bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thresholds for Intervention in Child Neglect by Ordinary Citizens: Implications for Measuring Informal Social Control of Child Neglect
Authors: Abdullah Alhassan
Published: April 2022

There is growing attention towards neighbourhood and contextual approaches to address and prevent child maltreatment. However, research into neighbour’s protective intervention (protective informal social control) in child neglect has seen little attention. Even amongst the limited research, the findings have not been consistent. The limited research on the subject is partly explained by the contested issue, which centres on the question; how do neighbours witness and intervene in non-aggressive forms of maltreatment, such as neglect? This article aimed to contribute to address this question by exploring thresholds in child neglect amongst ordinary residents. It draws on narrative interviews with seventeen female parents from seven settlements in Ghana. Severity of neglect, consistent exposure and poor parental capacity were key threshold measures reported. It emerged that threshold criteria (high or low) vary based on the subtypes of neglect. Whilst medical and supervisory neglect attracts low threshold criteria, more than one-time exposure is required to meet threshold in food neglect. The findings contrast the uncritical approach of lumping up subtypes of neglect. Instead, it advocates for the development of a context-based measure for protective informal social control of neglect that accounts for subtype effects. Such development should follow an item response theory approach.
Biodegradation of quinolinic acid by a newly isolated bacterium Alcaligenes faecalis strain JQ191
Authors: Zhao Lingling , Jiang Yinhu , Zhao Zhenyang , Wang Kexin , Zhang Xuan , Hong Qing , Qiu Jiguo , He Jian
Published: April 2022

Quinolinic acid (QA) is a pyridine derivative that can be found in many organisms and is widely used in the chemical industry. However, QA possesses excitotoxic properties. To date, the catabolism of QA mediated by microorganisms has rarely been reported. In this study, a QA-degrading strain (JQ191) was isolated from sewage sludge. Based on phenotypic and 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis, the strain was identified as Alcaligenes faecalis. Strain JQ191 was able to utilize QA as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen for growth. QA-cultured cells of JQ191 completely degrade 200 mg/L QA within 2 days in a mineral salt medium, whereas the LB-cultured cells experienced a 2-day lag period before degrading QA, indicating that the catabolic enzymes involved in QA degradation were induced by QA. 6-Hydroxypicolinic acid (6HPA) was identified as an intermediate of QA degradation by strain JQ191. A 6HPA monooxygenase gene picB was cloned, genetically disrupted, and heterologously expressed, and the results show that picB was responsible for catalyzing 6HPA to 3,6DHPA in JQ191. A new QA mineralization pathway was proposed. This study identifies a new bacterium candidate that has a potential application prospect in the bioremediation of QA-polluted environment, as well as provides new insights into the bacterial catabolism of QA.
RBBP4 dysfunction reshapes the genomic landscape of H3K27 methylation and acetylation and disrupts gene expression
Authors: Mu Weipeng , Murcia Noel S , Smith Keriayn N , Menon Debashish U , Yee Della , Magnuson Terry
Published: April 2022

RBBP4 is a subunit of the chromatin remodeling complexes known as Polycomb repressive complex 2 and histone deacetylase 1/2-containing complexes. These complexes are responsible for histone H3 lysine 27 methylation and deacetylation, respectively. How RBBP4 modulates the functions of these complexes remains largely unknown. We generated viable Rbbp4 mutant alleles in mouse embryonic stem cell lines by CRISPR-Cas9. The mutations disrupted Polycomb repressive complex 2 assembly and H3K27me3 establishment on target chromatin and altered histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation genome wide. Moreover, Rbbp4 mutant cells underwent dramatic changes in transcriptional profiles closely tied to the deregulation of H3K27ac. The alteration of H3K27ac due to RBBP4 dysfunction occurred on numerous cis-regulatory elements, especially putative enhancers. These data suggest that RBBP4 plays a central role in regulating histone H3 lysine 27 methylation and acetylation to modulate gene expression.
All-Subset Analysis Improves the Predictive Accuracy of Biological Age for All-Cause Mortality in Chinese and U.S. Populations
Authors: Wei Kai , Peng Shanshan , Liu Na , Li Guyanan , Wang Jiangjing , Chen Xiaotong , He Leqi , Chen Qiudan , Lv Yuan , Guo Huan , Lin Yong
Published: April 2022

Background

Klemera–Doubal’s method (KDM) is an advanced and widely applied algorithm for estimating biological age (BA), but it has no uniform paradigm for biomarker processing. This article proposed all subsets of biomarkers for estimating BAs and assessed their association with mortality to determine the most predictive subset and BA.

Methods

Clinical biomarkers, including those from physical examinations and blood assays, were assessed in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) 2009 wave. Those correlated with chronological age (CA) were combined to produce complete subsets, and BA was estimated by KDM from each subset of biomarkers. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to examine and compare each BA’s effect size and predictive capacity for all-cause mortality. Validation analysis was performed in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). KD-BA and Levine’s BA were compared in all cohorts.

Results

A total of 130 918 panels of BAs were estimated from complete subsets comprising 3–17 biomarkers, whose Pearson coefficients with CA varied from 0.39 to 1. The most predictive subset consisted of 5 biomarkers, whose estimated KD-BA had the most predictive accuracy for all-cause mortality. Compared with Levine’s BA, the accuracy of the best-fitting KD-BA in predicting death varied among specific populations.

Conclusion

All-subset analysis could effectively reduce the number of redundant biomarkers and significantly improve the accuracy of KD-BA in predicting all-cause mortality.
Cellular and behavioral effects of altered NaV1.2 sodium channel ion permeability in Scn2a
K1422E mice
Authors: Echevarria-Cooper Dennis M , Hawkins Nicole A , Misra Sunita N , Huffman Alexandra M , Thaxton Tyler , Thompson Christopher H , Ben-Shalom Roy , Nelson Andrew D , Lipkin Anna M , George Jr Alfred L , Bender Kevin J , Kearney Jennifer A
Published: April 2022

Genetic variants in SCN2A, encoding the NaV1.2 voltage-gated sodium channel, are associated with a range of neurodevelopmental disorders with overlapping phenotypes. Some variants fit into a framework wherein gain-of-function missense variants that increase neuronal excitability lead to developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, while loss-of-function variants that reduce neuronal excitability lead to intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with or without co-morbid seizures. One unique case less easily classified using this framework is the de novo missense variant SCN2A-p.K1422E, associated with infant-onset developmental delay, infantile spasms and features of ASD. Prior structure–function studies demonstrated that K1422E substitution alters ion selectivity of NaV1.2, conferring Ca2+ permeability, lowering overall conductance and conferring resistance to tetrodotoxin (TTX). Based on heterologous expression of K1422E, we developed a compartmental neuron model incorporating variant channels that predicted reductions in peak action potential (AP) speed. We generated Scn2aK1422E mice and characterized effects on neurons and neurological/neurobehavioral phenotypes. Cultured cortical neurons from heterozygous Scn2aK1422E/+ mice exhibited lower current density with a TTX-resistant component and reversal potential consistent with mixed ion permeation. Recordings from Scn2aK1442E/+ cortical slices demonstrated impaired AP initiation and larger Ca2+ transients at the axon initial segment during the rising phase of the AP, suggesting complex effects on channel function. Scn2aK1422E/+ mice exhibited rare spontaneous seizures, interictal electroencephalogram abnormalities, altered induced seizure thresholds, reduced anxiety-like behavior and alterations in olfactory-guided social behavior. Overall, Scn2aK1422E/+ mice present with phenotypes similar yet distinct from other Scn2a models, consistent with complex effects of K1422E on NaV1.2 channel function.
Clinical Burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Hospitalized Children Aged ≤5 Years (INSPIRE Study)
Authors: Hartmann Katrin , Liese Johannes G , Kemmling Daniel , Prifert Christiane , Weißbrich Benedikt , Thilakarathne Pushpike , Diels Joris , Weber Karin , Streng Andrea
Published: April 2022

Background

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of hospitalizations in children (≤5 years of age); limited data compare burden by age.

Methods

This single-center retrospective study included children (≤5 years of age) hospitalized for >24 hours with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)–confirmed RSV infection (2015–2018). Hospital length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, ICU LOS, supplemental oxygen, and medication use were assessed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified predictors of hospital LOS >5 days.

Results

Three hundred twelve patients had RSV infection (ages 0 to <6 months [35%], 6 to <12 months [15%], 1 to <2 years [25%], and 2–5 years [25%]); 16.3% had predefined comorbidities (excludes preterm infants). Median hospital LOS was 5.0 days and similar across age; 5.1% (16/312) were admitted to ICU (ICU LOS, 5.0 days), with those aged 0 to <6 months admitted most frequently (10/108 [9.3%]). Supplemental oxygen was administered in 57.7% of patients, with similar need across ages. Antibiotics were administered frequently during hospitalization (43.6%). Predictors of prolonged LOS included pneumonia (odds ratio [OR], 2.33), supplemental oxygen need (OR, 5.09), and preterm births (OR, 3.37). High viral load (RT-PCR RSV cycle threshold value <25) was associated with greater need for supplemental oxygen.

Conclusions

RSV causes substantial burden in hospitalized children (≤5 years), particularly preterm infants and those aged <6 months.
Functional Compartmentalization of Antibodies in the Central Nervous System During Chronic HIV Infection
Authors: Spatola Marianna , Loos Carolin , Cizmeci Deniz , Webb Nicholas , Gorman Matthew J , Rossignol Evan , Shin Sally , Yuan Dansu , Fontana Laura , Mukerji Shibani S , Lauffenburger Douglas A , Gabuzda Dana , Alter Galit
Published: April 2022

The central nervous system (CNS) has emerged as a critical HIV reservoir. Thus, interventions aimed at controlling and eliminating HIV must include CNS-targeted strategies. Given the inaccessibility of the brain, efforts have focused on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), aimed at defining biomarkers of HIV-disease in the CNS, including HIV-specific antibodies. However, how antibodies traffic between the blood and CNS, and whether specific antibody profiles track with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) remains unclear. Here, we comprehensively profiled HIV-specific antibodies across plasma and CSF from 20 antiretroviral therapy (ART) naive or treated persons with HIV. CSF was populated by IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies, with reduced Fc-effector profiles. While ART improved plasma antibody functional coordination, CSF profiles were unaffected by ART and were unrelated to HAND severity. These data point to a functional sieving of antibodies across the blood-brain barrier, providing previously unappreciated insights for the development of next-generation therapeutics targeting the CNS reservoir.
Mortality Risk Among Frail Neonates and Maternal BCG Vaccine Scar Status: Observational Study From Guinea-Bissau
Authors: Schaltz-Buchholzer Frederik , Aaby Peter , Silva Isaquel , Monteiro Ivan , Kollmann Tobias R , Amenyogbe Nelly , Bjerregaard-Andersen Morten , Benn Christine Stabell
Published: April 2022

Background

Maternal priming with the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been associated with reduced offspring mortality rates. We investigated this association in a cohort of frail neonates.

Methods

We performed an observational study within a randomized BCG trial conducted at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Guinea-Bissau from 2015 to 2017. At NICU admission and after informed consent, the maternal scar status was evaluated by visual inspection before neonates were randomized 1:1 to receive BCG + oral polio vaccine immediately or at hospital discharge. Stratified by maternal scar status, we assessed overall in-hospital and postdischarge mortality rates through 42 days of age in Cox proportional hazards models providing adjusted mortality rate ratios (aMRRs).

Results

Overall, 62% of mothers (903 of 1451) had a BCG vaccine scar. During NICU admission, the mortality risk was 1.7% (15 of 903) for neonates born to mothers with a scar versus 3.3% (18 of 548) for those born to mothers with no scar; the aMRR for maternal scar versus no scar was 0.53 (95% CI, .26–1.05), 0.39 (95% CI, .13–1.05) for unvaccinated and 0.70 (95% CI, .26–1.87) for vaccinated neonates.

Conclusions

This small study indicates that maternal BCG vaccine might be associated with reduced all-cause NICU mortality rate. If confirmed elsewhere, this finding would have substantial ramifications for global health.
Talents and Cultures: Immigrant Inventors and Ethnic Diversity in the Age of Mass Migration
Authors: Campo Francesco , Mendola Mariapia , Morrison Andrea , Ottaviano Gianmarco
Published: April 2022

We investigate the importance of co-ethnic networks and diversity in determining immigrant inventors’ settlements in the United States by following the location choices of thousands of them across counties during the Age of Mass Migration. To do so, we combine a unique United States Patent and Trademark Office historical patent dataset on immigrants who arrived as adults with Census data and exploit exogenous variation in both immigration flows and diversity induced by former settlements, WWI, and the 1920s Immigration Acts. We find that co-ethnic networks play an important role in attracting immigrant inventors. Yet, we also find that immigrant diversity acts as an additional significant pull factor. This is mainly due to externalities that foster immigrant inventors’ productivity.
Non-linear excitation of low-frequency modes by overstable convective modes in rotating stars
Authors: Lee Umin
Published: April 2022

We discuss non-linear excitation and amplitude saturation of g-, r, and overstable convective (OsC) modes in early-type main sequence stars, taking account of the effects of three-mode couplings on amplitude evolutions. OsC modes are rotationally stabilized convective modes in the convective core and they resonantly excite low-frequency g-modes to obtain large amplitudes in the envelope when the rotation rate of the core is larger than critical rates. We use, for a network of three-mode couplings, amplitude equations governing the time evolution of the mode amplitudes where each of three-mode couplings is assumed to occur between two stable modes and one unstable mode. Assuming that the unstable modes in the couplings are OsC modes in the core and the stable modes are g- and r-modes in the envelope, we integrate the amplitude equations to see how the g- and r-modes are non-linearly excited by the OsC modes and whether or not the amplitude evolutions tend toward a state of finite amplitudes. We find that the non-linear three-mode couplings do excite low-frequency g- and r-modes but they are not necessarily effective to achieve amplitude saturation since the three-mode couplings between the OsC modes with large growth rates and g- and r-modes with small-damping rates tend to destabilize amplitude evolutions.
Stellar streams and dark substructure: the diffusion regime
Authors: Delos M Sten , Schmidt Fabian
Published: April 2022

The cold dark matter picture predicts an abundance of substructure within the Galactic halo. However, most substructures host no stars and can only be detected indirectly. Stellar streams present a promising probe of this dark substructure. These streams arise from tidally stripped star clusters or dwarf galaxies, and their low dynamical temperature and negligible self-gravity give them a sharp memory of gravitational perturbations caused by passing dark substructures. For this reason, perturbed stellar streams have been the subject of substantial study. While previous studies have been largely numerical, we show here that in the diffusion regime – where stream stars are subjected to many small velocity kicks – stream perturbations can be understood on a fully analytic level. In particular, we derive how the (three-dimensional) power spectrum of the substructure density field determines the power spectrum of the (one-dimensional) density of a stellar stream. Our analytic description supplies a clear picture of the behaviour of stream perturbations in response to a perturbing environment, which may include contributions from both dark and luminous substructure. In particular, stream perturbations grow in amplitude initially, settle into a steady state, and ultimately decay. By directly relating stellar stream perturbations to the surrounding matter distribution, this analytic framework represents a versatile new tool for probing the nature of dark matter through astrophysical observations.
Pulsating hydrogen-deficient white dwarfs and pre-white dwarfs observed withTESS– IV. Discovery of two new GW Vir stars: TIC 0403800675 and TIC 1989122424
Authors: Uzundag Murat , Córsico Alejandro H , Kepler S O , Althaus Leandro G , Werner Klaus , Reindl Nicole , Vučković Maja
Published: April 2022

We present two new GW Vir-type pulsating white dwarf stars, TIC 0403800675 (WD J115727.68-280349.64) and TIC 1989122424 (WD J211738.38-552801.18) discovered in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometric data. For both stars, the TESS light curves reveal the presence of oscillations with periods in a narrow range between 400 and 410 s, which are associated with typical gravity (g)-modes. Follow-up ground-based spectroscopy shows that both stars have similar effective temperature ($T_\mathrm{eff} = 110\, 000 \pm 10\, 000$ K) and surface gravity (log g = 7.5 ± 0.5), but different He/C composition (mass fractions): He = 0.75 and C = 0.25 for TIC 0403800675, and He = 0.50 and C = 0.50 for TIC 1989122424. By performing a fit to their spectral energy distributions, we found for both stars radii and luminosities of $R=0.019\pm 0.002\, \mathrm{R}_\odot$ and $\log (\mathrm{L/L}_\odot)=1.68^{+0.15}_{-0.24}$, respectively. By employing evolutionary tracks of PG 1159 stars, we find the masses of both stars to be $0.56\pm 0.18 \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ from the log g-Teff diagram and $0.60^{+0.11}_{-0.09} \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ from the Hertzsprung Russell diagram.
The resilience of the Etherington–Hubble relation
Authors: Renzi Fabrizio , Hogg Natalie B , Giarè William
Published: April 2022

The Etherington reciprocity theorem, or distance duality relation (DDR), relates the mutual scaling of cosmic distances in any metric theory of gravity where photons are massless and propagate on null geodesics. In this paper, we make use of the DDR to build a consistency check based on its degeneracy with the Hubble constant, H0. We parametrize the DDR using the form η(z) = 1 + ϵz, thus only allowing small deviations from its standard value. We use a combination of late-time observational data to provide the first joint constraints on the Hubble parameter and ϵ with percentage accuracy: H0 = 68.6 ± 2.5 km s−1 Mpc−1 and $\epsilon = 0.001^{+0.023}_{-0.026}$. We build our consistency check using these constraints and compare them with the results obtained in extended cosmological models using cosmic microwave background data. We find that extensions to Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) involving massive neutrinos and/or additional dark radiation are in perfect agreement with the DDR, while models with non-zero spatial curvature show a preference for DDR violation, i.e. ϵ ≠ 0 at the level of ∼1.5σ. Most importantly, we find a mild 2σ discrepancy between the validity of the DDR and the latest publicly available Cepheid-calibrated Type Ia supernova (SNIa) constraint on H0. We discuss the potential consequences of this for both the Etherington reciprocity theorem and the H0 tension.
Numerical study of cosmic ray confinement through dust resonant drag instabilities
Authors: Ji Suoqing , Squire Jonathan , Hopkins Philip F
Published: April 2022

We investigate the possibility of cosmic ray (CR) confinement by charged dust grains through resonant drag instabilities (RDIs). We perform magnetohydrodynamic particle-in-cell simulations of magnetized gas mixed with charged dust and cosmic rays, with the gyro-radii of dust and GeV CRs on ∼au scales fully resolved. As a first study, we focus on one type of RDI wherein charged grains drift super-Alfvénically, with Lorentz forces strongly dominating over drag forces. Dust grains are unstable to the RDIs and form concentrated columns and sheets, whose scale grows until saturating at the simulation box size. Initially perfectly streaming CRs are strongly scattered by RDI-excited Alfvén waves, with the growth rate of the CR perpendicular velocity components equaling the growth rate of magnetic field perturbations. These rates are well-predicted by analytic linear theory. CRs finally become isotropized and drift at least at ∼vA by unidirectional Alfvén waves excited by the RDIs, with a uniform distribution of the pitch angle cosine μ and a flat profile of the CR pitch angle diffusion coefficient Dμμ around μ = 0, without the ‘90○ pitch angle problem.’ With CR feedback on the gas included, Dμμ decreases by a factor of a few, indicating a lower CR scattering rate, because the backreaction on the RDI from the CR pressure adds extra wave damping, leading to lower quasi-steady-state scattering rates. Our study demonstrates that the dust-induced CR confinement can be very important under certain conditions, e.g. the dusty circumgalactic medium around quasars or superluminous galaxies.
Could We See the End of Tobacco Being Sold in Bars and Pubs in New Zealand?
Authors: Marsh Louise , Iosua Ella , Quigg Robin , Brillinger Julia , Venter Noeleen , Wood Sarah
Published: April 2022

Background

Disallowing the sale of tobacco wherever alcohol is consumed is one policy option to help achieve Smokefree 2025. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of selling tobacco in New Zealand (NZ) on-license premises and explore attitudes toward the sale of tobacco.

Methods

A sample of managers of on-license premises were asked by telephone about the importance of tobacco to their business, advantages and disadvantages of selling tobacco, and the impact of not being able to sell tobacco in the future. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to investigate associations between on-license characteristics and selling status and importance scores, respectively.

Results

Of on-license premises, 6.5% (95% CI: 5.3, 8.0) sold tobacco; 17.4% (95% CI: 14.0, 21.4) of hotels, 17.5% (95% CI: 13.8, 21.9) of taverns, and 1.3% (95% CI: 0.6, 3.2) of restaurants. Both retailer type and population density were associated with selling status. On-licenses were more likely to rate tobacco as “unimportant” (51.7%) to their business than “important” (30.0%), although premises where the closest tobacco retailer was at least 1 km away were associated with a higher score. Similar proportions of businesses were opposed to (45.7%) and supported (47.2%) the policy of removing all tobacco sales from on-license premises.

Conclusion

Few on-license premises in NZ sell tobacco. Most retailers would support transitioning out of selling tobacco before the 2025 Smokefree goal, and they believed ending sales of tobacco would not negatively affect their business. However, businesses and customers in rural areas may be more affected than others.

Implications

Many countries have tobacco-free goals, with several still developing their endgame strategies to achieve these goals. This study provides NZ and other jurisdictions with evidence useful in the development of such strategies. Having on-license alcohol retailers transition out of sales of tobacco would contribute to a reduction in tobacco availability. Moreover, the results of this study suggest that, in part due to declining tobacco sales and increased thefts, such a policy is likely to have the support of retailers. Policy developers should note, however, the potential for different impacts where the distance to the closest tobacco retailer is over 1 km or in rural areas.
Daily Cannabis Use Is a Barrier to Tobacco Cessation Among Tobacco Quitline Callers at 7-Month Follow-up
Authors: Goodwin Renee D , Shevorykin Alina , Carl Ellen , Budney Alan J , Rivard Cheryl , Wu Melody , McClure Erin A , Hyland Andrew , Sheffer Christine E
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Cannabis use is increasing among cigarette smokers in the United States. Prior studies suggest that cannabis use may be a barrier to smoking cessation. Yet, the extent to which this is the case among adults seeking to quit tobacco use remains unclear. Tobacco quitlines are the most common provider of no-cost treatment for adults who use smoke in the United States. This study investigated the association between cannabis use and smoking cessation outcomes among quitline callers.

Aims and Methods

Participants included callers to the New York State Smokers’ Quitline, who were seeking to quit smoking cigarettes and were contacted for outcome assessment 7 months after intake. Thirty-day point prevalence abstinence rates were calculated and compared among cannabis use groups, based on frequency of past-30-day cannabis use at baseline (none: 0 days, occasional: 1–9 days, regular: 10–19 days, and daily: 20–30 days).

Results

Approximately 8.3% (n = 283) of participants (n = 3396) reported past-30-day cannabis use at baseline. Callers with daily cannabis use (20–30 days per month) had significantly lower odds of 30-day abstinence, relative to those who did not use cannabis (odds ratio = 0.5; 95% confidence interval [0.3, 0.9]).

Conclusions

Daily cannabis use appears to be associated with poorer smoking cessation treatment outcomes among adults seeking to quit smoking cigarettes via a quitline. Because quitlines are among the most accessible, affordable, and frequently utilized community-based treatments available in the United States, and the prevalence of cannabis use is increasing among cigarette smokers, detailed inquiry into cannabis use might enhance cigarette smoking cessation outcomes.

Implications

Quitlines are free of cost and accessible to millions of smokers in the United States. The current study found an inverse relationship between daily cannabis use at baseline and 30-day abstinence from cigarette smoking at 7-month follow-up among New York State Smokers’ Quitline callers. Findings suggest that daily cannabis use may be a barrier to smoking cessation and sustained abstinence among those seeking help to stop smoking cigarettes.
Archaeology, Linguistics, and Early Histories of Nigeria
Authors: Weise Constanze
Published: April 2022

The chapter provides a brief survey of the major research developments in archaeology, linguistics, and the early history of Nigeria. It focuses on some important cultural areas, such as the northeast around the Lake Chad and the Hausa speaking region, the Niger and Benue valleys in central Nigeria, the southwest with the Yoruba–Edo cultural complex, and the southeast with the primary region today inhabited by the Igbo people. In addition to available archaeological and linguistic data and written Arabic texts, special attention is also given to oral traditions, material culture, and ritual, as these elements provide additional layers of historical memory shaping the historical trajectory of this region.
Nigerian Diplomacy, Foreign Relations, and International Entanglements
Authors: Falola Toyin
Published: April 2022

This chapter focuses on Nigeria's pursuit of foreign policies and international relations beyond the shores of Africa. It recounts how Nigeria played a major role in the decolonization efforts of individual African countries, with Africa at its foreign policy center. It also discusses Nigeria's Afrocentric foreign policy, although its international relationships extended beyond Africa. The chapter analyzes Nigeria's immediate post-independence foreign policy that was rooted in colonial ties with Great Britain, wherein the country was favorably disposed towards the United Nations (UN) and the Commonwealth of Nations' activities. It traces the decades that ended the twentieth century, which saw Nigeria's continued African involvement and marked the beginning of its gradual withdrawal from deep concerns for other African countries.
Abolition, Legitimate Commerce, and Christianity in Nigeria
Authors: Olukoju Ayodeji
Published: April 2022

The history of Nigeria in the nineteenth century was dominated by the collapse of Old Oyo, the rise of the Sokoto Caliphate in the north and Ibadan in the southwest, the abolition of the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (TAST), the institution of legitimate commerce in forest produce, Christian missionary evangelization, and the beginnings of British colonialism. This essay examines how three conjoined events—the Abolition, legitimate commerce, and Christianity—shaped Nigeria’s history during the long nineteenth century, culminating in British colonial rule. It highlights the role of the abolition of TAST and British attitudes in sustaining domestic slavery, the contribution of the Abolition and the institution of legitimate commerce to the British colonization of Nigeria, and the differential impact of Christianity and formal education on regions and communities across Nigeria.
Culture, Attention, and Mental Health: Recent Empirical Findings on Visual Scenes and Its Influence on Culture-Bound Syndromes
Authors: Masuda Takahiko , Lee Hajin , Russell Matthew J.
Published: April 2022

Under the rubric of interdependent versus independent social orientation and holistic versus analytic cognition, cultural psychologists have demonstrated that there are substantial cultural variations in social cognition. Empirical evidence converges to demonstrate that, in a society where interdependent social orientation and holistic cognition have historically developed, people are more prone to attend to target information, while being sensitive to the context, relationship, and situation that surround the target (context-oriented attention). However, in a society where independent social orientation and analytic cognition have historically developed, people are more prone to attend to what they think is the most salient and important information, while paying little attention to its context, relationship, and situation (object-oriented attention). Until recently, the applications of these findings in the field of mental health science have not been fully discussed. This chapter begins by reviewing the theoretical framework and the cognitive and neural empirical evidence that demonstrate cultural variations in attention. It then introduces a series of studies that examine cross-cultural variations in stress perception between people in independent versus interdependent social orientation. Finally, it reviews a strand of research that could be considered one of many important candidates to further advance basic research on attention to more applied research in the field of mental health, which includes taijinkyofusho (TKS), hikikomori (social withdrawal)/NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) common in Japan, versus social phobia common in North America. The chapter ends with a discussion of a possible collaboration between cultural neuroscience and mental health science.
An International Perspective on Disability Social
Policy
Authors: Bruyère Susanne M. , Saleh Matthew
Published: April 2022

Disability has been a constant throughout human history; however, responses to disability vary greatly across time and social context. Modern international momentum to standardize certain baseline policies under human-rights principles are underway, but nation-level differences in disability policy and implementation are still the rule, rather than the exception. The philosophy underpinning policy development as well as resulting mechanisms can contribute to a stigmatizing and patronizing picture of people with disabilities and their ability to determine their own destinies and meaningfully contribute to society. This chapter provides a global overview of the development, structure, and function of disability policy across societies, focusing on select commonalities in the development of targeted disability policies, as well as challenges and future directions. The chapter emphasizes the development and interrelationship of core concepts in disability policy that have emerged in national contexts around the globe, such as disability benefits programs, disability employment efforts and services, nondiscrimination frameworks, and independent living and healthcare security. Many differ in practice and implementation, but also have important similarities worth highlighting. The chapter describes how policies have been shaped across different national contexts, and the ways in which social and cultural context influence philosophy and design. Differences in policy development and implementation for nations based on important factors, such as cultural attitudes, income level, and level of industrialization, are highlighted.
Social Control, Punishment, and Disability in the
United States
Authors: Fernandes April D. , Kurdyla Victoria
Published: April 2022

This chapter explores the intersections between social control, punishment, and disability, focusing on the lived experiences of people with disabilities within these systems and institutions. In the sphere of social control in the United States, disability represents a challenge to the processes, procedures, and policies of the agents and institutions tasked with custody and control. As individuals traverse the continuum of contact, from police interactions to court adjudication to incarceration, the role of both visible and invisible disabilities is salient to the experiences within the systems of social control as well the barriers to a successful reentry. The chapter engages with the expansive literature on social control and punishment, as well as the growing scholarship on the consequences of police and legal system contact and incarceration. Such involvement with the legal system has the potential to increase inequality by limiting access to essential markers of economic and social mobility and stability, from employment and housing to health and civil participation. Building on the theoretical traditions of intersectionality, crip theory, and critical race and feminist frameworks, this chapter takes an intersectional approach, investigating these relationships through the lens of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, and gender identity to more fully understand the ways in which disability in the legal and prison systems complicates the narrative of punishment. Analyzing disability along the continuum of contact is essential to a broader understanding of the stratifying effects of these systems, and the creation and maintenance of entrenched and enduring inequalities.
Evidence of the Creative Process in Early Music
Authors: Owens Jessie Ann
Published: April 2022

The investigation of musical creativity in early music proceeds largely through three approaches. One involves the study of surviving composer autographs and other evidence of musical composition. These material remains can shed light on the genesis of music that has been preserved in written form. This approach, however, cannot account for kinds of musical creativity that do not involve writing. An important new set of investigations deals with cultural practices, such as the widespread use of improvisation in performance and pedagogy or the role of memory. A third approach that is proving promising is the study of the music itself for evidence of its genesis by specialists with a deep understanding of specific repertories and associated music theoretical writing.
The Impact of the US Drug War on People of Color
Authors: Roberts Samuel K.
Published: April 2022

This chapter surveys three facets of the US war on drugs and its effects on communities of color. The first is how sentencing reforms from the 1960s on (mandatory minimums, stronger punitive drug laws) contributed to the rise of today’s mass incarceration crisis. Second is what scholars term the “collateral effects” of the drug war, including material impacts on wealth and assets, structural effects on communities of color (such as social punishments beyond prison), and health impacts, including psychological trauma to families and children. The third problem is its impact on Black politics: the post-Civil Rights generation of mayors and officials governed over declining urban enclaves, paradoxically responsible, with little dissent, for enforcing damaging drug policies. Federal drug policy emphasized zero-tolerance, drug testing, and abstinence, and thereby stigmatized the formation of citizens as “addicts,” which proved devastating to Black public health at the start of the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Forbidden Drugs of the Colonial Americas
Authors: Nesvig Martin
Published: April 2022

This chapter examines various plants native to the Americas which had hallucinogenic, psychotropic, or narcotic qualities, including, but not limited to, peyote, hallucinogenic mushrooms, ayahuasca, and morning glory seeds. It analyzes both the traditional roles these drugs played in pre-Hispanic cultures as well as the hybrid sociocultural functions such drugs came to perform in the early Spanish and Portuguese colonial period of the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries. While many such drugs were criminalized (famously by the Inquisition in the case of peyote), their use in fact moved beyond Indigenous peoples to some creoles and for a variety of purposes: in shamanist ritual; in personal divination; in practical attempts to discern future events or to locate lost or stolen items; in love magic; and as medicine. In the multi-ethnic contexts of the Americas, these drugs played surprisingly diverse and shifting roles.
Send Off
Authors: Zaritt Jesse
Published: April 2022

Questioning how queer, Jewish diasporic yearnings produce new forms of identity and belonging, this chapter traces the author’s research to consider how solo dance performance can dismantle (without disavowal) relationships to family, history, Jewishness, and Israel. An interrogation of dance within the complex political realities of Israel reveals how the development of a movement practice is the embodiment of a political practice. Gaga—the training method developed by Ohad Naharin—and the work of Yasmeen Godder are central to the research. Through examining tensions between compliance, pleasure, and defiance, and through analysis of dancing that lives at the edges of ecstasy and incoherence, this chapter seeks to place the nameable alongside the unnameable, describing a dance practice that moves beyond settled categories of identity. An auto-theory of self-critique and destabilized affiliation, the chapter honors the accumulating knowledge embedded in the dancing body as central to evolving fields of creative scholarship.
NATO’s Role in Responsible AI Governance in Military Affairs
Authors: Stanley-Lockman Zoe , Trabucco Lena
Published: April 2022

This chapter explores a role for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the emerging military artificial intelligence (AI) governance architecture. As global powers compete for capabilities that AI can offer, NATO has the challenging task of recalibrating strategic relationships in the coming years. NATO has begun to recognize technological change as a necessary variable and, in turn, adapt its organizational composition and strategy to increase the Alliance’s capacity to meet emerging security challenges. As NATO bodies and Allies prepare for the impact of AI on future military operations, NATO has its own responsibility to steward AI in ways that promote harmonization among Allies and advance the NATO mission. Toward this effort, the chapter highlights two governance mechanisms within NATO’s competency—strategic and policy planning, and standards and certification—as practices that exemplify NATO’s power to shape the trajectory of technological development. We operationalize these governance tools by examining the three pillars that are particularly challenging for AI governance: ethics and values, legal norms, and safety and security. Within each pillar, we examine NATO’s facilitation of strategic policy planning and standards and certification to emerge as a leader in establishing responsible technological development and, ultimately, a more secure international security environment. This chapter finds there is space for NATO to pursue its agenda to maintain technological superiority not just to protect and defend its way of life, but to build on AI governance pillars to steward military innovation on a responsible trajectory.
Bonaventure and Dionysius
Authors: Tobon Monica
Published: April 2022

Bonaventure, known as the ‘Seraphic Doctor’, has been described as ‘the most Dionysian mind of the Middle Ages’. Believing Dionysius to have been taught by Paul himself, he regarded him as the supreme authority on contemplation, and the Dionysian vision of creation as the ecstatic outpouring of divine eros and its return to God through hierarchically mediated reciprocal ecstasy was well suited to his desire to forge a distinctive Franciscan theological and spiritual synthesis centred on the ecstatic person of St Francis. He had access to various translations of the Dionysian corpus including one of unknown authorship possessed, and considered authoritative, by the first Franciscan school. This essay argues that, like Eriugena and Gallus, he reads Dionysius correctly rather than eisegetically in assigning an anagogical role to eros. Dionysian elements are present in every aspect of Bonaventure’s thought and at every stage of his career, and by way of illustration, this essay refers to six key texts whose subject matter ranges from exegesis and systematic theology to ecclesiology and spirituality.
The Ethics of Weaponized AI
Authors: Robillard Michael
Published: April 2022

This chapter presents an overview of some of the major ethical arguments for and against the use of autonomous weapons systems (AWS). More specifically, this chapter looks at the set of contingent arguments as well as the set of in principle arguments for and against their use. After summarizing these various views, the chapter argues that AWS do not pose new or novel ethical problems. If we think an AWS makes actual decisions in the ‘strong AI’ sense, then by virtue of being a decision-maker, that entity would therefore have rights and interests worthy of our moral concern. If we, however, think an AWS does not make actual decisions, but is instead just an institutional proxy for the collective set of human decisions comprising it, then we ought to treat an AWS, both morally and metaphysically, like we would treat any other collective action problem.
Origen’s Gospel Commentaries
Authors: Heine Ronald E.
Published: April 2022

Origen’s Gospel commentaries belong to an ancient commentary genre involving literature on pagan, Jewish, and Christian texts. His are the first texts of commentaries on the Gospels that we possess. He wrote commentaries on the Gospels of John, Matthew, and Luke. Portions of those on John and Matthew survive. Each book of the Commentary on John begins with a prologue, as was customary in commentary literature; there are no prologues with the books on the Gospel of Matthew. Origen’s prologues treat many themes discussed in the pagan commentary literature such as the reason for the title, and the skopos of the work. In his exposition of the text he works from the assumption that the literal wording contains a hidden spiritual meaning which must be excavated by various techniques including paying attention to the sequence in the text and applying anagogical interpretations. The theological perspectives of Paul and John were guiding lights in Origen’s interpretation of the Gospels. His overarching goal in the commentaries was to reveal and interpret the Logos of God who “emptied himself” and became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth.
Origen’s Homilies on the Bible
Authors: Pieri Francesco
Published: April 2022

The interpretation of the Scriptures was Origen’s distinctive goal as a Church teacher and later (after 235) as a presbyter. His Bible-based teaching reflects a model in continuity with the philosophical schools of the time. Origen’s corpus includes the largest collection of homilies from the first three centuries of Christianity; 205 homilies by Origen have survived. Direct tradition in Greek can be integrated with extensive quotes from other authors’ works. In a more limited way Origen’s homilies are documented through the catenae compilations from the Byzantine age. Still the outstanding line in the transmission of the homilies (as is the case with many of Origen’s other writings) is the Latin versions by Jerome or Rufinus. Various attempts have been made to reconstruct the liturgical context of Origen’s preaching, but this remains largely hypothetical.
An ultrasound negative for subclinical synovitis in arthralgia patients: is it helpful in identifying those not developing arthritis?
Authors: Rogier Cleo , Frazzei Giulia , Kortekaas Marion C , Verstappen Marloes , Ohrndorf Sarah , van Mulligen Elise , van Vollenhoven Ronald F , van Schaardenburg Dirkjan , de Jong Pascal H P , van der Helm-van Mil Annette H M
Published: April 2022

Objective

To investigate the negative predictive value (NPV) of musculoskeletal US (MSUS) in arthralgia patients at risk for developing inflammatory arthritis.

Methods

An MSUS examination of hands and feet was performed in arthralgia patients at risk for inflammatory arthritis in four independent cohorts. Patients were followed for one-year on the development of inflammatory arthritis. Subclinical synovitis was defined as greyscale ≥2 and/or power Doppler ≥1. NPVs were determined and compared with the prior risks of not developing inflammatory arthritis. Outcomes were pooled using meta-analyses and meta-regression analyses. In sensitivity analyses, MSUS imaging of tender joints only (rather than the full US protocol) was analysed and ACPA stratification applied.

Results

After 1 year 78, 82, 77 and 72% of patients in the four cohorts did not develop inflammatory arthritis. The NPV of a negative US was 86, 85, 82 and 90%, respectively. The meta-analysis showed a pooled non-inflammatory arthritis prevalence of 79% (95% CI 75%, 83%) and a pooled NPV of 86% (95% CI 81, 89%). Imaging tender joints only (as generally done in clinical practice) and ACPA stratification showed similar results.

Conclusion

A negative US result in arthralgia has a high NPV for not developing inflammatory arthritis, which is mainly due to the high a priori risk of not developing inflammatory arthritis. The added value of a negative US (<10% increase) was limited.