Multispecies Storytelling in Intermedial Practices

Multispecies Storytelling in Intermedial Practices is a speculative endeavor asking how we may represent, relay, and read worlds differently by seeing other species as protagonists in their own rights. What other stories are to be invented and told from within those many-tongued chatters of multispecies collectives? Could such stories teach us how to become human otherwise? Often, the human is defined as the sole creature who holds language, and consequently is capable of articulating, representing, and reflecting upon the world. And yet, the world is made and remade by ongoing and many-tongued conversations between various organisms reverberating with sound, movement, gestures, hormones, and electrical signals. Everywhere, life is making itself known, heard, and understood in a wide variety of media and modalities. Some of these registers are available to our human senses, while some are not. Facing a not-so-distant future catastrophe, which in many ways and for many of us is already here, it is becoming painstakingly clear that our imaginaries are in dire need of corrections and replacements. How do we cultivate and share other kinds of stories and visions of the world that may hold promises of modest, yet radical hope? If we keep reproducing the same kind of languages, the same kinds of scientific gatekeeping, the same kinds of stories about “our” place in nature, we remain numb in the face of collapse. Multispecies Storytelling in Intermedial Practices offers steps toward a (self)critical multispecies philosophy which interrogates and qualifies the broad and seemingly neutral concept of humanity utilized in and around conversations grounded within Western science and academia. Artists, activists, writers, and scientists give a myriad of different interpretations of how to tell our worlds using different media – and possibly gives hints as to how to change it, too

Thrombotic and bleeding complications in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and severe COVID-19: a study of ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may be more susceptible to COVID-19 related poor outcomes, including thrombosis and death, due to the advanced age, the presence of comorbidities, and the disease and treatment-related immune deficiency. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of thrombosis and bleeding in patients with CLL affected by severe COVID-19. METHODS: This is a retrospective multicenter study conducted by ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL, including patients from 79 centers across 22 countries. Data collection was conducted between April and May 2021. The COVID-19 diagnosis was confirmed by the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for SARS-CoV-2 on nasal or pharyngeal swabs. Severe cases of COVID-19 were defined by hospitalization and the need of oxygen or admission into ICU. Development and type of thrombotic events, presence and severity of bleeding complications were reported during treatment for COVID-19. Bleeding events were classified using ISTH definition. STROBE recommendations were used in order to enhance reporting. RESULTS: A total of 793 patients from 79 centers were included in the study with 593 being hospitalized (74.8%). Among these, 511 were defined as having severe COVID: 162 were admitted to the ICU while 349 received oxygen supplementation outside the ICU. Most patients (90.5%) were receiving thromboprophylaxis. During COVID-19 treatment, 11.1% developed a thromboembolic event, while 5.0% experienced bleeding. Thrombosis developed in 21.6% of patients who were not receiving thromboprophylaxis, in contrast to 10.6% of patients who were on thromboprophylaxis. Bleeding episodes were more frequent in patients receiving intermediate/therapeutic versus prophylactic doses of low-molecular-weight heparin (LWMH) (8.1% vs. 3.8%, respectively) and in elderly. In multivariate analysis, peak D-dimer level and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio were poor prognostic factors for thrombosis occurrence (OR?=?1.022, 95%CI 1.007?1.038 and OR?=?1.025, 95%CI 1.001?1.051, respectively), while thromboprophylaxis use was protective (OR?=?0.199, 95%CI 0.061?0.645). Age and LMWH intermediate/therapeutic dose administration were prognostic factors in multivariate model for bleeding (OR?=?1.062, 95%CI 1.017-1.109 and OR?=?2.438, 95%CI 1.023-5.813, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CLL affected by severe COVID-19 are at a high risk of thrombosis if thromboprophylaxis is not used, but also at increased risk of bleeding under the LMWH intermediate/therapeutic dose administration

DIY Methods 2022 Conference Proceedings

As the past years have proven, the methods for conducting and distributing research that we’ve inherited from our disciplinary traditions can be remarkably brittle in the face of rapidly changing social and mobility norms. The ways we work and the ways we meet are questions newly opened for practical and theoretical inquiry; we both need to solve real problems in our daily lives and account for the constitutive effects of these solutions on the character of the knowledge we produce. Methods are not neutral tools, and nor are they fixed ones. As such, the work of inventing, repairing, and hacking methods is a necessary, if often underexplored, part of the wider research process. This conference aims to better interrogate and celebrate such experiments with method. Borrowing from the spirit and circuits of exchange in earlier DIY cultures, it takes the form of a zine ring distributed via postal mail. Participants will craft zines describing methodological experiments and/or how-to guides, which the conference organisers will subsequently mail out to all participants. Feedback on conference proceedings will also proceed through the mail, as well as via an optional Twitter hashtag. The conference itself is thus an experiment with different temporalities and medialities of research exchange. As a practical benefit, this format guarantees that the experience will be free of Zoom fatigue, timezone difficulties, travel expenses, and visa headaches. More generatively, it may also afford slower thinking, richer aesthetic possibilities, more diverse forms of circulation, and perhaps even some amount of delight. The conference format itself is part of the DIY experiment

A systematic component of the jump-risk premium in an AJD model

We develop an affine jump diffusion (AJD) model with the jump-risk premium being determined by both idiosyncratic and systematic sources of risk. While we maintain the classical affine setting of the model, we add a finite set of new state variables that affect the paths of the primitive, under both the actual and the risk-neutral measure, by being related to the primitive's jump process. Those new variables are assumed to be commom to all the primitives. We present simulations to ensure that the model generates the volatility smile and compute the "discounted conditional characteristic function'' transform that permits the pricing of a wide range of derivatives.Desenvolvemos um model afim com saltos com o prêmio pelo risco dos saltos determinado tanto por variáveis idiossincráticas quanto por variáveis sistêmicas. Mantemos a clássica estrutura linear do modelo, mas adicionamos um conjunto finito de novas variáveis de estado que afetam o caminho percorrido pelo primitivo, tanto no distribuição real quanto na distribuição neutra ao risco, por afetar o processo de saltos do primitivo. Assumimos que essas novas variáveis de estado são comuns a todos os primitivos. Apresentamos simulações que garantem que o modelo gere o sorriso da volatilidade e computamos a transformação da "função característica descontada condicional" que permite a precificação de uma ampla gama de derivativos

Feminist Data Practices: Conversations with Catherine D’Ignazio, Lauren Klein, and Maya Livio

Many of the papers and more-than-textual proposals submitted for this special issue included machine vision technologies and other data- and AI- mediated practices. To provide a critical per­spective on data-driven (design) research, we decided to explore the emerging field of data fem­inism through online interviews with three scholars and practitioners who apply intersectional feminist theory and practice to the realm of data-driven work: Catherine D’Ignazio, Lauren Klein, and Maya Livio. With Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren Klein, authors of the book Data Feminism (2020), we touch upon the idea of data feminism as a way of thinking about (and acting upon) data and data science, informed by intersectional feminist thinking. From examining and challenging power structures in the data collection process to embracing pluralism beyond binaries and hierarchies, they outline a research program that clarifies why and how data science needs intersectional feminism. With them, we discuss how art and (speculative) design practices can make power imbalances visible. We also discuss the limitations and advantages of participatory data practices and the responsibil­ity that lies upon data collectors when making visible an issue through data can cause more harm than good to those affected by it. We discuss how sometimes one needs to reject ground rules of data visualization to pursue higher political goals beyond simple analytical needs. We conclude this conversation with an invitation to embrace complexity when applying feminist principles to data work, while being aware of our personal standpoints and limitations. With Maya Livio, researcher and curator at the University of Colorado Boulder, we discuss how an intersectional feminist approach to data science can also consider more-than-human beings. We talk about her work on animal interfaces, in which she explores how the contact points between the human and more-than-human worlds are permeated with technology. Maya Livio then takes us through her experiences in feminist labs, explaining how the first step of incorporating a fem­inist practice is to take stock of and codify the work being done, cultivating attention towards (of­ten unspoken or unwritten) methods and practices. We also discuss how she and her colleagues developed a framework for operationalizing the art of noticing as a methodological contribution. Finally, we touch upon her personal research approach, characterized by a mix of experimental multidisciplinary practices, moving from writing to curating to design and art-making

Feminist Data Practices: Conversations with Catherine D’Ignazio, Lauren Klein, and Maya Livio

Many of the papers and more-than-textual proposals submitted for this special issue included machine vision technologies and other data- and AI- mediated practices. To provide a critical per­spective on data-driven (design) research, we decided to explore the emerging field of data fem­inism through online interviews with three scholars and practitioners who apply intersectional feminist theory and practice to the realm of data-driven work: Catherine D’Ignazio, Lauren Klein, and Maya Livio. With Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren Klein, authors of the book Data Feminism (2020), we touch upon the idea of data feminism as a way of thinking about (and acting upon) data and data science, informed by intersectional feminist thinking. From examining and challenging power structures in the data collection process to embracing pluralism beyond binaries and hierarchies, they outline a research program that clarifies why and how data science needs intersectional feminism. With them, we discuss how art and (speculative) design practices can make power imbalances visible. We also discuss the limitations and advantages of participatory data practices and the responsibil­ity that lies upon data collectors when making visible an issue through data can cause more harm than good to those affected by it. We discuss how sometimes one needs to reject ground rules of data visualization to pursue higher political goals beyond simple analytical needs. We conclude this conversation with an invitation to embrace complexity when applying feminist principles to data work, while being aware of our personal standpoints and limitations. With Maya Livio, researcher and curator at the University of Colorado Boulder, we discuss how an intersectional feminist approach to data science can also consider more-than-human beings. We talk about her work on animal interfaces, in which she explores how the contact points between the human and more-than-human worlds are permeated with technology. Maya Livio then takes us through her experiences in feminist labs, explaining how the first step of incorporating a fem­inist practice is to take stock of and codify the work being done, cultivating attention towards (of­ten unspoken or unwritten) methods and practices. We also discuss how she and her colleagues developed a framework for operationalizing the art of noticing as a methodological contribution. Finally, we touch upon her personal research approach, characterized by a mix of experimental multidisciplinary practices, moving from writing to curating to design and art-making.Muchos de los artículos y las propuestas más-que-textuales que se presentaron para este número especial incluían tecnologías de visión artificial y otras prácticas mediadas por datos e inteligencia artificial (IA). Con el propósito de ofrecer una perspectiva crítica sobre la investigación (de diseño) basada en datos, decidimos explorar el campo emergente del feminismo de datos a través de en­trevistas en línea con tres académicas y profesionales que aplican la teoría y la práctica feminista interseccional al trabajo basado en datos: Catherine DʼIgnazio, Lauren Klein y Maya Livio. Con Catherine DʼIgnazio y Lauren Klein, autoras del libro Data Feminism (2020), abordamos la idea del feminismo de datos como una manera de pensar (y actuar) sobre los datos y la ciencia de datos, la que se caracteriza por estar informada por el pensamiento feminista interseccional. Desde la necesidad de examinar y desafiar las estructuras de poder en el proceso de recopilación de da­tos hasta la necesidad de abrazar el pluralismo más allá del pensamiento binario y las jerarquías, DʼIgnazio y Klein esbozan un programa de investigación que aclara por qué y cómo la ciencia de datos necesita el feminismo interseccional. Con ellas discutimos cómo el arte y las prácticas de diseño (especulativo) pueden hacer visibles los desequilibrios de poder. También discutimos las limitaciones y ventajas de las prácticas participativas de datos y la responsabilidad que recae sobre quienes recolectan datos cuando usar datos para hacer visible un tema puede causar más daño que beneficios a los afectados. Discutimos cómo, a veces, es necesario rechazar las reglas básicas de la visualización de datos para alcanzar objetivos políticos más elevados que las simples necesidades analíticas. Concluimos esta conversación con una invitación a abrazar la complejidad al momento de aplicar los principios feministas al trabajo con datos, siendo conscientes de nuestros puntos de vista y limitaciones personales. Con Maya Livio, investigadora y curadora de la Universidad de Colorado Boulder, hablamos de la manera en que un enfoque feminista interseccional de la ciencia de datos puede tener en cuenta también a los seres más-que-humanos. Conversamos sobre su trabajo con interfaces animales, en el que explora cómo los puntos de contacto entre los mundos humano y más-que-humano están im­pregnados de tecnología. A continuación, Maya Livio nos lleva a sus experiencias en los labora­torios feministas, para explicarnos que el primer paso para incorporar una práctica feminista es hacer un balance o inventario y codificar el trabajo que se está realizando, cultivando asimismo la atención hacia los métodos y las prácticas (a menudo tácitos o no escritos). También discutimos cómo ella y sus colegas desarrollaron un marco para operacionalizar el “arte de notar” como una contribución metodológica. Por último, nos referimos a su enfoque personal de investigación, ca­racterizado por una mezcla de prácticas multidisciplinares experimentales, que van desde la es­critura hasta la curatoría, pasando por el diseño y la creación artística

Combined Multiplexed Phage Display, High-Throughput Sequencing, and Functional Assays as a Platform for Identifying Modulatory VHHs Targeting the FSHR

Developing modulatory antibodies against G protein-coupled receptors is challenging. In this study, we targeted the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), a significant regulator of reproduction, with variable domains of heavy chain-only antibodies (VHHs). We built two immune VHH libraries and submitted them to multiplexed phage display approaches. We used next-generation sequencing to identify 34 clusters of specifically enriched sequences that were functionally assessed in a primary screen based on a cAMP response element (CRE)-dependent reporter gene assay. In this assay, 23 VHHs displayed negative or positive modulation of FSH-induced responses, suggesting a high success rate of the multiplexed strategy. We then focused on the largest cluster identified (i.e., PRC1) that displayed positive modulation of FSH action. We demonstrated that PRC1 specifically binds to the human FSHR and human FSHR/FSH complex while potentiating FSH-induced cAMP production and Gs recruitment. We conclude that the improved selection strategy reported here is effective for rapidly identifying functionally active VHHs and could be adapted to target other challenging membrane receptors. This study also led to the identification of PRC1, the first potential positive modulator VHH reported for the human FSHR

Where Brain, Body and World Collide

The production cross section of electrons from semileptonic decays of beauty hadrons was measured at mid-rapidity (|y| < 0.8) in the transverse momentum range 1 < pt < 8 Gev/c with the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC in pp collisions at a center of mass energy sqrt{s} = 7 TeV using an integrated luminosity of 2.2 nb^{-1}. Electrons from beauty hadron decays were selected based on the displacement of the decay vertex from the collision vertex. A perturbative QCD calculation agrees with the measurement within uncertainties. The data were extrapolated to the full phase space to determine the total cross section for the production of beauty quark-antiquark pairs