Emergence Of Concept Research Articles

From Low to No O2-Dependent Hypoxia Photodynamic Therapy (hPDT): A New Perspective.

The advent of photochemical techniques has revolutionized the landscape of biology and medical sciences. Especially appealing in this context is photodynamic therapy (PDT), which is a photon-initiated treatment modality that uses cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill malignant cells. In the past decade, PDT has risen to the forefront of cancer therapy. Its optical control enables noninvasive and spatiotemporal manipulation of the treatment process, and its photoactive nature allows unique patterns to avoid drug resistance to conventional chemotherapeutics. However, despite the impressive advances in this field, achieving widespread clinical adoption of PDT remains difficult. A major concern is that in the hostile tumor microenvironment, tumor cells are hypoxic, which hinders ROS generation during PDT action. To overcome this "Achilles' heel", current strategies focus primarily on the improvement of the intratumoral O2 perfusion, while clinical trials suggest that O2 enrichment may promote cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, thereby making FDA approval and clinical transformation of these paradigms challenging.In an effort to improve hypoxia photodynamic therapy (hPDT) in the clinic, we have explored "low to no O2-dependent" photochemical approaches over the years to combat hypoxia-induced resistance. In this Account, we present our contributions to this theme during the past 5 years, beginning with low O2-dependent approaches (e.g., type I superoxide radical (O2•-) generator, photodynamic O2-economizer, mitochondrial respiration inhibition, cellular self-protective pathway modulation, etc.) and progressing to O2-independent strategies (e.g., autoadaptive PDT/PTT complementary therapy, O2-independent artificial photoredox catalysis in cells). These studies have attracted tremendous attention. Particularly in the pioneering work of 2018, we presented the first demonstration that the O2•--mediated partial O2-recyclability mechanism can overcome PDT resistance ( J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 14851-14859). This launched an era of renewed interest in type I PDT, resulting in a plethora of new O2•- photogenerators developed by many groups around the world. Moreover, with the discovery of O2-independent photoredox reactions in living cells, artificial photoredox catalysis has emerged as a new field connecting photochemistry and biomedicine, stimulating the development of next-generation phototherapeutic tools ( J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 163-173). Our recent work also disclosed that "photoredox catalysis in cells" might be a general mechanism of action of PDT ( Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2022, 119, e2210504119). These emergent concepts, molecular designs, photochemical mechanisms, and applications in cancer diagnosis and therapeutics, as well as pros and cons, are discussed in depth in this Account. It is expected that our contributions to date will be of general use to researchers and inspire future efforts to identify more promising hPDT approaches that better meet the clinical needs of cancer therapy.

Access or collaboration? A typology of sharing economy

Being an emergent concept, sharing economy (SE) lacks granularity in its conceptualization. This study offers a typology to delineate the boundaries of this phenomenon and thereby helps in achieving conceptual clarity. Using the lens of social exchange theory, a typology of SE is developed to trace the boundaries and crystalize its contour. The logical delineation attempts to resolve the extant ideological tensions within SE. A two-level analysis employing nine defining characteristics of exchange derived from the theoretical framework of the anatomy of exchange is used for this purpose. Two distinct styles of sharing – collaborative consumption (CC) and access-based consumption (ABC) are identified. It is further sub-classified into eight discrete modes of sharing types: six of CC and two of ABC. The proposed framework identifies a neglected but relevant SE practice - hybrid access.

Statistical Chemical Thermodynamics and Energetic Behavior of Counting: Gibbs' Theory Revisited.

One of the major tenets of Gibbs' equilibrium chemical thermodynamics is "counting the number of particles" and introducing the associated chemical potential. This leads to the concept of chemical energy μdN that becomes a part of the total internal energy change in Gibbs' fundamental thermodynamic relation. However, a pure thermomechanical description of a particle system has only two fundamental forms of energy, namely, mechanical work and heat; Gibbs' μ is an emergent concept. Following this perspective, we present an alternative, generalized Gibbs formalism that serves as a statistical theory of emergence: chemical potential is introduced down to the level of individual meso- or even microstates of a system. The research practice in biophysical chemistry since the 1950s epitomizes this perspective, in which the concept of potential of mean force, or conditional free energy, plays a central role. Our theory suggests a generalized "energetic representation" for scientific data that is in the form of counting frequency, which is measured routinely through equilibrium constants in chemistry laboratories.

Phase Separation as an Emergent Concept in Genome Organization and Beyond

Phase Separation as an Emergent Concept in Genome Organization and Beyond

The microbiota composition drives personalized nutrition: Gut microbes as predictive biomarkers for the success of weight loss diets.

The investigation of the human gut microbiome during recent years has permitted us to understand its relevance for human health at a systemic level, making it possible to establish different functional axes (e.g., the gut-brain, gut-liver, and gut-lung axes), which support the organ-like status conferred to this microecological component of our body. The human gut microbiota is extremely variable but modifiable via diet, a fact that allows targeting of microbes through defined dietary strategies to uncover cost-effective therapies to minimize the burden of non-communicable diseases such as pandemic obesity and overweight and its metabolic comorbidities. Nevertheless, randomly controlled dietary interventions regularly exhibit low to moderate degrees of success in weight control, making their implementation difficult in clinical practice. Here, we review the predictive value of the baseline gut microbiota configurations to anticipate the success of dietary interventions aimed at weight loss, mostly based on caloric restriction regimes and oral fiber supplementation. This emergent research concept fits into precision medicine by considering different diet patterns and adopting the best one, based on the individual microbiota composition, to reach significant adiposity reduction and improve metabolic status. We review the results from this fresh perspective of investigation, taking into account studies released very recently. We also discuss some future outlooks in the field and potential pitfalls to overcome with the aim of gaining knowledge in the field and achieving breakthroughs in personalized nutrition.

Viral Becomings: From Mechanical Viruses to Viral (Dis)Entanglements in Preventing Global Disease

Abstract This paper explores the contribution of an ethos of (dis)entanglement arising from quantum thought to interpreting and (re)acting on the current global pandemic of Covid-19. The Covid-19 pandemic is giving rise to a world of pandemic separation, in which infection barriers such as masks, disinfection, social distancing, and isolation may be necessary in the immediate moment of avoiding sickness and death. However, these exclusionary and short-term response mechanisms do not address the larger question relating to global interspecies living, which in its current dynamic is increasingly giving rise to newly emerging infectious diseases such as Covid-19. The Covid-19 pandemic is showing that the health of human beings is deeply entangled with that of other species and places. However, it is also showing the limits to the mechanistic ontology driving modern public health thinking. I build on the work by political ecologists of health and biosocial scholars, especially Frost's concept of biocultural emergence and her engagement with ontological plurality in the human subject, to make the case for a different global politics of disease in preventing the emergence of infectious disease.

The oral language and emergent literacy skills of preschoolers: Early childhood teachers' self-reported role, knowledge and confidence.

Early childhood teachers (ECTs) play a significant role in equipping children with oral language and emergent literacy skills ahead of school entry. They are well positioned to play a vital role in ensuring preschool children receive a high-quality preschool curriculum to prepare them for later literacy learning. The purpose of this study was to explore early career ECTs' views and confidence regarding their role in providing preschoolers with oral language and emergent literacy support and to examine their perceptions of their preservice preparation. Nine Australian early career ECTs were recruited via purposive sampling for an in-depth, semi-structured interview. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Participants attached strong significance to their role in facilitating children's oral language growth and emergent literacy skills and reported a range of practices to support children's learning. However, they rarely referred to using established language facilitation strategies or using dialogic book reading prompts. Further, emergent literacy concepts such as phonological awareness and print awareness were not routinely described as features of participants' classroom activities. Participants did not consistently make a clear conceptual distinction between the constructs of oral language and emergent literacy and often used these terms interchangeably. Notably, participants indicated that they did not feel confident in their ability to identify preschool children who were not meeting developmental language milestones and reported that they felt poorly equipped to do so by their preservice training. ECTs' strong willingness to support preschool children's oral language and emergent literacy skills may be hindered by gaps in their knowledge; these may contribute to important and missed opportunities for identifying and supporting preschoolers' oral language and emergent literacy growth. What is already known on this subject? High-quality learning experiences in preschool are important for maximising preschoolers' oral language and emergent literacy growth. Early childhood teachers can play an important role in facilitating this development and preparing children for later literacy learning. What this paper adds to existing knowledge? The study findings provide insight into ECTs' perceptions of their role and support in developing children's oral language and emergent literacy skills. The results indicated ECTs did not feel confident with their knowledge of children's language milestones or identifying children with language difficulties. Participants reported that their preservice training left them underprepared in the area of oral language. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? ECTs demonstrated a strong willingness to support preschoolers' oral language and emergent literacy skills. However, their self-reported knowledge gaps and low confidence may have implications for the early detection of children who are not reaching language developmental milestones in a timely way.

Social complexity as a driving force of gut microbiota exchange among conspecific hosts in non-human primates.

The emergent concept of the social microbiome implies a view of a highly connected biological world, in which microbial interchange across organisms may be influenced by social and ecological connections occurring at different levels of biological organization. We explore this idea reviewing evidence of whether increasing social complexity in primate societies is associated with both higher diversity and greater similarity in the composition of the gut microbiota. By proposing a series of predictions regarding such relationship, we evaluate the existence of a link between gut microbiota and primate social behavior. Overall, we find that enough empirical evidence already supports these predictions. Nonetheless, we conclude that studies with the necessary, sufficient, explicit, and available evidence are still scarce. Therefore, we reflect on the benefit of founding future analyses on the utility of social complexity as a theoretical framework.

Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Reddit Analysis of the Lost Libido

ABSTRACT Introduction Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) encompasses difficulties with sexual desire, libido, arousal, orgasm and pain. These medical problems are often multi-factorial in origin and can cause significant distress to patients. FSD can be a particularly sensitive topic to discuss, and patients may not feel comfortable seeking help from healthcare providers. Objective We aimed to evaluate the experience of women with low libido on Reddit, an anonymous forum-based platform that allows users to interact with a global audience, to gain a better understanding of how FSD affects patients. Methods The subreddit “TwoXChromosomes” was queried using the Reddit Application Programming Interface (API) for posts using the keywords “libido” and “sex drive”. Posts that were deleted, archived or unrelated to themes of FSD were excluded. Threads were qualitatively analyzed using the grounded theory approach. Five independent researchers read and coded each thread identifying dominant themes and emergent concepts. Results Qualitative analysis of eighty five threads and approximately 2,900 comments resulted in 5 preliminary themes: medications effects on libido, the interplay between libido and relationships, the purpose of sex, the psychological impact of FSD, and challenges with healthcare. Users frequently described a decrease in libido secondary to medications, particularly antidepressants and hormonal birth control, with resolution upon stopping or switching medications. Users with low libido also reported positive sexual/romantic relationships, suggesting that their sexual dysfunction is unrelated to their partner; however, many posters discussed the challenges navigating a relationship with mismatched libido. Users discussed the role sex plays in relationships, whether as way to develop intimacy between partners or to achieve orgasm. Additionally, users described feeling distressed and anxious about their FSD. Finally, posters expressed dissatisfaction with healthcare providers and the healthcare system when trying to address their concerns. Conclusions Reddit serves as a resource and support group for users experiencing FSD. Posters share their experiences with low libido and its effect on their relationships. Many women discussed various psychological consequences of FSD, which suggests that a patient-centered approach is critical in managing FSD. Similarly, our research demonstrates a gap between provider based sexual health care concerns and patient concerns, emphasizing the need for greater awareness of and improved provider education about FSD. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Sprout (Raliegh, NC), Absorption Pharmaceuticals, Urovant Sciences, Inc.

“O” No: A Reddit Analysis of Orgasmic Dysfunction

ABSTRACT Introduction Orgasmic dysfunction includes reduced orgasmic intensity, decreased orgasm frequency and inability to achieve orgasm. Issues with orgasming are often multi-factorial in origin and can cause significant distress to patients. Objective We aimed to evaluate the experience of women with orgasmic dysfunction on Reddit, an anonymous forum-based platform that allows users to interact with a global audience. Methods The subreddit “TwoXChromosomes” was queried using the Reddit Application Programming Interface (API) for posts using the keywords “orgasm” and “climax”. Posts that were deleted, archived or unrelated to themes of orgasm were excluded. Threads were qualitatively analyzed using the grounded theory approach. Five independent researchers read and coded each thread identifying dominant themes and emergent concepts. Results Qualitative analysis of 108 threads and approximately 6,300 comments resulted in 5 major categories: psychological aspect of orgasms, difficulty orgasming with partners, partners’ response to orgasmic dysfunction, types of orgasms, and treatments for orgasmic dysfunction. Preliminary themes included (1) the presence of an emotional component or history of trauma resulting in orgasmic difficulty, (2) difficulty orgasming with a partner regardless of ability to orgasm during masturbation, and mixed partner responses to orgasmic dysfunction, with approximately half of posters reporting a supportive sexual partner who was interested in their sexual satisfaction while the remainder of posters reported partner dissatisfaction. (3) variety of stimulation required to orgasm, (4) the definition of a “normal orgasm and (5) self-motivated treatment for orgasmic dysfunction, including clitoral stimulation devices and masturbation techniques, with few posters discussing their orgasmic dysfunction with health care providers. Conclusions Overall, Reddit provides a medium for individuals with orgasmic dysfunction to discuss their experiences. Posts addressed users’ inability to orgasm, the interplay with their mental health and relationships, types of stimulation and treatments. Interestingly, very few posts discussed seeking out medical care for orgasmic dysfunction, potentially suggesting that women do not classify their orgasmic dysfunction as a health issue. The obvious prevalence of orgasmic dysfunction with little discussion surrounding healthcare reveals a large gap in sexual health counseling, indicating the need for expanded sexual health screening and detailed clinician-patient counseling. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Sprout (Raliegh, NC), Absorption Pharmaceuticals, Urovant Sciences, Inc.

When Less Is More: Towards A Theory without A Fixed Address

Theorization is rendered more necessary than ever by globalization, it is the most privileged manner of delineating phenomena and articulating the manifest; without it, anthropological unity is denied and regression to self-destructive competition for survival and domination becomes inevitable. Revathi Krishnaswamy expounds that, rather than mere explicit bodies of theory, an inclusive approach to literature should welcome implicit, latent, emergent concepts and practices from every excluded area, every language and every cultural minority. The aim of this diversification runs against radical relativism, it is a quest for aesthetic and other universals beyond all the particular features that construct actual literary practices. Similarly, in the complex dialogic exchange staged by Ranjan Ghosh and J. Hillis Miller, the two thinkers practice and exhibit a kind of “rooted cosmopolitanism” (Appiah): it would seem that, to exploit texts in context, or to transfer a theoretical set from one culture to another, you need to belong somewhere, to possess and be possessed by some origin. Contrary to the narrative of rooted extension that remains linear even if it is liable to bifurcate, experimental cosmopolitanism considers that we owe no debt to initial or prior circumstance and that our obligations and initiatives, determined by species and trans-species solidarity, apply in the framework of spatial proximity for practical reasons exclusively.

Dharurah and the Realization of Maqashid Sharia: Analysis of the Implementation of Islamic Legal Maxims on Emergency

Contemporary issues and phenomenon that occur in society experience development from time to time. References and arguments in the Qur'an and sunnah sometimes do not explain the law on the issue specifically. Excavation of the law by using qawa’id fiqhiyyah which has been formulated by the scholars is important. Especially in conditions of emergency and compulsion that require in-depth studies to establish laws on issues that provide a certain level of difficulty for humans. This study aims to review the concept of emergency in the perspective of fiqh by examining its correlation to the achievement of maqashid syariah by focusing on the application of qawa’id fiqhiyyah related to emergency. This research is a qualitative research using a literature study approach by doing literature review on Islamic legal maxim, maqashid sharia, and dharurah. The results of this study indicate that dharurah is a condition that positions humans in a condition of being forced to do something that is forbidden or to leave something that is obligatory. Islamic law provides rukhshah for the difficulties experienced by humans as a guarantee to realize maqashid syariah. Legal determination of the waivers granted is carried out by referring to the arguments of the Qur'an, sunnah and ijma' as well as by applying qawa’id fiqhiyyah related to emergencies.

What Systems Engineers Should Know About Emergence

AbstractThe concept of emergence refers to phenomena that occur on a system level without being present at the level of elements in the system. Since a system is created to achieve certain emergent system‐level behavior, while avoiding other emergent properties, a deeper understanding of emergence is crucial to further the field of systems engineering. It has also been identified as one of the key aspects of systems‐of‐systems. However, the concept has been the topic of much debate in philosophy, systems science, and complexity science for a long time, and there is yet no precise characterization on which there is general agreement. In this paper, a selection of the literature on emergence is reviewed to identify some key characteristics and disputes. The various philosophical points of view are analyzed from the perspective of systems engineering, to sort out what characteristics have practical implications, and which philosophical quiddities are merely of theoretical interest. The paper also relates emergence to systems engineering practices and suggests some tactics for dealing with emergence. Key results are that the inclusion of an explicit observer is essential for understanding and handling emergence, and that emergence is closely related to the amount of information required to describe the system which is also a defining characteristic of complexity.

The role of emergence for a complexity approach in economics – A reply to Olivér Kovács

Abstract This paper provides a theoretical clarification of an important question raised by Olivér Kovács in Acta Oeconomica 69 (4) and points out further problems and possibilities. It clarifies what role considerations of complexity theory have played in the economic sciences so far and why. Focussing on the complementary phenomenon of emergence, the contribution shows where the limits of this approach lie within the discipline and to what extent serious problems of demarcation arise with regard to other disciplines of the social sciences. Accordingly, this paper aims to demonstrate the conditions under which economics can use concepts of emergence in a fruitful way.

Leveraging blockchain concepts as watermarkers of plastics for sustainable waste management in progressing circular economy

Blockchain-integrated waste management and circular economy are emergent concepts that target minimising waste generation and fluctuations of resource commodity. Blockchain can support a circular economy and green principles by enabling information transparency, reliability and automation. Redesigning plastics by molecular tagging is the way forward to ensure synthetic plastics are kept in an infinite loop and support closed-loop recycling. The involvement of major corporations in product development and blockchain-integrated closed-loop recycling has resulted in several successful green chemical approaches toward circular plastic economy projects. Government policies and legislations are progressively supporting plastic redesigning for improving the plastic circular economy. Nevertheless, a systematic approach is required in addressing blockchain technology and plastic redesigning to effectively leverage circular economy initiatives.

Responding to a Global Pandemic: Bureaucratic Caring Theory-Guided, Evidence-Based Approach in the Military Health System

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a cascade of events, policy directives, and guidance. The U.S. Military Health System was leading the war, the first time in military history. Fulfilling its military medical readiness and beneficiary health-care delivery missions stimulated innovation. Applying the theory of bureaucratic caring revealed concepts of uncertainty, interconnectedness, choice-making, and emergence as determinants of growth, development, and future state for the Military Health System. New ways of thinking targeting health-care services laid the foundation for a radically different future. This article elucidates application of the theory to the Military Health System response to this global catastrophe.

The Significance of Touch in Pediatric Physiotherapy.

Change in theoretical framework over the last decades and recent research in pediatric physiotherapy, has created a debate surrounding therapeutic touch. What is the role of or is there a need for handling and hands-on facilitated guidance (facilitation)? Does it limit and/or interfere with children's learning and development? It is frequently argued that therapeutic touch represents a passive and/or static approach that restricts disabled children's participation during interaction and activity in clinical encounters leading to decreased home, school and community participation. Touch may even appear as coercive and controlling. In this context, therapeutic touch is largely associated with physical hands-on activities. However, therapeutic touch can also be understood as an intersubjective phenomenon that arises from a deep connection between movement, perception, and action. We believe the significance of therapeutic touch and its impact on physiotherapy for children has not been considered from this broader, holistic perspective. In this theoretical paper, we will apply enactive concepts of embodiment, sensory-motor agency, coordination, and emergence to explore the concept and importance of touch in physiotherapists‘ clinical face-to face encounters with children. We will frame the discussion within the context of the typical sensorimotor development of children from the fetal stage to birth on and into adulthood. Moreover, we will rely on biological, physiological, and phenomenological insights to provide an extended understanding of the importance of touch and the significance of touch in clinical practice.

Deviation from a state of perfect uniformity: An indicator of structural complexity in projects

AbstractThe complexity of projects arising from interconnectedness between activities is believed to be one of the most significant challenges for managing projects. Although the literature has long appreciated the significance of measuring complexity, research on this topic is weakened by the lack of a method that accounts for a diverse set of structural characteristics of project networks. To evade this pitfall, this paper introduces the concept of perfect uniformity and develops a comprehensive measure of structural complexity in projects. The proposed method is validated by applying it in two real‐life projects. The validation results confirm that project complexity is positively associated with a higher level of deviation from a state of perfect uniformity. This research is among few studies that draw on the concept of emergence and point out the importance of a system‐level approach in project management to analyse the interdependency between multiple interconnected activities.

Understanding Islamic law in the context of vaccination: Reducing the doubt cast on COVID-19 vaccines

One solution to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is getting vaccinated. The promotion of vaccines through religion helps to control the pandemic. One of the causes of doubts about vaccination in society is religious understanding. Vaccination has an important correlation with Islamic law or Islamic jurisprudence. This research aims to analyse the effect of understanding Islamic law on doubts about vaccination. This research used quantitative pre-experimental designs. The research sample consisted of 160 people who were not vaccinated. The sampling technique involved a non-random sampling method. The data analysis is descriptive and inferential. The results of this research showed the following: (1) the understanding of Islamic law related to the status of halal and haram has a positive influence on the Muslim community’s willingness to vaccinate, (2) the understanding of the emergency concept can increase confidence in vaccines and (3) the education related to understanding Islamic law can effectively reduce doubts about vaccination.Contribution: This research provides knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine from the perspective of Islamic law. This research provides a new strategy to reduce public doubts about vaccination.

The role of urban resilience in research and its contribution to sustainability

Urban resilience is an emergent concept that is receiving an increasing attention. Its definition is linked with the ability of an urban system to resist, maintain continuity and recover through all stresses while adapting and transforming towards sustainability. The aim of this study is two-fold. First, we analyse the research output on urban resilience using bibliometric techniques and Web of Science (WoS) in order to define the scope and identify topics in the urban resilience literature. CiteSpace software is used to establish the intellectual framework. Second, their contribution to sustainability dimensions and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) based on the research output is explored.For that purpose, we examined 1014 publications during the period 1998–2020. The findings reveal urban resilience literature has grown since the 2009.A specialization in recent years from more theoretical research to a more practical is identified. In terms of contribution towards sustainability, the findings show the number of publications that directly address sustainability is scarce and more balanced to environmental and social perspectives. These findings can provide a better understanding of the patterns and trends in the field and provides first evidence of the contribution of academic research on urban resilience to sustainability.