bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Planet Formation Through Gravitational Instabilities
Authors: Rice Ken
Published: November 2022

It is now widely accepted that planets form in discs around young stars, with the most widely accepted planet formation scenario being a bottom-up process typically referred to as “core accretion.” The basic process involves a core growing through the accumulation of solids and, if it gets massive enough while there is still gas present in the disc, undergoing a runaway gas accretion phase to form a Jupiter-like gas giant.

However, early models of this process suggested that the formation timescale for a Jupiter-like gas giant exceeded the lifetime of the gas disc, suggesting that massive, gas giant planets form via some alternative process. One possibility is that they form via direct gravitational collapse. During the earliest stages of star formation, the disc around a young star can have a mass that is comparable to that of the central protostar and can be susceptible to the growth of a gravitational instability. One outcome of such an instability is that the disc fragments into bound objects that can then contract to become gas giant planets. This would happen very early in the star formation process and is very rapid, overcoming the timescale problem.

Subsequent work has, however, both illustrated that core accretion may operate on timescales shorter than disc lifetimes and that disc fragmentation is very unlikely to operate in the inner parts of planet-forming discs. Hence, it is very unlikely that disc fragmentation plays a role in the direct formation of close-in exoplanets. However, disc fragmentation may operate at large orbital radii and is expected to preferentially form either massive gas giant planets or brown dwarfs. Therefore, it is intriguing that exactly such objects are starting to be directly imaged at orbital radii where disc fragmentation may operate.

Additionally, even if a self-gravitating phase doesn’t play a direct role in the formation of gas giant planets, it may play an indirect role in the planet formation process. The spiral density waves that develop due to the gravitational instability can act to enhance the local density of solids, potentially accelerating their collisional growth or leading to the direct gravitational collapse of the solid component of the disc. This could then provide some of the building blocks for planets that later form via core accretion.
International Studies in China
Authors: Hwang Yih-Jye
Published: November 2022

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the rise of China has been one of the most frequently discussed topics in international relations (IR) circles. Because of this rise, Anglophone IR scholars have developed an increasing interest in Chinese perspectives on international relations. At the same time, IR scholars in China are dissatisfied with being consumers of knowledge rather than knowledge producers; many Chinese scholars have suggested there should be a Chinese school (CS) of IR, and attempts have been made over the past few decades to establish it. The call for a CS can be understood as an effort by Chinese scholars to establish their own subjectivity in international studies, a pursuit of an indigenous Chinese site of agency with regards to developing IR and IR theory. To demonstrate this, the historical development of international studies in China after the founding of the People’s Republic and how it led to Chinese IR scholars calling for the establishment of a CS in the 21st century is first introduced. Subsequently, the main branches and viewpoints of the CS will be illustrated—including Yan Xuetong’s moral realism, Zhao Tingyang’s conception of the Tianxia system, the Shanghai school’s symbiosis theory, and Qin Yaqing’s relational theory of world politics—before elucidating the main criticisms they have received from the Anglophone world of IR. Critics argue that the overall development of international studies in China is very much one of Chinese scholars replicating mainstream IR and its problems. This claim suggests that the CS movement is an imitation of modern Western discourse for political service rather than a genuine development of an indigenous discourse from Chinese tradition. This article, however, refutes these critics by suggesting that the development of international studies in China does have the potential to make an important contribution to non-Western, post-Western, and global quests in IR; attempts at creating CS contain an indigenous Chinese site of agency with regards to developing IR.
Health Security Intelligence: Intelligence, Biosecurity, and the Bioeconomy
Authors: Sanclemente Gaudys L. , Rivera-Vélez Fredy
Published: November 2022

Technology advancements and instruments present a beneficial influence in the bioeconomy at the intersection of security, intelligence, health, and cybersecurity. The actor–network theory inspires theoretical reflections on the importance of key actors interweaving in the information ecosystem, including human and nonhuman actors. Alliances, instruments, and public representation can raise awareness of research and development in the life sciences. The analysis focuses on the bioeconomy where the economy, biological sciences, and Big Data intersect as a source for understanding how boundary objects influence avenues of potential threats. As an emerging sector, the bioeconomy proposes using biological sciences and resources and transforming them into valuable products to enhance economic activity and drive innovation. However, the growth of the bioeconomy may lead to an expansion of security risks and threats. The increasing amount of information, coupled with data sharing and technology advancements in the biosphere, raises security concerns. The research reflects on two emerging fields, biosecurity and cyberbiosecurity, safeguarding the bioeconomy. This contribution highlights the value of knowledge production, preserving security, and awareness of vulnerabilities and risks regarding nefarious activities while not hindering research, development, and innovation in the bioeconomy. As the sector grows, more strategic protection may be necessary for the betterment of sustainable growth and development. The research contributes to the intelligence, security studies, and science and technology studies disciplines and as a source for military experts, security professionals, researchers, and intelligence analysts.
Beyond Formal-Informal Dichotomies
Authors: Smart Alan , Koster Martijn
Published: November 2022

Debates on informality have been mainly structured along dichotomous formal-informal, regular-irregular, or legal-illegal lines, where government and the law equate to formality. Ethnographic studies, however, have often demonstrated that formality and informality coexist. An increasing number of scholars have emphasized that the formal and the informal are always and everywhere intertwined. Domains that seem very formal contain informal practices and vice versa. We critically discuss five prevalent binary approaches to formality-informality: economic-non-economic, legal-illegal, institutionalized-informal politics, temporal dichotomies, and the division between form and “formlessness.” Countering these approaches, we outline anthropological insights on how formal and informal are better seen not as a dualism (binaries) but as a duality (a spectrum) of modes of interaction and performance, where each is entangled with, and inseparable from, the other and invariably invokes the other mode when one is performed.
Philosophical Issues in Thermal Physics
Authors: Myrvold Wayne C.
Published: November 2022

Thermodynamics gives rise to a number of conceptual issues that have been explored by both physicists and philosophers. One source of contention is the nature of thermodynamics itself. Is it what physicists these days would call a resource theory, that is, a theory about how agents with limited means of manipulating a physical system can exploit its physical properties to achieve desired ends, or is it a theory of the basic properties of matter, independent of considerations of manipulation and control? Another source of contention is the relation between thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. It has been recognized since the 1870s that the laws of thermodynamics, as originally conceived, cannot be strictly correct. Because of fluctuations at the molecular level, processes forbidden by the original version second law of thermodynamics are continually occurring. The original version of the second law is to be replaced with a probabilistic version, according to which large-scale violations of the original second law are not impossible but merely highly improbable, and small-scale violations unpredictable, unable to be harnessed to systematically produce useful work. The introduction of probability talk raises the question of how we should conceive of probabilities in the context of deterministic physical laws.
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Authors: Reverby Susan M.
Published: November 2022

Between 1932 and 1972, the US Public Health Service (PHS) ran the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Male Negro in Macon County, Alabama, to learn more about the effects of untreated syphilis on African Americans, and to see if the standard heavy metal treatments advocated at the time were efficacious in the disease’s late latent stage. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection and can be passed by a mother to her fetus at birth. It is contagious in its first two stages, but usually not in its third late latent stage. Syphilis can be, although is not always, fatal, and usually causes serious cardiovascular or neurological damage. To study the disease, the PHS recruited 624 African American men, 439 who were diagnosed with the latent stage of the disease and 185 without the disease who were to act as the controls in the experiment. However, the men were not told they were to participate in a medical experiment nor were they asked to give their consent to be used as subjects for medical research. Instead, the PHS led the men to believe that they were being treated for their syphilis by the provision of aspirins, iron tonics, vitamins, and diagnosis spinal taps, labeled a “special treatment” for the colloquial term “bad blood.” Indeed, even when penicillin became widely available by the early 1950s as a cure for syphilis, the researchers continued the study and tried to keep the men from treatment, however not always successfully.

Although a number of health professionals raised objections to the study over the years, while—thirteen articles were published in various medical journals, it continued unobstructed until 1972, when a journalist exposed the full implications of the study and a national uproar ensued. The widespread media coverage resulted in a successful lawsuit, federal paid health care to the remaining men and their syphilis-positive wives and children, Congressional hearings, a federal report, and changes to the legislation concerning informed consent for medical research. The government officially closed the study in 1972. In 1996, a Legacy Committee requested a formal apology from the federal government, which took place at the White House on May 16, 1997.

Rumors have surrounded the study since its public exposure, especially the beliefs that the government gave healthy men syphilis, rather than recruiting men that had the disease already, in order to conduct the research, and that all men in the study were left untreated decade after decade. In its public life, the study often serves a metaphor for mistrust of medical care and government research, memorialized in popular culture through music, plays, poems, and films.
African American Radio
Authors: Dupree-Wilson Teisha
Published: November 2022

Since its debut in the 1920s, African American radio has remained a permanent fixture in American popular culture. In the early years of radio, networks began to broadcast limited radio programming dedicated to showcasing “black” characters. Although these broadcasts were partially geared toward the black community, almost all of the featured performers were white actors who caricatured black culture and African American speech. In response to the negative black imagery presented in early radio, African American broadcasters sought to counter this problematic representation with programming produced and performed by black entertainers, who evoked cultural pride for the black community. The black community’s commitment to positively transforming African American presence in radio, led to a continuous evolution of this important medium. Such an evolution included the presentation and celebration of black entertainment though music and talk radio, the rise of “black-appeal” radio stations, which supported causes related to African American civil rights and cultural pride, the exposure of African American music to interracial audiences, and the emergence of African American disc jockeys as cultural heroes and community leaders. Significantly, African American radio’s transformation produced an increase in black female broadcasters and African American radio station owners.
Ritual
Authors: Stephenson Barry
Published: November 2022

In contemporary scholarship, the term ritual serves double duty. On one hand, ritual is a theoretical concept; on the other, ritual is a catchall term for a diverse set of cultural forms or practices, such as worship, baptism, parades, coronations, and festivals. These two uses of the term ritual are typically intertwined. As a distinct concept and discourse, “ritual” emerges in early modern Europe during the Reformation era, accompanying the emergence of secular modernity, taking its place alongside related concepts such as religion, art, ceremony, culture, and the secular. In the post-Enlightenment period, the intellectual and cultural influences of Protestantism, Rationalism, and Positivism created a general climate of suspicion about ritual’s merits: ritual was often deemed a backward, premodern cultural form, just as religion was considered a stepping-stone on the path from a magical and animistic worldview to modern science. At the same time, however, there emerged within European culture a longing for a perceived loss of transcendence and sociality, which included the urge to recover or reinvent lost or suppressed rites and cultural performances. Running through European thought, culture, and scholarship is a tension between ritual’s conserving and transformative potential. In the 19th century, in the new disciplines of anthropology and sociology, and in the detailed, comparative study of textual traditions, ritual was given considerable attention, although research was largely focused on the practices of non-Western and historical cultures; this research, coinciding with the heights of European colonialism, was often saddled with prejudicial and stereotypical views of ritual. The turn, however, to studying ritual in the field (rather than only in texts) laid the foundation for the emergence, in the 1970s, of ritual and performance studies as an interdisciplinary area of research, shaped in part by feminist, postcolonial, and critical theories. An important feature of this “performative turn” was to explore the connections between ritual and art, especially performative arts such as music and drama. Until the mid-20th century, ritual, under the influence of structural functionalism, was usually theorized as a stabilizing, normative social practice. In the 1970s, there begins an effort, stimulated by the thought of Victor Turner, to develop a more dialectical understanding of ritual, emphasizing both ritual’s aesthetic, expressive qualities; its relationship to other performative genres such as music, theater, and sports; and its dynamic role in processes of cultural change and transformation.
American Evangelicals in Guatemala
Authors: Turek Lauren Frances
Published: November 2022

The category of “evangelical” is a broad one, encompassing a range of different Christian denominations, nondenominational groups, and subcultures. Evangelicalism in the United States has evolved considerably over time and varies greatly by geographic region as well as by ethnicity and race. Although the evangelicals of the First Great Awakening in the 18th century have a genealogical connection with the neo-evangelicals of the post–World War II years and the Pentecostals preaching out of strip mall churches in urban and suburban areas of the United States in the early 21st century, much has changed in terms of evangelical practices, demographics, and even beliefs over the intervening centuries. This diversity and evolution notwithstanding, evangelicals share a basic faith in Biblical authority, a conversion or “born-again” experience, and a commitment to evangelism according to sociologist Mark Shibley. The latter commitment, which derives from Jesus Christ’s Great Commission to his followers in Matthew 28:19 to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” has long spurred evangelicals to undertake missionary work throughout the world.

The first evangelical missionaries arrived in Guatemala in the 19th century, and since then, the country has seen a steady influx of evangelists of all stripes. While some US missionaries worked in Guatemala on a short-term basis, many resided there for extended periods of time—decades in some cases—planting churches, building schools and medical facilities, and providing aid to alleviate suffering brought on by natural disasters or poverty. Evangelical missionaries also forged close relationships with some Guatemalan leaders, at times involving themselves in local and national politics and interacting with diplomatic officials and intelligence agents from the United States. The relationship between US evangelicals and General José Efraín Ríos Montt, a right-wing evangelical dictator who came to power in 1982 and oversaw a brutal genocide against the Indigenous Maya, has attracted particular attention. The evangelical presence in the country contributed to a dramatic shift in Guatemala’s religious demographics. In the 19th century, the country was (at least nominally) almost exclusively Catholic, though many Guatemalans also continued to practice indigenous faith traditions. As of 2019, Guatemalan Protestants, most of whom are evangelicals, made up approximately 35 to 42 percent of the population according to estimates from the Pew Research Center and the United States Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The ongoing relationship between US evangelicals, their counterparts in Guatemala, and Guatemalan leaders has influenced Guatemalan politics as well as relations with the United States into the present day.
Interamerican Dialogues and Experimentations in the Spanish South American Gradual Abolitionist Process (1810–1870)
Authors: Candioti Magdalena
Published: November 2022

Between 1811 and 1870, policies of gradual abolition of slavery were deployed in Hispanic South America. They consisted of two fundamental measures: the prohibition of the transatlantic slave trade and the enactment of free womb laws that prevented the enslavement of newborn children. These antislavery policies were adopted in contemporary Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay in an implicit and explicit Interamerican and Atlantic dialogue as well as with strong doses of experimentation. The processes also unfolded as the second slavery expanded in Brazil and the Caribbean.

A first set of antislavery policies was deployed between 1811 and 1830, and the wave of definitive abolitions occurred mostly in the 1850s. There were exceptions to this periodization with very early examples of complete abolition (such as Chile in 1826) or very late examples of gradual abolition (Paraguay in 1842). In any case, a common feature in these processes was the extension of the dependency of persons of African descent through the creation of different kinds of freedmen’s status, tutelages, or patronatos. Laws declared the right to freedom but established conditions that extended unfree labor and subjection for years and even decades, othering and stigmatizing the free and freed offspring of the African diaspora in Spanish South America.
Foreigners under Spanish Rule in the Río de la Plata Region
Authors: Biersack Martin
Published: November 2022

The Laws of the Indies forbade non-Spaniards from settling in the Spanish territories of America. Nevertheless, foreign immigration to the provinces of the Río de la Plata, with its capital, Buenos Aires, was frequent and fostered by trans-imperial trade relations. Owing to the proximity of Brazil, the Portuguese were the most numerous foreign migrant group during the whole colonial period, although migrants from other European nations also came to the Río de la Plata. In the mid-17th century, there was a small Dutch presence. British, French, and particularly Italian immigration increased particularly during the 18th century.

Until the appointment of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1776, the Cabildo of Buenos Aires largely controlled the migration regime in Buenos Aires. Its position toward foreign presence was one of tolerance. However, when merchants with monopolist interests gained control of the Cabildo during the second half of the 18th century, the Cabildo urged the governors and viceroys to expel foreigners and reduce trade with them. Montevideo, where merchants of Portuguese origin were more influential than in Buenos Aires, remained more tolerant toward foreigners until the end of the colonial period.

After the North American and French revolutions, foreigners—especially the French—were suspected of being supporters of republican ideas or independence, and their residence was seen as a problem in terms of security. The perception of foreigners as a security threat had a deep impact on the colonial migration regime because foreigners were being surveilled and expelled to Spain. In the last decade of colonial rule in Buenos Aires, the conflict between monopolist merchants in the Cabildo and landholders (hacendados), who favored free trade with foreigners, put the colonial order under pressure. The Spanish government was unable to resolve this conflict, and hence the question of free trade undermined viceregal power and ultimately led to its final removal.
Crop Rotation and Climate Change Adaptation in Argentina’s Agriculture Sector
Authors: Angeli Ariel R. , Bert Federico E. , Díez-Amigo Sandro , Soares Yuri , Chaij Jaquelina M. , Martini Gustavo D. , Montané F. Martín , Pardo Vegezzi Alejandro , Schmidt Federico
Published: November 2022

During the past two decades, extensive agriculture, particularly soybean production, has progressively replaced other crops in Argentina. This transformation was driven by economic, technological, environmental, and organizational factors, such as the increasing demand for agricultural commodities, technological advances, organizational innovations, and climate fluctuations. The expansion of soybean production has brought a substantial increase in agricultural revenue for Argentina. However, the predominance of soybean cultivation poses significant challenges, such as diminished soil fertility, reduction and increased variability in crop yields, ecological imbalance, increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and vulnerability to climate change.

Crop rotation, particularly balanced crop rotation, may result in very large positive impacts on soybean yields, especially in unfavorable climatic conditions such as those experienced during the La Niña ENSO phase in Argentina. In addition to this positive impact on agricultural productivity and climate adaptation, in some contexts crop rotation may also contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions, increased input energy efficiency, and improved environmental outcomes.

The 2018 Argentinian Association of Regional Consortia for Agricultural Experimentation and Inter-American Development Bank (AACREA-IADB) Integrated Crop Rotation Database compiled and harmonized the information from agricultural diaries kept by Regional Consortia for Agricultural Experimentation (CREA) members in Argentina from 1998 to 2016. This new consolidated data set has replaced previous regional templates, and it is expected to continue to be expanded with new information periodically, offering opportunities for further research on the impact of crop rotation on climate adaptation and on other topics in agricultural and environmental economics.
Water Federalism in the United States of America
Authors: Bernat Rebecca F.A. , Megdal Sharon B.
Published: November 2022

Water governance in the United States has followed a water federalism system, in which government functions are shared between federal and state authorities. Water federalism is the sharing of governance across different levels of government over freshwater quantity (water quantity federalism) and quality (water quality federalism). These terms have evolved throughout different eras of U.S. history. Initially, water federalism involved water quantity federalism only, and both state and federal governments had management prerogatives. The 1922 Colorado River Compact and the 1944 U.S. and Mexico Treaty are examples of a combination of horizontal and vertical federalisms. Then, the 1970s marked significant changes in water federalism. First, states regained control over water resources management. Second, water quality federalism arose as a subset of, and at the same time as, environmental federalism. The 1972 Clean Water Act is an example of cooperative federalism, which was commonly used to refer to environmental federalism. In the 21st century, a variety of environmental federalism frameworks have been offered to address the negative effects of climate change on water resources as well as other environmental issues. The contemporary literature on environmental federalism encompasses water quantity and water quality federalism. Throughout history, the role of American Indian tribal primacy has been overlooked in the water federalism literature. Another layer of government, the American Indian tribal government, should be included in discussing states versus federal water management prerogatives. Overall, new water quality and water quantity federalisms must be developed using institutional, sociocultural, and economic principles of good governance that foster a more inclusive, participatory, democratic, and engaged form of federalism.
Culturally Responsive Practice With African American Youth
Authors: Lateef Husain , Horton Dominique
Published: November 2022

Although scholars in the applied social sciences and allied professions have paid increasing attention to many of the disparities experienced by African American youth, very few efforts have been made to increase awareness of how culturally responsive practice can inform prevention and intervention efforts with this population. In response, the authors present an overview of cultural factors among African American youth, including information on their ancestral heritage, language, and known findings from culturally responsive interventions, to establish guideposts for next steps required to advance practice within social work. Subsequently, the authors conclude by sharing implications for continued research with communities and preliminary steps for social work practitioners that work with African American youth and their families.
Black Women and Maternal Death
Authors: Copeland Valire C. , Braxter Betty
Published: November 2022

The upward trend in the number of Black maternal deaths between 2005 and 2020 warrants an in-depth assessment of risk factors associated with the increased maternal mortality rate in the United States for this subgroup population. The risk factors are multifactorial and, in part, have been organized into several categories: demographics, social determinants of health (SDOH), medical conditions, and the quality-of-care interventions by health systems providers. In addition, the overall trends, causes, and solutions to decrease maternal mortality current rates reflect the social inequities in our society.

Black maternal deaths have been rising in recent years due to complex causes which stem from structural and systemic health inequities. In part, unvaccinated pregnant women were at greater risk of severe illness and hospitalization and even death if they were diagnosed with COVID-19. While Black Americans were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, the disparities in maternal mortality predate and extend beyond the pandemic. In part, and together, the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths include cardiovascular disease, other medical conditions and infections, cardiomyopathy, blood clots in the lung hypertensive disorders related to pregnancy, adverse pregnancy outcomes, racial bias of providers, and perceived racial discrimination from patients. In addition, an overview of nonmedical factors referred to as SDOH, which intersect with health status outcomes, will be discussed.

An overview of Black women’s maternal mortality and morbidity, factors contributing to poor maternal health status outcomes, and intervention strategies at the provider, health systems, and policy levels are provided. Social workers in health care systems function as health care providers and clinicians. Therefore, contributing medical and nonmedical issues are factors to consider for a holistic perspective during engagement, assessment, and intervention. The terms Black women and Black birthing persons are used interchangeably.
Namae, Takayuki
Authors: Matsuo Kana
Published: November 2022

Takayuki Namae (1867–1957) was a Christian social worker and professor who contributed significantly to social welfare work, education, and policies in Japan before World War II. After his studies at the New York School of Philanthropy and Boston University, Namae returned to Japan in 1904, despite several struggles, where he became a commissioned officer for the Japanese government, responsible for the development of major social work programs. During this time, he visited the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, New Zealand, and other countries to study their approach to social work and policies, and thereafter, he introduced these good practices in Japan. Namae maintained a humanitarian view in his development of social work policies. He dedicated his life to solving social issues in urban areas, protecting women and children, and supporting the poor. Ultimately, Takayuki Namae pioneered the indigenization of social work in Japan.
Wakabayashi, Tatsuo
Authors: Kuroki Yasuhiro
Published: November 2022

A Japanese social work educator and researcher, Tatsuo Wakabayashi was one of the founders and developers of the Japanese Association of Schools of Social Work (JASSW). Wakabayashi had a broad perspective and a solid ability to see the future of the times. He contributed to the development of social work theory and research in Japan.
Bogo, Marion
Authors: Mishna Faye , Regehr Cheryl
Published: November 2022

Marion Bogo (1942–2021), Professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, was a preeminent Canadian scholar and world-renowned expert who transformed social work education and practice in Canada and across the globe. Over a 4-decade-long career, Bogo instituted major innovations in social work practice education including developing a holistic model of competence and cutting-edge simulation-based educational practices. Bogo had a profound influence on preparing generations of social workers and educators.
Self-Regulated Learning and Knowledge Blindness: Bringing Language into View
Authors: Bowen Neil Evan Jon Anthony , Thomas Nathan
Published: November 2022

In the field of educational psychology, self-regulation is part of a well-established research paradigm that has been extensively applied to learning contexts. However, despite proposals highlighting its benefits, some researchers claim that its cross-pollination into applied linguistics has been slow. In their recent Applied Linguistics’ Forum article, Teng and Zhang (2022) discuss some of the reasons why this may be the case. They also further repeated calls for the importance of self-regulated learning in second/foreign language learning and teaching. In this response article, we wish to add to their proposal by focusing on the role that language plays in language learning. Specifically, to maximize the benefits of second/foreign language learning and teaching centered on regulatory training (whether it is self-, co-, or otherwise derived), then alongside the how (learning process), we need to more fully consider the what (aspect of language being learned), and how the two are, in essence, mutually constitutive and reciprocally conditioned. This entails broadening our perspective on self-regulated learning to encompass the multi-functional nature of language use.
We all stand together
Authors: Kanani Sheila
Published: November 2022

Sheila Kanani on a workshop giving NAM delegates the tools to be effective allies rather than bystanders, and do something to make our community a fairer place.
Specialist Discussion Meeting: 3D structure of the flare chromosphere
Authors: Kuridze David , Fletcher Lyndsay , Hudson Hugh
Published: November 2022

David Kuridze, Lyndsay Fletcher and Hugh Hudson report on the RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting ‘3D Structure of the Flare Chromosphere’.
Intersection of network medicine and machine learning towards investigating the key biomarkers and pathways underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review
Authors: Das Trishala , Kaur Harbinder , Gour Pratibha , Prasad Kartikay , Lynn Andrew M , Prakash Amresh , Kumar Vijay
Published: November 2022

Background

Network medicine is an emerging area of research that focuses on delving into the molecular complexity of the disease, leading to the discovery of network biomarkers and therapeutic target discovery. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complicated rare disease with unknown pathogenesis and no available treatment. In ALS, network properties appear to be potential biomarkers that can be beneficial in disease-related applications when explored independently or in tandem with machine learning (ML) techniques.

Objective

This systematic literature review explores recent trends in network medicine and implementations of network-based ML algorithms in ALS. We aim to provide an overview of the identified primary studies and gather details on identifying the potential biomarkers and delineated pathways.

Methods

The current study consists of searching for and investigating primary studies from PubMed and Dimensions.ai, published between 2018 and 2022 that reported network medicine perspectives and the coupling of ML techniques. Each abstract and full-text study was individually evaluated, and the relevant studies were finally included in the review for discussion once they met the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results

We identified 109 eligible publications from primary studies representing this systematic review. The data coalesced into two themes: application of network science to identify disease modules and promising biomarkers in ALS, along with network-based ML approaches. Conclusion This systematic review gives an overview of the network medicine approaches and implementations of network-based ML algorithms in ALS to determine new disease genes, and identify critical pathways and therapeutic target discovery for personalized treatment.
OAF: a new member of the BRICHOS family
Authors: Sanchez-Pulido Luis , Ponting Chris P
Published: November 2022

The 10 known BRICHOS domain-containing proteins in humans have been linked to an unusually long list of pathologies, including cancer, obesity and two amyloid-like diseases. BRICHOS domains themselves have been described as intramolecular chaperones that act to prevent amyloid-like aggregation of their proteins' mature polypeptides. Using structural comparison of coevolution-based AlphaFold models and sequence conservation, we identified the Out at First (OAF) protein as a new member of the BRICHOS family in humans. OAF is an experimentally uncharacterized protein that has been proposed as a candidate biomarker for clinical management of coronavirus disease 2019 infections. Our analysis revealed how structural comparison of AlphaFold models can discover remote homology relationships and lead to a better understanding of BRICHOS domain molecular mechanism.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.
Children’s syntax is supported by the maturation of BA44 at 4 years, but of the posterior STS at 3 years of age
Authors: Klein Cheslie C , Berger Philipp , Goucha Tomás , Friederici Angela D , Grosse Wiesmann Charlotte
Published: November 2022

Within the first years of life, children learn major aspects of their native language. However, the ability to process complex sentence structures, a core faculty in human language called syntax, emerges only slowly. A milestone in syntax acquisition is reached around the age of 4 years, when children learn a variety of syntactic concepts. Here, we ask which maturational changes in the child’s brain underlie the emergence of syntactically complex sentence processing around this critical age. We relate markers of cortical brain maturation to 3- and 4-year-olds’ sentence processing in contrast to other language abilities. Our results show that distinct cortical brain areas support sentence processing in the two age groups. Sentence production abilities at 3 years were associated with increased surface area in the most posterior part of the left superior temporal sulcus, whereas 4-year-olds showed an association with cortical thickness in the left posterior part of Broca’s area, i.e. BA44. The present findings suggest that sentence processing abilities rely on the maturation of distinct cortical regions in 3- compared to 4-year-olds. The observed shift to more mature regions involved in processing syntactically complex sentences may underlie behavioral milestones in syntax acquisition at around 4 years.
Development of neonatal brain functional centrality and alterations associated with preterm birth
Authors: Fenn-Moltu Sunniva , Fitzgibbon Sean P , Ciarrusta Judit , Eyre Michael , Cordero-Grande Lucilio , Chew Andrew , Falconer Shona , Gale-Grant Oliver , Harper Nicholas , Dimitrova Ralica , Vecchiato Katy , Fenchel Daphna , Javed Ayesha , Earl Megan , Price Anthony N , Hughes Emer , Duff Eugene P , O’Muircheartaigh Jonathan , Nosarti Chiara , Arichi Tomoki , Rueckert Daniel , Counsell Serena , Hajnal Joseph V , Edwards A David , McAlonan Grainne , Batalle Dafnis
Published: November 2022

Formation of the functional connectome in early life underpins future learning and behavior. However, our understanding of how the functional organization of brain regions into interconnected hubs (centrality) matures in the early postnatal period is limited, especially in response to factors associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes such as preterm birth. We characterized voxel-wise functional centrality (weighted degree) in 366 neonates from the Developing Human Connectome Project. We tested the hypothesis that functional centrality matures with age at scan in term-born babies and is disrupted by preterm birth. Finally, we asked whether neonatal functional centrality predicts general neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months. We report an age-related increase in functional centrality predominantly within visual regions and a decrease within the motor and auditory regions in term-born infants. Preterm-born infants scanned at term equivalent age had higher functional centrality predominantly within visual regions and lower measures in motor regions. Functional centrality was not related to outcome at 18 months old. Thus, preterm birth appears to affect functional centrality in regions undergoing substantial development during the perinatal period. Our work raises the question of whether these alterations are adaptive or disruptive and whether they predict neurodevelopmental characteristics that are more subtle or emerge later in life.
The dynamics of cortical interactions in visual recognition of object category: living versus nonliving
Authors: Usami Kiyohide , Matsumoto Riki , Korzeniewska Anna , Shimotake Akihiro , Matsuhashi Masao , Nakae Takuro , Kikuchi Takayuki , Yoshida Kazumichi , Kunieda Takeharu , Takahashi Ryosuke , Crone Nathan E , Ikeda Akio
Published: November 2022

Noninvasive brain imaging studies have shown that higher visual processing of objects occurs in neural populations that are separable along broad semantic categories, particularly living versus nonliving objects. However, because of their limited temporal resolution, these studies have not been able to determine whether broad semantic categories are also reflected in the dynamics of neural interactions within cortical networks. We investigated the time course of neural propagation among cortical areas activated during object naming in 12 patients implanted with subdural electrode grids prior to epilepsy surgery, with a special focus on the visual recognition phase of the task. Analysis of event-related causality revealed significantly stronger neural propagation among sites within ventral temporal lobe (VTL) at early latencies, around 250 ms, for living objects compared to nonliving objects. Differences in other features, including familiarity, visual complexity, and age of acquisition, did not significantly change the patterns of neural propagation. Our findings suggest that the visual processing of living objects relies on stronger causal interactions among sites within VTL, perhaps reflecting greater integration of visual feature processing. In turn, this may help explain the fragility of naming living objects in neurological diseases affecting VTL.
Monoclonal Antibodies as Long-Acting Products: What Are We Learning From Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)?
Authors: Caskey Marina , Kuritzkes Daniel R
Published: November 2022

Broadly neutralizing antibodies directed against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) offer promise as long-acting agents for prevention and treatment of HIV. Progress and challenges are discussed. Lessons may be learned from the development of monoclonal antibodies to treat and prevent COVID-19.
It Pro’s on Crypto, Stablecoin and Blockchain
Authors: Runciman Brian
Published: November 2022

Cryptocurrency values are tanking, the government’s NFT and stablecoin plans have been met with scepticism, NFTs are widely termed a scam and, whilst blockchain has some use cases, it has green issues to rival big oil. Brian Runciman MBCS looks at a recent BCS survey.
Finding The 754,000
Authors: Runciman Brian
Published: November 2022

There is potential to fill some of the IT skills gap right under our noses… Here are some tasters from the 2022 BCS Diversity Reports. The four areas covered are age, disability and sex, with a detailed look at ethnicity in conjunction with Coding Black Females. Brian Runciman MBCS reports.
Life on Mars?
Authors: Runciman Brian
Published: November 2022

A hands–on project to engage schoolchildren in STEM now encompasses a kilometre–deep mine in the North of England, Scottish schools and the planet Mars. Brian Runciman MBCS spoke to dark matter researcher and STEM champion Xinran Liu about it.
Mentoring
Authors: Yetim Adem
Published: November 2022

Adem Yetim IntPE FIET FBCS, explores decentralised autonomous organisations.
Distributed Partial Simulation for Graph Pattern Matching
Authors: Aouar Aissam , Yahiaoui Saïd , Sadeg Lamia , Nouali-Taboudjemat Nadia , Beghdad Bey Kadda
Published: November 2022

Pattern matching in big graphs is important for different modern applications. Recently, this problem was defined in terms of multiple extensions of graph simulation, to reduce complexity and capture more meaningful results. These results were achieved through the relaxation of commonly used constraint in subgraph isomorphism pattern matching. Nevertheless, these graph simulation variant models are still too strict to provide results in many cases, especially when analyzed graphs contain anomalies and incomplete information. To deal with this issue, we introduce a new graph pattern matching (GPM) method, called partial simulation, capable of retrieving matches despite missing parts of the pattern graph, such as vertices and/or edges. Furthermore, considering the number and inequality of the outputs, we define a relevance function to compute a value expressing how each match vertex respects the pattern graph. Similarly, we define partial dual simulation GPM that returns vertices that satisfy a part of the dual simulation constraints and assigns a relevance value to them. Additionally, we provide distributed scalable algorithms to evaluate the proposed partial simulation methods based on the distributed vertex-centric programming paradigm. Finally, our experiments on real-world data graphs demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed models and the efficiency of their associated algorithms.
How not to run international affairs
Authors: Toye Richard
Published: November 2022

This article explores three case-studies—the Munich crisis of 1938, the Suez crisis and war of 1956 and the Iraq war of 2003—as examples of ‘how not to run international affairs’. On the face of it, all three episodes were disasters. Irrespective of whether Munich was strategically correct, Neville Chamberlain's public presentation of the agreement was a clear miscalculation. Anthony Eden created an elaborate pretext for invading Egypt, which was nevertheless so see-through that it destroyed British credibility. Tony Blair appears to have persuaded himself into believing that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, and basing his case for war upon this idea left him exposed when the weapons were shown not to exist. Whereas it is easy to say that these mistakes should not have been made, it is harder to suggest mechanisms that would prevent leaders falling prey to such delusions, when their immediate political interests appear to depend on them. The article concludes that in these three cases failure was over-determined; on the other hand, there are many everyday crises that foreign policy actors, who understand ‘how not to run international affairs’, succeed in preventing from turning into disasters.
How not to negotiate: the case of trade multilateralism
Authors: Narlikar Amrita
Published: November 2022

Trade multilateralism would not have featured as a case of ‘abject failure’ had this special issue been planned in 2001. But since then, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has unfortunately become an almost perfect example of how not to negotiate, even when one takes into account the limited successes of the 12th ministerial conference in June 2022. This article proceeds in four steps. The first section outlines the multiple levels of malfunction and breakdown in the organization. The second part argues that a variety of negotiation failures are responsible for the dire straits in which the WTO finds itself today. I identify three broad categories of bargaining failures in this member-driven organization: negotiation mishaps that have led to the Doha deadlocks; negotiation muddles that members have got themselves into while updating the institutional practices of the WTO; and failures on the part of the membership to find negotiated solutions to new systemic challenges. The third section reflects on the interaction of my own research with the world of policy. The fourth and concluding section presents the main ‘Dos’ and ‘Don'ts’ that follow from the analysis, and offers some further policy recommendations.