bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
LncRNA LSINCT5/miR-222 regulates myocardial ischemia‑reperfusion injury through PI3K/AKT pathway
Authors: Tong Xueying , Chen Jiajuan , Liu Wei , Liang Hui , Zhu Hezhong
Published: June 2021

Cardiovascular diseases rank the top cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and are usually associated with blood reperfusion after myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI), which often causes severe pathological damages and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. LSINCT5 expression in the plasma of MI patients (n = 53), healthy controls (n = 42) and hypoxia-reoxygenation (HR)-treated cardiomyocyte AC16 cells was examined using qRT-PCR. The effects of LSINCT5 on cell viability and apoptosis were detected by MTT and flow cytometry, respectively. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl2, Bax and caspase 3 were tested by Western blot. The interaction between LSINCT5 and miR-222 was predicted by bioinformatic analysis. Moreover, changes in viability and apoptosis of AC16 cells co-transfected with siLSINCT5 and miR-222 inhibitor after HR treatment were examined. At last, the expression of proteins in PI3K/AKT pathway, namely PTEN, PI3K and AKT, was examined to analyze the possible pathway participating in LSINCT5-mediated MI/RI. Our study showed that LSINCT5 expression was upregulated in the plasma of MI patients and HR-treated AC16 cells. LSINCT5 overexpression significantly decreased cell viability and apoptosis. Luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA pulldown assay showed that LSINCT5 was a molecular sponge of miR-222. MiR-222 silencing in AC16 cells simulated the phenotypes of MIRI patients and HR-treated cells, indicating that LSINCT5 functions via miR-222 to regulate proliferation and apoptosis of HR-treated AC16 cells. We also showed that proteins of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway were affected in HR-treated AC16 cells, and LSINTC5 knockdown rescued these effects. LncRNA LSINCT5 was upregulated during MI pathogenesis, and LSINCT5 regulated MIRI possibly via a potential LSINCT5/miR-222 axis and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Our findings may provide novel evidence for MIRI prevention.
Effect of replacing surface with underground rubbish containers on urban House Sparrows Passer domesticus
Authors: Bernat-Ponce Edgar , Ferrer David , Gil-Delgado José A. , López-Iborra Germán M.
Published: June 2021

Urbanisation processes are increasing worldwide at surprising rates affecting wildlife in many ways: changing habitat structure, reducing resources, and modifying the distribution, composition and abundance of local biota. In different countries, urban waste collection techniques are evolving and surface rubbish containers (neighbourhood receptacles for temporarily storing anthropogenic household waste located above-ground on the streets) are being replaced with underground ones (metal boxes with steel chutes that fed into large underground containers) to improve sanitation measures, to avoid bad smells and waste scattering by animals. We aimed to detect if House Sparrows were more abundant close to surface rubbish containers than close to the underground ones. We recorded an abundance index of House Sparrows during two visits in winter 2018–2019 to point counts located in groups of both container types (80 and 85 groups of underground and surface containers, respectively) in eight towns of Eastern Spain. We modelled the abundance index according to rubbish container type, and 14 other environmental variables at four scales: container, nearest buildings, near urban features, and general locality features using GLMMs. House Sparrows were more abundant close to surface than to underground rubbish containers, which may be linked with higher food debris availability. The presence of other urban features (bar terraces, private gardens, mature trees) interacting with the rubbish containers also influenced the abundance of House Sparrows. The replacement of above-ground rubbish containers with underground ones may deprive House Sparrows resources, which could lead to the decline of this species, especially in urban areas with little green cover.
Sewage Flow Conditions in a Hydroponic Lagoon in Terms of Quality of Treated Wastewater
Authors: Marek K. , Pawęska K. , Bawiec A. , Baran J.
Published: June 2021

The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of velocity in the hydroponic lagoon used as the 3rd stage of municipal wastewater treatment on washing out of the particles suspended in the sewage as well as settled on the bottom of the hydroponic ditch. In order to analyse the flow velocity in the lagoon, 12 cross-sections were determined at points where the speed and motion of particles can change. Wastewater samples were taken in the summer month from each of the 12 sampling points (the depth of 0.1 m) and the basic physicochemical parameters of sewage were determined (BOD5, COD, TOC, TSS, turbidity). In selected cross-sections, a granulometric analysis of particles was made to determine the characteristics of suspended solids in the wastewater flow path. Based on the analysis, it was found that velocities in the lagoon during aeration can be ten times higher (0.070 m·s−1) than those assumed by designers (0.006 m·s−1). Such a large difference means that the sedimentation conditions assumed in the project cannot be met, which may result in an increase in the total suspended solids and organic matter concentrations at the outflow to the receiving water body. During the flow through the hydroponic ditch, the highest efficiency of pollutant removal was indicated for BOD5 — 88.7% and TSS — 80%, while the COD removal occurred with the lowest efficiency — 34.1%. Improving flow conditions as designed in the hydroponic lagoon technological project may increase the efficiency of wastewater treatment at the third stage of treatment.
A validation study of an esophageal probe–based polygraph against polysomnography in obstructive sleep apnea
Authors: Olafsson Thorarinn Arnar , Steinsvik Eivind Andreas , Bachmann-Harildstad Gregor , Hrubos-Strøm Harald
Published: June 2021

Study objectives

The aim of this study was to validate the automatically scored results of an esophageal probe–based polygraph system (ApneaGraph® Spiro) against manually scored polysomnography (Nox A1, PSG) results. We compared the apnea–hypopnea index, oxygen saturation index, and respiratory disturbance index of the devices.

Methods

Consenting patients, referred for obstructive sleep apnea workup, were tested simultaneously with the ApneaGraph® Spiro and Nox A1® polysomnograph. Each participant made one set of simultaneous registrations for one night. PSG results were scored independently. Apnea–hypopnea index, oxygen desaturation index, and respiratory disturbance index were compared using Pearson’s correlation and scatter plots. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratio of all indices at 5, 15, and 30 were calculated.

Results

A total of 83 participants had successful registrations. The apnea–hypopnea index showed sensitivity of 0.83, specificity of 0.95, and a positive likelihood ratio of 5.11 at an index cutoff of 15. At a cutoff of 30, the positive likelihood ratio rose to 31.43. The respiratory disturbance index showed high sensitivity (> 0.9) at all cutoffs, but specificity was below 0.5 at all cutoffs. Scatterplots revealed overestimation in mild OSA and underestimation in severe OSA for all three indices.

Conclusions

The ApneaGraph® Spiro performed acceptably when OSA was defined by an AHI of 15. The equipment overestimated mild OSA and underestimated severe OSA, compared to the PSG.
Religion in the Life of Kobe Bryant
Authors: Mazurkiewicz Michał
Published: June 2021

Kobe Bryant was a practicing Catholic who emphasized the importance of faith in a myriad of ways. This article shows how religion had a transformative impact on his life, including the influence of Catholic social teachings on Bryant’s outlook and motivation during and after his playing days.
Nobody left behind? Equity and the drivers of stunting reduction in Vietnamese ethnic minority populations
Authors: Harris Jody , Huynh Phuong , Nguyen Hoa T. , Hoang Nga , Mai Lan Tran , Tuyen Le Danh , Nguyen Phuong Hong
Published: June 2021

Vietnam has successfully reduced population stunting, but ethnic minority groups are being systematically left behind, limiting progress on national reductions. This mixed methods study aims to understand how policy drivers of stunting reduction differ between ethnic majority and minority communities. We used decomposition analysis to explain key determinants of stunting change between 2000 and 2010; and framework analysis to qualitatively assess changes in policy, actors and narratives that have underpinned these over decades. Our analysis shows that stunting reductions are associated with increased household wealth (accounting for 61% of change), improved access to specific health services (16%), and changes in level of maternal education (12%). Despite multiple actors involved in change and a large set of policies designed to address inequities, many among Vietnam’s defined ethnic minority groups are not finding themselves able to effectively engage with central government plans for their communities, and central policies often do not consider their preferences or limitations. This in turn impacts the nutrition of minority groups through the determinants above. Vietnam has achieved the easier portion of stunting reduction through national economic growth and sustained commitment to socially-oriented policy. In order to tackle the remaining pockets of high malnutrition, more attention, thought and funding will need to focus on marginalised ethnic minority communities. The current national development discourse aims to incorporate minorities into mainstream majority systems. This paper argues that policy should rather take into account their particular needs and preferences to address and overcome the identified determinants of malnutrition.
The Impact of Mental Health and Stress Concerns on Relationship and Sexuality Amidst the COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Zhang Yingfei , Wen Conghua , Zhang Yutong , Luo Xiaoqin , Ma Zheng Feei
Published: June 2021

Background

Since January 23, 2020, the Chinese government has imposed restrictive measures including self-isolation, travel restrictions and lockdown of Wuhan city in order to prevent the incoming waves of COVID-19 outbreak in the country. However, the impact of mental health and stress concerns on relationship and sexuality amidst the COVID-19 lockdown was currently unclear.

Aim

The cross-sectional study was designed to determine the changes in health, relationship and sexuality among the Chinese couples who lived together amid the early stages of COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Methods

Participants of Chinese nationality aged ≥18 years were asked to complete a self-administered online questionnaire regarding sexuality behaviour and impact of event scale (IES) in March 2020. Nonrandom sampling was used for participant recruitment. Also assessed were sociodemographic data including sex, age, employment, region, sexual dysfunction, and whether participants tested positive for COVID-19.

Outcomes

IES score, frequency of sexual intercourse per week, quality of usual sex life, emotional bonding and duration of relationship were measured.

RESULTS

A total of 1,139 participants (ie, 735 males and 404 females) were included in the study. Mean age and IES of participants was 33.6 ± 9.5 years and 27.4 ± 8.6, respectively. Being male was significantly associated with increased frequency of sexual intercourse amid the COVID-19 pandemic (P = .012). Also, participants with an IES score <26 were more likely to report that they had increased frequency of sexual intercourse per week (P < .001) and the COVID-19 pandemic had positively affected the quality of their usual sex lives (P < .001). On the other hand, participants with IES score ≥26 were more likely to report that the COVID-19 pandemic had positively affected their emotional bonding (P < .001).

Clinical implications

Frequency of sexual intercourse and quality of sex life in participants who experienced high stressful impact were more likely to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strengths and limitations

This was one of the first studies to assess sexual behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chinese adults. Since participants were asked to self-report their sexual behavior, this potentially introduced self-reporting and recall bias into our findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study reported that despite the moderate-to-severe stressful impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority reported no significant changes in the frequency of their sexual intercourse per week, quality of their usual sexual lives and emotional bonding.
Deconstructing the urinalysis: A novel approach to diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship
Authors: Advani Sonali D. , Polage Christopher R. , Fakih Mohamad G.
Published: June 2021

The extensive use of the urinalysis for screening and monitoring in diverse clinical settings usually identifies abnormal urinalysis parameters in patients with no suspicion of urinary tract infection, which in turn triggers urine cultures, inappropriate antimicrobial use, and associated harms like Clostridioides difficile infection. We highlight how urinalysis is misused, and suggest deconstructing it to better align with evolving patterns of clinical use and the differential diagnosis being targeted. Reclassifying the urinalysis components into infectious and non-infectious panels and interpreting urinalysis results in the context of individual patient’s pretest probability of disease is a novel approach to promote proper urine testing and antimicrobial stewardship, and achieve better outcomes.
Beyond Reasonableness: The Dignitarian Structure of Human and Constitutional Rights
Authors: Möller Kai
Published: June 2021

The last two decades have witnessed a wide-ranging and global discussion of the theory and structure of human and constitutional rights. This debate initially focused on the principle of proportionality and subsequently on the related ideas of the ‘culture of justification’ and the ‘right to justification.’ There is now a far-reaching agreement that both proportionality and justification in human and constitutional rights law are concerned with the reasonableness, alternatively the justification in terms of public reason, of the act under consideration. Thus, reasonableness and/or public reason have assumed a, perhaps the, central place in the theory of human and constitutional rights.
Gamification and education: A pragmatic approach with two examples of implementation
Authors: Willig James H. , Croker Jennifer , McCormick Lisa , Nabavi Meena , Walker Jeremey , Wingo Nancy P. , Roche Cathy C. , Jones Carolyn , Hartmann Katherine E. , Redden David
Published: June 2021

Leveraging elements of game design and theories of human motivation, gamification provides a variety of techniques to engage learners in novel ways. Our Clinical and Translational Science Award created the software platform (Kaizen-Education©) to deliver gamified educational content in 2012. Here, we explore two novel use cases of this platform to provide practical insights for leveraging these methods in educational settings: (1) national training in rigor, reproducibility, and transparency and (2) attainment of learner competency (n = 7) as a gauge of curricular effectiveness across Master of Public Health degree tracks (n = 5). Data were captured in real time during player interaction with Kaizen-Education© to provide descriptive analyses of player engagement in both implementation examples. We then assessed item analysis to assess knowledge gain and competency attainment. We have just begun to leverage the potential for gamification to engage learners, enhance knowledge acquisition, and document completion of training, across various learning environments. We encourage a systematic approach to gamification applying insights from self-determination theory to learners and learning environments, a methodical approach to game design and rigorous analysis after implementation to generate evidence-based insights to maximize educational return for time invested.
Busting myths in online education: Faculty examples from the field
Authors: Guevara Katherine , Fattah Layla , Ritt-Olson Anamara , Yin Pai-Ling , Litman Lesley , Farouk Samira S. , O’Rourke Rebecca , Mayer Richard E.
Published: June 2021

The shift in learning environments due to the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates a closer look at course design, faculty approaches to teaching, and student interaction, all of which may predict learner achievement and satisfaction. Transitioning to an online environment requires the reinvention, reimagining, and applying of “e-flavors” of general learning theory. With this shift to online learning comes the opportunity for misunderstandings and “myths” to occur, which may stand in the way of faculty embracing online learning and fully realizing its potential. This article seeks to address several myths and misconceptions that have arisen in higher education during the rapid shift to online teaching and learning. While not comprehensive, these myths represent a snapshot of common challenges. These are we can transfer our in-person course design to online; adult learners do not need an empathetic approach; and online teaching and learning is socially isolating. Through an appreciative inquiry framework, we present each myth in the context of relevant literature and invite faculty with varied online teaching experience to share their own case studies that illustrate how they have “busted” these myths with the goal to identify existing examples of locally effective practices for the express purpose of replication that leads to positive change.
On the use of data from multiple mobile network operators in Europe to fight COVID-19
Authors: Vespe Michele , Iacus Stefano Maria , Santamaria Carlos , Sermi Francesco , Spyratos Spyridon
Published: June 2021

The rapid spread of COVID-19 infections on a global level has highlighted the need for accurate, transparent and timely information regarding collective mobility patterns to inform de-escalation strategies as well as to provide forecasting capacity for re-escalation policies aiming at addressing further waves of the virus. Such information can be extracted using aggregate anonymized data from innovative sources such as mobile positioning data. This paper presents lessons learnt and results of a unique Business-to-Government initiative between several mobile network operators in Europe and the European Commission. Mobile positioning data have supported policy-makers and practitioners with evidence and data-driven knowledge to understand and predict the spread of the disease, the effectiveness of the containment measures, their socio-economic impacts while feeding scenarios at European Union scale and in a comparable way across countries. The challenges of these data sharing initiative are not limited to data quality, harmonization, and comparability across countries, however important they are. Equally essential aspects that need to be addressed from the onset are related to data privacy, security, fundamental rights, and commercial sensitivity.
Hospital Preparedness, Mitigation, and Response to Hurricane Harvey in Harris County, Texas
Authors: Hines Emmanuelle , Reid Colleen E.
Published: June 2021

Objective:

This case study documents Harris County hospitals’ flood preparedness and mitigation efforts before Hurricane Harvey, their collective response experience during Hurricane Harvey, and their lessons learned in the storm’s aftermath.

Methods:

The case study was constructed using a survey of hospital emergency managers, semi-structured interviews with local agencies involved in public health, emergency management, and health care, and an analysis of news reports and other documents from a variety of government agencies, local organizations, and hospitals themselves.

Results:

Harris County hospitals learned their most valuable lessons through their direct and repeated experience with flooding over the years, leading to improved preparedness before Hurricane Harvey. Hospital emergency response successes included infrastructure improvements, staff resilience, advanced planning, and pre-established collaboration. However, hospitals still experienced challenges with staff burnout, roadway flooding, and patient evacuation.

Conclusions:

Although the current state of hospital flood preparedness and mitigation is rather advanced and mature, it is advisable that Harris County takes steps to strengthen emergency management efforts in hospitals with fewer financial and staffing resources and less direct flood experience.
Air Quality Monitoring During High-Level Biocontainment Ground Transport: Observations From Two Operational Exercises
Authors: Dang Audrey , Williams Brent , Warsing William D. , Noone Michael , Isakov Alexander P. , Tan David K. , Liang Stephen Y.
Published: June 2021

Objective:

Stretcher transport isolators provide mobile, high-level biocontainment outside the hospital for patients with highly infectious diseases, such as Ebola virus disease. Air quality within this confined space may pose human health risks.

Methods:

Ambient air temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration were monitored within an isolator during 2 operational exercises with healthy volunteers, including a ground transport exercise of approximately 257 miles. In addition, failure of the blower unit providing ambient air to the isolator was simulated. A simple compartmental model was developed to predict CO2 and H2O concentrations within the isolator.

Results:

In both exercises, CO2 and H2O concentrations were elevated inside the isolator, reaching steady-state values of 4434 ± 1013 ppm CO2 and 22 ± 2 mbar H2O in the first exercise and 3038 ± 269 ppm CO2 and 20 ± 1 mbar H2O in the second exercise. When blower failure was simulated, CO2 concentration exceeded 10 000 ppm within 8 minutes. A simple compartmental model predicted CO2 and H2O concentrations by accounting for human emissions and blower air exchange.

Conclusions:

Attention to air quality within stretcher transport isolators (including adequate ventilation to prevent accumulation of CO2 and other bioeffluents) is needed to optimize patient safety.
Smart Instrument Mixes to Deal with Legal but Unhealthy Products and Services: An Economic Approach
Authors: FAURE Michael , VISSCHER Louis , WEBER Franziska
Published: June 2021

Many of today’s products and services fall into the category of products and services that are, as such, legal but still unhealthy. Think of smoking as an example. This paper deals with the question of which mix of legal instruments should ideally be used in the light of such products and services. It distinguishes between products and services that predominantly lead to “harm to oneself” or “harm to others”. In the end, most law and economics arguments point in the direction of ex ante safety regulation. However, when there are concerns about the quality of regulation (eg due to lobbying efforts), liability has important added value. In the “harm to others” scenario, safety regulation is even more warranted because the larger number of victims and the increased difficulty to prove the causal link render litigation burdensome. Strict liability has several advantages over negligence and is, therefore, generally preferred. A strong point of negligence, however, is that it enables the court to conduct its own weighing of costs and benefits, which in specific circumstances may be better than that of the regulator or the producer. Furthermore, it enables the judge to consider not only the harm to the user, but also the harm to others in setting the due care standard.
Unique ergodicity of the automorphism group of the semigeneric directed graph
Authors: JAHEL COLIN
Published: June 2021

We prove that the automorphism group of the semigeneric directed graph (in the sense of Cherlin’s classification) is uniquely ergodic.
DOES MONEY BUY FRIENDS? EVIDENCE FROM CHINA'S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE
Authors: Zeng Yuleng
Published: June 2021

Studies of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have focused on the strategic intentions of Beijing, with much less attention paid to its political effects. The argument that the initiative can improve political relationships with BRI countries is assumed rather than empirically grounded. This paper bridges the gap by studying countries’ cooperation and conflict with China. I find that (a) the initiative appears to marginally improve BRI countries’ cooperation and significantly reduce low-intensity conflict; (b) the cooperation-promoting effect is driven only by neighboring countries while the restraining effect for low-intensity conflict results primarily from non-neighboring countries; and (c) there is no systematic evidence so far that the initiative has any effect on high-intensity conflict. These results offer mixed evidence of commercial liberalism in the context of the BRI: money (or the potential thereof) can induce cooperation in the short run, but it may not be enough to fundamentally change interstate relations.
Speech-Breath: Mapping the Multisensory Experience in Pecos River Style Pictography
Authors: Boyd Carolyn E. , Busby Ashley
Published: June 2021

Archaic period hunter-gatherers of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest Texas and Coahuila, Mexico, created complex rock art murals containing elaborately painted anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures. These figures are frequently portrayed with dots or lines emanating out of or into their open mouths. In this article, we discuss patterns in shape, color, and arrangement of this pictographic element and propose that artists used this graphic device to denote speech, breath, and the soul. They communicated meaning through the image-making process, alternating brushstroke direction to indicate inhalation versus exhalation or using different paint application techniques to reflect measured versus forceful speech. The choices made by artists in the production of the imagery reflect their cosmology and the framework of ideas and beliefs through which they interpreted and interacted with the world. Bridging the iconographic data with ethnohistoric and ethnographic texts from Mesoamerica, we suggest that speech and breath expressed in the rock art of the Lower Pecos was tied to concepts of the soul, creation, and human origins.
Self-employed surfers, universal credit and the minimally decent life
Authors: Rowe Christopher
Published: June 2021

As part of its response to Covid-19 the government paused the use of the ‘Minimum Income Floor’ (MIF), which restricts the Universal Credit (UC) entitlement of the self-employed. This paper places the MIF in the wider context of conditionality in the social security system and considers a judicial review which claimed that the MIF was discriminatory. The paper focuses on how UC affects the availability of real choices for low-income citizens to limit or escape from wage labour, with two implications of the move to UC highlighted. First, the overlooked labour decommodifying aspect of tax credits, which provided a minimum income guarantee and a genuine alternative to wage labour for people who self-designated as ‘self-employed’, even if their earnings were minimal or non-existent, has been removed. Secondly, UC has in some respects improved the position of low-paid wage labourers in ‘mini-jobs’, who are not subject to conditionality once they work for the equivalent of approximately nine hours a week on the minimum wage.
Cops at War: How World War II Transformed U.S. Policing
Authors: Schrader Stuart
Published: June 2021

World War II transformed policing in the United States. Many police enlisted in the military during the war, and in turn many veterans joined police forces following the victories of 1945. As wartime labor shortages depleted their ranks, police chiefs turned to new initiatives to strengthen and professionalize their forces, redoubling those efforts as growing fears of crime and internal security threats outlasted the global conflict. This article investigates the rapid growth of the military police, how African Americans responded to changes in policing due to the war, and these wartime experiences’ lingering impacts. Based on research in obscure and difficult-to-find police professional literature, and closely examining New York City, it argues that the war's effects on policing did not amount to “militarization” as currently understood, but did inspire more standardized and nationally coordinated approaches to recruitment as well as military-style approaches to discipline, training, and tactical operations.
A SIMPLE CO2 EXTRACTION METHOD FOR RADIOCARBON ANALYSES OF DISSOLVED INORGANIC CARBON IN WATER SAMPLES WITHOUT A CARRIER GAS
Authors: Takahashi Hiroshi A , Handa Hiroko , Minami Masayo
Published: June 2021

We developed a simple and cost-effective method for extracting carbon from dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in water samples without a carrier gas. This method only slightly modifies the existing vacuum line for CO2 purification in radiocarbon research laboratories by connecting several reservoirs and traps. The procedure consists of repeated cycles of CO2 extraction from water into the headspace of the reaction container, expansion of the extracted gas into the vacuum line, and cryogenic trapping of CO2. High CO2 yield (∼98%) was obtained from a variety of water samples with a wide range of DIC concentrations (0.4–100 mmol·L−1, in the case of 1.2 mgC). The δ13C fractionation depended on the CO2 yield, while the 14C concentration was constant within the error range, regardless of the CO2 yield. The average δ13C discrepancy between the results of this method and direct analyses made using the GC-IRMS was 0.02 ± 0.06‰. The standard deviations (1σ) in fraction of modern carbon (F14C) ranged from 0.0002 to 0.0004 for waters below 0.01 of F14C, and below 0.8% of F14C values for waters above 0.1. We conclude that this method is useful for effectively extracting CO2 from DIC in water and yields accurate 14C data.
Swords and Plowshares: Property Rights, Collective Action, and Nonstate Governance in the Jewish Community of Palestine 1920–1948
Authors: MUCHLINSKI DAVID
Published: June 2021

Developing states lacking a monopoly over the use of force are commonly seen as having failed to live up to the ideal Weberian sovereign type. Yet rather than being a calling card of anarchy, the devolution of important state functions to subnational actors is a rational strategy for developing states to effectively provide important public goods. The case study of the Jewish Community of Palestine demonstrates one instance where subnational communities provided public goods. This study highlights the causal effect of property rights within institutions to drive behavior consistent with the provision of public and private goods. Analyzing temporal and institutional variation across two agricultural communities demonstrates a unique strategy of subnational governance and public goods provision in a developing state. Devolution of public goods provision to subnational actors may be an alternative strategy of governance for developing states that are not yet able to effectively provide important public goods.
Anthropometric and body composition parameters in adolescents with the metabolically obese normal-weight phenotype
Authors: Cota Bruna Clemente , Ribeiro Sarah Aparecida Vieira , Priore Silvia Eloiza , Juvanhol Leidjaira Lopes , de Faria Eliane Rodrigues , de Faria Franciane Rocha , Pereira Patrícia Feliciano
Published: June 2021

We aimed to investigate the anthropometric and body composition parameters associated with the metabolically obese normal-weight (MONW) phenotype. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 506 adolescents in Brazil (aged 10–19 y). The MONW phenotype was defined as normal-weight, according to BMI/age, and at least one metabolic alteration. Anthropometric measurements were obtained and the DEXA was used for body composition analysis. Crude and adjusted Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to estimate the associations. The phenotype was positively associated with waist circumference (male: prevalence ratio (PR) = 1·05; 95% CI 1·01, 1·09; female: PR = 1·06; 95% CI 1·02, 1·09), waist:height ratio (male: PR = 1·26; 95% CI 1·07, 1·49; female: PR = 1·29; 95% CI 1·07, 1·56) and android:gynoid fat ratio (male: PR = 1·25; 95% CI 1·03, 1·51; female: PR = 1·39; 95% CI 1·20, 1·62), in both sexes. Furthermore, there was a positive association of phenotype with waist:hip ratio (PR = 1·32; 95% CI 1·06, 1·65) and trunk:arm fat ratio (PR = 1·13; 95% CI 1·02, 1·24) only in males and with trunk:leg fat ratio (PR = 2·84; 95% CI 1·46, 5·53), BAIp (PR = 1·06; 95% CI 1·01, 1·12), fat mass index (PR = 1·24; 95% CI 1·10, 1·41) and regional indices of metabolic load and capacity (PR = 1·29; 95% CI 1·09, 1·53), in females. Anthropometric and body composition parameters indicative of central and total fat are associated with the MONW phenotype.
HUMAN INVENTORSHIP IN EUROPEAN PATENT LAW
Authors: Stanková Eva
Published: June 2021

This article uses the advancements in artificial intelligence as the starting point for consideration of the role of human inventorship in European patent law. It argues that human inventorship is a necessary condition for the existence of an invention and inventive step, with the result that only products of human inventorship merit European patents. It identifies failings of European authorities to reflect this adequately in their approaches to determining patentability. Finally, it recommends recognising human inventorship as an implicit patentability requirement being an aspect of the statutory requirements for an invention and inventive step and extending applicant's disclosure duties correspondingly.
Gender, the Media and Parity: The Case of the 2018 Québec Election
Authors: Duval Dominic , Bouchard Joanie
Published: June 2021

This article investigates the representativeness of news coverage when there are nearly as many female candidates as there are male candidates by considering the 2018 Québec Election, in which 47 per cent of candidates were women. We are interested not only in the magnitude of the coverage (that is, the volume of press coverage received by each candidate) but also in its tone (if the press coverage is negative or positive) and whether these parameters fluctuate based on the gender of the candidates. We know that the quality of the news coverage, and more specifically its tone, can affect voting intentions. We also know that journalists routinely portray politics as a masculine activity, but we know very little about the coverage that local female candidates receive in the context of parity in North America. We find that in spite of exceptional circumstances, female candidates received significantly less coverage than men.
A New Dataset on the Demographics of Canadian Federal Election Candidates
Authors: Johnson Anna , Tolley Erin , Thomas Melanee , Bodet Marc André
Published: June 2021

This research note reports on a new effort to track candidate diversity in Canadian elections. The dataset covers 4,516 candidates who ran in the 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2019 federal elections and includes novel data on their race, Indigenous background and age, alongside information on gender, occupation, prior electoral experience and electoral outcome. We outline the process for collecting and systematizing these data, which relied on genealogical methods and the principle of triangulation. The data can be used to track diversity among electoral candidates over time or merged with other sources to answer district-level questions about representational diversity, electoral dynamics, vote choice and political communications. The method could also be replicated and applied to other levels of government.
China’s GDP: Some Corrections and the Way Forward
Authors: Solar Peter M.
Published: June 2021

Historical GDP estimates for China by Broadberry, Guan, and Li are problematic because of an implausible series for government expenditure. Revised estimates reduce GDP per capita, mainly during the Ming, by up to a third. Two peaks in income now stand out: the Song efflorescence and the years around 1700. If the latter peak is real, comparisons of the Yangzi delta with leading European countries show a Great Crossing in the Middle Ages, a Great Convergence in the seventeenth century, and a Great Divergence in the eighteenth. Otherwise, the Great Divergence may date from the sixteenth century.
How Does Past Experience Impact Hedge Fund Activism?
Authors: Boyson Nicole M. , Ma Linlin , Mooradian Robert M.
Published: June 2021

Hedge fund activists transfer relevant prior work experience to their activism campaigns. Categorizing activists based on past employment at investment banks (generalists), private equity or special situations partnerships (specialists), or other firms (nonfinancial experts), we relate activists’ prior work experience to their choices and outcomes. Both generalists with codifiable skills and specialists with tacit skills contribute to successful outcomes, but differences in these skills lead to differences in activism processes. Activist choices, market responses, target firm responses, and procedural aspects of activism vary with activist identity. Our analysis examines activists’ heterogeneous skills and highlights their importance in shaping activist interventions.
“The ice has gone”: Vernacular meteorology, fisheries and human–ice relationships on Sakhalin Island
Authors: Mamontova Nadezhda
Published: June 2021

This paper examines vernacular weather observations amongst rural people on Sakhalin, Russia’s largest island on the Pacific Coast, and their relationship to the ice. It is based on a weather diary (2000–2016) of one of the local inhabitants and fieldwork that the author conducted in the settlement of Trambaus in 2016. The diary as a community-based weather monitoring allows us to examine how people understand, perceive and deal with the weather both daily and in the long-term perspective. Research argues that amongst all natural phenomena, the ice is the most crucial for the local inhabitants as it determines human subsistence activities, navigation and relations with other environmental forces and beings. People perceive the ice as having an agency, engage in a dialogue with it, learn and adjust themselves to its drifting patterns. Over the past decade, the inability to predict the ice’s behaviour has become a major problem affecting people’s well-being in the settlement. The paper advocates further integrating vernacular weather observations and their relations with natural forces into research on climate change and local fisheries management policies.
Captain Scott changed his mind: The dogs shall not go to the South Pole
Authors: Alp Bill
Published: June 2021

In September 1909 Captain Scott announced his intention to utilise dog transport in his dash for the Pole - this being his intention until as late as February 1911. In May 1911, Scott lectured expedition members about a new plan for their Southern Journey. His lecture notes include detailed calculations, based solely on ponies and men hauling the sledges – dogs and motor sledges were now surplus to requirements. In less than three months, Scott had supplanted his published scheme of advance. This article investigates evidence relating to Scott’s change of mind. A substantial amount of research has been undertaken and a credible explanation emerges. The First Depot Journey, with its loss of ponies, inadequate animal nutrition (both dogs and ponies) and crevasse incident wrecked Scott’s original scheme of advance. When he commenced detailed planning in April 1911, it became apparent his dogs could not reach the Pole. Scott’s leadership technique for getting his men to understand and support the new transport plan is examined and its influence on current perceptions of the expedition and its men is investigated.
ANNE BOYD AT 75: A CELEBRATION THROUGH THE STRING QUARTET
Authors: Metcalf Thomas
Published: June 2021

Anne Boyd (b. 1946) is one of Australia's most celebrated composers and educators. Her formal training began at the University of Sydney, where she worked with Peter Sculthorpe (1929–2014), who became a highly influential figure for her both musically and personally. Having completed her DPhil at the University of York in 1972 on a Commonwealth Scholarship, Boyd took up teaching posts in Sussex and Hong Kong, before returning to Sydney as Professor of Music, the first Australian and first woman to hold this position. Her music has been performed worldwide and draws on a synthesis of East-Asian and Western elements, with a clear focus on timbre and texture, invoking ideas of meditation, nature and ritual. This article presents a transcription of a virtual interview conducted with Boyd in February 2021 and uses the genre of the string quartet as a lens through which the composer elaborates and expands upon some of the key aspects of her musical approach and philosophy.
THE INSTRUMENTALISED CONDUCTOR
Authors: Moore Thomas R.
Published: June 2021

This article explores ways in which artistic directors and composers of new music ensembles have developed and redefined the role of the conductor to achieve specific goals and fulfil musical and artistic need. It will explore various manners in which they have instrumentalised the conductor – literally an embodied role – and opened new possibilities for musical expression. The analysis and examples provided will rely for the most part on material gathered during in-depth interviews conducted with artistic directors, composers, conductors and musicians who are professionally active in the new music field in Europe and beyond. The article endeavours to bring into greater detail artistic and socio-economic motivations for utilising conductors in new music ensembles.
PRELUDES AND CANONS
Authors: Skempton Howard
Published: June 2021

A recent exchange of emails with the composer Christopher Fox touched on Morton Feldman. Christopher commented, ‘My “problem” with Feldman, and it is just mine and not a problem, is that he was not an innovator; but has there ever been a conservative composer who took more risks?’. This led me to consider the value of innovation, the need for risk and the nature of the risks we take.
Ketogenic diets and the nervous system: a scoping review of neurological outcomes from nutritional ketosis in animal studies
Authors: Field Rowena , Field Tara , Pourkazemi Fereshteh , Rooney Kieron
Published: June 2021

Objectives:

Ketogenic diets have reported efficacy for neurological dysfunctions; however, there are limited published human clinical trials elucidating the mechanisms by which nutritional ketosis produces therapeutic effects. The purpose of this present study was to investigate animal models that report variations in nervous system function by changing from a standard animal diet to a ketogenic diet, synthesise these into broad themes, and compare these with mechanisms reported as targets in pain neuroscience to inform human chronic pain trials.

Methods:

An electronic search of seven databases was conducted in July 2020. Two independent reviewers screened studies for eligibility, and descriptive outcomes relating to nervous system function were extracted for a thematic analysis, then synthesised into broad themes.

Results:

In total, 170 studies from eighteen different disease models were identified and grouped into fourteen broad themes: alterations in cellular energetics and metabolism, biochemical, cortical excitability, epigenetic regulation, mitochondrial function, neuroinflammation, neuroplasticity, neuroprotection, neurotransmitter function, nociception, redox balance, signalling pathways, synaptic transmission and vascular supply.

Discussion:

The mechanisms presented centred around the reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress as well as a reduction in nervous system excitability. Given the multiple potential mechanisms presented, it is likely that many of these are involved synergistically and undergo adaptive processes within the human body, and controlled animal models that limit the investigation to a particular pathway in isolation may reach differing conclusions. Attention is required when translating this information to human chronic pain populations owing to the limitations outlined from the animal research.
Martin Hofmann’s contributions to type theory: Groupoids and univalence
Authors: Altenkirch Thorsten
Published: June 2021

My goal is to give an accessible introduction to Martin’s work on the groupoid model and how it is related to the recent notion of univalence in Homotopy Type Theory while sharing some memories of Martin.
The effects of the day of trophectoderm biopsy and blastocyst grade on the clinical and neonatal outcomes of preimplantation genetic testing–frozen embryo transfer cycles
Authors: Chen Linjun , Diao Zhenyu , Wang Jie , Xu Zhipeng , Zhang Ningyuan , Fang Junshun , Lin Fei
Published: June 2021

This study analyzed the effects of the day of trophectoderm (TE) biopsy and blastocyst grade on clinical and neonatal outcomes. The results showed that the implantation and live birth rates of day 5 (D5) TE biopsy were significantly higher compared with those of D6 TE biopsy. The miscarriage rate of the former was lower than that of the latter, but there was no statistically significant difference. Higher quality blastocysts can achieve better implantation and live birth rates. Among good quality blastocysts, the implantation and live birth rates of D5 and D6 TE biopsy were not significantly different. Among fair quality and poor quality blastocysts, the implantation and live birth rates of D5 TE biopsy were significantly higher compared with those of D6 TE biopsy. Neither blastocyst grade nor the day of TE biopsy significantly affected the miscarriage rate. Neonatal outcomes, including newborn sex, gestational age, preterm birth, birth weight and low birth weight in the D5 and D6 TE biopsies were not significantly different. Both blastocyst grade and the day of TE biopsy must be considered at the same time when performing preimplantation genetic testing–frozen embryo transfer.
Effect of BMP–Wnt–Nodal signal on stem cell differentiation
Authors: Wang Liyun , Ma Ronghua , Jia Gongxue , Jian Shengyan , Zeng Xianghui , Xiong Zhengfang , Li Binye , Li Chen
Published: June 2021

The generation of germ cells from embryonic stem cells in vitro has current historical significance. Western blot, qPCR, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry assays were used to investigate the differences in expression levels of totipotency and specific markers for Wnt regulation and the related signalling pathways during primordial germ cell-like cell (PGCLC) induction and differentiation. During PGCLC induction, activation of WNT3a increased the expression of NANOG, SOX2 and OCT4, but Mvh, DAZL, Blimp1, TFAP2C, Gata4, SOX17, EOMES, Brachyury and PRDM1 expression levels were significantly reduced. Inhibition of the WNT signal demonstrated the opposite effect. Similarly, inhibitors of BMP and the Nodal/Activin signal were used to determine the effect of signal pathways on differentiation. CER1 affected the Wnt signal and differentiation, but the inhibitor SB only regulated differentiation. BMP–WNT–NODAL were mainly responsible for regulating differentiation. Our results provide a reliable theoretical basis and feasibility for further clinical medical research.