Radical Theory Research Articles

Darwinian-Selectionist Explanation, Radical Theory Change, and the Observable-Unobservable Dichotomy

ABSTRACT In his recent 2018 book, Resisting Scientific Realism, K. Brad Wray provides a detailed, full-fledged defense of anti-realism about science. In this paper, I argue against the two main claims that constitute Wray’s positive and novel argument for his position, viz., his suggested Darwinian-selectionist explanation of the success of science and his skepticism about unobservables based on radical theory change. My goal is not wholly negative though. Instead, I aim to identify the type of work that an anti-realist like Wray would need to undertake in order to further substantiate their position, viz., taking a stance on inductive inference and support, and the type of realist and anti-realist positions that seem viable.

Rethinking Drama in the Crisis of Deliberative Communication: The Radical Theory of Martin Buber and Gustav Landauer

Rethinking Drama in the Crisis of Deliberative Communication: The Radical Theory of Martin Buber and Gustav Landauer

Concepts for the Revitalisation of Critical Criminology

AbstractWhat survives of the notions, principles and values of critical criminology? Faced with contexts that could not be more dramatically different from those fostering critical approaches to crime and its control, what is left of the radical theories and practical initiatives that characterised it in the 1970s? This article does not offer a history of critical criminology or a survey of contemporary debates in the area. Rather, it suggests a number of concepts in the form of variables (or thematic areas) through which novel critical views of crime and its control can be elaborated. Throughout, the article will refer to the contribution of early critical criminology only in relation to the concepts proposed.

Obstructive sleep apnea predicts 10-year cardiovascular disease-related mortality in the Sleep Heart Health Study: a machine learning approach.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is considered to be an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to develop and evaluate a machine learning approach with a set of features for assessing the 10-year CVD mortality risk of the OSA population. This study included 2,464 patients with OSA who met study inclusion criteria and were selected from the Sleep Heart Health Study. We evaluated the importance of potential features by mutual information. The top 9 features were selected to develop a random forest model. We evaluated the model performance on a test set (n = 493) using the area under the receiver operating curve with 95% confidence interval and confusion matrix. A random forest model awarded the highest area under the receiver operating curve of 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.78-0.89). The specificity and sensitivity were 73.94% and 81.82%, respectively. Sixty-three years old was a threshold for increased risk of 10-year CVD mortality. Persons with severe OSA had higher risk than those with mild OSA. This study demonstrated that a random forest model can provide a quick assessment of the risk of 10-year CVD mortality. Our model may be more informative for patients with OSA in determining their future CVD mortality risk. Li A, Roveda JM, Powers LS, Quan SF. Obstructive sleep apnea predicts 10-year cardiovascular disease-related mortality in the Sleep Heart Health Study: a machine learning approach. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(2):497-504.

Cometary panspermia A radical theory of life’s cosmic origin and evolution

Cometary panspermia A radical theory of life’s cosmic origin and evolution

Sources and triggers of oxidative damage in neurodegeneration

Neurodegeneration describes a group of more than 300 neurological diseases, characterised by neuronal loss and intra- or extracellular protein depositions, as key neuropathological features. Multiple factors play role in the pathogenesis of these group of disorders: mitochondrial dysfunction, membrane damage, calcium dyshomeostasis, metallostasis, defect clearance and renewal mechanisms, to name a few. All these factors, without exceptions, have in common the involvement of immensely increased generation of free radicals and occurrence of oxidative stress, and as a result - exhaustion of the scavenging potency of the cellular redox defence mechanisms. Besides genetic predisposition and environmental exposure to toxins, the main risk factor for developing neurodegeneration is age. And although the “Free radical theory of ageing” was declared dead, it is undisputable that accumulation of damage occurs with age, especially in systems that are regulated by free radical messengers and those that oppose oxidative stress, protein oxidation and the accuracy in protein synthesis and degradation machinery has difficulties to be maintained.This brief review provides a comprehensive summary on the main sources of free radical damage, occurring in the setting of neurodegeneration.

Antiradical activity of novel 4-amino-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol derivatives

The process of studying free radicals began in the middle of the last century (the free radical theory of aging in 1956). Multiple studies have revealed the effect of free radicals on the cells of the body and the development of various diseases, such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, diseases of the nervous system, and others. As a result, the term antioxidant has emerged, compounds that reduce and prevent the effects of free radicals. Most of the newly synthesized substances are studied for their antiradical properties. 1,2,4-Triazole derivatives are no exception, which has already proven themselves as biologically active compounds. The aim of this work was the investigation antiradical activity among 4-amino-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol derivatives. Materials and methods. Previously synthesized 4-amino-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol derivatives were used as test compounds. The research of antiradical activity was based on the interaction between 4-amino-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol derivatives and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) in vitro. DPPH is a stable free radical. The color of its alcoholic solutions were intense purple (λmax = 517 nm). When DPPH interacted with compounds that were capable of scavenging free radicals, it produced products. These products are yellow in color and do not absorb light of the aforementioned wavelength. The study was carried out according to the method. Results. The antiradical activity of 10 new 4-amino-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol derivatives was studied. Most of the test compounds show antiradical activity against DPPH. Compound 1 was the most active at a concentration of 1 × 10-3 M and the antiradical effect was close to ascorbic acid. Conclusions. The most active compound is 4-amino-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol, which in a concentration of 1 × 10-3 M has an antiradical effect in 88.89 %. When reducing the concentration to 1 × 10-4 M, also reduces the antiradical activity to 53.78 %. Some conclusions are drawn regarding the “structure – effect” dependence between 4-amino-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol derivatives: – the introduction of 4-fluorobenzylidene radical (compound 2) into the 4-amino-5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol molecule results in a slight decrease in activity; – the introduction of 2-hydroxybenzylidene radical (compound 3) into initial molecule results a high antiradical effect, which hardly changes with decreasing concentration; – transformation to 2-((5-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)-4-((R)amino)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)acetic acid has almost no effect on antiradical activity, except for compound 9 (the antiradical effect is reduse).

Belief in conspiracy theories and attitudes toward political violence

AbstractIn the last decade, political protest events have been rising in Western democracies. At the same time, there has been a steady increase in the diffusion of conspiracy theories in political communication, a phenomenon that has captured the interest of scholars for its growing political relevance. However, while most research focuses on the reasons why citizens believe in conspiracies, studies looking at the political-behavioral implications of such beliefs, in particular their connection to political radicalism, have been more limited. In this paper, we investigate the association between people's belief in conspiracies and their propensity to endorse political violence or to legitimate radical political action. Building on pathway theories of radicalization, we argue that conspiracy theories provide narratives that might help people channel their feelings of resentment toward political targets, fueling radical attitudes. We provide some correlational evidence using survey data of US respondents collected on MTurk. We observe attitudes toward political violence using two multi-item batteries, one developed by us. Our results show that people who score higher on a scale of generic conspiracy belief are also more likely to endorse violent political actions.

Incipient Fascism: Black Radical Perspectives

The sordid twilight of the Trump presidency raised the stakes of the debate on fascism. While much of the discussion has been magnetised by the legitimacy of analogies with the 1930s, this article argues that a rich and complex tradition of Black radical critique of right-wing authoritarianism provides a vital resource for thinking through the problem of US fascism beyond analogy – beginning with the DuBoisian insight that a racial fascism forged by chattel slavery and settler-colonialism anticipated the ascendancy of European fascisms. The article homes in on Black radical theories of fascism developed in the wake of the movements and uprisings of the 1960s and the US state’s intensification of its repressive and carceral apparatus. Exploring the theoretical insights generated in the prison writings of George Jackson and Angela Y. Davis, it challenges the widely held belief that the 1970s stood as the nadir of theorisation of fascism, its degradation into mere political insult. Instead, with particular emphasis on Davis’s articulation of an incipient or preventive fascism, it investigates the theoretical consequences of the differential experience of fascism across axes of racialisation and reflects on the pertinence of Black radical theories of fascism to our current moment of recombinant White supremacy.

Biochemical Basis of Altitude Adaptation and Antioxidant System Activity during Autumn Leaf Senescence in Beech Populations

High-altitude tree populations are exposed to severe natural environmental conditions. Among abiotic factors, variable temperatures, early frosts, and high radiation are the factors affecting tree growth at high altitudes. Fagus sylvatica L. exhibits a variety of physiological and genetic traits that allow it to adapt to different forest habitats. This study examines the differences in the biochemical properties of senescing beech leaves between populations originating from different altitudes using a common-garden experiment. Leaves were collected from five-year-old plants from the beginning of August to the end of October for two years. Based on the changes in senescence marker levels the genetic differences and significant correlations between populations’ altitude origin and their biochemical characteristics were identified. According to the free radical theory of leaf senescence, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and senescence markers were highly correlated. In this study, populations from higher altitudes were characterized by earlier and greater increases in ROS content and oxidative stress, which resulted in higher antioxidative system activity. Increases in ROS in high-altitude populations play a controlling role to initiate earlier senescence processes that allow the trees to adapt to harsh climatic conditions. Earlier senescence allows beech trees to maintain a balance between nitrogen metabolism and photosynthetic activity. It allows for remobilization of nitrogen compounds more efficiently and protects the trees from nitrogen loss and prepares them for winter dormancy.

Community and the Critique of Technology: A Revisionist Account of an Essential Concept

ABSTRACT Though the concept of community has been of central concern to the social sciences and social theory since the 19th century, it has also been a frequent target of criticism. Community is often accused of being a vague and sentimental concept. These criticisms are often accompanied by the claim that sociologists and social theorists have used the concept of community to cloak their political agendas. This article compares a range of radical, classical social theorists on three topics that intersect with discussions of community in the classical and contemporary periods: place, pace, and power. This comparison suggests that while the community concept in classical theory was sentimental in nature, it was also used to critique specific technological developments, from the rise of railways to the spread of industrial manufacturing. This revisionist reading of the concept of community achieves three things for contemporary radical theory: (1) it suggests that technological change should be at the center of social critique; (2) it demonstrates the interdependence of technology with other macro-historical social changes; and (3) it offers a model of how a sentimental concept can be used to develop critical and theoretical accounts of technological change.

N-doped graphitic C3N4 nanosheets decorated with CoP nanoparticles: A highly efficient activator in singlet oxygen dominated visible-light-driven peroxymonosulfate activation for degradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products

CoP nanoparticle-loaded N-doped graphitic C3N4 nanosheets (CoP/N-g-C3N4) were fabricated via a facile three-step method to degrade pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) via a visible-light-driven (VLD) peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation system. 2 ppm carbamazepine (CBZ) can be removed completely within 10 min by the VLD-PMS system with a kinetic constant of k = 0.29128 min−1, as 25.8 times compared to that under dark conditions (k = 0.01128 min−1). The experimental and theoretical results showed that the doped graphitic N atoms could modulate the electronic properties of the g-C3N4 nanosheets. Subsequently, the Density Functional Theory (DFT) explained that CoP showed preference to bonding with the nitrogen atoms involved in the newly formed N˭N bond, and the Co‒N bond dramatically enhanced the transfer of photo-generated electrons from the N-g-C3N4 nanosheets. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) tests show that singlet oxygen (1O2) plays a leading role in this case. Moreover, PMS molecules are also tended to be absorbed onto the electron-deficient carbon atoms near the newly formed N˭N bonds for PMS reduction, synergistically enhancing the degradation efficiency for CBZ and benzophenone-3 (BZP). The newly established VLD-PMS activation system was shown to treat the actual sewage in Hong Kong sewage treatment plants (STPs) very well. This work supplements the fundamental theory of radical and non-radical pathways in the sulfate radical (SO4•-)-based advanced oxidation process (SR-AOP) for environmental cleanup purposes.

Radical democratic theory and migration: The Refugee Protest March as a democratic practice

In dominant discourses, migrants are mostly perceived as either victims or villains but rarely as political subjects and democratic constituents. Challenging this view, the aim of the article is to rethink democracy with respect to migration struggles. I argue that movements of migration are not only consistent with democracy but also provide a decisive impetus for actualizing democratic principles in the context of debates about the crisis of representation and post-democracy. Drawing on the work of Jacques Rancière, Étienne Balibar and Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, I develop a theory of radical democracy as practice, which, starting from the proposed notion of ‘democratic difference’, goes beyond the fixation on democratic regimes and focuses on contentious practices of enacting democratic principles. I articulate these theoretical concepts by analysing how refugees in Germany have managed to break out of a marginalized position and have challenged their denial of rights through a protest march.

Aging: All roads lead to mitochondria

Mitochondria were described as early as 1890 as ubiquitous intracellular structures by Ernster and Schatz (1981) [1]. Since then, the accretion of knowledge in the past century has revealed much of the molecular details of mitochondria, ranging from mitochondrial origin, structure, metabolism, genetics, and signaling, and their implications in health and disease. We now know that mitochondria are remarkably multifunctional and deeply intertwined with many vital cellular processes. They are quasi-self organelles that still possess remnants of its bacterial ancestry, including an independent genome. The mitochondrial free radical theory of aging (MFRTA), which postulated that aging is a product of oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA, provided a conceptual framework that put mitochondria on the map of aging research. However, several studies have more recently challenged the general validity of the theory, favoring novel ideas based on emerging evidence to understand how mitochondria contribute to aging and age-related diseases. One prominent topic of investigation lies on the fact that mitochondria are not only production sites for bioenergetics and macromolecules, but also regulatory hubs that communicate and coordinate many vital physiological processes at the cellular and organismal level. The bi-directional communication and coordination between the co-evolved mitochondrial and nuclear genomes is especially interesting in terms of cellular regulation. Mitochondria are dynamic and adaptive, rendering their function sensitive to cellular context. Tissues with high energy demands, such as the brain, seem to be uniquely affected by age-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction, providing a foundation for the development of novel mitochondrial-based therapeutics and diagnostics.

Implication of Dietary Iron-Chelating Bioactive Compounds in Molecular Mechanisms of Oxidative Stress-Induced Cell Ageing.

One of the prevailing perceptions regarding the ageing of cells and organisms is the intracellular gradual accumulation of oxidatively damaged macromolecules, leading to the decline of cell and organ function (free radical theory of ageing). This chemically undefined material known as “lipofuscin,” “ceroid,” or “age pigment” is mainly formed through unregulated and nonspecific oxidative modifications of cellular macromolecules that are induced by highly reactive free radicals. A necessary precondition for reactive free radical generation and lipofuscin formation is the intracellular availability of ferrous iron (Fe2+) (“labile iron”), catalyzing the conversion of weak oxidants such as peroxides, to extremely reactive ones like hydroxyl (HO•) or alcoxyl (RO•) radicals. If the oxidized materials remain unrepaired for extended periods of time, they can be further oxidized to generate ultimate over-oxidized products that are unable to be repaired, degraded, or exocytosed by the relevant cellular systems. Additionally, over-oxidized materials might inactivate cellular protection and repair mechanisms, thus allowing for futile cycles of increasingly rapid lipofuscin accumulation. In this review paper, we present evidence that the modulation of the labile iron pool distribution by nutritional or pharmacological means represents a hitherto unappreciated target for hampering lipofuscin accumulation and cellular ageing.

Connectednesses of graphs and congruences

A connectedness of graphs is the analogue of the radical class of algebraic structures. The similarities (and differences) between these two theories and other radical theories have been explored at many different levels of generality. The recent development of a theory of congruences for graphs has opened up the possibility to explore and further strengthen this analogy. It is shown that a graph connectedness can be characterized with the use of congruences in an exact analogous way as the radical classes of associative rings using ideals.

Radical interpretation and decision theory

This paper takes issue with an influential interpretationist argument for physicalism about intentionality based on the possibility of radical interpretation. The interpretationist defends the physicalist thesis that the intentional truths supervene on the physical truths by arguing that it is possible for a radical interpreter, who knows all of the physical truths, to work out the intentional truths about what an arbitrary agent believes, desires, and means without recourse to any further empirical information. One of the most compelling arguments for the possibility of radical interpretation, associated most closely with David Lewis and Donald Davidson, gives a central role to decision theoretic representation theorems, which demonstrate that if an agent’s preferences satisfy certain constraints, it is possible to deduce probability and utility functions that represent her beliefs and desires. We argue that an interpretationist who wants to rely on existing representation theorems in defence of the possibility of radical interpretation faces a trilemma, each horn of which is incompatible with the possibility of radical interpretation.

Neuromodulatory Influences of vitamin C on D-galactose Induced Neuronal Metabolic Dysfunction Model

Aging is a physiological, non-pathological process that occurs mainly as a slow, gradual, and passive procedure influenced by interplay of numerous genetic and environmental influences. Different ways have been tried to postponement aging and extent life span in animals, dietary anti-oxidants are one of them. Depending on the metabolic and free radical theories of aging, this work was carried out to evaluate the use of vitamin C in delaying the aging promoter. D galactose shedding the light on aging mechanisms underlying the anti-aging variations on both the molecular and the physiological level. Aging was enhanced by injecting rats subcutaneously with D galactose in a dose of 100 mg for 8 weeks brain tissues were subjected to analysis determining the level of serotonin, dopamine and nor epinephrine. D galactose caused down regulation of both serotonin and dopamine while nor epinephrine went up, such alteration has been resisted in rats administrated vitamin C. Thus we can conclude that anti-oxidants could prevent the age related brain deterioration.

THE PERSONALITY APPROACH TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Entrepreneurship development requires behaviors interaction to be related to particular personality traits. Personality traits characteristics predict a large portion of entrepreneurial behaviors. The creation of an entrepreneur should played an active role in stimulating personality traits approach. The progression of entrepreneurship should use more radical theories and systematic approaches. The personality traits and entrepreneurs is about to shared experience of entrepreneurs towards goals orientation. The current study demonstrates that cognitive capacity must be taken into account in research on entrepreneurial development and economic growth.

Beneficial and Detrimental Effects of Reactive Oxygen Species on Lifespan: A Comprehensive Review of Comparative and Experimental Studies.

Aging is the greatest risk factor for a multitude of diseases including cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration and cancer. Despite decades of research dedicated to understanding aging, the mechanisms underlying the aging process remain incompletely understood. The widely-accepted free radical theory of aging (FRTA) proposes that the accumulation of oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the primary causes of aging. To define the relationship between ROS and aging, there have been two main approaches: comparative studies that measure outcomes related to ROS across species with different lifespans, and experimental studies that modulate ROS levels within a single species using either a genetic or pharmacologic approach. Comparative studies have shown that levels of ROS and oxidative damage are inversely correlated with lifespan. While these studies in general support the FRTA, this type of experiment can only demonstrate correlation, not causation. Experimental studies involving the manipulation of ROS levels in model organisms have generally shown that interventions that increase ROS tend to decrease lifespan, while interventions that decrease ROS tend to increase lifespan. However, there are also multiple examples in which the opposite is observed: increasing ROS levels results in extended longevity, and decreasing ROS levels results in shortened lifespan. While these studies contradict the predictions of the FRTA, these experiments have been performed in a very limited number of species, all of which have a relatively short lifespan. Overall, the data suggest that the relationship between ROS and lifespan is complex, and that ROS can have both beneficial or detrimental effects on longevity depending on the species and conditions. Accordingly, the relationship between ROS and aging is difficult to generalize across the tree of life.