Chronic SARS-CoV-2, a Cause of Post-acute COVID-19 Sequelae (Long-COVID)?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Most individuals recover from SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, many continue to experience a cluster of persistent symptoms for months following resolution of acute disease; a syndrome that has been named Long-COVID. While the biological cause, or causes, of Long-COVID have not yet been confirmed, the main proposals have centred around either virus-induced autoimmunity or virus-induced tissue dysfunction. However, an alternative suggestion that a latent chronic infection could be responsible for the symptoms of Long-COVID has received minimal attention despite recent findings that SARS-CoV-2 genetic material and infections are detected in some individuals months following resolution of respiratory disease. Here we discuss literature supporting the possibility that Long-COVID occurs as a result of chronic SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Epistemic Responsibility in Sexual Coercion and Self-Defense Law

Those accused of sexual coercion and unjustified killing can defend themselves in American courts by arguing that a reasonable person in their situation could have held an exonerating belief—respectively: a belief in another person’s sexual consent, or another person’s murderous intentions. In this chapter, Liberto argues that this reasonable belief standard is problematic. Liberto presents an alternative suggestion by Donald Hubin and Karen Healey with regard to cases of sexual coercion that she labels the “reasonable expectation from state” (REfS) standard. Liberto argues that adopting a REfS standard for adjudicating both self-defense and sexual coercion cases is better than the “reasonable person” standard. However, contra Hubin and Healey, Liberto argues that expectations from the state towards victims of these criminal cases—expectations that ascribe epistemic responsibility to the victims—are misdirected.

Alternative Suggestion for the Sustainability of Tourism During Coronavirus Breakout

It was once again seen during the COVID-19 epidemic how demand elasticity is in the tourism sector and how fragile the sector is. One of the most affected sectors by the pandemic was the tourism sector. Due to the restrictions imposed by governments and the measures taken to protect the health of the people, the tourism sector has suffered severely, and many tourism businesses have suffered financial damage in this long process and have had to go bankrupt by not being able to maintain their business. The situation has revealed the importance of sustainability and showed the necessity of ensuring the continuity of business life for tourism enterprises. It has also revealed the importance of sustainability for the tourism sector, which adheres to mass tourism and does not care about other alternative tourism types. In this context, how ready is the tourism sector for crises? Could these crises be responded to with new destinations and new tourism products? Thus, it seems important to consider sustainable tourism and alternative tourism types.

Directionals and re-autonomization in Dutch modals

Modal auxiliaries in Present Day Dutch are going through a process of ‘re-autonomization’, i.e. they are increasingly used without a main verb elsewhere in the clause, in ways which are not possible in other Germanic languages. Many Germanic languages do allow omission of the main verb when a modal is combined with a directional phrase in the clause. This paper investigates whether the latter phenomenon may have been the cause of the former process in Dutch. A diachronic corpus study of the Dutch modals shows that the answer is negative. The paper offers an alternative suggestion as to how the re-autonomization trend may have emerged.

14. Interest Groups

This chapter examines the role that interest groups play in political systems across time and space. Many scholars define interest groups as voluntary organizations that appeal to government but do not participate in elections. In a comparative context, however, this formal definition is problematic as the form of interest representation varies across countries. An alternative suggestion is to distinguish ‘public’ and ‘private interest groups’, but the term ‘public interest’ is problematic because of its contentious nature. The chapter begins with a review of different definitions of interest groups and the problems associated with each. It then considers the legacies of competing theoretical traditions in the field, namely republicanism, pluralism, and neocorporatism. It also discusses the role of interest associations in practice, distinguishing different types of action that are available to different groups, including direct lobbying, political exchange, contentious politics, and private interest government.

A Critical Analysis of Firestone’s Hypothesis Regarding the Qurʾānic Legislation on Holy War

Reuven Firestone in his works on the concept of holy war in Islam has criticized the traditional resolution for the problem of disparity between the Qurʾānic verses on war and suggested a new interpretation of the relationship between the verses. This paper aims to reevaluate Firestone’s contribution by taking a closer look at his critique of the traditional theory as well as his alternative suggestion. This study shows that what Firestone attributes to the Muslim tradition is a mistaken projection of some modern views onto the early authorities. The ambivalent stance of Firestone towards the historicity of the early Muslim literature results in a loose hypothesis regarding the formation of the Qurʾānic verses on war which neither meets the traditional specifications, nor satisfies the criteria of the skeptic party of Islamicists.

For a short time, we were the best version of ourselves: Hurricane Harvey and the ideal of community

Purpose The authors use a co-auto-ethnographic study of Hurricane Harvey where both authors were citizen responders and disaster researchers. In practice, large-scale disaster helps temporarily foster an ideal of community which is then appropriated by emergency management institutions. The advancement of disaster research must look to more radical perspectives on human response in disaster and what this means for the formation of communities and society itself. It is the collective task as those invested in the management of crises defer to the potentials of publics, rather than disdain and appropriate them. The authors present this work in the advancement of more empirically informed mitigation of societal ills that produce major causes of disaster. The authors’ work presents a departure from the more traditional disaster work into a critical and theoretical realm using novel research methods. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper produces a co-auto-ethnographic study of Hurricane Harvey where both authors were citizen responders and disaster researchers. Findings The authors provide a critical, theoretical argument that citizen-based response fosters an ephemeral utopia not usually experienced in everyday life. Disasters present the possibility of an ideal of community. These phenomena, in part, allow us to live our better selves in the case of citizen response and provide a direct contrast to the modern experience. Modernity is a mostly fabricated, if not almost eradicated sense of community. Modern institutions, serve as sources of domination built on the backs of technology, continuity of infrastructures and self-sufficiency when disasters handicap society, unpredictability breaks illusions of modernity. There arises a need to re-engage with those around us in meaningful and exciting ways. Research limitations/implications This work produces theory rather than engage in testing theory. It is subject to all the limitations of interpretive work that focuses on meaning and critique rather than advancing associations or causality. Practical implications The authors suggest large-scale disasters will persist to overwhelm management institutions no matter how much preparedness and planning occurs. The authors also offer an alternative suggestion to the institutional status quo system based on the research; let the citizenry do what they already do, whereas institutions focus more on mitigate of social ills that lead to disaster. This is particularly urgent given increasing risk of events exacerbated by anthropogenic causes. Social implications The advancement of disaster research must look to more radical perspectives on human response in disaster and what this means for the formation of communities and society itself. It is the collective task as those invested in the management of crises to defer to the potentials of publics, rather than disdain and appropriate them. The authors also suggest that meaningful mitigation of social ills that recognize and emphasize difference will be the only way to manage future large-scale events. Originality/value The authors’ work presents a departure from the more practical utility of disaster work into a critical and highly theoretical realm using novel research methods.