bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantifying irradiation in spider pulsars: the extreme case of PSR J1622−0315
Authors: Turchetta Marco , Linares Manuel , Koljonen Karri , Sen Bidisha
Published: August 2023

We present the first multiband optical light curves of PSR J1622−0315, among the most compact known redback binary millisecond pulsars, with an orbital period $P_\mathrm{orb}=3.9 \, \text{h}$. We find a flux modulation with two maxima per orbital cycle and a peak-to-peak amplitude ${\simeq} 0.3 \, \text{mag}$, which we attribute to the ellipsoidal shape of the tidally distorted companion star. The optical colours imply a late-F to early-G spectral-type companion and do not show any detectable temperature changes along the orbit. This suggests that the irradiation of the star’s inner face by the pulsar wind is unexpectedly missing despite its short orbital period. To interpret these results, we introduce a new parameter fsd, defined as the ratio between the pulsar wind flux intercepted by the companion star and the companion intrinsic flux. This flux ratio fsd, which depends on the spin-down luminosity of the pulsar, the base temperature of the companion and the orbital period, can be used to quantify the effect of the pulsar wind on the companion star and turns out to be the most important factor in determining whether the companion is irradiated or not. We find that the transition between these two regimes occurs at fsd ≃ 2–4 and that the value for PSR J1622−0315 is fsd = 0.7, placing it firmly in the non-irradiated regime.
Breaking degeneracies in the first galaxies with clustering
Authors: Muñoz Julian B , Mirocha Jordan , Furlanetto Steven , Sabti Nashwan
Published: August 2023

The high-redshift galaxy UV luminosity function (UVLF) has become essential for understanding the formation and evolution of the first galaxies. Yet, UVLFs only measure galaxy abundances, giving rise to a degeneracy between the mean galaxy luminosity and its stochasticity. Here, we show that upcoming clustering measurements with the JWST, as well as with Roman, will be able to break this degeneracy, even at redshifts z ≳ 10. First, we demonstrate that current Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) measurements of the galaxy bias at z ∼ 4–6 point to a relatively tight halo-galaxy connection, with low stochasticity. Then, we show that the larger UVLFs observed by JWST at z ≳ 10 can be explained with either a boosted average UV emission or an enhanced stochasticity. These two models, however, predict different galaxy biases, which are potentially distinguishable in JWST and Roman surveys. Galaxy-clustering measurements, therefore, will provide crucial insights into the connection between the first galaxies and their dark-matter haloes, and identify the root cause of the enhanced abundance of z ≳ 10 galaxies revealed with JWST during its first year of operations.
Horizontally Transferred DNA in the Genome of the Fungus Pyricularia oryzae is Associated With Repressive Histone Modifications
Authors: Kobayashi Natsuki , Dang Thach An , Pham Kieu Thi Minh , Gómez Luciano Luis B , Van Vu Ba , Izumitsu Kosuke , Shimizu Motoki , Ikeda Ken-ichi , Li Wen-Hsiung , Nakayashiki Hitoshi
Published: August 2023

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a means of exchanging genetic material asexually. The process by which horizontally transferred genes are domesticated by the host genome is of great interest but is not well understood. In this study, we determined the telomere-to-telomere genome sequence of the wheat-infecting Pyricularia oryzae strain Br48. SNP analysis indicated that the Br48 strain is a hybrid of wheat- and Brachiaria-infecting strains by a sexual or parasexual cross. Comparative genomic analysis identified several megabase-scale “insertions” in the Br48 genome, some of which were possibly gained by HGT-related events from related species, such as P. pennisetigena or P. grisea. Notably, the mega-insertions often contained genes whose phylogeny is not congruent with the species phylogeny. Moreover, some of the genes have a close homolog even in distantly related organisms, such as basidiomycetes or prokaryotes, implying the involvement of multiple HGT events. Interestingly, the levels of the silent epigenetic marks H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 in a genomic region tended to be negatively correlated with the phylogenetic concordance of genes in the same region, suggesting that horizontally transferred DNA is preferentially targeted for epigenetic silencing. Indeed, the putative HGT-derived genes were activated when MoKmt6, the gene responsible for H3K27me3 modification, was deleted. Notably, these genes also tended to be up-regulated during infection, suggesting that they are now under host control and have contributed to establishing a fungal niche. In conclusion, this study suggests that epigenetic modifications have played an important role in the domestication of HGT-derived genes in the P. oryzae genome.
Disparities in Mpox Vaccination Among Priority Populations During the 2022 Outbreak
Authors: Alavian Naseem , Mourad Ahmad , Woodhouse Edwin W , Niehaus Emily , Cunningham Hayley , Zavala Sofia , Kohler Patricia , Pappas Steven , Yarrington Michael E , Okeke Nwora Lance , Wolfe Cameron R , Cox Gary M , Dicks Kristen V , Stout Jason E
Published: August 2023

Background

The 2022 mpox outbreak disproportionately affected men who have sex with men and persons living with HIV (PLWH). A 2-dose mpox vaccine series was deployed in mid-2022. Structural racism and insurance status may have affected equitable vaccination.

Methods

We defined 3 cohorts: PLWH with at least 1 clinic visit between 1 July 2021 and 1 July 2022 (n = 2066), HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) recipients as of 1 January 2022 (n = 262), and all mpox-vaccinated patients in our health system between 1 July 2022 and 30 November 2022 (n = 807). We identified patients with prior diagnosed sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as having a positive test result for gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis between 1 July 2021–1 July 2022. The primary outcome was receipt of at least 1 dose of mpox vaccine.

Results

We identified 224 (10.8%) PLWH and 50 (19.0%) PrEP patients who received at least 1 dose of mpox vaccine. Among PLWH, White race (odds ratio [OR], 1.55; 95% CI, 1.11–2.16), private insurance (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.01–3.34), prior STI (OR, 3.04; 95% CI, 2.16–4.27), prior COVID-19 vaccination (OR, 3.17; 95% CI, 1.93–5.20), and prior influenza vaccination (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.30–1.96) independently predicted mpox vaccination. Within the PrEP cohort, prior COVID-19 vaccination and seasonal influenza vaccination predicted mpox vaccination. Uninsured patients were vaccinated later in the outbreak than patients with private insurance (median time to vaccination, 41 days in the privately insured group vs 83 days in the uninsured group; P < .0001).

Conclusions

Race, insurance status, prior STI, and previous receipt of other vaccines influenced uptake of mpox vaccine. Addressing health disparities and vaccine acceptance will be essential in improving future outbreak response.
The Diagnostic Accuracy of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in DiagnosingPneumocystisPneumonia: A Systemic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Tekin Aysun , Truong Hong Hieu , Rovati Lucrezia , Lal Amos , Gerberi Danielle J , Gajic Ognjen , O’Horo John C
Published: August 2023

Background

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a growing concern as the immunocompromised population expands. Current laboratory approaches are limited. This systematic review aimed to evaluate metagenomic next-generation sequencing (MNGS) tests’ performance in detecting PCP.

Methods

Five databases were searched through December 19, 2022, to identify original studies comparing MNGS with clinically diagnosed PCP. To assess the accuracy, symmetric hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic models were used.

Results

Eleven observational studies reporting 1442 patients (424 with PCP) were included. Six studies focused exclusively on recipients of biologic immunosuppression (none with HIV-associated immunosuppression). Six were exclusively on bronchoalveolar lavage, while 1 was on blood samples. The sensitivity of MGNS was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.90–0.99), and specificity was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.92–0.98), with negative and positive likelihood ratios of 0.02 (95% CI, 0.01–0.05) and 19.31 (95% CI, 10.26–36.36), respectively. A subgroup analysis of studies exclusively including bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and blood samples demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.78–0.99) and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.80–0.98) and a specificity of 0.96 (95% CI, 0.88–0.99) and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.76–1.00), respectively. The sensitivity analysis on recipients of biologic immunosuppression showed a sensitivity and specificity of 0.96 (95% CI, 0.90–0.98) and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.84–0.98), respectively. The overall confidence in the estimates was low.

Conclusions

Despite the low certainty of evidence, MNGS detects PCP with high sensitivity and specificity. This also applies to recipients of biologic immunosuppression and tests performed exclusively on blood samples without the need for BAL. Further studies are required in individuals with HIV-associated immunosuppression.
Modernity and Granularity in History and International Relations
Authors: Bukovansky Mlada , Keene Edward
Published: August 2023

This introduction by two of the editorial team for the Handbook explains how the volume is organized. We have encouraged all our authors to engage with two general themes. One is ‘modernity’, which raises questions about the chronological development of different ways of ordering the international, and how to navigate between structural change and continuity. The other is ‘granularity’, which is intended to unlock the potential for generating fresh insights by adopting different framings in geographical space, historical time, and levels of both agency and structure. The Handbook develops these themes through four sections, looking at the relationship between the academic disciplines of History and International Relations (IR); the various practices through which international relations are conducted; the widespread habit of dividing scholarship by certain periods or regions; and studies of individual phenomena in terms of both their specific character and wider implications.
Global Sources of International Thought
Authors: Yudan Chen
Published: August 2023

Since the end of the twentieth century, we have witnessed an increased interest in non-Western international thought which has contribute to a stronger connection between History and International Relations (IR), helping us to grasp the current complex world derived from the various traditions. The current search for global sources of international thought is largely dominated by the tension between ‘pre-modern global’ and ‘modern international’. To collect ‘international’ texts from pre-modern non-Western classics and construct intellectual traditions, either a thinker-centred approach or a concept-centred approach is adopted. To interpret these texts in the realm of international relations, existing studies vary from seeing non-Western ideas as compatible with the modern Western IR, to regarding them as ontological, epistemological, normative and methodological challenges, or even substitutes, for the latter. Searching for global sources of international thought is a potential way to build a global future, which requires a true ‘global’ vision even beyond the dualism between West and non-West.
State, Territoriality, and Sovereignty
Authors: Branch Jordan , Stockbruegger Jan
Published: August 2023

This chapter considers three concepts—state, territory, sovereignty—that are fundamental not only to the intersection of History and International Relations (IR) but also to IR theoretical debates. We track how the literature on these concepts has changed over time and discuss broad critiques and avenues for future research. We argue that state, territory, and sovereignty need to be studied as analytically distinct yet interrelated outcomes and processes. Key challenges for historical IR scholarship include overcoming a Eurocentric bias inherent in these concepts, how to apply contemporary concepts to earlier historical periods, and how—and whether—to draw lessons from history for contemporary politics. Finally, historical IR scholars could pay more attention to the important yet largely unexplored material dimensions of state, territory, and sovereignty.
Religion, History, and International Relations
Authors: Lynch Cecelia
Published: August 2023

Religion, until recently, has been marked in the history of International Relations (IR) primarily by its absence. In this chapter, I show how this absence is part of a foundational European mythology that has begun to be challenged. Nevertheless, there is still considerable work to do in understanding the ontological and cosmological richness of religious commitments in international relations, both historically and today. To do this work, it is necessary to reassess the concept of modernity in the foundational mythology of religion’s absence in IR. Moreover, deepening our understanding of granularity and practice must also be integral to comprehending the role of religion in IR. In this contribution, I assess: 1) the foundational European mythology and the understanding of modernity that has developed from the European story, 2) how decolonization both replicated and challenged that story, 3) how the post-Cold War resurgence of religion in IR forces more attention to granularity (and practice), and 4) the utility of the neo-Weberian approach to religion and religious ethics (Lynch 2009), along with a deeper appreciation of the range of religious ontologies extant in the world, for providing a path forward for the discipline in its analysis and understanding of the power of religious practices and commitments.
Origins, Histories, and the Modern International
Authors: Walker R. B. J.
Published: August 2023

Many stories have been told about the origins of the modern international political order, with 1648 and Westphalia being the most pervasive markers, not only of a starting point but also of how the international political order has come to be defined and understood. Focusing on the work of the historian Martin Wight, this chapter explores how attempts to resist this foundational mythology can lead to its re-affirmation. In the process, it explores a broad but still circumscribed range of alternative possibilities, especially how Wight’s preferred alternative, the collapse of a universalist empire in fifteenth-century Europe, generated accounts of what it means to begin that still shape our understanding of something international. These offer an even more unsettling reading of what is now at stake in the politics of origins than those grounded in claims about some supposedly Westphalian moment.
Nationalism
Authors: Mayall James
Published: August 2023

This chapter examines the origins and spread of nationalism world-wide and the impact of this development on the evolution of international society and vice-versa. This examination is conducted in four sections. First, since both international society and political nationalism originated during the period of Western hegemony, the legacy and implications of these origins for the contemporary global system are analyzed. The discussion then notes that while history is indispensable for the study of nationalism it is not sufficient and seeks to substantiate this claim by exploring the debate between modernists and primordialists on the rise and spread of nationalism. The third section traces the evolution of international society and the impact of modernity on nationalism and the international order. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the problem nationalists face in crafting nationalist policies and the historical ways in which they have resolved the problem.
Modernity and Modernities in International Relations
Authors: Zarakol Ayşe
Published: August 2023

This chapter shows that versions of ‘modernization theory’ still haunt International Relations (IR)’s understanding of ‘modernity’. ‘Modernization theory’ posits a teleology of political development wherein Western societies lead the way and others follow in their footsteps. It is an understanding that was foundational to the discipline, and despite having come under much criticism in the intervening decades, this understanding has not been rejected by IR. IR historical narratives, whether about the emergence of the modern state or the modern international system, inevitably reproduce this teleology, and critical scholarship does not really challenge it either beyond a normative critique. Metahistorical narratives of this type cannot be dismantled by micro-level critiques but have to be replaced by alternatives of a similar scale. We need to develop alternative metahistorical narratives of global modernity in which all actors share the same temporal space and have similar levels of agency. The chapter demonstrates these claims through a detailed examination of the ‘emergence of the modern state’ literature.
The ‘West’ in International Relations
Authors: O’Hagan Jacinta
Published: August 2023

The West is at once one of the most important concepts in the history of international relations and one of the most elusive and contested. To understand the role played by the West in the history of international relations, we need to delve into the different ways the West has been conceptualized and articulated at different historical conjunctures. This chapter does this through exploring different narratives of the West that have been articulated across time and space. It focuses on three sets of narratives: the civilizational West, the liberal West, and the fragmenting West. The exploration of these narratives allows us to investigate the patterns and variations in invocations of the West by different voices at different historical conjunctures; to note the tropes, myths, histories, and different representations of the West that these narratives draw upon; and to observe the forms of global agency and international order that they legitimate.
The Eighteenth Century
Authors: Gordon Daniel
Published: August 2023

The chapter portrays recent debates about whether or not the eighteenth century is still a valuable source of theory in International Relations (IR). Postmodernist criticism is itself criticized but also partially upheld. The chapter then delineates the principal visions of international relations in the Enlightenment, including balance of power thinking, proposals to establish peace through international government, and revolutionary dreams of purging the world of war by means of revolution. The chapter profiles leading thinkers such as Vattel, Hume, Kant, Fichte, and Paine. It draws attention to the recurrence of debates about capitalism. Does ‘commerce’ conduce to peace or war? The growth of a public intellectual sphere containing contrary visions of commerce and international relations constitutes the modernity of the eighteenth century.
‘Asia’ in the History of International Relations
Authors: Kang David C.
Published: August 2023

In this chapter, we examine two areas of scholarship that embody the themes of this volume. First is the almost universally accepted link between war and state formation. Although it is common to see the modern state as arising in eighteenth century Europe, centralized bureaucratic states defined over territory emerged in East Asia in the sixth to eighth centuries ad; furthermore, they emerged under a hegemonic system in which war was relatively rare, not a competitive balance of power system with regular existential threats. The second area of scholarship focuses on granularity—measuring war in historical East Asia. It appears that patterns of war and other violence were systematically different in East Asian history. In both cases, a careful study of East Asian history leads to many potential insights and is an ideal way to move beyond and widen the interaction between the study all History and International Relations.
The ‘International’ and the ‘Global’ in International History
Authors: Rosenboim Or , Tonooka Chika
Published: August 2023

The chapter addresses two meaningful spatial and conceptual notions: the international and the global. While the international has often been interpreted as more limited in scope and scale than the global, both reflect domains of political knowledge and structure extending beyond the state. These domains have important political stakes grounded in issues of war and peace, the world’s growing interconnectedness, and major transformations in world order. Yet, as we argue, the global and the international remain in flux, undergoing continuous theoretical scrutiny, and embodying ever-changing interpretations. The chapter analyses the different meanings of the global and the international in three distinct periods: the years around the two world wars, 1960–1980s, and in twenty-first-century theorizations. Focusing on European and American perspectives, the chapter traces continuities and changes in international and global thinking and highlights some historical features of these locales that continue to shape our understanding of world politics today.
The Seven Years’ War
Authors: Schweizer Karl
Published: August 2023

This chapter explores the pre-war reversal of alliances, culminating in the ‘Diplomatic Revolution’, the outbreak of hostilities in Europe and overseas, as well as the ensuing strategic, fiscal, and political dimensions of global conflict. Congruent with the Handbook’s key guiding precepts of granularity and modernity, the chapter also aims to illuminate the spatial dimensions of the Seven Years’ War, evolving within a transformative matrix blending human decision-making with key structural features of the international system including size, power distribution, alliance patterns, issues of territory, and dynastic rivalries among others. It further integrates the novel perspectives of international history, conflict research and world system analysis that encourage rethinking of the approaches to war generally.
Liberal Progressivism and International History
Authors: Ashworth Lucian M.
Published: August 2023

Liberal internationalism is a complex cluster of ideas that, in the stream of time, weather and are redeposited in new forms. This chapter explores two moments of weathering and redepositing in the history of liberal internationalism. The first is the savaging of the classical liberal Bernard Bosanquet by his new liberal opponents during The First World War. The second, associated with the debates over postwar reconstruction in the early 1940s, sees the formation of two distinct forms of liberal internationalism exemplified by the 1943–44 writings of David Mitrany and F. A. Hayek. Both moments reveal how liberal internationalism confronted problems of industrial modernity, and how different thinkers took different lessons from their readings of their place in history. By taking a fine-grained analysis of these two intellectual moments, this chapter draws lessons for a wider, and coarser grained, history of liberal internationalism.
The Indian Uprising of 1857
Authors: Davis Alexander E.
Published: August 2023

The Indian Uprising of 1857 remains a deeply politicized event. It is often remembered as a nationalist Uprising in India, a ‘First War of Independence’, and condescendingly referred to in the UK as a ‘mutiny’ of Indian soldiers. This chapter looks at the Uprising and its international and local effects. It was foundational to the creation of the colonial state in India and changed imperial governance structures globally, with the British forever aware of the possibility of anti-colonial resistance and governed with greater brutality as a result. Conceptually, I argue that a granular reading of the Uprising, defined as an emphasis on the texture of the event itself, must focus on colonial violence. Moreover, this violence should disrupt the broad strokes historical narratives that International Relations (IR) rests upon. Indeed, the 1857 Indian Uprising demonstrates to us the colonial genealogy of the international, and the extreme violence that underpins it.
The First World War and Versailles
Authors: Kelly Duncan
Published: August 2023

The First World War and the Treaty of Versailles are pivotal moments in the historical evolution of International Relations (IR) and International Law. Together they often form an origin story about the rise of an opposition between realism and idealism in politics, or between statist positivism and utopianism in law. This essay begins with the problem of the First World War and Versailles as part of a regime of historicity. In so doing, it sheds light on the often-discordant mixture of intellectual hesitation, archaism, and radical modernism that underpinned attempts to legitimize various forms of international politics and International Law around the period of the war as idealism or realism. It then suggests that recent, global histories of International Law and politics, offer suggestive new ways of seeing both the modernity as well as the (imperial) granularity of such crucial moments.
Sykes–Picot
Authors: Donaldson Megan
Published: August 2023

The Sykes–Picot agreement (1916), apportioning the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire between Britain and France, reflects long-term geopolitical considerations, the diplomatic style of late imperialism, and wartime strategic imperatives. Though the agreement was not ultimately decisive of the post-First World War settlement, its basic tenets did find expression in the arrangements for mandate governance in the interwar years and helped shape the conditions in which postcolonial states would emerge. The agreement is still charged with symbolic significance, and figures in the diagnoses and political projects of diverse actors today. However, focus on the agreement itself can distort the questions we ask about twentieth-century history and politics in the region. This chapter analyses the agreement as a discrete ‘moment’, unpacking its conventional contexts, but also probing how we might re-examine it through lenses of modernity and granularity, and vice-versa.
World War Two and San Francisco
Authors: Gorman Daniel
Published: August 2023

This chapter examines the Second World War (WWII) and the creation of the United Nations (UN) at the San Francisco Conference in 1945 as key moments where the modernist concepts of territorial sovereignty and a shared awareness of global challenges converged. The chapter surveys the different but overlapping ways in which international historians and International Relations (IR) scholars understand WWII and the creation of the UN as global moments. It demonstrates that the war years were a period of seismic international transformation that mobilized global actors to establish new patterns of international engagement, some of which incorporated aspects of the pre-war system. It analyses the San Francisco Conference as a signal moment of closure and creation, both a peace settlement and a blueprint for an emergent multilateral international system. Finally, the chapter identifies legacies of WWII and the San Francisco Conference in International History and IR.
History and the International
Authors: Spanu Maja , Reus-Smit Christian
Published: August 2023

This Handbook has avoided cleaving to a fixed conception of the international, but instead has treated the international as an historically emergent and variable concept (and field of inquiry). In this final chapter we recentre the international and its history. Our goal is not to distil from our authors’ writings overarching ‘umbrella’ conceptions of the international. Rather, we seek to draw out—in general and in relation to our authors’ arguments—some of the challenges of locating key concepts and practices that have characterized the international historically. In saying that such key concepts and practices are historically contingent, we are making the case that they have carried multiple meanings, that they have been defined and deployed at different points in time, in diverse global contexts, serving often contradictory ends. Moreover, as the preceding chapters testify, conceptions of political life have been imagined, discursively constructed, and mobilized by diverse actors, often in contestation. With this in mind, the following discussion focuses on four topics that help us access the multiple origins, understandings, and deployments of the international (and the global), and of the many practices, conceptions and moments that accompany them. These are, respectively, time, agency, space, and language. One advantage of these foci is that they enable us to trace, through the writings of our contributors, how conceptions of the ‘international’ blend into the ideas of the ‘global’, a concept that appears frequently in preceding chapters.
Historical Sociology in International Relations
Authors: Pal Maïa
Published: August 2023

This chapter shows that Historical Sociology in International Relations (HSIR) is a fundamental approach that contributes to the foundations and key challenges of historical IR by grounding the discipline back to key debates in the philosophy of social sciences. It argues that HSIR should focus more on how it produces knowledge through methodological questions regarding research and pedagogy. After situating itself through the angles of modernity and granularity and presenting key developments in recent HSIR, the chapter explores the analytical device of internalism. If not necessarily constituting a problem for anti-Eurocentric projects, internalism forces more methodological conceptions of Eurocentrism and remains a useful starting point for research. Finally, the chapter explores methodological questions in terms of pedagogy, i.e. how we teach students to compare in IR. Experimenting with how undergraduate students choose to embark on small scale comparative exercises constitutes a useful platform to explore how IR actually ‘does’ historical sociology.
Global History and International Relations
Authors: Lawson George , Mulich Jeppe
Published: August 2023

This chapter examines the relationship between global history and International Relations (IR) with the aim of showing how a closer engagement would enrich both disciplines. The chapter begins by charting the multiple forms that global history takes, highlighting some of the key issues at stake in the global turn. It then examines the ways in which IR has engaged with, or failed to engage with, these histories across a variety of theoretical approaches. The final section outlines two possibilities for how engagement between IR and global history can be developed further in the future: a minimalist vision premised on the generation of synthetic historical-theoretical work, and a maximalist vision based on the construction of new, non-Eurocentric histories of transboundary encounters and entanglements.
Future Possibilities for Qualitative Research in Music Education
Authors: Barrett Janet R.
Published: August 2023

This chapter sketches out some of the challenges and opportunities facing qualitative research in music education. It proposes seven future directions: “strong purposes,” in which qualitative research will attain greater clarity in aligning research activities with wisely chosen and pressing aims; “strong footings,” in which it will attend more closely to the epistemological coherence of theoretical and analytical frameworks; “new realms,” in which it will situate inquiry in new contexts, engaging new voices, and pursuing compelling new realms of study; “new affordances,” in which it will utilize new affordances of technology and social media as strategic tools and environments for qualitative work; “resonance and rigor,” in which it will seek greater resonance and rigor through attending to writing and scholarly critique; “community,” in which it will integrate the community of qualitative researchers in order to build professional capacity and collaborative power; and “expanding the reach” of its impact on practitioners, scholars, and communities.
Would an unapportioned US federal wealth tax be constitutional, and what does that mean?
Authors: Shaviro Daniel
Published: August 2023

To assess the constitutionality of an unapportioned federal wealth tax, and/or of a federal income tax provision reaching wealthy taxpayers’ unrealized gains, one needs an underlying framework for making judgements about legal claims. While no such framework can be entirely specified, at least to general agreement, this does not support nihilistically rejecting all comparative judgements about better versus worse, or more versus less convincing, instances of legal analysis.

While it appears nearly certain that the Supreme Court’s current right-wing majority would strike down an unapportioned federal wealth tax, the ‘correct’ answer to this constitutional question cannot be proven to general agreement. I myself would disagree with such a holding by the Court. An important variable in resolving the issue for oneself is how much continuing precedential weight one should give to Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co.—a case that itself blatantly disrespected precedent, but that did so more than a century ago, and that (on the other hand) some argue has already ceased to be good law. The principle of respecting precedent both has instrumental value and has been long (if fitfully) honoured within the American legal system, but all agree that its weight is not absolute.

An unapportioned minimum income tax on the wealthiest Americans that included in income their unrealized capital gains would likely be constitutional under currently prevalent legal doctrine. It is true, however, that Eisner v. Macomber (1920), if it were held to remain good law beyond its immediate facts, would support holding it unconstitutional. The prospect that the current Supreme Court’s six right-wingers will decide to revive Macomber provides only one reason for suspecting that they might strike down such a provision, perhaps while also launching a broader constitutional war against central tenets of the current regime for taxing wealthy individuals and capital income. However, it lies beyond the power of conventional legal analysis to predict either what form such a war would take, or on what terms it might end up being resolved.
What drives major tax reform? Implications for taxing the rich
Authors: Beretta Martina , Güçeri İrem , Jakobsen Katrine
Published: August 2023

This paper examines some drivers behind substantial changes in tax policy in recent decades. Using existing theories and our definition of ‘beneficial major tax reforms’, we discuss three case studies: the US in the 1980s, the UK in the 1980s, and the UK’s failed ‘mini-budget’ of 2022. Our analysis reveals that the US’s TRA86 has, to some degree, improved efficiency, while the UK reforms may have exacerbated inequality with ambiguous effects on efficiency. Finally, we outline the potential for future reforms and conclude that political conditions are more likely to instigate major change than economic motivations.
What is the average federal individual income tax rate on the wealthiest Americans?
Authors: Yagan Danny
Published: August 2023

I estimate the average federal individual income tax rate paid by America’s 400 wealthiest families, using a relatively comprehensive estimate of their Haig–Simons income: their change in wealth, plus US individual taxes. I do so using publicly available statistics from the IRS Statistics of Income Division, the Survey of Consumer Finances, and Forbes magazine from 1992 to 2020. This paper’s baseline analysis uses all years of data and systematically varies start and end years. The baseline estimates of the average federal individual income tax rate on the wealthiest 400 families are 9.6 per cent in nominal terms and 12.0 per cent in real (inflation-adjusted) terms. Sensitivity analyses yield nominal estimates in the 6.7–14.6 per cent range and real estimates in the 8.4–17.9 per cent range. These estimates can be combined with effective corporate income tax rates to estimate all-in effective income tax rates on the wealthiest.
Taxing the rich (more)
Authors: Güçeri İrem , Slemrod Joel
Published: August 2023

This issue of the Oxford Review of Economic Policy addresses whether and how to tax the rich more, drawing on the expertise of 16 author teams, most of whom are economists but also spanning legal scholarship and political science. The papers in this issue ask a range of research and policy questions about the way governments tax the rich. How can we measure the effective tax rates on the incomes and/or wealth of the rich? How do governments tax specific sources of income that the rich earn, and is there need for reform? Who bears the burden of different types of taxes, and do potential gains from reducing the tax burden on the rich ‘trickle down’? How do the rich respond to the taxes imposed on them?
The wealthy as a barrier to tax reform
Authors: Page Benjamin I , Seawright Jason
Published: August 2023

In the optimal design of tax reform proposals, and in decisions about when and how to recommend them, it is useful to take explicit account of issues of political feasibility. In the United States—and probably around the world—important political barriers work against the enactment of major progressive tax reforms. A close look at US poll and survey data indicates that opposition by the general public is not a significant barrier: large majorities favour progressive taxation in general and favour a number of specific progressive tax changes, including higher top personal income tax rates; higher taxes on corporations; increased taxation of realized capital gains; and taxation of unrealized gains at death. But there exist other serious political barriers against tax reform, including an institutional status quo bias that makes any major policy change (especially any progressive change) very difficult; and strong political opposition from business corporations and wealthy individuals. The best available evidence indicates that nearly all US business firms, and most multi-millionaires and billionaires, oppose practically any sort of progressive tax reform. The best evidence also indicates that these firms and individuals exercise far more influence on policy-making than ordinary citizens do. We mention some possible strategies for dealing with this problem.
Bright Type II supernova 2023ixf in M 101: A quick analysis of the early-stage spectra and near-infrared light curves
Authors: Yamanaka Masayuki , Fujii Mitsugu , Nagayama Takahiro
Published: August 2023

We present early-stage analyses of low-resolution (R = 1000) optical spectra and near-infrared light curves of the bright Type II supernova (SN II) 2023ixf in the notable nearby face-on spiral galaxy M 101, which were obtained from t = 1.7 to 8.0 d. Our first spectrum showed remarkable emission features of the Balmer series, He ii, N iii, C iv, and N iv with a strong blue continuum. Compared with the SNe II which show flash-ionized features, we suggest that this SN could be categorized as a high-luminosity SN II with a nitrogen/helium-rich circumstellar material (CSM), e.g., SNe 2014G, 2017ahn, and 2020pni. The Hα emission line can be tentatively explained by a narrower component with a velocity of <300 km s−1 and a broader one with ∼2200 km s−1. The near-infrared light curves were well consistent with those of the another luminous SN 2017ahn, and its absolute magnitudes are located at the bright end of the luminosity distribution of SNe II. These observational facts support that SN 2023ixf is well consistent with high-luminosity SNe II showing evidence of a dense nitrogen/helium-rich CSM.
Initiation of B-type starch granules in wheat endosperm requires the plastidial α-glucan phosphorylase PHS1
Authors: Kamble Nitin Uttam , Makhamadjonov Farrukh , Fahy Brendan , Martins Carlo , Saalbach Gerhard , Seung David
Published: August 2023

The plastidial α-glucan phosphorylase (PHS1) can elongate and degrade maltooligosaccharides (MOSs), but its exact physiological role in plants is poorly understood. Here, we discover a specialized role of PHS1 in establishing the unique bimodal characteristic of starch granules in wheat (Triticum spp.) endosperm. Wheat endosperm contains large A-type granules that initiate at early grain development and small B-type granules that initiate in later grain development. We demonstrate that PHS1 interacts with B-GRANULE CONTENT1 (BGC1), a carbohydrate-binding protein essential for normal B-type granule initiation. Mutants of tetraploid durum wheat (Triticum turgidum) deficient in all homoeologs of PHS1 had normal A-type granules but fewer and larger B-type granules. Grain size and starch content were not affected by the mutations. Further, by assessing granule numbers during grain development in the phs1 mutant and using a double mutant defective in both PHS1 and BGC1, we demonstrate that PHS1 is exclusively involved in B-type granule initiation. The total starch content and number of starch granules per chloroplast in leaves were not affected by loss of PHS1, suggesting that its role in granule initiation in wheat is limited to the endosperm. We therefore propose that the initiation of A- and B-type granules occurs via distinct biochemical mechanisms, where PHS1 plays an exclusive role in B-type granule initiation.
Nanoscale goldbeating: Solid-state transformation of 0D and 1D gold nanoparticles to anisotropic 2D morphologies
Authors: Tanjil Md Rubayat-E , Gupta Tanuj , Gole Matthew T , Suero Keegan P , Yin Zhewen , McCleeary Donald J , Douglas Ossie R T , Kincanon Maegen M , Rudawski Nicholas G , Anderson Alissa B , Murphy Catherine J , Zhao Huijuan , Wang Michael Cai
Published: August 2023

Goldbeating is the ancient craft of thinning bulk gold (Au) into gossamer leaves. Pioneered by ancient Egyptian craftsmen, modern mechanized iterations of this technique can fabricate sheets as thin as ∼100 nm. We take inspiration from this millennia-old craft and adapt it to the nanoscale regime, using colloidally synthesized 0D/1D Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) as highly ductile and malleable nanoscopic Au ingots and subjecting them to solid-state, uniaxial compression. The applied stress induces anisotropic morphological transformation of AuNPs into 2D leaf form and elucidates insights into metal nanocrystal deformation at the extreme length scales. The induced 2D morphology is found to be dependent on the precursor 0D/1D NP morphology, size (0D nanosphere diameter and 1D nanorod diameter and length), and their on-substrate arrangement (e.g., interparticle separation and packing order) prior to compression. Overall, this versatile and generalizable solid-state compression technique enables new pathways to synthesize and investigate the anisotropic morphological transformation of arbitrary NPs and their resultant emergent phenomena.
Multimodal ultrasound muscle assessment in patients with rheumatic diseases: a patient-based reliability study
Authors: Smerilli Gianluca , Moscioni Erica , Sclocco Roberta , Lommano Maria Giovanna , Cipolletta Edoardo , Maccarrone Vincenzo , Farah Sonia , De Angelis Rossella , Salaffi Fausto , Grassi Walter , Filippucci Emilio , Di Matteo Andrea
Published: August 2023

Objectives

The aim was to explore the inter-reliability of a newly developed US scanning protocol (multimodal US) for the assessment of different aspects of sarcopenia-related muscle involvement, including muscle mass, muscle quality and muscle stiffness [using point shear-wave elastography (SWE)], in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs).

Methods

Quadriceps muscle mass (i.e. muscle thickness), muscle quality (i.e. muscle echogenicity evaluated with both a visual semi-quantitative scale and a dedicated software package for image analysis, ImageJ) and point SWE measurements were obtained by two rheumatologists (blinded to each other’s evaluation) in consecutive RMD patients without previous/current myositis or neuromuscular disorders.

Inter-reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for continuous variables and Cohen’s kappa (κ) for categorical variables.

Results

A total of 45 RMD patients were enrolled [mean age 54.5 (16.0) years, male-to-female ratio 1:1.5, mean BMI 24.6 (4.6) kg/m2], 10 with PsA, 7 RA, 5 AS, 5 PMR, 4 SLE, 4 gout, 4 OA, 3 FM and 3 SSc. The grade of inter-rater reliability was excellent for muscle mass [ICC = 0.969 (0.953 < ICC < 0.979)]. Regarding muscle echogenicity, the agreement was substantial/almost perfect using the visual semi-quantitative scale (weighted linear = 0.793, weighted squared = 0.878) and excellent using ImageJ analysis [ICC = 0.916 (0.876 < ICC < 0.944)]. Finally, a good agreement was obtained for point SWE measurements [ICC = 0.76 (0.712 < ICC < 0.8)].

Conclusion

Multimodal US is a novel and reliable tool for the evaluation of different aspects of muscle involvement (muscle mass, muscle quality and muscle stiffness) in RMD patients.
Establishment of diagnostic reference levels in computed tomography in two large hospitals in Oman
Authors: Bouchareb Yassine , Al-Maimani Amal , Al-Balushi Al-Yaqin , Al-Kalbani Maather , Al-Maskari Hasina , Al-Dhuhli Humoud , Al-Kindi Faiza
Published: August 2023

This study aimed to estimate diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for the most frequent computed tomography (CT) imaging examinations to monitor and better control radiation doses delivered to patients. Seven CT imaging examinations: Head, Chest, Chest High Resolution (CHR), Abdomen Pelvis (AP), Chest Abdomen Pelvis (CAP), Kidneys Ureters Bladder (KUB) and Cardiac, were considered. CT dosimetric quantities and patient demographics were collected from data storage systems. Local typical values for DRLs were calculated for CTDIvol (mGy), dose length product (DLP) (mGy·cm) and effective doses (mSv) were estimated for each examination.

The calculated DRLs were given as (median CTDIvol (mGy):median DLP (mGy·cm)): Head: 39:657; Chest: 13:451; CHR: 6:228; AP: 12:578; CAP: 20:807; KUB: 7:315, and Cardiac: 2:31. Estimated effective doses for Head, Chest, CHR, AP, CAP, KUB and Cardiac were 1.3, 12.7, 6.3, 12.5, 18.1, 5.8 and 0.8 mSv, respectively. The estimated DRLs will act as guidance doses to prevent systematic excess of patient doses.
Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Secretome Is Affected by Tissue Source and Donor Age
Authors: Turlo Agnieszka J , Hammond Dean E , Ramsbottom Kerry A , Soul Jamie , Gillen Alexandra , McDonald Kieran , Peffers Mandy J
Published: August 2023

Variation in mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) function depending on their origin is problematic, as it may confound clinical outcomes of MSC therapy. Current evidence suggests that the therapeutic benefits of MSCs are attributed to secretion of biologically active factors (secretome). However, the effect of donor characteristics on the MSC secretome remains largely unknown. Here, we examined the influence of donor age, sex, and tissue source, on the protein profile of the equine MSC secretome. We used dynamic metabolic labeling with stable isotopes combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify secreted proteins in MSC conditioned media (CM). Seventy proteins were classified as classically secreted based on the rate of label incorporation into newly synthesized proteins released into the extracellular space. Next, we analyzed CM of bone marrow- (n = 14) and adipose-derived MSCs (n = 16) with label-free LC-MS/MS. Clustering analysis of 314 proteins detected across all samples identified tissue source as the main factor driving variability in MSC CM proteomes. Linear modelling applied to the subset of 70 secreted proteins identified tissue-related difference in the abundance of 23 proteins. There was an age-related decrease in the abundance of CTHRC1 and LOX, further validated with orthogonal techniques. Due to the lack of flow cytometry characterization of MSC surface markers, the analysis could not account for the potential effect of cell population heterogeneity. This study provides evidence that tissue source and donor age contribute to differences in the protein composition of MSC secretomes which may influence the effects of MSC therapy.