bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nuclear Liability and Post-Fukushima Developments
Authors: McIntosh Steven
Published: January 2022

The international community has developed a series of conventions on civil liability for nuclear damage, which aim to ensure compensation is available for damage, including transboundary damage, caused by a nuclear incident. Those conventions have struggled to gain universal adherence, and the “global regime” called for in 2011 is at best a patchwork quilt, with a number of treaties with differing memberships, and many States (including States with large and growing nuclear sectors) not party to any convention. However, the principles of the conventions are reflected in national laws in most States which operate nuclear power reactors and associated facilities. This chapter assesses the current global nuclear liability regime and discusses a series of recommendations made by the International Expert Group on Nuclear Liability (INLEX) to allow the international community to respond to the continued evolution of the nuclear industry.
The Humanitarian Atom: The Role of Nuclear Power in Addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: y Leòn Sama Bilbao , Lindberg John C. H.
Published: January 2022

After decades of mostly rhetoric on climate change, robust and urgent actions must be taken to avoid its worst effects. However, the energy transition discourse reflects an anti-humanitarian philosophy that will undermine any serious efforts of achieving decarbonisation, as well as merely entrenching already-existing global inequalities. The potential of nuclear power for radically reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been well-explored. However, to date, few attempts have been made to fully discern the broader positive impacts nuclear technology can have on achieving sustainable and equitable development. Nuclear science and technology have broad applications and should be placed at the centre of policies aimed at combatting energy poverty, reducing air pollution, providing clean water, addressing food insecurity, or fulfilling any other of the United Nations’ 17 SDGs. This chapter explores the centrality of energy in ensuring sustainable development, a just energy transition, and the importance of nuclear energy, which goes far beyond simply delivering low-carbon electricity.
Building the Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security Authority in the Kingdom of Morocco: Sharing Experience and Lessons Learned
Authors: Mrabit Khammar
Published: January 2022

Following the example of several countries, the Kingdom of Morocco adopted, in the middle of the twentieth century, nuclear techniques in the medical and industrial fields, which have experienced a greater and sustained growth following its membership of the IAEA in 1957. This chapter presents the evolution of the nuclear and radiological infrastructure in Morocco over the last 60 years and the prospects for its future development. The chapter outlines the continuous efforts made by public authorities to upgrade the national nuclear and radiological regulatory framework in compliance with international obligations related to safety, security and safeguards. In this regard, the Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security (AMSSNuR) has, since its inception, been driven by the will and ambition to achieve its vision of establishing itself at the national level as an independent, effective, credible and transparent regulatory body; as well as a leader at the African level and significant contributor in the international arena. The Moroccan experience in safety and security governance and management is highlighted, and the lessons learned and experience gained in this area by AMSSNuR are shared.
Nuclear Laws for Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy
Authors: Ge Deng
Published: January 2022

The development and utilization of nuclear energy is one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. It has greatly enhanced the ability of humanity to understand and shape the world and had a significant impact on the development of technology and civilization. In the 21st century, the United Nations (UN) has developed the “Millennium Development Goals” and the “2030 Sustainable Development Goals” to promote a comprehensive solution to the world’s social, economic and environmental issues. To this end, nuclear energy offers unique advantages, but the associated risks and challenges of its further development and utilization must be addressed. Nuclear law is a powerful tool for regulating its development and responding to those risks and challenges. The Chinese Government has always developed nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in a safe and innovative way. At the Nuclear Security Summit in 2014, President Xi Jinping proposed adhering to a rational, coordinated and balanced approach to nuclear security and promoting a fair, cooperative and win–win international nuclear security regime. This not only summarizes China’s experience in establishing a nuclear legal framework and developing nuclear industry, but would also strengthen international nuclear governance and promote nuclear energy to better benefit humanity. The international community should fulfil international obligations strictly, implement national responsibilities effectively, and jointly maintain the UN focused international system and international legal order, contributing to the realization of the common goal of “Atoms for Peace and Development”.
Milestones in Nuclear Law: A Journey in Nuclear Regulation
Authors: Burns Stephen
Published: January 2022

The development of the nuclear legal framework has been an interesting journey reflecting a commitment to addressing the key aspects of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy through a variety of approaches using both binding treaties and conventions and non-binding codes and guidance. This complex framework of hard and soft law instruments has developed in response to action forcing events. Future development of the legal regime will be aided by greater harmonization and commitment to ensuring that institutions at an international and national level are transparent and willing to engage in constructive interaction with stakeholders. Legal advisers will continue to play an important role in assisting policy makers and technical experts in crafting comprehensive and effective approaches to further development of the framework for nuclear energy and its regulation. In those deliberations a number of key elements should be highlighted. This chapter suggests that elements are stakeholder trust, strong institutional capacity, and integration of international instruments and standards at national levels.
Strengthening the Global Nuclear Safety Regime
Authors: Meserve Richard
Published: January 2022

Nuclear power is an important component of the global response to climate change. Nuclear power provides continuous electricity and can overcome the intermittency of the renewable energy sources dependent on wind and sun. Assurance of nuclear safety is essential for further expanding nuclear power as a part of the global response to climate change. The commitment to safety must be a universal priority, as the prospects for nuclear power everywhere would be adversely influenced by the public outcry following a serious nuclear event anywhere. The importance of the global nuclear safety regime was revealed by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP. The accident reinforced that in addition to the need to have a competent national nuclear safety system in place, it is ultimately important to have an international system that ensures that the relevant national institutions diligently and effectively fulfil their roles. This chapter examines the current global nuclear safety regime and suggests improvements, including through safety inspection, greater transparency measures, increased harmonization of standards, and others.
The Challenge of Climate Change—Complete Energy Systems Transformation: No Nuclear, No Net Zero
Authors: Stone Timothy
Published: January 2022

To achieve Net Zero, natural gas, gasoline, diesel, and fuel oils must be replaced with another source. However, most of the current low-carbon energy sources will also need to be replaced as almost none have more than about 25 years remaining of useful life. The pace and scale of the needed change is unprecedented: almost the whole of the world’s primary energy supply must be replaced. The (re)development of the entire energy system is inherently a sovereign risk and it can only be governments who set national energy policy. There is no doubt that markets will continue to play a part in future energy systems, but at the top level, the pace and scale of change to achieve Net Zero is simply far too fast for markets to adapt properly. This chapter is a call to action to the national policy makers and presents this challenge as an opportunity for creating higher-quality jobs and potentially highly attractive and long-dated investment options. The chapter also outlines some risks, including political indecisiveness and policy volatility as potential impediments to making the most of this opportunity and achieving the Net Zero.
Legal Imputation of Radiation Harm to Radiation Exposure Situations
Authors: González Abel Julio
Published: January 2022

The doctrine for legal imputation (including the derivative concepts of legal charging, suing, indicting, prosecuting and judging) of detrimental health effects to those responsible for radiation exposure situations has been a matter of debate for many years and its resolution is still unclear. While the attribution of harm in the situations involving high radiation dose is basically straightforward, the challenge arises at medium doses and becomes a real conundrum for the very common situations of exposure to low radiation doses. The ambiguous situation could be construed to be a Damocles sword for the renaissance of endeavours involving occupational and public radiation exposure. This chapter describes the epistemological situation on the attribution of radiation health effects and the inference of radiation risks, relying on estimates from the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reported to the UN General Assembly. It discusses the implications of UNSCEAR’s refined paradigm for assigning legal liability. The chapter concludes with a recommendation to develop an international legal doctrine on the ability to impute detrimental radiation health effects.
Building a Nuclear Security Regime: Questions to Be Asked
Authors: Gaucher Régine , Languin Thomas , Ducousso Erik
Published: January 2022

This chapter outlines some of the key questions to be asked by a State when considering a nuclear programme and thus a nuclear security regime. In the context of globalization and the emergence of a world in which States are interdependent, it is recognized that the way one State carries out its mission to protect nuclear materials and nuclear activities concerns other States also. In response to this, and despite the reluctance of States to expose their sovereign security practices, an international framework, composed of legally binding or non-binding tools, has been built up with the idea of promoting greater consistency and thus providing guarantees to all States. It is also important, for this one State, to comprehend the national and international context beyond nuclear security within which it falls. This State has then to question itself, in the light of security issues and the fundamental principle of State sovereignty, on the essential concepts that are found in certain components of the nuclear field, such as the positioning of the competent authority, the protection of information, transparency or the place of the operator.
Introduction: Ending the Romance of Academic Flying
Authors: Bjørkdahl Kristian , Franco Duharte Adrian Santiago
Published: January 2022

In this introduction, we note how academic work has come to be ever more closely entwined with air travel, and point out that we, in the face of climate crisis, are obliged to transition to other means of academic communication. Such a transition requires a reliable documentation of the consequences of academic flying; a deep understanding of the various reasons why academics fly; as well as sophisticated insight into what can replace flying and how. The introduction explores these themes first through David Lodge’s novels Changing Places and Small World, and then explains how the book’s chapters follow up the research agenda on academic aeromobility, as well as how this agenda can contribute to practical change.
Decarbonising Academia’s Flyout Culture
Authors: Poggioli Nicholas A. , Hoffman Andrew J.
Published: January 2022

Flight is technologically and culturally central to academic life. Academia’s flyout culture is built on a set of shared beliefs and values about the importance of flying to being an academic. But flight also generates a large proportion of academia’s carbon emissions, posing a cultural challenge to flight’s ongoing importance. In this chapter, we assess the underlying values animating flyout culture and examine how those values might change as universities respond to pressures to decarbonise operations. We approach this analysis in four parts. First, we identify six values that support flyout culture—values of ideas, efficiency, quality, evaluation, recreation and status. Second, we discuss how each value will be affected by four modes of decarbonisation: carbon offsets; shifting travel modes; centralised, infrequent or slow conferencing; and virtual communication. Third, we consider new values that may emerge as universities decarbonise: values of localism, climate concern, emissions transparency and verification. Finally, we discuss inertia that will resist change and optimism about how academia can realign its operations and culture with a liveable climate. As decarbonisation pressures grow, the interplay of cultural dimensions will determine if such efforts succeed or fail.
Means and Meanings of Research Collaboration in the Face of a Suffering Earth: A Landscape of Questions
Authors: Schaffar Birgit , Beck Eevi E.
Published: January 2022

The Earth is speaking to us in its own language of suffering—rising average temperatures, increasingly extreme weather conditions, mass extinction of species and so on. Academic habits of travelling long distances and/or frequently, as many of us have, affect the Earth and its inhabitants. This chapter argues the need for changing habits not just by developing technical infrastructure but through developing awareness among academics of the issues involved including the dynamics that may be slowing down change. The chapter contributes by discussing the means and meanings of research collaboration in this context. We explore the role of collaboration across distance in scholarship (Erkenntnis), various ways (technical and otherwise) that materialities can affect remote collaboration and reflect on the ethics of commitments intrinsic to academic work. The challenge facing academics is to integrate these three aspects—sharing, the material/technical and the ethical—in developing ways of working which are responsive to the Earth crises. To support this, we indicate a set of questions which can be helpful to consider when, as scholars, we make decisions about why and how to collaborate.
Academic Air Travel Cultures: A Framework for Reducing Academic Flying
Authors: Tseng Sherry H. Y. , Higham James , Lee Craig
Published: January 2022

As primary producers of knowledge, academics are required to create and disseminate research. The advent of internationalisation has given great emphasis to the importance of travel as it pertains to the success of an academic career and the international standing of an institution. However, academics who are highly aeromobile—particularly researchers working in the field of climate change—are now facing allegations of hypocrisy that in some cases may compromise the efficacy of their (climate) research. The novelty of this chapter arises from the application of the cultures framework to the study of academic air travel. It highlights three key elements—cognitive norms, practices and material culture. In this chapter, the cultures framework is adopted to provide a structure within which to consider individual and institutional pathways to achieve a reduction in academic flying. By exploring the interplay of cognitive norms, practices, material culture, support and barriers, the gap between academic theory and institutional realities and practices can be systematically explored and fully elaborated. Furthermore, in doing so, academics may be encouraged to engage in critical self-reflection of the cognitive dissonance between personal intentions to reduce air miles and behaviours to the contrary.
The Carbon Footprint of Travelling to International Academic Conferences and Options to Minimise It
Authors: Jäckle Sebastian
Published: January 2022

This chapter focuses on the carbon footprint of travelling to academic conferences. The cases I present are the last seven General Conferences of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), which are the biggest European conferences in political science, with up to 2000 participants. My estimations show that the travel-induced carbon footprint of a single conference can amount to more than 2000 tons of greenhouse gases—as much as approximately 270 UK citizens emit in a whole year. The average participant produces between 500 and 1500 kg of CO2-eq per conference round-trip. However, by applying three measures (more centrally located conference venues, the promotion of more land-bound travel and the introduction of online participation for attendees from distant locations), the carbon footprint could be reduced by 78–97 per cent. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a general shift towards online conferences—the ECPR switched to a virtual event as well. Estimating the carbon footprint of this online-only conference in a more detailed manner shows that the travel-induced carbon emissions—if the event had taken place in physical attendance as originally intended—would have been between 250 and 530 times higher than those from the online conference.
The Absent Presence of Aeromobility: A Case of Australian Academic Air Travel Practices and University Policy
Authors: Glover Andrew , Lewis Tania , Strengers Yolande
Published: January 2022

Mobilities scholarship has paid considerable attention to the forms of presence enabled by air travel in hypermobile organisations (Elliott & Urry, 2010; Strengers, 2015; Storme et al., 2017). However, there has been less focus on the absences that these presences simultaneously generate. This chapter develops the concept of ‘absent presences’ enabled through the practices and policies of academic hypermobility. The chapter draws on qualitative interviews with 24 Australian-based academics, alongside a review of university policies that are relevant to air travel. We use these data to explore ‘absent presence’ in academic air travel. First, we suggest that there is an assumption in academia that embodied presence is required for authentic modes of knowledge sharing and networking, primarily at conferences and meetings. Yet this type of presence abroad requires that one is absent from home for extended periods. Second, we show how absent presence exists in academic policies concerning air travel. In university strategic plans, air travel is present as a means and measure of academic success. In university sustainability policies, however, air travel’s environmental impacts are often absent from consideration. We conclude by discussing the implications of absent presence in academic work life, as well as university policy and practice more broadly.
How Environmentally Sustainable Is the Internationalisation of Higher Education? A View from Australia
Authors: Baer Hans A.
Published: January 2022

In a world of increasing awareness of the many drivers of anthropogenic climate change, all of which fall under the larger rubric of global capitalism with its emphasis on profit-making, economic growth, and a strong dependence on fossil fuels, many universities, particularly in developed societies, have proclaimed a staunch commitment to the notion of environmental sustainability. Conversely, the growing emphasis on internationalisation of higher education, particularly in Australia, entails a considerable amount of air travel on the part of university staff, particularly academics but also support staff, and overseas students and occasionally domestic students. Australia is a generally highly affluent country which is situated in the driest inhabited continent and increasingly finds itself functioning as a “canary the coal mine” with respect to the ravages of anthropogenic climate change. Ironically, climate scientists and other observers often refer to various regions, such as the Arctic, low-lying islands, the Andes, and Bangladesh, inhabited by indigenous and peasant peoples as the canaries in the coalmines when it comes to the adverse impacts of anthropogenic climate change. It is often said that those people who have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions are the ones suffering the most from climate change, a more than accurate observation.
Who Gets to Fly?
Authors: Pargman Daniel , Laaksolahti Jarmo , Eriksson Elina , Robèrt Markus , Biørn-Hansen Aksel
Published: January 2022

In this chapter, we posit that academics need to reduce their flying in line with the ‘Carbon Law’ if we are to attain the agreed-upon targets of the Paris agreement. This entails reducing emissions in general as well as reducing emissions from flying by at least 50 per cent every decade from 2020 and on. We present data from KTH Royal Institute of Technology regarding our flying and use two specific departments as examples. We unpack this data, using material visualisations (i.e. post-it notes and poker chips) to raise questions that are not immediately apparent when looking at top-down statistics about flying. Our material visualisations instead present data about flying patterns and habits in a format that viscerally displays the differences (‘inequalities’) that exist between and within departments. Such visualisations emphasise that reducing the frequency and the length of air trips will inevitably lead to discussions and negotiations about who gets to fly (or not), as well as discussions about exactly what constitutes ‘unnecessary’ flights. The chapter ends with a reflection about the limitations of our language and how the task of reducing carbon emission from flying necessitates a reinvention of how we think and talk about flying.
Exceptionalism and Evasion: How Scholars Reason About Air Travel
Authors: Eriksson Elina , Söderberg Maria Wolrath , Wormbs Nina
Published: January 2022

Understanding how scholars reason about their own flying habits is important when dealing with the problems of large emissions from academic air travel. This study is based on a travel habits survey with scholars at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. KTH has relatively high emissions from air travel, but at the same time, it has a high profile in matters of sustainability and a lot of research related to this theme. One can therefore assume a high degree of knowledge about the climate crisis and the climate impact of various actions. It is also plausible that KTH scholars meet special expectations to be role models and that practices in conflict with their teaching can have consequences for the public confidence in the university. In this study, we look at how scholars reason about how emissions from their flying could be reduced. Their responses display a spectrum of varying attitudes, from climate scepticism to a commitment to radical transformation, with the majority in between, either suggesting different types of concrete changes or invoking arguments to justify the status quo. The proposed interventions, several of which are ingenious and wise, can guide university managements to strategies that have support from employees. The more reluctant arguments point to cultural and discursive habits that must be understood and met in an empathetic way.
Academic Aeromobility in the Global Periphery
Authors: Higham James , Hopkins Debbie , Orchiston Caroline
Published: January 2022

Academics are part of a small minority that are responsible for disproportionate air travel emissions. Responding to high aviation emissions requires that the complexities of academic air travel practices are understood in specific geographical and institutional contexts. This chapter addresses the work-sociology of academic aeromobility in the context of the global periphery. We report on a programme of interviews conducted prior to COVID-19 with academics at the University of Otago (Aotearoa/New Zealand), where the aeromobility practices of academics are uniquely shaped by extreme geographical distance. Our empirical contribution is presented in the four themes that emerged from our analysis: complex drivers; selective substitution; ‘Don’t weaken me!’ and assorted scalar accountabilities. We then discuss aspects of resistance to change but also avenues of opportunity to reimagine academic air travel practices, which have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We specifically address the emergence of a post-COVID ‘new normal’ and conclude with the urgent need for collective action that is coordinated among individual academics, institutions, disciplinary associations and conference organisers. Entrenching the ‘new normal’ will be critical to resolving the unsustainable aeromobilities of academics and institutions that are globally distant.
The Virus and the Elephant in the Room: Knowledge, Emotions and a Pandemic—Drivers to Reducing Flying in Academia
Authors: Jacobson Lisa
Published: January 2022

This chapter explores individual incentives and barriers to reducing air travel, with the focus on people who have taken a decision to reduce flying due to climate change. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, six semi-structured interviews were performed with academics—three who had already cut down on flying and three who were grounded due to the pandemic. They were compared with a set of interviews with 26 Swedish citizens, performed in 2017–2018, which had shown that internalised knowledge of climate change was an important driver to change behaviour. Awareness led to negative emotions and a personal tipping point where a decision to reduce flying was made. However, among these interviewees, even people with a strong drive to reduce flying felt trapped in practices, norms and infrastructures. The academics reported similar incentives and barriers as the broader group but also specific challenges for them as researchers. Surprisingly, the pandemic was perceived as a testbed for new travel habits, and not as a big obstacle for their scientific work. None believed that they would return to an equally aeromobile lifestyle, and two of them described it as a chance to reconcile habits with their pro-environmental values.
Evaluating Agricultural Value Chains on CISS-F Framework
Authors: Gulati Ashok , Ganguly Kavery , Nanda Kumar T.
Published: January 2022

Technology, institutions and markets together drive agricultural value chains in becoming more competitive, inclusive, sustainable and scalable, and in improving access to finance. Institutions that focused on aggregating marginal and smallholders, empowering farmers with better bargaining power, inducing economies of scale and creating market linkages have been pivotal in the successful transformation of these sectors.
Dairy Value Chain
Authors: Nanda Kumar T. , Das Sandip , Gulati Ashok
Published: January 2022

Livestock sector is the backbone of Indian agriculture and plays a crucial role in the development of the rural economy. More than one-fifth (23%) of agricultural households with area less than 0.01 hectare reported livestock as their principal source of income (GoI Government of India (2014) Key indicators of situation of agricultural). Livestock is one of the fastest-growing sectors of Indian agriculture. While the share of overall agriculture and allied sectors in Gross Value Added (GVA) declined from 18.2% in 2014–15 to 17.8% in 2019–20, the share of livestock sector in GVA increased from 4.4% to 5.1% in the same period (GoI Government of India (2021) The economic survey (2020–21). Ministry of Finance. Government of India). Livestock sector accounts for 31% of the gross value of output in agriculture and allied sector (GVOA). Within livestock, milk is the biggest component with 20% share in GVOA. In fact, milk is the largest agriculture commodity in terms of value of output worth INR 772,705 crores in 2018–19 which was more than the value of cereals, pulses, oilseeds and sugarcane combined worth INR 623,462 crores (MoSPI. (2021). National Accounts Statistics 2020. Central Statistical Organization. Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.). Around 70 million of rural households are engaged in milk production, most of them are landless, marginal, and small farmers (NCAER. (2020). Analyzing Socio-Economic Impact of National Dairy Plan—I. National Council for Applied Economic Research. February 2020.). As a source of livelihood for million of poor households, dairying also supplements their dietary sources of protein and nutrition thus playing a critical role in the country’s food security needs.
Poultry Value Chain
Authors: Nanda Kumar T. , Samantara Anisha , Gulati Ashok
Published: January 2022

In the livestock sector in India, poultry farming holds a prominent position owing to its impressive growth led by the private sector. Poultry sector has shown rapid growth, with chicken meat growing at an average annual growth rate of 9% and eggs growing at 6% from 2000–01 to 2018–19 (DAHD DAHD (2020) Basic animal husbandry statistics 2020. Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Government of India). The recent steady growth in domestic demand for chicken meat has made it possible to increase production with a ready market putting India among the top poultry producers in the world. India was the third-largest egg producer after China and the USA with a production of 88 billion eggs and fifth-largest chicken meat producer with a production of 3.5 million tonnes during 2017–18 (FAOSTAT (2018) Food and Agriculture data. Retrieved from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data). This transformation in the poultry sector was led by the commercial poultry industry which contributes about 80% of the total poultry production. The other 20% is produced by the traditional backyard poultry. The broiler industry is concentrated in the southern and western states and accounts for a major share of total output. Similarly, the layer industry is dominated by well-developed states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, accounting for nearly 60% of the production (DAHDF (2017) National Action Plan for Egg & Poultry-2022 for Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022. Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Government of India.). Commercial poultry farming is yet to make a dent in more populous states like Bihar, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.
Improvement of genomic prediction in advanced wheat breeding lines by including additive-by-additive epistasis
Authors: Raffo Miguel Angel , Sarup Pernille , Guo Xiangyu , Liu Huiming , Andersen Jeppe Reitan , Orabi Jihad , Jahoor Ahmed , Jensen Just
Published: January 2022

Key message

Including additive and additive-by-additive epistasis in a NOIA parametrization did not yield orthogonal partitioning of genetic variances, nevertheless, it improved predictive ability in a leave-one-out cross-validation for wheat grain yield.

Additive-by-additive epistasis is the principal non-additive genetic effect in inbred wheat lines and is potentially useful for developing cultivars based on total genetic merit; nevertheless, its practical benefits have been highly debated. In this article, we aimed to (i) evaluate the performance of models including additive and additive-by-additive epistatic effects for variance components (VC) estimation of grain yield in a wheat-breeding population, and (ii) to investigate whether including additive-by-additive epistasis in genomic prediction enhance wheat grain yield predictive ability (PA). In total, 2060 sixth-generation (F6) lines from Nordic Seed A/S breeding company were phenotyped in 21 year-location combinations in Denmark, and genotyped using a 15 K-Illumina-BeadChip. Three models were used to estimate VC and heritability at plot level: (i) “I-model” (baseline), (ii) “I + GA-model”, extending I-model with an additive genomic effect, and (iii) “I + GA + GAA-model”, extending I + GA-model with an additive-by-additive genomic effects. The I + GA-model and I + GA + GAA-model were based on the Natural and Orthogonal Interactions Approach (NOIA) parametrization. The I + GA + GAA-model failed to achieve orthogonal partition of genetic variances, as revealed by a change in estimated additive variance of I + GA-model when epistasis was included in the I + GA + GAA-model. The PA was studied using leave-one-line-out and leave-one-breeding-cycle-out cross-validations. The I + GA + GAA-model increased PA significantly (16.5%) compared to the I + GA-model in leave-one-line-out cross-validation. However, the improvement due to including epistasis was not observed in leave-one-breeding-cycle-out cross-validation. We conclude that epistatic models can be useful to enhance predictions of total genetic merit. However, even though we used the NOIA parameterization, the variance partition into orthogonal genetic effects was not possible.
What is the “safe zone” for transition of coronal alignment from systematic to a more personalised one in total knee arthroplasty? A systematic review
Authors: Schelker Benjamin L. , Nowakowski Andrej M. , Hirschmann Michael T.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

In total knee arthroplasty (TKA), implants are increasingly aligned based on emerging patient-specific alignment strategies, such as unrestricted kinematic alignment (KA), according to their constitutional limb alignment (phenotype alignment), which results in a large proportion of patients having a hip-knee angle (HKA) outside the safe range of ± 3° to 180° traditionally considered in the mechanical alignment strategy. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate whether alignment outside the safe zone of ± 3° is associated with a higher revision rate and worse clinical outcome than alignment within this range.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and World of Science, with search terms including synonyms and plurals for “total knee arthroplasty”, “alignment”, “outlier”, “malalignment”, “implant survival” and “outcome”. Five studies were identified with a total number of 927 patients and 952 implants. The Oxford Knee Score (OKS) and the WOMAC were used to evaluate the clinical outcome. The follow-up period was between 6 months and 10 years.

Results

According to HKA 533 knees were aligned within ± 3°, 47 (8.8%) were varus outliers and 121 (22.7%) were valgus outliers. No significant differences in clinical outcomes were found between implants positioned within ± 3° and varus and valgus outliers. Likewise, no significant differences were found regarding revision rates and implant survival.

Conclusion

The universal use of the “safe zone” of ± 3° derived from the mechanical alignment strategy is hardly applicable to modern personalised alignment strategies in the light of current literature. However, given the conflicting evidence in the literature on the risks of higher revision rates and poorer clinical outcomes especially with greater tibial component deviation, the lack of data on the outcomes of more extreme alignments, and regarding the use of implants for KA TKA that are actually designed for mechanical alignment, there is an urgent need for research to define eventual evidence-based thresholds for new patient-specific alignment strategies, not only for HKA but also for FMA and TMA, also taking into account the preoperative phenotype and implant design. It is of utmost clinical relevance for the application of modern alignment strategies to know which native phenotypes may be reproduced with a TKA.

Level of evidence

IV.
Stress analysis of double-walled pipes undergone mechanical drawing process
Authors: Zhang RuoGu , Wang Yu , Zhu Yinbo , Jin JiDong , Wu HengAn , Gu Ping , Zhao Yang
Published: January 2022

Double-walled metal pipes are important components for heat exchange and liquid transportation. They can be manufactured by mechanical drawing of two concentric pipes. In this work, a mechanical model is developed to analyze the stress state evolution during the manufacturing process, and the criterion for forming the double-walled pipe was given under the ideal elastoplastic and thick-walled assumptions. The model also encompasses the results deduced under the thin-walled assumption. Numerical simulations confirmed that the accuracy of the analytical model was within 5%. The application on actual steel materials with various parameters varied, including the wall thickness and initial gap, was analyzed. This work can provide theoretical support to industrial manufacturing procedures and help to reduce costs by eliminating required test procedures.
Multiple perspectives integration for virtual reality-aided assemblability assessment in narrow assembly spaces
Authors: Wang Yu , Hu Ziran , Li Pengyu , Yao Shouwen , Liu Hui
Published: January 2022

Virtual reality (VR) has been proved as a promising tool for industrial design, but the traditional VR interface of first-person perspective (1PP) is not efficient to support assemblability assessment in narrow assembly spaces. In this paper, we proposed the multi-perspectives interface (MPI) which integrates the 1PP and the third-person perspective (3PP) using the handheld world-in-miniature (WIM). The MPI allows users to simulate the assembly operations in a natural manner similar to 1PP, while providing users with an overview of the assembly status through the WIM to assess the assemblability with superior spatial awareness. Two studies were conducted to test the performance of the proposed MPI. The first study tested user’s interaction performance in MPI using a common interaction task, which reveals stronger spatial awareness in MPI than in 1PP without the cost of losing natural interaction. Based on the results of the first study, the second study tested the performance, usability, and workload of MPI in an assemblability assessment task. The results show the advantages of MPI in the reachability evaluation in the narrow spaces. The main contribution of this paper is improving the interface and user-interface interaction in VR-aided assembly assessment system to improve user’s interaction performance and assessment ability in narrow assembly spaces.
The polymorphisms of extracellular matrix-remodeling genes are associated with pelvic organ prolapse
Authors: Li Lei , Ma Yidi , Yang Hua , Sun Zhijing , Chen Juan , Zhu Lan
Published: January 2022

Introduction and hypothesis

Extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and metabolism abnormalities may influence the pelvic supporting system and lead to the occurrence and development of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Genetic polymorphisms of such related genes have been increasingly studied. This study aims to explore the association between the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes encoding ECM processing enzymes (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs [ADAMTSs]), ECM degrading enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases [MMPs]) and their tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs), and POP.

Methods

We conducted an association study including 48 women with POP at stages III and IV and 48 women without prolapse in Chinese groups. SNPs were identified using the target region sequencing technique. We performed Fisher’s exact tests to assess the association between SNPs and POP in the unadjusted model and logistic regression analysis in the adjusted model, adjusting for delivery and pregnancy.

Results

There was a significant association between TIMP2 SNP rs2277698 (odds ratio [OR], 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16–0.82; P = 0.015), ADAMTS13 SNP rs149586801 (OR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.05–0.69; P = 0.012), and ADAMTS1 SNPs rs370850 and rs422803 (OR, 3.71; 95% CI, 1.35–10.15; P = 0.011 for both), rs402007, rs428785, rs434857, and rs445784 (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.05–4.56; P = 0.038 for the four), and POP in the adjusted model.

Conclusion

TIMP2, ADAMTS13, and ADAMTS1 might be candidate genes for POP. Our results provide preliminarily new evidence for future investigation of these genes in the pathophysiology of POP.
Sexual function in primiparous women: a prospective study
Authors: Dahlgren Hedda , Jansson Markus H. , Franzén Karin , Hiyoshi Ayako , Nilsson Kerstin
Published: January 2022

Introduction and hypothesis

The aim of this prospective study was to examine the impact of sociodemographic, pregnancy and obstetric characteristics on sexual function 12 months postpartum in primiparous women. We hypothesized that sexual function would decrease after childbirth.

Methods

Between 1 October 2014 and 1 October 2017, all nulliparous women in early pregnancy registering for maternity health care in Region Örebro County, Sweden, were invited to participate in this prospective study. A total of 958 women were included. Sexual activity and function were measured at early pregnancy, 8 weeks postpartum and 12 months postpartum using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12). The associations between sociodemographic, pregnancy and obstetric characteristics and sexual activity and function from early pregnancy to 12 months postpartum were examined using linear and logistic models based on generalized estimating equations.

Results

We found that the prevalence of sexually active women decreased from 98.0% in early pregnancy to 66.7% at 8 weeks postpartum, but increased to 90.0% at 12 months postpartum. Age ≥ 35 years, second-degree perineal tear and current breastfeeding were statistically significant risk factors for sexual inactivity at 12 months postpartum. Poor self-reported health in early pregnancy was statistically significantly associated with decreased sexual function at 12 months postpartum.

Conclusions

A majority of women resumed sexual activity at 8 weeks postpartum and most women at 12 months postpartum; the decrease in sexual function at 12 months postpartum was small and few risk factors were observed.
Perspectives of future lung toxicology studies using human pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Masui Atsushi , Hirai Toyohiro , Gotoh Shimpei
Published: January 2022

The absence of in vitro platforms for human pulmonary toxicology studies is becoming an increasingly serious concern. The respiratory system has a dynamic mechanical structure that extends from the airways to the alveolar region. In addition, the epithelial, endothelial, stromal, and immune cells are highly organized in each region and interact with each other to function synergistically. These cells of varied lineage, particularly epithelial cells, have been difficult to use for long-term culture in vitro, thus limiting the development of useful experimental tools. This limitation has set a large distance between the bench and the bedside for analyzing the pathogenic mechanisms, the efficacy of candidate therapeutic agents, and the toxicity of compounds. Several researchers have proposed solutions to these problems by reporting on methods for generating human lung epithelial cells derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Moreover, the use of organoid culture, organ-on-a-chip, and material-based techniques have enabled the maintenance of functional PSC-derived lung epithelial cells as well as primary cells. The aforementioned technological advances have facilitated the in vitro recapitulation of genetic lung diseases and the detection of ameliorating or worsening effects of genetic and chemical interventions, thus indicating the future possibility of more sophisticated preclinical compound assessments in vitro. In this review, we will update the recent advances in lung cell culture methods, principally focusing on human PSC-derived lung epithelial organoid culture systems with the hope of their future application in toxicology studies.
Blocking GARP-mediated activation of TGF-β1 did not alter innate or adaptive immune responses to bacterial infection or protein immunization in mice
Authors: Gaignage Mélanie , Zhang Xuhao , Stockis Julie , Dedobbeleer Olivier , Michiels Camille , Cochez Perrine , Dumoutier Laure , Coulie Pierre G. , Lucas Sophie
Published: January 2022

Transmembrane protein GARP binds latent TGF-β1 to form GARP:(latent)TGF-β1 complexes on the surface of several cell types including Tregs, B-cells, and platelets. Upon stimulation, these cells release active TGF-β1. Blocking TGF-β1 activation by Tregs with anti-GARP:TGF-β1 mAbs overcomes resistance to PD1/PD-L1 blockade and induces immune-mediated regressions of murine tumors, indicating that Treg-derived TGF-β1 inhibits anti-tumor immunity. TGF-β1 exerts a vast array of effects on immune responses. For example, it favors differentiation of TH17 cells and B-cell switch to IgA production, two important processes for mucosal immunity. Here, we sought to determine whether treatment with anti-GARP:TGF-β1 mAbs would perturb immune responses to intestinal bacterial infection. We observed no aggravation of intestinal disease, no systemic dissemination, and no alteration of innate or adaptative immune responses upon oral gavage ofC. rodentiumin highly susceptibleIl22r−/−mice treated with anti-GARP:TGF-β1 mAbs. To examine the effects of GARP:TGF-β1 blockade on Ig production, we compared B cell- and THcell- responses to OVA or CTB protein immunization in mice carrying deletions ofGarpin Tregs, B cells, or platelets. No alteration of adaptive immune responses to protein immunization was observed in the absence of GARP on any of these cells. Altogether, we show that antibody-mediated blockade of GARP:TGF-β1 or genetic deletion ofGarpin Tregs, B cells or platelets, do not alter innate or adaptive immune responses to intestinal bacterial infection or protein immunization in mice. Anti-GARP:TGF-β1 mAbs, currently tested for cancer immunotherapy, may thus restore anti-tumor immunity without severely impairing other immune defenses.

Précis

Immunotherapy with GARP:TGF-β1 mAbs may restore anti-tumor immunity without impairing immune or inflammatory responses required to maintain homeostasis or host defense against infection, notably at mucosal barriers.