bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Migration Policy
Authors: Thym Daniel , Bornemann Jonas
Published: January 2025

EU migration policy has been strongly influenced by crises, notably with regard to the arrival of asylum applicants. While they did not bring about major changes to the Treaty framework, recent events have resulted in forms of informal governance and the adoption of new legislation. These responses have rested on an expansive interpretation of the existing Treaty framework, and featured informal and non-binding instruments. The reasons for this switch are manifold. In the field of migration, soft law measures can serve as an experimental attempt to prepare for the adoption of legally binding rules or, more controversially, as an attempt to mould interpretation in a certain direction, as an alternative to legislative change. Of great importance are the two migration agencies, Frontex and the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA), whose powers and resources have seen exponential growth in recent years; their operational characteristics distinguish the migration agencies from regulatory bodies in other policy fields.
Squamous cell carcinoma arising from lichen planus
Authors: Cheng Jiang-Wei , Li Jiu-Hong
Published: January 2025

We describe a middle-aged female patient who presented with a 1-year history of a thick-crusted plaque on an erythematous base of the left heel. Twenty years earlier, the patient was diagnosed with lichen planus and received treatment, leaving residual erythema on the heel. Over the past year, she noticed a progressive enlargement and desquamation of the erythema with a newly formed brown-yellow, hyperkeratotic and thick-crusted plaque in the centre, which was recalcitrant to empirical topical glucocorticoids, antibiotics and antifungals. Based on the clinical and typical histological findings, a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma arising from lichen planus was made.
Cross-sectional survey of attitudes towards human papilloma virus vaccination among surgical dermatologists in the UK
Authors: Sequeira Ashika , Jayasekera Prativa , Blaaza Mohammed , Shemtob Lara , Asanati Kaveh
Published: January 2025

This cross-sectional survey of surgical dermatologists in the UK suggests favourable attitudes towards human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination amidst growing concern regarding occupational exposure to HPV through surgical smoke. There is an urgent need to re-evaluate the UK’s stance on the offer of HPV vaccination to those at significant occupational risk.
The Candida Genome Database: annotation and visualization updates
Authors: Lew-Smith Jodi , Binkley Jonathan , Sherlock Gavin
Published: January 2025

The Candida Genome Database (CGD; www.candidagenome.org) is unique in being both a model organism database and a fungal pathogen database. As a fungal pathogen database, CGD hosts locus pages for 5 species of the best-studied pathogenic fungi in the Candida group. As a model organism database, the species Candida albicans serves as a model both for other Candida spp. and for non-Candida fungi that form biofilms and undergo routine morphogenic switching from the planktonic form to the filamentous form, which is not done by other model yeasts. As pathogenic Candida species have become increasingly drug resistant, the high lethality of invasive candidiasis in immunocompromised people is increasingly alarming. There is a pressing need for additional research into basic Candida biology, epidemiology and phylogeny, and potential new antifungals. CGD serves the needs of this diverse research community by curating the entire gene-based Candida experimental literature as it is published, extracting, organizing, and standardizing gene annotations. Gene pages were added for the species Candida auris, recent outbreaks of which have been labeled an “urgent” threat. Most recently, we have begun linking clinical data on disease to relevant Literature Topics to improve searchability for clinical researchers. Because CGD curates for multiple species and most research focuses on aspects related to pathogenicity, we focus our curation efforts on assigning Literature Topic tags, collecting detailed mutant phenotype data, and assigning controlled Gene Ontology terms with accompanying evidence codes. Our Summary pages for each feature include the primary name and all aliases for that locus, a description of the gene and/or gene product, detailed ortholog information with links, a JBrowse window with a visual view of the gene on its chromosome, summarized phenotype, Gene Ontology, and sequence information, references cited on the summary page itself, and any locus notes. The database serves as a community hub, where we link to various types of reference material of relevance to Candida researchers, including colleague information, news, and notice of upcoming meetings. We routinely survey the community to learn how the field is evolving and how needs may have changed. For example, we asked our users which species we should next add to CGD, and the clear answer was Candida tropicalis. A key future challenge is management of the flood of high-throughput expression data to make it as useful as possible to as many researchers as possible. The central challenge for any community database is to turn data into knowledge, which the community can access, use, and build upon.
Pressure-dependent dynamic elastic properties and wave velocities in saturated porous rocks with aligned fractures
Authors: Wang Wen-Hao , Li Sheng-Qing , Guo Junxin , Su Yuan-Da , Tang Xiao-Ming
Published: January 2025

Fractures are widely distributed in upper crustal rocks and significantly affect rock elasticity. Experiments and field studies indicate that pressure influences the rock's elastic properties. Therefore, it is critical to understand the pressure dependence of rock elastic properties. For this purpose, a theoretical model is developed that considers both pressure-dependent background elasticity and fracture deformation within the hyper-elasticity stage. Using the model, the dynamic (frequency-dependent) attenuation mechanisms of fracture-background wave-induced fluid flow (FB-WIFF), multishaped microcracks' squirt flows (MMSF), fracture elastic scattering and their coupling effects under different effective pressures are investigated. The results indicate effective pressure can greatly reduce fracture normal and shear compliances. The stiffness coefficients increase with the increasing effective pressure and the MMSF mechanism gradually disappears due to the almost completely closed microcracks. Effective pressure has a stronger effect on wave-induced fluid flow (WIFF) mechanisms (including FB-WIFF and MMSF) than the elastic scattering mechanism. The P-wave dynamic anisotropy is modulated by FB-WIFF, elastic scattering and their coupling effects, while the S-wave anisotropy is modulated only by elastic scattering. Compared to P-wave anisotropy, the S-wave anisotropy Thomsen coefficient ${\gamma _{\rm TH}}$ is almost independent of effective pressure. In addition, P-wave attenuation anisotropy is more sensitive to effective pressure than P-wave velocity anisotropy. The predicted velocities at ultrasonic frequencies were compared with previous laboratory ultrasonic velocity data under effective pressure loading to validate the model.
Predictive modelling of seismic wave fields: learning the transfer function using encoder–decoder networks
Authors: Klinge Jana , Schippkus Sven , Walda Jan , Hadziioannou Céline , Gajewski Dirk
Published: January 2025

Wouldn't it be beneficial if we could predict the time-series at a seismic station even if the station no longer exists? In geophysical data analysis, this capability would enhance our ability to study and monitor seismic events and seismic noise, particularly in regions with incomplete station coverage or where stations are temporarily offline. This study introduces a novel adaption of encoder–decoder networks from the subfield of deep learning, modified to predict the development of seismic wave fields between two seismic stations. Using 1-D time-series measurements, our algorithm aims to learn and predict signal transformations between the two stations by approximating the transfer function. Initially, we evaluate this proof of concept in a simplified controlled setting using synthetic data, before we incorporate field data gathered at a seismic exploration site in an area containing several roads, wind turbines, oil pump jacks and railway traffic. Across diverse scenarios, the model demonstrates proficiency in learning the transfer function among various seismic station configurations. Particularly, it achieves high accuracy in predicting a majority of seismic wave phases across different data sets. Diverging significantly from encoder–decoder networks that estimate time-series forecasts by analysing historical trends, our approach places greater emphasis on the wave propagation between nearby locations. Thereby, the analysis incorporates both phase and amplitude information and provides a new approach to approximate the transfer function relying on machine learning techniques. The gained knowledge enables to reconstruct data from missing, offline or defunct stations in the context of temporary seismic arrays or exclude non-relevant data for denoising.
Unboxing Manipulation Checks for Voice UX
Authors: Seaborn Katie , Rogers Katja , Altmeyer Maximilian , Watanabe Mizuki , Sawa Yuto , Nam Somang , Itagaki Tatsuya , Li Ge ‘Rikaku’
Published: January 2025

Voice-based interaction is experiencing a second wind through the advent of machine learning (ML) techniques, affordable consumer products and renewed work on natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs). A growing body of work is exploring how users perceive new forms of computer-generated voices from qualitative and quantitative angles. However, critical voices have called for greater rigour, especially in confirming the voice as a manipulated variable, i.e. manipulation checks. We present three case studies that highlight the value of investing in rigorous manipulation checks for HCI researchers and designers. We demonstrate the importance of testing assumptions, the need for care and reflection in the design of response options and measurement and the advantages of more exploratory approaches to understanding user perceptions of and user experiences (UX) with voice phenomena. Through these case studies, we raise awareness, empirically justify and critically assess the value of manipulation checks for voice UX research and beyond.
Galangin synergistically revives the antibacterial activity of vancomycin against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium
Authors: Ayamuang Intu-orn , Teethaisong Yothin , Sirichaiwetchakoon Kittipot , Suknasang Siriporn , Watthana Santi , Chaiseha Yupaporn , Eumkeb Griangsak
Published: January 2025

Aims

Enterococcus faecium is one of the most important opportunistic pathogens threatening human health worldwide. Resistance to vancomycin (VAN) is increasing at an alarming rate. Resurrecting antibiotics using a combination approach is a promising alternative avenue. Galangin (GAL) is a bioactive compound constituted in herbal plants. This study aimed to evaluate the synergistic activity of the combination of GAL and VAN and mode of action against vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VREfm) strains.

Methods and results

The minimal inhibitory concentrations against these bacteria were 8–64 μg ml−1 for VAN and 512 μg ml−1 for GAL. The VAN plus GAL combination exhibited synergistic effects against E. faecium isolates, with a fraction inhibitory concentration index of 0.26–0.28. Time-kill assays confirmed this synergism. Mechanistic studies showed that the combination induced intracellular constituent leakage, suggesting impaired membrane permeability and electron microscopy revealed peptidoglycan and membrane damage. Additionally, the GAL plus VAN combination inhibited biofilm formation and significantly reduced lipid, protein, and carbohydrate contents, as shown by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

Conclusions

GAL could reverse the activity of VAN against VREfm by damaging bacterial cell envelope, inhibiting biofilm formation, and reducing biomolecule contents, emphasizing its potential as a valuable adjunct to VAN in treating VREfm infections.
Azimuthal imaging of rock fractures by incorporating single borehole radar and optical data
Authors: Shen Jian , Liu Liu , Li Shaojun , Shi Zhenming , Wang Yiteng , Peng Ming , Zheng Minzong
Published: January 2025

Single borehole radar detection suffers from azimuthal ambiguity, while borehole optical tests only provide information about the borehole wall. These limitations prevent either detection method from revealing the complete spatial patterns of rock fractures on their own. In this paper, we address these challenges by proposing a joint imaging method that combines the advantages of both borehole detection methods. Geological azimuthal parameters are extracted from optical images by fitting the fracture curves to sinusoidal functions. A two-dimensional (2D) Kirchhoff time migration is then implemented using radar common offset gather. Up-dip and down-dip events are separated by the f-k transform or τ-p transform, depending on their geometric relation. The complete fracture planes, including trend, dip angle, gap width, and extension length, are finally reconstructed in three-dimensional (3D) space by mapping the migration profile using azimuthal information from optical images. The method is proven reliable and high-resolution through both numerical tests and real field data.
The role of the United Nations in ensuring equitable tax policies for developing countries
Authors: Titus Afton
Published: January 2025

The international tax system has historically marginalized developing countries, leading to economic disparities and exclusion from critical decision-making processes. This paper advocates for creating a United Nations (UN) tax body to ensure more inclusive and equitable international tax governance in furtherance of the Draft Terms of Reference (Draft ToR) for a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. It evaluates the existing tax governance structures to create strategies for the formation of more inclusive structures in the future and draws guidance from the Draft ToR. The paper proposes that a UN tax body should facilitate the direct involvement of developing countries in decision-making and agenda-setting processes, ensuring their voices are heard. The paper underscores the potential of regional cooperation, exemplified by Africa’s push for a unified stance on tax issues through the African Continental Free Trade Area and the African Tax Administration Forum. By leveraging existing regional structures, the proposed UN tax body could create a more balanced global tax framework that genuinely represents and benefits developing countries, as envisaged by the Draft ToR. Establishing such a body would be a pivotal opportunity to rectify historical injustices and foster global economic stability through equitable tax policies.
Genre Analysis and Religious Texts: A Methodological Model of Ḥadīth Commentary
Authors: Ardıç Nurullah , Karagözoğlu Mustafa Macİt
Published: January 2025

This article proposes a methodological model of genre analysis to apply to Muslim exegesis on the compilations of Prophetic traditions, known as ḥadīth commentary. Inspired by John Swales’s approach to genre analysis, and drawing upon 23 Sunni ḥadīth commentary texts from the tenth century to the present, the model consists of a number of analytical strategies and research questions, as well as specific generic analyses, in four steps: identifying the main generic features of these commentary texts, including the characteristics of their expository and hortatory discourses; examining their internal structures as constructed by commentators; and applying the move analysis of rhetorical structures twice—to both their introduction and the body of the text. The proposed model offers a way to make ḥadīth commentary texts more accessible and manageable, and helps explore the structural commonalities and differences within the commentary tradition across generations and throughout the Muslim world.
Surgical management of an extensive nasal mass in an adolescent: insights from diagnostic imaging and histopathology
Authors: Asteguieta Sebastian , Diaz Carlos , Alarcon Javier , Godinez Vanessa
Published: January 2025

A 17-year-old female presented with a mass in the right nasal fossa and eye protrusion. Imaging revealed a large osseous mass originating from the right turbinates, causing exophthalmos without tissue invasion. A partial resection via the Caldwell–Luc approach was performed, but hemodynamic instability halted the procedure, leaving a residual mass. Histopathology confirmed an osseous lesion with osteoblasts in a hypocellular stroma. The patient required blood transfusions postoperatively due to significant blood loss, but recovered well with antibiotics and supplements and was discharged after mild nausea was managed.
CT navigation-assisted intraoral extraction of large submandibular gland stones: a minimally invasive approach
Authors: Kubilay Utku , Kertmen Canberk , Delice Orçun
Published: January 2025

Sialolithiasis is a common cause of salivary gland obstruction, leading to symptoms such as pain and swelling. In cases of intraparenchymal submandibular stones and proximal ductal stones larger than 7 mm, interventional sialendoscopy may fail, necessitating sialoadenectomy. As an alternative, intraoral stone extraction can be performed with CT-guided navigation. This case report describes a 52-year-old male with previous sialadenitis complaints. Imaging confirmed a fixed intraparenchymal stone measuring 21 × 18 mm. Using CT navigation, the stone was located and removed intraorally. Salivary flow resumed through Wharton’s duct on the same day postoperatively and the patient was discharged without further complaints or new stone formation during a 1-year follow-up. This minimally invasive method, utilizing CT navigation, allows for the preservation and functional recovery of the submandibular gland, avoiding skin scarring and reducing the risk of nerve damage.
Gestational gigantomastia with pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia – a case report of rare entities
Authors: Moore Sophia , Neblett Carlos , Appiah Kenneth , Thompson Rory
Published: January 2025

Gestational gigantomastia (GG) is a rare and severe clinical complication of pregnancy. It is characterized by dramatic and uncontrolled growth of the breasts, often leading to physical discomfort, psychological distress and significant surgical complications. Its pathophysiology is poorly understood; management options include conservative pharmacological and surgical interventions. Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia of the breast is a very rare, incidental, and histological diagnosis seen predominantly in women aged 30–40 years old, with the management generally involving surgical excision. The authors herein discuss an unusual case of bilateral GG complicated by pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia in a premenopausal Caribbean woman, which is the second reported case in this population, with the first reported by one of our authors.
A genome-wide survey of DNA methylation reveals hyper-methylation regulates after-ripening and dormancy of recalcitrant Panax notoginseng seeds
Authors: Ge Na , Jia Jin-Shan , Wang Qing-Yan , Li Chao-Lin , Huang Min , Chen Jun-Wen
Published: January 2025

DNA methylation plays a crucial role in regulating fruit ripening and seed development. It remains unknown about the dynamic characteristics of DNA methylation and its regulation mechanisms in morpho-physiological dormancy (MPD)-typed seeds with recalcitrant characteristics. The Panax notoginseng seeds are defined by the MPD and are characterized by a strong sensitivity to dehydration during the after-ripening process. We performed DNA methylomes, siRNA profiles, and transcriptomes of embryo and endosperm in P. notoginseng seeds at different after-ripening stages. Herein, we find that the hyper-methylation contributes to the increase in DNA methylation during the after-ripening process. The endosperm genome is hyper-methylated compared to the embryo genome. The hyper-methylation is caused by the high expression level of DNA methyltransferase PnCMT2 in the seeds. The hyper-methylation alters gene transcription levels to regulate the after-ripening and dormancy of recalcitrant seeds. For example, it inhibits the expression of genes in embryo development to make seeds maintain a dormant status. Together, our findings reveal an increase in DNA methylation and its vital driver in gene expression, and thus elucidate how hyper-methylation regulates the after-ripening in recalcitrant MPD-typed seeds. This work establishes a key role for epigenetics in regulating the dormancy of MPD-typed seeds with recalcitrant characteristics.
Mixing by internal gravity waves in stars: assessing numerical simulations against theory
Authors: Morton J , Guillet T , Baraffe I , Morison A , Le Saux A , Vlaykov D G , Goffrey T , Pratt J
Published: January 2025

Here we present a study of radial chemical mixing in non-rotating massive main-sequence stars driven by internal gravity waves (IGWs), based on multidimensional hydrodynamical simulations with the fully compressible code MUSIC. We examine two proposed mechanisms of material mixing in stars by IGWs that are commonly quoted, relating to thermal diffusion and sub-wavelength shearing. Thermal diffusion provides a non-restorative effect to the waves, leaving material displaced from its previous equilibrium, while shearing arising within the waves drives weak localized flows, mixing the fluid there. Using IGW spectra from the simulations, we evaluate theoretical predictions of mixing rates due to these mechanisms. We show, for $20\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ main-sequence stars, that neither of these mechanisms are likely to create mixing sufficient to correct inaccuracies in current stellar evolution models. Furthermore, we compare these predictions to results obtained from Lagrangian tracer particles, following a method recently used for global simulations of stellar interiors to measure mixing by IGWs in their radiative zones. We demonstrate that tracer particle methods face significant numerical challenges in measuring the small diffusion coefficients predicted by the aforementioned theories, for which they are prone to yielding artificially enhanced coefficients. Diffusion coefficients based on such methods are currently used with stellar evolution codes for asteroseismic studies, but should be viewed with caution. Finally, in a case where tracer particles do not suffer from numerical artefacts, we suggest that a diffusion model is not suitable for time-scales typically considered by 2D numerical simulations.
Adaptive Significance of Non-coding RNAs: Insights from Cancer Biology
Authors: McDonald John F
Published: January 2025

The molecular basis of adaptive evolution and cancer progression are both complex processes that share many striking similarities. The potential adaptive significance of environmentally-induced epigenetic changes is currently an area of great interest in both evolutionary and cancer biology. In the field of cancer biology intense effort has been focused on the contribution of stress-induced non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the activation of epigenetic changes associated with elevated mutation rates and the acquisition of environmentally adaptive traits. Examples of this process are presented and combined with more recent findings demonstrating that stress-induced ncRNAs are transferable from somatic to germline cells leading to cross-generational inheritance of acquired adaptive traits. The fact that ncRNAs have been implicated in the transient adaptive response of various plants and animals to environmental stress is consistent with findings in cancer biology. Based on these collective observations, a general model as well as specific and testable hypotheses are proposed on how transient ncRNA-mediated adaptive responses may facilitate the transition to long-term biological adaptation in both cancer and evolution.
Whole-genome automated assembly pipeline for Chlamydia trachomatis strains from reference, in vitro and clinical samples using the integrated CtGAP pipeline
Authors: Olagoke Olusola , Aziz Ammar , Zhu Lucile H , Read Timothy D , Dean Deborah
Published: January 2025

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is pivotal for the molecular characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct)—the leading bacterial cause of sexually transmitted infections and infectious blindness worldwide. Ct WGS can inform epidemiologic, public health and outbreak investigations of these human-restricted pathogens. However, challenges persist in generating high-quality genomes for downstream analyses given its obligate intracellular nature and difficulty with in vitro propagation. No single tool exists for the entirety of Ct genome assembly, necessitating the adaptation of multiple programs with varying success. Compounding this issue is the absence of reliable Ct reference strain genomes. We, therefore, developed CtGAP—Chlamydia trachomatis  Genome Assembly Pipeline—as an integrated ‘one-stop-shop’ pipeline for assembly and characterization of Ct genome sequencing data from various sources including isolates, in vitro samples, clinical swabs and urine. CtGAP, written in Snakemake, enables read quality statistics output, adapter and quality trimming, host read removal, de novo and reference-guided assembly, contig scaffolding, selective ompA, multi-locus-sequence and plasmid typing, phylogenetic tree construction, and recombinant genome identification. Twenty Ct reference genomes were also generated. Successfully validated on a diverse collection of 363 samples containing Ct, CtGAP represents a novel pipeline requiring minimal bioinformatics expertise with easy adaptation for use with other bacterial species.
Cicero's Speeches: Individual Speeches
Authors: van der Blom Henriette
Published: January 2025

Cicero was and is considered the greatest Roman orator of all time. His speeches offer invaluable information about Latin oratory and rhetoric, and—together with his letters and his rhetorical and political treatises—offer the most substantial source material for the Roman republican period by any single person. Fifty-eight speeches are extant in (almost) complete form, fifteen exist only in brief fragments, and Cicero delivered at least eighty further speeches (see Crawford, M. Tullius Cicero: The Lost and Unpublished Orations, 1994, pp. 3–4; a total of 153 speeches). He may have delivered more speeches unknown today, while a few of the extant speeches purport delivery but were never actually delivered, only circulated in written form (e.g., In Pisonem, Pro Milone, Philippic II). Traditionally divided into forensic (court case) speeches and deliberative (political) speeches delivered in the popular assemblies or the senate, Cicero’s speeches span his entire career from a budding advocate in the private law courts (first extant speech in 81 bce) to senior senator addressing the senate in spring 43 bce. The speeches were transmitted as examples of excellent oratory and excellent Latin for the benefit of Cicero’s contemporary and posthumous reputation and for educational purposes, and they are still used to teach students of Latin, rhetoric, history, and political thought. Much current knowledge about the Roman republic, especially the first century bce, derives from Cicero—and much of this from Cicero’s speeches. This bibliography does not include scholarship which makes use of Cicero’s speeches to elucidate aspects of republican Rome, unless a substantial and clearly demarcated part of it is focused on Cicero’s speeches. Nor does it include scholarship which focuses mainly on other genres employed by Cicero, such as his many treatises on rhetoric and philosophy or his corpus of letters. Rather, the bibliography includes works which discuss Cicero’s speeches explicitly as speeches or as sources for our understanding of Roman oratorical and rhetorical practice, by which “oratory” means the practice of speech while “rhetoric” means the theory of preparing and delivering persuasive speech. This bibliography cross-references to its “sister”-bibliography in Oxford Bibliographies in Classics, “Cicero’s Speeches: Overviews and Themes.”
Cicero's Speeches: Overviews and Themes
Authors: van der Blom Henriette
Published: January 2025

Cicero was and is considered the greatest Roman orator of all time. His speeches offer invaluable information about Latin oratory and rhetoric, and—together with his letters and his rhetorical and political treatises—offer the most substantial source material for the Roman republican period by any single person. A total of fifty-eight speeches are extant in (almost) complete form, fifteen exist only in brief fragments, and Cicero delivered at least eighty further speeches (see Crawford’s M. Tullius Cicero, the lost and unpublished orations, 1994, pp. 3–4); a total of 153 speeches. He may have delivered more speeches unknown today, while a few of the extant speeches purport delivery but were never actually delivered, only circulated in written form (e.g., In Pisonem, Pro Milone, Philippic II). Traditionally divided into forensic (court case) speeches and deliberative (political) speeches delivered in the popular assemblies or the senate, Cicero’s speeches span his entire career from a budding advocate in the private law courts (first extant speech in 81 bce) to senior senator addressing the senate in spring 43 bce. The speeches were transmitted as examples of excellent oratory and excellent Latin for the benefit of Cicero’s contemporary and posthumous reputation and for educational purposes, and they are still used to teach students of Latin, rhetoric, history, and political thought. Much current knowledge about the Roman republic, especially the first century bce, derives from Cicero—and much of this from Cicero’s speeches. This article does not include scholarship that makes use of Cicero’s speeches to elucidate aspects of republican Rome, unless a substantial and clearly demarcated part of it is focused on Cicero’s speeches. Nor does it include scholarship that focuses mainly on other genres employed by Cicero, such as his many treatises on rhetoric and philosophy or his corpus of letters. See the separate Oxford Bibliographies in Classics articles Cicero, Cicero’s Philosophical Works, Cicero’s Rhetorical Works, and Roman Literary Letters. Rather, the bibliography includes works which discuss Cicero’s speeches explicitly as speeches or as sources for Roman oratorical and rhetorical practice, by which “oratory” means the practice of speech while “rhetoric” means the theory of preparing and delivering persuasive speech. This bibliography cross-references to its “sister” bibliography, the Oxford Bibliographies in Classics article Cicero’s Speeches: Individual Speeches.
Qur'an and Textual Criticism
Authors: Nasser Shady
Published: January 2025

Unlike the Qurʾan, the Hebrew Bible and New Testament traditions have been extensively studied in the past three centuries. While scholarly editions of texts are often based on rigorous studies of their manuscript traditions, the current text of the Qurʾan relies instead on one traditional text, the so-called ʿUthmānic recension. A critical edition has never been produced for the Qurʾan based on extant manuscripts. The scholarly consensus that the study of a text should be based on the analysis of the oldest and best manuscripts does not apply to the case of the Qurʾan, which relies on Muslim traditional sources that render the text based on the “consensus” of Muslim scholars. Western scholarship on the Qurʾan already acknowledges this shortcoming and tries to circumvent it through different methods. According to Andrew Rippin in “The Present Status of Tafsir Studies,” one of Arthur Jeffery’s major interests was to construct a printed text of the Qurʾan complete with a critical apparatus of textual and orthographic variants, but the project did not come to fruition. That being said, the study of Qurʾanic manuscripts is experiencing a significant surge in growth and vitality due to the widespread availability of digital manuscripts. With the discovery and digitization of more manuscripts, it might not be too far in the future that we get such a critical edition.
William Apess
Authors: Zuck Rochelle Raineri
Published: January 2025

William Apess (b. 1798–d. 1839) was a writer, activist, ordained Methodist minister, member of the Pequot Tribe, and adopted member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. Apess was born in Colrain, Massachusetts, and spent most of his life in New England. His parents were William and Candace Apes (Apess later changed the spelling of his last name). His father was of Pequot and white ancestry; Drew Lopenzina’s biography Through an Indian’s Looking-Glass notes that records list Candace Apes as a “Negro woman” owned by Captain Joseph Taylor. Apess also claimed descent through his mother from the Wampanoag leader Metacomet (King Philip), whom he would later celebrate in his Eulogy on King Philip (1836). Apess spent his early years as an indentured servant to white New England families before running away at age fifteen and being conscripted into the army during the War of 1812. In 1821, Apess married Mary Wood and, according to Through an Indian’s Looking-Glass, the couple had seven children. He received his preaching license from New York’s Methodist Society and published his autobiography, A Son of the Forest, in 1829 and brought out a second edition of the autobiography in 1831. Apess’s work is the first known book-length autobiography published by an Indigenous person. That same year, he published a sermon entitled “The Increase of the Kingdom of Christ.” During this time, Apess circulated as an itinerant minister and lecturer as well as a writer. In 1833, he visited the Mashpee Wampanoag community on Cape Cod and learned of their political and religious grievances, including their opposition to Harvard-appointed overseers and minster Reverend Phineas Fish. Apess, who was formally adopted by the Mashpee, worked with tribal members to agitate for Mashpee sovereignty and self-government (including control of timber resources and use of their church building) and for them to have a minster of their own choosing. In what came to be known as the Mashpee Revolt (or Woodland Revolt), Apess and other Mashpee members prevented four white men from removing timber from Mashpee lands, and he chronicled his involvement with the Mashpee Revolt in Indian Nullification of the Unconstitutional Laws of Massachusetts (1835). Apess delivered his famous lecture Eulogy on King Philip at Boston’s Odeon Theater twice in January 1836 and later published it. Subsequently, Apess moved with his family (which included his second wife, Elizabeth) to New York City in search of employment. He died in New York City at the age of forty-one.
Phillis Wheatley Peters
Authors: Roberts Wendy Raphael
Published: January 2025

Phillis Wheatley (Peters) (1753–1784) is one of the most important poets in early American literature and considered by many the mother of African American literature. As a young child, she may have flourished with her family in the largely Muslim Senegambia region of Africa where she would have been taught how to write and read Arabic. As is typical of the violence of the Atlantic slave trade, certainty about her early life’s exact geographical location is elusive. One of more than twelve million African persons trafficked to American during the slave trade, she endured the horrors of Middle Passage and was sold in Boston to the enslavers John and Susannah Wheatley. They renamed her Phillis after the ship that, the poet later wrote, she survived only by divine “mercy.” In the wake of this trauma, she nevertheless quickly acquired English, established friendships within the diasporic Black community in and beyond Boston, engaged and influenced a transatlantic evangelical culture and a transatlantic abolition movement, participated in defining the meaning of the American Revolution and its ideals, contributed to theological developments in Black Christianity, nurtured Black creative community, and cultivated a network of supporters to ensure the publication of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773)—the first published book of poems by an African American. She leveraged her success to gain freedom from the Wheatleys, and she married the free man John Peters, who, even after her untimely death in 1784, sought (though unsuccessfully) to have her second book of poems published. In addition to her published book, she also circulated her work widely in broadside, newspaper, and manuscript. She achieved international fame as a poet and abolitionist by age eighteen and left a literary and political legacy that is still being fully recovered. Though literary critics and creative writers once argued about her literary merits and supposed white-washed verse, these arguments have been superseded by work that details Wheatley’s complex and nuanced aesthetics and politics. Her relevance to scholars and students today has become more apparent than ever in large part through the past and current work of Black scholars and the field of Black studies.
Animals in Medieval Literature
Authors: Stanton Robert
Published: January 2025

Nonhuman animals have been born, lived, worked, played, eaten, bred, and died alongside people for millennia, and in the process they have been essential in the ongoing project of defining the “human.” The close proximity of domesticated and working animals has enabled different conceptions of a shared creaturely world, even as a strong tendency toward representation has meant that their work as symbols, allegories, and figures of human characteristics and ideals has consistently overshadowed their labor in fields and streets, as hunters or hunted, and as providers of materials and objects for human use. There is no genre of medieval literature that does not feature frequent and heavy use of animals: biblical exegesis, saints’ lives, laws, sermons, exempla, histories and chronicles, romances, encyclopedias, works on grammar and language, satires, mystic and devotional works, theological and philosophical treatises, medical texts, veterinary manuals, hunting manuals, and a plethora of poetic forms (lyric, narrative, elegy, riddle, the romance lai) often feature animals near the forefront and always have them in the background. Ongoing work in archaeology and material culture has brought new insights into the ways that human and animal worlds overlapped and coexisted. Classical and Christian writers participated in a long, ongoing conversation about the possession of minds, souls, and the faculty of reason, the origins of human and nonhuman identities, and the ethics of human treatment of animals that continues to the present day. In the last thirty years, scholarship that leaned heavily toward the representational function of animals has given way to new approaches that attempt to grapple with the “animal real” alongside, and in relation to, the work of animals as signs and symbols of human things. The field of critical animal studies has provided a fresh set of ideas and terminologies, in particular the blurring, problematizing, deconstruction, and even dismantling of the divide between human and nonhuman creatures, and the foregrounding of ethical considerations in the analysis of historical animal encounters. At the same time, posthumanism has provided a broad and flexible framework in which to explore shared characteristics and vulnerabilities across species lines, and to interrogate the construction and maintenance of the categories “human” and “animal.” The wide variety of disciplines and approaches across periods and genres makes medieval animal studies a complex, heterogeneous, rapidly changing, and continuously productive field of study.
Vaccination Against Influenza and Pneumococcus During Pretravel Health Consultations in the United States: Interventions and Missed Opportunities
Authors: Kakoullis Loukas , Rao Sowmya R , Ryan Edward T , Walker Allison T , Chen Lin H , LaRocque Regina C
Published: January 2025

Background

Infections by Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza viruses are vaccine-preventable diseases causing great morbidity and mortality. We evaluated pneumococcal and influenza vaccination practices during pre–international travel health consultations.

Methods

We evaluated data on pretravel visits over a 10-year period (1 July 2012 through 31 June 2022) from 31 sites in Global TravEpiNet (GTEN), a consortium of US healthcare facilities providing pretravel health consultations. Data were collected using an online structured questionnaire utilized by GTEN providers. We obtained summary statistics and performed multivariable logistic regression models to identify characteristics associated with receiving the vaccinations.

Results

At 116 865 pretravel visits, 28 754 (25%) travelers were eligible to receive pneumococcal vaccination and 56 150 (48%) travelers were eligible to receive influenza vaccination. A total of 19 557 (68%) pneumococcal vaccine–eligible travelers were not offered the vaccine at the pretravel visit. Among influenza vaccine–eligible travelers, 8592 (15%) were not offered the vaccine, and an additional 16 931 (30%) travelers declined the vaccine. Influenza vaccine was not available for 8014 (14%) eligible travelers. Nonadministration of the influenza vaccine was most frequent in the months of April through September. Compared to nonacademic centers or centers in the South or Midwest, travelers seen in academic centers or centers in the Northeast were more likely to receive either vaccine.

Conclusions

Increasing awareness of global influenza transmission patterns and improving access to routine vaccines at the pretravel encounter may enhance vaccination for respiratory pathogens in departing US international travelers.
Multi-layered apoplastic barrier underlying the ability of Na+ exclusion in Vigna marina
Authors: Wang Fanmiao , Tanoi Keitaro , Yamauchi Takaki , Naito Ken
Published: January 2025

Soil salinization and ground water depletion are increasingly constraining crop production. Identifying useful mechanisms of salt tolerance is an important step toward the development of salt-tolerant crops. Of particular interest are mechanisms that are present in crop wild relatives, as they may have greater stress tolerance than crop species. The coastal species Vigna marina is one of the promising plant resources for salt tolerance. Vigna luteola is another wild species with diverse habitats, including seaside and riverbank, hereafter V. luteola-beach and V. luteola-river, respectively. By comparative transcriptome and histological analyses, this study elucidated one important aspect of how V. marina achieves an extraordinary ability to suppress Na+ uptake. Under salt stress, V. marina specifically upregulated genes involved in Casparian strip formation and developed a multi-layered lignified apoplastic barrier around endodermis, whereas V. luteola-beach formed typical, band-like Casparian strips and V. luteola-river formed only spot-like Casparian strips. As such, the ability of developing apoplastic barrier strongly correlated with those of suppressing Na+ uptake. The disruption of lignified barrier led to a dramatic increase of Na+ allocation to the shoot in V. marina, which was manifested in leaf etiolation and burning. Interestingly, despite the presence of reinforced apoplastic barrier, V. marina maintained the transport of essential ions including K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+. This study shows that the multi-layered Casparian strip-like structure plays an important role in salt tolerance.
Partisan identity, scientific and religious authority, and lawmaker support for science policy
Authors: O'Brien Timothy L , Johnson David R
Published: January 2025

This article examines mechanisms related to lawmaker support for public policies based on scientific evidence and supportive of organized science. We propose that Republican lawmakers are more likely than Democrats to oppose these policies because Republicans are less likely than Democrats to base policy decisions on scientific authority and more likely than Democrats to base decisions on religious authority. We tested this hypothesis using data from a survey of state legislators from all 50 states (n = 941). Our structural equation model shows that compared to Democrats, Republicans’ policy decisions rely less on information from scientists and other experts and more on information from religious leaders. We also find evidence that lawmakers’ reliance on scientific and religious authority plays intermediary roles between their partisan identities and their attitudes about energy, vaccine, and biomedical research policies. Specifically, party differences in support for each kind of policy are associated with Democratic lawmakers’ greater reliance on science and Republicans’ greater reliance on religion. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for research on science, religion, politics, and policymaking.
The Trx–Prx redox pathway and PGR5/PGRL1-dependent cyclic electron transfer play key regulatory roles in poplar drought stress
Authors: Guangxin Ji , Zheyuan Wang , Jiaqi Song , Hongrui Zhang , Kexin Wang , Jingjing Xu , Nan Sun , Tanhang Zhang , Siyue Qi , Changjun Ding , Huihui Zhang
Published: January 2025

Understanding drought resistance mechanisms is crucial for breeding poplar species suited to arid and semiarid regions. This study explored the drought responses of three newly developed ‘Zhongxiong’ series poplars using integrated transcriptomic and physiological analyses. Under drought stress, poplar leaves showed significant changes in differentially expressed genes linked to photosynthesis-related pathways, including photosynthesis-antenna proteins and carbon fixation, indicating impaired photosynthetic function and carbon assimilation. Additionally, drought stress triggered oxidative damage through increased reactive oxygen species production, leading to malondialdehyde accumulation. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes closely associated with physiological responses were enriched in cell redox homeostasis pathways, specifically the thioredoxin-peroxiredoxin pathway. Key genes in this pathway and in cyclic electron flow, such as PGR5-L1A, were downregulated, suggesting compromised reactive oxygen species scavenging and photoprotection under drought stress. Notably, ZX4 poplar exhibited higher drought tolerance, maintaining stronger activity in cyclic electron flow and the thioredoxin–peroxiredoxin pathway compared with ZX3 and ZX5. Genes like PGR5-L1A, 2-Cys Prx BAS1, PrxQ and TPX are promising candidates for enhancing drought resistance in poplars through genetic improvement, with potential applications for developing resilient forestry varieties.