bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variable treatment response to lumasiran in pediatric patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1
Authors: Saffe Sina , Doerry Katja , Büscher Anja K. , Hansen Matthias , Rohmann Melanie , Kanzelmeyer Nele , Latta Kay , Kemper Markus J. , Loos Sebastian
Published: January 2025

Background

Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH 1) is a rare genetic condition due to mutations in the AGXT gene. This leads to an overproduction of oxalate in the liver. Hyperoxaluria often causes kidney stones, nephrocalcinosis, and chronic kidney disease. Lumasiran is a recently approved drug that reduces the hepatic oxalate production by mRNA interference.

Methods

In this multicenter study, we evaluated the response to lumasiran treatment in PH 1 patients (n = 8) with a median age of 10.9 years (range 1.2–17.9 years), including two patients on hemodialysis. We retrospectively analyzed the reduction of urinary and plasma oxalate levels as well as changes in kidney stone events, nephrocalcinosis, and kidney function.

Results

In patients without kidney failure, the median reduction of urinary oxalate was 64% (range 10–80%) and 71% (61–86%) at 6 and 12 months, respectively. However, only one patient reached urinary oxalate levels within the age-specific normal range. Two patients did not respond to lumasiran and treatment was stopped. In one of the two patients on hemodialysis, the frequency of sessions could be reduced. The only notable side effects were injection site reactions.

Conclusion

There was a variable response to lumasiran in PH 1. Despite a reduction of hyperoxaluria in many patients with PH 1, only one patient reached normal values and 2 of 8 patients did not respond. Regular monitoring of urinary oxalate values and registry data collection seems mandatory to monitor the efficacy and the long-term outcome of PH 1 treated with lumasiran.

Graphical Abstract
Anterior communicating aneurysm clipping: How I do it
Authors: Vernile Bruno , Palmisciano Paolo , Vadivelu Sudhakar , Zuccarello Mario
Published: January 2025

Up to 40% of intracranial aneurysms arise from the anterior cerebral artery and anterior communicating artery (ACA-ACoA) complex. The vast variability of vessel anomalies and the surrounding critical structures correlate with severe morbidity and mortality rates in case of rupture. In the era of cutting-edge advantages of endovascular procedures, surgical expertise is reducing. This article describes our institutional surgical technique in managing ACoA aneurysms, focusing on anatomical variants, approach selection, and technical intraoperative nuances.
Cognitive representation of gait: differences in memory structures between individuals after total knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Linnhoff Dagmar , Kaiser René , Mattes Klaus , Frank Cornelia
Published: January 2025

The objective was to examine differences in the gait-specific cognitive representation structures between individuals after total knee- (TKA) and after total hip-joint arthroplasty (THA). The cognitive representation structure was compared between three groups: 1. three months after TKA (n = 12), 2. three months after THA (n = 12), and 3. healthy control group (CG) (n = 12) using the structural dimensional analysis of mental representation (SDA-M). Additionally, perceived joint function was rated by either the KOOS, JR. or HOOS, JR. Mean distribution of perceived joint function was not significantly different between the TKA (60.35 ± 11.2) and THA group (68.01 ± 13.8) (t = − 1.425; p = .173). In the cognitive representation structure, the THA group exhibited functional differences from the TKA group and control group, both of which showed a functional structure. Three months after hip joint replacement the gait-specific cognitive representation structure seems to reflect joint function-specific deviations. Therefore, focussing on functional recovery of cognitive gait representation may facilitate gait rehabilitation in individuals after hip replacement.
Cohort profile: the provincial opioid agonist treatment cohort in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Morin Kristen A. , Tatangelo Mark R. , Acharya Shreedhar , Marsh David C.
Published: January 2025

Background

Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) is the most effective intervention for opioid use disorder (OUD), but retention has decreased due to increasingly potent drugs like fentanyl. This cohort can be used retrospectively to observe trends in service utilization, healthcare integration, healthcare costs and patient outcomes. It also facilitates the design of observational studies to mimic a prospective design.

Methods

This study used linked administrative data from ICES to create a cohort of 137,035 individuals who received at least one prescription of methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone between 2014 and 2022. Data were linked using de-identified personal health numbers. Variables included age, sex, rurality, income, homelessness, and mental health conditions. Regional differences in OAT use, retention, and mortality were analyzed.

Results

Of the cohort, 56.1% began OAT after 2014. Southern Ontario participants more often started on methadone (53.2%), while Northern Ontario patients favored buprenorphine/naloxone (62.7%). Northern patients were younger, more likely to be female, live in rural areas, and face homelessness. The death rate was higher in Southern Ontario (22.1%) than in Northern Ontario (13.2%). Retention declined over time, with 73.4% of patients remaining in treatment at the study's end.

Conclusions

The findings highlight regional disparities in OAT delivery and emphasize the need for region-specific strategies, particularly in rural areas, to improve retention and reduce mortality.
Noncognitive Deliberation: The Political Legacy of Logical Empiricism
Authors: Damböck Christian
Published: January 2025

Based on a survey of original sources representing the respective views of logical empiricists and their allies at different stages of the movement’s development, this paper argues that logical empiricism, seen in a broader context that includes the democratic views of Max Weber and Hans Kelsen as well as Austrian social democracy, reveals a powerful, if hitherto underappreciated, side of twentieth-century democratic thought. This conception, which I call “noncognitive deliberation,” is set in the context of debates about deliberative democracy that typically make no reference to logical empiricism. I argue that noncognitive deliberation, along with American pragmatism and current views of deliberative democracy, replaces the earlier Habermasian notion of universal consensus, which condemns those who do not share it as irrational, with the notion of compromise, which leaves room for unresolved conflict.
Community Formation in the Chulmun (Neolithic) and Mumun (Bronze Age) Periods of Korea
Authors: Kim Jangsuk , Conte Matthew , Oh Yongje
Published: January 2025

Despite its importance, exploring prehistoric community formation presents significant epistemological and methodological challenges. In Korean archaeology, these issues have rarely been addressed primarily due to the longstanding dominance of the culture-historical paradigm. However, extensive archaeological investigations and the accumulation of radiocarbon dates in recent decades have led to the gradual emergence of new research trends. This paper introduces and reviews recent studies on community formation during Korea’s Chulmun (Neolithic) and the subsequent Mumun (Bronze Age) periods. While community and the village should not be equated, in order to archaeologically approach community formation, we examine the formation, growth, and dissolution of villages and their relationship with broader spatio-temporal population dynamics by analyzing a large radiocarbon dataset from Korea. We then discuss current conceptual and methodological issues related to the study of prehistoric community formation in Korea. Our discussion reveals the fluidity and flexibility of communities in the hunter-gatherer societies of the Chulmun period and the emergence of large villages and multilevel communities in the Mumun period following the transition to a sedentary agricultural economy and increasing social complexity. Finally, we highlight current research trends and future directions for the study of communities in prehistoric Korea.
Spectral submanifolds in time delay systems
Authors: Szaksz Bence , Orosz Gábor , Stepan Gábor
Published: January 2025

The concept of spectral submanifolds, a powerful method of model order reduction of nonlinear systems, is extended to time delay systems that have infinite dimensional phase space representation. The proposed sun-star calculus based algorithm results in system reduction to manifolds which are constructed corresponding to either a real eigenvalue or to a pair of complex conjugate eigenvalues of the linearized system. Furthermore, it allows an improved approximation of self-excited oscillations exactly at the parameter point of interest, which could be further away from the corresponding Hopf bifurcation point. The paper includes case studies that demonstrate the capabilities of the algorithm.
A Three-stage Cooperative Game Model for Water Resource Allocation Under Scarcity Using Bankruptcy Rules, Nash Bargaining Solution and TOPSIS
Authors: Janjua Shahmir , An-Vo Duc-Anh , Reardon-Smith Kathryn , Mushtaq Shahbaz
Published: January 2025

The global water security situation is deteriorating due to unequal distribution of water resources and changing climate, leading to increased conflicts in many regions. This article proposes and develops a three-stage collaborative water resource allocation model and applies this to the Indus River basin in Pakistan, where water resources are shared by four provinces (agents): Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). The model uses bankruptcy rules, Nash bargaining theory, and TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) to allocate water resources. The model considers various factors, such as water risk and water satisfaction to achieve the best possible (most equitable and acceptable) outcome. Water allocation was conducted under three scenarios of ‘median’, ‘maximum’ and ‘low’ river flows. In the first stage of water allocation, the positive and negative ideal solutions were defined for all agents (in this case, provinces). These initial ideal solutions provided a baseline for the negotiation process. In the second stage, water allocation ratios of the four provinces Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and KPK, using the Nash bargaining solution, under the median flows were 57.61%, 29.91%, 6.24% and 6.24%. In the third stage, water allocation ratios demonstrated the reduction in the allocation for those provinces facing high risks and having high satisfaction rates. The final allocations under the median flow conditions for the four provinces were 54.92%, 28.95%, 8.50% and 7.63%, respectively. The developed three-stage water allocation model considers the multi-dimensional attributes of water resources and is expected to support the cooperation of water agents, enabling collective bargaining and group negotiation and improving the acceptability and stability of allocations.
Fear of cancer recurrence in long-term colorectal cancer survivors: a nationwide cross-sectional study
Authors: Lyhne Johanne Dam , Jensen Lars Henrik , Fink Per , Timm Signe , Frostholm Lisbeth , Smith Allan ‘Ben’
Published: January 2025

Purpose

Knowledge about fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) among recurrence-free long-term colorectal cancer survivors (CRCS) is limited. This national cross-sectional study aimed to (1) assess the prevalence and correlates of FCR among CRCS; (2) investigate associations between colorectal cancer-specific symptoms and FCR; and (3) identify predictors of interest in engaging in FCR treatment.

Methods

We identified 9638 living Danish CRCS, age above 18 years, diagnosed between 2014 and 2018 through the Danish Clinical Registries. Electronic surveys were distributed between May 2023 and May 2024. FCR was measured on the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory – Short Form (FCRI-SF). Associations with colorectal cancer-specific physical symptoms and psychological symptoms were analyzed using logistic regression models.

Results

Of 5480 respondents (56.9%; mean age: 73, range (30–99; 42% female), 5.3% of survivors reported clinical FCR (cFCR). In multivariate analyses, having severe abdominal pain (OR 8.7 (95% CI 4.8–15.8)), abdominal bloating, tension, or heaviness (OR 10.0 (95% CI (6.1–16.3)) and tiredness (OR 7.1 (95% CI (4.1–12.1)) were associated with increased odds of cFCR, as were psychological symptoms (health anxiety; OR 19.7 (95% CI (13.5–28.6)), anxiety; OR 11.2 (95% CI (6.4–19.6)), depression; OR 5.5 (95% CI (2.6–11.9)) compared to no FCR. Among those with cFCR, 75% were interested in treatment, with higher interest among males and chemotherapy recipients.

Conclusion

FCR severity is strongly associated with specific colorectal symptoms, tiredness, and psychological symptoms.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Addressing cancer-specific physical symptoms may be a promising strategy for reducing FCR.
The indirect effect of communication skills on the relationship between emotional maturity and mental health disorders among a sample of Egyptian university students
Authors: Abdelaziz Abdelaziz Mahmoud , Sallam Sara
Published: January 2025

This study aimed to investigate the indirect effect of communication skills on the relationship between emotional maturity and mental health disorders (anxiety and depression) among a sample of Egyptian university students, while also examining potential differences based on gender (male/female) and academic specialization (scientific/literary). A total of 236 undergraduate and postgraduate students were recruited from two faculties at Ain Shams University. The findings revealed: (1) a significant negative correlation between emotional maturity and mental health disorders, as well as between communication skills and mental health disorders; (2) a statistically significant indirect (partial mediating) effect of communication skills on the relationship between emotional maturity and both anxiety and depression; and (3) notable differences in emotional maturity and communication skills across academic specializations. Specifically, students in scientific disciplines demonstrated stronger communication skills yet reported higher depressive symptoms, whereas those in literary disciplines exhibited higher emotional maturity alongside elevated anxiety symptoms. These results underscore the importance of fostering both emotional maturity and communication skills to support better mental health outcomes among Egyptian university students.
Connectivity on multi-pretopological structures and decision-making for COVID-19
Authors: Osman H. Saber , El-Seidy E. , Radwan A. E. , Kozae A. M. , El-Sheikh S. A. , El-Atik Ab̧delfattah
Published: January 2025

Pretopology and multisets have an essential role in mathematics, especially, in some real-life applications. This paper aims to establish a recombination between multisets and pretopology. In addition, some new types of multi-pretopological structures are constructed and some of their properties are investigated. Multi-pre-open sets and multi-pre-closure operator are investigated. Moreover, for the isotonic multi-pretopological structures, and the multi-pre-minimal closed subsets are introduced and studied. Also, the concept of m-pre-connected structures are established as an application of given results and some types of strongly connected structures are investigated. Finally, the effect of multisets in medical information systems has been studied.
Characterizations of second-order differential operators
Authors: Fechner Włodzimierz , Gselmann Eszter , Świa̧tczak-Kolenda Aleksandra
Published: January 2025

Let N, k be positive integers with

$$k\ge 2$$

k
≥
2

, and

$$\Omega \subset {\mathbb {R}}^{N}$$

Ω
⊂

R

N

be a domain. By the well-known properties of the Laplacian and the gradient, we have

$$\begin{aligned} \nabla ^2(f\cdot g)=g \nabla ^2 f+f \nabla ^2 g+2\langle \nabla f, \nabla g\rangle \end{aligned}$$

∇
2

(
f
·
g
)

=
g

∇
2

f
+
f

∇
2

g
+
2

⟨
∇
f
,
∇
g
⟩

for all

$$f, g\in {\mathscr {C}}^{k}(\Omega , {\mathbb {R}})$$

f
,
g
∈

C

k

(
Ω
,
R
)

. H. König and V. Milman showed that the converse is also true, i.e. this operator equation characterizes the Laplacian and the gradient under some assumptions. Thus the main aim of this paper is to provide an extension of this result and to study the corresponding equation

$$\begin{aligned} T(f\cdot g)= fT(g)+T(f)g+2B(A(f), A(g)) \qquad \left( f, g\in P\right) , \end{aligned}$$

T

(
f
·
g
)

=
f
T

(
g
)

+
T

(
f
)

g
+
2
B

(
A

(
f
)

,
A

(
g
)

)

f
,
g
∈
P

,

where Q and R are commutative rings, P is a subring of Q and

$$T:P\rightarrow Q$$

T
:
P
→
Q

and

$$A:P\rightarrow R$$

A
:
P
→
R

are additive, while

$$B:R\times R\rightarrow Q$$

B
:
R
×
R
→
Q

is a symmetric and bi-additive. Related identities with one function will also be considered.
Assessment of depression, PTSD, and insomnia symptoms in a cohort of Palestinian migrants residing in Jordanian camps during the outbreak of the War on Gaza: occurrence and correlates
Authors: Gammoh Omar , Bazi Saleh , Al Akash Ruba , Sayaheen Bilal , Alsous Mervat , Alomari Albara
Published: January 2025

The present study sought to examine the occurrence and correlates of depression, PTSD, and insomnia in a cohort of Palestinian refugees residing in camps located in Jordan during the outbreak of the War on Gaza on Oct.7th.This is a cross-sectional cohort study that employed the convenient sampling method to recruit Palestinian refugees residing in Irbid and Azmi Almufti camps for Palestinian refugees. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scale. The self-reported PTSD symptoms were evaluated using the brief PTSD scale, and insomnia severity was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index -Arabic scale (ISI-A). The data analysis from 258 participants showed that severe depression was reported in 178 participants (69%). Additionally, 127 participants (49.2%) reported severe PTSD symptoms, and 156 participants (60.5%) reported severe insomnia symptoms. Regression analysis revealed that “Residents of Azmi Almufti camp” was a significant correlate for severe depression (OR = 2.22, 95% 1.28–3.85, p = 0.004) and severe PTSD (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.10–2.99, p = 0.02). The use of over-the-counter antihistamines as a sleep aid was a significant correlate severe insomnia (OR = 3.19, 95%CI = 1.17–8.71, p = 0.02) and PTSD (OR = 3.32, 95% CI = 1.34–8.21, p = 0.01). The conflict in Gaza has been observed to correlate with mental health challenges, particularly among Palestinian refugees residing in Jordan.
Caring at the transition: success and financial barriers of fidaxomicin discharge prescriptions for inpatients with Clostridioides difficile infection
Authors: Earle Ellen , Mehta Jigar , Blecher Alexis , Lee Matthew Shou Lun
Published: January 2025

This retrospective cohort study evaluated the proportion of inpatients initiated and successfully discharged on fidaxomicin for Clostridioides difficile infection. Nearly, all patients (96.4%; 27/28) were able to obtain fidaxomicin to complete their treatment course, although there was variability in copays among patients with Medicare.
Correlation between carbapenem susceptibility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and modified antibiotic heterogeneity index: a multicenter observational study using a surveillance platform
Authors: Sawada Keisuke , Kato Takaaki , Kono Shuji , Kaneko Hiromi , Nakano Hayato , Inada Shinobu , Isogawa Tatsuya , Shimizu Tadahiro , Takahashi Namiko , Takano Haruki , Chiba Hiroaki , Sugimoto Makoto , Inose Ryo , Muraki Yuichi , Araoka Hideki
Published: January 2025

Objective:

This study focused on exploring the relationship between antimicrobial use indicators, including the modified antibiotic heterogeneity index (mAHI), and the carbapenem susceptibility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Design:

Survey-based observational study conducted across multiple facilities.

Setting:

Public community hospital institutions.

Methods:

This survey was conducted in 15 community hospitals in Japan. Indicators, such as the defined daily doses (DDDs), days of therapy (DOTs), antibiotic heterogeneity index (AHI), and mAHI, were analyzed for P. aeruginosa carbapenem susceptibility using Spearman’s rank correlation. The predictive accuracies of the AHI and mAHI for carbapenem susceptibility were compared using DeLong’s test for the 2 correlated receiver operating characteristic curves.

Results:

No significant correlations were observed between DDDs or DOTs and carbapenem susceptibility. However, a significant correlation was observed between carbapenem susceptibility and the mAHI (r = 0.261, P = .02), which also demonstrated a higher predictive accuracy for high susceptibility rates than that of the AHI (area under the curve: 0.75 vs 0.58, p < .01). The optimal mAHI cutoff value for predicting 90% susceptibility was 0.765, with a sensitivity of 67.7% and specificity of 76.5%.

Conclusions:

The mAHI may be a better predictor of carbapenem susceptibility than other commonly used indicators. This study underscores the utility of the mAHI as an effective indicator of antimicrobial usage patterns for managing carbapenem susceptibility in P. aeruginosa. Incorporating the mAHI into antimicrobial stewardship programs could enhance the effectiveness of antimicrobial interventions across diverse healthcare settings.
Opportunity for early de-escalation of antibiotics in Enterobacterales bacteremia with multiplex PCR rapid diagnostic technology
Authors: Deja Erin , Greenfield Adam , Sastry Sangeeta , Rittmann Barry
Published: January 2025

Gram-negative bacteremia and antimicrobial resistance cause significant morbidity and mortality. Strategies are needed to optimize rapid and effective antimicrobial therapy with early de-escalation. In this brief, we describe the utilization of multiplex polymerase chain reaction rapid diagnostic technology for the early de-escalation of broad-spectrum antimicrobials in patients with Enterobacterales bacteremia.
The hidden economic and environmental costs of antimicrobial therapies: a call to action
Authors: Nelson Mildred , Green Sarah B. , Suchindran Sujit , Witt Lucy S.
Published: January 2025

The overuse and inappropriate use of antimicrobials have led to environmental waste and drug shortages. This challenges the ecological and economical sustainability of our healthcare system and worsens antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) commonly consider the cost of drug acquisition but may be failing to recognize the hidden costs of multi-dose intravenous regimens including additional nursing administration time, tubing and fluids, and potentially increased hospital length of stay. They also rarely consider the environmental impact of medical waste creation and disposal, which contributes to the global antimicrobial resistance crisis. These costs are harder to calculate but crucial to a comprehensive assessment of a medication’s total impact. In this invited commentary, we provide an example of a stewardship evaluation at our institution focused on changing from meropenem (MER) to ertapenem (ETP) for infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing organisms. We found that despite an increase in acquisition costs, changing from MER to ETP is associated with overall savings and decreased waste production. A secondary analysis suggests that stay length may also be improved with this substitution.

We present a holistic approach to antimicrobial stewardship that considers the total cost of an antimicrobial. By broadening their view to include hidden costs and secondary effects, ASPs can further demonstrate their value to the healthcare system, reduce resistance, and improve their environmental impact.
Appropriateness of ambulatory antibiotic prescribing in South Carolina, 2012–2017
Authors: Bailey Pamela , Al-Hasan Majdi N , Royer Julie , Habicht Max , Justo Julie Ann , Bookstaver P. Brandon , Weissman Sharon , Winders Hana R
Published: January 2025

This population-based cohort study examines the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in South Carolina via aggregated pharmacy claims data matched with diagnosis codes from medical claims. Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing decreased from 30.2% in 2012 to 22.6% in 2017 (P < 0.001) and was more common in adults >40 years old.
Carbapenem resistance in the Dominican Republic: clinical characteristics, genotypic profiles, and risk factors
Authors: Hernández-Landa Ricardo Ernesto , Rojas-Fermín Rita , Guzman-Marte Anel , Agramonte Katherine Peralta , Jiménez Cedano Missel María , Mora-Peralta Surelly Alexandra , Sanrregré-Oven Patricia , Mena Lora Alfredo J.
Published: January 2025

Objective:

To characterize the clinical and microbiological features of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) compared to carbapenem-susceptible Enterobacterales (CSE) in the Dominican Republic (DR), and to assess risk factors associated with CRE.

Design:

Retrospective case-control study.

Setting:

Hospital General Plaza de la Salud, a tertiary teaching hospital in Santo Domingo, DR, from January 2015 to June 2024.

Patients:

Patients with CRE infections were identified from microbiology records. For each year, a matched group of CSE cases was selected at a 2.5:1 ratio. A total of 101 CRE cases and 280 CSE cases were included.

Methods:

Data were collected on demographics, comorbidities, infection sources, hospital stay duration, antibiotic use, and microbiology results. Statistical analysis included univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify independent risk factors for CRE.

Results:

CRE cases showed higher prevalence of Enterobacter (36.5%) and Klebsiella (38.5%), while Escherichia predominated in CSE (65.5%). CRE patients had longer hospital stays (mean 18.7 vs 4.6 days, P < 0.001), higher ICU admission rates (34.7% vs 3.6%, P < 0.001), and increased invasive procedure use (eg central venous catheters, 36.6% vs 5.4%, P < 0.001). Key risk factors included antibiotic use (OR 3.09, P < 0.001) and ICU stay (OR 3.60, P= 0.012). The peak CRE resistance rate was 3.47% in 2022, a 64% increase from pre-pandemic levels.

Conclusions:

CRE infections in the DR increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, associated with prolonged hospitalizations and critical care. Enhanced antimicrobial stewardship is essential to curb resistance.
A Defense of Doxastic Defeaters
Authors: Tiozzo Marco
Published: January 2025

A defeater is, very broadly, a consideration that reduces or completely takes away justification from a subject’s belief about a certain proposition. According to a widely endorsed view, justifiers and defeaters require evidential support. However, a number of philosophers argue that unjustified beliefs can serve as defeaters as well. Call the former type of defeater an ‘evidential defeater’ and the latter a ‘doxastic defeater’. Doxastic defeaters are highly controversial. First of all, they seem to be flatly incompatible with evidentialism. Moreover and more alarmingly, if we accept that unjustified beliefs can be defeaters, we have to accept that unjustified beliefs can serve as justifiers as well. A further unwelcome implication is that epistemically irresponsible subjects could immunise themselves from defeat by generating their own defeater-defeaters. Problems like these have led philosophers to reject doxastic defeaters altogether. This paper argues that doxastic defeaters are intelligible given a dualistic conception of rationality.
The women’s inclusion agenda: Gender and everyday practices across registers of finance
Authors: Kaushal Tanushree , Predmore Signe
Published: January 2025

Financial institutions spanning Global North and South are increasingly adopting an agenda of ‘women’s financial inclusion’. The women’s inclusion agenda in finance reflects dynamics of deep marketization that prescribe common economic policy solutions, transcending formerly significant distinctions of geography and social context. In this case, the closing of gender gaps is the universally proscribed policy. Yet this agenda elicits vastly different practices in ‘high’ finance registers where women are recruited as professionals, and microfinance registers where women are incorporated as borrowers. Relating multisited ethnographic materials from a US gender diversity organization and microfinance institutions in India, we ask: on what terms does inclusion take place? First, we examine how gender is constructed across finance institutions by essentializing women as virtuous. These constructions play out according to context-specific gender politics on questions of women’s economic empowerment – concerning neoliberal iterations of feminism in the US case, and financialization of social reproduction in India. Second, what do women’s everyday engagements with the inclusion agenda indicate about the terms of financial inclusion? Women contend with characterizations of themselves as risk-averse professionals and responsible borrowers, respectively, with ambivalence. Their contextually located ambivalent responses are points of both leverage and critique for the financial inclusion agenda.
Scenes as Games: Agency, Autonomy, and Value in BDSM
Authors: Payton Dee
Published: January 2025

Much of the existing philosophical literature on BDSM focuses on questions about the ethics of BDSM. But there is an underlying question here regarding the nature of BDSM, one which remains largely unaddressed. In this paper, I take that metaphysical question to be prior to the normative one. In other words: it will be important to have a clear view of what BDSM is before we go on to evaluate it. Accordingly, this is a paper about the nature of BDSM and BDSM activities: what they are like, what makes them unique, and the ways in which these activities might be valuable. Here, I work from the philosophical literature on games to analyze structured erotic encounters (or “scenes”) in BDSM. In the first half of the paper, I argue that BDSM scenes are games, and that understanding them in this way yields important insights into the roles of agency, autonomy, and value in BDSM. In the second half of the paper, I map points of connection between this view of scenes-as-games and the existing literature on BDSM in sexual ethics, in order to illuminate the ways in which a moral evaluation of BDSM scenes might proceed from this analysis.
Evaluation of a new technology for terminal sterilization of flexible endoscopes using hydrogen peroxide gas plasma
Authors: Varghese Martin M. , Memic Samir , Torres-Teran Maria M. , Cadnum Jennifer L. , Rutala William A. , Donskey Curtis J.
Published: January 2025

In laboratory testing, a novel hydrogen peroxide gas plasma endoscope sterilizer consistently reduced vegetative organisms, but not bacterial spores, to undetectable levels in the presence of high organism load (≥6.5 log10) and organic material and salts. These findings highlight the importance of meticulous cleaning of endoscopes prior to sterilization.
Utilizing whole genome sequencing to characterize central line-associated bloodstream infections due to Staphylococcus epidermidis
Authors: Zhou Chunyi , Wiley Michael , Wiley Jessica , Cawcutt Kelly , Grashorn Elizabeth , Rogers Kathie , McCutchen Emily , Iwen Peter , Fey Paul , Rupp Mark
Published: January 2025

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and clinical review were used to characterize 14 cases of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) due to Staphylococcus epidermidis. WGS, which demonstrated disparate strains, suggested that 42.9% of S. epidermidis CLABSI cases were due to contamination, while clinical review suggested that 57.1% were contamination events.
THE WEIHRAUCH LATTICE AT THE LEVEL OF
$\boldsymbol {\Pi }^1_1{-}\mathsf{CA}_0$
: THE CANTOR–BENDIXSON THEOREM
Authors: CIPRIANI VITTORIO , MARCONE ALBERTO , VALENTI MANLIO
Published: January 2025

This paper continues the program connecting reverse mathematics and computable analysis via the framework of Weihrauch reducibility. In particular, we consider problems related to perfect subsets of Polish spaces, studying the perfect set theorem, the Cantor–Bendixson theorem, and various problems arising from them. In the framework of reverse mathematics, these theorems are equivalent, respectively, to

$\mathsf {ATR}_0$

and

$\boldsymbol {\Pi }^1_1{-}\mathsf{CA}_0$

, the two strongest subsystems of second order arithmetic among the so-called big five. As far as we know, this is the first systematic study of problems at the level of

$\boldsymbol {\Pi }^1_1{-}\mathsf{CA}_0$

in the Weihrauch lattice. We show that the strength of some of the problems we study depends on the topological properties of the Polish space under consideration, while others have the same strength once the space is rich enough.
Brazilian AMS Radiocarbon Laboratory (LAC-UFF) and intercomparison of preliminary results with Sample Preparation Laboratory (LAPA14C – UFBA)
Authors: Santos Tárcio Henrique Ribeiro dos , Zucchi Maria do Rosário , Costa Alexandre Barreto , Oliveira Fabiana Monteiro de , Macario Kita Chaves Damasio , Lopes José Marques , Santos Naiana Dias dos , Azevedo Antonio Expedito Gomes de , Barioni Adriana , Gomes Doriedson Ferreira
Published: January 2025

This study presents the initial results of carbon-14 dating after performing sample preparation and graphite production processes at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) in an intercomparison with the same processes performed at the Radiocarbon Laboratory of the Fluminense Federal University (LAC-UFF). Both laboratories are located in Brazil. The accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system at LAC-UFF was used for radiocarbon measurements. To verify any possible contamination sources during sample preparation, we initially performed swipe tests at UFBA, which were subsequently processed and the graphite samples were produced at LAC-UFF. After UFBA, several reference materials (IAEA-C1, -C2, -C6, -C9, and OXII standards) were prepared and converted into graphite. In addition, the sample material was first partially prepared at UFF and UFBA and then analyzed with the AMS system at LAC-UFF. Subsamples were prepared for additional measurements of the δ13C composition with an elemental analyzer coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (EA–IRMS) in LFNA-UFBA to study the isotopic fractionation and yield of the graphitization reaction. The obtained values closely aligned with the reference values, demonstrating reproducibility and quality and indicating minimal contamination during chemical and graphitization processes. In the future, samples from different matrices will be prepared at UFBA for application in paleoenvironmental and archaeological studies.
Absolute chronology and spatial organization of the Early Bronze Age necropolis in Mokrin
Authors: Krečković-Gavrilović M , Radinović M , Porčić M , Pendić J , Milašinović L , Stefanović S
Published: January 2025

The chronology of the Bronze Age in the Carpathian basin is largely based on relative chronologies, i.e. stylistic analysis of ceramic (and other) materials. While the number of radiocarbon dates is generally increasing, certain important sites are still poorly dated. One of the largest necropolises from this period, i.e. Mokrin necropolis, which traditionally belongs to Maros culture, is dated only with 6 radiocarbon dates. Here we synthesize the previous 6 radiocarbon dates with 13 new radiocarbon dates, with two goals in mind: 1) to explore the absolute chronology of the site, specifically to determine its chronological limits; and 2) to test hypotheses about the spatio-temporal organization of the site. Our data show that the chronological limits of the necropolis were most probably between 2073 and 1822 BC. Concerning traditional relative chronologies, none of the previous hypotheses about the internal chronological development of the necropolis is supported by data. Our results suggest that all parts of the necropolis were used relatively simultaneously.
Strongly dense representations of surface groups
Authors: Long D. D. , Reid A. W.
Published: January 2025

The notion of a strongly dense subgroup was introduced by Breuillard, Green, Guralnick and Tao: a subgroup Γ of a semi-simple

$\mathbb{Q}$

algebraic group

$\mathcal{G}$

is called strongly dense if every pair of non-commuting elements generate a Zariski dense subgroup. Amongst other things, Breuillard et al. prove that there exist strongly dense free subgroups in

$\mathcal{G}({\mathbb{R}})$

and ask whether or not a Zariski dense subgroup of

$\mathcal{G}(\mathbb{R})$

always contains a strongly dense free subgroup. In this paper, we answer this for many surface subgroups of

$\textrm{SL}(3,\mathbb{R})$

.
Modernists and Muslims: E. J. Pace and His Islam-Inspired Cartoons
Authors: BEMBRIDGE STEVEN
Published: January 2025

The Christian cartoonist E. J. Pace (1880–1946) began his career during the fundamentalist–modernist controversy of the 1920s. Pace often reacted against liberal evangelicalism, or modernism, in his cartoons, and Islam appeared alongside it on several occasions. This article discusses for the first time Pace's Islam-inspired cartoons. It explores the socioreligious contexts of their creation and the theological reasons why Pace used them as a tool with which to attack modernism and its perceived threat to America's souls. Pace may have cartooned Islam to bolster fundamentalist evangelicalism, but his cartoons also create moments of unintended unity that remain culturally relevant today.
The Political Economy of Tariff Exemption Grants
Authors: Fotak Veljko , Lee Hye Seung (Grace) , Megginson William L. , Salas Jesus M.
Published: January 2025

We investigate whether firm-level political connections affect the allocation of exemptions from tariffs imposed on $US 550 billion of Chinese goods imported to the United States annually beginning in 2018. Evidence points to politicians not only rewarding supporters but also punishing opponents: Past campaign contributions to the party controlling (in opposition to) the executive branch increase (decrease) approval likelihood. Our findings point to quid pro quo arrangements between politicians and firms, as opposed to the “information” channel linking political access to regulatory outcomes.
First density estimates of the Endangered Claire's mouse lemur Microcebus mamiratra and recommendations for its conservation
Authors: Martin Luke D. , Razafimanantsoa Herison , Nomenjanahary Eva S. , Volampeno Sylviane , Behie Alison M.
Published: January 2025

Mouse lemurs Microcebus spp. are small, nocturnal primates endemic to Madagascar. The genus is extraordinarily diverse, with 25 extant species, several of which have been described recently. The Endangered Claire's mouse lemur Microcebus mamiratra was first described in 2006, but, similarly to other newly described mouse lemurs, remains understudied, and estimates of its population size are unavailable, hampering effective conservation management. We conducted line transect distance sampling surveys of M. mamiratra across several habitat types in and around Lokobe National Park on the island of Nosy Be in north-western Madagascar. Using a systematic random design we surveyed 15 transects over a 6-week period in 2023, recording 92 detections from a total survey effort of 46.5 km. We estimate the density of M. mamiratra on Nosy Be to be 125.1 individuals/km2, which extrapolates to an estimate of c. 4,700 individuals across the forested areas of its range on the island. Our results indicate that Nosy Be harbours moderately high densities of M. mamiratra, with the highest encounter rates in the unprotected secondary and degraded forests around Lokobe National Park. Our population estimate will inform future conservation status assessments and conservation planning for this range-restricted species and provide a baseline for monitoring population changes over time. We present recommendations for the conservation of M. mamiratra and highlight the potential for lemur watching, sustained by the strong tourism industry on Nosy Be, to help protect lemur habitat and generate economic opportunities for local communities.
The first observations of Antarctic icebergs by Davis in 1688 and Halley in 1700
Authors: Martin Seelye , Bigg Grant R.
Published: January 2025

The earliest recorded observations of Antarctic icebergs occurred in 1688 and 1700 in the Gregorian New Style (NS) Calendar. The first sighting took place after Christmas 1687 in the Julian Old Style (OS) Calendar, when just north of the Antarctic Peninsula, Edward Davis observed “ice islands” with lengths of 5–10 km; the second occurred in February 1699 OS, when north of South Georgia, Edmond Halley observed and first sketched tabular icebergs. Although these were the earliest documented observations, because icebergs occur adjacent to New Zealand and South America, seagoing Māori and indigenous South Americans may have observed them eight centuries earlier. Davis and Halley’s observations were in the iceberg stream that flows to the east of the Antarctic Peninsula. Davis’s observations were the result of the Batchelor’s Delight being blown south from Cape Horn by a storm; his misadjusted compass meant they sailed east across instead of north through the stream. Comparison of Davis’s positions with satellite iceberg trajectories suggests his observations occurred at 62.5°S between 53.0° and 54.3°W. Davis assumed his icebergs were floating, but because Halley’s ice islands appeared stationary, he thought they were grounded, missing an opportunity to speculate on the existence of a southern ice-covered continent.
Towards policies of dignity? The German Participation Opportunities Act as a response to long-term unemployment
Authors: Englert Kathrin , Gottwald Markus , Globisch Claudia , Kupka Peter
Published: January 2025

The Participation Opportunities Act (POA) came into force in Germany in January 2019 with the aim of making publicly subsidised employment accessible to the long-term unemployed, whose prospects of regular employment are poor. The POA responds to a two-fold exclusion suffered by this group: exclusion from the labour market and a kind of ‘internal exclusion’ from social services. We argue that the POA can therefore be understood as a ‘policy of dignity’ and thus as a challenge to the neoliberal recognition order. The aim of this paper is an empirical examination of this thesis based on qualitative interviews with managers and professionals at German job centres. We apply Honneth’s theory of recognition as a theoretical framework and examine two levels of implementation: the interpretation of the law and how it is put into practice from 2019-2023.
Practitioners respond to Kathleen Graves’ ‘Mind the gap: A tale of two curriculum fallacies’
Authors: Cousins Emily Yuko , Brereton Peter
Published: January 2025

As Kathleen Graves argues in her 2023 article, the belief that students learn best when teachers deliver a curriculum exactly as written is a common fallacy, based on an underlying assumption that ‘the institutional curriculum is the most important determinant of what happens in the classroom’ (p. 200). Graves stresses that, in reality, the institutional curriculum itself does not guarantee effective learning and that, instead, it is up to teachers to modify, adapt, or ‘enact’ the curriculum for it to make sense and work effectively in each unique context (p. 200). In our roles as academic writing instructors at a university in Japan, we are simultaneously teachers and curriculum developers. As such, we were drawn to this article and have examined how Graves’ ideas relate to our teaching beliefs and experiences. In this response article, we first discuss issues caused by an overemphasis on the institutional as well as on the enacted curricula. We then highlight the importance of building a program culture that invites open dialogue about how teachers creatively adapt a given curriculum in order to involve teachers meaningfully in course development.
Do we have too much choice?
Authors: Schmidt Andreas T.
Published: January 2025

In institutional design, public policy and for society as a whole, securing freedom of choice for individuals is important. But how much choice should we aim for? Various theorists argue that above some level more choice improves neither wellbeing nor autonomy. Worse still, psychology research seems to suggest that too much choice even makes us worse off. Such reasons suggest the Sufficiency View: increasing choice is only important up to some sufficiency level, a level that is not too far from the level enjoyed by well-off citizens in rich liberal countries today. I argue that we should reject the Sufficiency View and accept Liberal Optimism instead: expanding freedom of choice should remain an important priority even far beyond levels enjoyed in rich liberal countries today. I argue that none of the arguments given for the Sufficiency View work. Neither psychological evidence nor any broader social trends support it. If anything, they support Liberal Optimism instead. I also show why further increases are possible and desirable, and sketch some implications for debates around immigration, economic growth, markets and the value of community.
The relation between family factors and children’s vocabulary knowledge: a comparative study of rural and urban preschoolers in China
Authors: Leng Xinyi , Zhang Xianglin , Georgiou George K. , Inoue Tomohiro , Liu Hongyun , Xing Ailing , Su Mengmeng , Shu Hua
Published: January 2025

Although family factors are considered important for children’s language acquisition, the evidence comes primarily from affluent societies. Thus, this study aimed to examine the relations between family factors (family’s socioeconomic status [SES], home literacy activities, access to print resources, and parental beliefs) and children’s vocabulary knowledge in both urban and rural settings in China. Data from 366 children (urban group: 109, 4.85 years; rural group: 257, 4.89 years) were collected. Results showed that whereas family’s SES significantly predicted access to print resources and children’s vocabulary knowledge in the rural group, parental beliefs directly predicted children’s vocabulary knowledge in the urban group. Multigroup analysis showed that the associations of family’s SES and access to print resources with children’s vocabulary knowledge were stronger in the rural group than in the urban group. Our findings highlight the importance of considering contextual settings when conceptualising the role of family factors in children’s language acquisition.
‘Remembering’ the Early 1940s Greek Famine: Fiction and Collective Memory, 1950–2019
Authors: Hionidou Violetta
Published: January 2025

The memory of the early-1940s Greek famine has rarely been researched. A narrative attributing full responsibility to the Axis occupying forces, mostly Germans, and focusing almost exclusively on the 1941–2 ordeal of Athens was shaped by 1950. This became the official collective (cultural) memory and remained largely unchanged until the early twenty-first century. The financial crisis that Greece experienced since 2009 further enhanced this memory, bringing the focus exclusively on the German responsibility. This article interrogates the adult fiction works that dealt with this famine in the period 1950–2019, exploring whether these reflect the official collective memory and its changes. Furthermore, it explores how fiction has dealt with two aspects of the famine that are not included in the official collective memory: the black market and famine prostitution. The selected fiction works are utilised as ‘archives’ of the collective memory that prevailed at the time of their writing.
Updated Codes of Welfare published for dogs, cats and equids in England
Authors: Carter E
Published: January 2025

There are approximately 8.5 million dogs, 8 million cats and 1 million horses in the United Kingdom. According to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (Section 9), any person responsible for an animal is required to take all reasonable steps to meet the needs of that animal. Under the Act, the needs of an animal are based on the ‘Five Freedoms’ and are considered to be: