If Anyone Should Be an Agent-Causalist, then Everyone Should Be an Agent-Causalist

Nearly all defences of the agent-causal theory of free will portray the theory as a distinctively libertarian one — a theory that only libertarians have reason to accept. According to what I call ‘the standard argument for the agent-causal theory of free will’, the reason to embrace agent-causal libertarianism is that libertarians can solve the problem of enhanced control only if they furnish agents with the agent-causal power. In this way it is assumed that there is only reason to accept the agent-causal theory if there is reason to accept libertarianism. I aim to refute this claim. I will argue that the reasons we have for endorsing the agent-causal theory of free will are nonpartisan. The real reason for going agent-causal has nothing to do with determinism or indeterminism, but rather with avoiding reductionism about agency and the self. As we will see, if there is reason for libertarians to accept the agent-causal theory, there is just as much reason for compatibilists to accept it. It is in this sense that I contend that if anyone should be an agent-causalist, then everyone should be an agent-causalist

War in the COVID-19 Era: Mental Health Concerns in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh

Given its pervasiveness, severity, and complex and lasting impacts, the COVID-19 pandemic is in many respects the worst global epidemic in over 100 years. Apart from the devastating direct health effects of the viral infection, other aspects of the pandemic – including fear of transmission, consequences of interventions to reduce transmission, massive economic strain, societal disruption, and loss of family and friends – undoubtedly impact mental health in a complex manner (Brooks et al., 2020; Moreno et al., 2020; Pfefferbaum & North, 2020). Considering the newfound challenges imposed by the rapid global spread of the virus, the Secretary-General of the United Nations called for the cessation of all armed conflicts in March 2020 (Guterres, 2020). The damaging effects of war exposure on mental health are well-documented (Barber, 2009; Murthy & Lakshminarayana, 2006; Summerfield, 2000). However, the ramifications for mental well-being of both a global pandemic and war are unknown, including additive and potentially synergistic effects of these two constellations of stressors on mental health disorders (Layne et al., 2010). Despite the call for a global ceasefire, many populations across the world remained susceptible to conflict during the pandemic. It is a sobering fact that the peoples of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh) have been experiencing extremes of both war and COVID-19 during the past few months

Palbociclib-Induced Pneumonitis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

The treatment of metastatic breast cancer has undergone significant changes in recent years. New classes of medications have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in clinical practice to extend progression-free survival and overall survival along with increasing response rate. Here, we present a case report of pneumonitis as a rare side effect of palbociclib in the treatment of metastatic hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (ERBB2-) breast cancer in addition to endocrine therapy. We also review the literature for other reports of pneumonitis during treatment with palbociclib. Through this case report and review of the literature, we aim to shed light on this rare side effect of palbociclib along with its successful management

Recruitment of Jub by α-catenin promotes Yki activity and Drosophila wing growth

International audienceThe Hippo signaling network controls organ growth through YAP family transcription factors, including the Drosophila Yorkie protein. YAP activity is responsive to both biochemical and biomechanical cues, with one key input being tension within the F-actin cytoskeleton. Several potential mechanisms for the biomechanical regulation of YAP proteins have been described, including tension-dependent recruitment of Ajuba family proteins, which inhibit kinases that inactivate YAP proteins, to adherens junctions. Here, we investigate the mechanism by which the Drosophila Ajuba family protein Jub is recruited to adherens junctions, and the contribution of this recruitment to the regulation of Yorkie. We identify α-catenin as the mechanotransducer responsible for tension-dependent recruitment of Jub by identifying a region of α-catenin that associates with Jub, and by identifying a region, which when deleted, allows constitutive, tension-independent recruitment of Jub. We also show that increased Jub recruitment to α-catenin is associated with increased Yorkie activity and wing growth, even in the absence of increased cytoskeletal tension. Our observations establish α-catenin as a multi-functional mechanotransducer and confirm Jub recruitment to α-catenin as a key contributor to biomechanical regulation of Hippo signaling