bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic diversity based on molecular analysis for Asam Gelugur (Garcinia atroviridis griff. ex t. anders) some districts in North Sumatra
Authors: Utami S W , Bayu E S , Damanik R I
Published: June 2021

Garcinia atroviridis
Griff. known as asam gelugur, it is native to Peninsular Malaysia. The distribution area of Asam gelugur in Indonesia is from Aceh to South Sumatra. The use of Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) markers aims to understanding of the genetic diversity of G.atroviridis. This study aims to observed at the genetic diversity of asam gelugur from Deli Serdang, Langkat, Karo, Serdang Bedagai and Asahan Districts, North Sumatera, Indonesia. The research was conducted at the Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Agriculture Faculty, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan. The research method used of the molecular marking method using 2 SSR primers (M1s75 and Vsur) based on PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) which amplifies the Specific DNA sequence. The results showed that primers M1s75 and Vsur were able to amplify 25 samples. The size of the bands was around 150-285 bp and showed monomorphic bands.
The effect of silica source concentration to improve growth of Lactuca sativa L. on floating hydroponic system
Authors: Frasetya B , Subandi M , Sofiani I H
Published: June 2021

The efficiency of nutrient absorption in lettuce cultivation with a floating raft hydroponic system can increase productivity and reduce hydroponic nutrients’ operational costs. This study aims to study the concentration of silica elements from silica sources made from rice husks and synthetic silica on lettuce plants’ growth. This research was carried out in April 2019-May 2019 at the greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University, Jatinangor-Sumedang, Indonesia. The research method used was a complete randomized design consisting of five treatments, namely, without silica, 6 ppm synthetic silica, 3 ppm rice husk silica, 6 ppm rice husk silica, and 9 ppm rice husk silica. Each treatment was repeated five times to obtain 25 units of the experiment. Growth parameters observed were plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, fresh weight, and shelf life at room temperature. The observational data were then analysed by analysis of variance at 5% level and Duncan test at 5% level. The results showed that the concentration of silica sources affect plant height and number of leaves. The application of 6 ppm rice husk silica concentration increased the fresh weight of plants 26% higher than without the application of silica.
Pineapple mealybug wilt-associated virus (PMWaV) on Sipahutar pineapple, in North Tapanuli, Indonesia
Authors: Hutahayan A J , Tantawi A R , Tobing M C , Lisnawita
Published: June 2021

Pineapple Mealybug Wilt-associated Virus (PMWaV) is one of the main diseases that affect pineapples all over the world, including Sipahutar, North Tapanuli, Indonesia. Currently, there are no studies or information on PMWaV disease as well as the species of mealybugs found in sipahutar pineapples. Therefore, this study aims to identify the mealybugs causing PMWaV in sipahutar pineapple. Data were obtained from 3 (three) villages, namely Siabal-abal II, Onan Runggu, and Sabunganni Huta V, to assess the disease incidence and collect mealybugs. The results showed that the disease incidence of PMWaV in the 3 villages were between 15.6 - 21.6%. The highest disease incidence was found in Siabal-abal II (21.6%), followed by Onan Runggu (21.3%), and SabunganniHuta V (15.6%). The mealybugs found on pineapple sipahutar with PMWaV symptoms in the 3 surveyed villages were identified as Dysmicoccus brevipes.
Virulence test of fusarium isolates against local shallot accessions in the highlands of Karo regency
Authors: Hasanuddin  , Bakti D , Sarifuddin
Published: June 2021

North Sumatra Province still lacks shallots every year. the obstacles that are often encountered and seen in farmers’ fields are disturbance of plant pests, generally diseases, especially fusarium basal rot disease. The purpose of this study was to detect the emergence of Fusarium isolates from various sources of infection locations against the increasing attack of fusarium bulbs rot that occurred in 2018 to 2019. Shallots are cultivated on Karo regency in Tongging Village, Rimokayu Village, Tiganderket Village and Payung Village. Statistical analysis showed that the Tongging Fusarium isolate was the most virulent against all the local accession. While Payung Fusarium most virulent against Rimokayu and Payung accession, and Tiganderket Fusarium is the most virulent against Rimokayu and Tiganderket accession. Only two isolates were among the highest virulent, that Tiganderket Fusarium isolate against Payung accession and Tongging accession, and Payung Fusarium isolate against Tiganderket accession and Tongging accession. Batu Bara Fusarium isolate and Deli Serdang Fusariu isolate, was classified as virulence and least virulent against Tongging accession, Payung accession, Tiganderket accession, and Rimokayu accession.
Molybdenum Occupational Study in a French Cohort of Workers
Authors: Drevin Guillaume , Lelievre Benedicte , Riou Jérémie , Briet Marie
Published: June 2021

Objectives

Occupational exposure to molybdenum has been poorly documented to date. Here, we present a retrospective study evaluating urinary molybdenum concentration before and after shift over a period of 2 years in exposed workers.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted across eight industrial sites in France and included all workers undergoing medical follow-up for occupational molybdenum exposure. A mean of six sequential samples (before and after shift) was performed for each worker. The urinary molybdenum concentration was determined using a validated method of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. A mixed linear model was built and linear regression was used to verify the extent to which the urinary molybdenum concentration depends on the age of the workers and the sampling period. Additionally, an analysis based on individual trajectory was also performed.

Results

Seventy-seven workers were included in the present study. Post-shift urinary molybdenum concentrations were significantly higher than pre-shift values [median (95th percentile) 37.9 (91.1), versus 60.6 (190.0) µg g−1 creatinine, respectively, P < 0.009]. No accumulation of molybdenum over time was observed. The urinary molybdenum concentrations were not influenced by age. Four workers presented high post-shift values as a result of not adhering to protection measures (maxima of 529.8, 359.7, 386.3, and 1459.7 µg g−1 creatinine, respectively).

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first study of occupational molybdenum exposure in France to include an individual trajectory analysis. No accumulation of molybdenum was seen but high post-shift molybdenum urinary concentrations were observed for some workers. The study emphasizes the importance of molybdenum monitoring in exposed workers.
White matter abnormalities in active elite adult rugby players
Authors: Zimmerman Karl A , Laverse Etienne , Samra Ravjeet , Yanez Lopez Maria , Jolly Amy E , Bourke Niall J , Graham Neil S N , Patel Maneesh C , Hardy John , Kemp Simon , Morris Huw R , Sharp David J
Published: June 2021

The recognition, diagnosis and management of mild traumatic brain injuries are difficult and confusing. It is unclear how the severity and number of injuries sustained relate to brain injuries, such as diffuse axonal injury, diffuse vascular injury and progressive neurodegeneration. Advances in neuroimaging techniques enable the investigation of neuropathologies associated with acute and long-term effects of injury. Head injuries are the most commonly reported injury seen during professional rugby. There is increased vigilance for the immediate effects of these injuries in matches, but there has been surprisingly little research investigating the longer-term effects of rugby participation. Here, we present a longitudinal observational study investigating the relationship of exposure to rugby participation and sub-acute head injuries in professional adult male and female rugby union and league players using advanced MRI. Diffusion tensor imaging and susceptibility weighted imaging was used to assess white matter structure and evidence of axonal and diffuse vascular injury. We also studied changes in brain structure over time using Jacobian Determinant statistics extracted from serial volumetric imaging. We tested 41 male and 3 female adult elite rugby players, of whom 21 attended study visits after a head injury, alongside 32 non-sporting controls, 15 non-collision-sport athletic controls and 16 longitudinally assessed controls. Eighteen rugby players participated in the longitudinal arm of the study, with a second visit at least 6 months after their first scan. Neuroimaging evidence of either axonal injury or diffuse vascular injury was present in 23% (10/44) of players. In the non-acutely injured group of rugby players, abnormalities of fractional anisotropy and other diffusion measures were seen. In contrast, non-collision-sport athletic controls were not classified as showing abnormalities. A group level contrast also showed evidence of sub-acute injury using diffusion tensor imaging in rugby players. Examination of longitudinal imaging revealed unexpected reductions in white matter volume in the elite rugby players studied. These changes were not related to self-reported head injury history or neuropsychological test scores and might indicate excess neurodegeneration in white matter tracts affected by injury. Taken together, our findings suggest an association of participation in elite adult rugby with changes in brain structure. Further well-designed large-scale studies are needed to understand the impact of both repeated sports-related head impacts and head injuries on brain structure, and to clarify whether the abnormalities we have observed are related to an increased risk of neurodegenerative disease and impaired neurocognitive function following elite rugby participation.
Association of plasma P-tau181 with memory decline in non-demented adults
Authors: Therriault Joseph , Benedet Andrea L , Pascoal Tharick A , Lussier Firoza Z , Tissot Cecile , Karikari Thomas K , Ashton Nicholas J , Chamoun Mira , Bezgin Gleb , Mathotaarachchi Sulantha , Gauthier Serge , Saha-Chaudhuri Paramita , Zetterberg Henrik , Blennow Kaj , Rosa-Neto Pedro ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: June 2021

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia worldwide and is characterized by a long preclinical phase in which amyloid-β and tau accumulate in the absence of cognitive decline. In vivo biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease are expensive, invasive and inaccessible, yet are critical for accurate disease diagnosis and patient management. Recent ultrasensitive methods to measure plasma phosphorylated tau 181 (p-tau181) display strong correlations with tau positron emission tomography, p-tau181 in CSF, and tau pathology at autopsy. The clinical utility of plasma-based p-tau181 biomarkers is unclear. In a longitudinal multicentre observational study, we assessed 1113 non-demented individuals (509 cognitively unimpaired elderly and 604 individuals with mild cognitive impairment) from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative who underwent neuropsychological assessments and were evaluated for plasma p-tau181. The primary outcome was a memory composite z-score. Mixed-effect models assessed rates of memory decline in relation to baseline plasma p-tau181, and whether plasma p-tau181 significantly predicted memory decline beyond widely available clinical and genetic data (age, sex, years of education, cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, and APOEε4 status). Participants were followed for a median of 4.1 years. Baseline plasma p-tau181 was associated with lower baseline memory (β estimate: −0.49, standard error: 0.06, t-value: −7.97), as well as faster rates of memory decline (β estimate: −0.11, standard error: 0.01, t-value: −7.37). Moreover, the inclusion of plasma p-tau181 resulted in improved prediction of memory decline beyond clinical and genetic data (marginal R2 of 16.7–23%, χ2 = 100.81, P < 0.00001). Elevated baseline plasma p-tau181 was associated with higher rates of clinical progression to mild cognitive impairment (hazard ratio = 1.82, 95% confidence interval: 1.2–2.8) and from mild cognitive impairment to dementia (hazard ratio = 2.06, 95% confidence interval: 1.55–2.74). Our results suggest that in elderly individuals without dementia at baseline, plasma p-tau181 biomarkers were associated with greater memory decline and rates of clinical progression to dementia. Plasma p-tau181 improved prediction of memory decline above a model with currently available clinical and genetic data. While the clinical importance of this improvement in the prediction of memory decline is unknown, these results highlight the potential of plasma p-tau181 as a cost-effective and scalable Alzheimer’s disease biomarker.
Functional connectivity abnormalities in Type I Chiari: associations with cognition and pain
Authors: Houston Michelle L , Houston James R , Sakaie Ken , Klinge Petra M , Vorster Sarel , Luciano Mark , Loth Francis , Allen Philip A
Published: June 2021

There is initial evidence of microstructural abnormalities in the fibre-tract pathways of the cerebellum and cerebrum of individuals diagnosed with Type I Chiari malformation. However, it is unclear whether abnormal white matter architecture and macro-level morphological deviations that have been observed in Chiari translate to differences in functional connectivity. Furthermore, common symptoms of Chiari include pain and cognitive deficits, but the relationship between these symptoms and functional connectivity has not been explored in this population. Eighteen Type I Chiari patients and 18 age-, sex- and education-matched controls underwent resting-state functional MRI to measure functional connectivity. Participants also completed a neuropsychological battery and completed self-report measures of chronic pain. Group differences in functional connectivity were identified. Subsequently, pathways of significant difference were re-analyzed after controlling for the effects of attention performance and self-reported chronic pain. Chiari patients exhibited functional hypoconnectivity between areas of the cerebellum and cerebrum. Controlling for attention eliminated all deficits with the exception of that from the posterior cerebellar pathway. Similarly, controlling for pain also eliminated deficits except for those from the posterior cerebellar pathway and vermis VII. Patterns of Chiari hyperconnectivity were also found between regions of the cerebellum and cerebrum in Chiari patients. Hyperconnectivity in all regions was eliminated after controlling for attention except between left lobule VIII and the left postcentral gyrus and between vermis IX and the precuneus. Similarly, hyperconnectivity was eliminated after controlling for pain except between the default mode network and globus pallidus, left lobule VIII and the left postcentral gyrus, and Vermis IX and the precuneus. Evidence of both hyper- and hypoconnectivity were identified in Chiari, which is posited to support the hypothesis that the effect of increased pain in Chiari draws on neural resources, requiring an upregulation in inhibitory control mechanisms and resulting in cognitive dysfunction. Areas of hypoconnectivity in Chiari patients also suggest disruption in functional pathways, and potential mechanisms are discussed.
High-resolution crystal structure of theBorreliella burgdorferiPlzA protein in complex with c-di-GMP: new insights into the interaction of c-di-GMP with the novel xPilZ domain
Authors: Singh Avinash , Izac Jerilyn R , Schuler Edward J A , Patel Dhara T , Davies Christopher , Marconi Richard T
Published: June 2021

In the tick-borne pathogens, Borreliella burgdorferi and Borrelia hermsii, c-di-GMP is produced by a single diguanylate cyclase (Rrp1). In these pathogens, the Plz proteins (PlzA, B and C) are the only c-di-GMP receptors identified to date and PlzA is the sole c-di-GMP receptor found in all Borreliella isolates. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that PlzA has a unique PilZN3-PilZ architecture with the relatively uncommon xPilZ domain. Here, we present the crystal structure of PlzA in complex with c-di-GMP (1.6 Å resolution). This is the first structure of a xPilz domain in complex with c-di-GMP to be determined. PlzA has a two-domain structure, where each domain comprises topologically equivalent PilZ domains with minimal sequence identity but remarkable structural similarity. The c-di-GMP binding site is formed by the linker connecting the two domains. While the structure of apo PlzA could not be determined, previous fluorescence resonance energy transfer data suggest that apo and holo forms of the protein are structurally distinct. The information obtained from this study will facilitate ongoing efforts to identify the molecular mechanisms of PlzA-mediated regulation in ticks and mammals.
Cognitive Performance Trajectories Before and After Sleep Treatment Initiation in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Results From the Health and Retirement Study
Authors: Kaufmann Christopher N , Bondi Mark W , Thompson Wesley K , Spira Adam P , Ancoli-Israel Sonia , Malhotra Atul
Published: June 2021

Background

Sleep disturbances are associated with risk of cognitive decline but it is not clear if treating disturbed sleep mitigates decline. We examined differences in cognitive trajectories before and after sleep treatment initiation.

Method

Data came from the 2006–2014 Health and Retirement Study (HRS). At each of 5 waves, participants were administered cognitive assessments and scores were summed. Participants also reported if, in prior 2 weeks, they had taken medications or used other treatments to improve sleep. Our sample (N = 3 957) included individuals who at HRS 2006 were 50 years and older, had no cognitive impairment, reported no sleep treatment, and indicated experiencing sleep disturbance. We identified differences between those receiving versus not receiving treatment in subsequent waves and, among those treated (n = 1 247), compared cognitive trajectories before and after treatment.

Results

At baseline, those reporting sleep treatment at subsequent waves were more likely to be younger, female, Caucasian, to have more health conditions, to have higher body mass index, and more depressive symptoms (all ps ≤ .015). Decline in cognitive performance was mitigated in periods after sleep treatment versus periods before (B = −0.20, 95% CI = [−0.25, −0.15], p < .001 vs B = −0.26, 95% CI = [−0.32, −0.20], p < .001), and this same trend was seen for self-initiated and doctor-recommended treatments. Trends were driven by those with higher baseline cognitive performance—those with lower performance saw cognitive declines following sleep treatment.

Conclusions

In middle-aged and older adults with sleep disturbance, starting sleep treatment may slow cognitive decline. Future research should assess types, combinations, and timing of treatments most effective in improving cognitive health in later life.
When the hegemon goes rogue: leadership amid the US assault on the liberal trading order
Authors: Hopewell Kristen
Published: June 2021

Under President Trump, the United States abdicated its traditional leadership role in the trading system, abandoning multilateralism for aggressive unilateralism and launching an active assault on the World Trade Organization (WTO). Most strikingly, the US blocked appointments to the Appellate Body, jeopardizing the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism. With the trade regime in crisis, a key question has been whether other states would have the will and capacity to lead system-preserving initiatives. While most attention has focused on whether China—widely seen as the chief hegemonic challenger to the US—would assume the mantle of leadership, there has been considerable scepticism about the European Union's capacity to exercise leadership amid the crisis. The EU has generally been seen as punching below its weight in terms of leadership at the WTO. In this article, however, I argue that it is the EU, rather than China, that has taken the lead in advancing concrete initiatives directed at defending and maintaining the multilateral trading system. The EU led the creation of an interim appeals arrangement to replace the defunct Appellate Body—in effect, creating an ‘Appellate Body minus the US’. Although the rules-based multilateral trading system remains under threat, it is the EU, not China, that is acting as a system-preserving power, leading efforts to defend the established order.
Mechanoethology: The Physical Mechanisms of Behavior
Authors: Green P A , McHenry M J , Rico-Guevara A
Published: June 2021

Research that integrates animal behavior theory with mechanics—including biomechanics, physiology, and functional morphology—can reveal how organisms accomplish tasks crucial to their fitness. Despite the insights that can be gained from this interdisciplinary approach, biomechanics commonly neglects a behavioral context and behavioral research generally does not consider mechanics. Here, we aim to encourage the study of “mechanoethology,” an area of investigation intended to encompass integrative studies of mechanics and behavior. Using examples from the literature, including papers in this issue, we show how these fields can influence each other in three ways: (1) the energy required to execute behaviors is driven by the kinematics of movement, and mechanistic studies of movement can benefit from consideration of its behavioral context; (2) mechanics sets physical limits on what behaviors organisms execute, while behavior influences ecological and evolutionary limits on mechanical systems; and (3) sensory behavior is underlain by the mechanics of sensory structures, and sensory systems guide whole-organism movement. These core concepts offer a foundation for mechanoethology research. However, future studies focused on merging behavior and mechanics may reveal other ways by which these fields are linked, leading to further insights in integrative organismal biology.
Management of COVID-19 in a Deployed Setting
Authors: Medby Christian , Clifford Sandra Larssen , Norquay Miranda , Hansen Therese Killi , Gurney Jennifer
Published: June 2021

Introduction

Hamid Karzai International Airport is a NATO military base connected to the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is one of the larger NATO installations in Afghanistan, and with its location being one of the main hubs for international transit, the base has been at the frontline since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hamid Karzai International Airport base commanders and medical staff have been at the forefront, continually developing policies and procedures to mitigate the pandemic in a deployed setting.

Material and Methods

On base, approximately 4,000 people from 58 different nations lived within 0.5 km2. Diagnosis of COVID-19 was made by the detection of nucleic acid from the SARS-CoV-2 virus in nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs using real-time polymerase chain reaction (BioFire or GeneXpert). Serological tests (detecting IgM and IgG antibodies) were used as a screening tool. Data were reported from April 1 to September 12, 2020.

Results

Three thousand four hundred and sixty-six PCR tests were run in the reported period. Four hundred and seventy-eight positive cases were identified. Of these, only 106 reported symptoms. Seventy-eight presented spontaneously to the emergency room, while the remaining positive cases were identified as a result of aggressive testing of close contacts, base screening and surge testing. Twenty-two patients required oxygen treatment. One patient required mechanical ventilation and later died after strategic evacuation.

Discussion

Mitigation of COVID-19 was achieved by measures to reduce the spread of the virus, measures to reduce the population, and a medical response plan. To manage the logistic burden of isolating and quarantining a large portion of the population, a multinational and multidisciplinary COVID Task Force was formed.

Conclusions

In a military population of mostly young and healthy individuals, the majority of COVID-positive patients will have fewer symptoms, and therefore, the aggressive screening of asymptomatic personnel is necessary. Outbreaks of COVID-19 in a military base could have a detrimental impact on missions but may be contained and controlled with quarantine, isolation, and aggressive contact tracing.
Nicotine Toxicity Secondary to Aftermarket Modifications to a Vaping Device
Authors: Bendel Garrett S , Hiller Hugh M , Ralston Aaron
Published: June 2021

Electronic cigarettes continue to rise in popularity as a reportedly safe alternative to standard cigarette smoking. Their use has become common in our society and specifically in our young active duty population. This cigarette smoking alternative has come under recent scrutiny with the discovery of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury. However, there is another potential risk associated with vaping: the relative ease at which vaping devices can be modified has allowed a growing community of users to invent novel ways of delivering higher concentrations of nicotine. Here, we describe two cases of active duty patients who presented to an emergency department with clinical nicotine toxicity after using a heavily modified e-cigarette.
Transient Proximal Median Nerve Entrapment in a Tetraplegic Hand Cyclist Following a 24-Hour Endurance Race
Authors: Elmgreen Søren Bruno
Published: June 2021

Median nerve entrapment is a frequent disorder encountered by all clinicians at some point of their career. Affecting the distal median nerve, entrapment occurs most frequently at the level of the wrist resulting in a carpal tunnel syndrome. Median nerve entrapment may also occur proximally giving rise to the much less frequent pronator teres syndrome and even less frequent anterior interosseous nerve syndrome, which owing to the paucity of cases may prove challenging to diagnose. An unusual case of anterior interosseous syndrome precipitated by extraordinary exertion in a tetraplegic endurance athlete is presented with ancillary dynamometric, electrodiagnostic, ultrasonographic, and biochemical findings.
Tumor type, epilepsy burden, and seizure documentation: experiences at a single center neuro-oncology clinic
Authors: Bushara Omar , Guzner Alex , Bachman Elizabeth , Stupp Roger , Lukas Rimas V , Templer Jessica W
Published: June 2021

Background

Patients with both primary and metastatic brain tumors have significant seizure burden due to their tumor. The management of tumor-related epilepsy (TRE) and optimizing antiepileptic drug (AED) regimens requires collaboration between neurologists and seizure specialists, which is facilitated by seizure documentation in clinic notes. We aim to describe seizure incidence in patients seen in neuro-oncology clinical practice. Further, in the subset of those patients with TRE, we aim to analyze seizure documentation.

Methods

This is a retrospective review of patients with a primary or metastatic brain tumor seen in a neuro-oncology clinic in October 2019. Patients with TRE were included in the analysis of seizure documentation. These notes were analyzed for inclusion of seizure descriptors, terminology, AED regimens, and changes in management.

Results

Of the full cohort of 356 patients, 199 (55.9%) had TRE. Anaplastic astrocytomas had the highest percentage of patients with TRE. The analysis of seizure documentation in patients with TRE revealed that the majority of notes (90.9%) mentioned seizures. Fewer notes (39.6%) provided additional descriptions of the seizures or commented on AED regimens (58.3%). In notes for patients who had seizures within the previous 6 months, seizure descriptors were more likely.

Conclusions

This study defines the TRE burden in a cohort of patients seen in neuro-oncology clinic. Among patients with TRE, our study shows that documentation of many aspects of the characteristics and management of patient seizures can be improved, which would facilitate further analysis of impact on patient care as well as future research.
Research in Adults with Diminished Capacity
Authors: Dickert Neal W. , Largent Emily A.
Published: June 2021

Informed consent is often identified as a condition of ethical research. Therefore, ethical challenges arise when conducting research with adults who lack the capacity to provide informed consent. In this chapter, the authors consider these challenges using two principal cases: adults with dementia and adults with acute, emergent health conditions. As this pair of cases shows, decisional capacity can be “diminished” in many ways, and a number of strategies are available to address diminished capacity. In this chapter, the authors highlight surrogate consent and the partial-involvement strategies of assent and dissent and note additional protections afforded to these vulnerable populations.
Biomedical Research Using Nonhuman Animals
Authors: Walker Rebecca L.
Published: June 2021

This chapter considers the ethical significance of the translational value of biomedical research using live nonhuman animals. By “translational value” is meant how well or poorly animal research results in specific improvements in human medicine. While other animal as well as environmental benefits may also result from biomedical research using animals, the primary objective of most such research continues to be human health benefit. The translational value of animal research is first considered in light of a historical and regulatory perspective on the nexus of human and nonhuman animal experimentation. Next, common competing perceptions about the value of animal research for human health are addressed. Finally, consideration of intellectual virtue and barriers to its achievement are introduced as crucial and little recognized factors in these debates.
From Reproductive Rights to Reproductive Justice
Authors: Ziegler Mary
Published: June 2021

This article illuminates potential obstacles facing the reproductive justice movement and the way those obstacles might be overcome. Since 2010, reproductive justice—an agenda that fuses access to reproductive health services and demands for social justice—has energized feminist scholars and activists and captured broader public attention. Abortion rights advocates in the past dismissed reproductive justice claims as risky and unlikely to appeal to a broad enough audience. These obstacles are not as daunting as they first appear. Reframing the abortion right as a matter of women’s equality may eliminate some of the constitutional hurdles facing a reproductive justice approach. The political obstacles may be just as surmountable. Understanding the history of the constitutional discourse concerning reproductive justice and reproductive rights may allow us to move beyond the impasse that has defined the relationship between the two for too long.
Revelation in Christian Scripture
Authors: Giambrone Anthony
Published: June 2021

‘Revelation in Christian Scripture’ is an immensely evocative theme, focused upon two intertwined events: the climactic apocalypse of the Father’s Eternal Son in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the son-making effect realized in those who receive the good news of this mysterious happening. The unmediated mediation of access to God that Jesus imparts through the gift of his Spirit gives a paradoxical colour to the conception of Revelation in Christian Scripture. The equally paradoxical notion of a prophesied novum further shapes Christian Scripture’s construction of Revelation. The manifold ways that the revelation of Jesus is related to the prior revelation made through Moses mirrors the complex relationship between Old and New Covenants and the progressive and epochal structure of divine pedagogy. The mapping of this bipartite structure onto the contours of the written Bible exposes the sacred text as itself a revelatory communication of the mystery.
Revelation in Phenomenology
Authors: Mezei Balázs M.
Published: June 2021

This chapter investigates the notion of revelation in the work of the main representatives of the phenomenological movement. This movement has a crucial importance in understanding the philosophical landscape today. Emerging from Austrian and German sources, phenomenology became the leading philosophical school in Europe by the mid-twentieth century. Later developments led to the emergence of French phenomenology, which has defined Continental thought in more than one way. The persistent focus of the phenomenological movement has been the nature and content of religious experience or the religious phenomenon. And while some of the phenomenologists, like Jean-Paul Sartre, proposed a different course for this kind of thinking, the problem of religion has become central to most of the phenomenological authors. This explains the fact that the phenomenological notion of divine disclosure or revelation has always been in the centre of this movement. One can even say that the philosophical problem of revelation is the central subject matter in the history of phenomenology beginning with Franz Brentano through Max Scheler, Paul Ricœur, Emmanuel Lévinas, and Jean-Luc Marion. The work of these and other authors has exerted a tremendous influence on contemporary philosophy. However, the problem of revelation per se is the crucial problem of philosophy, as is demonstrated by the history and problematic of the phenomenological movement. This chapter offers an overview of this history and also an outline of the problem of revelation from the point of view of what can be termed ‘apocalyptic phenomenology’.
Revelation in the Jewish Tradition
Authors: Solomon Norman
Published: June 2021

This chapter opens with a note on the naive concept of revelation as it appears in the Hebrew Scriptures. An account of the accommodation of Jewish thought to Hellenistic models by Philo leads to a remark on Talmud and early Jewish mysticism. Medieval philosophers such as Saadia and Maimonides attempted not only to present Jewish belief and practice in rational form but to justify its claim to possession of the only authentic revelation; the kabbalistic or mystical reaction is described. The moral, historical, and scientific concerns brought into focus by Spinoza, who appealed to reason as the criterion of what constituted revelation, are then outlined; Jewish responses to issues he raised are discussed. The chapter shows how Jewish responses to the Enlightenment generated different interpretations of revelation, leading to the formation of Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox denominations of Judaism. Moving rapidly through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, we survey interpretations of revelation by Jewish thinkers including Hermann Cohen (‘progressive’ revelation), Martin Buber (revelation as ‘encounter’), J. D. Soloveitchik (halakha as a priori system), Abraham J. Heschel (between immanence and transcendence), Emil Fackenheim (Holocaust theology), and Tamar Ross (feminism, ‘cumulative’ revelation), concluding with a selection of contemporary thinkers who reinterpret the language of revelation in non-dogmatic terms.
Revelation after the Holocaust
Authors: Glazov Gregory Yuri
Published: June 2021

The challenges which the Holocaust presents to reflections, especially Judeo-Christian, on divine revelation may be introduced by surveying how some poets, philosophers, and psychologists who have debated the seemliness of finding meaning in its barbarity have identified the search for this meaning to be intrinsic to conscience and necessary to human resistance against the banality of evil. However, by being the Nazi attempt and failure to exterminate the Jewish people in particular, the Holocaust must be defined in ways that address the sense of betrayal and abandonment fostered in its Jewish victims by their biblical conceptions of being the recipients and bearers of divine revelation. These definitions represent the Holocaust either as an event continuous with Jewish heritage and history, or so discontinuous as warranting either their negation or reformation in ways that suggest the contours of a new revelation. The many Jewish biblical and theological models guiding reflection on the Holocaust militate against reductionistic positions which represent it as a divine punishment and open up to representing the Jewish people as a Servant given to participate in the anguish which God nurtures for the created world. The extent to which the Holocaust was facilitated by Christian theological contempt for Judaism, and the extent to which this contempt was fostered by Christian scripture and tradition, all these stand to reveal the need for Christians to renew their understanding of Christian-Jewish relationships in general and of the relationship of Christology to Jewish suffering in particular.
Divine Revelation in West Africa and Central Africa
Authors: Young Josiah Ulysses
Published: June 2021

This chapter examines divine revelation in West Africa and Central Africa, with a historical focus on the relation of biblical beliefs to African traditional religions. It discusses the African independent churches, specifically the Église de Jésus-Christ sur la Terre par le Prophète Simon Kimbangu; Vincent Mulago’s essay in Des prêtres noirs s’interrogent (1956); specific essays from the book Biblical Revelation and African Beliefs (1969); and Engelbert Mveng’s book L’Art d’Afrique noire: liturgie cosmique et langage religieux (1964). The chapter also examines the recent scholarship of the Ghanaian theologian Mercy Oduyoye and the Congolese scholars Oscar Bimwenyi-Kweshi and Kä Mana. Regarding the relationship between divine revelation and African traditional religions, it discusses J. B. Danquah’s book The Akan Doctrine of God (1944), the arguments of the Congolese Egyptologist Mubabinge Bilolo, and the West African scholar Ntumba Museka.
Revelation as Biblical History
Authors: Bradshaw Timothy
Published: June 2021

The term revelation means an unveiling to a recipient who otherwise would not be able to see something hidden. It has a gift quality, and needs to be received if a revelation happens. Revelation in Christianity needs an informational dimension in order for understanding of the revealer, who is God with distinctive characteristics, notably empathetic love, mercy, and grace, and this God invites faith, trust, and responsive self-giving. Ultimately revelation is consummated in Jesus Christ. History has several vital dimensions and is a dynamic reality of the past receiving meaning from future events. The narrative structure of biblical history functioned to mediate Christ to the early Church, and critical-historical analysis produced a certain eclipse of biblical narrative and a turn to the human phenomenology of subjective feeling, away from the gift quality of revelation. The First World War revived eschatological concerns and brought a new sense of inbreaking divine revelation. A Hegelian concern for the revelatory capacity of universal history followed, with radical and postmodern proposals for engaging with and being engaged by the texts and gift of revelation.
Music and Divine Revelation
Authors: Begbie Jeremy
Published: June 2021

Music has been perennially associated with divine revelation. This chapter asks why this might be the case, with special reference to the self-revelation of God in the Christian faith. It begins by outlining the theology of music offered by Augustine in his De musica, in which the numerical character of the cosmos, to which sounding music is attuned, is said to give access to God. This is set alongside Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834), for whom music more than any other art shares in and awakens that dimension of human experience he regards as distinctively religious. Critical questions are asked of both theologians, in the light of which some four fundamental yet oft-neglected themes and trajectories of classical Christian theology are explored with respect to music’s revelatory potential: the priority of God’s revealing action, the social and embodied character of revelation, creation’s revelation of the divine, and revelation through language.
Stakeholder Model of Change
Authors: Lewis Laurie
Published: June 2021

This chapter explores the various ways in which opposing and/or contradictory entities unfold and play out with regard to change in organizations. This is undertaken from two different viewpoints. First, from a micro-phenomenological perspective it examines how insights derived from critical theory and other critical traditions have influenced the development of change strategies, interventions, and techniques. Second, at a more macro-level, it explores the extent to which particular schools of thought with regard to organizational change and organization development (OD) have embraced and/or resisted, the inevitable and unavoidable critical challenges and opportunities presented by opposing agents, competing interests, conflicting entities, and contrasting meanings in organizations. The chapter concludes by discussing the scope for, and possible directions of, critical change scholarship and practice in the future.
Institutional Change
Authors: Micelotta Evelyn , Lounsbury Michael , Greenwood Royston
Published: June 2021

This chapter reviews the current state of research on change processes from an institutional perspective. It examines the longitudinal progression of research, illustrating the generative processes that drive change, the patterns of change over time, the mechanisms underpinning change, and its key outcomes. It distinguishes variance and process studies and zooms in on process-based research (i.e., temporal progression of event sequences), discussing implications for organizations, and similarities and differences between theoretical models of change. We conclude by noting that our typology of change pathways situates extant research to reveal important blind spots in the literature that require more systematic attention.
The Performative “Picture”
Authors: Tsoukas Haridimos
Published: June 2021

This chapter reflects on the previous handbook chapters and considers how our conceptualization of change influences how it is explained, understood, or prescribed. It explores the contrast between the synoptic (or entitative) image of change, which conceives of change as happening to organizations (or parts thereof), and the performative (or enactivist) image, which looks at change from within: how the organization responds to exogenous and endogenous stimuli. By focusing on agency, the performative “picture” conceives of stability as an accomplishment. Even when stability is deliberately perturbed through episodic-cum-planned change, the latter always retains emergence—becomingness. From a performative perspective, when planned-cum-episodic change is initiated, what is worth exploring is how the rationale for change emerges, how it is articulated and connected with diverse narratives of change that may have been available, how diverse agents intra-act, and how possibilities emerge.
The Ordinary Concept of True Love
Authors: Earp Brian D. , Do Daniel , Knobe Joshua
Published: June 2021

When we say that what two people feel for each other is “true love,” we seem to be doing more than simply clarifying that it is in fact love they feel, as opposed to something else. That is, an experience or relationship might be a genuine or actual instance of love without necessarily being an instance of true love. But what criteria do people use to determine whether something counts as true love? This chapter explores three hypotheses. The first holds that the ordinary concept of true love picks out love that is highly prototypical. The second, that it picks out love that is especially good or valuable. The third, that people distinguish between psychological states that are “real” or not, and that it picks out love that is real. Two experiments provide evidence against the first hypothesis and in favor of the second and third. Implications for real-life disagreements about love are also discussed.
Multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 editing of DNA methyltransferases in rice uncovers a class of non-CG methylation specific for GC-rich regions
Authors: Hu Daoheng , Yu Yiming , Wang Chun , Long Yanping , Liu Yue , Feng Li , Lu Dongdong , Liu Bo , Jia Jinbu , Xia Rui , Du Jiamu , Zhong Xuehua , Gong Lei , Wang Kejian , Zhai Jixian
Published: June 2021

DNA methylation in the non-CG context is widespread in the plant kingdom and abundant in mammalian tissues such as the brain and pluripotent cells. Non-CG methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana is coordinately regulated by DOMAINS REARRANGED METHYLTRANSFERASE (DRM) and CHROMOMETHYLASE (CMT) proteins but has yet to be systematically studied in major crops due to difficulties in obtaining genetic materials. Here, utilizing the highly efficient multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing system, we created single- and multiple-knockout mutants for all the nine DNA methyltransferases in rice (Oryza sativa) and profiled their whole-genome methylation status at single-nucleotide resolution. Surprisingly, the simultaneous loss of DRM2, CHROMOMETHYLASE3 (CMT2), and CMT3 functions, which completely erases all non-CG methylation in Arabidopsis, only partially reduced it in rice. The regions that remained heavily methylated in non-CG contexts in the rice Os-dcc (Osdrm2/cmt2/cmt3a) triple mutant had high GC contents. Furthermore, the residual non-CG methylation in the Os-dcc mutant was eliminated in the Os-ddccc (Osdrm2/drm3/cmt2/cmt3a/cmt3b) quintuple mutant but retained in the Os-ddcc (Osdrm2/drm3/cmt2/cmt3a) quadruple mutant, demonstrating that OsCMT3b maintains non-CG methylation in the absence of other major methyltransferases. Our results showed that OsCMT3b is subfunctionalized to accommodate a distinct cluster of non-CG-methylated sites at highly GC-rich regions in the rice genome.
XI The Eighteenth Century
Authors: Lyons-Mcfarland Michelle , Milne Fiona , Scott Robert , Distel Kristin M
Published: June 2021

This chapter has four sections: 1. General and Prose; 2. The Novel; 3. Poetry; 4. Drama. Section 1 is by Michelle Lyons-McFarland; section 2 is by Fiona Milne; section 3 is by Robert Scott; section 4 is by Kristin M. Distel
Black Leg and Chlorotic Leaf Spot Occurrence on Brassicaceae Crop and Weed Hosts
Authors: Claassen Briana J. , Berry Pete A. , Thomas William J. , Mallory-Smith Carol , Ocamb Cynthia M.
Published: June 2021

Black leg (caused by Plenodomus lingam and P. biglobosus) and chlorotic leaf spot (caused by Pyrenopeziza brassicae) are economically important fungal diseases of Brassicaceae crops. Surveys of seed fields and weed hosts were conducted to understand the distribution and prevalence of these diseases in Oregon after black leg and chlorotic leaf spot outbreaks occurred in Brassicaceae crops in 2014. Postharvest black leg ratings were conducted in seed fields of canola, forage rape, and turnip in 2015 and 2016. The incidence of black leg was greater for turnip (51%) than for canola (29%) and forage rape (25%). The overall average disease incidence was greater for seed crops harvested in 2015 (46%) than for crops harvested in 2016 (28%). A disease survey of wild Brassicaceae plants was conducted along Interstate 5 in Oregon. Brassicaceae weed population sites were identified and 40 sites were sampled for these diseases. Black leg and chlorotic leaf spot were present in 60 and 45%, respectively, of the sampled sites. Both species of Plenodomus were detected in weed populations, with P. lingam being the predominant species recovered (95%). The northernmost sample site with black leg was <32 km from the Oregon–Washington border, and the southernmost site with black leg was within 32 km of the Oregon–California border. Chlorotic leaf spot was detected <32 km from the Oregon–Washington border, whereas the southernmost site where it was detected was approximately 164 km from the Oregon–California border. Based on this study, infected crop residues and weed hosts may facilitate the persistence and spread of these pathogens.