Authors Question Research Articles

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PERINEUM STRUCTURES IN THE EMBRYONIC AND PREFETAL PERIODS

Traditionally, it is believed that the division of the cloaca into the ventral genitourinary pert and the dorsal - ureteric part occurs at the expense of the urorectal septum during the fourth week of intrauterine development. The separation of the cloaca finally ends during the sixth week of fetal development, with the fusion of the urorectal septum with the cloaca membrane. During the seventh week, both departments become separate entities. However, a significant cohort of authors question the traditional view of the mechanisms of cloacal separation.Purpose to establish and visualize the mechanism of cloaca division; to resolve the controversy regarding the role of the urorectal septum in the separation of the cloaca; to reveal the beginnings of future organ complexes of the male perineum.Material and method. Series of sections of 15 embryo preparations (4-7 weeks of gestational age; 4.5-13.5 mm. PCL) and 15 preparations of pre-fetus (7-9 weeks of gestational age; 14.0-35.0 mm. PCL) were studied by the methods of morphological research: microscopy, morphometry. In order to more accurately visualize and understand the processes of formation of the structures of the male perineum, the method of three-dimensional visualization was used.The results of own research. We found a significant number of mitotic divisions in the dorsal and lateral parts of the mesodermal tissue around the cranial part of the cloaca, but the absence of mitotic divisions was observed in the cells of the mesodermal tissue of the urogenital septum. The urorectal septum becomes visible after the cloacal folds separate the cloaca from the hindgut, distal to the junction between the mesonephric ducts and the cloaca. We established that from the 36th day of intrauterine development, an abdominal cavity is formed, which is located inside the urorectal septum and extends in the caudal direction distally from the point of entry of the mesonephric ducts to the middle of the distance between the entrance of the mesonephric ducts and the caudal top of the urorectal septum. On the 41st day of intrauterine development, parts of the mesonephric ducts, which are located between the cloaca and the ureteric buds, gradually disappear. Thus, both ureters and mesonephric ducts have a common entrance to the genitourinary sinus. Taking into account our observations, it should be noted that the division of the cloaca is a direct consequence of the growth and increase in the volume of the mesenchymal tissue that surrounds the cloaca and, especially in the later stages, its ventral part - the genitourinary sinus. During the 6-9th week of intrauterine development, the genitourinary sinus and urinary bladder are formed along with the demarcation of the mesonephric ducts and ureters.Conclusions. We identified three main structures that indirectly affect the division of the cloaca: after the formation of the urorectal septum, a decrease in the frequency of mitotic divisions of the latter is noted, which indicates its temporary and initial role in the division of the cloaca. Disproportionate growth and increase in the volume of mesenchymal tissue of the ventral part and dorsal part of the cloaca significantly affects the change in its shape and its division. The urorectal septum is not a single, separate structure and extends laterally. Finally, role of the abdominal cavity in the distribution of the cloaca is uncertain.

Is it me or my delusion? Harnessing authenticity for an agential view of delusionality

In the revisionist part of the book, Bortolotti aims at defending a non-pathologising view of delusions, according to which they not only compromise but support our agency. By construing delusions as meaningful protective responses, the author attempts to decouple delusionality from pathology. Nevertheless, it is not clear how, according to her approach, delusions could foster agency. Even when seen as a “way of life” and not as psychiatric symptoms, the defensive nature of delusions undermines the person’s sense of agency, for the symptom or defence mechanism never stems from the person themselves. Notwithstanding the benefits delusions might bring along, they seem to display their own intentionality to the detriment of the agent. Here, I suggest that insights from the authenticity debate in psychiatry could support Bortolotti’s revisionist aim and benefit her discussion on identity beliefs. For this purpose, I introduce the concept of self-illness ambiguity (Sadler, 2007) and compare de Haan’s notion of existential stance (2020) and Stanghellini’s concept of position-taking (Stanghellini et al., 2023) to argue that the person’s agency resides in their ability to take a stance on their (psychiatric) condition, especially when struggling with questions of authenticity. Finally, I explore why one cannot just get rid of a delusion and why, when one attempts to, it feels urgent to replace it.

Expertise or talent: what is more important in a doctor?

The authors question whether having an innate talent or possessing acquired professional skills is more important for "living as a physician." The article emphasizes a combination of personal traits, such as compassion, emotional intelligence, and teamwork skills, which are highly significant and complement technical competencies. The authors highlight the importance of being able to make quick decisions and provide emotional support in critical situations, especially in emergency medicine. Furthermore, it is crucial that a group of professionals has a variety of talents, as this can be the basis for more inclusive care. Patience, cited by Roger Federer in a speech at Dartmouth University, is an essential quality for healthcare professionals during years when the healthcare system is experiencing a profound funding crisis. Finally, it is essential for a physician to be adaptable and committed to continuous cultural growth in an evolving healthcare environment.

Garth Brooks Soundalikes, YouTube Misinformation, and Authenticity Politics

Country musician Garth Brooks has long resisted digital distribution of his recordings, which remain unavailable on most streaming platforms. This artificial scarcity has led audiences to settle for virtually identical recordings performed by cover musicians. Known as soundalikes, these recordings garner hundreds of millions of streams across platforms. On YouTube, uploaders often post soundalikes with misleading titles, causing listeners to mistake soundalikes for original Brooks recordings. This widespread practice inspires users to debate the ethical, aesthetic, and economic implications of soundalikes using YouTube’s comments forum. This article uses text data mining to examine online reception for thirty-seven YouTube videos featuring Brooks and his soundalikes, comprising over 24,000 comments. Alienated from musical labor and absent authoritative paratexts and distribution networks, these listeners compensate by relying upon social media to fill in epistemological gaps and develop a new ethics of listening. Echoing historical discourses on artistic forgery, some listeners invest in exposing deception, posing as style experts whose sometimes erroneous attributions often spill over into negative aesthetic and ethical judgments. Yet others enjoy soundalikes as adequate alternatives, focusing on personal meaning or mimetic craft, thereby eroding the authority of the original recording as a uniquely expressive artifact. Broader user reflections on digital distribution reveal YouTube as a significant site of meaning-making, community formation, and epistemic danger. As deepfakes and other musical deceptions proliferate, this article demonstrates how deregulated social media distribution can destabilize previously straightforward questions of authorship and reshape attitudes toward artistic integrity and just listening habits.

Features of first-year students adaptation to study at a higher education institution

Annotation. The article is devoted to an empirical study of the level of severity and prevalence of depressive disorders and the level of the resilience among first-year students at the higher education institution, using the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 and the author's questions about the state of mental health and social activity in a sample of 85 people were analyzed. An analysis of the dynamics of the indicated indicators was carried out: there is a tendency towards a pessimistic assessment of one’s own success and appearance by students during the first semester of study at the higher education institution, but at the beginning of the second semester demonstrates is a tendency towards a more realistic assessment and revitalization of social activity, which confirms the adaptation of students and orientation towards academic and social performance activities with increased resilience and reduced manifestations of depressive symptoms. In the future, it is worth focusing on the identification of factors and conditions that will influence the faster and better adaptation of first-year students, which will determine their success, the formation of skills to overcome life crises based on the value- motivational system, emotional and volitional qualities in the conditions of the eco-environment of higher education institutions.

Is Information About Musculoskeletal Malignancies From Large Language Models or Web Resources at a Suitable Reading Level for Patients?

Patients and caregivers may experience immense distress when receiving the diagnosis of a primary musculoskeletal malignancy and subsequently turn to internet resources for more information. It is not clear whether these resources, including Google and ChatGPT, offer patients information that is readable, a measure of how easy text is to understand. Since many patients turn to Google and artificial intelligence resources for healthcare information, we thought it was important to ascertain whether the information they find is readable and easy to understand. The objective of this study was to compare readability of Google search results and ChatGPT answers to frequently asked questions and assess whether these sources meet NIH recommendations for readability. (1) What is the readability of ChatGPT-3.5 as a source of patient information for the three most common primary bone malignancies compared with top online resources from Google search? (2) Do ChatGPT-3.5 responses and online resources meet NIH readability guidelines for patient education materials? This was a cross-sectional analysis of the 12 most common online questions about osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and Ewing sarcoma. To be consistent with other studies of similar design that utilized national society frequently asked questions lists, questions were selected from the American Cancer Society and categorized based on content, including diagnosis, treatment, and recovery and prognosis. Google was queried using all 36 questions, and top responses were recorded. Author types, such as hospital systems, national health organizations, or independent researchers, were recorded. ChatGPT-3.5 was provided each question in independent queries without further prompting. Responses were assessed with validated reading indices to determine readability by grade level. An independent t-test was performed with significance set at p < 0.05. Google (n = 36) and ChatGPT-3.5 (n = 36) answers were recorded, 12 for each of the three cancer types. Reading grade levels based on mean readability scores were 11.0 ± 2.9 and 16.1 ± 3.6, respectively. This corresponds to the eleventh grade reading level for Google and a fourth-year undergraduate student level for ChatGPT-3.5. Google answers were more readable across all individual indices, without differences in word count. No difference in readability was present across author type, question category, or cancer type. Of 72 total responses across both search modalities, none met NIH readability criteria at the sixth-grade level. Google material was presented at a high school reading level, whereas ChatGPT-3.5 was at an undergraduate reading level. The readability of both resources was inadequate based on NIH recommendations. Improving readability is crucial for better patient understanding during cancer treatment. Physicians should assess patients' needs, offer them tailored materials, and guide them to reliable resources to prevent reliance on online information that is hard to understand. Level III, prognostic study.

Paul and Pseudo-Paul: Authorship, Ideology, and the Difference of Androprimacy

This essay proposes a new conceptual approach to authorship and gender ideology in the Pauline corpus through the neologism ‘androprimacy’. I maintain that in addition to the scholarly literature that has engaged questions of authorship in the Pauline corpus and its relevance for the ordination of women, approaching this topic from the angle of ‘androprimacy’ exposes a distinct structure of sex-based discrimination that Paul rejects (1 Cor 11.11–16) and that the author of 1 Tim (1 Tim 2.11–15) affirms, demonstrating that androprimacy was a contested ideology in the first century, a relevant finding for promoting women’s ordination.

The So-Called Ansbert, his ‘Historia de expeditione’ and Related Sources as a Research Problem *

Abstract The article dealing with the so-called Ansbert, his ‘Historia de expeditione Friderici imperatoris’ and related sources offers a research overview and analysis of the topic as it has evolved over the past 200 years and presents a new and more productive way to approach the narrative – the most important source documenting Frederick Barbarossa’s crusade ( 1188–1190 ). Firstly, the circumstances of the source’s reappearance in 1826 are explained, showing the troubled fate of the Strahov manuscript, where the narrative is extant in its fullest form. Secondly, the course of the academic discussion is traced, the main protagonist being Anton Chroust, the author of an edition used to this day. The main characteristics of the source are explained and the historiographical debate on the ‘Tageno-Ansbert-Frage’ is analysed, demonstrating that in almost desperate attempts to solve the question of authorship, the interconnectedness of sources and the exact manner of composition, research has gone up a blind alley, hindering more result-yielding questions from even being asked, which has not been remedied even by crusading studies that have bloomed in the past 100 years. Finally, a fresh approach to the topic is introduced: the narrative may be researched more viably through the lens of the functions and aims the source may have followed and the role the crusading idea may have played in it. Rediscovery of the ‘Historia’, p. 362. – The ‘Tageno-Ansbert-Frage’, p. 363. – Anton Chroust Enters the Scene, p. 365. – Karl Zimmert Disagrees, p. 367. – Towards the Modern Edition, p. 368. – The Edition, p. 371. – Reactions and Aftermath, p. 375. – The So-Called Ansbert in Crusading Studies and Barbarossa’s Biographies?, p. 377. – ‘Historia de Expeditione’ and its Modern Translations, p. 380. – New Horizons?, p. 385.

Visualizing everydayness, questioning interstitiality

This visual essay explores the possibility of everyday spaces to be theorized as interstices, i.e. in-between or temporary spaces. The images are black-and-white video snapshots of urban spaces in several cities in the German state of Thuringia showing the everyday movement of people and cars, and in some cases, spaces that are used by a limited number of inhabitants. Through these images, the author questions the normal nature of everyday spaces by exploring Rodrigo Vidal’s notion of interfragmentary space, which refers to urban fragments contained within any open space in the city. This article highlights the interplay between everydayness and interstitiality, which can redefine people’s perception of their environment.

Knowledge and practices of plagiarism among journal editors of Nepal

BackgroundThis study was conducted to assess the knowledge and ongoing practices of plagiarism among the journal editors of Nepal.MethodsThis web-based questionnaire analytical cross-sectional was conducted among journal editors working across various journals in Nepal. All journal editors from NepJOL-indexed journals in Nepal who provided e-consent were included in the study using a convenience sampling technique.A final set of questionnaires was prepared using Google Forms, including six knowledge questions, three practice questions (with subsets) for authors, and four (with subsets) for editors. These were distributed to journal editors in Nepal via email, Facebook Messenger, Viber, and WhatsApp. Reminders were sent weekly, up to three times.Data analysis was done in R software. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for the demographic variables, correct responses regarding knowledge, and practices related to plagiarism. Independent t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to compare mean knowledge with demographic variables. For all tests, statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.ResultsA total of 147 participants completed the survey.The mean age of the participants was found to be 43.61 ± 8.91 years. Nearly all participants were aware of plagiarism, and most had heard of both Turnitin and iThenticate. Slightly more than three-fourths correctly identified that citation and referencing can avoid plagiarism. The overall mean knowledge score was 5.32 ± 0.99, with no significant differences across demographic variables.As authors, 4% admitted to copying sections of others' work without acknowledgment and reusing their own published work without proper citations. Just over one-fifth did not use plagiarism detection software when writing research articles. Fewer than half reported that their journals used authentic plagiarism detection software.Four-fifths of them suspected plagiarism in the manuscripts assigned through their journal. Three out of every five participants reported the plagiarism used in the manuscript to the respective authors. Nearly all participants believe every journal must have plagiarism-detection software.ConclusionsAlthough journal editors' knowledge and practices regarding plagiarism appear to be high, they are still not satisfactory. It is strongly recommended to use authentic plagiarism detection software by the journals and editors should be adequately trained and update their knowledge about it.

Artifacts Without Authors: Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Question of Authorship

Artifacts Without Authors: Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Question of Authorship

EXPRESS: How Insurance Prices Affect Consumers’ Purchase Decisions: Insurance Price as a Risk Signal

Retailers, service providers, and manufacturers have discovered that complementary optional insurance is an attractive source of profit and frequently charge substantial insurance prices compared to the price of the product to be insured. The implicit assumption behind this pricing strategy is that product purchase decisions are independent of the insurance offer. The authors question this assumption and propose that consumers interpret the price of insurance as a risk signal with respect to the underlying product. Perceived risk, in turn, negatively affects consumers’ decision to purchase the product in a given purchase situation. The results of a survey, three online experiments, and two studies using transactional data provide evidence for the proposed insurance price risk signal. The findings reveal that perceived risk mediates the link between the relative insurance price level and consumers’ decision to purchase the underlying product. Offering other optional add-ons and providing objective risk information weakens the insurance price risk signal.

Artificial Intelligence: Duality in Applications of Generative AI and Assistive AI in Music

This paper explores the multifaceted role of Artificial Intelligence in the field of music, more specifically, examining the positives and negatives of generative and assistive capacities. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in music involves the application of computational techniques to various aspects of music creation, production and consumption. In the domain of assistive AI, the concentration is on how machine learning could potentially help musicians in the area of composition and performance to enhance their musical creativity. The paper will discuss an interesting collaborative effort between pure human creativity and computational assistance covering an explanation for a vast number of tools using generative as well as assistive artificial intelligence models. In addition, the paper will address the concerns facing the music industry while this technology keeps on improving, the potential drawbacks and ethical considerations. It opens the question of authenticity and emotional depth, and when or if this new technology could be able to replicate it. Further explanation in the paper will consider music examples with a focus on music styles assisted and generated by the use of artificial intelligence, from pop to classical music. With a thorough analysis of the aforementioned subject, the paper aims to provide a detailed perspective on the constant evolution of AI tools used in music with highlights on the need for a balanced approach. In providing a detailed perspective on the evolving landscape of AI tools in music, this study adopts a methodological approach that involves comprehensive analysis of both the benefits and challenges associated with these innovative gadgets. The paper contributes to the ongoing discussion on the intersection of technology and artistic expression. By examining the potential benefits and challenges with these innovative models, the paper signifies ongoing discourse on the impact of technology on artistic expression.

Values: can science study them? On the history, theory and methodology of the issue

The place and role of values in scientific knowledge in general and in sociology in particular are discussed in the above paper. Values in the light of political sociology (political-ideological values) are compared with values themselves, which in the light of the sociology of knowledge appear as phenomenologically revealed initial givens. They form a core of the worldviews and worldview of each person as an individual. In the interpretation of values themselves, the author relies on his interpretation of the religious and philosophical axiology of M. Scheler. The author proves that, although all kinds of evaluativeness are subject to exclusion, “value neutrality” in social cognition is impossible in principle, therefore it is necessary to strive for its explication and articulation. The author questions the possibility of scientific-discursive knowledge of values, as well as respective attempts to study value consciousness empirically.

Shakespeare at large: law and the First Folio

ABSTRACT This special issue brings together several essays that celebrate the quadricentennial anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio in 1623. Following on from the 2023 Law and Humanities roundtable, the articles in this special issue adopt an interdisciplinary stance and lie at the crossroads of law, literature, history, and performative arts, with the First Folio acting as a crucial driver. Marking the quadricentenary of the First Folio allows the authors to discuss several issues related to its publication, such as questions of identity, authorship, and copyright.

Empathy and Self-Empathy in the Anthropological Dimension of Modernity

Purpose. In the article, the author questions rethinking the phenomena of empathy and self-empathy as modes of self-understanding of humanity and the inner intention to self-exploration of human spirituality. Theoretical basis. The research is based on the phenomenological dimension of modern anthropology and axiology. Originality. The change of the traditional intersubjective approach in the understanding of empathy to an introsubjective one and the affirmation of self-empathy as one of the defining existences in human beings, which is adjusted by the altruism-egoism value scale and forms the skills of unconditional empathic action towards the Other as a mode of self-exploration in the spiritual essence of a person are argued. Conclusions. The commonplace in a wide palette of research views on empathy is the construct for the Self – Other disposition and the intersubjective approach emphasizing the object of empathy. Transformation of the intention vector of empathic consciousness from the object to the subject of empathic action opens up deep possibilities of spiritual improvement as a way of self-awareness in the human essence. The transformation of the intention vector of empathic consciousness from intersubjective (I in the Other) to introsubjective (I through the Other) has the potential for spiritual development according to the altruism-egoism value scale. Empathy as an introsubjective position of self-exploration is inseparably connected with self-empathy, which in the mutual integration of its three main components – benevolence towards oneself, reflexivity towards one’s own experience and a tendency to understand one’s fate as common to all mankind – forms an important regulator of self-understanding of a person’s spiritual potential and the possibility of the practical extrapolation for these skills to an empathic way of communication at all levels of anthropo-being. Anthropological accentuation on the inner essence and meanings of human existence is carried out through intuition and self-altruism as the fading of pragmatic interest in the socially conditioned Self (Ego) and immersion in the essential Self – the bearer of the universal spiritual in a person. Self-empathy is considered in the context of the ideas of Stoicism as a deep self-immersion in the human essence and sensitivity to immediate emotional internal states, as a construct of emotional intelligence and a way of realizing individual uniqueness in the context of the metamodern concept of atopy. Self-empathy is defined as one of the key existences in human beings, which forms the skill of altruistic (unconditional) implementation of empathy.

Looking at the Chemocratic World: A Dystopian Reading of “The Futurological Congress” by Stanislaw Lem

The concept of dystopia anti-utopia or is beyond what is imagined as an ideal world; it is used to describe works that contain the chaos, political problems, despair, and impossibility to which humanity is dragged. Stanislaw Lem, influenced by the changing life patterns after the Ukrainian occupation and the Nazi occupation, discussed the concept of dystopia together with the drug theme in his work The Futurological Congress (1971). The novel begins with a reference to Ijon Tichy's space travels in Lem's earlier work, The Star Diaries (1957). Tichy, who set out to attend a futurology congress in future, is not content with this situation. The story begins to change when he reaches the Hilton Hotel. Talking about the population explosion and various robots built to serve humanity, Tichy awaits surprise coupons on hotel floors and difficulties in purchasing the most basic food he will consume. It is planned to discuss issues such as hunger, uncontrolled population growth, and lack of resources at the congress. However, the congress is interrupted due to attacks. Tichy, who hallucinates due to the gases used, and those in the sewer where he hides find themselves in a grotesque adventure. The Futurological Congress, decorated with the weather determined by voting, books in edible form, and parasites jumping out of the television, has details that make the author question what future we want and how we want it. This article discusses how Lem conveys his chemocratic universe, which seems like a paradise, where the so-called peace is provided by drugs, and how he handles social life through his characters.

The analogous intraoral judgement of the abutment preparation angle is almost impossible! At least avoid undercuts.

A total occlusal convergence (TOC) angle (ϕ) of 6 degrees is a typical crown preparation requirement. It has been shown that this is difficult to achieve clinically. The present study therefore aims to compare the ability of students to judge different steepnesses, including a -1-degree undercut of prepared canines and molars, under clinical conditions with different analog tools. The complete dentures of a patient were duplicated without denture teeth 16, 23, 33, and 46. For each of these gaps, six crown stumps were milled with ϕ/2 = -1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 degrees, each of which was insertable using mini-magnets. A total of 144 dental students, 48 students each from the 1st, 6th, or 9th semester, estimated these angles intraorally with various aiding tools: In addition to basic dental instruments, they used a parallelometer mirror, an analog clock dial with a 6-degree visualization, and a scale of tooth stumps with ϕ/2 between -1 and 15 degrees. The widely demanded 3 degrees were hardly recognized, but assumed to be steeper or even undercut. In contrast, the -1-degree divergent stump walls were predominantly estimated as parallel-walled or slightly conical. With increasing taper, the stumps tended to be classified as steeper, ie, "better." The additional tools did not result in a general improvement of the estimation performance. Students from higher semesters did not achieve better results. The present authors question the objectivity of an exclusively visual assessment of crown stump taper. It appears that dental training should at least focus on avoiding undercuts as the minimal prerequisite for an accurate intraoral scanning procedure. Digital control of the preparation angle by an intraoral scan and immediate clinical implementation of these results could help to produce appropriate preparations.

Thinking and learning through images: a review of research related to visual literacy, children’s reading and children’s literature

ABSTRACT This article offers an update on key developments in research related visual literacy, children’s reading and children’s literature. Beginning with an overview of the field, we chart several distinctive ‘turns’ or research trajectories: the aesthetic, the intercultural or empathic, and the ethical. We then consider how questions of power, authenticity and representation are visible in three important areas of the field: research with marginalised groups; research that focuses on mediation within the visual reading process; advances in the types of visual texts being used in research. Key emergent ideas include the challenges of adult mediators’ expectations on children’s visual reading, the potential of texts’ material affordances, and new directions in open, more inclusive opportunities to respond to, and with, visual texts. We conclude with a hopeful look forward at emerging directions in policy and research.

The Ecology of Knowledge: How the Complexity Sciences Can Explain the Peculiar Alliance between Art and Philosophy

Abstract Why is art allied with philosophy? Why are artists expected to be familiar with critical discursive practices? This paper sketches a naturalistic framework for approaching this problem by conceptualizing knowledge as a complex adaptive system. The author argues against a static image of the disciplines, as implied by Biglan’s typology, and proposes an evolving understanding of disciplinary dynamics. Based on this framework, the author suggests that art and philosophy form a communication niche maintained primarily through the positions of the critic and curator. The author questions the usefulness of this bond and advocates for the free exploration of the ecology of knowledge.