bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developmental Expression of Protein Phosphatase 2A in the Kidney
Authors: EVERETT ALLEN D. , XUE CHUN , STOOPS TAMARA
Published: April 2021

Although a number of growth and transcription factors are known to regulate renal growth and development, the signal transduction molecules necessary to mediate these developmental signals are relatively unknown. Therefore, the activity and mRNA and protein expression of the signal transduction molecule protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) were examined during rat kidney development. Northern analysis of total kidney RNA or Western analysis of kidney protein homogenates from embryonic day 15 to 90-d-old adults demonstrated developmental regulation of the catalytic, major 55-kD B regulatory subunit and A structural subunit with the highest levels of expression in late embryonic and newborn kidneys. Similarly, okadaic acid-inhibitable phosphatase enzyme activity was highest in the embryonic and newborn kidney. To map cell-specific expression of PP2A in the developing kidney, in situ hybridization with a catalytic subunit digoxigenin-labeled cRNA was performed on embryonic day 20 and newborn kidneys. PP2A was found predominately in the nephrogenic cortex and particularly in the developing glomeruli and nonbrush border tubules in the embryonic day 20 and newborn kidneys. Similarly, immunocytochemistry with a specific PP2A catalytic subunit polyclonal anti-peptide antibody demonstrated catalytic subunit protein particularly concentrated in the podocytes of glomeruli in the newborn kidney. In the adult kidney, PP2A protein was no longer detectable except in the nuclei of distal tubular cells. Therefore, the developmental regulation of PP2A activity and protein during kidney development and its mapping to the nephrogenic cortex, developing glomeruli, and tubules suggests a role for PP2A in the regulation of nephron growth and differentiation.
Role of Reactive Oxygen Metabolites in Organophosphate-Bidrin-Induced Renal Tubular Cytotoxicity
Authors: POOVALA VANDANA S. , HUANG HONG , SALAHUDEEN ABDULLA K.
Published: April 2021

Due to low toxicity to nontarget species and rapid degradation after its application, organophosphate (OP) remains a widely used class of pesticide. Suicidal or accidental overdose of OP can result in acute tubular necrosis. Experimental evidence shows little correlation between the renal tubular necrosis and the degree of OP-induced acetylcholinesterase inhibition, the main mechanism of OP's toxicity, suggesting the involvement of alternate mechanisms. Since reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known mediators of many toxin-induced renal injuries, this study was conducted to investigate whether ROS play a role in Bidrin® (BD)-induced renal tubular epithelial cell (LLC-PK1) toxicity. BD is an OP insecticide formulation with dicrotophos as the active ingredient. LLC-PK1 cell death, determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release (% of total), rose concentration- and time-dependently after exposure of the cells to 1000, 1250, 1500, 1750, and 2000 ppm of BD for 6, 12, 24, and 48 h. Antioxidants 2-methylaminochroman (2-MAC; 0.3 to 2.5 μM) and desferrioxamine (DFO; 0.25 to 2 mM) reduced cell damage induced by 1250 ppm of BD over a 24-h incubation in a concentration-related manner. The greatest reductions in % LDH were produced by DFO 2 mM and 2-MAC 2.5 μM, both significantly lower than BD alone. H2O2 levels (μmol/mg protein per h) were significantly elevated after exposure to 1250 ppm of BD. Significantly increased malondialdehyde formation (nmol/mg protein) compared with control was also found in BD-exposed cells indicating enhanced lipid peroxidation. Malondialdehyde generation was significantly suppressed by 2-MAC and DFO. These results demonstrate that the organophosphate BD can cause direct tubular cytotoxicity, and implicate, at least in part, a role for ROS and accompanying lipid peroxidation in cytotoxicity. Based on these direct in vitro findings, it is hypothesized that, besides hypotension that often accompanies OP intoxication, OP-induced oxidative stress at the tubular level may play a role in the pathogenesis of acute tubular necrosis.
Analysis of IgA1 O-Glycans in IgA Nephropathy by Fluorophore-Assisted Carbohydrate Electrophoresis
Authors: ALLEN ALICE C. , BAILEY ELAINE M. , BARRATT JONATHAN , BUCK KATHARINE S. , FEEHALLY JOHN
Published: April 2021

Abnormal O-glycosylation of IgA1 may contribute to pathogenic mechanisms in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Observations of altered lectin binding to IgA1 in IgAN suggest that the O-glycan chains may be undergalactosylated, but precise structural definition of the defect has proved technically difficult, and it remains unconfirmed. This is the first study using fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE) to analyze IgA1 O-glycans in IgAN and controls. IgA1 was purified from serum, and the intact O-glycans were released by hydrazinolysis at 60°C. After re-N-acetylation, the glycans were fluorophore-labeled and separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Sequential exoglycosidase digestions of IgA1 allowed identification of the different O-glycan bands on FACE gels, and their relative frequencies in IgA1 samples were measured by ultraviolet densitometry. Lectin binding of the IgA1 samples was also measured. In some patients with IgAN, FACE analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the percentage of IgA1 O-glycan chains consisting of single N-acetyl galactosamine (GalNAc) units rather than the more usual galactosylated and sialylated forms. This finding was confirmed using both desialylated IgA1 and enzymatically released O-glycans. Good correlation was also found between O-glycan agalactosylation on FACE analysis and IgA1 lectin binding in IgAN, supporting the value of lectins as tools for detection of this abnormality. This is the first study in which all of the predicted O-glycan forms of IgA1 have been analyzed simultaneously, and demonstrates that in IgAN, the IgA1 O-glycan chains are truncated, with increased terminal GalNAc. This abnormality has the potential to significantly affect IgA1 behavior and handling with pathogenic consequences in IgAN.
Impact of Hyperglycemia on the Renin Angiotensin System in Early Human Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: MILLER JUDITH A.
Published: April 2021

It has been demonstrated previously that moderate hyperglycemia without glucosuria can increase plasma renin activity and mean arterial pressure in young healthy males with early uncomplicated type 1 diabetes mellitus. This study was conducted to extend these observations by testing the hypothesis that mild to moderate hyperglycemia can affect renal function by increasing renin angiotensin system (RAS) activity in diabetic humans. The study included 10 men and women with early, uncomplicated type 1 diabetes (duration <5 yr), all ingesting a controlled sodium and protein diet. They were studied on four separate occasions, during a subdepressor dose of the angiotensin II (AngII) receptor blocker losartan, and during graded AngII infusion, 1.5 and 2.5 ng/kg per min, while euglycemic (blood glucose 4 to 6 mmol/L) and again while hyperglycemic without glucosuria (blood glucose 9 to 11 mmol/L), according to a randomized crossover design. Outcome measures included mean arterial pressure (MAP), GFR, effective renal plasma flow (ERPF), renal vascular resistance (RVR), filtration fraction (FF), and urine sodium excretion (UNaV) at baseline and in response to the above maneuvers. During hyperglycemic conditions, MAP was significantly higher compared with euglycemia, as were RVR and FF. After the administration of losartan, a significant renal and peripheral depressor effect was noted, with decreases in MAP, RVR, and FF, whereas during euglycemia the responses to losartan were minimal. AngII infusion resulted in elevations in MAP, RVR, and FF and a decline in UNaV during both glycemic phases, but the responses during hyperglycemia, most significantly at the 1.5 ng/kg per min infusion rate, were blunted. These data support the hypothesis that hyperglycemia affects renal function by activating the RAS. The mechanism remains obscure, but these contrasting responses may provide a link between the observations that maintenance of euglycemia and blockade of the RAS prevent or delay diabetic kidney disease, and furthermore, may clarify the mechanism whereby high glucose promotes renal disease progression in diabetes.
Urinary Aquaporin 2 and Calciuria Correlate with the Severity of Enuresis in Children
Authors: VALENTI GIOVANNA , LAERA ANTONIA , PACE GIUSEPPE , ACETO GABRIELLA , LOSPALLUTI MARIA L. , PENZA ROSA , SELVAGGI FRANCESCO P. , CHIOZZA MARIA L. , SVELTO MARIA
Published: April 2021

This study examined the hypothesis that nocturnal enuresis might be paralleled by aquaporin 2 (AQP2) urinary excretion. Eighty children who experienced nocturnal enuresis were studied and compared with 9 healthy children. The 24-h urine samples were divided into two portions: night collections and day collections. Creatinine equivalents of urine samples from each patient were analyzed by Western blotting. AQP2 levels were semiquantified by densitometric scanning and reported as a ratio between the intensity of the signal in the day urine sample versus the night urine sample (D/N AQP2 ratio). The D/N AQP2 ratio was 0.59 ± 0.11 (n = 9) in healthy children and increased to 1.27 ± 0.24 (n = 10) in a subpopulation of enuretic children who had low nocturnal vasopressin levels. In enuretic children who displayed hypercalciuria and had normal vasopressin levels, the D/N AQP2 ratio was 1.05 ± 0.27 (n = 8). These data indicate that reduced secretion of vasopressin and absorptive hypercalciuria are independently associated with an approximately twofold increase in the urinary D/N AQP2 ratio. When low nocturnal vasopressin levels were associated with hypercalciuria, a nearly threefold increase in the D/N AQP2 ratio was observed (1.67 ± 0.41, n = 11). In addition, in all enuretic patients tested, the urinary D/N AQP2 ratio correlates perfectly with the severity of the disorder (nocturnal polyuria). The findings reported in this article indicate that urinary AQP2 correlates with the severity of enuresis in children.
Prognosis of Anti-Hepatitis C Virus Antibody-Positive Patients on Regular Hemodialysis Therapy
Authors: NAKAYAMA EIJUN , AKIBA TAKASHI , MARUMO FUMIAKI , SATO CHIFUMI
Published: April 2021

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is high in patients who are on chronic hemodialysis, but the role of HCV infection and HCV-related liver disease in the mortality of these patients has not been shown. Therefore, we conducted a prospective cohort study of 1470 patients who were on chronic hemodialysis (17 to 89 yr old) from 16 dialysis centers in Japan. Among them, 276 patients (18.8%) were positive for anti-HCV antibodies and 1194 patients were negative. The patients were followed for 6 yr from 1993 to 1999. Only one case, a patient from the anti-HCV-antibody-positive group, was lost to the follow-up during this period. The mortality was higher in the anti-HCV-antibody-positive group (91 of 276 patients died) than in the anti-HCV-antibody-negative group (277 of 1193 died) (33.0% versus 23.2%, P < 0.01). A Cox proportional hazard examination showed that positivity for anti-HCV antibodies was one of the risk factors for death with an adjusted relative risk of 1.57 (95% confidence interval, 1.23 to 2.00). As a cause of death, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis were significantly more frequent in the anti-HCV-antibody-positive patients than in the anti-HCV-antibody-negative patients (5.5% versus 0.0%, P < 0.001; 8.8% versus 0.4%, P < 0.001, respectively). These findings show that the mortality is increased in anti-HCV-antibody-positive patients who are on chronic hemodialysis. Hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis are factors that may influence the mortality.
Avoidance of Cyclosporine in Renal Transplantation
Authors: TRAN HUONG T. B. , ACHARYA MURALIDHAR K. , MCKAY DIANNE B. , SAYEGH MOHAMED H. , CARPENTER CHARLES B. , AUCHINCLOSS HUGH , KIRKMAN ROBERT L. , MILFORD EDGAR L.
Published: April 2021

Cyclosporine (CsA) has been implicated in both acute and chronic graft dysfunction. The addition of humanized IL-2 receptor antibody daclizumab (DZB) to CsA-based immunosuppression decreases the rate of acute renal transplant rejection. Therefore, 45 patients were evaluated in an immunosuppressive protocol that included DZB, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and steroids without CsA. This was a prospective, nonrandomized, open-label trial of the efficacy and safety of the treatment. DZB was given intravenously at 2 mg/kg before transplantation and then at 1 mg/kg every 2 wk for four doses, MMF was given orally at 3 g/d, and methylprednisolone/prednisone was given at 7 mg/kg per day and tapered to 15 mg/d at 6 mo. CsA was added to the regimen when patients developed acute rejection episodes or adverse effects to steroids or MMF; 49% of patients were spared CsA maintenance. Patients without CsA had lower serum creatinine at 6 mo and needed fewer medications to control BP. Incidence of biopsyproven rejections was 31% and occurred early (median, 10 d). These rejection episodes occurred earlier in cadaver transplants (median, 7 d) and later in living donor transplants (median, 62 days). Acute rejections occurred at a higher frequency (46% versus 34%) and earlier (6.5 versus 15 d) in patients with delayed graft function compared with patients without delayed graft function. Most of the rejections were moderate and easily reversible. The actuarial 1-yr graft survival was 95% with 100% patient survival.
Effect of Glucose on Intercellular Junctions of Cultured Human Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells
Authors: ITO TAKAFUMI , YORIOKA NORIAKI , YAMAMOTO MASAO , KATAOKA KATSUKO , YAMAKIDO MICHIO
Published: April 2021

During continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, the peritoneum is directly and continuously exposed to unphysiologic peritoneal dialysis fluid; the resulting mesothelial damage has been suggested to cause loss of ultrafiltration and dialysis efficacy. The present study investigated the effect of a high glucose concentration on cultured human peritoneal mesothelial cells to clarify the cause of decreased dialysis efficacy during prolonged peritoneal dialysis. High glucose caused a concentration-dependent decrease in cell proliferation, damage to the intercellular junctions, and excess production of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). The levels of intercellular junctional proteins (ZO-1, E-cadherin, and β-catenin) were decreased, and immuno-staining by anti—ZO-1 and anti— β-catenin antibodies became weaker and often discontinuous along the cell contour. Mannitol had similar but weaker effects at the same osmolality, and an anti—TGF-β neutralizing antibody reduced the effects of high glucose. Therefore, these effects were induced not only by glucose itself but also by hyperosmolality and by a glucose-induced increase of TGF-β. These findings suggest that the peritoneal mesothelium is damaged by prolonged peritoneal dialysis using high glucose dialysate and that impairment of the intercellular junctions of peritoneal mesothelial cells by high glucose dialysate induces peritoneal hyperpermeability and a progressive reduction in dialysis efficacy.
Opposing Effects of Angiotensin II on Muscle and Renal Blood Flow under Euglycemic Conditions
Authors: FLISER DANILO , DIKOW RALF , DEMUKAJ SADRI , RITZ EBERHARD
Published: April 2021

Angiotensin II (Ang II) enhances insulin sensitivity in humans, and this is associated with a paradoxical increase in skeletal muscle blood flow. It is unclear whether these effects are mediated via subtype 1 receptors of Ang II, because these receptors are thought to mediate vasoconstriction. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (euglycemic clamp technique) and leg muscle blood flow (plethysmography) were measured in nine healthy male volunteers (mean age, 24 ± 2 yr) on three occasions using a double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. The subjects were allocated in random order to (1) placebo premedication per os plus placebo infusion, (2) placebo premedication per os plus infusion of 5 ng Ang II/kg per min, and (3) premedication with 300 mg of the angiotensin II-1-receptor antagonist irbesartan per os plus infusion of 5 ng Ang II/kg per min. In addition, GFR and effective renal plasma flow were assessed using the steady-state inulin- and paraaminohippurate clearance. Insulin sensitivity (i.e., M value) and muscle blood flow after infusion of Ang II (9.3 ± 1.8 mg/kg per min; 17.7 ± 2.1 ml/100 g per min) were significantly higher than after placebo infusion (7.2 ± 1.6 mg/kg per min, P < 0.02; 13.5 ± 1.8 ml/100 g per min, P < 0.01). In contrast, after premedication with irbesartan, they were not significantly different (7.5 ± 1.7 mg/kg per min; 14.3 ± 1.9 ml/100 g per min) as compared with placebo infusion. Mean GFR and effective renal plasma flow were significantly lower (P < 0.01), and renal vascular resistance was significantly higher (P < 0.01) with Ang II infusion as compared with the placebo infusion study. Premedication with irbesartan almost completely blocked the vasoconstrictive effect of Ang II on renal vasculature. Under hyperinsulinemic euglycemic conditions, infusion of Ang II has opposing effects on regional arterial blood flow, i.e., an increase in skeletal muscle blood flow, but vasoconstriction of renal vasculature. Both effects are antagonized by blockade of subtype 1 Ang II receptors.
Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Synthesis by Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
Authors: BALAKRISHNAN VAIDYANATHAPURAM S. , SCHMID CHRISTOPHER H. , JABER BERTRAND L. , NATOV SVETLOZAR N. , KING ANDREW J. , PEREIRA BRIAN J. G.
Published: April 2021

Proinflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the short- and long-term morbidity experienced by hemodialysis (HD) patients. The present study, which is based on long-term follow-up of a cohort of 37 patients, relates peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) synthesis (a reliable marker of IL-1β synthesis in HD patients) and plasma levels of an acute phase reactant, lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), to clinical outcomes. In July 1993, predialysis blood samples from these patients were collected and IL-1Ra synthesis by PBMC and plasma LBP was measured. Hospital records were reviewed and patient follow-up data were obtained until December 1997 (54 mo) or death, whichever occurred earlier. The effect of age, diabetes, endotoxin- and IgG-stimulated IL-1Ra synthesis, and plasma LBP levels on mortality was assessed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Poisson regression was used to determine potential relationships between the number of outcome events and each continuous risk factor. Twenty-two patients (59%) died during the follow-up period. Mortality was unrelated to IL-1Ra synthesis but did increase with age (relative risk, 1.05/yr; P = 0.01) and diabetes (relative risk, 3.00/yr; P = 0.03). Cardiovascular event rates were higher among older individuals and in those with higher endotoxin-stimulated PBMC IL-1Ra synthesis. Cardiovascular events increased with plasma LBP levels in the range of 9,000 to 12,000 pg/ml but then seemed to decrease. In contrast, older age and low IgG-stimulated IL-1Ra synthesis were associated with an increased risk of infectious events. The results of this study demonstrate an interesting link between stimulus-dependent variability in IL-1Ra synthesis by PBMC and clinical outcomes among patients on chronic HD and provide interesting targets for therapeutic interventions in this vulnerable patient population.
Expression of Profilin, an Actin-Binding Protein, in Rat Experimental Glomerulonephritis and Its Upregulation by Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in Cultured Rat Mesangial Cells
Authors: TAMURA MASAHITO , TANAKA HIROSHI , YASHIRO AKIRA , OSAJIMA AKIHIKO , OKAZAKI MASAHIRO , KUDO HIDEAKI , DOI YOSHIAKI , FUJIMOTO SUNAO , HIGASHI KEN , NAKASHIMA YASUHIDE , HIRANO HIDEYASU
Published: April 2021

Profilin binds to actin monomer to regulate actin polymerization, and to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate to inhibit hydrolysis by phospholipase Cγ1. This study investigated the expression of profilin in rat anti-Thy-1.1 mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (GN) and examined the effect of growth factors on its expression in cultured rat mesangial cells. Profilin mRNA was constitutively expressed in isolated glomeruli of untreated rats. However, in glomeruli of anti-Thy-1.1 GN rats, its expression was upregulated beginning on day 1, reaching a peak level on day 4 (3.9-fold versus control glomeruli), and decreased on day 14, as determined by competitive reverse transcription-PCR. Increased expression of profilin protein was confirmed using immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed the presence of profilin in plasma membrane and the rough endoplasmic reticulum of mesangial cells, indicating that profilin was produced in mesangial cells. In cultured rat mesangial cells, expression of profilin mRNA and protein was upregulated by basic fibroblast growth factor but not by platelet-derived growth factor or transforming growth factor-β. Suppression of profilin expression using an antisense oligonucleotide against profilin inhibited [3H]thymidine uptake. These findings indicated the involvement of profilin in anti-Thy-1.1 GN and suggest that the upregulation of profilin might be involved in the progression of anti-Thy-1.1 GN possibly by affecting cell growth.
Relationship between Expression of Bcl-2 Genes and Growth Factors in Ischemic Acute Renal Failure in the Rat
Authors: GOBÉ GLENDA , ZHANG XIAO-JU , WILLGOSS DESLEY A. , SCHOCH ESTELLE , HOGG NICOLE A. , ENDRE ZOLTÁN H.
Published: April 2021

The promotion of cell survival and regeneration in acute renal failure (ARF) is important for restitution of renal function. This study analyzes the temporal and spatial relationship between expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 gene family (Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, Bax) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), growth factors that are thought to be reparative in ARF. A rat model of ischemic ARF involving 30 min of bilateral renal artery occlusion followed by reperfusion for 0 to 14 d was used. Apoptosis and mitosis were quantified and qualitative assessment was made of other cellular damage including necrosis and loss of cellular adhesion. Locality and level of expression of the Bcl-2 and growth factor proteins were determined using immunohistochemistry. Apoptosis peaked between 4 and 14 d postischemia in both proximal and distal tubules. Mitosis peaked at 2 d in proximal tubules and 4 to 14 in the distal tubules. A spatio-temporal relationship was observed between anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene family members and growth factors after ischemia-reperfusion. In control kidneys, expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL was low in epithelium of distal tubules, Bax had low-to-moderate expression in the proximal tubule and had low expression in the distal tubule, EGF and IGF-1 had low-to-moderate expression in the distal tubule, and TGF-β had low expression in the proximal tubule. In contrast, within 24 h of reperfusion, distal tubules showed a marked increase in expression of Bcl-2 and a moderate increase in Bcl-XL and Bax. Proximal tubules showed a marked increase in Bax expression and a moderate increase in Bcl-XL. Twenty-four hours after expression of the Bcl-2 proteins was increased, IGF-1 and EGF protein levels were increased in the distal tubule, similar to the Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic proteins, and were also detected in the adjacent proximal tubules, suggestive of paracrine action in these tubules. TGF-β expression was moderately increased in regenerating proximal tubules, but no relationship was seen with the pattern of expression of the Bcl-2 genes. An explanation of these results is that the distal tubule is adaptively resistant to ischemic injury via promotion of survival by anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 genes, and its survival allows expression of growth factors critical not only to the maintenance and regeneration of its own cell population (autocrine action), but also to the adjacent ischemia-sensitive proximal tubular cells (paracrine action).
An Adaptive Ant Colony System Memorizing Better Solutions (aACS-MBS) For Traveling Salesman Problem
Authors: EKMEKCİ Dursun
Published: April 2021

Choosing the optimal among the many alternatives that meet the criteria is one of the problems that occupy life. This kind of problems frequently encountered by commercial companies in daily life is one of the issues that operators focus on with care. Many techniques have been developed that can provide acceptable solutions in a reasonable time. However, one of the biggest problems for these techniques is that the appropriate values can be assigned to the algorithm parameters. Because one of the most important issues determining algorithm performance is the values to be assigned to its parameters. The Ant Colony System (ACS) is a metaheuristic method that produces successful solutions, especially in combinatorial optimization problems. However, it is very difficult to be able to direct the algorithm to different areas of the search space and, on the other hand, to maintain its local search capability. In this study, a solution proposal is presented that updates the q0 parameter dynamically, which balances the exploitation and exploration activities of the ACS. The method has been tested on the traveling salesman problem (TSP) of different sizes, and the obtained results are evaluated together with the change in the q0 parameter, and the solution search strategy of the algorithm is analyzed. With the pheromone maps formed as a result of the search, the effect of transfer functions was evaluated. Results obtained with aACS-MBS were compared with different ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms. The aACS-MBS fell behind the most successful solution found in the literature, by up to 4%, in large TSP benchmarks. As a result, it has been seen that the method can be successfully applied to combinatorial optimization problems.
Characterizing Disagreement in Online Political Talk: Examining Incivility and Opinion Expression on News Websites and Facebook in Brazil
Authors: Rossini Patricia , Maia Rousiley
Published: April 2021

This paper examines the ways people engage in political conversation triggered by exposure to political news in two different informal platforms in Brazil: Facebook and news websites. We analyze the extent to which disagreement is associated to discursive traits that are commonly associated with deliberative behavior, such as directly engaging with others, and trying to justify one’s views, and negative traits, such as incivility. The contributions of this paper can be summarized as follows. First, this paper emphasizes the importance of looking beyond a single platform and a single topic to understand political discussion online. Second, we demonstrate that online disagreement is positively associated with both deliberative traits, such as justified opinion expression, and non-deliberative traits, such as incivility, and argue that the latter is not enough to dismiss the value of political talk. We also demonstrate that the topic of a news story is relevant both to drive political conversation and to spark political disagreement: controversies involving celebrities and stories covering international affairs are more likely to drive heterogeneous conversations than more conventional political topics (e.g. government, policy), even though these are the topics that tend to attract more political talk. Finally, this study contributes to fill an important gap in the literature, looking beyond the US and Western European contexts by examining political talk in Brazil, the fourth largest digital market in the world.
Procedural Justice in Online Deliberation: Theoretical Explanations and Empirical Findings
Authors: Chang Leanne , Zhang Weiyu
Published: April 2021

This article reviews extant conceptualizations of procedural justice and reports the results of an empirical study testing the effects of fair deliberation. From a communicative action perspective, we argue that Habermas’s conceptions of speech conditions and validity conditions can be used to evaluate the discursive and substantive dimensions of procedural justice in deliberation. That is, fair deliberation is built on the fulfillment of discourse norms and the communicativeness of dialogic interactions. The communicative measures are compatible with extant procedural justice measures and provide a communication-centered ground for evaluating deliberative outcomes related to procedural justice. The case study involves public discussion of the Singaporean government’s population policies on an online deliberative platform. The results show that when procedural justice is presented in the realization of both speech conditions and validity conditions, it fosters participants’ beliefs in the rightfulness of deliberative policymaking. Additionally, speech conditions play a more important role than validity conditions in predicting citizens’ specific policy support after online deliberation. The findings illustrate one instance of how communicative norms are prioritized in different deliberative settings and what deliberative benefits a fair procedure can achieve. The results shed light on the theorization of procedural justice and advance the extant knowledge of evaluating procedural justice in deliberation.
Hacia la construcción de un modelo de Liderazgo Intergeneracional
Authors: Moldes Farelo Rocío , Gómez Fátima
Published: April 2021

Este artículo se inserta en el estudio de nuevos estilos de “liderazgo” contemporáneo, estrechamente vinculado a los planteamientos teóricos del compromiso. El objetivo es, en primer lugar, caracterizar a partir de diez categorías de análisis, las diferencias y similitudes en el estilo de dirección, según sea la generación del líder, percibidas por sus empleados[1]. Posteriormente y basándonos en el análisis de los discursos, (obtenidos mediante la técnica del grupo de discusión), proponemos la construcción del liderazgo intergeneracional, enmarcada en dos competencias transversales: inteligencia emocional y perspectiva generacional, como herramienta para aprovechar el talento intergeneracional.

 

[1] El contenido del artículo se basa en los resultados obtenidos en el proyecto de investigación titulado: “Liderazgo intergeneracional: análisis de los comportamientos directivos según la generación de los managers y cómo desarrollar su liderazgo para la gestión de equipos intergeneracionales”, realizado por el Observatorio Generación y Talento en colaboración con la consultora Tatum y las profesoras Rocío Moldes y Fátima Gómez de la Universidad Europea. El trabajo de campo realizado entre septiembre de 2017 y marzo de 2018, consistió en la realización de ocho talleres con managers y profesionales de recursos humanos y seis grupos de discusión con empleados, miembros de todas las generaciones que hablaban sobre un jefe, perteneciente a una determinada generación.
“Los mejores, los más preparados”. Presidentes y gabinetes con sesgo empresarial en América Latina (2000-2019)
Authors: Nercesian Inés
Published: April 2021

Los estudios acerca de las élites y el perfil de los gabinetes son muy vastos; sin embargo, son pocos quienes han estudiado el fenómeno desde una perspectiva com- parativa. En este artículo analizaremos los Gobiernos con perfil empresarial en América Latina durante el período 2000-2019. Tomamos los casos de Mauricio Macri en Argentina, Michel Temer en Brasil y Vicente Fox en México; Sebastián Piñera en Chile, Álvaro Uribe en Colombia, Elías Antonio Saca en El Salvador, Horacio Cartes en Paraguay y Pedro Pablo Kuczynski en Perú. A partir de una estrategia metodológica que combina técnicas cualitativas y cuantitativas, estudiaremos los mecanismos de reclutamiento y el perfil educativo y ocupacional de los gabinetes. La hipótesis de trabajo sostiene que existe un sesgo y visión empresarial común y una orientación hacia el mundo de las actividades financieras y extranjerizadas. Este rasgo de la política estatal responde a ciertas dinámicas complejas del capitalismo del siglo xxi.
TARİHİ VE KÜLTÜREL ÖZELLİKLERİ İLE KARS’TAKİ TURİZM FAALİYETLERİNDE GASTRONOMİK UNSURLARIN ÖNEMİ
Authors: ÇERKEZ Mehtap
Published: April 2021

Bir destinasyon bölgesini diğer destinasyonlardan ayırmada etkili olan unsurlardan biri gastronomi deneyimidir. Turistlerin bir bölgenin gastronomisi ile ilgili davranışı, gezginlerin ziyaret ettikleri yerin gelenekleri, tarihi veya sosyal ilişkileri hakkında daha derin bilgi edinmesini sağlamaktadır. Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi’nin kuzeydoğusunda bulunan ve çalışmaya konu olan Kars, önemli ticaret yollarına sahip, tarihi çok eskilere dayanan önemli bir kenttir Turizm faaliyetleri için cazie oluşturabilecek birçok unsurun yer aldığı kentin, coğrafi ve iklimsel özellikleriyle kendine has mutfak kültürü de bulunmaktadır Bu çalışmada doğal güzellikleri, tarihi ve zengin kültürü nedeniyle turizm açısından önemli olan Kars bölgesinde yer alan önemli turizm varlıklarının tespit edilmesi ve şehirdeki turizm faaliyetlerinde gastronomik unsurların öneminin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda Kars ili turizminde söz sahibi olan paydaşlara yönelik yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği uygulanarak veriler analiz edilmiştir. Gerek turist sayılarındaki artış, gerek yöreyi ziyaret eden turistlerin yöresel lezzetleri tatmaya istekli olması, gerekse yöredeki gastronomik unsurların çeşitliliği bu yörenin ne kadar büyük bir potansiyele sahip olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bu noktada gastronomik faaliyetlerin bölgede arttırılması yerinde bir çaba olacaktır. Katılımcıların görüşlerine bakarak bölgedeki turizm potansiyelin tam olarak kullanılamadığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Bu noktada gastronomik faaliyetlerin bölgede arttırılması, yerel halk konuyla ilgili bilinçlendirilmesi aynı zamanda hem yerinde turistik bir ürün olarak, hem de ulusal alanda nihai ürün olarak pazarlanmasında profesyonel yöntemler kullanılmalıdır
Imitation model of heat flows distribution in building heating control system
Authors: Ulybyshev S.K. , Staroverov B.A.
Published: April 2021

Implementation of automatic heating control systems allows us to reduce heat consumption by 10% in residential areas and 40% in office and educational buildings. Currently, there are heating control systems, however, they are applied only to a single-level two-pipe heating system. Development of an imitation model of heat flows redistribution is necessary to synthesize the system of interconnected dynamic heating control of a building. Unlike existing solutions, this research work considers the problem of unbalanced heat flow in a multi-level hierarchical heating system. Calculation of convective heat transfer in the room assumes that the air temperature at any given time is the same throughout the entire room. When we determine heat transfer through walling, it is assumed that the walling or its part has the same temperature of the planes perpendicular to the direction of air flow. In this case, the heat transfer process is described by a one-dimensional heat transfer equation. The developed model of heating control systems allows us to connect the automatic control modules, change control algorithms at the compilation stage and in the system state during the simulation process. In comparison with possible analogue models based on AnyLogic or ANSYS modeling systems, the presented model is the model of controlled object. It is easily combined with models of automatic control units and considers the problem of imbalance of heat flows. An example of the functional scheme of the local temperature control system around one battery is considered. Implementation of developed imitation model makes it possible to ensure a new level of quality control of technological processes of production and consumption of power energy resources by using modern information technologies and synthesizing a system of interconnected dynamic heating control. Possibilities of such modeling are focused on development of the uninterrupted and high-quality heat supply system, maintaining energy-efficient operating modes, as well as actual economic effect. The model under consideration allows us to simulate redistribution of heat flows in different operating modes of the heating system.
Representing ‘Place’: City Climate Commissions and the Institutionalisation of Experimental Governance in Edinburgh
Authors: Creasy Alice , Lane Matthew , Owen Alice , Howarth Candice , Van der Horst Dan
Published: April 2021

Against the backdrop of increasingly fragmented and poly-centric urban climate governance, this article examines the establishment of city climate ‘commissions’ as an experimental means of addressing the challenge of climate change at the city-scale. In doing so it addresses the question: What constitutes diversity in voices and perspectives when trying to represent the city as a place for climate action? To answer this question, the article presents an analysis of the Edinburgh Climate Commission’s establishment, drawing on participatory ethnographic research carried out by a researcher embedded within the project team. The account of how this new mode of urban governance was both conceptualised and then put into practice offers a new institutional angle to the literature on urban ‘experimentation.’ Through our reflective analysis we argue that aspirations to ensure pre-defined ‘key’ industries (high carbon emitters) are accounted for in commissioner recruitment, and an over-emphasis on capturing discernible ‘impacts’ in the short term (by involving organisations already pro-active in sustainable development) hindered an opportunity to embrace new perspectives on urban futures and harness the innovative potential of cities to engage with the multifaceted nature of the climate challenge. Furthermore, new insight into the relationship between local authorities and other ‘place-based’ agents of change opens up important questions regarding how to balance the attainment of legitimacy within the political status quo, and the prospect of a new radical politics for urban transformation.
Shifting Coalitions within the Youth Climate Movement in the US
Authors: Fisher Dana R. , Nasrin Sohana
Published: April 2021

How has the youth climate movement in the US grown since the Climate Strikes began and in what ways did it change as it grew? This article takes advantage of a unique dataset that includes surveys from activists who organized the nationally coordinated climate strikes in the US that began with Fridays for Future in spring 2019. Building on the research on alliance building and strategic coalitions, this article analyzes how the patterns of participation changed over the period of the study. We employ social network analysis to map the affiliation networks among the organizers of these events to assess the coalitions of groups involved and the shifting organizational landscape. Our analysis does not provide evidence that groups spanned the boundaries across movements, nor does it show that identity plays a role in coalition building in this movement. Instead, by mapping out the coalition of organizations within this movement and how connections among them change over time, we see clear evidence that this youth-led movement was reoriented by adult-led organizations. Our article concludes by considering how these findings suggest the future trajectory of the youth climate movement and its role in a ‘new climate politics’ in America.
Carbon Ruins: Engaging with Post-Fossil Transitions through Participatory World-Building
Authors: Stripple Johannes , Nikoleris Alexandra , Hildingsson Roger
Published: April 2021

While many pathways to post-fossil futures have been articulated, most fail to engage people in imagining themselves as being part of those futures and involved in the transition. Following recent calls for more immersive experiences, the 2019 initiative “Carbon Ruins—An Exhibition of the Fossil Era” (Carbon Ruins) is a performance set around a historical museum from the future, which uses recognisable, culturally powerful physical objects to bridge the gap between abstract scenarios and everyday experiences. Through its physical presence and extensive media coverage, Carbon Ruins struck a chord with scientists, activists, creative professionals, policy makers, civil society organisations, and the general public. Like other imaginary worlds, Carbon Ruins is not finished. It is an open-ended process of narrating, imagining, and representing (the transition to) a post-fossil future. In this article we reflect upon Carbon Ruins as a participatory form of world-building that allows for new ways of knowing, and new ways of being, in relation to post-fossil transitions. We discern three different kinds of authorship that were taken on by participants: as originators, dwellers, and explorers. While the originator makes the future world a recognisable place, the dweller can engage active hope in place of a passive sense of urgency, and the explorer can transform resignation into commitment, with a fresh determination to leave the fossil era behind. Situating Carbon Ruins within a critical political tradition, we find post-fossil world-building to be a form of critique that destabilises accustomed ways of thinking and opens up new fields of experience that allows things to be done differently.
Climate Politics in Green Deals: Exposing the Political Frontiers of the European Green Deal
Authors: Samper Juan Antonio , Schockling Amanda , Islar Mine
Published: April 2021

This article investigates the political attempts to frame European climate politics and provides a critical discourse analysis of the European Green Deal. A rapid transition towards low-carbon development across the world has been contested by discourses aiming to acknowledge the inseparability of social and ecological issues. These discussions are fairly new in the European context and in 2019, the European Commission presented its Communication on the European Green Deal—the European Union’s legislative roadmap to carbon neutrality by 2050. Empirical evidence for this article is derived from process tracing and policy analysis of the European Commission’s documents on the European Green Deal in relation to existing Green New Deals. Drawing from a neo-Gramscian perspective we argue that the European Green Deal is an attempt to extend the neoliberal hegemonic formation within European climate politics. This results in the foreclosure of democratic channels for articulating climate politics according to dissenting discourses, thereby avoiding the political contestation inherent to climate politics.
INSUFICIÊNCIA RENAL CRÔNICA EM LABRADOR ASSOCIADA AO USO DE ANTI-INFLAMATÓRIOS – RELATO DE CASO
Authors: Nova Nadja Soares Vila , Chagas Renata Celis dos Santos , Freire Francisca Manuela De Sousa , Melo Sthefany Kristinne Alves de , Monteiro Marcos Wanderson Vieira
Published: April 2021

O diagnóstico da Insuficiência Renal Crônica (IRC) inclui a identificação de importantes quadros como azotemia, ou outras alterações que afetem o funcionamento da filtração renal, alterando, assim, a homeostase. Um cão Labrador, macho, 13 anos, 28 kg foi atendido em uma Clínica Veterinária de Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. Na anamnese foi relatado que o animal tinha dores articulares crônicas, atrofia dos membros torácicos e histórico de descompressão de vértebras lombares e artrodese do joelho direito, além de fazer uso recorrente de anti-inflamatórios (meloxicam) por parte dos tutores. Foram solicitados hemograma, bioquímicos séricos e ultrassonografia de abdômen e estes indicaram quadro grave de azotemia (Ureia: 293, 85 mg/dL e Creatinina: 5,78 mg/dL) e imagem compatível com bexiga neurogênica. Administrou-se fluido Ringer com Lactato, Tramadol, Dipirona, Hidróxido de Alumínio e Ranitidina. Após 7 dias de internação, o animal apresentava dor ao andar e urinar, dificuldade no esvaziamento da bexiga, não se alimentava nem bebia água. Devido à persistência da azotemia (Ureia: 148,39 mg/dL e Creatinina: 5,03 mg/dL) o animal foi eutanasiado. O uso de anti-inflamatórios ao longo dos anos levou à insuficiência renal crônica.
Detections of Directional Dynamic Triggering in Intraplate Regions of the United States
Authors: Tang Vivian , Chao Kevin , van der Lee Suzan
Published: April 2021

We report tremor or local earthquake signals that occurred during the propagation of Love and Rayleigh waves from the 2012 Mw 8.6 Sumatra earthquake in three intraplate regions: Yellowstone, central Utah, and Raton basin (Colorado). These surface waves likely also dynamically triggered seismic activity along the western boundary of the North American plate, and did not trigger seismic activity in the central and eastern United States. We report additional potential dynamic triggering in the three aforementioned intraplate regions by surface waves from 37 additional large earthquakes, recorded between 2004 and 2017. These surface waves’ transient stresses generally appear to trigger tremor in seismically, volcanically, and hydrothermally active regions, such as Yellowstone, if the waves also arrive from favorable directions. These stresses do not appear to be decisive factors for triggering local earthquakes reported for the Raton basin and central Utah, whereas, surface waves’ incidence angles do appear to be important there.
El Public Sector Purchase Programme (PSPP) a la luz de las jurisprudencias del TJUE y del Tribunal Constitucional Federal Alemán: Antecedentes y consecuencias de la sentencia del BVerfG de 5 de mayo de 2020 (2 BvR 859/15)
Authors: Corti Varela Justo
Published: April 2021

La sentencia del 5 de mayo de 2020 del Tribunal Constitucional Federal Alemán (BVerfG) que declara ultra vires al Public Sector Purchase Programme (PSPP) del BCE, y a la sentencia Weiss del TJUE que lo había validado, constituye un punto de inflexión en el llamado «diálogo» entre ambos tribunales. Las discrepancias en torno al alcance del mandato del BCE (art. 127 TFUE), y en particular a cómo aplicarle el principio de proporcionalidad en las decisiones de política monetaria, sumado a diferentes criterios de independencia y accountability sobre las llamadas decisiones con efectos económicos indirectos, llevaron al BVerfG a declarar que la actuación de la UE había excedido las competencias transferidas de un modo «estructuralmente significativo». Con un ojo puesto en el Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) acepta, aunque con reparos, los requisitos que sobre el PSPP se imponen para evitar la financiación monetaria prohibida por el art. 123 TFUE. Como la sentencia no ha tenido efectos prácticos inmediatos sobre el PSPP, el daño al principio de primacía no sería suficiente como para iniciar un procedimiento de incumplimiento. Este artículo analiza la doctrina ultra vires del BVerfG (II), la influencia monetarista en el diseño del BCE (III), cómo entiende el TJUE el control sobre su mandato (IV) y sus diferencias con el BVerfG (V), la afectación al principio de primacía (VI), y cierra con unas conclusiones con las posibles contribuciones de este «diálogo» para la mejora de la legitimación democrática de la política monetaria.
El control judicial de la política exterior: Hacia la normalización de la PESC en el ordenamiento jurídico de la Unión Europea (a propósito del asunto Bank Refah Kargaran)
Authors: Santos Vara Juan
Published: April 2021

La sentencia del TJUE en el asunto Bank Refah Kargaran va a contribuir significativamente a reforzar la protección jurídica de los particulares en relación con las medidas restrictivas adoptadas por la UE. Por primera vez, el TJUE se ha declarado competente para conocer de los recursos que tienen por objeto obtener una indemnización por los perjuicios sufridos como consecuencia de la adopción de medidas restrictivas en el ámbito de la PESC. La sentencia Bank Refah Kargaran tiene profundas implicaciones constitucionales para el ordenamiento jurídico de la UE, ya que viene a confirmar que el rol del TJUE en la PESC no es tan limitado como aparentan los Tratados. Los actos jurídicos de la PESC no pueden ser considerados como instrumentos de naturaleza netamente intergubernamental que se mantienen al margen del control judicial. Los actos de la PESC han de ser interpretados en el marco de la estructura general de los Tratados, incluyendo el sistema general de recursos de la UE.