In this commentary, we discuss the nature of reversible and irreversible questions, that is, questions that may enable one to identify the nature of the source of their answers. We then introduce GPT-3, a third-generation, autoregressive language model that uses deep learning to produce human-like texts, and use the previous distinction to analyse it. We expand the analysis to present three tests based on mathematical, semantic, and ethical questions and show that GPT-3 is not designed to pass any of them. (...) This is a reminder that GPT-3 does not do what it is not supposed to do, and that any interpretation of GPT-3 as the beginning of the emergence of a general form of artificial intelligence is merely uninformed science fiction. We conclude by outlining some of the significant consequences of the industrialisation of automatic and cheap production of good, semantic artefacts. (shrink)

Akhir-akhir ini, komunitas burung dilanda kegelisahan akibat kedatangan beberapa Pelikan yang aneh. Orang-orang ini di sini untuk mencari nafkah. Hanya tiga orang, tapi ini adalah kelompok pekerja keras, memangsa ikan dari pagi hingga tengah malam. Melihat ini, Tuan Pekakak merasa kesemutan dan memutuskan untuk mengadakan suatu pertemuan komunitas saat malam. Untuk menghormatinya, burung-burung, kecuali Nona Bangau, menghilangkan rasa kantuk mereka dan hadir. Pada pertemuan itu, Pekakak meminta semua orang untuk mencela Pelikan dan menyimpulkan bahwa mereka sulit diatur sehingga para penyusup (...) ini harus diusir. (shrink)

Phosphatidylinositol 3‐phosphate (PtdIns3P) is generated on the cytosolic leaflet of cellular membranes, primarily by phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol by class II and class III phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinases. The bulk of this lipid is found on the limiting and intraluminal membranes of endosomes, but it can also be detected in domains of phagosomes, autophagosome precursors, cytokinetic bridges, the plasma membrane and the nucleus. PtdIns3P controls cellular functions through recruitment of specific protein effectors, many of which contain FYVE or PX domains. Cellular processes known (...) to be controlled by PtdIns3P and its effectors include endosomal fusion, sorting and motility, autophagy, cytokinesis, regulated exocytosis and signal transduction. Here we discuss how Ptdins3P is generated on specific cellular membranes, how its localizations and functions can be studied, and how its effectors serve to control cellular functions.Editor's suggested further reading in BioEssays:Phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate: Targeted production and signalingAbstractHow does SHIP1/2 balance PtdIns(3,4)P2 and does it signal independently of its phosphatase activity?AbstractPhosphatidylinositol‐3,4,5‐trisphosphate: Tool of choice for class I PI 3‐kinasesAbstractPhosphatidylinositol‐4‐phosphate: The Golgi and beyondAbstract. (shrink)

3. Inherent Value and Moral Standing in Environmental Change was published in Earthly Goods on page 52.

Recent studies of the low abundant signaling lipid, phosphatidylinositol 3,5‐bisphosphate (PI(3,5)P2), reveal an intriguingly diverse list of downstream pathways, the intertwined relationship between PI(3,5)P2 and PI5P, as well as links to neurodegenerative diseases. Derived from the structural lipid phosphatidylinositol, PI(3,5)P2 is dynamically generated on multiple cellular compartments where interactions with an increasing list of effectors regulate many cellular pathways. A complex of proteins that includes Fab1/PIKfyve, Vac14, and Fig4/Sac3 mediates the biosynthesis of PI(3,5)P2, and mutations that disrupt complex function and/or (...) formation cause profound consequences in cells. Surprisingly, mutations in this pathway are linked with neurological diseases, including Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth syndrome and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Future studies of PI(3,5)P2 and PI5P are likely to expand the roles of these lipids in regulation of cellular functions, as well as provide new approaches for treatment of some neurological diseases. (shrink)

Part of the draw of athletics is its straightforwardness. There are nuances to competitions to make them more sporting contests, but at the end of a long jump competition whomever records the longest jump should win. Unfortunately, a recent rule-change at the highest level of the sport – the “Final 3” format – undermined this simplicity for the horizontal jumps and the throws for some of the 2020 and much of the 2021 seasons. While fortunately this rule was largely reverted (...) within days of the initial submission of this paper, it’s still valuable to critically evaluate why such a rule is problematic so as to better understand of the value of sporting competitions and give guidance on future rule changes, be they in athletics or other sports. To that end, we will be drawing from the literature on the purpose and value of competitions and coupling that with simulations based on data from actual top-tier long jump competitions to show that the Final 3 format makes for significantly worse competitions than the standard format. (shrink)

Graphical AbstractCellular internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) is important for cap-independent translational initiation during stress and pathology. In article number 1900180, Lei-Yun Wang et al. propose an idea to discover IRES based on the latest high-throughput technologies, hence facilitating the understanding of IRES in disease development and treatment.

This chapter argues that special quantifiers such as 'something' when occurring in argument position are not ordinary or substitutional quantifiers; rather they have a reifying force introducing a domain of tropes or kinds of tropes to quantify over.

Histone H3.3 turnover displays distinct dynamics at various genomic elements such as promoters, enhancers, gene bodies, and heterochromatic regions, suggesting that it is differentially regulated according to chromatin context. Incorporation of variant histones into chromatin provides a mechanism to modulate chromatin states in addition to histone modifications. The replication‐independent deposition and replacement of histone variant H3.3, i.e. H3.3 turnover, is mainly associated with transcriptional activity. H3.3 or H3.3‐like histone turnover has been studied in various organisms from yeast to mammals. Here, (...) we review the recent progress on this topic. The diversified turnover profiles of H3.3, and their corresponding underlying mechanisms, may reflect distinct requirements for chromatin accessibility in different biological events. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Response 3: Transgressive Utopianism and Direct ActivismHeather AlberroThis is an important time to revisit questions concerning the historical underpinnings of utopianism as a mode of praxis and theoretical endeavor, its potential oversights and where it ought to venture in the decades to come. The multidisciplinary Hispanic utopian project Histopia discussed by Ramirez-Blanco offers a helpful starting point for this discussion. Especially noteworthy, in my view, is Histopia’s recognition of (...) and interest in engaging with manifestations of utopianism beyond academia and examining the full spectrum of the utopian imaginary, from texts to social movements. Similarly important is what Ramirez-Blanco alludes to as Histopia’s laudable attempts to “decenter” the discipline toward the Spanish-speaking world. This recalls the wider, vital work of decolonizing utopian studies highlighted by Edwards and others in this piece so that it is inclusive of the immeasurably diverse array of utopian imaginaries and modes of praxis around the globe. To reduce such diverse manifestations to the lens of a single medium or cultural-historical context would be a profound intellectual and ethical misdeed.A related example of such decolonial work is Histopia’s emphasis on history as opposed to the canon’s traditional emphasis on texts. Here, I was [End Page 550] wondering if you (Ramirez-Blanco) could elaborate further on what this entails. That is, what is Histopia’s conceptualization of history vis-à-vis the now and “to-come,” and their relation more generally to the utopian impulse? Is this conceptualization akin to the (Western) utopian conception of time as a linear progression from an archaic past toward a radiant future toward some “advanced” end state?1 Or does it depart from this modernist construct and, if so, in what ways? What is the role of prefigurative (utopian) activist movements in the history of social transformation, in your view?With movements like 15M in Spain that you discuss, what do you see as the transformative utopian potential of their denunciations of the status quo, however fleeting? What of their annunciations? That is, what were they gesturing toward, and what did their imaginings of “a better” consist of? How do public assemblies as “performances” factor into these visions? I’m curious to know what patterns, if any, can be traced across contemporary left-social movements. My own research with radical environmental activists has found that they exhibit the former aspect of the utopian mode—denunciation—with immense power and potency. Like the 15M movement, their direct activism is postparliamentary given their profound disaffection with the capitalist state and its perceived collusion with extractive industries driving ecological breakdown. The aspect of annunciation for them, however, is much more complex and fragmented. They are similarly engaged in constant deliberations over the relative strengths and weaknesses of alternative modes of political organization and participation, particularly concerning which actors may be excluded. However, they do exhibit a consensus on certain things—especially their fervent desire for a renewed abundance of terrestrial life forms and an equally fervent refusal of the worst of possible worlds consisting of substantially diminished other-than-human life forms.The question raised by Antonis concerning blueprints, or utopian modalities that provide fleshed-out visions of better worlds, is a similarly pertinent one for two key reasons: (1) in connection with the aforementioned vital work of decolonizing the utopian canon and imaginary, and (2) as a possible response to the mounting socio-ecological depredations of late-stage capitalism and the theft of the now and to-come from growing portions of the earth’s inhabitants. As Antonis highlights, some have suggested that utopianism’s pursuit of human and societal perfectibility—especially “blueprint” modalities aiming to implement a particular conception of “the good society”—harbor seeds of totalitarianism and intolerance of difference.2 [End Page 551] Indeed, inklings toward domination can be seen within some totalizing/blue-printing utopias and their cultural-historical links to Enlightenment projects of universal conquest, namely the hegemonic “utopias” of Western modernity in the form of colonial-capitalism.3 These totalizing visions of progress and “the good life” have been systematically ending other-than-Western worlds for centuries, leading to our present state of ruination.Hence why subsequent modalities... (shrink)

Avec Édouard Louis et Didier Eribon, nous vivons une relation qui dure depuis plus de dix ans maintenant. Dès les premiers mois de cette amitié, quelque chose a basculé dans nos vies, une rupture profonde s'est dessinée dans nos existences : nous nous sommes mis à voyager ensemble, à dîner à 3 presque systématiquement, à créer, à réfléchir et à intervenir conjointement dans l'espace public, à fêter ensemble nos anniversaires et les moments traditionnellement associés à la famille, comme Noël, à (...) partager l'intégralité de notre vécu. Plus qu'une amitié, cette relation est devenue pour nous un mode de vie, un cadre d'émotions et d'expériences partagées, avec ses rites, ses lieux, ses temporalités, ses connexions aux autres, au champ culturel - et même au monde social en général. Ce livre voudrait prendre cette relation comme le point de départ d'une réflexion sur les modes de vie, la force de l'amitié notamment dans son opposition au familialisme, et ce que l'on pourrait appeler la politique de l'existence. À l'heure où les existences et les aspirations semblent terriblement normalisées, il pourrait être lu comme une sorte de manuel de vie anti-institutionnelle, qui chercherait à donner un sens concret à l'aspiration utopique à une vie autre."--Back cover. (shrink)

There are no dictionary meanings or authoritative discussions of "presence" that fix the significance of this word in a way that ought to be accepted by anybody using it. So we are in the welcome possession of great freedom to maneuver when using the term. In fact, the only feasible requirement for its use is that it should maximally contribute to our understanding of the humanities. When trying to satisfy this requirement I shall relate "presence" to representation. Then I focus (...) on a variant of representation in which the past is allowed to travel to the present as a kind of "stowaway" , so that the past is literally "present" in historical representation. I appeal to Runia's notion of so-called "parallel processes" for an analysis of this variant of historical representation. (shrink)

Parallèlement à ses ouvrages de philosophe fondamentale dont Soi-même comme un autre représente la dernière étape, Paul Ricoeur n'a cessé de publier des articles dans des revues, mais aussi des préfaces dont la vertu pédagogique n'enlève rien à l'acuité de la pensée. Après lecture 1, consacré à la pensée politique, et Lecture 2, une galerie de portraits où défilent les grandes figures de la pensée du XXe siècle, Lecture 3 s'aventure aux " frontières de la philosophie ". Après une enquête (...) préliminaire sur le rôle de la philosophie de la religion dans les systèmes philosophiques de Kant et de Hegel, il traverse ces deux massifs de la pensée post-hégélienne que représente l'Etoile de la Rédemption de Franz Rosenzweig et l'œuvre d'Emmanuel Lévinas, en laquelle il voit d'abord une méditation vigoureuse sur le " témoignage ". S'écartant progressivement du logos philosophique ou de pensées qui ont entrepris de le déborder, Paul Ricoeur traite ensuite du prophétisme, du tragique et du mal. Autant d'interrogations qui fragilisent la spéculation et résistent à une appréhension conceptuelle, mais jamais Ricoeur ne franchit indûment les frontières entre philosophie et non-philosophie, entre philosophie et théologie. Plus que tout autre objet de réflexion, le mal se présente comme un défi décisif pour le philosophe et donc comme une invitation à relancer le travail de la pensée. Parallèlement à son œuvre philosophique, Ricoeur a beaucoup lu et interprété à la Bible, ce récit dont les " essais d'herméneutique " réunis ici montrent l'ampleur des réflexions qu'il suscite. Complètement indispensable de Temps et Récit et de Soi-même comme un autre, Lecture 3 témoigne d'un autre " régime de la pensée " qui souligne l'importance de l'œuvre de Paul Ricoeur. (shrink)

Phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinases (PI3Ks) are lipid kinases that produce 3‐phosphorylated derivatives of phosphatidylinositol upon activation by various cues. These 3‐phosphorylated lipids bind to various protein effectors to control many cellular functions. Lipid phosphatases such as phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) terminate PI3K‐derived signals and are critical to ensure appropriate signaling outcomes. Many lines of evidence indicate that PI3Ks and PTEN, as well as some specific lipid effectors are highly compartmentalized, either in plasma membrane nanodomains or in endosomal compartments. We examine the evidence (...) for specific recruitment of PI3Ks, PTEN, and other related enzymes to membrane nanodomains and endocytic compartments. We then examine the hypothesis that scaffolding of the sources (PI3Ks), terminators (PTEN), and effectors of these lipid signals with a common plasma membrane nanodomain may achieve highly localized lipid signaling and ensure selective activation of specific effectors. This highlights the importance of spatial regulation of PI3K signaling in various physiological and disease contexts. (shrink)

This third 2021 issue of "SYMPHILOSOPHIE: International Journal of Philosophical Romanticism" contains a main dossier of new research articles guest edited by Leif Weatherby (New York University) and devoted to the topic of early German romanticism and science. In addition to the papers of this main section issue number 3 of SYMPHILOSOPHIE includes translations of primary sources and book reviews. All contents are freely available online.

This paper investigates Aristotle’s canonical analysis of σωφροσύνη in Nicomachean Ethics 3.10–12 against the background of earlier and subsequent uses, and analyses of the virtue term. It argues that Aristotle’s is an outlier, brilliant but factitious, created to fit a theoretical scheme rather than reflect Greek understanding. Aristotle obscures the creativity of his account, presenting it as an ordinary language conceptual clarification that it is not. Many contemporary readers accept Aristotle’s narrow theory—that σωφροσύνη is moderation with respect to those pleasures (...) of touch related to nutrition and reproduction—as true, which may indicate that they are insufficiently familiar with fifth- and fourth-century literary, intellectual, and philosophical uses of the term. An important problem with this acceptance is that it prevents readers from recognizing the equal plausibility of non-Aristotelian accounts of σωφροσύνη, for example those found in Plato’s Charmides and other dialogues. (shrink)