bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contemporary diagnostics for medically relevant fastidious microorganisms belonging to the genera Anaplasma,Bartonella,Coxiella,OrientiaandRickettsia
Authors: Vaca Diana J , Dobler Gerhard , Fischer Silke F , Keller Christian , Konrad Maik , von Loewenich Friederike D , Orenga Sylvain , Sapre Siddhesh U , van Belkum Alex , Kempf Volkhard A J
Published: February 2022

Many of the human infectious pathogens—especially the zoonotic or vector-borne bacteria—are fastidious organisms that are difficult to cultivate because of their strong adaption to the infected host culminating in their near-complete physiological dependence on this environment. These bacterial species exhibit reduced multiplication rates once they are removed from their optimal ecological niche. This fact complicates the laboratory diagnosis of the disease and hinders the detection and further characterization of the underlying organisms, e.g. at the level of their resistance to antibiotics due to their slow growth. Here, we describe the current state of microbiological diagnostics for five genera of human pathogens with a fastidious laboratory lifestyle. For Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetii, Orientia spp. and Rickettsia spp., we will summarize the existing diagnostic protocols, the specific limitations for implementation of novel diagnostic approaches and the need for further optimization or expansion of the diagnostic armamentarium. We will reflect upon the diagnostic opportunities provided by new technologies including mass spectrometry and next-generation nucleic acid sequencing. Finally, we will review the (im)possibilities of rapidly developing new in vitro diagnostic tools for diseases of which the causative agents are fastidiously growing and therefore hard to detect.
The Advantages of Applying the Advocacy Coalition Framework to the Studies On Ethnic Interest Groups
Authors: Poggio Teixeira Carlos Gustavo , Nicolini Gabriel João Paulo
Published: February 2022

Studies on ethnic interest groups are contributing to better understand the US foreign policy. By reviewing this literature, we noticed that establishing causal claims in this field has proved challenging due to methodological issues. Many authors draw conclusions focusing exclusively on ethnic groups without taking into account the full complexity of political processes. This work consists in the application of the advocacy coalition framework (ACF) to this subject, aiming to overcome previous limitations by analyzing the links between ethnic groups and other agents. To that end, we undertook the case study here reported of the role played by Indian–Americans to advance the 2008 nuclear agreement between the United States and India through Capitol Hill. Employing deductive process tracing based on the ACF's structure, we demonstrate the relevance of the links between Indian–Americans and other groups to better understand how this agreement came to be approved.
Prediction performance of linear models and gradient boosting machine on complex phenotypes in outbred mice
Authors: Perez Bruno C , Bink Marco C A M , Svenson Karen L , Churchill Gary A , Calus Mario P L
Published: February 2022

We compared the performance of linear (GBLUP, BayesB, and elastic net) methods to a nonparametric tree-based ensemble (gradient boosting machine) method for genomic prediction of complex traits in mice. The dataset used contained genotypes for 50,112 SNP markers and phenotypes for 835 animals from 6 generations. Traits analyzed were bone mineral density, body weight at 10, 15, and 20 weeks, fat percentage, circulating cholesterol, glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and urine creatinine. The youngest generation was used as a validation subset, and predictions were based on all older generations. Model performance was evaluated by comparing predictions for animals in the validation subset against their adjusted phenotypes. Linear models outperformed gradient boosting machine for 7 out of 10 traits. For bone mineral density, cholesterol, and glucose, the gradient boosting machine model showed better prediction accuracy and lower relative root mean squared error than the linear models. Interestingly, for these 3 traits, there is evidence of a relevant portion of phenotypic variance being explained by epistatic effects. Using a subset of top markers selected from a gradient boosting machine model helped for some of the traits to improve the accuracy of prediction when these were fitted into linear and gradient boosting machine models. Our results indicate that gradient boosting machine is more strongly affected by data size and decreased connectedness between reference and validation sets than the linear models. Although the linear models outperformed gradient boosting machine for the polygenic traits, our results suggest that gradient boosting machine is a competitive method to predict complex traits with assumed epistatic effects.
NETMAGE: A human disease phenotype map generator for the network-based visualization of phenome-wide association study results
Authors: Sriram Vivek , Shivakumar Manu , Jung Sang-Hyuk , Nam Yonghyun , Bang Lisa , Verma Anurag , Lee Seunggeun , Choe Eun Kyung , Kim Dokyoon
Published: February 2022

Background

Disease complications, the onset of secondary phenotypes given a primary condition, can exacerbate the long-term severity of outcomes. However, the exact cause of many of these cross-phenotype associations is still unknown. One potential reason is shared genetic etiology—common genetic drivers may lead to the onset of multiple phenotypes. Disease-disease networks (DDNs), where nodes represent diseases and edges represent associations between diseases, can provide an intuitive way of understanding the relationships between phenotypes. Using summary statistics from a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS), we can generate a corresponding DDN where edges represent shared genetic variants between diseases. Such a network can help us analyze genetic associations across the diseasome, the landscape of all human diseases, and identify potential genetic influences for disease complications.

Results

To improve the ease of network-based analysis of shared genetic components across phenotypes, we developed the humaN disEase phenoType MAp GEnerator (NETMAGE), a web-based tool that produces interactive DDN visualizations from PheWAS summary statistics. Users can search the map by various attributes and select nodes to view related phenotypes, associated variants, and various network statistics. As a test case, we used NETMAGE to construct a network from UK BioBank (UKBB) PheWAS summary statistic data. Our map correctly displayed previously identified disease comorbidities from the UKBB and identified concentrations of hub diseases in the endocrine/metabolic and circulatory disease categories. By examining the associations between phenotypes in our map, we can identify potential genetic explanations for the relationships between diseases and better understand the underlying architecture of the human diseasome. Our tool thus provides researchers with a means to identify prospective genetic targets for drug design, using network medicine to contribute to the exploration of personalized medicine.
Health education to improve low-birthweight infant care practices in Central Jakarta, Indonesia
Authors: Hadi Ella N , Tambunan Eviana S , Pratomo Hadi , Priyohastono Sutanto , Rustina Yeni
Published: February 2022

This study aimed to assess the impact of health education on the caring practices of low-birthweight (LBW) infant mothers in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. A quasi-experiment design with a pretest–post-test control group model was conducted on 159 mothers (78 in the intervention group and 81 in the control group) of LBW infants treated in the perinatology ward of three hospitals in Central Jakarta. Provision of health education to mothers of LBW infants consisted of counselling sessions and one-on-one visits provided by primary health centre nurses. Data were collected four times consecutively over 6 weeks. A generalized estimating equation model with a linear link function was employed to examine LBW infant practice score changes due to intervention and other influential factors at four time points. Results: The LBW infant care practice scores were higher in the intervention group than in the control group at each measurement point. After controlling for maternal attitudes, LBW infant health education increased mothers’ infant care practices at 2, 6 and 12 weeks by 2.179, 2.803 and 2.981 points, respectively, and reduced infant morbidity. Six  weeks of health education had an effective impact on mothers’ home LBW infant care practices and infant health status.
Mitochondrial oxidative stress contributes to the pathological aggregation and accumulation of tau oligomers in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Du Fang , Yu Qing , Kanaan Nicholas M , Yan Shirley ShiDu
Published: February 2022

Tau oligomers (oTau) are thought to precede neurofibrillary tangle formation and likely represent one of the toxic species in disease. This study addresses whether mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to tau oligomer accumulation. First, we determined whether elevated oxidative stress correlates with aggregation of tau oligomers in the brain and platelets of human Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patient, tauopathy mice, primary cortical neurons from tau mice and human trans-mitochondrial ‘cybrid’ (cytoplasmic hybrid) neuronal cells, whose mitochondria are derived from platelets of patients with sporadic AD- or mild cognitive impairment (MCI)-derived mitochondria. Increased formation of tau oligomers correlates with elevated ROS levels in the hippocampi of AD patients and tauopathy mice, AD- and MCI-derived mitochondria and AD and MCI cybrid cells. Furthermore, scavenging ROS by application of mito-TEMPO/2-(2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl-4-ylamino)-2-oxoethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride, a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, not only inhibits the generation of mitochondrial ROS and rescues mitochondrial respiratory function but also robustly suppresses tau oligomer accumulation in MCI and AD cybrids as well as cortical neurons from tau mice. These studies provide substantial evidence that mitochondria-mediated oxidative stress contributes to tau oligomer formation and accumulation.
Women, Peace and Security governance in the Asia–Pacific: a multi-scalar field of discourse and practice
Authors: Martel Stéphanie , Mustapha Jennifer , Sharma Sarah E
Published: February 2022

The UN's Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda is now over 20 years old, yet much of the Asia–Pacific has been slow to engage in formalized WPS work at national and regional scales. This article examines the relatively recent development of official WPS national action plans by Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Timor-Leste, alongside mounting collective efforts towards WPS governance by regional organizations like ASEAN. We demonstrate the existence of an emerging multi-scalar field of WPS discourse and practice in the Asia–Pacific, which is still in its formative stages and carries the potential for both convergence and contestation as actors work to navigate diverse approaches to WPS governance along various ‘tracks’. This article also points to the limitations of a rigidly formalized elite-driven WPS agenda that neglects well-established communities of practice in the Asia–Pacific. Ultimately, more attention needs to be paid to the complex dynamics that shape the ongoing postcolonial encounters between the broader WPS agenda and the localized historical and discursive contexts of regional WPS governance.
Germany in the Indo-Pacific region: strengthening the liberal order and regional security
Authors: Ulatowski Rafał
Published: February 2022

In the twenty-first century, the Indo-Pacific region became the focal point of great power competition. In 2020, Germany published its ‘Policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific. Germany—Europe—Asia: shaping the twenty-first century together’. The publication of the Indo-Pacific guidelines and the deployment of frigate Bayern to the Indo-Pacific in early August 2021 offer a starting point for a discussion on a German grand strategy in the post-liberal world order. This article argues that the publication of the German Indo-Pacific guidelines and Germany's increased engagement in the region are a consequence of a change in how Germany perceives China. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the rise of China was seen as an opportunity for Germany, but this has changed, with China now increasingly seen as a threat to Germany's national interests. Consequently, Germany is strengthening its cooperation with like-minded countries in Asia and is engaging in soft balancing against China. Germany's Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer stops short of using the word alliance, calling for ‘an international network of like-minded countries’ and also stops short of declaring a containment strategy against China, saying that Germany works together with China where this is possible, but digs its heels in against China where it has to.
Detection of Gegen Adulteration Using Multiple Fingerprints Coupled With Chemometric Strategy
Authors: Huang Xian-Jun , Wan Mei-Xuan , Zhao Yuan , Duan Bao-Zhong , Xia Cong-Long , Xu Li
Published: February 2022

Background

The root of Pueraria montana var. lobata (gegen) is a well-known traditional Chinese medical herb, which is prone to be accidentally contaminated with Pueraria montana var. thomsonii, Pueraria wallichii, and Pueraria peduncularis due to the morphological character similarity. These adulterations might cause quality confusion and safety issues.

Objective

In this study, the screening technique to detect adulteration in gegen was developed using multiple fingerprints and chemometrics.

Method

A range of gegen samples and possible known adulterants including Pueraria montana var. thomsonii, Pueraria wallichii, and Pueraria peduncularis were collected. FT-IR and HPLC coupled with different chemometric techniques, including similarity analysis (SA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), provide the qualitative chemometric models for gegen adulteration detection.

Results

FT-IR and HPLC combined with OPLS-DA successfully differentiated authentic gegen from adulterants. Both FT-IR and HPLC units can be used as alternative methods to traditional methods. The HPLC showed better performance in identifying samples than FT-IR.

Conclusions

The use of FT-IR and HPLC coupled with chemometrics could potentially be the proper selection method for the early quality evaluation of gegen. This method can be used to combat fraud in the herbal industry in the future.

Highlights

FT-IR and HPLC combined with chemometrics analysis were developed to discriminate between Pueraria lobata (gegen) and adulterants. The multiple fingerprints combined with multivariate methods were successfully applied to the study of the gegen and its adulterants. The chemometrics analysis using SA and OPLS-DA indicate significant differentiation in the chemical composition of these species. This research provides important chemotaxonomic references in species identification.
On the interplay between practical and statistical significance in equal employment cases
Authors: Gastwirth Joseph L , Miao Weiwen , Pan Qing
Published: February 2022

The distinction between statistical and practical significance often arises in the analysis of large data sets, where seemingly small disparities can reach statistical significance at the 0.05 level. In 2014, the opinion in Jones v. Boston created a split in the circuits when it relied solely on statistical significance. The opinion noted that there is no generally accepted definition of practical significance and that the phrase may simply mean that the person using the term views the disparity as substantial enough that a plaintiff should be able to sue. In July 2019, the Office of Federal Compliance Programs (OFCCP) proposed updated procedures for the way it considers both practical and statistical significance when reviewing the employment practices of government contractors.1 On 10 November 2020, the Agency issued its final rules, which downplayed the role of statistical significance.2 The main measures of practical significance mentioned in the notices OFCCP issued in the Federal Register or its Frequently Asked Questions guide3 as well as some other measures of practical significance that have been proposed are studied in this article. The results of the paper support the First Circuit and OFCCP in their views that there is no single measure of practical significance that can be recommended for use as the sole criterion for deciding whether the disparity has practical importance. Nevertheless, the paper includes an empirical guideline combining the odds ratio and difference between success rates to judge practical significance as well as recommendations for balancing Type I and Type II errors and their consequences in the context of the case in determining the level required for statistical significance.
GRB 191016A: The onset of the forward shock and evidence of late energy injection
Authors: Pereyra M , Fraija N , Watson A M , Becerra R L , Butler N R , De Colle F , Troja E , Dichiara S , Fraire-Bonilla E , Lee W H , Ramirez-Ruiz E , Bloom J S , Prochaska J X , Kutyrev A S , González J J , Richer M G
Published: February 2022

We present optical and near-infrared (NIR) photometric observations of GRB 191016 with the COATLI,DDOTI, and RATIR ground-based telescopes over the first three nights. We present the temporal evolution of the optical afterglow and describe five different stages that were not completely characterized in previous works, mainly due to scarcity of data points to accurately fit the different components of the optical emission. After the end of the prompt gamma-ray emission, we observed the afterglow rise slowly in the optical and NIR wavelengths and peak at around T + 1450 s in all filters. This was followed by an early decay, a clear plateau from T + 5000 s to T + 11 000 s, and then a regular late decay. We also present evidence of the jet break at later times, with a temporal index in good agreement with the temporal slope obtained from X-ray observations. Although many of the features observed in the optical light curves of gamma-ray bursts are usually well explained by a reverse shock (RS) or forward shock (FS), the shallowness of the optical rise and enhanced peak emission in the GRB 191016A afterglow is not well fitted by only a FS or a RS. We propose a theoretical model which considers both of these components and combines an evolving FS with a later embedded RS and a subsequent late energy injection from the central engine activity. We use this model to successfully explain the temporal evolution of the light curves and discuss its implications on the fireball properties.
Non-parametric spherical Jeans mass estimation with B-splines
Authors: Rehemtulla Nabeel , Valluri Monica , Vasiliev Eugene
Published: February 2022

Spherical Jeans modelling is widely used to estimate mass profiles of systems from star clusters to galactic stellar haloes to clusters of galaxies. It derives the cumulative mass profile, M(<r), from kinematics of tracers of the potential under the assumptions of spherical symmetry and dynamical equilibrium. We consider the application of Jeans modelling to mapping the dark matter distribution in the outer reaches of the Milky Way using field halo stars. We present a novel non-parametric routine for solving the spherical Jeans equation by fitting B-splines to the velocity and density profiles of halo stars. While most implementations assume parametric forms for these profiles, B-splines provide non-parametric fitting curves with analytical derivatives. Our routine recovers the mass profiles of equilibrium systems with flattened haloes or a stellar disc and bulge excellently (${\lesssim} 10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ error at most radii). Tests with non-equilibrium, Milky Way-like galaxies from the Latte suite of the Feedback In Realistic Environments model 2 (FIRE-2) simulations perform quite well (${\lesssim} 15{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ error for r$\lesssim$ 100 kpc). We also create observationally motivated data sets for the Latte suite by imposing selection functions and errors on phase-space coordinates characteristic of Gaia and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Milky Way Survey. The resulting imprecise and incomplete data require us to introduce a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)-based subroutine to obtain deconvolved density and velocity dispersion profiles from the tracer population. With these observational effects taken into account, the accuracy of the Jeans mass estimate remains at the level 20 per cent or better.
Sr v–vi line widths in hot white dwarf atmospheres
Authors: Aloui Rihab , Elabidi Haykel , Sahal-Bréchot Sylvie
Published: February 2022

Missing Stark widths for 37 spectral lines of strontium ions (17 Sr v lines and 20 Sr vi lines) have been calculated using a quantum-mechanical method. Twenty-three spectral lines of Sr v have been recently discovered, for the first time, in the ultraviolet spectrum of the hot white dwarf RE 0503−289. This recent discovery prompts us to calculate the Stark widths of the new lines. These calculations can fill the lack of the data base STARK-B and can be used to investigate the observed spectra in such stars. To perform the line broadening calculations, preliminary structure and collision calculations have been carried out using the sequence of the University College London codes (superstructure, distorted wave, and jajom). Results for the 37 lines are provided for different electron temperatures and at density Ne = 1017 cm−3. These results will enter the STARK-B data base, which is a node of the Virtual Atomic and Molecular Data Center. We hope that the obtained results will be useful for the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium modelling of stellar atmospheres.
TESS asteroseismology of the Kepler red giants
Authors: Stello Dennis , Saunders Nicholas , Grunblatt Sam , Hon Marc , Reyes Claudia , Huber Daniel , Bedding Timothy R , Elsworth Yvonne , García Rafael A , Hekker Saskia , Kallinger Thomas , Mathur Savita , Mosser Benoit , Pinsonneault Marc H
Published: February 2022

Red giant asteroseismology can provide valuable information for studying the Galaxy as demonstrated by space missions like CoRoT and Kepler. However, previous observations have been limited to small data sets and fields of view. The TESS mission provides far larger samples and, for the first time, the opportunity to perform asteroseimic inference from full-frame images full-sky, instead of narrow fields and pre-selected targets. Here, we seek to detect oscillations in TESS data of the red giants in the Kepler field using the 4-yr Kepler results as a benchmark. Because we use 1–2 sectors of observation, our results are representative of the typical scenario from TESS data. We detect clear oscillations in ∼3000 stars with another ∼1000 borderline (low S/N) cases. In comparison, best-case predictions suggest ∼4500 detectable oscillating giants. Of the clear detections, we measure Δν in 570 stars, meaning a ∼20 per cent Δν yield (14 per cent for one sector and 26 per cent for two sectors). These yields imply that typical (1–2 sector) TESS data will result in significant detection biases. Hence, to boost the number of stars, one might need to use only νmax as the seismic input for stellar property estimation. However, we find little bias in the seismic measurements and typical scatter is about 5–6 per cent in νmax and 2–3 per cent in Δν. These values, coupled with typical uncertainties in parallax, Teff, and [Fe/H] in a grid-based approach, would provide internal uncertainties of 3 per cent in inferred stellar radius, 6 per cent in mass, and 20 per cent in age for low-luminosity giant stars. Finally, we find red giant seismology is not significantly affected by seismic signal confusion from blending for stars with Tmag ≲ 12.5.
The extended Local Supercluster
Authors: Peebles P J E
Published: February 2022

It has long been established but seldom noticed that we are in a region at least 170 Mpc across in which different types of galaxies show different degrees of alignment with the plane of the de Vaucouleurs Local Supercluster. While clusters of galaxies and radio galaxies at redshifts z < 0.02 are concentrated at low supergalactic latitudes, the most luminous galaxies in the infrared, LIRGs, show little correlation with this plane. The most luminous early-type galaxies are concentrated at low supergalactic latitudes, but similarly luminous spirals are not noticeably so. The cross-correlations of the positions of what might be considered galaxies selected for their stellar mass with positions of clusters and LIRGs offer a measure of the situation. The mean density at distance ∼0.5 Mpc from an LIRG is comparable to the mean density at that distance from a cluster of galaxies, but the mean density 5 Mpc from an LIRG is well below the mean density at that distance from a cluster and not much greater than the cosmic mean density. Discussion of issues arising is brief.
Multiwavelength radiation models for low-luminosity GRBs and the implications for UHECRs
Authors: Rudolph A , Bošnjak Ž , Palladino A , Sadeh I , Winter W
Published: February 2022

We study the prompt phase of low-luminosity gamma-ray bursts (ll-GRBs) as potential source of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-rays and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). Within the internal shock model, we choose parameters for the relativistic outflow such that our representative events have observed properties similar to GRBs 980425, 100316D, and 120714B, and self-consistently calculate the full spectral and temporal properties in a leptonic synchrotron self-Compton scenario. To investigate the conditions under which inverse Compton radiation may lead to a peak in the GeV–TeV range, we vary the fraction of internal energy supplying the magnetic field. Further, we determine the maximal energies achievable for UHECR nuclei and derive constraints on the baryonic loading/typical duration by comparing to the extragalactic gamma-ray background. We find that ll-GRBs are potential targets for multiwavelength studies and in reach for Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) and optical/UV instruments. For comparable sub-MeV emission and similar dynamical evolution of the outflow, weak (strong) magnetic fields induce high (low) fluxes in the VHE regime and low (high) fluxes in the optical. VHE emission may be suppressed by γγ-absorption close to the engine or interactions with the extragalactic background light for redshifts z > 0.1. For UHECRs, the maximal energies of iron nuclei (protons) can be as high as ≃1011 GeV (1010 GeV) if the magnetic energy density is large (and the VHE component is correspondingly weak). These high energies are possible by decoupling the production regions of UHECR and gamma-rays in our multizone model. Finally, we find basic consistency with the energy budget needed to accommodate the UHECR origin from ll-GRBs.
Long-term cognitive impairments in kidney transplant recipients: impact on participation and quality of life
Authors: Ziengs Aaltje L , Buunk Anne M , van Sonderen Lisanne , Eisenga Michele F , Gomes Neto Antonio W , Annema Coby , Vlagsma Thialda , Navis Gerjan J , Berger Stefan P , Bakker Stephan J L , Spikman Jacoba M
Published: February 2022

Background

Cognitive impairment is often present shortly after transplantation in kidney transplant recipients (KTR). To date, it is unknown whether these impairments persist in the

long term, to what extent they are associated with disease-related variables and whether they affect societal participation and quality of life (QoL) of KTR.

Method

This study was part of the TransplantLines Biobank & Cohort Study in the University Medical Center Groningen. A total of 131 KTR, with a mean age of 53.6 years (SD = 13.5) transplanted ≥1 year ago (M = 11.2 years, range 1–41.7 years), were included and compared with 306 healthy controls (HC). KTR and HC were well matched; there were no significant differences regarding age, sex and education. All participants were assessed with neuropsychological tests measuring memory, mental speed, attention and executive functioning, and with questionnaires examining societal participation and QoL.

Results

Compared with HC, KTR performed significantly worse on memory, mental speed and measures of executive functioning (all P-values <0.05). Moreover, 16% of KTR met the criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), compared with 2.6% of the HC. MCI in KTR was not significantly correlated with age- and disease-related variables. Poorer cognitive functioning was significantly related to lower levels of societal participation and to lower QoL (all P-values <0.01).

Conclusions

This study shows long-term cognitive impairments in KTR, which are not related to disease-related variables. Neuropsychological assessment is important to timely signal these impairments, given their serious negative impact on societal participation and QoL.
A systematic review of amino acid PET in assessing treatment response to temozolomide in glioma
Authors: Prather Kiana Y , O’Neal Christen M , Westrup Alison M , Tullos Hurtis J , Hughes Kendall L , Conner Andrew K , Glenn Chad A , Battiste James D
Published: February 2022

The response assessment in neuro-oncology (RANO) criteria have been the gold standard for monitoring treatment response in glioblastoma (GBM) and differentiating tumor progression from pseudoprogression. While the RANO criteria have played a key role in detecting early tumor progression, their ability to identify pseudoprogression is limited by post-treatment damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which often leads to contrast enhancement on MRI and correlates poorly to tumor status. Amino acid positron emission tomography (AA PET) is a rapidly growing imaging modality in neuro-oncology. While contrast-enhanced MRI relies on leaky vascularity or a compromised BBB for delivery of contrast agents, amino acid tracers can cross the BBB, making AA PET particularly well-suited for monitoring treatment response and diagnosing pseudoprogression. The authors performed a systematic review of PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase through December 2021 with the search terms “temozolomide” OR “Temodar,” “glioma” OR “glioblastoma,” “PET,” and “amino acid.” There were 19 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Thirteen studies utilized [18F]FET, five utilized [11C]MET, and one utilized both. All studies used static AA PET parameters to evaluate TMZ treatment in glioma patients, with nine using dynamic tracer parameters in addition. Throughout these studies, AA PET demonstrated utility in TMZ treatment monitoring and predicting patient survival.
Candidemia Among Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients in Turkey Admitted to Intensive Care Units: A Retrospective Multicenter Study
Authors: Arastehfar Amir , Ünal Nevzat , Hoşbul Tuğrul , Alper Özarslan Muhammed , Sultan Karakoyun Ayşe , Polat Furkan , Fuentes Diego , Gümral Ramazan , Turunç Tuba , Daneshnia Farnaz , Perlin David S , Lass-Flörl Cornelia , Gabaldón Toni , Ilkit Macit , Nguyen M Hong
Published: February 2022

Background

We evaluated the epidemiology of candidemia among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective multicenter study in Turkey between April and December 2020.

Results

Twenty-eight of 148 enrolled patients developed candidemia, yielding an incidence of 19% and incidence rate of 14/1000 patient-days. The probability of acquiring candidemia at 10, 20, and 30 days of ICU admission was 6%, 26%, and 50%, respectively. More than 80% of patients received antibiotics, corticosteroid, and mechanical ventilation. Receipt of a carbapenem (odds ratio [OR] = 6.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6–22.3, P = .008), central venous catheter (OR = 4.3, 95% CI = 1.3–14.2, P = .02), and bacteremia preceding candidemia (OR = 6.6, 95% CI = 2.1–20.1, P = .001) were independent risk factors for candidemia. The mortality rate did not differ between patients with and without candidemia. Age (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01–1.09, P = .02) and mechanical ventilation (OR = 61, 95% CI = 15.8–234.9, P < .0001) were independent risk factors for death. Candida albicans was the most prevalent species overall. In Izmir, Candida parapsilosis accounted for 50% (2 of 4) of candidemia. Both C parapsilosis isolates were fluconazole nonsusceptible, harbored Erg11-Y132F mutation, and were clonal based on whole-genome sequencing. The 2 infected patients resided in ICUs with ongoing outbreaks due to fluconazole-resistant C parapsilosis.

Conclusions

Physicians should be aware of the elevated risk for candidemia among patients with COVID-19 who require ICU care. Prolonged ICU exposure and ICU practices rendered to COVID-19 patients are important contributing factors to candidemia. Emphasis should be placed on (1) heightened infection control in the ICU and (2) developing antibiotic stewardship strategies to reduce irrational antimicrobial therapy.
Response-Dependent Theories of Responsibility
Authors: Shoemaker David
Published: February 2022

Response-dependent theories of responsibility maintain that being responsible is somehow a function of being held responsible. In other words, the facts of being a responsible agent are grounded in metaphysically prior facts about the sorts of responses that people would or do have to that agent. Such theories have seemed to many to be wildly implausible. How could we sensibly hold people responsible if they weren’t already responsible? Further, what if we had some heinous holding-responsible practices, holding the mentally ill or children responsible, say, and not holding women or minorities responsible? Surely those practices wouldn’t fix the conditions for being responsible, would they? This chapter begins with a brief history of theories that have been in the response-dependent neighborhood, and then turns to the groundbreaking response-dependent theory of responsibility advanced by P. F. Strawson. After discussing several objections to Strawson’s account, objections that draw their power from the fact that Strawson didn’t really argue for his response-dependence, an attempt is made to provide and defend such an argument. Finally, the implications such a view might have for theorizing about responsibility going forward are discussed.
Free Will Skepticism and Criminal Justice
Authors: Caruso Gregg D.
Published: February 2022

This chapter develops and defends the public health-quarantine model, a non-retributive and non-punitive alternative for addressing criminal behavior that draws on the public health framework and prioritizes prevention and social justice. It begins by arguing that there are several powerful reasons for rejecting retributivism, not the least of which is that it’s unclear that agents possess the kind of free will and moral responsibility needed to justify it. Section 1 briefly summarizes the arguments against free will and basic desert moral responsibility and explains their implications for the retributive justification of legal punishment. Section 2 then introduces and defends the public health-quarantine model and argues that it’s not only consistent with free will skepticism but that it also provides a more humane, holistic, and effective approach to dealing with criminal behavior than either retributivism or other leading non-retributive alternatives. The chapter concludes in sections 3 and 4 by addressing a number of potential concerns about proportionality, human dignity, and victims’ rights. It is argued that each of these concerns can be met and that in the end the public health-quarantine model offers a superior alternative to retributive punishment and other non-retributive accounts.
Skepticism about Evil: Atrocity and the Limits of Responsibility
Authors: Doris John M. , Murphy Dominic
Published: February 2022

This chapter contends that the concept of evil is of limited explanatory utility for moral psychology. If evil is understood as very serious wrongdoing resulting from the exercise of morally responsible agency, instances of evil are probably vanishingly rare. In service of this conclusion, it is suggested here that most wrongdoing extreme enough to be a potential instance of evil falls into two categories. The first category comprises acts performed by individuals who suffer psychological impairment that destabilizes morally responsible agency. The second category covers acts carried out by individuals constrained by circumstances in ways that destabilize morally responsible agency. Because most putative instances of evildoing fall into one of these two categories, genuine instances of evil will be rare, and evil will not be a generally useful explanatory construct. The chapter opens with some general discussion of the nature of evil in folk moral psychology, then illustrates both categories mentioned above with case studies, including psychopathic killing and violation of the laws of war. The chapter also discusses moral responsibility more generally, and considers what appropriate responses there might be to its central claims, such as embracing collective responsibility and strict liability.
Accountability, Answerability, and Attributability
Authors: Jeppsson Sofia
Published: February 2022

This chapter provides an overview and brief critical discussion of moral responsibility pluralism: that is, theories according to which there are several different kinds of moral responsibility, and it is possible for an agent to be morally responsible in one sense while lacking responsibility in another. Philosophers usually become pluralists about moral responsibility in order to handle one of two problems. Moral responsibility skeptics must explain how we ought to handle wrongdoing in a society where skepticism is embraced: saying that although one kind of moral responsibility does not exist, another one does, and suffices for our most crucial practices, offers a solution. Other philosophers argue that we need pluralism to make sense of our often-ambiguous intuitions regarding the responsibility of agents with certain impairments. The latter is far from obvious, though; moral responsibility monists can appeal to familiar excuses such as non-culpable ignorance, or how difficulties can diminish responsibility without erasing it. Pluralism does seem crucial for skeptics; however, it remains difficult to separate the kind of moral responsibility that does not exist according to the theory from the one that does, if the latter is made sufficiently thick to base vital practices on.
Introduction
Authors: Rickless Samuel C.
Published: February 2022

This chapter serves as a brief introduction to the volume. It summarizes the main philosophical issues explored in the thematic sections of the book, including Berkeley’s idealism and immaterialism, his response to skepticism about sensible objects, his hostility to abstract ideas, his conception of active minds by means of notions rather than ideas, his conception of God as a speaker of a visual language addressed to human beings, his surprising insistence that his version of idealism vindicates common sense, his replacement of mechanistic causation with a different template for the explanation of sensible phenomena through natural laws, his contributions to the science of vision, mathematics, chemistry, and economics, and his theology, setting the stage for the historical contextualization of Berkeley’s work through comparison and contrast with the work of some of his major philosophical predecessors, contemporaries, and successors.
Berkeley on Political Obligation
Authors: Kendrick Nancy
Published: February 2022

Berkeley’s doctrine of passive obedience supports a principle of nonresistance. It insists that political subjects have a duty to obey the commands of political authority. In advancing this position, Berkeley is at odds with the social contract tradition, and in particular with Locke, who insisted on a right of political resistance. What Berkeley objects to in Locke’s philosophy is not the idea that the duty to obey the law is limited. In fact, Berkeley agrees with that claim. Instead, he objects to Locke’s insistence that transactional consent is what does the work in limiting political obligation. Berkeley’s arguments for passive obedience are examined alongside those advanced by Mary Astell, another Anglican Tory thinker of the early eighteenth century who championed the doctrine of passive obedience, in order to illuminate his rejection of Locke’s transactional theory of political obligation.
Berkeley and Descartes
Authors: Nelson Alan
Published: February 2022

This chapter is a critical comparison of the philosophical systems of Berkeley and Descartes. One main point of comparison involves the proof for the existence of extended substance that Descartes offers in his Meditations. This proof, beginning with some premises acceptable to Berkeley would, if successful, refute his immaterialist system of philosophy. Berkeley’s own proof of the existence of God strikingly parallels Descartes’s of the existence of material things. The comparison brings into focus the disputed cognitive status of material things. The significance of phenomenological considerations that separate the two philosophers is also emphasized. Finally, the subtle differences between their philosophies of mind are explored.
Berkeley and Edwards
Authors: LoLordo Antonia
Published: February 2022

Berkeley’s immaterialism was not the only form of immaterialism on offer in the early modern period. In colonial America, Edwards, the Puritan preacher, theologian, and philosopher, put forward his own version of immaterialism. Edwards’s version of immaterialism, which was arrived at independently of Berkeley’s, is supposed to share many of its advantages. However, the line of thought that led Edwards to immaterialism ultimately also led him to deny the substantiality and causal power of created minds—something Berkeley was determined to avoid, at all costs. Thus, comparing Edwards’s view to Berkeley’s helps us better understand the logic of immaterialism. It also helps emphasize the importance of Berkeley’s claim that we have experience of an ongoing self, in addition to our experience of our ideas and volitions.
Berkeley and Reid
Authors: Copenhaver Rebecca
Published: February 2022

Reid reacted strongly to Berkeley’s philosophy. He depicts Berkeley as the exemplar of the theory on which ideas are the immediate objects of mental activity, and presents Berkeley’s idealism and immaterialism as instances of the excesses of that theory. Yet Reid’s theory of perception reveals that Berkeley had a profound and positive influence on him. He follows Berkeley in holding that vision alone does not present us with distance, size, and shape. Those are presented originally only by touch. He also follows Berkeley in holding that a suggestion relation coordinates visible and tangible figure, in opposition to relations such as resemblance, inference, judgment, calculation, or deduction. He adopts Berkeley’s explanation of how we perceive tangible figure by sight—by suggestion—but he is not bound to Berkeley’s heterogeneity thesis, according to which visible and tangible figure are incommensurate. According to Reid, it is both true that visible figure suggests tangible figure and that they are geometrically inter-derivable. Nevertheless, following Berkeley, Reid insists that normal perceivers do not infer tangible figure from visible figure. Rather, our ability to perceive tangible figure by sight is an acquired perception: a perceptual ability acquired through multimodal perception, perceptual development, and perceptual learning.
Scripture-logy and Scriptural Performance in Canonical Criticism and the Theistic Confucian Thought
Authors: Wang Tai-il
Published: February 2022

Canonical understanding of Scripture has been the focus of recent scholarship in the West. Korean biblical scholars welcome this development for it saves the scriptural Bible from the distressing outcome of the academic Bible. It reminded us of scriptural studies of Dasan Jeong Yak-Yong (1762–1836), a scholar in the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, whose literary output was a theistic, exegetical, and hermeneutical consideration of the Confucian classics. Dasan was a keen observer of details in the scriptural texts. He assumed that the art of scriptural reading is an encounter that brings to life the scripture in the community. Dasan pondered Confucian scriptures through the lens of theistic Confucianism. He laid a foundation for hermeneutics called Scripture-logy. His work sheds lights on the gateway to Korean Christianity and the core principle of Korean biblical interpretation.
Confucian Readings on Abraham
Authors: Suh Myung Soo
Published: February 2022

The Hebrew Bible is the foundation of the three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. In these religious traditions, Abraham is an archetypal figure of their faith and traditions. Similarly, Confucius is most highly regarded in the religion, thought, and culture of Northeast Asia. This chapter compares the ideal human virtues of Abraham and Confucius through the image of a Gunja, who is an ideal human figure presented by Confucius. How thoroughly do the life and faith of Abraham exemplify the words and deeds of a Gunja? Do proximities of interreligious virtues positively reinforce Korean textual interpretations and normative behavior?
Korean American Biblical Interpretation
Authors: Park Wongi
Published: February 2022

Korean American biblical interpretation is a new and emerging form of contextual hermeneutics that foregrounds the histories, identities, and concerns of minoritized communities. The answer to four questions defines what constitutes Korean American biblical interpretation: What is biblical criticism? Who are Korean Americans? What makes biblical criticism Korean American? Where is it located in the field? Korean American biblical interpretation is defined by a combination of factors: the identity and social location of the reader, whose theories, methods, sources, and contextual readings of the biblical text are informed by Korean American identity, history, and culture.
Post-Korean War Era (1945–1970)
Authors: Cheon Samuel
Published: February 2022

The two mainstreams of Korean biblical interpretation, fundamentalism and neo-Orthodoxy, continued even after the liberation of Korea from Japanese Imperialism. In South Korea, most churches and seminaries accepted the former, while a few Christian groups and theological institutes spread the latter. A continuing conflict arose, causing church splits and sectarian movements in the 1950s. Sectarians interpreted the Bible for their laity, an indigenous theology, and the secularization of the 1960s. All these movements responded to contemporary social change and a fluid ecclesial situation. These movements laid the foundation for the beginning of Minjung theology in the 1970s.
Historically Informed Experience
Authors: Barclay Bill
Published: February 2022

The role of music at Shakespeare’s Globe has radically evolved since its opening in 1997. What began as a scholarly embrace of historically informed performance (HIP), yielded to modern instrumentation, and eventually, to electronic lights and sound. What have we learned about Shakespeare and the actor-audience relationship over these profound changes? How have the practitioners evolved to meet the challenges of new leadership? What is the purpose of Shakespeare’s original architecture without his seventeenth-century toolkit? This chapter charts the changing of ‘authenticity’ from its devotional Original Practices through modern experimentation, using the inexhaustible lessons of Shakespeare’s spaces to vouch anew for live music in twenty-first-century Shakespeare everywhere.