bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Legal Elements of an AI Regulatory Permit Program
Authors: Higgins Brian Wm.
Published: March 2022

The potential far-reaching risks some artificial intelligence (AI) technologies pose to human rights and public interests highlight the importance of lawmakers’ present and future decision about what legal regulatory frameworks they will impose on AI companies. One risk-mitigating regulatory approach lawmakers could choose is permitting, whereby government administrators act as market gatekeepers, allowing AI systems to operate in commerce only if they meet specific technical and other standards, and if their owners demonstrate they can operate their systems within acceptable levels of risk while also maintaining compliance with individualized permit terms and conditions. The key legal elements of a national AI permit program are described here, modeled in part on other regulatory permit and general approval schemes used in the U.S. The legal elements are contrasted with a proposed general approval approach for AI-based medical devices and the European Commission’s proposed regulatory framework for AI. Critical differences between the approaches are considered, which reveal how enforcement mechanisms in particular could make a big difference in AI risk reduction.
Technological Unemployment
Authors: Susskind Daniel
Published: March 2022

This chapter explores the history of economic thought that focuses on the impact of technological change on the labor market. Until recently, it was hard to study the threat of technological unemployment in the core models in economics. That has now changed. New developments in the literature show we now need to take the threat of a decline in labor demand more seriously than before. From the point of view of AI governance, these developments are significant and attention-worthy: work is both a source of income and of meaning, and if technological progress threatens to cause significant disruption to that work, then understanding the nature of this threat—and how we might respond and shape it—is an important task for all policymakers.
AI and the Economic and Informational Foundations of Democracy
Authors: Boix Carles
Published: March 2022

As has been the case for previous technological revolutions, AI will have economic and informational effects that may impact the nature and stability of democracy. In advanced democracies, AI may lead to economic transformations (such as a growing division between capital and high-skilled labor on the one hand and the rest of labor on the other, wage inequality, etc.) that may result in rising social tensions and democratic instability. However, a rise in productivity and overall growth plus the capacity of democratic governments to respond to those challenges may mitigate the negative effects of AI. AI’s effects are likely to be more strongly de-democratizing in emerging and peripheral economies. With fewer resources to adopt those new technologies, emerging and peripheral economies may be hit by the reshoring of production to advanced economies and fast deindustrialization. That may in turn reduce the kind of economic conditions (development, equality) that nurture democratic stability. AI’s economic effects may be compounded by the informational consequences of AI, which seem to reinforce the monitoring and repressive capabilities of states. After assessing the different channels through which AI could impact democracy, the chapter concludes by discussing a set of policy interventions to reconcile AI and democracy.
The Constitution of Mexico
Authors: Giménez Francisca Pou
Published: March 2022

This chapter discusses the main components of the Mexican constitutional system. Constitutionalism and democracy in the country have been fragile and often compromised by economic deprivation, inequality, as well as public and private violence. The 1917 Constitution contains inspiring language and clauses with great transformative potential, but it has been massively amended at the will of political elites, and its current obscurity and length obstruct its legal functions. The chapter presents a description of this long, complex, and ever-changing constitution, featuring its capacious bill of rights; the division of powers provisions; the federal system; the amendment dynamics; and the system of constitutional review, closing with a brief survey of constitutional scholarship.
Participatory Constitution-Making in Latin America
Authors: Negretto Gabriel L.
Published: March 2022

This chapter analyses the consequences of participatory constitution-making for institutional design. It argues that while citizen involvement in constitutional change provides reformers with incentives to expand human rights and rights of political participation, its impact on the choice of executive powers depends on the diversity of the political interests represented in the constitution-making body. In environments where the economy is weak and unstable and where public trust in legislatures is low, reformers are likely to invest executives with strong legislative powers and citizen participation in the process may not prevent or even be activated to legitimize that decision. In this situation, however, a politically plural constitution-making body is likely to compensate for an increase in the law-making power of the president with a decrease in other dimensions of his power. This argument is supported with evidence from episodes of constitutional change in Latin America from 1940 to 2014.
Foreign Capital and Constitutions
Authors: Alviar García Helena
Published: March 2022

This chapter describes three distinct relationships that aim to embrace or disentangle the presence of foreign capital in Latin America, by proposing to interpret the differences through the lens of ideas about economic development: neo-liberalism, dependency theory, and a middle ground referred to ‘the social’. In order to do this, the chapter is divided into three parts. The first part outlines the basic building blocks of these ideas about development. It also lays out additional constitutional categories that should be analysed along with provisions about foreign capital. The second part provides a country example of each one of these theoretical perspectives. Finally, some conclusions and avenues for further research are provided.
Presidentialism and Hyper-Presidentialism in Latin America
Authors: Alegre Marcelo , Maisley Nahuel
Published: March 2022

Latin America has traditionally been considered as ‘the land of presidentialism’. This seems to remain an indisputable fact, as most states in the region conform to the classic definition of this form of government: they have (i) directly elected executives with (ii) a fixed term of office. This chapter first attempts to define this ‘hyper-presidentialism’. It then reviews the pros and the cons of this ‘hyper-presidentialist’ model, both in terms of its stability and of its democratic legitimacy. The chapter concludes by putting forward an agenda for reform.
Courts and Judicial Manipulation
Authors: Helmke Gretchen
Published: March 2022

This chapter analyses judicial manipulation in Latin America, Judicial manipulation is antithetical to judicial independence, limited government, and the rule of law. It either ensures that the court mirrors the preferences of the incumbent government, or makes it next to impossible for judges who do not to express their sincere views. In such an environment, checks and balances are compromised and horizontal of accountability fails. Much attention has been focused on how Latin American judges respond to constraints on their independence, far less is understood about the calculus of manipulation itself. Not all leaders in Latin America seek to control the judiciary. Courts have been routinely reshuffled in places like Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia, but have been allowed to remain relatively independent in Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Brazil. Such variation demands better description and better explanation.
Proportionality
Authors: Clérico Laura
Published: March 2022

Proportionality is a technique of rights adjudication. As such, it relates to the question of whether a limitation of a right is justified. This chapter identifies different variations of the test of proportionality. It distinguishes between the meanings of proportionality from three different perspectives: the analytical, the doctrinal, and the institutional. The analytical one is concerned with the systematic and conceptual elucidation of the justification of rights restrictions. The doctrinal perspective relates to a descriptive activity and a normative one. The institutional perspective analyses the proportionality test in the frame of the tension between majoritarian democracies and courts. Different levels of judicial review are proposed depending on the type of right, the deliberative process played in the parliament, the consideration of the rights of the affected persons in the deliberation, the intensity of the restriction of the right, and so on. Therefore, different modes of proportionality arise in the field of rights review in each State of Latin America.
Property and Land
Authors: Saffon Maria Paula
Published: March 2022

This chapter begins by challenging the common notion that property rights consist only or mainly in individual private property rights. Instead, it argues that there exists a plurality of land rights that can coexist with individual private property rights. It further argues that non-individual non-private property rights tend to be disproportionately in the hands of the poor, which is a powerful reason for their legal protection. Such protection has been afforded by Latin American legal regimes at different points in time. Offering a historical account of land property rights in Latin America, it argues that, with the exception of current constitutions, collective and public land rights have tended to be recognized and protected mainly under non-liberal legal systems that foresee plural modalities of property. Finally, the chapter analyses current constitutions as engendering an odd combination of plural modalities of property rights and the promotion of neoliberalism and natural resources exploitation.
Due Process
Authors: Oquendo Ángel R.
Published: March 2022

The principle of due process, together with its strict ban on legally arbitrary deprivations of life, liberty, or property, has evolved into a central component of the constitutional and public order everywhere in Latin America. It travelled from the United States southward, starting in the nineteenth century, and eventually reached every corner of this vast southern territory. This chapter examines the right to a hearing in Mexico, and to an ample defence and cross-examination in Brazil. It analyses how these entitlements play out concretely by focusing on a prominent and possibly decisive lawsuit. This entire chapter will employ common-law-style names to refer to the opinion produced by the highest local tribunal in each instance: (1) Melgar Castillejos v President; and (2) Villarinho v Brazilian Union of Composers.
Substantive Equality in Law and Reality
Authors: Ferraz Octávio Luiz Motta
Published: March 2022

Latin America is renowned for being the most economically unequal region of the world. It is also a region where a large (perhaps the largest) number of constitutions feature so-called substantive egalitarian clauses, i.e. constitutional norms that proclaim principles or recognize rights that, if taken seriously and implemented effectively, should reduce the large disparities of income and well-being that characterize it. This chapter begins by providing an overview of the substantive egalitarian constitutional clauses currently in force in Latin America. It focuses on clauses that recognize specific rights, often called economic and social rights. It then considers some of the main factors that the literature discusses as obstacles for those clauses to take root and change reality. Finally, it presents some concluding remarks and speculates on the future of transformative constitutionalism in Latin America.
Race Discrimination
Authors: Hernández Tanya Katerí
Published: March 2022

This chapter discusses race discrimination in Latin America. Most countries in the region have traditionally relied upon broadly worded constitutional equality provisions as the confirmation that racial inequality has been adequately addressed. However, constitutional equality provisions are rarely applied to the context of racial discrimination. In fact, there is a region-wide phenomenon of denying the existence of racial discrimination because of the assertion that ‘the serious incidence of racism and racial discrimination’ more accurately exists in the United States. Despite evidence that racial discrimination permeates every realm in the region including social, political, education, labour, culture, and public health sectors, government responses have downplayed its significance as inconsequential compared to the legal violence of the U.S. context.
Abortion
Authors: Ramón Michel Agustina
Published: March 2022

This chapter is about abortion law in Latin America. Latin America abortion law is often categorized as seriously restricted. And this is so, partially. Abortion is criminalized if it does not fit in the legal indications (e.g. health risk, rape) contemplated. However, the region is in a process of examining some of their laws and implementation. The chapter argues that we should go beyond the more classic discussion in comparative constitutional law and engage in constitutional discussions in which we check thoroughly the persistent criminalization of abortion in most of the world, and the (health) regulations on abortion that put doctors, not women, at the centre and hinder access to safe abortion. If the law recognizes an abortion right to women, thus, it needs to deliver regulations that fit that purpose. The second part of the chapter analyses these regulations, as they burden women’s rights and overstep constitutional governmental discretion to regulate this practice.
Dionysius the Areopagite in Syriac
Authors: Fiori Emiliano
Published: March 2022

This essay presents the first Syriac translation of the Dionysian corpus, which was made in the early sixth century by Sergius, the priest and physician-in-chief of the city of Resh‘ayna. This translation is crucial in many respects: the only manuscript that transmits it (Sinai Saint Catherine Syr. 52) is the earliest witness to the Areopagitic writings overall, and the translation itself attests to a textual stage of the corpus that antedates John of Scythopolis’ scholia. After an outline of Sergius’ life and ecclesiastical and intellectual context, the chapter describes the manuscript tradition of the translation. The next section is devoted to a presentation of Sergius’ linguistic and stylistic idiosyncrasies: his version is an ideal example of the Syriac translation style of the sixth century, which is both reader-oriented and faithful to the original. Particular attention is also devoted to the question of whether Sergius’ version reveals an original ‘Origenist’ character of the Dionysian writings, which would have allegedly been censored by John of Scythopolis. An accurate investigation of Sergius’ vocabulary and wording choices rather seems to stress that Dionysius’ works had been anti-Origenist from the outset.
Maximus the Confessor and the Reception of Dionysius the Areopagite
Authors: Constas Maximos
Published: March 2022

This essay argues that Maximus’ reception of the Dionysian tradition was governed largely by the struggle against Origenism, illustrated above all in Dionysius himself by the axial place of the hierarchies in the cycle of remaining, procession, and return. Maximus goes well beyond his thirty explicit citations from the corpus in his absorption of its thought and vocabulary; on the other hand, his long discussion of the sufferings of the incarnate Christ in his scholia on the corpus betokens a radical shift of emphasis. His world is a dynamic continuum of Logos, logoi and beings, and the five divisions of being in Ambiguum 41 supersede the angelic hierarchies of Dionysius in his own system. And just as he transposes the Neoplatonic cycle of procession and return into a Christological key, so he makes apophatic theology central to the self-revelation of the logos in the incarnation.
Dionysius and John of Damascus
Authors: Edwards Mark , Pallis Dimitrios
Published: March 2022

This essay considers John Damascene’s use of Dionysius under the four headings of negative theology, Christology, angelology, and the defence of icons. Under the first heading Dionysius represents orthodoxy, yet Damascene tends to cite him only when his authority can be buttressed by that of accredited saints such as Gregory Nazianzen, and feels obliged to offer detailed glosses on propositions which Dionysius had been content to make in a generic form. The Christology of Dionysius was open to a miaphysitic (or, as Damascene would say, monophysitic) interpretation, and was therefore even more need of interpretation through the writings of others. In Damascene’s discussion of the angelic hierarchy, on the other hand, Dionysius is an authority even where Nazianzen is silent. Similarly, when vindicating the use of holy images Damascene turns to Dionysius for the suffrage of antiquity, which he cannot produce so readily from his usual authorities.
Theodore the Studite and Dionysius
Authors: Arabatzis George
Published: March 2022

As a Byzantine intellectual, Theodore the Studite was marked by his polemic against the iconoclasts, the emperor, and the ecclesiastical authority of Patriarch Nicephore. He was against the iconoclasts, since he was an iconophile and one of the master thinkers of the iconophile theory. He opposed the emperor, since he was a strong defender of the autonomy of the Church against the state and the crown. He challenged the ecclesiastical authority of Patriarch Nicephore, although the latter was also an important thinker and supporter of the iconophile party. Establishing a direct relationship between iconophile thinking, which is present in Theodore’s work, and Dionysius is not undemanding. Theodore’s refutation of the iconoclasm shows that he was aware of the ambiguous impact of the Dionysian thought regarding the images of the holy while the Studite monks acknowledged the instrumental value of the Dionysian text.
Gregory Palamas and Dionysius
Authors: Theodor Tollefsen Torstein
Published: March 2022

This essay presents the Byzantine thinker St Gregory Palamas, who was influenced by Dionysian writings in formulating his own theology. The essay investigates the influence of Dionysius on Palamas and compares aspects of both thinkers with relevant doctrines in pagan Neoplatonism. Palamas is famous for defending a particular kind of spirituality known as hesychasm, where the goal of the mystic is to achieve stillness (hesychia) and experience the divinity as transforming light. In this regard, the theology of Dionysius the Areopagite became of great importance. Palamas found in Dionysius support for his distinction between God’s essence and activities, a distinction that Palamas found necessary in order to explain how humans could participate in God without being absorbed in the divine essence. Dionysius’ writings also served Palamas well in his development of a doctrine of mystical experience.
Hugo Koch and Josef Stiglmayr on Dionysius and Proclus
Authors: Schäfer Christian
Published: March 2022

In 1895, two detailed philological studies by Hugo Koch and Josef Stiglmayr showed that the doctrine of evil found in the treatise On the Divine Names was dependent on Proclus’ theory of the subsistence of evils. As a result, the traditional attribution of the treatise to Dionysius, the Areopagite from the first century ad, became untenable: The author must have been a Christian Neoplatonist from the times of Proclus or shortly after. The discovery of Dionysius’ dependency on Proclus marks a watershed moment in Dionysius scholarship. This essay describes and evaluates the contribution of Koch and Stiglmayr to modern Dionysius studies.
Dionysius and the Lutheran Tradition
Authors: Zachhuber Johannes
Published: March 2022

This essay presents the largely untold story of the reception of Dionysius in Lutheran thought after Luther himself. This reception was relatively negative with regard to Luther’s early followers Johann Gerhard and Georg Calixtus, although the latter does not think the pseudonymity entirely destroys the value of the mystical writings. Johann Arndt is more sympathetic, deriving a form of natural theology from Dionysius, while Philipp Spener echoes Luther in setting Dionysius against the scholasticism of the papal era. Gottfried Arnold argues from the profundity of the corpus to its antiquity, whereas Anders Nygren, emboldened by the researches of Koch and Stiglmayr, makes Dionysius a showpiece of egocentric and anthropocentric Platonism.
Christian Apophaticism before Dionysius
Authors: Edwards Mark
Published: March 2022

The first section of this essay surveys the biblical roots of apophaticism, verifying Philo’s claim to be one of the first precursors of Dionysius. The second section offers examples of Gnostic speculation which pre-empted the Neoplatonists in denying to the first principle not only the properties of corporeal entities but the negations of those properties. By contrast, the apologists and theologians surveyed in the third section seldom arrive at this negation of negation, with the exception of Clement, a conscious successor to Philo. The fourth section argues that the Cappadocian ascription to God of an essence superior to all predication is in part a polemical construct against the opponents whom they styled ‘Arian’, their discourse being therefore limited to the metaphysical description of God. The conclusion points out that the great originality of Dionysius lies in his inculcation of liturgical activity as the necessary complement to, and compensation for, our inability to form an adequate conception of God.
Reconstructing the Origins of Language Families and Variation
Authors: Carling Gerd , Cathcart Chundra , Round Erich
Published: March 2022

The chapter looks at language variation and change, and the relation of these processes to language reconstruction and classification. The chapter gives an overview of theories, models, methods, and data, describing how diversity and variation is modelled and measured for reconstruction and classification within traditional, comparative and statistical, evolutionary, or phylogenetic methods. First, the chapter identifies the basic principles of language change and the way in which these differ within various subdomains of language. A second part delves into the outcomes of change, describing the diverse results of sound change, lexical change, and typological/morphosyntactic change. Here, important aspects include the inherent propensity of change, the role of arbitrariness, the role of systems, horizontal transfer, and the outcome of change at macro-levels. Finally, the chapter deals with the issue of the ontological status of the reconstruction, and how various theoretical approaches may affect the interpretation of results. The chapter reviews results and controversies arising from current research.
The Challenge of Value Alignment
Authors: Gabriel Iason , Ghazavi Vafa
Published: March 2022

This chapter addresses the question of how to align artificial intelligence (AI) systems with human values and situates it within a wider body of thought regarding technology and value. Far from existing in a vacuum, there has long been an interest in the ability of technology to ‘lock-in’ different value systems. There has also been considerable thought about how to align technologies with specific social values, including through participatory design processes. In this chapter, we look more closely at the question of AI alignment and suggest that the power and autonomy of AI systems gives rise to opportunities and challenges in the domain of value that have not been encountered before. Drawing important continuities between the work of the fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics community, and work being done by technical AI safety researchers, we suggest that more attention needs to be paid to the question of ‘social value alignment’—that is, how to align AI systems with the plurality of values endorsed by groups of people, especially on the global level.
The Social History of the Alexandrian Church
Authors: Jakab Attila
Published: March 2022

The history of Alexandrian Christianity takes place in the social context of the most cosmopolitan city of the Roman Empire. Rooted in the Hellenized Jewish community, the wealthy and educated Christians emerged at Alexandria with the Kerygma of Peter, in the beginning of the second century. For decades Alexandrian Christianity, in fact a spiritual movement, was represented by names generally considered as ‘Gnostics’ teachers (Basilides, Carpocrates). Even later masters such as Clement or Origen play a more major role than the bishops. They are the privileged witnesses of the social differentiation and the institutionalization of the Christian community, who became most ‘popular’ in the middle of the third century. In this context, bishops Demetrius and Heraclas worked to strengthen the ecclesiastical institution. The conflict with Origen was inevitable. With Dionysius of Alexandria, the bishop became the leader and also the teacher of the church. The problems were solved.
Origen as a Theologian: An Overview
Authors: Lyman Rebecca
Published: March 2022

As an overview of Origen’s theology this chapter’s starting point is philosophical. Origen’s radical synthesis of Christianity and Platonism makes the body and materiality central to the cosmological and Christological core of salvation. Her second point, however, is sociological. Sectarian textual communities are the sites for philosophical and theological speculation. The challenge of the Alexandrian Christianity of Origen’s day was to articulate a theological vision for mixed communities of simpliciores and educated elites. For Origen the flesh of the Incarnation and the letter of Scripture as well as the opportunity for repentance and advancement through free will were the crucial starting points for the simpliciores, the bridges to a mature spirituality. Exegesis is above all spiritual work to be done by disciplined teachers.
Origen and the Reworking of the Legacy of Greek Philosophy
Authors: Berchman Robert M.
Published: March 2022

The author’s concern with epistemology is framed by his interest in situating Origen in the history of philosophical exegesis using the tools of the philosophy of language. The ‘new hermeneutics’, by dissolving the unity of authorial meaning into the multiplicity of reader reception, suits Origen’s exegetical schema well. Deconstruction makes it possible to see that Origen’s allegory constitutes a non-propositional and a non-discursive mode of access to the Logos which the author translates as exegesis and contemplative prayer. In this mode, ‘[T]he knower/reader eventually learns not to consider himself as separate from the Scriptural reality which he seeks to comprehend.’ Contemplation leads to assimilation/divinization experienced as unity.
The Discovery of the True Origen By Twentieth–Century Scholars
Authors: Daly Robert J.
Published: March 2022

The supposed rehabilitation of Origen by early twentieth-century Catholic scholars was, apart from the little-noticed work of Prat, actually more of a somewhat later relatively new discovery of a more authentically true Origen as a more ‘whole’ and multi-faceted but actually more biblical, and less philosophically systematic religious genius than had generally been presumed to be the case. This correction of misperceptions about Origen, a synthetic but not systematic thinker, was brought about primarily, but not exclusively, by Catholic scholars beginning with the daring Ferdinand Prat (1907) and the Lutheran Walter Völker (1930), and continuing with Gustave Bardy (1932), Hans Urs von Balthasar (1936), Aloisius Lieske (1938), Jean Daniélou (1948), the incomparable Henri de Lubac (1950), and the prolific Henri Crouzel (passim but here, esp, 1967).
Past accomplishments and future challenges of the multi-omics characterization of leaf growth
Authors: Skirycz Aleksandra , Fernie Alisdair R
Published: March 2022

The advent of omics technologies has revolutionized biology and advanced our understanding of all biological processes, including major developmental transitions in plants and animals. Here, we review the vast knowledge accumulated concerning leaf growth in terms of transcriptional regulation before turning our attention to the historically less well-characterized alterations at the protein and metabolite level. We will then discuss how the advent of biochemical methods coupled with metabolomics and proteomics can provide insight into the protein–protein and protein–metabolite interactome of the growing leaves. We finally highlight the substantial challenges in detection, spatial resolution, integration, and functional validation of the omics results, focusing on metabolomics as a prerequisite for a comprehensive understanding of small-molecule regulation of plant growth.
Barley stripe mosaic virus γb protein targets thioredoxin h-type 1 to dampen salicylic acid-mediated defenses
Authors: Jiang Zhihao , Jin Xuejiao , Yang Meng , Pi Qinglin , Cao Qing , Li Zhenggang , Zhang Yongliang , Wang Xian-Bing , Han Chenggui , Yu Jialin , Li Dawei
Published: March 2022

Salicylic acid (SA) acts as a signaling molecule to perceive and defend against pathogen infections. Accordingly, pathogens evolve versatile strategies to disrupt the SA-mediated signal transduction, and how plant viruses manipulate the SA-dependent defense responses requires further characterization. Here, we show that barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) infection activates the SA-mediated defense signaling pathway and upregulates the expression of Nicotiana benthamiana thioredoxin h-type 1 (NbTRXh1). The γb protein interacts directly with NbTRXh1 in vivo and in vitro. The overexpression of NbTRXh1, but not a reductase-defective mutant, impedes BSMV infection, whereas low NbTRXh1 expression level results in increased viral accumulation. Similar with its orthologs in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), NbTRXh1 also plays an essential role in SA signaling transduction in N. benthamiana. To counteract NbTRXh1-mediated defenses, the BSMV γb protein targets NbTRXh1 to dampen its reductase activity, thereby impairing downstream SA defense gene expression to optimize viral cell-to-cell movement. We also found that NbTRXh1-mediated resistance defends against lychnis ringspot virus, beet black scorch virus, and beet necrotic yellow vein virus. Taken together, our results reveal a role for the multifunctional γb protein in counteracting plant defense responses and an expanded broad-spectrum antibiotic role of the SA signaling pathway.
MicroRNA858a, its encoded peptide, and phytosulfokine regulate Arabidopsis growth and development
Authors: Badola Poorwa Kamal , Sharma Ashish , Gautam Himanshi , Trivedi Prabodh Kumar
Published: March 2022

Small molecules, such as peptides and miRNAs, are crucial regulators of plant growth. Here, we show the importance of cross-talk between miPEP858a (microRNA858a-encoded peptide)/miR858a and phytosulfokine (PSK4) in regulating plant growth and development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Genome-wide expression analysis suggested modulated expression of PSK4 in miR858a mutants and miR858a-overexpressing (miR858aOX) plants. The silencing of PSK4 in miR858aOX plants compromised growth, whereas overexpression of PSK4 in the miR858a mutant rescued the developmental defects. The exogenous application of synthetic PSK4 further complemented the plant development in mutant plants. Exogenous treatment of synthetic miPEP858a in the PSK4 mutant led to clathrin-mediated internalization of the peptide; however, it did not enhance growth as is the case in wild-type plants. We also demonstrated that MYB3 is an important molecular component participating in the miPEP858a/miR858a–PSK4 module. Finally, our work highlights the signaling between miR858a/miPEP858a-MYB3-PSK4 in modulating the expression of key elements involved in auxin responses, leading to the regulation of growth.
DOES RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION TRAINING OR A REAL-TIME STAFF DOSEMETER DISPLAY REDUCE STAFF DOSES DURING X-RAY-GUIDED PULMONARY BRONCHOSCOPY?
Authors: Lundvall Lise-Lott , Sandborg Michael
Published: March 2022

X-ray-guided interventions have increased in number and complexity. Mandatory radiological protection training includes both theoretical and practical training sessions. A recent additional training tool is real-time display dosemeters that give direct feedback to staff on their individual dose rates. Ten staff members who regularly perform pulmonary bronchoscopy wore an extra dosemeter during four 2-month periods. We controlled for the patient air kerma area product and the number of procedures in each period. Between periods 1 and 2, radiological training sessions were held and during period 3 the staff used the real-time display system. Focus-group interviews with the staff were held to obtain their opinion about learning radiological protection. We hypothesised that neither training nor the additional real-time dose rate display alters the personal dose equivalent, Hp(d); d = 0.07 and 10 mm. Useful experiences from radiological protection training were obtained, and median staff doses did decrease, however not significantly.
Graft-Versus-Solid-Tumor Effect: From Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation to Adoptive Cell Therapies
Authors: Barisic Stefan , Childs Richard W
Published: March 2022

After allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), donor lymphocytes may contribute to the regression of hematological malignancies and select solid tumors, a phenomenon referred to as the graft-versus-tumor effect (GVT). However, this immunologic reaction is frequently limited by either poor specificity resulting in graft-versus-host disease or the frequency of tumor-specific T cells being too low to induce a complete and sustained anti-tumor response. Over the past 2 decades, it has become clear that the driver of GVT following allogeneic HSCT is T-cell-mediated recognition of antigens presented on tumor cells. With that regard, even though the excitement for using HSCT in solid tumors has declined, clinical trials of HSCT in solid tumors provided proof of concept and valuable insights leading to the discovery of tumor antigens and the development of targeted adoptive cell therapies for cancer. In this article, we review the results of clinical trials of allogeneic HSCT in solid tumors. We focus on lessons learned from correlative studies of these trials that hold the potential for the creation of tumor-specific immunotherapies with greater efficacy and safety for the treatment of malignancies.
Large-scale analysis of SARS-CoV-2 synonymous mutations reveals the adaptation to the human codon usage during the virus evolution
Authors: Ramazzotti Daniele , Angaroni Fabrizio , Maspero Davide , Mauri Mario , D’Aliberti Deborah , Fontana Diletta , Antoniotti Marco , Elli Elena Maria , Graudenzi Alex , Piazza Rocco
Published: March 2022

Many large national and transnational studies have been dedicated to the analysis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome, most of which focused on missense and nonsense mutations. However, approximately 30 per cent of the SARS-CoV-2 variants are synonymous, therefore changing the target codon without affecting the corresponding protein sequence.

By performing a large-scale analysis of sequencing data generated from almost 400,000 SARS-CoV-2 samples, we show that silent mutations increasing the similarity of viral codons to the human ones tend to fixate in the viral genome overtime. This indicates that SARS-CoV-2 codon usage is adapting to the human host, likely improving its effectiveness in using the human aminoacyl-tRNA set through the accumulation of deceitfully neutral silent mutations.

One-Sentence Summary. Synonymous SARS-CoV-2 mutations related to the activity of different mutational processes may positively impact viral evolution by increasing its adaptation to the human codon usage.
Ontogenic Susceptibility of Grapevine Clusters to Ripe Rot, Caused by the Colletotrichum acutatum and C. gloeosporioides Species Complexes
Authors: Cosseboom Scott D. , Hu Mengjun
Published: March 2022

Natural infection by Colletotrichum spp. and the subsequent development of ripe rot were observed in susceptible grape (Vitis vinifera) clusters either protected or exposed to environmental conditions and naturally occurring inoculum by the application or removal of paper bags at various phenological stages at two Mid-Atlantic vineyards. During each of the three experimental seasons, most treatments with grape clusters that were exposed between veraison and harvest developed significantly more severe ripe rot than clusters that were exposed during only the early season or protected throughout the entire season. Spore traps were placed in one vineyard over two seasons and were analyzed via quantitative PCR. DNA of the Colletotrichum acutatum and C. gloeosporioides species complexes was detected from the bloom to the harvest stage, with a higher quantity of C. acutatum DNA than C. gloeosporioides DNA. From ripe rot symptomatic clusters, 417 isolates were collected, and a multilocus phylogenetic analysis of 51 representative isolates identified six Colletotrichum spp., with C. fioriniae (C. acutatum complex) being the most frequently isolated. Weather data were also monitored, and ripe rot-conducive conditions were observed at multiple times throughout each season. In summary, only clusters that were exposed to inoculum and environmental conditions in the late season developed severe ripe rot. The data collected in this study suggest that grape clusters have ontogenic susceptibility to ripe rot, becoming more susceptible as they mature, in contrast to the susceptible bloom stage for other fruit rotting diseases of grapevine.
Predictors of Pain and Disability Outcomes Following Spinal Surgery for Chronic Low Back and Radicular Pain
Authors: Halicka Monika , Duarte Rui , Catherall Sharon , Maden Michelle , Coetsee Michaela , Wilby Martin , Brown Christopher
Published: March 2022

Objectives:

Success rates of spinal surgeries to treat chronic back pain are highly variable and useable prognostic indicators are lacking. We aimed to identify and evaluate preoperative predictors of pain and disability after spinal surgery for chronic low back/leg pain.

Methods:

Electronic database (01/1984-03/2021) and reference searches identified 2622 unique citations. Eligible studies included adults with chronic low back/leg pain lasting ≥3 months undergoing first elective lumbar spine surgery, and outcomes defined as change in pain (primary)/disability (secondary) after ≥3 months. We included 21 reports (6899 participants), 7 were judged to have low and 14 high risks of bias. We performed narrative synthesis and determined the quality of evidence (QoE).

Results:

Better pain outcomes were associated with younger age, higher education, and no spinal stenosis (low QoE); lower preoperative pain, fewer comorbidities, lower pain catastrophizing, anxiety and depression (very low QoE); but not with symptom duration (moderate QoE), other sociodemographic factors (low QoE), disability, or sensory testing (very low QoE). More favorable disability outcomes were associated with preoperative sensory loss (moderate QoE); lower job-related resignation and neuroticism (very low QoE); but not with socioeconomic factors, comorbidities (low QoE), demographics, pain, or pain-related psychological factors (very low QoE).

Discussion:

In conclusion, absence of spinal stenosis potentially predicts greater pain relief and preoperative sensory loss likely predicts reduction in disability. Overall, QoE for most identified associations was low/very low.
Issues With Big Data: Variability in Reported Demographics and Complications Associated With Posterior Spinal Fusion in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Niknam Kian , Sabharwal Sanjeev , Swarup Ishaan
Published: March 2022

Background:

Clinical and administrative registries provide large volumes of data that can be used for clinical research. However, there are several limitations relating to the quality, consistency, and generalizability of big data. In this study, we aim to compare reported demographics and certain outcomes in patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), neuromuscular scoliosis (NS), and Scheuermann kyphosis (SK) between 3 commonly utilized databases in pediatric orthopaedic research.

Methods:

We used International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes to identify patients in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), and Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) between the ages of 10 to 18 that underwent PSF for AIS, SK, and NS from 2012 to 2015. We compared various demographic factors, such as sex, race/ethnicity, age, and rates of postsurgical infection and 30-day readmissions. Data was analyzed with descriptive and univariate statistics.

Results:

We identified 9891 patients that underwent PSF in NSQIP, 10,771 patients in PHIS, and 4335 patients in HCUP over the study period. There were significant differences in patient demographics, readmission rates, and infection rates between all patients that underwent PSF across the databases (P<0.01), as well as specifically in patients with AIS (P<0.01). HCUP had the highest proportion of Hispanic patients that underwent PSF (13.5%), as well as patients who had AIS (13.3%) or NS (17.9%). The PHIS database had the highest proportion of patients undergoing PSF for SK. Among patients with NS, there were significant differences in race across the databases (P<0.01), but no significant differences in sex, ethnicity, or readmission (P>0.05). In addition, there were significant differences in race (P=0.04) and readmission (P=0.01) across databases for patients with SK, but no differences in sex or ethnicity (P>0.05). NSQIP reported the highest rate of 30-day readmissions for patients undergoing PSF (17.9%) compared with other databases (HCUP 4.1%, PHIS 12.1%).

Conclusions:

There are significant differences in patient demographics, sample sizes, and rates of complications for pediatric patients undergoing PSF across 3 commonly utilized US administrative databases. Given the variability in reported outcomes and demographics, generalizability is difficult to extrapolate from these large data sources. In addition, certain databases should be selected to appropriately power studies focusing on particular patient populations or outcomes.
Impact of Blood Pressure Cuff Overinflation on Blood Pressure Measurements in Adults
Authors: Toonstra Amy , Lefebvre Kristin , Denn Jessica , Goecke Matthew , Grossoehme Lucas , Jarocki Emma , Leslie Charlie , Peckumn Rachel , Rundquist Peter , Warfield Spencer
Published: March 2022

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to determine effects of cuff overinflation on blood pressure (BP) measurements compared with the standardized 20 mm Hg above the loss of Korotkoff sounds when taking manual BP in adults.

Methods:

One hundred twelve participants were recruited. American Heart Association standard procedure guidelines were referenced. Baseline BP was measured using standard cuff inflation of 20 mm Hg above loss of systolic Korotkoff sounds, followed by BP measurements with cuff inflations of 40, 60, and 80 mm Hg above the loss of Korotkoff sounds.

Results:

Friedman's analysis of variance found statistically significant differences in systolic measurements between standard and all 3 over-inflation methods (P = .015). Post-hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank tests demonstrated significant difference in systolic measurements between standard cuff inflation and 60 and 80 mm Hg above the loss of Korotkoff sounds (P = .005, .003).

Conclusions:

This study reveals blood pressure cuff inflation 60 mm Hg past the loss of Korotkoff sounds creates statistically significant differences in systolic BP measurements as compared with recommended procedures. Higher cuff inflation levels may significantly change BP measurements and decrease accuracy of clinical decision-making and medical management.
Ambient air pollution during pregnancy and cardiometabolic biomarkers in cord blood
Authors: Friedman Chloe , Dabelea Dana , Bloemsma Lizan D. , Thomas Deborah S. K. , Peel Jennifer L. , Adgate John L. , Magzamen Sheryl , Martenies Sheena E. , Allshouse William B. , Starling Anne P.
Published: March 2022

Background/Objectives:

Prenatal air pollution exposure has been associated with adverse childhood cardiometabolic outcomes. It is unknown whether evidence of metabolic disruption associated with air pollution is identifiable at birth. We examined exposure to prenatal ambient air pollution and cord blood cardiometabolic biomarkers among 812 mother-infant pairs in the Healthy Start study.

Methods:

Using inverse-distance-weighted interpolation of ambient concentrations obtained from stationary monitors, we estimated daily particulate matter ≤2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) concentrations at participant residences. Daily estimates were averaged by trimester, full-pregnancy, and the 7 and 30 days prior to delivery. Associations of air pollution with the following cord blood biomarkers were estimated via multivariable linear regression: glucose, insulin, glucose/insulin ratio (GIR), leptin, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, free fatty acids, and triglycerides.

Results:

In this Denver-based cohort, PM2.5 concentrations were lower than in many US urban areas, but O3 concentrations regularly exceeded federal air quality standards. Higher O3 concentrations during pregnancy were consistently associated with higher insulin and lower GIR in cord blood. For example, an interquartile range increase in full pregnancy O3 (6.3 parts per billion [ppb]) was associated with 0.13 log-µIU/ml (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.04, 0.22) higher cord blood insulin, after adjusting for PM2.5 and other confounders. We found positive, but generally nonsignificant, associations between PM2.5 and leptin and isolated associations between pollutants during certain exposure periods and lipids.

Conclusions:

In this cohort with moderately high O3 exposure, prenatal concentrations of O3 were positively associated with cord blood insulin. Future studies should examine the implications for offspring long-term health.
Applying Lessons from COVID-19 to Cost Centers across the Phases of Surgical Care
Authors: Pathak Kavya , Kadakia Kushal , Offodile Anaeze C. , Orgill Dennis P.
Published: March 2022

The financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly significant in surgical specialties, with an estimated loss of $22 billion due to deferrals and cancelations of procedures. Evidence suggests that alternative payment models may have reduced the financial impact of COVID-19 for some providers; however, representation of plastic surgery in these models has historically been limited. It is critical for plastic surgeons to understand cost drivers throughout the surgical care episode to design strategies to reduce costs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this perspective, we use the American College of Surgeons Five Phases of Surgical Care framework to examine inflationary spending pressures at each stage of the surgical continuum of care. We then highlight cost-containment strategies relevant to plastic and reconstructive surgery within these stages, including those developed before the COVID-19 pandemic, such as bundled payment models and utilization of ambulatory surgery centers, and others expanded during the pandemic, including further use of telemedicine for pre and postoperative visits and expansion of enhanced recovery after surgery pathways and home-based rehabilitation for breast reconstruction. Using innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic can help plastic surgeons further innovate to decrease costs and improve outcomes for patients.