bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hitchhiking Across Kingdoms: Cotransport of Cargos in Fungal, Animal, and Plant Cells
Authors: Christensen Jenna R. , Reck-Peterson Samara L.
Published: July 2022

Eukaryotic cells across the tree of life organize their subcellular components via intracellular transport mechanisms. In canonical transport, myosin, kinesin, and dynein motor proteins interact with cargos via adaptor proteins and move along filamentous actin or microtubule tracks. In contrast to this canonical mode, hitchhiking is a newly discovered mode of intracellular transport in which a cargo attaches itself to an already-motile cargo rather than directly associating with a motor protein itself. Many cargos including messenger RNAs, protein complexes, and organelles hitchhike on membrane-bound cargos. Hitchhiking-like behaviors have been shown to impact cellular processes including local protein translation, long-distance signaling, and organelle network reorganization. Here, we review instances of cargo hitchhiking in fungal, animal, and plant cells and discuss the potential cellular and evolutionary importance of hitchhiking in these different contexts.
Families in Latin America: Trends, Singularities, and Contextual Factors
Authors: Esteve Albert , Castro-Martín Teresa , Castro Torres Andrés Felipe
Published: July 2022

We review demographic and sociological literature on family dynamics in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and systematize major trends in union formation and fertility in recent decades. We also highlight the singularities that distinguish family patterns and trends in LAC from those in other world regions and discuss the contextual factors underlying these singularities. Latin American families have undergone substantial changes in their configurations and dynamics. We highlight the persistence of an early pattern of family formation despite considerable educational expansion and emerging subreplacement fertility levels, the bottom-up diffusion of cohabitation from low- to high-education groups, the frequent coresidence of single mothers with extended family members, and the substantial divergence in family forms and trajectories across social classes. These family trends do not conform entirely to any of the major theoretical frameworks devised to explain family change in Western societies. Pervasive socioeconomic inequality, high levels of informality in the labor market, weak social protection systems, and slow progress toward gender equality are among the contextual factors that shape the diversity and singularities of Latin American families.
Gold Nanoparticles Decorated Copper Oxide Nanosheets Sensor for Hydrogen Sulfide Gas Sensing at Room Temperature
Authors: Hou Jei-Li , Hsueh Ting-Jen , Fang Shi-Yan , Kuo Shih-Wen
Published: July 2022

This study exhibits a highly H2S-selective gas sensor based on copper oxide nanosheets (CuO-NSs) material. CuO-NSs are fabricated by a simple and economical method. CuO-NSs are decorated by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and used to detect H2S at room temperature. The AuNPs decorated CuO sensor has responses of 36.55% to 69.67% at 0.1 to 0.5 ppm of H2S while the pure sensor has responses from 4.77% to 13.37%. It can be seen that AuNPs can enhance H2S sensing responses five to nine times higher than pure one. The sensor also shows high H2S selectivity against NH3, SO2 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The beneficial effect of AuNPs allow the H2S detection of CuO material down to ppb and even lower level, which make it possible to be applied in environmental applications and portable devices.
Pan-Cancer Analysis of B4GALNT1 as a Potential Prognostic and Immunological Biomarker
Authors: Yi Hang , Lin Yiwen , Li Yutong , Guo Yeqi , Yuan Ligong , Mao Yousheng
Published: July 2022

Background. Gangliosides act as important roles in tumor progression. B4GALNT1 is a key enzyme in ganglioside biosynthesis. B4GALNT1 expression is linked to tumorigenesis and the prognosis of tumor patients. Nevertheless, the role of B4GALNT1 in pan-cancer remains unclear. Methods. Several databases, including TCGA, GEO, GTEx, NCI-60, and TIMER, were searched. Methods including correlation analysis, Cox regression analysis, and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to explore the expression pattern, prognosis, tumor infiltration pattern, genetics and epigenetics, and drug sensitivity of B4GALNT1 in pan-cancer patients from the above datasets. Results. B4GALNT1 was found to be aberrantly expressed in multiple types of tumors. The survival status of tumor patients was significantly related to B4GALNT1 expression, but the correlations were tumor-specific. Moreover, the expression of B4GALNT1 was associated with ImmuneScore and StromalScore in 21 and 27 tumor types, respectively. Also, B4GALNT1 was significantly associated with TMB, MSI, MMR, and DNA methylation. Additionally, the sensitivity of 9 drugs was correlated with the expression of B4GALNT1. Conclusion. A correlation of B4GALNT1 expression with prognosis exists in multiple types of cancers. In addition, B4GALNT1 expression may play a role in TME and tumor immunity regulation. Further investigation of the biological mechanisms of its different roles in tumorigenesis and clinical application as a biomarker is still required.
A Nomogram Model for Individualized Prediction of the Risk of Respiratory Tract Infection within Six Months after Diagnosis in Patients with Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia
Authors: Wei Jinhua , Pan Weiwei , Luo Feng , Tang Fengnian , Wei Jiashi , Fang Siwen , Huang Honglian
Published: July 2022

The risk factors of upper respiratory tract infection (URI) within 6 months after diagnosis in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) were analyzed, and the nomogram model was established and verified, with 242 and 50 ITP patients as the training and validation set, respectively. The patients were followed up for six months after the diagnosis of ITP. The clinical data of patients were collected, and the risk factors of URI in ITP patients within six months after diagnosis were analyzed using univariable, followed by multivariable logistic regression. Among the 242 ITP patients in the training set, 52 cases (21.49%) had URI, including 24 cases of viral infection, 11 cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, and 17 cases of bacterial infection. Logistic regression analysis showed that advanced age, use of glucocorticoid, smoking history, platelet count, serum CRP level, and lymphocyte subsets CD4+ and CD8+ were all risk factors for ITP patients to develop symptoms within six months after diagnosis (

P
<
0.05

). Using the above five indicators, a nomogram prediction model was built for URI occurrence in patients with ITP within half a year after diagnosis, and the results showed an AUC, a sensitivity, and a specificity of 0.936 (95% CI: 0.878-0.983), 0.942, and 0.865, respectively. The nomogram model was internally verified by the bootstrap method for 500 self-sampling times, and the prediction of the calibration curve was in high consistency with the real results. External validation of the nomogram model resulted in an AUC, a sensitivity, and a specificity of 0.890 (95% CI: 0.757-0.975), 0.949, and 0.727, respectively. The nomogram model of URI in ITP patients within half a year after diagnosis based on logistic regression analysis has good discrimination and prediction accuracy. This provides important guidance value for individualized prediction of URI in ITP patients.
Exploring the Correlation between Changes in Gut Microbial Community Diversity and Depression in Human Populations
Authors: Li Xin , Jing Ke , Lu Hong , Li Ke , Zhang Yaowu , Hasichaolu
Published: July 2022

Depression, also known as depressive disorder, is a group of psychosomatic affective disorders characterized by persistent and significantly depressed mood, delayed thinking, and cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between changes in gut microbial community diversity and depression to provide data on new strategies for the prevention and treatment of depression. In this study, we separated participants into a group of depressed patients and a healthy comparison group. We analyzed the gut microbial community structure of depressed patients and healthy comparisons using second‐generation sequencing of the bacterial 16S RNA gene. There were significant differences in the gut microflora structure between patients with depression and healthy individuals. The gut flora alpha diversity index was significantly reduced in patients with depression compared to that in the healthy population. At the species level, the relative abundance of Coprococcus catus and Bacteroides barnesiae was significantly lower in the depressed group than that in the control group. The development of depression may be associated with a decrease in beneficial gut bacteria.
Oxidative Stress-Induced Protein of SESTRIN2 in Cardioprotection Effect
Authors: Rongjin Huang , Feng Chen , Jun Ke , Shirong Lin
Published: July 2022

Because of the rich mitochondria and high energy metabolic requirements, excessive oxidative stress generated by ROS is a key pathogenic mechanism in heart disease. SESTRIN2, the well-known antioxidant protein, plays a vital role in diminishing the production and accumulation of ROS, thus sparing cells from oxidative damage. From this new perspective, we first examine SESTRIN2 structure-function relationships; then, we describe how SESTRIN2 expression is regulated under oxidative stress conditions, emphasizing SESTRIN2’s antioxidant mechanism via multiple signal transductions; and finally, we discuss SESTRIN2’s role in a variety of oxidative stress-related cardiac diseases, including age-related heart disease, diabetic cardiomyopathy, ischemia-reperfusion myocardial injury, septic cardiomyopathy, and chronic cardiac insufficiency. The goal of this review is to identify the SESTRIN2 protein as a potential biomarker and new therapy target for oxidative stress-related cardiac diseases.
Repurposing Azacitidine and Carboplatin to Prime Immune Checkpoint Blockade–resistant Melanoma for Anti-PD-L1 Rechallenge
Authors: van der Westhuizen Andre , Lyle Megan , Graves Moira C. , Zhu Xiaoqiang , Wong Jason W. H. , Cornall Kerrie , Ren Shu , Pugliese Leanna , Levy Richard , Majid Adeeb , Vilain Ricardo E. , Bowden Nikola A.
Published: July 2022

Purpose:

Drug repurposing offers the opportunity for chemotherapy to be used to reestablish sensitivity to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Here we investigated the clinical and translational aspects of an early phase II study of azacitidine and carboplatin priming for anti-PDL1 immunotherapy (avelumab) in patients with advanced ICB-resistant melanoma.

Experimental Design:

A total of 20 participants with ICB-resistant metastatic melanoma received 2 × 4-week cycles of azacitidine and carboplatin followed by ICB rechallenge with anti-PD-L1 avelumab. The primary objective was overall response rate after priming and ICB rechallenge. Secondary objectives were clinical benefit rate (CBR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Translational correlation analysis of HLA-A and PD-L1 expression, RNA sequencing, and reduced representation bisulfite sequencing of biopsies at baseline, after priming and after six cycles of avelmuab was performed.

Results:

The overall response rate (ORR) determined after azacitidine and carboplatin priming was 10% (2/20) with two partial responses (PR). The ORR determined after priming followed by six cycles of avelumab (week 22) was 10%, with 2 of 20 participants achieving immune partial response (iPR). The CBR for azacitidine and carboplatin priming was 65% (13/20) and after priming followed by six cycles of avelumab CBR was 35% (n = 7/20). The median PFS was 18.0 weeks [95% confidence interval (CI): 14.87–21.13 weeks] and the median OS was 47.86 weeks (95% CI: 9.67–86.06 weeks). Translational correlation analysis confirmed HLA-A generally increased after priming with azacitidine and carboplatin, particularly if it was absent at the start of treatment. Average methylation of CpGs across the HLA-A locus was decreased after priming and T cells, in particular CD8+, showed the greatest increase in infiltration.

Conclusions:

Priming with azacitidine and carboplatin can induce disease stabilization and resensitization to ICB for metastatic melanoma.

Significance:

There are limited treatments for melanoma once resistance to ICB occurs. Chemotherapy induces immune-related responses and may be repurposed to reinstate the response to ICB. This study provides the first evidence that chemotherapy can provide clinical benefit and increase OS for ICB-resistant melanoma.
Association between Baseline NIHSS Limb Motor Score and Functional Recovery after Stroke: Analysis Based on a Multicountry Dataset
Authors: Chen Christopher Li Hsian , Pokharkar Yogesh , Venketasubramanian Narayanaswamy ,   for the CHIMES and CHIMES-E Investigators
Published: July 2022

Introduction: Motor skills are the domains most often affected by stroke, but a comprehensive assessment of motor function is often impractical in the acute setting. It could be useful to have a brief simple tool allowing the stratification of patients at the time of inclusion in clinical studies. Hence, our primary objective was to evaluate whether the baseline NIH Stroke Scale limb motor score (b-NIHSS-LMS), obtained by summing the four motor items 5a to 6b of the NIHSS, is associated with functional recovery assessed by the modified Rankin Score (mRS). A secondary objective was to apply this new tool in the context of a clinical trial. Methods: The analysed population considered for this research included subjects from a large published, double-blind, multicentre trial, randomised to receive either a combination of various herbal and non-herbal components (MLC601) or placebo, administered within 72 h after an acute ischaemic stroke of intermediate severity (defined by baseline NIH Stroke Scale [b-NIHSS] score of 8–14). Associations between b-NIHSS-LMS and favourable outcome, i.e., mRS 0–1 at month 3, were evaluated using logistic regression adjusted for baseline covariates and study treatment. Results: The analysis included 533 subjects with an acute ischaemic stroke of intermediate severity assessed at month 3. Analyses showed that b-NIHSS-LMS was independently associated with a favourable outcome (OR 0.84; 95% confidence interval 0.76–0.92; p < 0.0003) at 3 months. Furthermore, in the clinical study considered, a selection of patients based upon a sufficient level of motor impairment at study entry (b-NIHSS-LMS ≥3) would result in the detection of a more pronounced and longer-lasting treatment effect. Indeed, ORs of treatment effect versus placebo in the selected subgroup (b-NIHSS-LMS ≥3) were statistically significant from months 3–24. Discussion/Conclusions: As an independent association between b-NIHSS-LMS and functional recovery after an acute ischaemic stroke of intermediate severity was established in this study, we suggest that the b-NIHSS-LMS can be used as a stratification factor in large clinical trials to define a target population with poststroke motor impairments.
Caracterização de relevo por meio de indicadores morfométricos nas faces norte e sul da Chapada do Araripe – nordeste do Brasil
Authors: Oliveira José Guilherme de , Santos Leonardo José Cordeiro , Siame Lionel
Published: July 2022

A chapada do Araripe, localizada na divisa entre os estados do Ceará, Piauí e Pernambuco marca parte do divisor hidrográfico de 3 importantes bacias hidrográficas brasileiras, a bacia do Jaguaribe, do São Francisco e do Parnaíba. Na Chapada do Araripe, as faces norte e sul possuem características de relevo distintas, enquanto a face norte possui relevo mais declivoso e movimentado, a face sul possui vertentes mais longas e menos declivosas. O presente artigo teve por objetivo ilustrar as diferenças entre as faces da Chapada do Araripe a partir da comparação entre atributos de relevo de duas bacias hidrográficas com características representativas no contexto regional. Para atingir o objetivo foram utilizadas métricas clássicas de relevo, indicadores de forma e simetria e o índice normalizado de declividade Ksn. A bacia do riacho Taquari está inserida na bacia do rio Jaguaribe e apresentou respostas nos índices que evidenciam relevo mais movimentado, com maior variação ao longo de toda a bacia. Em contraste, a bacia do riacho da Brígida, localizada na bacia do rio São Francisco, mostrou menores variações de relevo, com menor amplitude altimétrica e média de declividade. Nos perfis longitudinais, os valores de Ksn, indicam uma proximidade maior do perfil de equilíbrio na bacia do riacho da Brígida quando comparada a bacia do Taquari. A aplicação de indicadores morfométricos permitiu detalhar as duas faces da chapada, contribuindo para sua caracterização morfológica.
River edge feeding: Howler monkey feeding ecology in a fragmented riparian forest
Authors: Bolt Laura M. , Russell Dorian G. , Schreier Amy L.
Published: July 2022

Rivers are important components of animal habitats worldwide. The area near riparian edge (⩽100 m from the river) has different abiotic characteristics and vegetation than both forest interior and areas bordering human development, which may lead to differences in animal feeding behaviour. To better contextualize the impact of human-caused habitat destruction on animal feeding ecology, it is important to study both natural riparian and anthropogenic forest edges within the same habitat. We compared howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) feeding behaviour and tree use across four forest zones (riparian edge, anthropogenic edge, forest interior, and combined riparian and anthropogenic edge) in a fragmented riparian rainforest in Costa Rica, La Suerte Biological Research Station (LSBRS). We predicted that monkey feeding behaviour and tree use would differ across forest zones, and especially between riparian and anthropogenic edges due to higher vegetation quality near the river. We observed individual focal monkeys for 30-minute periods, collecting data on monkey feeding behaviour and tree use every 2 minutes. We recorded plant parts eaten and feeding tree taxonomy, and measured feeding trees. Monkeys ate more leaves in riparian edge than in other forest zones, and fed from fewer tree families in riparian edge and forest interior compared to anthropogenic edge. Monkeys also fed from trees with smaller DBH in riparian edge compared to other forest zones, but trees of similar height to forest interior and taller than anthropogenic edge. Our results indicate that riparian zones are rich habitats for howler monkeys and conservation efforts should prioritize their preservation.
Rope bridges provide safe connectivity for the southern brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba clamitans Cabrera, 1940) in an urban Atlantic Forest remnant
Authors: Monticelli Cauê , Comassetto Maciel Priscila , de Oliveira Garcia Francini
Published: July 2022

A southern brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba clamitans) population occurs in a remnant of Atlantic Forest located inside an urban area of the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil. This population has been heavily anthropogenically impacted by collisions with vehicles, electrocutions on power lines, and falls onto roads. With the aim of reducing these impacts on howler monkeys, we installed four rope bridges in the forest canopy in Fontes do Ipiranga State Park (PEFI). We used mortality data collected within the PEFI to identify areas with high incident rates to place the bridges. The bridges were monitored continuously (24 hours per day) with camera traps for the 12 months following bridge installation (with one exception). The goal of this study was to evaluate the functionality of the bridges in road impact mitigation for the howler monkeys in the PEFI and for other arboreal species. We recorded use of three of the four rope bridges by five of the six arboreal mammal species known to occur in the PEFI with the following frequency: southern brown howler monkey – 60.5% of events, 70.8 events/month; orange-spined hairy dwarf porcupine – Coendou spinosus, 26.1% of events, 31 events/month; black-eared opossum – Didelphis aurita, 7.2% of events, 7.3 events/month, bare-tailed woolly opossum – Caluromys philander, 3.4% of events, 4.3 events/month and marmoset – Callithrix sp., 2.7% of events, 3.38 events/month. The time to first use of the bridges by howler monkeys in the two bridges for which there were data was 2 and 77 days, while other species took longer to habituate (113–344 days). Adult howler monkeys used all parts of the bridges to cross while younger howlers and the smaller species used mostly the longitudinal side lines. Given our findings of rope bridge use by five species in the PEFI, we recommend the installation of rope bridges of this design in other areas with similar species composition.
Song of Songs 1:1—Text and Paratext
Authors: Chavel Simeon
Published: July 2022

The argument draws upon literary theory to revisit the two clauses that, traditionally, make up Song 1:1. (1) The title evaluates the work as the song-most of songs. I argue that the evaluation refers to the work’s manifold form of simulation—a literary work representing the speech of a dreamer, who speaks from both inside and outside the dream. (2) The scoring in MT, the rubric in LXX (Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus), ancient interpreters and modern all take the first words of the Song of Songs to be a heading, comprising title (שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים) and attribution (אֲשֶׁר לִשְׁלֹמֹה). I argue that the clause marked and understood as an attribution may be the beginning of the character’s speech.
Towards a Philosophy of Crisis
Authors: de Beistegui Miguel
Published: July 2022

Thirty years ago, Fukuyama announced the end of history in the form of the triumph of liberal democracy and free markets. Crises were going to be something of the past. Today, crises abound. Does this mean that the eschatology of the 1980s and 90s should give way to a crisology? Given the many ways in which the vocabulary of crisis is used, and crises are instrumentalized, can the word crisis become a rigorous philosophical concept? In this essay, I analyze the extent to which, and contexts in which, philosophy has claimed crisis as a central concept (section 2); offer a tentative typology of crisis in relation to the problem of normativity (section 3); conclude with a few remarks on critique as the philosophy of crisis (section 4).
Toward the Vanishing of the “Human”: Animal Becoming and Elemental Architecture
Authors: Rivera Omar
Published: July 2022

By putting forward the notions of “eco-sensibilities” and “eco-permeable relationalities,” this paper explores a non-instrumentalizing mode of relation with the “non-human.” On this basis, it shows the possibility of affectively disempowering the hold of “ecological indifference” as Nancy Tuana describes it. It focuses on “animal becoming” and “elemental architecture” as “eco-sensibilities” that effect such a disempowerment.
Pseudo-coordination and serial verbs in Hellenistic Greek?
Authors: Logozzo Felicia , Tronci Liana
Published: July 2022

This paper deals with Biblical Greek multiverb constructions in which two verbs, inflected in the same mood, person and number, are either coordinated by καί or asyndetically juxtaposed and relate to a single event. The first verb is semantically constrained (verb of motion), and does not govern any complement. In typological studies, these constructions are known as pseudo-coordinated and serialised constructions, depending on the presence of the coordinator or not. We suggest here a unified view of the two patterns, called Pseudo-Coordinated Constructions (PCC s) lato sensu. Data for this research were collected from the Septuagint and the New Testament, which, despite the several differences concerning the times of composition and the type of text, are both characterised by a conspicuous number of PCC s. It was found that serialisation occurred exclusively with imperatives, which is in line with some serialised occurrences of motion verbs in previous stages of Greek, as well as with typological evidence. Conversely, pseudo-coordination occurred with both imperatives and other moods; in the latter case, and especially with past indicatives in narrative contexts, it is not easily distinguishable from plain coordination. Two results emerge from our analysis. First, the greater incidence of PCC s in the Septuagint than in the New Testament can be explained as a direct influence of Biblical Hebrew. Second, the data of the New Testament appear to be relevant for Greek diachrony since the verb ὑπάγω ‘go’, which behaves as the unmarked verb in the PCC s of the New Testament, developed into Modern Greek πηγαίνω ‘go’, which occurs in both serialised and pseudo-coordinated constructions.
“The Ottoman Revolution of 1661”: The Reconfiguration of Political Power under Mehmed IV and Köprülü Grand Viziers
Authors: Bekar Cumhur
Published: July 2022

This article examines the rise of the Köprülü grand viziers and their relationship with Sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648–1687) within the context of broader developments in early modern Europe. It challenges the prevailing view that Mehmed IV was a weak Sultan, arguing that at a time of profound crisis the Sultan succeeded in creating a new political system, which simultaneously restored the authority of the Sultan whilst bolstering that of the Grand Vizier. It explores the various ways in which this system was established, from relocation of the dynastic seat to changes in recruitment networks. The reconfiguration of political power under Mehmed IV and the Köprülü viziers is approached through the lens of royal-favorite relationships in seventeenth-century Europe. Although there was no European equivalent of a number of elements in the Ottoman system, such as a harem-based court or the Grand Vizierate, we can nevertheless apply key concepts and debates gleaned from early modern Western and Central Europe – such as the politics of access and intimacy, the place of favorites, and the delegation of royal power – to enrich our understanding of the early modern Ottoman experience.
Survivals: The Stakes of Religious Literacy
Authors: Morgenstein Fuerst Ilyse R.
Published: July 2022

Johannes Wolfart makes a compelling case that the nebulousness of “religious literacy” belies a complicated history not just of “religion” but of “literacy” in his recent article, “‘Religious Literacy’: Some Considerations and Reservations,” in Method & Theory in the Study of Religion. Wolfart has reservations about religious literacy, its instrumentalization, and specifically the lack of empirical evidence that would support programs that promote religious literacy. He is concerned that “religion,” “literacy,” and of course “religious literacy” are imbricated in theological projects, whether alive or long dead; ultimately, we might characterize his position as deeply concerned with religious literacy as a liberal Protestant project. In this response essay, I suggest that reducing religious literacy to Protestant liberalism prioritizes thought experiments over the survival of minoritized people and communities. It is clear that religious literacy is a framework deployed not for lofty goals of social betterment or a vague sense of liberation, but for survival: survival of academic programs and departments, survival of a body politic, and often the survival of individuals and groups who are targets of hate.
Reflections on Wolfart, Challenges to Religious Literacy, and Course Design
Authors: Gallagher Eugene V.
Published: July 2022

Despite its recent prominence as a rationale for the academic study of religion, Professor Wolfart shows both that “religious literacy” has been poorly defined and that little evidence has been adduced for its positive effects. Yet the institutional and social pressures that have led some to embrace religious literacy as a positive argument for the academic study of religion persist, and the essay offers no alternative conception of the broad goals towards which collegiate education about religion should be directed. It is worth considering, therefore, whether some of the flaws with religious literacy as an educational approach might be remedied. In particular, this response proposes that the yawning gap between the abstract goal and the fact that in the U.S. most undergraduates will take only a single course in the study poses a challenge of course design. Carefully designing courses for religious literacy might diminish the imprecision in the concept and provide more tangible evidence of what religiously literate students might be able to do.
The World Health Organization, International Health Regulations and Human Rights Law
Authors: Forman Lisa , Sekalala Sharifah , Meier Benjamin Mason
Published: July 2022

This article examines the influence of human rights law on infectious disease control through the World Health Organization (who) International Health Regulations (‘IHR’). The who’s evolving work to mainstream human rights in global health governance strongly influenced the 2005 revision of the ihr, framing a new balance between health and human rights in public health emergencies. The 2005 ihr make respect for human rights a central principle and integrate human rights standards in explicit and implicit ways. Yet these reforms also fail to reflect economic, social and cultural rights, inadequately connect to the UN human rights system, and leave unresolved significant legal issues with major impacts on human rights. These weaknesses have been exposed by the covid-19 pandemic, as national pandemic responses have tested who’s authority under the ihr and disproportionately and unjustifiably restricted a range of human rights. Resolving these gaps will require both normative and institutional reforms that bring together human rights and global health governance, including through broader rights-based partnerships amongst international organizations.
Strengthening the Monitoring of States’ Compliance with the International Health Regulations
Authors: Villarreal Pedro A. , Habibi Roojin , Taylor Allyn
Published: July 2022

The current article aims to undertake a retrospective and a prospective analysis of compliance monitoring under the International Health Regulations of 2005 (ihr (2005)). First, different theoretical understandings of compliance are discussed. The study then focuses on a ‘triad’ of obligations under the ihr (2005): 1) to timely and effectively notify the World Health Organization (who) of events that may constitute public health emergencies of international concern (Article 6 ihr); 2) to notify and justify additional health measures restricting international travel and trade in response to events elsewhere (Article 43 ihr); and, 3) to build minimum core capacities required to conduct pandemic surveillance and response activities (Article 5 ihr). The retrospective analysis revisits the fate of past and current mechanisms of compliance monitoring under the ihr (2005). Lastly, a prospective formulation builds upon the elements of the retrospective analysis, sketching a possible way forward for monitoring of compliance with the ihr (2005).
Lexical Notes on the Khotanese Piṇḍaśāstra
Authors: Luzzietti Silvia
Published: July 2022

The single Chinese scroll comprised of manuscripts P 2893 (Paris) and Ch. 00265 (London) contains the Late Khotanese āyurvedic text conventionally titled Piṇḍaśāstra and so far unidentified in other languages. As a contribution to the interpretation of the text and to the knowledge of Khotanese medical terminology, the article offers two etymologies and reinterprets two ghostwords paying close attention to the contexts where they occur: (1) dūvara- ‘watery abdominal swelling, dropsy’ is a loanword from Gāndhārī *dag̱odara- < Old Indian dakodara- and, like Tibetan dmu rdzing, translates the Sanskrit general term udara- ‘abdominal swelling’; (2) the accusative plural pīrą̄nā and genitive plural pīrą̄nāṃ are from pirānaa- ‘worm grains’, a compound of pära- ‘worm’ and -ānaa- < Iranian *dāna-ka- ‘(single) grain, seed’, referring to the proglottids of tapeworms in excrement; (3) āvaṃjsä is not a hapax meaning ‘compact’ (Bailey) but should be read ā-v-aṃ jsä ‘or with them’; (4) bu’jsai is not a hapax meaning ‘fiery’ (Bailey) but the regular outcome of the Old Khotanese nominative plural buljse from buljsaā- ‘virtue’.
Breath and the Brahmacārin
Authors: Leach Robert
Published: July 2022

In this paper I offer a solution to the meaning of the word triṣaptā́ḥ found at the beginning of the Atharvaveda (Śaunaka-Saṁhitā 1.1.1 ~ Paippalāda-Saṁhitā 1.6.1). After a discussion of the many previous attempts to understand the meaning of this term in this particular verse, I propose that triṣaptā́ḥ refers here to ‘three times seven’ breaths, that the speaker of the verse in question is a Brahmacārin, and that the sūkta as a whole is intended to be recited by this figure at his initiation. With these pieces of the puzzle in place, I argue, the remainder of the sūkta, including for instance the role of Vācaspati, is also much better understood.
The Russian Approach to the Permissibility of Examining Jurors in the Light of Foreign Law: Reflecting on the Arguments of the Russian Constitutional Court
Authors: Chirninov Aldar
Published: July 2022

This article examines the landmark Aliev case decided by the Russian Constitutional Court in 2020. In this case, the Constitutional Court was expected to determine whether jurors must be prohibited from testifying about the outside influence they were subjected to during deliberation. The paper discusses what is right and wrong with the Constitutional Court’s judgment and assesses the quality of its argumentation. The paper explores how the Constitutional Court’s approach compares and contrasts with other countries’ approaches and briefly outlines the structure of legislative reforms that need to be undertaken in Russia in the light of foreign experience. Overall, the author concludes that the integrity of jurors in Russia should be protected not by enabling jurors to testify at their discretion but by strengthening their legal immunity, which will strike an optimal balance between competing constitutional values.
Polarisation versus Convergence: Senior Female Diplomats’ Views on Feminism, Religion and Women’s Rights in US Foreign Policy
Authors: Bashevkin Sylvia
Published: July 2022

This article is among the first to probe the views of seven women who held foreign policy cabinet positions in Democratic and Republican administrations in the United States between 1981 and 2018. Grounded in debates over a polarising ‘culture war’ versus converging social attitudes, the study uses autobiographical sources to gauge cross-party differences over time in leaders’ understandings of feminism and anti-feminism, levels of secularism and religious orthodoxy, and views of women’s rights in foreign policy. The study also examines questions of intersectionality, notably whether appointees from racial minority backgrounds expressed distinctively transformative views about inequality and discrimination. The findings confirm left/right polarisation arguments with respect to attitudes towards women’s movements but show that nominees, regardless of party or racial background, were deeply committed to liberal individualism. The conclusion discusses the implications of these results and proposes directions for further research.
Chinese Documentary Source Materials Relating to World War ii
Authors: Moore Aaron William
Published: July 2022

While access to library and archival collections in mainland China remains unclear due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic and increasing government scrutiny, past experiences in Chinese archives are still relevant for scholars going forward, in the event that the People’s Republic of China reopens the doors to these collections. In surveying the digital, print publication, and manuscript collections pertaining to the Chinese history of World War ii, this article shows how access to new kinds of sources redefined the pre-pandemic state of the field. In particular, curated volumes that emphasized perspectives from the Chinese Communist Party and leftist intellectuals gradually have given way to a more representative collection of the documentary evidence, and Taiwanese collections continue to be important to the historiography. The article begins with coverage of well-known guides and published catalogues of mainland and Taiwanese collections. It then covers some military documents that Chinese scholars occasionally have referenced. It emphasizes the richness of accessible material on the social and cultural history of the war era as part of a call to colleagues and future students to expand the scope of what is traditionally thought to be “military history.” There is ample opportunity for major interventions into our understanding of wartime China, which shaped the course of modern history overall, and major innovations in historiography that scholars usually make from the dusty reading rooms of the libraries and archives.
The EU Migration Pact and Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion
Authors: Berry Stephanie E. , Taban Isilay
Published: July 2022

The European Commission, following the adoption of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, has released the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021–2027 (hereinafter “The Action Plan”). The Action Plan outlines recommendations that aim to foster integrated and cohesive societies. However, this article argues that the understanding of integration advanced by the Action Plan has the potential to be counterproductive. Utilizing the expertise of minority rights bodies in the field of diversity management, this article scrutinizes the Action Plan’s approach, highlighting that it suffers from several distinct flaws. Specifically, the Action Plan is underpinned by a narrative that securitizes both Islam and migration; conflates integration with assimilation; and adopts a thin understanding of integration and intercultural dialogue. Moving forward, the EU should take heed of the work of minority rights bodies to develop a comprehensive integration strategy.
Policing Blackness in Europe
Authors: Thompson Vanessa E.
Published: July 2022

Last year’s global black uprisings which followed the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade sparked the largest anti-racist movement in the midst of a global pandemic, not only in the US but also in various other parts of the global African diaspora. In Europe, thousands of people protested and mobilized for black lives and against racist policing. The protests demonstrated that racist policing is not limited to the US. Quite the contrary, protesters and vulnerable communities were emphasizing that policing unfolds as a violent and murderous condition in their various respective contexts, too. Engaging with the geographies of policing in three countries in continental Europe, namely Germany, France and Switzerland, and by drawing on ethnographic research on policing blackness and activist interventions in these three contexts, this article discusses modalities of policing blackness in continental Europe and shows that the recent mobilizations for black lives have a history in these respective contexts too. Interventions and forms of resistances put forward by anti-racist initiatives are also discussed.
The Making of Borders and Minorities
Authors: Kühl Jørgen
Published: July 2022

The Peace Treaties of Versailles and Saint German of 1919 provided for a number of plebiscites to be held to determine Germany’s borders with Denmark, Poland and France and Austria’s borders with the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (eventually Yugoslavia). Plebiscites under international supervision were held in Schleswig (1920), Upper Silesia (1920), Allenstein and Marienwerder (1920), Carinthia/Kärnten (1920), and the Saar region (1935). A public consultation was made in the case of the districts of Eupen and Malmedy as well in 1920 regarding the border between Belgium and Germany. Although most of Western Hungary was awarded to Austria in 1919, Hungarian insurrection eventually led to a plebiscite in the Sopron/Ödenburg region as well in 1921. Three of these borders based on self-determination through referenda (Schleswig, Burgenland and Carinthia) still exist. This contribution presents the plebiscites and shows the creation of minorities and the impact of the minority situations. It offers a comparative analysis of history’s impact on contemporary minority-majority relations in the new border regions.
Securitization of Minorities under Covid-19
Authors: Carlà Andrea , Djolai Marika
Published: July 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic has become the fifth documented one in the 100 years since the 1918 flu pandemic. Its disproportionate impact was quickly recognised, showing how it aggravated long-standing systemic health and social inequities and placed racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying. Securitized state responses and disproportionate employment of police and army to ‘combat the virus’ only amplified the pandemic outcomes. This article aims to investigate these securitized responses towards citizens and, more specifically, securitization of minority communities in the name of the pandemic, as one of the most challenging aspects of the societal shifts under Covid-19. We also offer comparative historical perspective of securitization of minorities during the past pandemics, showing that discourses and practices witnessed under the present Covid-19 pandemic are not new, and neither are the actors. This article makes theoretical contributions to understanding securitization, particularly by showing that Copenhagen and Paris Schools are not methodologically incompatible, and to the field of minority studies.
Self-Rule and Covid-19 Times
Authors: Grau-Creus Mireia , Garcia-Muniesa Jordi , Errasti Ander
Published: July 2022

Initially the most common response to the Covid-19 crisis was the concentration of powers on executives and, in some compound systems, this concentration of powers also involved the centralization of powers on national/federal governments. Both the concentration of powers and its centralization have encroached the principle of self-government by dismantling it temporarily. The ease in which self-government was dismantled in some countries raises concerns on its solidness and on the actual capacity of some institutional systems to provide, by means of self-government, the accommodation and recognition of plurinationalism and diversity. In this chapter we examine the governmental reaction to the Covid-19 crisis in relation to self-government in five European plurinational countries: Switzerland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.
Qatar 2022, fifa and the Speedy Protection of Intellectual Property Rights: A Commentary
Authors: Abou El Farag Mohamed Salem , Al-Muraikhi Shaikha Jaber S.H.
Published: July 2022

In 2010, Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (hereinafter “fifa”) World Cup. As one of the world’s biggest sporting tournament is about to start, final preparations are being made to ensure a successful fiesta. These preparations include the legal protection of the intellectual property rights of fifa, its sponsors and affiliates. To this end, Qatar recently passed Law No. 11 of 2021, a new law on the protection of fifa trademarks and copyright. This paper is a short commentary on the provisions of the law. It discusses the processes of registering fifa trademarks, copyrights, and related rights in addition to the protection accorded to them.
Wood Quality of Sugi (Cryptomeria Japonica) Grown at Four Initial Spacings
Authors: Ishiguri F. , Kasai S. , Yokota S. , Iizuka K. , Yoshizawa N.
Published: July 2022

Wood quality is affected by silviculture, which includes factors such as stand density control and genetics. In the present study, the effects of initial spacing on the general wood quality and lumber quality of sugi wood (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) were examined. Logs of 35-year-old sugi were cut from four stands with different initial spacing (A: 2.6 by 2.6 m, 1,500 trees/ha; B: 1.8 by 1.8 m, 3,000 trees/ha; C: 1.3 by 1.3 m, 6,000 trees/ha; D: 1.0 by 1.0 m, 10,000 trees/ha). Trees from stand A showed significantly larger values in annual ring width than trees from the other stands. However, there were no significant differences in the wood basic density, the length of latewood tracheids, and the microfibril angle of the S2 layer among stands. On the other hand, initial spacing affected the lumber quality. The average diameter of knots was significantly larger in stand A than in the other stands. In addition, the dynamic Youngʼs modulus, the modulus of rupture, and the modulus of elasticity in static bending increased with the decrease in the initial spacing from 2.6 by 2.6 m to 1.3 by 1.3 m.
Thematic Roles in Image Schemas: A Missing Link Between Mind and Language
Authors: Szwedek Aleksander
Published: July 2022

As early as 1968, Fillmore suggested that deep cases could be sets “of universal, presumably innate, concepts” human beings form to describe reality. Langacker’s (1991) role archetypes highlight the “primal status and nonlinguistic origin” of Thematic roles. I argue that Thematic roles have their “nonlinguistic” origin in image schemas and link the image schemas with language structures. The thesis is based on my description of the object schema (Szwedek, 2018), the definition of the image schema (Szwedek, 2019), and major works on Thematic roles. The object schema is fundamental in that all physical objects are experienceable by the senses (Szwedek, 2011, 2018). In contrast to relational schemas, it is also conceptually independent, while “[r]elations are conceptually dependent, i.e. one cannot conceptualize interconnections without conceptualizing the entities they interconnect” (Langacker, 1987). I posit that Thematic roles are a link between image schemas (mind) and language, constituting a stable scaffolding for various syntactic structures.
Titus’s Revenge and/as Imperial Roman Satire
Authors: Perry Curtis
Published: July 2022

This essay explores the idea that the grotesque denouement of Titus Andronicus—and specifically that portion of the play staged as Titus’s dinner party—draws upon ideas about Rome and decorum from imperial Roman satire. The cannibal banquet in Act 5 of Titus Andronicus is designed to violate Horace’s remarks from the Ars Poetica about how ‘the feast of Thyestes’ should not be staged in a manner commensurate with comedy. In keeping with its exploration of indecorum as an index to corruption, the play’s weird denouement makes use of the generic resources of Roman satire, and especially of Juvenal and Persius, since each of these imperial-era writers positons themselves as indecorous and post-Horatian. Titus uses his dinner party to satirize Roman mores that he has come to recognize as corrupt, and as host he re-enacts Roman satire’s obsessive interest in food, cooking, and the dinner party as both metaphor and setting. In doing so, Titus literalizes a link between cannibalism and post-Horatian indecorum that is figural in Persius.
Satire, What Is It Good For?
Authors: Rowe Emily
Published: July 2022

Satire and war have a longstanding literal and metaphoric relationship. Satire has long been the medium to criticize war, while also being figured itself as literary ‘warfare.’ This essay examines the interplay between war and satire in two early modern English prose texts, Thomas Nashe’s The vnfortunate trauller (1594) and Thomas Dekker’s Worke for armorours (1609). Both writers contributed satirical works to literary ‘wars’ of the period, but this essay moves away from their literary feuds and argues that Nashe and Dekker’s prose employ sites of war as settings for social satire and to explore how war, like satire, functions a force that disrupts as a means to correct social abuses.