bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract P238: High Glucose Induces Interleukin-1β Synthesis In Renal Tubular Cells By Suppressing Autophagy
Authors: Giani Jorge F , Veiras Luciana C , Bernstein Ellen , Cao Duoyao , Khan Zakir , Bernstein Kenneth E
Published: September 2022

We showed that IL-1β derived from renal tubular epithelial cells initiates the inflammatory response that promotes salt sensitivity during diabetes. Yet, the intracellular mechanism that mediates IL-1β synthesis by tubular cells is unknown. We hypothesize that high glucose inhibits autophagy in tubular cells resulting in the accumulation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen spices (mtROS) that activate the NLRP3 inflammasome to produce IL-1β. Thirty-week-old db/db mice, a model of type 2 diabetes, and db/+ non-diabetic controls (n=6) were exposed to high salt diet (4% NaCl) for 4 weeks. At the end, mean arterial pressure was higher in db/db vs. db/+ mice (125±7 vs. 104±4 mmHg, P<0.05). db/db mice also displayed higher levels of IL-1β in tubular cells (E-cadherin+) compared to db/+ mice (22±4% vs. 7±2% of IL-1β
+
E-cadherin
+
cells, P<0.01 by flow cytometry). We measured two critical components of the autophagy machinery by Western blot. In db/db, we observed reduced LC3B-II expression (49% reduction, P<0.01) and increased p62 (2.7±0.3-fold increase, P<0.001) compared to db/+ mice indicating reduced autophagy. To investigate whether autophagy regulates IL-1β synthesis, we used a primary culture of tubular epithelial cells (TECs) (n=6). TECs exposed to high glucose (15mM) secreted higher levels of IL-1β (58±23 vs. 13±6 pg/ml, P>0.001) and displayed increased caspase-1 and NLRP3 expression compared to TECs exposed to low glucose (5mM). Autophagy analysis revealed low LCB3-II and high p62 suggesting that high glucose suppressed autophagy in tubular cells. This was associated with mtROS accumulation (1.9±0.2-fold increase, P<0.001 by MitoSox Red). We also analyzed mTOR, an inhibitor of autophagy. TECs exposed to high glucose showed higher levels of mTOR phosphorylated at Ser 2448 (a marker of activation) compared to low glucose-treated cells. Blocking mTOR with rapamycin (1μM) restored autophagy in high glucose-treated TECs, reduced caspase-1, NLRP3, and mitochondrial ROS and resulted in low IL-1β secretion. Thus, autophagy inhibition is a critical event behind the high glucose-mediated IL-1β secretion in tubular cells. Restoring autophagy might be a therapeutic target to blunt the inflammatory response that causes salt sensitivity during diabetes.
Abstract P254: Effect Of Covid-19 Infection On Qtc Prolongation
Authors: Alsallamin Isaac , Skomorochow Ewelina , Musallam Rami , Karia Rusina
Published: September 2022

Background Objective:
What is the association between COVID-19 infection and QTc changes? Coronavirus SARS-COV2 uses angiotensin-converting enzyme receptors 2 (ACE2) on host cells to enter into human cells. These receptors are expressed on the heart cells among other major cells. This is one of the most accepted theories for direct cardiac cell injury of COVID-19disease and associated cardiorespiratory manifestations. COVID-19 infection leads to unstable myocardial cell membranes, by causing hypoxia, myocarditis, myocardial ischemia, and abnormal host immune response. This is the main reason behind Arrhythmia and EKG changes during COVID19 infection. But the specific effect on QTc has not been studied well so far, so our research try to study this connection.

Method:
This is an observational retrospective hospital chart review involving 320 adult participants diagnosed with COVID-19 infection at our facility. After applying the exclusion criteria, 130 participants remained, who were distributed into two groups. One group with long QTc and one group with normal QTc. Data was collected and demographics were recorded using Excel and SPSS, then compared using a student’s t-test for independent groups. The quantitative data are summarized by the mean and standard deviation (SD). Statistical significance was taken as P <0.05.

Result:
A total of 63 participants (48.4% of total 130 participants) met the criteria for long QTc, and a total of 67 participants(51.5%) had normal QTc (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant mortality outcome (0.8% vs. 3.8%, P = 0.21).

Conclusion:
Our study showed 48.4% participants having an increase in QTc during COVID-19 infection, (20% of 320 total admissions). This observation is very important to help healthcare providers to gaina better understanding of this disease.
Abstract P331: Racism Associated With Blood Pressure Risk For Renal Injury In African American Males
Authors: Pointer Mildred A , Holanda Thais , Muhammad Dwayne , Alberico Claudia , Laurie Nikia , Kumar Deepak
Published: September 2022

Young hypertensive African American (AA) males have approximately a 10-fold greater risk for end-stage renal disease compared to white males. The reason for this disparity remains elusive, but environmental stress has been identified as a contributor to disease risk among Blacks. Male (n=80) and female (n=91) AAs were administered the perceived racism scale (PRS) to investigate the association of perceived racism with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP, respectively) and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UAC). Resting SBP and DBP were measured and urine was collected for measuring albumin to creatinine ratio (UAC, index of renal injury). There were no sex differences in age (36 ± 2 vs 33 ± 2 yrs), SBP (127± 13 vs 124 ± 2 mmHg), and DBP (72 ± 1 vs 69 ± 1 mmHg), but males had higher UAC (28 ± 12 vs 21 ± 4 mg/g; p<0.003; males vs females, respectively). Workplace PRS scores were higher in males compared to females (20 ± 2 vs 14 ± 1, p<0.01 male vs female, respectively). PRS in the workplace was positively correlated with SBP (r=0.530, p=0.002) and DBP (r=0.447, p=0.002) in males but not females (r=-0.01, p=NS; r=0.01, p=NS, respectively). Moreover, SBP (r=0.399, p=0.024) and DBP (r=0.612, p=0.0002) were positively correlated with UAC in males but not in females (r=0.387, p=NS; r=0.207, p=NS, respectively). Our findings show that racism in the workplace is strongly associated with a biomarker of kidney injury in AA males. Furthermore, our findings support the idea that racism may be the driver of the greater risk of kidney disease in young hypertensive males. Thus, we conclude that increased risk for kidney injury in young hypertensive AA males is due to the environmental stress of racism that leads to activation of biological pathways causing cardiovascular and kidney diseases. More studies are needed to identify the underlying pathways between perception of racism and cardiometabolic and kidney diseases.
Abstract P333: Influence Of RSK2 On Blood Pressure In Aging
Authors: Wang Yves T , Ayon Ramon , Le Thu H , Somlyo Avril V
Published: September 2022

Hypertension (HTN) is highly prevalent and is a significant risk factor for CVD. Excessive vasoconstriction contributes to HTN. Recently, p90 ribosomal S6 kinase, isoform 2 (RSK2) signaling has been shown to play a significant role in the regulation of basal vascular tone and BP control by phosphorylating RLC20 to promote smooth muscle contractility. Young adult
Rsk2
KO mice have lower BP than WT littermates. Here, we examine the role of RSK2 in a geriatric HTN mouse model.

Male >2-year old WT and
Rsk2
KO mice underwent daily BP measurements using tail cuff manometry. After 2 weeks of training, baseline (BL) BP was recorded, followed by 2 weeks of HTN induced by 20 mg/kg/day of L-N
G
-Nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) via drinking water. Echocardiographic studies were performed at BL.

WT mice had significant mortality (7 of 11 died), not seen in KO (1 of 8 died). At BL, WT mice had a significantly higher SBP compared to KOs (123±10 vs. 99±12 mmHg). L-NAME elevated SBP in WT but not KO mice (137±2 vs. 97±8 mmHg). Echocardiographic studies at BL showed no differences between genotypes. However, when ejection fraction (EF) was correlated with SBP, EF was negatively correlated with SBP in WT (-0.94 %/mmHg, p = 0.046, R
2
= 0.59, n = 6) but not KO mice (p = 0.15, n = 7).

Clinically, HTN-associated mortality and morbidity primarily affects older populations. Here, we show that the loss of RSK2 reduces BP in geriatric mice, similar to findings in young adult mice, and that it also abolished the hypertensive effects of L-NAME. Aged
Rsk2
KO mice appear to be protected from cardiovascular effects of aging. RSK2 is a potential target for pharmacologic inhibition to treat HTN and related risks in geriatric populations.
Abstract P343: Adaptive Immune Mechanisms Exacerbate Cholinergic Activation-mediated Hypertension In Dahl Salt-sensitive Rats
Authors: Raikwar Nandita , Maiers Trever , Harwani Sailesh
Published: September 2022

Hypertension affects over one billion people worldwide and significantly contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and renal disease. Activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) in immune cells regulates immune responses. We have shown earlier that the development of hypertension in a genetic model of human essential hypertension, the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR), is dependent on nAChR-mediated renal inflammation. Broadening the application of this mechanism, in the present study we hypothesized that nAChR activation plays a role in inflammation and the development of hypertension in a salt-sensitive model of hypertension, the Dahl salt-sensitive (DSS) rat. To test the hypothesis, we infused 4 weeks old DSS (n=12) and Dahl salt resistant (DSR, n=12) rats with either saline (n=6) or nicotine (15mg/kg/day, n=6) for 4 weeks. Animals were fed a 4% NaCl diet for the entire duration and moved into metabolic cages 3 days prior to euthanasia. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) measured by tail cuff method remained unaltered in DSR. However, SBP was significantly elevated in DSS rats that received nicotine as compared to saline (196.33±7.8 vs. 168±5.2 mmHg, p<0.05). SBP changes in nicotine infused DSS were not accompanied by differences in albuminuria or urinary sodium excretion compared to saline controls. RT-PCR revealed significantly increased CD3e mRNA expression (a marker of T-cell, P=0.04) in the immune cells derived from nicotine infused DSS as compared to saline controls. Increased CD3e mRNA expression in the kidney of nicotine infused DSS compared to saline was observed. Nicotine infusion did not change mRNA expression of nAChR subunits in DSR immune cells. In contrast, there was a ≥50% decrease in mRNA expression of α1-α7, α9, α10, β2, and β3 nAChR in immune cells derived from nicotine infused DSS compared to saline controls. There was a small yet significant increase in the mRNA expression of the β1-nAChR subunit in the immune cells of nicotine infused DSS compared to saline controls. We conclude that nAChR activation potentiates hypertension in the DSS independent of sodium retention or renal function. Our preliminary data suggests a possible role for nAChR mediated adaptive immune mechanisms in salt-sensitive hypertension.
Abstract P347: Rural/urban Differences In Anti-hypertensive Medication Use Among Women Of Reproductive Age With Hypertension: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2019
Authors: Hayes Donald K , Fang Jing , Clarke Lasha S , Ford Nicole , Robbins Cheryl L , Kuklina Elena V , Loustalot Fleetwood
Published: September 2022

Introduction:
Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the US. Approximately one in ten to one in six women of reproductive age (WRA; aged 18-44 years) have hypertension. Control of hypertension through lifestyle behaviors and anti-hypertensive medication can prevent complications across the life course. Characterizing the current use of anti-hypertensive medication among WRA by urban/rural status offers opportunities to inform public health action.

Methods:
Data from 59,407 WRA responding to the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was used to determine hypertension prevalence from 49 states (New Jersey did not meet data collection standards), District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Among the subset of 6,855 who self-reported hypertension, estimates of current anti-hypertensive medication use were calculated. Prevalence ratios were used to estimate the association between urban/rural status and self-reported use of anti-hypertensive medications, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education, and insurance status.

Results:
The estimated hypertension prevalence among WRA was 10.7% (95%CI:10.3%-11.1%) with 14.0% (95%CI:12.7%-15.5%) in rural and 10.4% (95%CI:10.0%-10.9%) in urban counties. An estimated 45.1% (95%CI:43.1%-47.2%) of WRA with hypertension reported currently using anti-hypertensive medication with estimates of 57.1% (95%CI:51.9%-62.1%) in rural and 44.0% (95%CI:41.9%-46.2%) in urban counties. WRA with hypertension living in rural counties were 1.29 times (95%CI:1.17-1.41) more likely to report currently using anti-hypertensive medication compared to those living in urban counties.

Conclusion:
Less than half of WRA with hypertension were currently using anti-hypertensive medication. Living in rural counties was associated with a higher frequency of use of anti-hypertensive medication. Ensuring appropriate blood pressure control through engagement in healthy lifestyle behaviors and appropriate use of medication when needed in WRA can improve cardiovascular health and reduce disparities.
Abstract P350: Profiling Of The Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System In High Risk Human Pregnancy
Authors: Shoemaker Robin , Poglitsch Marko , Huang Hong , Vignes Katherine , Patel Neil , Bauer John A , O'Brien John
Published: September 2022

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a leading cause of maternal and infant morbidities and mortalities. There is a lack of clinical tools identifying subtypes of this heterogenous group of disorders, which limits optimization of individual patient care. The RAAS, a hormonal system activated during pregnancy, is suppressed in pregnancies with hypertension, but key RAAS biomarkers in subgroups of HDP have not been defined. We quantified serum biomarkers of the RAAS using LC-MS/MS in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy in a cohort of n=92 women at high-risk for preeclampsia. Data are expressed as median [IQR] of the delta of the third - first trimester. There were n=15 women that developed gestational hypertension (GH) and n=12 women that developed pre-eclampsia (Pre-e). Serum aldosterone levels increased with pregnancy in high-risk women with no adverse outcomes, but not in women that developed GH (GH, n=15: 19.4 [-321.6 - 661.6] versus Control, n=22: 502.5 [161-1019]; Data are pmol/L; P<0.01). PRA-S, a marker for activity of the RAAS that normally increases in healthy pregnancy, did not increase with pregnancy in patients that developed GH, and was further reduced in patients that developed Pre-e (GH: -17.4 [-57.1 to 2.2] versus Pre-E: -56.3 [-160.9 to -3.5] pmol/L; P<0.05). In high-risk patients that developed pre-eclampsia, aldosterone levels varied widely, depending pre-existing risk factors, such as chronic hypertension.

Serum levels of RAAS biomarkers differed by pregnancy outcome and were influenced by pre-existing risk. Declining aldosterone and PRA-S over gestation may be indicative of development of Pre-e in women with clinical risk factors for Pre-e.
Tacrolimus Causes Hypertension by Increasing Vascular Contractility via RhoA (Ras Homolog Family Member A)/ROCK (Rho-Associated Protein Kinase) Pathway in Mice
Authors: Wang Xiaohua , Jiang Shan , Fei Lingyan , Dong Fang , Xie Lanyu , Qiu Xingyu , Lei Yan , Guo Jie , Zhong Ming , Ren Xiaoqiu , Yang Yi , Zhao Liang , Zhang Gensheng , Wang Honghong , Tang Chun , Yu Luyang , Liu Ruisheng , Patzak Andreas , Persson Pontus B. , Hultström Michael , Wei Qichun , Lai En Yin , Zheng Zhihua
Published: September 2022

Background:

To provide tacrolimus is first-line treatment after liver and kidney transplantation. However, hypertension and nephrotoxicity are common tacrolimus side effects that limit its use. Although tacrolimus-related hypertension is well known, the underlying mechanisms are not. Here, we test whether tacrolimus-induced hypertension involves the RhoA (Ras homolog family member A)/ROCK (Rho-associated protein kinase) pathway in male C57Bl/6 mice.

methods:

Intra-arterial blood pressure was measured under anesthesia. The reactivity of renal afferent arterioles and mesenteric arteries were assessed in vitro using microperfusion and wire myography, respectively.

Results:

Tacrolimus induced a transient rise in systolic arterial pressure that was blocked by the RhoA/ROCK inhibitor Fasudil (12.0±0.9 versus 3.2±0.7;
P
<0.001). Moreover, tacrolimus reduced the glomerular filtration rate, which was also prevented by Fasudil (187±20 versus 281±8.5;
P
<0.001). Interestingly, tacrolimus enhanced the sensitivity of afferent arterioles and mesenteric arteries to Ang II (angiotensin II), likely due to increased intracellular Ca
2+
mobilization and sensitization. Fasudil prevented increased Ang II-sensitivity and blocked Ca
2+
mobilization and sensitization. Preincubation of mouse aortic vascular smooth muscle cells with tacrolimus activated the RhoA/ROCK/MYPT-1 (myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1) pathway. Further, tacrolimus increased cytoplasmic reactive oxygen species generation in afferent arterioles (107±5.9 versus 163±6.4;
P
<0.001) and in cultured mouse aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (100±7.5 versus 160±23.2;
P
<0.01). Finally, the reactive oxygen species scavenger Tempol inhibited tacrolimus-induced Ang II hypersensitivity in afferent arterioles and mesenteric arteries.

Conclusions:

The RhoA/ROCK pathway may play an important role in tacrolimus-induced hypertension by enhancing Ang II-specific vasoconstriction, and reactive oxygen species may participate in this process by activating the RhoA/ROCK pathway.
Selective IgA Deficiency in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats With Gut Dysbiosis
Authors: Saha Piu , Mell Blair , Golonka Rachel M. , Bovilla Venugopal R. , Abokor Ahmed A. , Mei Xue , Yeoh Beng San , Doris Peter A. , Gewirtz Andrew T. , Joe Bina , Vijay-Kumar Matam
Published: September 2022

Background:

The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is extensively used to study hypertension. Gut microbiota dysbiosis is a notable feature in SHR for reasons unknown. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is a major host factor required for gut microbiota homeostasis. We hypothesized that inadequate IgA contributes to gut microbiota dysbiosis in SHR.

methods:

IgA was measured in feces, cecum, serum, liver, gut-associated lymphoid tissue, and milk from SHR and Wistar Kyoto rats. IgA regulatory factors like IgM, IgG, and
pIgR
(polymeric immunoglobulin receptor) were analyzed. IgA and IgG antibodies and blood pressure (BP) were measured before and after administrating a bacterial antigen (ie, flagellin).

Results:

Compared with Wistar Kyoto rats, SHR displayed remarkably near-deficient IgA levels accompanied by compensatory increases in serum IgM and IgG and gut-liver
pIgR
expression. Inadequate milk IgA in SHR emphasized this immune defect stemmed from the neonatal stage. Reduced IgA
+
B cells in circulation and Peyer patches indicated a possible reason for the lower IgA in SHR. Noteworthy, a genetic insufficiency was unlikely because administering flagellin to SHR induced anti-flagellin IgA antibodies. This immune response surprisingly accelerated hypertension development in SHR, suggesting IgA quiescence may help maintain lower BP.

Conclusions:

This study is the first to reveal IgA deficiency in SHR as one host factor associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis and invigorates future research to determine the pathophysiological role of IgA in hypertension.
Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Are Associated With a Lower Risk of Progression From Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia
Authors: Deng Zhenhong , Jiang Jingru , Wang Jia , Pan Dong , Zhu Yingying , Li Honghong , Zhang Xiaoni , Liu Xiaohuan , Xu Yongteng , Li Yi , Tang Yamei ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative†
Published: September 2022

Background:

Previous studies found that antihypertensive medications (AHMs) acting on the renin-angiotensin system had the potential to reduce the progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. However, it remains unclear whether this association differs between ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers.

methods:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative among 403 participants with hypertension and mild cognitive impairment at baseline. Information on AHMs received during the follow-up period, including angiotensin receptor blockers, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and diuretics, were self-reported. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for potential confounders were used in the time to event analysis with progression to dementia as outcome.

Results:

Of the 403 participants, the mean (SD) age was 74.0 (7.3) years, 152 (37.7%) were female, 158 (39.2%) progressed to dementia over a median follow-up time of 3.0 years. Angiotensin receptor blockers were associated with a lower risk of progression to dementia as compared to ACE inhibitors (adjusted hazard ratio=0.45 [95% CI, 0.25–0.81];
P
=0.023), other classes of AHMs (beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, diuretics; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.27–0.89];
P
=0.037), and none of AHMs (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.31 [95% CI, 0.16–0.58];
P
=0.001).

Conclusions:

In patients with hypertension and mild cognitive impairment, angiotensin receptor blockers were associated with a lower risk of progression to dementia compared with ACE inhibitors and other classes of AHMs. Our findings may have important implications for clinical practice but still warrant further investigations in larger prospective cohorts or clinical trials.
Effect of Financial Incentives on Hypertension Control: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial in China
Authors: Zheng Liqiang , Liu Sitong , Jiao Yundi , Wu Yani , Wang Yali , Yu Zhecong , Xu Jiahui , Sun Yingxian , Sun Zhaoqing
Published: September 2022

Background:

Poorly controlled hypertension is a great challenge to global public health. Incentive approaches, based on behavioral and economic concepts, may improve patients’ adherence to treatment.

methods:

We conducted a 2-arm randomized controlled trial to test whether financial incentives can help patients with poorly controlled hypertension in China reduce their blood pressure (BP). Participants were randomized 1:1 to the control and intervention groups. All participants received WeChat-based standard education and support for hypertension management. The intervention group received financial incentives, including process- and outcome-based incentives.

Results:

No statistically significant differences in BP reduction and hypertension control rates were found between the two groups from baseline to 12-month follow-up. Mean systolic BP decreased from 158.7 to 149.8 mm Hg in the intervention group and 159.7 to 149.5 mm Hg in the control group (
P
=0.639). Mean diastolic BP decreased from 93.7 to 86.6 mm Hg in the intervention group and 93.9 to 86.3 mm Hg in the control group (
P
=0.667). Hypertension control rates in the intervention and control groups were 20.8% and 15.8%, respectively (
P
=0.318). Medication adherence was 84.2% in the intervention group and 86.2% in the control group (
P
=0.705).

Conclusions:

Financial incentives were effective in the short term for BP control, but a sustained effect of incentive-based BP control was not identified beyond 3 months of intervention. Future studies that focus on identifying the appropriate amount and structure of financial incentives for BP control are warranted.

Registration:

URL:
www.isrctn.org
; Unique identifier: ISRCTN13467677.
Peasant Studies in the Journal Modern China, 1979–1991
Authors: Li (李松) Song , Wu (吴煌琨) Huangkun , Liu (刘苹) Ping
Published: September 2022

From 1979 to 1991, Modern China, a landmark journal of Chinese studies, published a large number of articles in the field of peasant studies. These articles are of two types: studies of peasants in premodern China, which focus on the rural economy, politics, and ideology; and studies on the history of “peasant studies” itself, which focus on the problems, paradigms and directions of the field. Taken together, all these articles reveal the influence of three major approaches to history: the longue durée perspective of the French Annales school, the “bottom-up” approach to lived experience of the British new social history movement, and the time, space, and demography frame of reference of G. William Skinner.
A Study on the Different Values Assigned to Bulls and Cows under the Structure of Male and Female Workpoints in Collectivist China: The Practice of Lingqian Village in Shandong Province
Authors: Du (杜靖) Jing
Published: September 2022

During the collectivization period, the price of the bull was higher than the price of the cow on the fixed asset registration form in Lingqian Village, Linyi City, Shandong Province. The workpoints of male labor were also higher than those for female labor. Therefore, there was a gender difference that applied to both cattle and humans, but the former was not simply the social projection and cultural metaphor of the latter; rather they shared the same natural difference in terms of economic value in that given system. Namely, the values of humans and cattle depended entirely on their contribution to agricultural labor, not on gender discrimination. The reason for this phenomenon is that the ecological environment and living conditions shaped people’s psychology, which then determined the internal classification structure of gender in humans as well as animals. The classification attitude of the values of humans and animals was thus a result of adaptation to the natural environment and living conditions, and, as such, was a collective survival strategy, but it was also the product of a particular economic system. This phenomenon resulted from the fact that the privately owned land of individual families had been collectivized, revealing some characteristics of the cattle-raising mode under the collective economic system. The case of Lingqian Village in Shandong Province contributes to world anthropology by illustrating one particular system of social livelihood, with cattle as the reference point.
Supportive Agency and the Statization of Local Governance: The Practice of Power of the Village Governance Body in the Context of Transformation
Authors: Shi (石伟) Wei , Dong (董国礼) Guoli
Published: September 2022

The practice of power of the village governance body is an important perspective from which to understand the form of local governance as well as a crucial aspect of the capacity of local governance. In local government building, the village governance body has the special feature of supportive agency – that is, the secretary of the village Party committee has only incomplete governance power, but he/she does have the power to allocate resources in the village. Different from the personalization of power in an oligarchy, the power of a supportive agent is something that local rural elites rely on to gain resources. They then use those resources as a hook to draw in other participants and use public rules to embed themselves into the governance of village affairs, thereby forming the power structure of the grassroots community. The network of power and interests in the interaction between township and village and the pattern of profit-sharing in the village constitute the basis for this practice of power under supportive agency. The supportive relationship between local government and village cadres has led to a separation between the cadres and the peasants, a rupture of the state-peasant relationship, increasing social differentiation, and weakened village autonomy. The practice of supportive agency reflects changes in the logic of local governance – local autonomy has been turned into local governance statization. Thus, in these circumstances, in order to achieve a successful transition to modernized local governance, the linkage between the state and the peasants should be rebuilt, and the local organization of governance should be reshaped.
A new species and some new records of leafhopper tribe Scaphoideini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from India
Authors: RAJGOPAL N. N. , MESHRAM NARESH M , DEY DEBJANI
Published: September 2022

A new species of leafhopper, Scaphoideus banjarensis sp. nov. from India (Himachal Pradesh: Banjar), is described. Also two genera, Neolimnus Linnavuori and Wanritettix Vilbaste, and four species of tribe Scaphoideini, are newly reported from India: N. egyptiacus (Matsumura) and N. quadricornis Khatri & Webb; W. wanrianus (Matsumura); and Grammacephalus punjabensis Shah & Duan. Indian Scaphoideini currently comprises 78 species in 18 genera, including those newly reported here. Illustrations and distributions for newly recorded species are also included.
Spatiotemporal Changes in Frost Indicators in Southeastern Spain (1950–2020): Influence of the East Atlantic Index (EA)
Authors: Sánchez David Espín , García Carmelo Conesa , Cantos Jorge Olcina
Published: September 2022

The southeastern interior of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) is characterized by a complex orography, which determines a pronounced altitudinal gradient, significant slopes, and marked valleys with important temperature inversion processes. In this work, to analyze the yearly and seasonal evolution of minimum temperatures, six indicators related to minimum temperatures were used: the frost days (FD) and number of days with minimum temperature below −2°C (TNltm2), 10th temperature minimum percentile (TN10p), absolute minimum temperatures (TNn), average minimum temperatures (TNm), and cold-spell duration index (CSDI). For this, the Spearman nonparametric statistical test was used to analyze data from a total of 22 meteorological stations (1950–2020), using a daily resolution of minimum temperatures. Significant changes during the study period were revealed, especially between the 1960s and 1990s. In most cases, there has been a statistically significant increase in the minimum temperatures in the study area, except in the western (most mountainous) part, where the dynamics differed from the rest of the interior of the southeast of the peninsula. Nine large global teleconnection patterns were analyzed in relation to the average minimum temperatures in the study area. These are well-characterized indices for the Northern Hemisphere, which show a very high correlation of the average minimum temperatures with the temporal evolution of the global climate pattern of the east Atlantic (EA) index, especially in the Mediterranean region of the Iberian Peninsula, where it seems to have a very marked influence.

Significance Statement

We analyzed variation in observed minimum temperatures during 1950–2020 in inland southeastern Spain. Temporal analysis of “east Atlantic index” cycles and their interrelation with frost days and minimum temperatures is very relevant for seasonal meteorological prediction in the study area, where agroindustry represents 20% of GDP. The results show a significant decrease in frost days and an increase in average minimum temperature, especially in coastal and prelittoral areas. The variations are less important mountainous western areas, where frost days have even increased. This is explained by a change in the atmospheric dynamics in midlatitudes of the Atlantic Ocean, quantified by the east Atlantic global teleconnection index, which has a high statistical correlation with Spanish minimum temperatures, especially in winter.
Advancing a Contextualized, Community-Centric Understanding of Social Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Authors: de Bruin Anne , Roy Michael J. , Grant Suzanne , Lewis Kate V.
Published: September 2022

We investigate what distinguishes social entrepreneurial ecosystems (SEEs) from entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) through appreciation of the importance of context—the multiplex of intertwined social, spatial, temporal, historical, cultural, and political influences. Community is incorporated as a key variable and hitherto overlooked dimension of the structure and influence of SEEs. We draw on extant literature and examples of a variety of SEEs to support our propositions and demonstrate why considerations of both context and community are critical to advance understanding of SEEs. We contribute to the study of SEEs by presenting a new conceptual framework and theorizing SEE as an evolving composite of interdependent actors who interact and collaborate across multiple levels to collectively generate positive externalities and drive sustainable solutions to social problems.
The Partition and Bengal, seventy-five years on
Authors: Haq Kaiser
Published: September 2022

This article looks at the Partition of 1947 as it affected Bengal, from the perspective of the present. A historical survey of the distinctiveness of the Partition experience in Bengal is considered vis-à-vis the rest of the subcontinent, by studying Partition writing from the two countries, setting them up in a dialogic perspective. The differences in the experience of post-Partition migration in Indian Bengal and present-day Bangladesh are noted, particularly the asymmetry in the number of migrants crossing over, and the greater sense of dislocation and concomitant nostalgia among those who went to India. For the first time in discussions related to Partition, the experience of Urdu and Bhojpuri-speaking refugees in Bangladesh is noted. West Bengali Partition literature from the 1940s till today is broadly covered and major themes are identified. Bangladeshi Partition literature, though less voluminous, is shown to have its own distinctive traits. The conclusion touches upon the future prospects of Partition writings.
Biophysiological Risk-Factors for Political Violence
Authors: Sawyer Katherine
Published: September 2022

Why do individuals engage in violence against the state? This research investigates the biological and environmental determinants of individual-level participation in political violence through the use of a Candidate Gene Association, gene-environment interaction, study. Existing research has demonstrated that variation in a specific gene (called MAO-A) is associated with aggression. However, relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to the interaction with the environment; specifically, the ways in which repressive political environments differentially incite acts of violence. Using original genetic, survey and experimental data collected on participants and non-participants of political violence, I find that under conditions of political repression, individuals with the low MAO-A genetic variant are significantly more likely to engage in acts of political violence. By examining both the genetic and environmental factors influencing political violence, the results make a significant contribution to our understanding of how genetic variation may lead to violence.
Generations of Criminalization: Resistance to Desegregation and School Punishment
Authors: Kupchik Aaron , Henry Felicia A.
Published: September 2022

Objectives: In this paper we refocus discussions of criminalization of students on structural racial inequality. We help explain racially disproportionate school punishments, while demonstrating the necessity for criminologists to examine how a historic legacy of racial oppression shapes contemporary punishments. More specifically, we explore the extent to which contemporary school punishment reflects a legacy of racial oppression and educational exclusion of Black students. Methods: Using nationwide data from multiple sources, we analyze how resistance to school desegregation, measured by the number of court cases contesting school segregation from 1952 − 2002, relates to suspensions from school and days missed due to suspension. Results: Our analyses show that schools in districts marked by resistance to school desegregation have significantly and substantially higher rates of suspensions for Black students and days missed by Black students due to suspension. Conclusions: Contemporary school suspension is shaped by a legacy of racial oppression and educational exclusion. Our results confirm the importance of using a racialized social systems approach to understand and begin to remedy the criminalization of Black students.
Trends in Prison Sentences and Racial Disparities: 20-Years of Sentencing Under Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code
Authors: Mitchell Ojmarrh , Yan Shi , Mora Daniela Oramas
Published: September 2022

Objectives

The U.S. prison population has fallen 15% overall, 28% for Blacks, and 21% for Hispanics since the Great Recession began. These trends occurred despite rising defendant criminal histories and the continued presence of the punitive policies that drove “mass incarceration.” We test the central hypothesis that court actors employed several discretionary tools available under Florida's sentencing system to reduce prison use, which in turn reduced direct and indirect racial disparities.

Methods

To test this hypothesis, we utilized 20 years of felony cases. Our analyses employ current best practices for testing interactive effects and decomposition models to identify changes in prison use and the factors associated with these changes.

Results

We find criminal history scores rose sharply, but prison use and racial disparities therein fell markedly in the past decade. The key factors driving these trends are reductions in the influence of criminal history on decision-making, increased use of mitigated departures, and the flexibility of Florida's sentencing system to accommodate mitigated departures. In fact, if Florida's sentencing rules had been followed more closely, racial disparities in prison sentences would have grown.

Conclusions

This research has implications for reforms aimed at ending mass incarceration and reducing racial disparities in imprisonment.
An Exploration of Spirituality, Religion, and Suicidal Ideation Among Colombian Adolescents
Authors: Euseche Mario , Muñoz-García Antonio
Published: September 2022

This study seeks to know if there is a relationship between measures of suicidal ideation and cognitive orientation towards spirituality, religious attitudes and beliefs, and religious practice. A non-experimental, descriptive, and correlational design, cross-sectional and quantitative approach was used. The sample was made up of 1372 adolescents, 59.2% female, 40.8% male, mean age 14.57, s = 1.75, range 12–17 years old, students from public schools in two cities in Colombia. The results indicated an inverse relationship between negative suicidal ideation (NSI) and cognitive orientation towards spirituality, beliefs and attitudes, and religious practice, and a positive relationship between them and positive suicidal ideation. The regression analysis showed the contribution of spirituality, religious beliefs, and attitudes in the prediction of NSI. In conclusion, the dimensions of spirituality and religiosity can help reduce suicidal thinking, acting as protective factors. The cultivation of a spiritual and/or religious life can be suitable and complementary ways as measures of prevention of suicidal behaviour
Citizenship, Enmity, and the Normative Theory of Domestic Military Use
Authors: Ben Sasson-Gordis Avishay
Published: September 2022

Historical and legal accounts of domestic military and militarized use abound, but there is no systematic normative treatment of the issue. This article argues that an important normative principle that governs domestic military use is that citizens ought not to be treated as enemies. Using examples drawn from the United States, it shows that apart from any instrumental considerations such as fears of military coups and excessive violence, domestic military use is prohibited in principle when it relates to citizens as enemies. To treat citizens as enemies undermines their standing as members of the state’s political community, and so violates governments’ duty to not commit expressive harms against them. This principle has implications for current dilemmas regarding domestic military use, as well as militarized domestic law enforcement. The latter gain the normative commitments of militaries as they militarize, and in so doing lose permissions to operate domestically.
Applying Negative Binomial Distribution in Diagnostic Classification Models for Analyzing Count Data
Authors: Liu Ren , Heo Ihnwhi , Liu Haiyan , Shi Dexin , Jiang Zhehan
Published: September 2022

Diagnostic classification models (DCMs) have been used to classify examinees into groups based on their possession status of a set of latent traits. In addition to traditional item-based scoring approaches, examinees may be scored based on their completion of a series of small and similar tasks. Those scores are usually considered as count variables. To model count scores, this study proposes a new class of DCMs that uses the negative binomial distribution at its core. We explained the proposed model framework and demonstrated its use through an operational example. Simulation studies were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed model and compare it with the Poisson-based DCM.
Exchange and the Creation of Trust and Solidarity across Cultures
Authors: Harkness Sarah K. , Cheshire Coye , Cook Karen S. , Stoica Cătălin , State Bogdan
Published: September 2022

The emergence of trust and solidarity is arguably foundational for economic development and social order. Yet many studies, often survey-based, document large disparities in general trust and social cohesion between countries. Can mutual trust and solidarity arise between people even in areas of low general trust, or do national cultural contexts block such connections? We report an experimental investigation of the dynamic between national environments and local social interactions, specifically those embedded in social exchange. Results of our experiments conducted in the United States and Romania, societies marked by relatively high and low general trust, respectively, show that while national context impacts the level of relational trust formed within dyads, only this emergent relational trust affects dyadic solidarity in both societies. Importantly, burgeoning solidarity has persistent consequences for future exchanges and subsequent solidarity, thus experimentally demonstrating critical linkages between macro- and micro-level precursors to social order.
Practice habits and motivation: A qualitative descriptive study of graduate instrumentalists
Authors: Liu Yue
Published: September 2022

The purpose of this study was to examine graduate instrumentalists’ practice habits, motivation orientations, and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their instrumental practice. Data were collected for this qualitative descriptive study through four participants’ videotaped practice recordings ( N = 4), video-stimulated recall ( n = 4), semi-structured interviews ( n = 4), and a questionnaire ( n = 4) about practice strategies adopted and motivation orientations. Four themes were emergent including (a) task-oriented practice routines, (b) solution-oriented approaches, (c) mixed motivations, and (d) challenges faced during COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted graduate instrumentalists’ practice progress and psychological state. Their experience could be a reference for other instrumentalists in applying effective practice strategies and achieving strong and independent musicianship. The findings of this study also suggested that instrumental instructors may consider encouraging their students to flexibly plan practice routines and give priority to short-term goals.
Examining the Relationship Between Conventional Versus Idiosyncratic Role-Identity Meanings and Identity Commitment
Authors: Carter Michael J. , Hernandez Jazmin Liliana , Morales Danielle
Published: September 2022

Role identity meanings consist of two dimensions: a conventional dimension (representing role identity meanings that are socialized via society or the collective) and an idiosyncratic dimension (representing unique or individual identity meanings one defines for engaging in a role). In the identity literature, these distinctions have mostly been theoretical and assumed. However, recent empirical research has begun to examine how the balance of conventional versus idiosyncratic role identity meanings functions within the self. In this article, we contribute to the literature by presenting the results of a study that examines how the balance of conventional versus idiosyncratic role identity meanings relates to identity commitment. We administer a survey to 934 study participants that measures the conventional/idiosyncratic balance and commitment to the student, worker, and friend role identities. Our results show that, generally, the more conventionally defined one's role identities, the greater one's commitment to the identities.
Scales of disaster: Intimate social contracts on the margins of the postcolonial state
Authors: Siddiqi Ayesha , Blackburn Sophie
Published: September 2022

Geographical scholarship highlights social contracts as a valuable lens on the dynamic and contested balance of rights and responsibilities between risk governance players. We apply this lens to post-disaster response and reconstruction, which provides an ‘analytical window’ to better understand the types of relationship frameworks between the state and its citizens in postcolonial contexts. Using two post-disaster contexts, Mindanao in southern Philippines and the Andaman Islands in southern India, we uncover intimate social contracts on the margins of the postcolonial state. The article complicates structural scalar analysis of state–citizen relations, arguing that respondents in our field sites do not engage at a ‘local’ level with a sub-national social contract or at a ‘national’ level with a central social contract. Rather our empirical work demonstrates that intimate social contracts are found in the intertwining of central government policy, personal relationships and organisational abilities of local community leaders.
Non-aura visual disturbance with high visual aura rating scale scores has stronger association with migraine chronification than typical aura
Authors: Tsao Yu-Chien , Wang Yen-Feng , Fuh Jong-Ling , Chen Wei-Ta , Lai Kuan-Lin , Liu Hung-Yu , Wang Shuu-Jiun , Chen Shih-Pin
Published: September 2022

Objectives

To investigate the clinical correlates of visual symptoms in patients with migraine.

Method

Patients with migraine that attended our headache clinics were enrolled. Headache profiles, disability, and comorbidities were acquired with structured questionnaires. A semi-structured visual phenomenon questionnaire was also used to assess the characteristics of visual symptoms, including visual aura in patients with migraine with aura and transient visual disturbance in patients with migraine without aura. Headache specialists interviewed with the participants for the ascertainment of diagnosis and verification of the questionnaires.

Result

Migraine with aura patients with visual aura (n = 743, female/male = 2.3, mean age: 34.7 ± 12.2 years) and migraine without aura patients with non-aura transient visual disturbance (n = 1,808, female/male = 4.4, mean age: 39.4 ± 12.6 years) were enrolled. Patients with transient visual disturbance had higher headache-related disability and more psychiatric comorbidities. Chronic migraine was more common in migraine without aura than migraine with aura patients (41.9% vs. 11.8%, OR = 5.48 [95% CI: 4.33–7.02], p < 0.001). The associations remained after adjusting confounding factors.

Conclusion

Presence of non-aura transient visual disturbance may suggest a higher migraine-related disability and is linked to higher risk of chronic migraine than typical migraine aura in migraine patients. Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential mechanism.