bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Personality Features of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
Authors: Pinto Anthony , Cowan Ezra
Published: August 2023

This chapter reviews personality features (comorbid personality disorders, trait dimensions, and related constructs) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the DSM-5 obsessive-compulsive and related disorders [body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, trichotillomania, and excoriation (skin-picking disorder)]. For each disorder, there is a discussion of the impact of personality features on clinical course, including the development and maintenance of symptoms and treatment outcome. The chapter also includes a review of the long-standing, yet often misunderstood, relationship between OCD and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Understanding the role of personality variables in the psychopathology of OCD and related conditions has important implications for the study and treatment of the disorders.
The Discovery of “Slums” in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Cincinnati, Ohio
Authors: Binford Henry C.
Published: August 2023

The word “slum,” a part of British slang since the early years of the nineteenth century, was not widely used in the United States until the middle of that century. The term crept into American English during the 1850s and 1860s, applied at first to areas of New York City and then to other cities including newer and smaller ones in the continental interior such as Cincinnati. Delayed and then rapid adoption of the term resulted from a convergence of changes in the American experience and discussions of urban living. Modes of describing and evaluating urban space developed during the early nineteenth century laid a foundation for much later tenement reform and slum clearance movements of the Progressive era.
Social Geographies of Poverty in Victorian and Edwardian London
Authors: Dennis Richard
Published: August 2023

Early Victorian investigations of the “poor” in London often proved self-fulfilling prophecies, concentrated on localities already perceived as “rookeries.” In contrast to such surveys and to novels set in expected “slum” localities, Charles Booth’s massive survey of Life and Labour of the People in London, published in seventeen volumes between 1889 and 1903, aimed to be comprehensive, compiling comparative statistics at different scales, and objective, dispassionately mapping and tabulating information on “poverty” and, by implication, social and spatial inequality, across the entire city. However, the language and impressions conveyed by Booth’s researchers in their notebooks is often as subjective and judgmental as that of his predecessors. Nevertheless, Booth’s focus on mapping and assigning everybody to “poverty classes” shifts attention away from the problem of “slums” as inadequate built environments to more challenging questions concerning the extent and spatial distribution of poverty and inequality, indicating the need to focus on suburbs as much as the inner city, displacement following “slum clearance,” and the combined effects of geographical and socioeconomic marginalization.
Slums and Communism
Authors: Nevzgodin Ivan
Published: August 2023

A byproduct of the October Revolution of 1917 was a new Soviet type of slum. These slums were alien both culturally and ideologically to the communist regime. Therefore the slums were denied; they did not exist in the socialist city according to politicians, urban professionals, and scholars. They formed a hidden part of rapid Soviet urbanization. The Soviet government’s concentration on industrial development caused a deficit in good housing throughout the history of the Soviet Union. Post-Soviet Russia inherited the shantytowns from the communist period and has already given rise to new ones. This chapter discusses the fascinating history of urban resilience, official slum clearance projects, and unofficial town planning practices.
The Return of the Slums in Postwar America
Authors: Von Hoffman Alexander
Published: August 2023

In postwar America, millions of African Americans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Appalachian whites migrated to cities where tight housing markets, poverty, ethnic ties, and especially racial discrimination funneled them into densely populated racial and ethnic enclaves. Despite racial segregation, these neighborhoods contained diverse populations and were rich in religious, cultural, social, and economic activities. Yet middle-class whites viewed them the way nineteenth-century Americans had viewed crowded immigrant quarters: as “slums” and “blight” filled with unsafe buildings and uncivilized people prone to indigence, disease, and crime. Attacking slums and blight as physical problems, government officials implemented urban renewal policies that bulldozed neighborhoods and displaced their inhabitants. Eventually Americans would confront underlying urban problems such as poverty and racial discrimination, but by then the slum conditions of the postwar years had begun to fade.
Pride and Shame
Authors: de Souza Flávio A. M.
Published: August 2023

This chapter provides a reassessment of Brazilian “slums” and a short history of housing the poor by Brazilian governments, enhanced by the views of favela residents themselves. The Brazilian state needs to refine its tools for recognizing housing rights since, despite numerous attempts, it has not been able to guarantee access to urban land for housing the poor, nor has it been able to regularize land tenure for the residents of informal settlements. Also, society has to fight against the social injustices inherent in housing production. The example of ZEIS (Special Zones of Social Interest) in Recife, a political instrument for resolving housing claim disputes, is discussed to demonstrate institutional incapacities for social articulations at the local level. The mainstream views of slums are based on the material and social disqualification of individuals and need to end.
Relativism and the Ethical Criticism of Art
Authors: Nannicelli Ted
Published: August 2023

This chapter begins by outlining several kinds of relativism in the two fields that concern us here: philosophy of art and moral philosophy. It then turns to a brief review of the recent literature in experimental folk moral psychology which suggests the folk are meta-ethical pluralists—objectivists in some contexts and relativists in others. Taking the case of ancient Greek art that celebrates pederasty as a touchpoint, the author suggests that empirical work on the moral appraisal of art is likely to mesh with and lend additional support to this idea. The chapter concludes with a discussion of Bernard Williams’s “relativism of distance,” and the argument that there are, independent of the empirical findings, good meta-ethical reasons for considering a limited form of relativism about the moral standing of artworks.
Consequentialist Approaches to Ethical Judgment of Artworks
Authors: Woodcock Scott
Published: August 2023

This chapter explores what a consequentialist approach to ethics will imply for ethical judgments of artworks. It may initially seem as if the implications of consequentialism will be straightforward. However, like other practical applications of consequentialism, what seems like a simple approach to promoting value in the world quickly becomes complicated when one considers the intricacies of the empirical details at stake when it comes to art and its impact on our lives. The primary aim of the chapter is to present a selection of these intricacies to give readers a sense of what sophisticated versions of consequentialism have to offer, yet it also presents some advantages and disadvantages of the theory as it applies to evaluations of art.
Humor Ethics
Authors: Butterfield Paul
Published: August 2023

This chapter surveys some of the primary debates regarding the ethics of humor in contemporary philosophy and related disciplines. The author considers the question of whether jokes have morally assessable content at all, and the extent to which one can read a joker’s sincere beliefs from their comic speech. The author commends certain piecemeal approaches to the topic, which note morally relevant features of comedy without claiming to provide a full account of the rights and wrongs of humor. The chapter closes by assessing some answers to the related question of whether, if an instance of humor is morally compromised, it is therefore less funny.
Art, Race, and Racism
Authors: Clavel-Vázquez Adriana
Published: August 2023

This chapter takes up the question of the role of artistic practices in the formation of racial identity, and the sustainment and legitimization of racial projects. Rather than examining the ethical value of artistic representations in virtue of themselves, this chapter examines the ethical value of artistic representations in virtue of what they do in specific sociohistorical contexts, specifically in virtue of how artistic representations shape and are shaped by processes of racialization. The chapter first introduces the notions of race and racism as political categories. Next, the author examines how artistic practices contribute to shaping resistant racial identities, and how artistic representations are used to legitimize white supremacy. The next section examines the role played by artistic representations of racialized individuals in how we engage with one another, and, therefore, how they impact the experience of concrete racialized subjects in and of the world. The author also examines the place of political aims in artists’ acts of self-expression, and the problem of cultural appropriation.
Moral Learning from Art
Authors: John Eileen
Published: August 2023

Moral learning is a relatively demanding kind of learning. It seems to involve more than amassing knowledge of moral truths. Must one combine understanding with feeling the weight of moral concerns? Is the aim of moral learning to become a morally good person? The domain of art holds diverse potential for shaping thought and feeling in morally significant ways, though the realization of this potential is difficult to establish. This chapter aims to build some bridges between art and the processes and goals relevant to moral learning. This includes consideration of awareness of morally significant others, explicit representation of moral life, artistic projects of moral protest and memory, and the mutually negotiating potential of conversation around works of art.
The Knowledge That Joins Ethics to Art in Yorùbá Culture
Authors: Hallen Barry
Published: August 2023

This chapter discusses knowledge, ethics, and art in Yorùbá culture. The international community has developed its own standards for identifying and evaluating the art of sub-Saharan Africa. Alternatively, indigenous Yorùbá scholars have begun to explore the intellectual and moral considerations internal to the culture that are involved in the creation and appreciation of such objects. They argue that their aesthetic properties and instrumental functions are enabled by endowing them with verbal essences (oríkì) that provide and ensure their characters and meanings. For this to happen the moral and intellectual attributes of the people who are their creators also are of fundamental importance to the success of the creative process.
Art and Ethics
Authors: Gal Michalle
Published: August 2023

This chapter presents the formalist account of the moral status of an artwork as an aesthetically significant and autonomous form, with due emphasis on the Anglo-American art-for-art’s-sake aesthetic, as it developed between 1870 and 1960. The author shows that the formalist art-is-above-morals approach is a substantive moral stance in itself. Formalist aesthetics is usually presented in the literature as evincing a purist indifference to ethics, construing moral properties as external to art, in opposition to the internal pure properties of art’s composition. The chapter demonstrates that this is a misrepresentation of the complex formalist prescriptive idea of the relations between art and ethics. Through its autonomy and imperviousness to external co-opting—which is accomplished by due focus on aesthetic form—art on the formalist account is held to be a paradigm of the liberalist principles of individual freedom and self-fulfillment, thus an inherent means to the good.
Timbre Realities
Authors: Lochhead Judith
Published: August 2023

This chapter addresses the concept of timbre in reference to “Anthropogenic Debris,” the first movement of Liza Lim’s Extinction Events and Dawn Chorus (2018). It develops an enactive approach to timbre, demonstrating the reality of timbre as lived sonic experience. The chapter shows how timbral changes over time play a central role in music’s formal design. Further, the chapter entails a phenomenological investigation of timbre experience as the basis for its analysis of Lim’s music. The chapter argues that from the perspective of enactive cognition, timbres are real, qualitative phenomena co-determined by the sensorimotor activity of a perceiving creature and the physical attributes of sound waves in a specific sonic environment at a particular time.
“This Guitar Hurts!”
Authors: McCord Kimberly A.
Published: August 2023

Individuals with autism are frequently described as lacking empathy for others. Is it possible that empathy can be expressed through music? How do we show caring for musicians who experience music differently, learn differently, and express themselves differently? Is there a place for musical empathy and caring in our ensembles and classrooms? Music has the potential to convey emotion and create a sense of interpersonal connection. Musical empathy does not require recognition of the other person’s experiences through speech or nonverbal forms of communication. Instead musical empathy is a way for people with communication challenges to relate empathically with others through music. This chapter explores these topics through the experiences of two student musicians and their teachers.
On Caring for Music Education in Troubled Times
Authors: Jorgensen Estelle R.
Published: August 2023

Music educators have faced a dark period during which social, political, and environmental problems and a global pandemic have disrupted musical life, society, and general education. Notwithstanding the hope, courage, resilience, and creativity of music teachers during the pandemic, the music educational system was strained and a broad and global vision of music education that meets such a time of trouble is needed. To this end, three principles of caring for music education in times of trouble are sketched: caring for music; caring for ourselves and those with whom we work; and positively impacting culture and society for the common good. These principles are proposed as ways to navigate music education during such times as this. They raise important questions that need to be addressed by those invested in music education.
Policy Practice as Citizenship Building
Authors: Schmidt Patrick
Published: August 2023

This chapter suggests that discursive change in our field of action must be thoughtfully aligned to re-capturing the impact of policy practice as a tool to actualize and structurally renew music educational priorities and practice. In these terms, policy practice moves to be more widely approached as a personal and local practice, rather than distant and overly managerial. Policy practice then functions as a critical contributor and conduit for professional, organizational, and pedagogical activism essential to the realization of more socially just and equity directed practice. Just as significant, although care/ing/filled experiences in education are dependent on intersubjective relations, they also function (and are sustained) through systems and environs often impacted, if not dependent, on policy and governance practice. The chapter suggests that framing care within music education should consider how teacher practice can benefit from policy practice understanding, particularly those framed through notions of agency and solidarity.
The Cultural Evolution of Sociopolitical Organization
Authors: Currie Thomas E. , Perret Cedric
Published: August 2023

One of broadest patterns of sociopolitical evolution over the last 12,000 years is the trend towards increasingly larger societies with more centralized and complex governance institutions. This chapter outlines how evolutionary theory is being applied to understand key changes in how wealth and power are distributed, how group decisions are made, and the scale at which societies are organized. The chapter discusses different evolutionary models that have been proposed to explain why leadership and inequalities in power might have emerged, contrasting ‘extractive’ theories of hierarchy, with ‘managerial’ or group-beneficial theories. The chapter builds on these theories to examine different hypotheses about why more politically complex societies were more common in certain parts of the world than others. The authors argue that cultural evolutionary theory can help organize and synthesize information from diverse disciplines to shed new light on long-standing issues and debates.
Membrane free-energy landscapes derived from atomistic dynamics explain nonuniversal cholesterol-induced stiffening
Authors: Fiorin Giacomo , Forrest Lucy R , Faraldo-Gómez José D
Published: August 2023

All lipid membranes have inherent morphological preferences and resist deformation. Yet adaptations in membrane shape can and do occur at multiple length scales. While this plasticity is crucial for cellular physiology, the factors controlling the morphological energetics of lipid bilayers and the dominant mechanisms of membrane remodeling remain to be fully understood. An ongoing debate regarding the universality of the stiffening effect of cholesterol underscores the challenges facing this field, both experimentally and theoretically, even for simple lipid mixtures. On the computational side, we have argued that enhanced-sampling all-atom molecular dynamics simulations are uniquely suited for the quantification of membrane conformational energetics, as they minimize a priori assumptions and permit analysis of bilayers in deformed states. To showcase this approach, we examine reported inconsistencies between alternative experimental measurements of bending moduli for cholesterol-enriched membranes. Specifically, we analyze lipid bilayers with different chain saturation and compute free-energy landscapes for curvature deformations distributed over areas from ∼5 to ∼60 nm2. These enhanced simulations, totaling over 100 μs of sampling time, enable us to directly quantify both bending and tilt moduli and to dissect the contributing factors and molecular mechanisms of curvature generation at each length scale. Our results show that the effects of cholesterol on bending rigidity are lipid-specific and suggest that this specificity arises from differences in the torsional dynamics of the acyl chains. In summary, we demonstrate that quantitative relationships can now be established between lipid structure and bending energetics, paving the way for addressing open fundamental questions in cell membrane mechanics.
Adapting antibacterial display to identify serum-active macrocyclic peptide antibiotics
Authors: Randall Justin R , Groover Kyra E , O'Donnell Angela C , Garza Joseph M , Cole T Jeffrey , Davies Bryan W
Published: August 2023

The lack of available treatments for many antimicrobial-resistant infections highlights the critical need for antibiotic discovery innovation. Peptides are an underappreciated antibiotic scaffold because they often suffer from proteolytic instability and toxicity toward human cells, making in vivo use challenging. To investigate sequence factors related to serum activity, we adapt an antibacterial display technology to screen a library of peptide macrocycles for antibacterial potential directly in human serum. We identify dozens of new macrocyclic peptide antibiotic sequences and find that serum activity within our library is influenced by peptide length, cationic charge, and the number of disulfide bonds present. Interestingly, an optimized version of our most active lead peptide permeates the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria without strong inner-membrane disruption and kills bacteria slowly while causing cell elongation. This contrasts with traditional cationic antimicrobial peptides, which kill rapidly via lysis of both bacterial membranes. Notably, this optimized variant is not toxic to mammalian cells and retains its function in vivo, suggesting therapeutic promise. Our results support the use of more physiologically relevant conditions when screening peptides for antimicrobial activity which retain in vivo functionality.
Ocular features in Williams-Beuren syndrome: a review of the literature
Authors: Nassisi Marco , Mainetti Claudia , Aretti Andrea , Sperti Andrea , Nicotra Valeria , Rinaldi Berardo , Natacci Federica , Bedeschi Maria Francesca , Viola Francesco
Published: August 2023

Purpose of review

The current review will discuss the pathophysiology, work-up and clinical relevance of the ocular phenotype in Williams-Beuren syndrome in detail.

Recent findings

Few case reports, case series and retrospective studies reported the ophthalmic features in Williams-Beuren syndrome, focusing on specific aspects of the ocular involvement. Recently, novel retinal findings have been described in association with the disease.

Numerous ocular features have been described in Williams-Beuren syndrome. Some of them, such as the stellate pattern of the iris or the retinal arteriolar tortuosity may be helpful for the diagnosis but have no significant clinical implications; others, such as strabismus and refractive errors require early treatment to reduce the risk of irreversible visual impairment. Finally, some features, such as a broad foveal pit and thinner retina still have unknown significance and require further longitudinal and multimodal studies.
Success Rates of Cranial Remolding Orthosis Treatment of Plagiocephaly Based on Initial Presentation
Authors: Richards Chelsea J. , Petz Alyssa M. , Vallery Claire E. , Yosef Matheos , Khalatbari Shokoufeh H. , Frank Christopher J. , Richards Jennifer A.
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Cranial remolding orthoses (CROs) are used to treat deformational plagiocephaly. Treatment outcomes vary widely depending on treatment timing and severity of the deformity. The relative impact of these factors on success rates is not well known.

Objective

This study aimed to quantify success rates of CRO treatment, based on age at initiation of treatment and the severity of cranial deformity.

Study Design

This is a retrospective cohort study of infants treated for positional plagiocephaly with a CRO.

Methods

A total of 300 infants with deformational plagiocephaly who were treated with a CRO were categorized into four groups by corrected age at initiation of orthotic treatment (<22 weeks, 22–25 weeks, 26–30 weeks, and >30 weeks) and into four groups by severity of their deformity (initial cranial vault asymmetry of 6–9 mm, 10–12 mm, 13–16 mm, and 17+ mm). Success rates were compared across the groups. A successful outcome was defined as achieving a final cranial vault asymmetry of 5 mm or less.

Results

The overall success rate for CRO treatment was 75%. However, success rates among the groups varied from 6% to 98%, depending on the severity and the age at initiation. Severity had a more significant effect on success rates than age at initiation. The age at initiation became more influential in determining the likelihood of success when the infant's deformity was severe.

Conclusions

The likelihood of achieving a successful treatment outcome with a CRO varies greatly depending on the severity of the deformity and corrected age at initiation of treatment, with severity having the greater impact.

Clinical Relevance

This study provides clinicians with treatment outcomes categorized by severity and corrected age at initiation to aid in setting appropriate expectations for treatment outcomes.
Fathers Matter
Authors: Misra Dawn P. , Giurgescu Carmen , Caldwell Cleopatra Howard , Song Peter , Hu Mengtong , Adaji Rosemary , Vaughan Sarah
Published: August 2023

Purpose:

To describe the characteristics of participants in the Fathers Matter study for a better understanding of fathers of the baby who engage in pregnancy research involving primarily Black couples and their relationships with their partners.

Study Design and Methods:

The Fathers Matter Study uses a prospective design, identifying father–mother dyads during pregnancy and following them until birth as part of the Biosocial Impacts on Black Births Study. Participants completed prenatal and postpartum questionnaires.

Results:

Our analyses are based on 111 fathers. Nearly all (n = 101, 91.1%) of fathers identified as Black and 51.4% (n = 57) had a high school diploma, graduate equivalency diploma, or higher. About half (n = 57, 51.4%) reported annual incomes of $10,000 or less. Most reported that relationships with the mother were very close both before (n = 100, 89.9%) and during (n = 85, 76.6%) pregnancy. However, substantial variability was found in relationship satisfaction, involvement in the pregnancy, financial support provided, and scales of conflict and support.

Clinical Implications:

We found homogeneity in sociodemographic and basic relationship measures. Complex measures of the father–mother relationships demonstrated considerable variability. Data from fathers may identify their contributions to successful birth outcomes. Understanding relationships between fathers and mothers could identify risk or protective characteristics to be addressed at the family or community levels.
Predictors of Postpartum Depression Among Women with Low Incomes in the United States
Authors: Lau Elizabeth , Adams Yenupini Joyce
Published: August 2023

Purpose:

To evaluate the predictors of postpartum depression and to examine the effects of maternal racial identity on postpartum depression among women with low incomes in the United States.

Study Design and Methods:

We conducted a secondary data analysis using baseline data from the Baby's First Years study, including postpartum women living below the federal poverty line who were recruited from four diverse communities in the United States. Postpartum depression symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Logistic regressions were performed to identify associations between pre-identified postpartum depression risk factors and postpartum depression among participants, followed by predictive margins analyses to elaborate on probability of postpartum depression across different racial identity groups in the sample.

Results:

The sample included 1,051 postpartum women. Almost one-half of participants identified as Black (45.9%), followed by White (20.7%), American Indian (1.8%), and Asian (1.3%). Prevalence of postpartum depression in the sample was 24%. Financial insecurity and alcohol use were positively associated with postpartum depression, whereas level of education and reported physical health were negatively associated with postpartum depression. Mothers who identified as Black had an 8.3% higher probability of postpartum depression than that of White mothers in the sample.

Clinical Implications:

Nurses working with populations with low income should assess social determinants of health to provide holistic mental health care. Women with low incomes should be referred to resources which account for their financial burden. Racial disparities exist in perinatal care, and birth and postpartum mental health outcomes. It is crucial to address the systemic racism faced by Black mothers experiencing postpartum depression.
Risk Factors for Opioid-Related Adverse Drug Events Among Older Adults After Hospitalization for Major Orthopedic Procedures
Authors: Herzig Shoshana J. , Anderson Timothy S. , Urman Richard D. , Jung Yoojin , Ngo Long H. , McCarthy Ellen P.
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Older adults undergoing orthopedic procedures are commonly discharged from the hospital on opioids, but risk factors for postdischarge opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADEs) have not been previously examined. We aimed to identify risk factors for ORADEs after hospital discharge following orthopedic procedures.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older, who underwent major orthopedic surgery during hospitalization in 2016 and had an opioid fill within 2 days of discharge. We excluded beneficiaries with hospice claims and those admitted from or discharged to a facility. We used billing codes and medication claims to define potential ORADEs requiring a hospital revisit within 30 days of discharge.

Results

Among 30,514 hospitalizations with a major orthopedic procedure (89.7% arthroplasty, 5.6% treatment of fracture of dislocation, 4.7% other) and an opioid claim, a potential ORADE requiring hospital revisit occurred in 750 (2.5%). Independent risk factors included age of 80 years or older (hazard ratio [HR], 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.38–1.97), female sex (HR, 1.34 [1.16–1.56]), and clinical conditions, including heart failure (HR, 1.34 [1.10–1.62]), respiratory illness (HR, 1.23 [1.03–1.46]), kidney disease (HR, 1.23 [1.04–1.47]), dementia/delirium (HR, 1.63 [1.26–2.10]), anxiety disorder (HR, 1.42 [1.18–1.71]), and musculoskeletal/nervous system injuries (HR, 1.54 [1.24–1.90]). Prior opioid use, coprescribed sedating medications, and opioid prescription characteristics were not associated with ORADEs after adjustment for patient characteristics.

Conclusions

Potential ORADEs occurred in 2.5% of older adults discharged with opioids after orthopedic surgery. These risk factors can inform clinician decision making, conversations with older adults, and targeting of harm reduction strategies.
Moderating role of millennials' financial literacy on the relationship between risk tolerance and risky investment behavior: evidence from India
Authors: Mohta Anu , Shunmugasundaram V
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the association between risk tolerance and risky investment intention with financial literacy as a moderating variable. The proposed relationship was explored specifically for millennials.

Design/methodology/approach

The questionnaire was divided into three segments to assess millennials' financial literacy, risk tolerance and risky investment intention. This study uses survey data from 402 millennial investors residing in Delhi-NCR region. The authors exploited PLS-SEM for the analysis because the model involved higher-order constructs.

Findings

The findings revealed that financial literacy has a negative impact on risky investment intention. Further, risk tolerance had a positive and significant influence on risky investment intention; however, when financial literacy was added as a moderating variable in this relationship, it had a negative impact on risky investment intention.

Originality/value

Every generation has its quirks, and millennials are no exception. Given their age and sheer number, leading to their dominance in the global workforce, millennials will bring about a generational shift. Awareness of Gen Y's financial literacy and risk behavior enhances their ability to make informed financial decisions, thus proving beneficial not only to them, but also to the whole economy. This will also help policymakers and institutions to introduce financial literacy programs and financial products in alignment with their needs and preferences.
Elections and Democracy in Turkey: Reconsidering Competitive Authoritarianism in the Age of Democratic Backsliding
Authors: Ugur‐Cinar Meral
Published: August 2023

This article reflects on the reasons why Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) could still win in the recent 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey despite, among other daunting issues, the deep economic crisis and their unsuccessful handling of the February 2023 earthquake. The article discusses the role of state apparatus and the media under a neopatrimonial system, as well as the role of the EU, which turned Turkey into a rentier state with the refugee deals. The discussion considers whether Turkey could still be seen as a competitive authoritarian regime and points to the difficulties in determining whether regimes such as the Turkish one are competitive authoritarian or not until the election results are seen and the opposition candidates actually win.
Natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES) as an emerging technology for the valorisation of natural products and agro‐food residues: a review
Authors: González‐Laredo Rubén F. , Sayago‐Monreal Víctor Iván , Moreno‐Jiménez Martha Rocío , Rocha‐Guzmán Nuria Elizabeth , Gallegos‐Infante José Alberto , Landeros‐Macías Luisa Fernanda , Rosales‐Castro Martha
Published: August 2023

A review paper on the natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES) application to the extraction of bioactives from natural products and agri‐food wastes is introduced. NaDES are eutectic mixtures of two or more natural compounds forming a liquid phase at room temperature based in hydrogen bond acceptors (quaternary amines, alcohols) and hydrogen bond donors (sugars, organic acids). NADES have unique properties such as low toxicity, biodegradability and high solubility for a wide range of compounds. They represent a sustainable alternative to traditional organic solvents in a variety of applications, particularly metabolites extraction. Therefore, the status of NaDES is displayed in terms of their inspiration in nature, their preparation and physicochemical properties, as well as the extraction conditions for biologically important phytochemicals such as alkaloids, carotenoids, and phenolics (anthocyanins, isoflavonoids, and curcuminoids). Remarks on emerging technologies as well on therapeutic, hydrophilic, and hydrophobic NaDES systems are inserted. As NaDES can be easily prepared from natural and renewable sources, they are a promising green alternative in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries.
Preservice Teachers’ Implementation of Cooperative Learning in Chinese Physical Education
Authors: Xiong Wen , Philpot Rod , Watson Penelope W. St J. , Dyson Ben
Published: August 2023

Purpose: To explore preservice teachers’ (PSTs) implementation of cooperative learning (CL) during their school-based student-teaching after undertaking a CL course in a Chinese physical education teacher education program. Method: An interpretive qualitative case study design gathered data from eight PSTs using classroom observations, semistructured interviews, reflective journals, instructional materials, and field notes. Interactive cycling coding was used to analyze the data. Findings: The two themes, putting five key elements into practice and learning to facilitate with CL, convey how the PSTs implemented the procedures of CL and adapted CL to the contexts they were teaching in. Discussion and Conclusions: The eight PSTs appropriately implemented CL and contextualized CL practice in their classrooms. They shifted their teaching approaches away from direct instruction and toward more independent, pupil group-based tasks. This growth is particularly important in the Chinese physical education context, where policies advocate for CL yet student-centered teaching which is rarely seen in practice.
Social and institutional dimensions of science: The forgotten components of the science curriculum?
Authors: Erduran Sibel
Published: August 2023

In many parts of the world, secondary school science curricula continue to be dominated by learning objectives about scientific knowledge and investigations, when actually there is more to science. These curricula—the educational frameworks that include objectives and content for teaching and learning—may state, for example, that students are to be taught knowledge such as “matter is made of tiny, indivisible particles” and “photosynthesis produces oxygen.” They may highlight scientific processes such as “carrying out an experiment to determine the relationship between volume and pressure of a gas at constant temperature.” Some curricula may situate science topics in socially relevant scenarios—for example, teaching about local chemical industries and their impact on the environment. Some curriculum topics may be linked to students’ everyday lives, such as by referring to family genetics. Yet there is a critical aspect of science that is often ignored in the science curriculum, and that is the inherent social and institutional character of science itself. When science curricula underrepresent or do not include such social and institutional dimensions of science, which play a key role in the validation and communication of scientific processes, it is as if a fundamental element of science has been dismantled, projecting an image of science that is idealized, reconstructed, and distorted. In democratic societies in which people have the power to influence policy decisions, understanding how scientific communities function can only help with the public responsibility in shouldering collective societal challenges.
Role of RIG-I-Like Receptors in the Activation of Innate Immunity in Tuberculosis
Authors: Skvortsova Y. V. , Bychenko O. S. , Azhikina T. L.
Published: August 2023

Abstract—

Despite the efforts to develop the strategies of tuberculosis control, this disease still takes more than a million lives annually. The development of tuberculosis infection can be considered as an imbalance between the immune response of the host organism and the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. In order to gain a foothold successfully in an infected organism, M. tuberculosis must overcome the mechanisms of innate immunity, including those that aim at the recognition of alien nucleic acids. RIG-I-like receptors (RLR) is a system of intracellular receptors (sensors of alien RNA), which is involved in the recognition of viruses and bacterial pathogens. The RIG-I, MDA5, and LGP2 receptors interact directly with RNA in the cell cytoplasm and trigger a cascade of interactions, which leads to the synthesis of type I interferons and proinflammatory cytokines. To date, it has been proven that the activation of RLR during tuberculosis infection is the most important component of innate immunity. Their obvious role in the activation of type I interferons (which, however, can be not only protective, but also negative for the immune system) was demonstrated. The review considers the latest data on the functioning of RLR in tuberculosis on the example of model organisms and humans.
APCandP53mutations synergise to create a therapeutic vulnerability to NOTUM inhibition in advanced colorectal cancer
Authors: Tian Yuhua , Wang Xin , Cramer Zvi , Rhoades Joshua , Estep Katrina N. , Ma Xianghui , Adams-Tzivelekidis Stephanie , Katona Bryson W. , Johnson F Brad , Yu Zhengquan , Blanco M Andres , Lengner Christopher J , Li Ning
Published: August 2023

Objective

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with the majority of cases initiated by inactivation of the APC tumour suppressor. This results in the constitutive activation of canonical WNT pathway transcriptional effector ß-catenin, along with induction of WNT feedback inhibitors, including the extracellular palmitoleoyl-protein carboxylesterase NOTUM which antagonises WNT-FZD receptor-ligand interactions. Here, we sought to evaluate the effects of NOTUM activity on CRC as a function of driver mutation landscape.

Design

Mouse and human colon organoids engineered with combinations of CRC driver mutations were used for Notum genetic gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies. In vitro assays, in vivo endoscope-guided orthotopic organoid implantation assays and transcriptomic profiling were employed to characterise the effects of Notum activity. Small molecule inhibitors of Notum activity were used in preclinical therapeutic proof-of-principle studies targeting oncogenic Notum activity.

Results

NOTUM retains tumour suppressive activity in APC-null adenomas despite constitutive ß-catenin activity. Strikingly, on progression to adenocarcinoma with P53 loss, NOTUM becomes an obligate oncogene. These phenotypes are Wnt-independent, resulting from differential activity of NOTUM on glypican 1 and 4 in early-stage versus late-stage disease, respectively. Ultimately, preclinical mouse models and human organoid cultures demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of NOTUM is highly effective in arresting primary adenocarcinoma growth and inhibiting metastatic colonisation of distal organs.

Conclusions

Our findings that a single agent targeting the extracellular enzyme NOTUM is effective in treating highly aggressive, metastatic adenocarcinomas in preclinical mouse models and human organoids make NOTUM and its glypican targets therapeutic vulnerabilities in advanced CRC.
Opportunistic genetic screening increases the diagnostic yield and is medically valuable for care of patients and their relatives with hereditary cancer
Authors: Fernández-Castillejo Sara , Roig Bàrbara , Melé Mireia , Serrano Sara , Salvat Mònica , Querol Montserrat , Brunet Joan , Pineda Marta , Cisneros Adela , Parada David , Badia Joan , Borràs Joan , Rodríguez-Balada Marta , Gumà Josep
Published: August 2023

Background

Multigene panel testing by next-generation sequencing (MGP-NGS) enables the detection of germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (PVs/LPVs) in genes beyond those associated with a certain cancer phenotype. Opportunistic genetic screening based on MGP-NGS in patients with suspicion of hereditary cancer reveals these incidental findings (IFs).

Methods

MGP-NGS was performed in patients who fulfilled the clinical criteria to undergo genetic testing according to the Catalan Health Service guidelines. Variants were classified following the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics-Association for Molecular Pathology guidelines and the Cancer Variant Interpretation Group UK guidelines.

Results

IFs were identified in 10 (1.22%) of the 817 patients who underwent MGP-NGS. The mean age at cancer diagnosis was 49.4±9.5 years. Three IFs (30.0%) were detected inPMS2, two (20.0%) inATMandTP53and one (10.0%) inMSH6, NTHL1andVHL. Seven (70.0%) IFs were single-nucleotide substitutions, two (20.0%) were deletions and one (10.0%) was a duplication. Three (30.0) IFs were located in intronic regions, three (30.3%) were nonsense, two (20.0%) were frameshift and two (20.0%) were missense variations. Six (60.0%) IFs were classified as PVs and four (40.0%) as LPVs.

Conclusions

Opportunistic genetic screening increased the diagnostic yield by 1.22% in our cohort. Most of the identified IFs were present in clinically actionable genes (n=7; 70.0%), providing these families with an opportunity to join cancer early detection programmes, as well as secondary cancer prevention. IFs might facilitate the diagnosis of asymptomatic individuals and the early management of cancer once it develops.
Predicting favourable streams for anadromous salmon spawning and natal rearing under climate change
Authors: Iacarella Josephine C. , Weller J. Daniel
Published: August 2023

Successful management of imperilled anadromous salmon stocks requires understanding how salmon will respond to a changing climate across their extensive ranges. Though largely unused for anadromous salmon to date, environmental niche models (ENMs) can provide a strong foundation for estimating where and how much habitat will likely remain favourable. We applied a comprehensive suite of ENM statistical approaches to five Pacific salmon species, focusing on freshwater spawning and natal rearing habitat as not only critical for population survival, but also highly susceptible to a changing climate. We developed ENMs for spawning ranges across British Columbia (BC), Canada, and western US, and projected future scenarios for BC. Projections indicated net expansion of favourable spawning habitat across species in BC, with the most change occurring by 2060. However, shifts in favourable habitat varied greatly geographically and by species, with notable reductions in coastal and southern interior streams. Our results provide a basis for identifying important changes in spawning and natal rearing habitat conditions to help inform priorities for restoration and protection actions.
Artificial Intelligence Applied to Software Testing: A Tertiary Study
Authors: Amalfitano Domenico , Faralli Stefano , Hauck Jean Carlo Rossa , Matalonga Santiago , Distante Damiano
Published: August 2023

Context:
Artificial intelligence (AI) methods and models have extensively been applied to support different phases of the software development lifecycle, including software testing (ST). Several secondary studies investigated the interplay between AI and ST but restricted the scope of the research to specific domains or sub-domains within either area.

Objective:
This research aims to explore the overall contribution of AI to ST, while identifying the most popular applications and potential paths for future research directions.

Method:
We executed a tertiary study following well-established guidelines for conducting systematic literature mappings in software engineering and for answering nine research questions.

Results
: We identified and analyzed 20 relevant secondary studies. The analysis was performed by drawing from well-recognized AI and ST taxonomies and mapping the selected studies according to them. The resulting mapping and discussions provide extensive and detailed information on the interplay between AI and ST.

Conclusion:
The application of AI to support ST is a well-consolidated and growing interest research topic. The mapping resulting from our study can be used by researchers to identify opportunities for future research, and by practitioners looking for evidence-based information on which AI-supported technology to possibly adopt in their testing processes.
Supplementary Excel File 1 from Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) Signaling Inhibits the Growth of Ewing Sarcoma Cells in Response to DNA Replication Stress
Authors: Croushore Emma E. , Koppenhafer Stacia L. , Goss Kelli L. , Geary Elizabeth L. , Gordon David J.
Published: August 2023

Quantification of immunoblots.
Figure S5 from Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) Signaling Inhibits the Growth of Ewing Sarcoma Cells in Response to DNA Replication Stress
Authors: Croushore Emma E. , Koppenhafer Stacia L. , Goss Kelli L. , Geary Elizabeth L. , Gordon David J.
Published: August 2023

Gemcitabine resistant cell lines.
Figure S4 from Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) Signaling Inhibits the Growth of Ewing Sarcoma Cells in Response to DNA Replication Stress
Authors: Croushore Emma E. , Koppenhafer Stacia L. , Goss Kelli L. , Geary Elizabeth L. , Gordon David J.
Published: August 2023

Short-term gemcitabine drug treatment.
FIGURE 4 from Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) Signaling Inhibits the Growth of Ewing Sarcoma Cells in Response to DNA Replication Stress
Authors: Croushore Emma E. , Koppenhafer Stacia L. , Goss Kelli L. , Geary Elizabeth L. , Gordon David J.
Published: August 2023

SLFN11 contributes to the toxicity of RNR inhibition and the upregulation of AP-1. A, Venn diagram demonstrating the overlap between genes upregulated in the EW8-RRM1-KO and TC71-RRM1-KO cells grown in the absence of doxycycline and IEGs. B, EW8-RRM1-KO and TC71-RRM1-KO cells were grown with or without doxycycline for 24 hours, at which point the cells were transfected with control or SLFN11 siRNA and grown for an additional 24 hours. Cell lysates were then collected for immunoblotting. C, EW8-RRM1-KO and TC71-RRM1-KO cells were grown with or without doxycycline for 24 hours, at which point the cells were transfected with control or SLFN11 siRNA and grown for an additional 48 hours. Dead cells were then labeled with propidium iodide and quantified using flow cytometry. EW8 (D) and TC71 (E) cell lines were treated with control or SLFN11 siRNA for 24 hours. Gemcitabine was then added for an additional 24 hours before collecting cellular lysates. P values were calculated using a two-tailed Student t test. ****, P < 0.0001.