothelial bladder tumor. The clinical features, digital rectal examination, serum PSA levels, and multiparametric MRI did not refer to any suspicious prostatic lesions and cystoscopy revealed bladder neck hypertrophy, and yellowish zones in the prostatic urethra. Transurethral resection was performed due to these findings and histopathological analysis showed poorly differentiated ACC/BCC of the prostate. Even though there is no proven mutual correlation between ACC/BCC and urothelial bladder cancer, the appearance of obstructive urinary symptoms, bladder-neck hypertrophy, and macroscopic changes in prostatic urethra should be reconsidered for transurethral resection biopsy considering the possibility of ACC/BCC.
Rapid growth of primary pulmonary meningioma with hemoptysis
Authors: Tamenaga Rena , Kawaguchi Yohei , Kogami Mariko , Kufukihara Taro , Mizushima Reimi , Takeda Yukihisa , Watanabe Yusuke , Furukawa Kinya , Nakamura Hiroyuki , Aoshiba Kazutetsu
Published: May 2024

While lung cancer is the predominant neoplasm causing hemoptysis, rare benign neoplasms can also be associated with hemoptysis. A 60-year-old woman presented with cough and hemoptysis. Chest computed tomography revealed an oval-shaped, well-circumscribed solitary mass (10 cm in size) in the right lower lobe, which had grown rapidly over the past year. The presence of intramass air bubbles and a surrounding halo of ground-glass opacities suggested the hemorrhagic rupture of a circumscribed hematoma into the surrounding lung tissue. Subsequent right lower lobectomy revealed a well-demarcated hematoma; its wall consisted of nonatypical spindle tumor cells, which were histologically diagnosed as meningioma. No meningioma was observed in the central nervous system, leading to the diagnosis of primary pulmonary meningioma. This case highlights PPM as a rare benign tumor (World Health Organization grade 1) capable of rapid development due to intratumoral hemorrhage, presenting with hemoptysis.
Apocrine and clear cell metaplasia in the gallbladder: the first finding in the medical literature
Authors: Al-Janabi Moatasem Hussein
Published: May 2024

Apocrine metaplasia, specifically, involves the development of cells resembling those in apocrine glands, characterized by their distinctive cytoplasmic features. Apocrine metaplasia in the gallbladder represents a new and intriguing discovery, marking a significant milestone in medical literature. Furthermore, clear cell metaplasia is often observed in other organs like the cervix and has never been documented in the gallbladder. The coexistence of apocrine and clear metaplasia challenges existing paradigms surrounding gallbladder pathology, prompting a reevaluation of the underlying mechanisms that drive these cellular transformations.
A comprehensive analysis of POLE/POLD1 genomic alterations in colorectal cancer
Authors: Mosalem Osama , Coston Tucker W , Imperial Robin , Mauer Elizabeth , Thompson Christopher , Yilma Binyam , Bekaii-Saab Tanios S , Stoppler Melissa Conrad , Starr Jason S
Published: May 2024

Introduction

Pathogenic mutations in POLE/POLD1 lead to decreased fidelity of DNA replication, resulting in a high tumor mutational burden (TMB-H), defined as TMB ≥ 10 mut/Mb, independent of deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) and microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) status.

Methods

De-identified records of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) profiled with the Tempus xT assay (DNA-seq of 595-648 genes at 500×) were identified from the Tempus Database.

Results

Among 9136 CRC samples profiled, the frequency of POLE/POLD1 genomic alterations was 2.4% (n = 217). Copy number loss was the most common genomic alteration (64%, n = 138) of POLE/POLD1, followed by copy number amplifications (18%, n = 40) and short variant mutations (18%, n = 39). The POLE/POLD1 mutated group presented with a higher frequency of TMB-H phenotype relative to wild type (WT; 22% vs. 9%, P < .001), with a median TMB of 127 mut/Mb in the TMB-H POLE/POLD1 subset. The TMB showed a dramatic contrast between POLE/POLD1 short variant mutations as compared to the group with copy number alterations, with a TMB of 159 mut/Mb vs 15 mut/Mb, respectively. Thus, the short variant mutations represented the so-called ultra-hypermutated phenotype. The POLE/POLD1 mutated group, as compared to WT, exhibited a higher rate of coexisting mutations, including APC, ALK, ATM, BRCA2, and RET mutations.

Conclusion

Patients with POLE/POLD1 mutations exhibited significant differences across immunological markers (ie, TMB, MMR, and MSI-H) and molecular co-alterations. Those with short variant mutations represented 18% of the POLE/POLD1 cohort and 0.4% of the total cohort examined. This group of patients had a median TMB of 159 mut/Mb (range 34-488), representing the ultra-hypermutated phenotype. This group of patients is important to identify given the potential for exceptional response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
W. E. B. Du Bois and World War I
Authors: Williams Chad
Published: May 2024

World War I stands as one of the most significant events in W. E. B. Du Bois’s life and career. From the start, Du Bois understood the significance of the war as a watershed moment in the history of the modern world and the future of people of African descent. Going against his pacifist principles, he controversially supported the United States and Allied war effort, believing that loyalty and patriotism would lead to civil rights for African Americans and the broader expansion of democracy. He placed his faith in the service and sacrifice of Black troops as heroic examples of African American citizenship. However, the resiliency of white supremacy, domestically and globally, quickly tempered Du Bois’s hopes for change. Throughout the interwar period and beyond, Du Bois wrestled with the disillusionment of the war and its troubling legacy on both a scholarly and deeply personal level. Through his writings and his activism, Du Bois sought to understand the historical meaning of the war, its relationship to the present, and implications for the future. World War I is central to understanding Du Bois’s political, intellectual, and moral evolution during the 20th century.
Industry Associations
Authors: Rollings Neil
Published: May 2024

This chapter explores how different disciplines have approached the study of industry associations and their impact on the development of industries. It highlights how these associations have been associated with cartels, lobbying, corporatism, regulation, and governance. While much of this literature has been critical of the role of industry associations, more recent work presents a more positive picture, highlighting their importance in creating an industry’s cultural identity. Recent studies have also emphasized the importance of the intermediary role played by associations in spreading knowledge and information. All these activities point to the key role industry associations can play in shaping and developing the industries they represent. Among the important issues are their response to change and the tensions between unification into a single body and possible division into smaller associations representing the particular needs of a part of an industry.
Race and Federal Discrimination Law
Authors: Sperino Sandra F.
Published: May 2024

On paper, federal law in the United States broadly prohibits race discrimination in employment. Title VII is the primary federal statute that prohibits race discrimination in employment. Title VII’s aspirations are so large that some scholars have called it a “super statute.” The statute contains sweeping language. Unfortunately, the promise of Title VII is hampered by structural features of the statute, court-created frameworks, and the limited way courts have defined “race.” Scholars have criticized discrimination law generally and the frameworks specifically for narrowly focusing on concepts such as intent and causation without fully appreciating intersectional discrimination, stereotyping, structural discrimination, identity performance and covering demands, and unconscious bias. This chapter first addresses these problems. It then describes how Title VII fits within the typical law school curriculum.
Mysticism and Daoism
Authors: Chen Zhuo Job
Published: May 2024

A common core thesis regarding mysticism proposes a unity of experience that cuts across traditions. With that come several theoretical assertions worth considering. The first is a separation of experience from interpretation. The second concerns the quality of the mystical oneness that bifurcates into introvertive and extrovertive unities in both theology and empirical data. The third suggests various mystical facets whose exact specification and configuration can vary considerably from culture to culture. The final point places mysticism along the continuum with psychedelic, religious, and spiritual experiences. This chapter provides a theoretical background and critical analysis, along with data and insights from Daoism, for each of these points. Data are drawn from both scriptures and a recent qualitative interview of 19 Chinese Daoist monks and nuns. The common core thesis provides a theoretical starting point and a methodological paradigm for empirically testing both the universality and diversity of human experience.
Theistic Religious Experience and Scientific Testing
Authors: Moser Paul K.
Published: May 2024

Inquirers about God often ask whether any religious experience is actually an experience of God. A related issue is whether scientific testing could bear on that question. This chapter explores that issue, attending to the testable indicators in experience of any genuine, factual experience of God for humans. The sciences rely on testable indicators in experience for many hypotheses and are empirical to that extent. Testing theistic religious experience should follow suit, to avoid arbitrariness regarding evidence. This chapter contends that the relevant features for testing for divine reality would be morally demanding toward humans. This results from the fact that the moral character and will of God would be demanding relative to humans, even though not coercive of human wills toward cooperating with God. The chapter identifies these moral factors, exploring whether they are subject to scientific testing. It gives a reason to be doubtful of scientific testing here.
Floating Signifiers and the Scientific Study of Experiences
Authors: Taves Ann
Published: May 2024

Many researchers refer to psychedelic, religious, spiritual, and mystical experiences (PEs, REs, SEs, MEs) as if they are all distinct types of experiences. Given the many meanings of “religious,” “spiritual,” and “mystical” within Western cultures and the difficulties in translating these terms across cultures, it is clear that the meaning of REs, SEs, and MEs and their associated phenomenology varies depending on the context. In contrast, PEs have a relatively stable referent. Although researchers have operationalized and stabilized the meaning of MEs in various ways for scientific purposes, this approach blends the phenomenological features of experiences with the way they are interpreted. Distinguishing between phenomenological features and appraisals permits investigation of the effect of RSM appraisals on people’s response to the experience. As a relatively stable signifier, PEs allow researchers to investigate how the interplay between drug-induced phenomenology, mindset, and setting interacts to generate our experiences.
How Psychedelics Can Increase Moral Concern
Authors: Dillion Danica , Puryear Curtis , Gray Kurt
Published: May 2024

This chapter discusses how psychedelics may expand moral concern via enhanced mind perception. Psychedelics are known to induce a profound sense of interconnected aliveness and elevate the perception of consciousness in both objects and beings. They also facilitate the formation of new beliefs and reinforce existing beliefs. Thus, if psychedelics enhance mind perception, and entities perceived as having mind are granted moral concern, it follows that psychedelics may broaden the scope of moral circles by making different entities seem more alive. This chapter underscores the importance of context in determining the impact of psychedelics on individuals and society at large, and emphasizes that the expansion of moral concern largely depends on individuals’ pre-existing values.
Shamanism and Psychedelic, Religious, Spiritual, and Mystical Experiences
Authors: Winkelman Michael James
Published: May 2024

Shamanism is a transcultural concept for understanding roles of ritual and psychedelics in the prehistoric origins of religiosity. The origins of religiosity are revealed by parallels of shamanic and chimpanzee collective ritualizations involving group chorusing and drumming with dramatic bipedal displays. This hominid baseline was expanded with mimetic evolution of song, dance and enactment. Psychedelic substances stimulate innate cognitive dispositions manifested in shamanism such as the human-like qualities of spirits, animal identities and other spiritual and mystical experiences. These structural features of consciousness are stimulated by mimetic performances with song, dancing, and drumming; painful and exhausting austerities; and psychedelic substances. These produce altered experiences of the self which are conceptualized within indigenous psychologies as spirits and one’s soul, spiritual allies, and animal powers that can be incorporated into personal powers (i.e., animal transformation). Cross-cultural manifestation of shamanic features reveal that they are based in biology rather than merely cultural traditions.
Psychedelic Experiences and the Enactive Approach
Authors: Meling Daniel , Scheidegger Milan
Published: May 2024

Two views on psychedelic experiences include realism and idealism. While a realist view suggests that psychedelic experiences reveal a pre-given world to us, an idealist view suggests they are mere projections of a pre-given mind. This chapter highlights and contrasts their common tendency towards grasping and representations. It presents a promising alternative that aims at going beyond grasping and representations: an enactive approach to psychedelic experiences. It argues that the enactive approach contributes a perspective on psychedelic experiences that leaves behind the assumption of a foundation in either the world or the self and emphasizes both the observer relativity and context dependency involved in psychedelic experiences. It concludes with implications of the enactive perspective for the common core approach to PRSM experiences, the relevance of hallucinogens for the enactive approach, and the authors’ view on the relation between direct experience and belief.
Resistance and Reclamation
Authors: Anderson Luvell
Published: May 2024

For some, the idea that words like ‘thug,’ ‘terrorist,’ and ‘urban’ carry racial connotations might come as a shock. They contend these words simply refer to vicious criminals, violent dissidents, and geographic regions. However, this chapter argues that these kinds of terms do carry racial overtones and are often used to justify coercive treatment of those who are so labeled. It then presents two broad strategies for addressing the unjust negative valuations based on being classified by such expressions: refusal and resistance. The chapter will demonstrate these strategies by focusing on the term ‘thug’.
A World Where Many Worlds Fit
Authors: Eraña Ángeles , Barceló Axel
Published: May 2024

The Zapatista army’s radically pluralist proposal to build a world where many worlds fit requires transforming our understanding of many basic ontological dualities, like the relation between the world and our conception of it, as well as our social practices, including our linguistic practices. This emancipatory project requires that we also revise many of the theoretical assumptions of our philosophical conception of language, stressing its genuinely social and material nature. This chapter sketches both the Zapatistas’ pluralist constructivist ontology and the revisions required for developing a philosophy of language that contributes to this emancipatory project.
Taboo Word Research
Authors: Jay Timothy B.
Published: May 2024

This chapter addresses speakers’ use of emotionally hurtful words and their victims’ emotional responses to hurtful words in American English. Hurtful words are defined here as negatively valenced or bad words used to express one’s feelings and convey those feelings to others. Topics include anger and frustration, hate speech, obscene phone calls, workplace sexual harassment, verbal abuse, internet and online offenses, and research involving children as speaker-victims. The research cited here is drawn primarily from psychological and social science empirical studies on the topic of how people produce and comprehend offensive speech. The chapter includes an examination of ethical and methodological problems associated with hurtful word research and concludes with suggestions for conducting meaningful research on hurtful words.
Beyond Pronouns
Authors: González Vázquez Iz , Klieber Anna , Rosola Martina
Published: May 2024

The aim of this chapter is to explore some trans and feminist concerns about the gendered aspects of languages beyond English, focusing on Spanish, Italian, and German. Historically, discussions about gendered language have often challenged the ways in which language can make women (in)visible, by addressing the implicit and explicit androcentrism and sexism in our language, in what can be called the visibility project. Recently, questions surrounding trans-inclusiveness and the possibility of avoiding gender markers altogether have become more prominent, often highlighting the issue of pronouns (e.g. the singular ‘they’). This can be called the gender-neutrality project. However, anglophone philosophy offers few discussions on how gender-neutrality or visibility strategies can be applied to languages that are more gendered than English. The chapter starts by showing how gender expresses itself in the grammatical structure of the three sample languages, and identifies some of their specific visibility and neutrality strategies that could be (or are already) applied to them. This leads to the ‘innovative project’ which constructs nuanced and novel ways to transform gendered grammatical structures. Depending on their application, these strategies can fulfil gender-neutrality goals in some cases and visibility goals in others. This highlights, among other things, the ways in which genderqueer people have attempted to shape their linguistic resources in different linguistic contexts, while also opening up avenues for new research when it comes to discussions of gender and language.
Public Protest and Silencing
Authors: Medina José
Published: May 2024

Sometimes protests cannot get off the ground because they are preemptively silenced. Other times acts of protest are produced, but they are not heard; and yet in other cases, protests are noticed but they receive no uptake or only a superficial and defective uptake. This chapter develops a critical examination of the speech act of protesting and of the forms of illocutionary silencing and of perlocutionary frustration or disablement that often neutralize acts of protest because of defective uptake or lack thereof. More specifically, it will analyze the case of protesting racial violence and how so often these acts of protest fall on deaf ears and achieve no results because of specific communicative dysfunctions and problems of reception and uptake.
AI with Alien Content and Alien Metasemantics
Authors: Cappelen Herman , Dever Josh
Published: May 2024

AlphaGo1 plays chess and Go in a creative and novel way. It is natural for us to attribute contents to it, such as that it doesn’t view being several pawns behind, if it has more board space, as bad. The framework introduced in Cappelen and Dever (2021) provides a way of thinking about the semantics and the metasemantics of AI content: does AlphaGo entertain contents like this, and if so, in virtue of what does a given state of the program mean that particular content? One salient question Cappelen and Dever didn’t consider was the possibility of alien content. Alien content is content that is not or cannot be expressed by human beings. It’s highly plausible that AlphaGo, or any other sophisticated AI system, expresses alien contents. That this is so, moreover, is plausibly a metasemantic fact: a fact that has to do with how AI comes to entertain content in the first place, one that will heed the vastly different etiology of AI and human content. This chapter explores the question of alien content in AI from a semantic and metasemantic perspective. It lays out the logical space of possible responses to the semantic and metasemantic questions alien content poses, considers whether and how we humans could communicate with entities who express alien content, and points out that getting clear about such questions might be important for more ‘applied’ issues in the philosophy of AI, such as existential risk and XAI.
On Retweeting
Authors: Michaelson Eliot , Pepp Jessica , Sterken Rachel
Published: May 2024

A small, but growing literature in philosophy is devoted to the understanding of a seemingly new communicative action that came with the internet, and with Twitter in particular: the retweet. The spur for this literature is a kind of puzzle in public discourse: on the one hand, there is a tendency to hold people responsible for their retweets, and to blame them for retweeting material considered offensive or otherwise inappropriate. On the other hand, there is a widely shared, if not universally recognized feeling that, as the well-known disclaimer has it, “A retweet is not an endorsement.” But if a retweet is not an endorsement, what is it? And what is wrong with retweeting offensive or misleading tweets? This chapter puts forward the view that bare, uncommented retweets are best understood as lacking any sort of default illocutionary force, in contrast to many other types of speech acts. And, whereas with most speech acts, it is massively difficult to influence the norms governing that type of act, this may not be the case with retweeting. With retweeting, it is possible to consider ways that Twitter’s interface and code might be altered to revise the act of retweeting; likewise, it is possible to consider the likely impacts of such revisions on the norms surrounding retweeting. This raises a pair of interesting questions: (i) what should we want retweeting to be like, and (ii) how can we make progress in that direction?
The Pragmatics of Technologically Mediated Online Speech
Authors: Kukla Quill R.
Published: May 2024

This chapter explores the social force and pragmatic structure of an emerging new class of speech acts—including, for instance, ‘liking’, retweeting, and ‘at’-ing—that have only recently become possible to perform. New technology and communication infrastructure is generating the possibility of new pragmatic forms of speaking, which can have no face-to-face equivalent. Standard pragmatic types of speech acts—interrogatives, promises, imperatives, and so forth—are essentially medium-independent; they can be performed with one’s voice, in writing, over electronic media, in sign language, etc. But as the chapter will try to show, other pragmatic speech-act types are inherently medium-dependent and technologically mediated. It will defend two theses: (1) the technologically enabled online speech acts it explores have distinctive pragmatic structures, which are irreducible to speech-act types performed over other media or in person; and (2) many of these online speech acts are socially potent: they serve to constitute and organize social space in important ways. In particular, they are used to negotiate and solidify the boundaries between group insiders and outsiders and the norms of social engagement within groups
Ideology and Intersectionality
Authors: McKeever Matthew
Published: May 2024

Analytic philosophers increasingly make reference to the concept of ideology to think about how representational structures can lead to oppression. The aims of this chapter are twofold. First, it seeks to serve as an introduction to (some of) the best contemporary work on ideology in the analytic tradition and the theories of ideology it develops. Second, it proposes a novel challenge for any such theory. The challenge turns on the nature of intersectionality: it is hard to see how to render consistent the claim that ideology creates or sustains oppression with the claim that oppression is intersectional, without making substantial modifications to extant theories.
Art and Language
Authors: Carroll Noël
Published: May 2024

In this chapter, four issues are addressed—namely (1) whether art is a language on the model of a natural language, (2) whether art can be defined, in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions (3) whether all aesthetic terms are non-condition-governed in a strict or a looser pragmatic sense, and (4) what is the nature of (art) critical communication? It is argued that art is not a language, that art might turn out to be a cluster concept, that some aesthetic terms may be condition-governed in the looser pragmatic sense, and that most critical communications are not primarily a matter of inducing experiences but are purpose driven.
On Passive Aggression
Authors: Roache Rebecca
Published: May 2024

This chapter defines passive-aggressive behaviour and explains why we find it objectionable. It argues that passive aggression essentially involves a hostile attack on a target, which is ambiguous in that, in addition to being correctly describable as such, from the point of view of the target and any onlookers, there is a somewhat plausible (yet false) interpretation according to which the behaviour is innocuous. Passive aggression is objectionable primarily because behaving passive aggressively impedes the agent’s social and professional functioning, and because it involves attacking the target in a way that makes it difficult for the target to challenge the behaviour. Further, behaving passive aggressively is bad for passive aggressors because it makes it more difficult for them to address their feelings of hostility, and it may exacerbate feelings of powerlessness.
Treaties and Modern Agreements with Indigenous Peoples
Authors: Hobbs Harry
Published: May 2024

For hundreds of years, Indigenous and non-Indigenous political communities have negotiated treaties and agreements to share land and governance. This chapter explores how these instruments are both products of international law and a catalyst for its evolution. It explains how initially international law facilitated a flurry of treaty-making as colonial powers sought to legitimate their claims to vast expanses of territory. Later, the same powers turned to international law to domesticate these nation-to-nation agreements and subsume Indigenous communities within the state. While contemporary international law does not restore the original position, it does offer a means to reclaim Indigenous visions of treaty-making. This is possible if we sidestep arguments on legal form and focus on the deeper significance of these bargains. Historic treaties and modern agreements are fundamental instruments that recognize and facilitate Indigenous sovereignty and guide relations between nations. Whether or not they are properly considered international agreements, they should be understood and interpreted in this light. In reaching this position, treaties and modern agreements are contributing to the transformation of international law.
Agenda Setting
Authors: Werneck Arguelhes Diego , Hartmann Ivar A.
Published: May 2024

From a global, comparative perspective, a court with the discretionary power to decide what it will decide, and this fact being publicly acknowledged and uncontroversial, are both far from the norm. Building on theoretical and empirical studies of courts in different jurisdictions, the authors show that mechanisms whereby courts decide what to decide and the different patterns of judicial behaviour associated with such decision-making features comprise at least four dimensions of institutional design: (i) docket control mechanisms; (ii) timing control mechanisms); (iii) types of rulings and dismissals; and (iv) internal allocation of agenda-setting powers. Dimensions (i) and (ii) involve what a court can do to set its agenda (formal docket control being but one type of answer to this broader question of judicial design and decision-making); elements (iii) and (iv), on the other hand, involve how a court exercises the broader powers it has to set its agenda. Studies have answered such questions looking at a court’s formal, official rules of operation, or at informal practices and the actual operations of courts, or a combination of both. These different approaches will yield very different results when it comes to comparing agenda-setting mechanisms and classifying courts accordingly.
Judge Language Choices
Authors: Ash Elliott
Published: May 2024

This chapter provides an overview of scientific research into the language choices made by judges. First, it introduces a foundational model to frame the judge’s linguistic decisions, considering both the institutional inputs and downstream impacts. Second, it explores the use of natural language processing tools for measuring judicial language choices, highlighting the challenges faced due to the multifaceted and intricate nature of language. Then the focus shifts to the determinants of these choices, evaluating existing empirical studies with an acknowledgment of the inherent challenges in establishing broad causal evidence given the scarcity of natural or field experiments. Fourth, the chapter examines the consequences of judicial language choices, an even harder problem given the challenge of disentangling other aspects of a judge’s choices besides language. In both respects, a number of important findings have been developed, yet many fundamental questions in judge language choice remain unanswered. The chapter concludes with a discussion of some promising paths for future work.
Developing Judicial Independence
Authors: Epperly Brad
Published: May 2024

This chapter begins by reviewing recent developments in law and courts research on judicial independence. It then highlights three areas where greater conceptual clarity would aid theory development and empirics: more clearly articulating the specific actors in question and their institutional powers; more specification of the expected utility calculations those actors make when it comes to independence; and more directly conceptualizing the threat those empowering courts face, and the attendant benefits independent courts provide. The following section observes a unifying feature of law and courts explanations for judicial independence: that the court in question has judicial review powers. Whether the causal logic is insurance, blame avoidance, or public support, explanations are all predicated on the ability of courts to use review powers—and their willingness to do so. Finally, the chapter assesses popular measures of judicial independence in light of this observation. Here, it shows that although judiciary measures from the Varieties of Democracy project purport to capture review, in practice they do not; further, even when it comes to what should be ‘easy’ cases, these measures lack face validity and fail to comport with insights from the literature regarding the judicialization of politics.
Church Organization
Authors: Jackson Wendy
Published: May 2024

Historically, the organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church developed as a response to the needs of the church. This has resulted in a structure composed of four organizational levels that has enabled significant church growth and provides a means for both local and organization-wide decision-making. However, the core structure has been largely unchanged for more than a century. and its ongoing maintenance is under threat due to issues the church is facing in the twenty-first century. These issues include a confused locus of authority, major demographic shifts, changed giving trends, a burgeoning number of administrators, and the need to address the limited roles and decision-making available to women within the structure.
Formalism in Jewish Law
Authors: Saiman Chaim
Published: May 2024

Scholars differ as to the degree to which Jewish law is formalistic. This chapter aims to make sense of the debate surrounding formalism in Jewish law by distinguishing between three types of legal formalism: classic formalism, modern formalism, and detail-following formalism. Viewed through the lens of modern formalism, Jewish law is likely less formalistic than commonly assumed as it is not primarily concerned with constraining decision makers. Nor is Jewish legal discourse typified by its unified conceptual schemas that proceed from abstract concepts to bottom-line decisions in the way that classical formalism proceeds. This chapter introduces an alternative framing termed “detail-following formalism,” which is typified by a religiosity that stresses strict adherence to the multiplicity of legal forms that constitute Jewish law. Detail-following formalism is backed by ritualistic, theological, and mystical concepts that are generally absent from modern law.
Chinese Buddhism in America
Authors: Lai Rongdao
Published: May 2024

Through a study of the life and career of the nun Man Chu 文珠 (pinyin: Wenzhu, 1930–2014), this chapter highlights the role of individual ethnic Chinese Dharma teachers, community organizers, and translocal agents who are instrumental to the transmission and development of Buddhism in the United States—who have so far been virtually absent in scholarship on American Buddhism. A Guangdong native, Man Chu migrated to Los Angeles from Hong Kong in 1972. She founded the Western American Buddhist Association the next year. She was a prolific writer, tireless preacher, and a staunch proponent of traditional Chinese Buddhist exegesis who tried to make her work accessible to a broad audience. The aim of this chapter is twofold: (1) to rethink what constitutes “American Buddhism” by positioning lesser-known Asian Buddhists in its narrative, and (2) to evaluate how the border-crossing of Chinese monastics allows for a more intricate understanding of ethnic and religious identities.
Basic Emotion Theory
Authors: Cordaro Daniel
Published: May 2024

Beginning with the seminal works of Charles Darwin, Basic Emotion Theory (BET) has been one of the cornerstone theoretical frameworks in the study of emotions. Its influence has driven several fields of research in the psychological sciences and continues to provide a foundational road map to exploring the vast, still-uncharted space of human emotion. Basic emotions are discrete, evolutionarily driven processes essential to survival. They are a special subset of discrete emotions that transcend across species, time, and culture. Basic emotions are elementally distinct, genetically determined, and functionally critical. This chapter provides a brief overview of the importance of BET in emotion science, discusses which emotions are basic, and reviews where the science of basic emotions is presently. Based on these current observations, future directions for the study of evolutionarily grounded emotions are discussed.
Romantic Love
Authors: K. Doherty Jaclyn , C. Brumbaugh Claudia
Published: May 2024

Humans are uniquely designed to be affected in numerous ways by romantic love. Romantic love is an intense feeling that attracts people to one another and keeps them together for some length of time. Thus, romantic love is thought to serve the purpose of relationship maintenance and the biological function of passing on the genes of the two individuals involved when offspring result. This chapter discusses the universality and ultimate functions of romantic love, as well as how romantic love is reflected in human biology (e.g., via brain and hormonal processes). Considering both psychological and physiological outcomes, the authors then weigh the benefits (e.g., elation and energy) and drawbacks (e.g., obsession and suicide) of romantic love. The chapter ends with a discussion of the life-span trajectory of romantic love and what happens after romantic love has “done its job.”
Disgust
Authors: J. Cepon-Robins Tara
Published: May 2024

Disgust is a universal human emotion that likely evolved to prevent exposure to substances, people, or activities associated with pathogens. Variation in disgust sensitivity exists based on sex, age, immune status, and other life-history factors. Disgust sensitivity is hypothesized to be flexible, calibrated to local environments based on cost-benefit trade-offs associated with avoidance. Problematically, most disgust research has been focused largely within what have been termed “WEIRD” populations (i.e., Western, educated, industrialized, rich democracies). Consequently, little is known about the disgust response and its downstream effects within populations experiencing high-pathogen environments, subsistence-based lifestyles (e.g., foraging, hunting/fishing, horticulture), and natural fertility. We review what is known about cross-cultural variation in the disgust response and provide testable hypotheses for future research on disgust sensitivity and utility in understudied populations. Collaborations between evolutionary psychology and human biology can fill gaps in the understanding of the disgust emotion through methodological and theoretical synthesis.