bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Education and Income on Incident Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases: a Dutch Prospective Study
Authors: Duan Ming-Jie F. , Zhu Yinjie , Dekker Louise H. , Mierau Jochen O. , Corpeleijn Eva , Bakker Stephan J.L. , Navis Gerjan
Published: April 2022

Background

Education and income, as two primary socioeconomic indicators, are often used interchangeably in health research. However, there is a lack of clear distinction between these two indicators concerning their associations with health.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the separate and combined effects of education and income in relation to incident type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in the general population.

Design and Participants

Participants aged between 30 and 65 years from the prospective Dutch Lifelines cohort study were included. Two sub-cohorts were subsequently created, including 83,759 and 91,083 participants for a type 2 diabetes cohort and a cardiovascular diseases cohort, respectively.

Main Measures

Education and income level were assessed by self-report questionnaires. The outcomes were incident type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (defined as the earliest non-fatal cardiovascular event).

Key Results

A total of 1228 new cases of type 2 diabetes (incidence 1.5%) and 3286 (incidence 3.6%) new cases of cardiovascular diseases were identified, after a median follow-up of 43 and 44 months, respectively. Low education and low income (<1000 euro/month) were both positively associated with a higher risk of incident type 2 diabetes (OR 1.24 [95%CI 1.04–1.48] and OR 1.71 [95%CI 1.30–2.26], respectively); and with a higher risk of incident cardiovascular diseases (OR 1.15 [95%CI 1.04–1.28] and OR 1.24 [95%CI 1.02–1.52], respectively); independent of age, sex, lifestyle factors, BMI, clinical biomarkers, comorbid conditions at baseline, and each other. Results from the combined associations of education and income showed that within each education group, a higher income was associated with better health; and similarly, a higher education was associated with better health within each income group, except for the low-income group.

Conclusions

Education and income were both independently associated with incident type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The combined associations of these two socioeconomic indicators revealed that within each education or income level, substantial health disparities existed across strata of the other socioeconomic indicator. Education and income are two equally important socioeconomic indicators in health, and should be considered simultaneously in health research and policymaking.
Optocapacitance: physical basis and its application
Authors: Pinto Bernardo I. , Bassetto Carlos A. Z. , Bezanilla Francisco
Published: April 2022

The observation that membrane capacitance increases with temperature has led to the development of new methods of neuronal stimulation using light. The optocapacitive effect refers to a light-induced change in capacitance produced by the heating of the membrane through a photothermal effect. This change in capacitance manifests as a current, named optocapacitive current that depolarizes cells and therefore can be used to stimulate excitable tissues. Here, we discuss how optocapacitance arises from basic membrane properties, the characteristics of the optocapacitive current, its use for neuronal stimulation, and the challenges for its application in vivo.
Comprehensive analysis of ZFPM2-AS1 prognostic value, immune microenvironment, drug sensitivity, and co-expression network: from gastric adenocarcinoma to pan-cancers
Authors: Chen Di , Wang Mengmeng , Jiang Xin , Xiong Zhifan
Published: April 2022

Background

ZFPM2-AS1, as an oncogenic lncRNA, plays an essential role in the progression of several tumors. However, the prognostic significance, biological function, and molecular mechanism of ZFPM2-AS1 in most tumors have not been fully elucidated.

Methods

We analyzed differentially expressed immune-related lncRNAs (IRlncRNAs) and clustered gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) samples based on these lncRNAs expression. Then, WGCNA and survival analysis were performed to determine key IRlncRNA (ZFPM2-AS1) in GAC. The comprehensive analysis was performed to evaluate the association between ZFPM2-AS1 expression and survival, tumor microenvironment (TME), immune-related factors, and related signal pathways in pan-cancers. Furthermore, we constructed a co-expression network of ZFPM2-AS1, and NUP107 and C8orf76 were identified as target mRNAs. We further evaluated the role of NUP107 and C8orf76 in the GAC microenvironment. More importantly, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to validate ZFPM2-AS1, NUP107 and C8orf76 expression.

Results

ZFPM2-AS1 was remarkably overexpressed and correlated with poor overall survival in most tumors. Further analysis showed that ZFPM2-AS1 was related to various immune cells infiltrated in the microenvironment of most tumors. GSEA revealed that ZFPM2-AS1 in GAC was primarily involved in immune-related pathways. Furthermore, NUP107 and C8orf76 were identified as potential target mRNAs of ZFPM2-AS1, which was related to infiltrating immune cells in the GAC microenvironment. qRT-PCR verified that ZFPM2-AS, NUP107 and C8orf76 were highly expressed in gastric cancer cells.

Conclusion

ZFPM2-AS1 could be a potential biomarker for cancer prognosis, and a promising immune target for cancer therapy. Furthermore, ZFPM2-AS1 might play an immunosuppressive role in the GAC microenvironment.
Trials by video link after the pandemic: the pros and cons of the expansion of virtual justice
Authors: de Vocht D. L. F.
Published: April 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an enormous increase in the use of technology in the courtroom. This development raises the important question on the potential effects of the digitalisation of criminal justice—especially from the viewpoint of the right to a fair trial. This contribution discusses this complicated question from different angles. It focuses on a number of different assumptions underlying the debate: the assumption that the use of technology in the courtroom diminishes human interaction, impedes an effective defence, influences decision-making and affects the legitimacy of the trial. This is done with the aim to shed light on the lack of evidentiary basis of these assumptions which clearly complicates the current discussion on the future of technology in the courtroom. The author argues that the validity of these assumptions needs to be adequately tested before we can make any long-term decisions on the content and scope of virtual criminal justice.
Emotions and Digital Well-Being: on Social Media’s Emotional Affordances
Authors: Steinert Steffen , Dennis Matthew James
Published: April 2022

Social media technologies (SMTs) are routinely identified as a strong and pervasive threat to digital well-being (DWB). Extended screen time sessions, chronic distractions via notifications, and fragmented workflows have all been blamed on how these technologies ruthlessly undermine our ability to exercise quintessential human faculties. One reason SMTs can do this is because they powerfully affect our emotions. Nevertheless, (1) how social media technology affects our emotional life and (2) how these emotions relate to our digital well-being remain unexplored. Remedying this is important because ethical insights into (1) and (2) open the possibility of designing for social media technologies in ways that actively reinforce our digital well-being. In this article, we examine the way social media technologies facilitate online emotions because of emotional affordances. This has important implications for evaluating the ethical implications of today’s social media platforms, as well as for how we design future ones.
Quantitative detection of locomotive wheel polygonization under non-stationary conditions by adaptive chirp mode decomposition
Authors: Chen Shiqian , Wang Kaiyun , Zhou Ziwei , Yang Yunfan , Chen Zaigang , Zhai Wanming
Published: April 2022

Wheel polygonal wear is a common and severe defect, which seriously threatens the running safety and reliability of a railway vehicle especially a locomotive. Due to non-stationary running conditions (e.g., traction and braking) of the locomotive, the passing frequencies of a polygonal wheel will exhibit time-varying behaviors, which makes it too difficult to effectively detect the wheel defect. Moreover, most existing methods only achieve qualitative fault diagnosis and they cannot accurately identify defect levels. To address these issues, this paper reports a novel quantitative method for fault detection of wheel polygonization under non-stationary conditions based on a recently proposed adaptive chirp mode decomposition (ACMD) approach. Firstly, a coarse-to-fine method based on the time–frequency ridge detection and ACMD is developed to accurately estimate a time-varying gear meshing frequency and thus obtain a wheel rotating frequency from a vibration acceleration signal of a motor. After the rotating frequency is obtained, signal resampling and order analysis techniques are applied to an acceleration signal of an axle box to identify harmonic orders related to polygonal wear. Finally, the ACMD is combined with an inertial algorithm to estimate polygonal wear amplitudes. Not only a dynamics simulation but a field test was carried out to show that the proposed method can effectively detect both harmonic orders and their amplitudes of the wheel polygonization under non-stationary conditions.
High-Density Nanowells Formation in Ultrafast Laser-Irradiated Thin Film Metallic Glass
Authors: Prudent Mathilde , Iabbaden Djafar , Bourquard Florent , Reynaud Stéphanie , Lefkir Yaya , Borroto Alejandro , Pierson Jean-François , Garrelie Florence , Colombier Jean-Philippe
Published: April 2022

We present an effective approach for fabricating nanowell arrays in a one-step laser process with promising applications for the storage and detection of chemical or biological elements. Biocompatible thin films of metallic glasses are manufactured with a selected composition of Zr65Cu35, known to exhibit remarkable mechanical properties and glass forming ability. Dense nanowell arrays spontaneously form in the ultrafast laser irradiation spot with dimensions down to 20 nm. The flared shape observed by transmission electron microscopy is ideal to ensure chemical or biological material immobilization into the nanowells. This also indicates that the localization of the cavitation-induced nanopores can be tuned by the density and size of the initial nanometric interstice from the columnar structure of films deposited by magnetron sputtering. In addition to the topographic functionalization, the laser-irradiated amorphous material exhibits structural changes analyzed by spectroscopic techniques at the nanoscale such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Results reveal structural changes consisting of nanocrystals of monoclinic zirconia that grow within the amorphous matrix. The mechanism is driven by local oxidation process catalyzed by extreme temperature and pressure conditions estimated by an atomistic simulation of the laser-induced nanowell formation.
Length-length, Length–weight, and Weight-weight Relationships of Yellowfin (Thunnus Albacares) and Bigeye (Thunnus Obesus) Tuna Collected From the Commercial Handlines Fisheries in the South China Sea
Authors: Nguyen Khanh Quoc , Phan Huyen Trong , Tran Phu Duc , Van Nguyen Binh , Van Do Thanh , Nguyen Luong Trong , Van To Phuong , Vu Nghiep Ke
Published: April 2022

Tuna fisheries have become the most important contributor to the coastal central provinces of Vietnam since it was introduced in early 1990s. However, developing effective management guidelines for yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye (Thunnus obesus) tuna, the main target species for longline and handline fisheries, is difficult because there is no information on its growth characteristics. In particular, length-length, length–weight, and weight-weight relationships, the important components of fisheries production models, do not exist for those species. This study first provided those relationship equations and represented an improvement in the knowledge of these species in its distribution range with maximum sizes updated.
Real world data and data science in medical research: present and future
Authors: Togo Kanae , Yonemoto Naohiro
Published: April 2022

Real world data (RWD) are generating greater interest in recent times despite being not new. There are various purposes of the RWD analytics in medical research as follows: effectiveness and safety of medical treatment, epidemiology such as incidence and prevalence of disease, burden of disease, quality of life and activity of daily living, medical costs, etc. The RWD research in medicine is a mixture of digital transformation, statistics or data science, public health, and regulatory science. Most of the articles describing the RWD or real-world evidence (RWE) in medical research cover only a portion of these specializations, which might lead to an incomplete understanding of the RWD. This article summarizes the overview and challenges of the RWD analysis in medical fields from methodological perspectives. As the first step for the RWD analysis, data source of the RWD should be comprehended. The progress of the RWD is closely related to the digitization, especially of medical administrative data and medical records. Second, the selection of appropriate statistical and epidemiological methods is highly critical for an RWD analysis than those for randomized clinical trials. This is because it contains greater varieties of bias, which should be controlled by balancing the underlying risk between treatment groups. Last, the future of the RWD is discussed in terms of overcoming limited data by proxy confounders, using unstructured text data, linking of multiple databases, using the RWD or RWE for a regulatory purpose, and evaluating values and new aspects in medical research brought by the RWD.
Experimental and Numerical Study of Energy Dissipation Components of a New Metallic Damper Device
Authors: Zlatkov Dragan , Ristić Danilo , Zorić Andrija , Ristić Jelena , Mladenović Biljana , Petrović Žarko , Trajković-Milenković Marina
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The novel metallic damper device for passive vibration control of structures, which is designed primarily for seismic protection of buildings, is described in this paper. It consists of the base plate, fixed into foundation, with two concentric cycles of vertical components and a middle steel activating plate anchored to the isolated structure. During an earthquake, the middle steel activating plate moves together with main structure causing bending of vertical components. Seismic energy is absorbed due to plastic deformation of the vertical components of the damper. The performance of various vertical components, the key elements of the novel damper is studied in this paper. The advantages of this type of damper reflect in its ability to adapt its own features depending on the intensity of the earthquake and that it has equivalent characteristics in every horizontal direction due to rotational symmetry.

Methods

Sixteen experimental tests of the vertical components of the damper, were conducted to obtain their hysteretic behaviour. Numerical models using the finite element method and the Abaqus/Standard software were developed, validated and verified with experimentally obtained results.

Results

The experimental results show significant energy absorption of the vertical components of the novel damper. Numerical models can be used in further research instead of expensive experimental tests.

Conclusions

The vertical components of the novel damper possess extraordinary hysteretic performance. If the components of the energy dissipation device are properly designed for maximum displacements, the device is not expected to suffer heavy damage or total failure during earthquakes.
DeepVaR: a framework for portfolio risk assessment leveraging probabilistic deep neural networks
Authors: Fatouros Georgios , Makridis Georgios , Kotios Dimitrios , Soldatos John , Filippakis Michael , Kyriazis Dimosthenis
Published: April 2022

Determining and minimizing risk exposure pose one of the biggest challenges in the financial industry as an environment with multiple factors that affect (non-)identified risks and the corresponding decisions. Various estimation metrics are utilized towards robust and efficient risk management frameworks, with the most prevalent among them being the Value at Risk (VaR). VaR is a valuable risk-assessment approach, which offers traders, investors, and financial institutions information regarding risk estimations and potential investment insights. VaR has been adopted by the financial industry for decades, but the generated predictions lack efficiency in times of economic turmoil such as the 2008 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn affects the respective decisions. To address this challenge, a variety of well-established variations of VaR models are exploited by the financial community, including data-driven and data analytics models. In this context, this paper introduces a probabilistic deep learning approach, leveraging time-series forecasting techniques with high potential of monitoring the risk of a given portfolio in a quite efficient way. The proposed approach has been evaluated and compared to the most prominent methods of VaR calculation, yielding promising results for VaR 99% for forex-based portfolios.
Histoire sociale de l’Europe et tournant global: Une rencontre tardive
Authors: Drayton Richard
Published: April 2022

Histoire sociale de l’Europe et tournant global Une rencontre tardive

Pourquoi l’histoire européenne a-t-elle pris si tard le tournant global ? Si le passé de l’Europe s’est bien sûr toujours construit par rapport à ses périphéries islamiques ou mongoles, et plus tard par rapport à ses colonies, ce n’est que récemment que l’on a compris que l’histoire européenne et extra-européenne s’entremêlent dans une relation dynamique d’influences réciproques. L’histoire intellectuelle et économique l’a reconnu avant l’histoire sociale qui, dans son épanouissement à partir des années 1960, tenait pour acquis que les formes sociales européennes étaient à la fois plus avancées et catégoriquement différentes des autres. Dans les années 1970 et 1980 cependant, une génération après la décolonisation politique, de nouveaux travaux ont commencé à explorer l’influence des périphéries sur le noyau européen et à évaluer l’Europe de l’extérieur. Depuis le début du xxie siècle, on assiste à l’émergence d’une histoire sociale européenne globalisée. En sortant des contraintes du paradigme national, elle ouvre la voie à de nouveaux projets et méthodes historiques pan- et transeuropéens. Ceux-ci suscitent de nouvelles questions sur la façon dont nous pourrions reconfigurer l’histoire européenne de manière à comprendre l’Europe centrale et orientale selon leurs propres termes plutôt que comme de simples extensions retardées de phénomènes européens occidentaux « avancés ».
Déglobaliser l’histoire globale de l’Europe
Authors: Sawyer Stephen W.
Published: April 2022

Déglobaliser l’histoire globale de l’Europe

Cet article soutient que les récentes histoires globales de l’Europe ne représentent qu’un mode très spécifique de conscience globale dans l’historiographie et les sciences sociales européennes. S’il ne fait aucun doute que notre compréhension du passé européen serait plus que desservie par un isolationnisme malvenu ou le simple rejet des considérables gains scientifiques de l’histoire globale, les récents changements dans les structures, les technologies et les modes de la mondialisation héritée de l’après-guerre froide nous poussent à reconsidérer la manière dont cette interconnexion globale s’est effectivement réalisée à d’autres époques et en particulier au xixe siècle. L’histoire européenne après notre plus récent « tournant global » doit tenir compte des modes antérieurs de conscience globale et examiner comment la mondialisation elle-même s’est en retour vue façonnée par cette connaissance. En effet, la compréhension passée de l’interconnexion mondiale n’a pas nécessairement favorisé l’ouverture des frontières, une interdépendance ou une fluidité culturelle croissantes. Ainsi, en réponse aux forces mondiales perçues, des modes d’organisation sociale de désintégration et de réduction d’échelle émergèrent et se consolidèrent. On a également pu assister à des tentatives de canalisation des bénéfices de ces processus mondiaux à la suite de la prise de conscience de leurs retombées potentiellement enrichissantes et déstabilisantes. Ces efforts de contrôle de la mondialisation ne l’ont pas empêchée, mais lui ont donné une forme spécifique à des moments particuliers. À titre d’exemple, l’article soutient que le demi-siècle qui a suivi la Révolution française a été le témoin de ce que l’on pourrait appeler une globalisation déglobalisante, soit un moment où l’intégration mondiale, que beaucoup considéraient comme responsable du bouleversement de la Révolution, ne s’est certainement pas arrêtée, mais s’est vue réorientée au service d’une nation souveraine par la naissance de nouveaux modes d’écriture des sciences sociales et de l’histoire.
Globaliser l’Europe
Authors: Motadel David
Published: April 2022

Globaliser l’Europe

Cet essai propose une réflexion sur l’étude historique des liens entre l’Europe moderne et contemporaine et le reste du monde. Il explore les manières dont l’histoire européenne peut être intégrée à l’histoire globale, en considérant l’Europe non seulement comme un moteur, mais aussi comme un produit des transformations mondiales. À partir d’un large aperçu historiographique, l’auteur discute de l’influence du « tournant global » sur différents domaines de l’histoire européenne moderne et contemporaine, notamment l’histoire politique, économique, sociale, intellectuelle et environnementale. Il soutient que l’histoire globale représente tant un défi qu’une opportunité considérable pour les européistes d’ouvrir l’histoire européenne moderne. Cette approche nous aidera finalement à remodeler notre compréhension des frontières de l’Europe – et du domaine de l’histoire européenne lui-même. En d’autres termes, cela nous permettra de déprovincialiser l’Europe. De manière plus générale, l’essai aborde également des questions plus larges sur les continents (et d’autres unités spatiales) en tant que catégories ontologiques dans les études historiques.
La Maison des esclaves de Goree : à l’intersection entre histoire, mémoires et émotions
Authors: Sene Cheikh
Published: April 2022

Gorée est un symbole et un lieu de mémoire de la traite atlantique et de l’esclavage en Sénégambie. Le 27 décembre 1996, le journaliste français Emmanuel de Roux a publié dans le quotidien Le Monde un article intitulé « Le mythe de la maison des esclaves résiste à la réalité ». Cet article mettait en cause la Maison des esclaves de Gorée qui, selon l’auteur, n’avait jamais hébergé d’esclaves issus de la traite négrière. L’article a donné lieu à un débat public mêlant histoire, mémoire et émotions. En 1997, des chercheurs et les autorités politiques sénégalaises ont organisé une rencontre scientifique pour contrer toute « tentative d’endormissement de la mémoire collective ».
Limitations of econometric evaluation of nonrandomized residential energy efficiency programs: A case study of Northern California rebate programs
Authors: Sherwin Evan D. , Meyer Russell M. , Azevedo Inês M.L.
Published: April 2022

Residential energy efficiency programs play an important role in combating climate change. More precise quantification of the magnitude and timing of energy savings would bring large system benefits, allowing closer integration of energy efficiency into resource adequacy planning and balancing variable renewable electricity. However, it is often difficult to quantify the efficacy of an energy efficiency intervention, because doing so requires consideration of a hypothetical counterfactual case in which there was no intervention, and randomized control trials are often implausible. Although quasi-experimental econometric evaluation sometimes works well, we find that for a set of energy efficiency rebate programs in Northern California, a naïve interpretation of econometric measurement finds that rebate participation is associated with an average increase in electricity consumption of 7.2% [4.5%, 10.1%], varying in magnitude and sign depending on the type of appliance or service covered by the rebate. A subsequent household survey on appliance purchasing behavior and analysis of utility customer outreach data suggest that this regression approach is likely measuring the gross impact of buying a new appliance but fails to adequately capture a counterfactual comparison. Indeed, it is unclear whether it is even possible to construct a suitable counterfactual for econometric analyses of these rebate programs using data generally available to electric utilities. We view these results as an illustration of a limitation of econometric methods of program evaluation and the importance of weighing engineering modeling and other imperfect methods against one another when attempting to provide useful evaluations of real-world policy interventions.
Creating Climate Coalitions: Mass Preferences for Compensating Vulnerability in the World’s Two Largest Democracies
Authors: GAIKWAD NIKHAR , GENOVESE FEDERICA , TINGLEY DUSTIN
Published: April 2022

Combating climate change requires large economic adjustments with significant distributional implications. To build coalitions of support, scholars and policy makers propose compensating individuals who will bear decarbonization’s costs. What are the determinants of public opinion regarding climate compensation and investment? We theorize that climate policy vulnerability and climate change vulnerability induce support for distinct types of climate policy. Fielding original surveys in the United States and India, we show that people who reside in coal-producing regions prefer compensation for lost jobs. The general public privileges diffuse redistribution mechanisms and investments, discounting compensation to targeted groups. Those who are both physically and economically vulnerable have cross-cutting preferences. Nevertheless, there is considerable support across our samples for policies that compensate different coalitions of climate-vulnerable citizens, in line with theories of “just energy” transition and embedded liberalism. We trace the distinctive compensatory preferences of fossil fuel communities to a logic of shared community identities.
ALTERNATING CIRCULAR SUMS OF BINOMIAL COEFFICIENTS
Authors: CHU WENCHANG
Published: April 2022

By combining the generating function approach with the Lagrange expansion formula, we evaluate, in closed form, two multiple alternating sums of binomial coefficients, which can be regarded as alternating counterparts of the circular sum evaluation discovered by Carlitz [‘The characteristic polynomial of a certain matrix of binomial coefficients’,Fibonacci Quart.3(2) (1965), 81–89].
Interactive effect of the empirical lifestyle index for insulin resistance with the common genetic susceptibility locus rs2423279 for colorectal cancer
Authors: Kim Jimi , Lee Jeonghee , Oh Jae Hwan , Chang Hee Jin , Sohn Dae Kyung , Shin Aesun , Kim Jeongseon
Published: April 2022

The aim of this study is to examine the empirical insulinemic potential consisting of dietary and lifestyle factors and the interactive effect with the common genetic susceptibility locus rs2423279 on the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). This case–control study was conducted with 923 CRC patients and 1846 controls. The empirical measures for assessing the insulinemic potential, namely, the empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH), for insulin resistance (EDIR), the empirical lifestyle index for hyperinsulinemia (ELIH), and for insulin resistance (ELIR), were calculated based on semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and lifestyle questionnaire. A genetic variant of rs2423279 was genotyped. The CRC patients were more likely to score in the highest quartile for the ELIH (OR 2·90, Q4 v. Q1, 95 % CI (2·01, 4·19), Pfor trend < 0·001), EDIR (OR 3·32, Q4 v. Q1, 95 % CI (2·32, 4·74), P < 0·001) and ELIR (OR 2·79, Q4 v. Q1, 95 % CI (1·96, 3·97), P < 0·001) than the controls. The significant effect between the ELIR, which assesses dietary and lifestyle patterns related to insulin resistance, and C allele carriers of rs2423279 was stronger than that for homozygous T allele carriers (OR 2·50, 95 % CI (1·78, 3·51), Pfor interaction = 0·034). The empirical insulinemic potential for insulin resistance might have interactive effects with the rs2423279 polymorphism on the risk of CRC. The results of this study suggest the basis of the metabolic impact of the insulin response on colorectal carcinogenesis.
The impact of dietary calcium content on phosphorus absorption and retention in growing pigs is enhanced by dietary microbial phytase supplementation
Authors: Hu Yixin , Hendriks Wouter , van Baal Jurgen , Resink Jan-Willem , Rodehutscord Markus , Van Krimpen Marinus M. , Bikker Paul
Published: April 2022

Sixty growing male pigs were used to test the hypothesis that high dietary Ca content reduces P absorption to a greater extent in microbial phytase-supplemented diets via reducing inositol phosphate (IP) degradation and enhancing P precipitation. Pigs were equally allotted over diets with three Ca contents 2·0, 5·8 and 9·6 g/kg with or without microbial phytase (0 v. 500 FTU/kg) in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement. Faeces and urine were collected at the end of the 21-d experimental period. Subsequently, pigs were euthanised and digesta quantitatively collected from different gastrointestinal tract (GIT) segments. Increasing dietary Ca content reduced apparent P digestibility in all GIT segments posterior to the stomach (P < 0·001), with greater effect in phytase-supplemented diets in the distal small intestine (Pinteraction = 0·007) and total tract (Pinteraction = 0·023). Nonetheless, increasing dietary Ca to 5·8 g/kg enhanced P retention, but only in phytase-supplemented diets. Ileal IP6 degradation increased with phytase (P < 0·001) but decreased with increasing dietary Ca content (P = 0·014). Proportion of IP esters in total IP (∑IP) indicated that IP6/∑IP was increased while IP4/∑IP and IP3/∑IP were reduced with increasing dietary Ca content and also with a greater impact in phytase-supplemented diets (Pinteraction = 0·025, 0·018 and 0·009, respectively). In all GIT segments, P solubility was increased with phytase (P < 0·001) and tended to be reduced with dietary Ca content (P < 0·096). Measurements in GIT segments showed that increasing dietary Ca content reduced apparent P digestibility via reducing IP degradation and enhancing P precipitation, with a greater impact in phytase-supplemented diets due to reduced IP degradation.
The Reception of Ancient OlympicEpinikiain Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century European Poetry
Authors: Włodarczyk Arkadiusz , Rozmiarek Mateusz
Published: April 2022

The ancient links between poetry and the Olympic idea were rediscovered and revived in the Renaissance period and beyond. The first references to the ancient Olympic Games appeared in fifteenth-century Italian literature. Then they were exploited by German, French, Polish, Scottish and English poets in the following century. An analysis of sixteenth-century and seventeenth-century poetic works demonstrates that Olympic themes were used in poetry for comparative purposes to evoke moral, ethical, organizational, and athletic models, and even to raise the prestige of local events. The dissemination of Olympic traditions through poetry also contributed to the development of some well-known carriers of the Olympic tradition called pseudo-Olympics, famously exemplified by the Cotswold Olimpick Games organized in England by Robert Dover and widely appraised by English poets. All these activities testify to the significant role of poetry as a principal component of Olympic legacy in European culture.
Transparency for Text-Based Sources: From Principles to Practice
Authors: Gaikwad Nikhar , Herrera Veronica
Published: April 2022

Debates about transparency standards in social science research often lack specificity, mischaracterize the status quo, or stress the value of replication. These debates frequently talk past each other and provide limited practical guidance for qualitative and multi-methods research. Focusing on text-based sources, we provide a review of qualitative research that identifies deficiencies in transparency practices, and advances a five-point framework for improving transparency premised on better specification of sources’ location, production, selection, analysis, and access. We next draw on a multi-year deliberative forum on qualitative transparency to identify researchers’ concerns about changing the status quo. We then showcase illustrative examples of enhanced transparency and conclude with recommendations for how to improve transparency practices for text-based sources. We argue that greater research transparency yields numerous benefits, including facilitating scholarly exchange, improving graduate training, and aiding knowledge cumulation. Rather than advancing replication, which may be undesirable for various qualitative research traditions, new transparency technologies are promising because they allow authors to more easily provide additional context, present complexity, and unpack relevant contradictions about politics.
Transition rather than Revolution: The Gradual Road towards Animal Legal Personhood through the Legislature
Authors: Bernet Kempers Eva
Published: April 2022

It is sometimes assumed that, in order for animals to be adequately protected by the legal system, their status first needs to change from property to person in one fell swoop. Legal personhood is perceived as the necessary requirement for animals to possess legal rights and become visible in law, distinguished from legal things. In this article I propose an alternative approach to animal legal personhood, which construes the road towards it as a gradual transition rather than a revolution. According to this alternative approach, animals become increasingly visible in law when their existing simple rights are shaped to function more like the rights of humans. Instead of a condition for the possession of rights, legal personhood should then be regarded as a (potential) consequence of growing animal rights.
Benzobicyclon efficacy is affected by plant growth stage, HPPD Inhibitor Sensitive 1 (HIS1) expression and zygosity in weedy rice (Oryza sativa)
Authors: Brabham Chad , Norsworthy Jason K. , Sha Xueyan , Varanasi Vijay K. , González-Torralva Fidel
Published: April 2022

Benzobicyclon tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is dependent on the presence of a functional HIS1 gene, but the level of sensitivity might vary among different cultivars. Greenhouse, laboratory, and field experiments were conducted to further explore the role of HIS1 in cultivated rice tolerance and to exploit findings toward optimizing benzobicyclon activity on weedy rice (unwanted rice; Oryza sativa L.). In a heredity experiment, benzobicyclon tolerance was confirmed to be a semidominant trait conferred by HIS1 based on the intermediate response (ED50 values) of HIS1 heterozygous F1 plants. The spatial–temporal expression of HIS1 was next studied in tissue types (blades, sheaths, and whorls) across tolerant cultivars (‘Roy J’, ‘Diamond’, ‘LaKast’, ‘CLXL745’, and ‘XL753’) and growth stages (2- to 3- compared with 5- to 6-leaf). The relative expression of HIS1 was tissue specific and highest in whorls, followed by blades and then sheaths. Minimal differences in expression across cultivars and growth stages were observed. Furthermore, HIS1 was not largely upregulated at 6 h after benzobicyclon treatment. In the same experiment, cultivar tolerance to benzobicyclon at the label rate of 371 g ha−1 was found to be growth stage dependent. Plant growth was reduced by ∼35% when rice plants were at the 2- to 3- compared with 5- to 6-leaf growth stages. These results show that differences in benzobicyclon tolerance among HIS1 homozygous cultivars is likely not directly correlated with the expression of HIS1. In this research a model was proposed and supported by a field proof of concept study, indicating benzobicyclon efficacy on weedy rice is a function of HIS1 zygosity by growth stage at application. Prior research indicates HIS1 is the dominant allele in weedy rice accessions in Arkansas, and thus, based on our model, benzobicyclon should be applied to weedy rice with ≤2 leaves for suppression.
Making the link – integrative Behandlung einer somatischen Belastungsstörung
Authors: Salili Alkis Yannakopoulos
Published: April 2022

Zusammenfassung. Das Konzept der 2013 im DSM-V veröffentlichten somatischen Belastungsstörungen erlaubt einen Paradigmenwechsel in der Behandlung von Kranken mit chronischen körperlichen Symptomen. Die frühere dualistische Einteilung in rein psychogene oder rein physische Ursachen weicht unter Einbezug moderner wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse einem übergeordneten bio-psycho-sozialen Verständnis. Dieses fördert eine offene Grundhaltung gegenüber den subjektiven Empfindungen, Werten und Vorstellungen des Patienten, eine Patienten-orientierte Kommunikation und die für den Krankheitsverlauf essenzielle vertrauensvolle Arzt-Patienten-Beziehung. Die integrative Medizin bietet dafür einen geeigneten Rahmen.
Erworbene Stomatozytose beihyperosmolarer, hyperglykämer Entgleisung
Authors: Bur Jan , Favre Geneviève , Mehlig Annekathrin , Goede Jeroen S.
Published: April 2022

Zusammenfassung. Im Rahmen einer suizidal motivierten Sistierung der Insulintherapie trat, bei am ehesten aethyltoxisch bedingtem pankreoprivem Diabetes mellitus, eine massive hyperosmolare hyperglykäme Entgleisung auf. In der Blutbilddifferenzierung liessen sich Stomatozyten nachweisen, auf deren Entstehung folgend näher eingegangen wird.
CME: Idiopathische intrakranielle Hypertension
Authors: Togni Claudio , Fierz Fabienne , Pohl Heiko , Weber Konrad P. , Wegener Susanne
Published: April 2022

Zusammenfassung. Die idiopathische intrakranielle Hypertension ist eine sekundäre Kopfschmerzerkrankung und Optikusneuropathie bei erhöhtem intrakraniellem Druck. Sie betrifft vorwiegend adipöse Frauen im gebärfähigen Alter und stellt sowohl diagnostisch als auch therapeutisch eine interdisziplinäre Herausforderung dar. Häufigstes Symptom dieser Erkrankung sind von Photo- und/oder Phonophobie begleitete Kopfschmerzen, die semiologisch oftmals einer Migräne sehr ähnlich sind, gefolgt von transienten visuellen Obskurationen und pulssynchronem Tinnitus. Während dem Erhalt von Visus und Gesichtsfeld die oberste Therapiepriorität zukommt, spielt auch die adäquate Behandlung der oftmals hartnäckigen und chronischen Kopfschmerzen eine zentrale Rolle. Ein konservatives Vorgehen mittels Gewichtsreduktion und medikamentöser Therapie ist in den meisten Fällen ausreichend. Im Falle fulminanter Verläufe oder relevanter Visuseinschränkung kommen zusätzlich interventionelle Verfahren zum Einsatz. Das Management der Kopfschmerzen richtet sich nach der vorherrschenden Semiologie.
Verschreibung von nicht-steroidalen Antirheumatika: Analyse von Abrechnungsdaten der OKP
Authors: Schnyder Aurelia , Brüngger Beat , Blozik Eva
Published: April 2022

Zusammenfassung. Nicht-steroidale Antirheumatika sollen gemäss der nephrologischen Empfehlung im Rahmen der Choosing-Wisely-Kampagne bei Personen mit kardialen sowie renalen Erkrankungen vermieden werden. Diese Studie liefert einerseits quantitative Daten zum NSAR-Gebrauch in der Schweiz, andererseits Hinweise, wie sich nach Einführung der Empfehlung die Abrechnungshäufigkeit von NSAR bei Risikopersonen verändert hat. Methode: Sekundäranalyse von Abrechnungsdaten der obligatorischen Krankenpflegeversicherung. Die Häufigkeit des NSAR-Bezugs wurde stratifiziert nach Soziodemografie sowie Komorbiditäten «Kardiologie» und «Niereninsuffizienz». Ergebnisse: Es konnte erstmalig gezeigt werden, dass 33,6% der gesamten Studienpopulation, 42,1% der kardialen Risikopopulation und 18% der renalen Risikopopulation NSAR konsumieren. Es fand sich eine leichte Tendenz zur Absenkung der Abrechnungshäufigkeit nach Einführung der Empfehlung. Diskussion: Es braucht prioritär weitere Studien, um den Einsatz der potenziell gesundheitsschädigenden NSAR in anderen Risikogruppen zu quantifizieren, und anhand der weiteren Studienergebnisse sollte überlegt werden, wie die Choosing-Wisely-Empfehlung vermehrt umgesetzt werden kann, vor allem auch in der Allgemeinbevölkerung.
Relative Humidity Dependence of Hygroscopicity Parameter of Ambient Aerosols
Authors: Zhao Pusheng , Ge Shuangshuang , Su Jie , Ding Jing , Kuang Ye
Published: April 2022

The hygroscopicity parameter (κ) has been widely used in studies of aerosol hygroscopic growth and cloud condensation nucleus activation, but the effect of relative humidity (RH) variations on ambient aerosol hygroscopicity is rarely discussed and is often ignored in the application of κ‐Köhler theory. In this study, an improved humidified nephelometer system was used to measure the scattering enhancement (f(RH)) of bulk aerosols and the RH‐dependent κ was derived. It was found that the κ of both pure inorganic water‐soluble electrolytes and ambient aerosols is significantly RH‐dependent. The particle size had a great influence on f(RH), but κ had no obvious size dependence. Compared with using the RH‐dependent κ, the scattering coefficient of ambient aerosols with the fixed κ value would produce a relative error of −10%–25%. Parameterization schemes of RH‐dependent κ of ambient aerosols were established, which could serve as a reference for the future research.
Strategic Plan for the Journal of Geophysical Research—Earth Surface
Authors: East Amy E. , Attal Mikael , Hoitink A. J. F. (Ton) , Sergienko Olga V.
Published: April 2022

The Editors of the Journal of Geophysical Research—Earth Surface present a new strategic plan for the journal. The journal will contribute to the objectives of AGU to embrace advancing Earth and space science for the benefit of human societies and the environment, while continuing to value fundamental science deeply. Many scientific topics covered by JGR Earth Surface are closely connected to urgent, complex problems affecting humanity and the global environment today, including climate change and a variety of natural hazards; this strategic plan is intended to ensure that published science is robust, impactful, and ultimately used to help address those problems. The plan prioritizes (1) publishing high‐impact science using the highest standards of scientific ethics and rigor; (2) advancing mechanistic understanding needed to address societal challenges; and (3) ensuring that a diverse talent pool contributes to the science through a fair, equitable review and publication process.
Detrimental effects of branched-chain amino acids in glucose tolerance can be attributed to valine induced glucotoxicity in skeletal muscle
Authors: Bishop Christopher A. , Machate Tina , Henning Thorsten , Henkel Janin , Püschel Gerhard , Weber Daniela , Grune Tilman , Klaus Susanne , Weitkunat Karolin
Published: April 2022

Objective

Current data regarding the roles of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) in metabolic health are rather conflicting, as positive and negative effects have been attributed to their intake.

Methods

To address this, individual effects of leucine and valine were elucidated in vivo (C57BL/6JRj mice) with a detailed phenotyping of these supplementations in high-fat (HF) diets and further characterization with in vitro approaches (C2C12 myocytes).

Results

Here, we demonstrate that under HF conditions, leucine mediates beneficial effects on adiposity and insulin sensitivity, in part due to increasing energy expenditure—likely contributing partially to the beneficial effects of a higher milk protein intake. On the other hand, valine feeding leads to a worsening of HF-induced health impairments, specifically reducing glucose tolerance/insulin sensitivity. These negative effects are driven by an accumulation of the valine-derived metabolite 3-hydroxyisobutyrate (3-HIB). Higher plasma 3-HIB levels increase basal skeletal muscle glucose uptake which drives glucotoxicity and impairs myocyte insulin signaling.

Conclusion

These data demonstrate the detrimental role of valine in an HF context and elucidate additional targetable pathways in the etiology of BCAA-induced obesity and insulin resistance.
Suppression of mutant Kirsten-RAS (KRASG12D)-driven pancreatic carcinogenesis by dual-specificity MAP kinase phosphatases 5 and 6
Authors: Kidger Andrew M. , Saville Mark K. , Rushworth Linda K. , Davidson Jane , Stellzig Julia , Ono Motoharu , Kuebelsbeck Ludwig A. , Janssen Klaus-Peter , Holzmann Bernhard , Morton Jennifer P. , Sansom Owen J. , Caunt Christopher J. , Keyse Stephen M.
Published: April 2022

The cytoplasmic phosphatase DUSP6 and its nuclear counterpart DUSP5 are negative regulators of RAS/ERK signalling. Here we use deletion of either Dusp5 or Dusp6 to explore the roles of these phosphatases in a murine model of KRASG12D-driven pancreatic cancer. By 56-days, loss of either DUSP5 or DUSP6 causes a significant increase in KRASG12D-driven pancreatic hyperplasia. This is accompanied by increased pancreatic acinar to ductal metaplasia (ADM) and the development of pre-neoplastic pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanINs). In contrast, by 100-days, pancreatic hyperplasia is reversed with significant atrophy of pancreatic tissue and weight loss observed in animals lacking either DUSP5 or DUSP6. On further ageing, Dusp6−/− mice display accelerated development of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), while in Dusp5−/− animals, although PDAC development is increased this process is attenuated by atrophy of pancreatic acinar tissue and severe weight loss in some animals before cancer could progress. Our data suggest that despite a common target in the ERK MAP kinase, DUSP5 and DUSP6 play partially non-redundant roles in suppressing oncogenic KRASG12D signalling, thus retarding both tumour initiation and progression. Our data suggest that loss of either DUSP5 or DUSP6, as observed in certain human tumours, including the pancreas, could promote carcinogenesis.
Global characterization of extrachromosomal circular DNAs in advanced high grade serous ovarian cancer
Authors: Cen Yixuan , Fang Yifeng , Ren Yan , Hong Shiyuan , Lu Weiguo , Xu Junfen
Published: April 2022

High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most aggressive subtype of ovarian cancer and HGSOC patients often appear with metastasis, leading to the poor prognosis. Up to date, the extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) have been shown to be involved in cancer genome remodeling but the roles of eccDNAs in metastatic HGSOC are still not clear. Here we explored eccDNA profiles in HGSOC by Circle-Sequencing analysis using four pairs of primary and metastatic tissues of HGSOC patients. Within the differentially expressed eccDNAs screened out by our analysis, eight candidates were validated by outward PCR and qRT-PCR analysis. Among them, DNMT1circle10302690-10302961 was further confirmed by FISH assay and BaseScope assay, as the most significantly down-regulated eccDNA in metastatic tumors of HGSOC. Lower expression of DNMT1circle10302690-10302961 in both primary and metastatic tumors was associated with worse prognosis of HGSOC. Taken together, our finding firstly demonstrated the eccDNAs landscape of primary and metastatic tissues of HGSOC. The eccDNA DNMT1circle10302690-10302961 can be considered as a potential biomarker or a therapeutically clinical target of HGSOC metastasis and prognosis.