bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantifying the importance of different contagion channels as sources of systemic risk
Authors: Siebenbrunner Christoph
Published: March 2020

A framework that allows computing contagion effects from both direct exposure contagion and overlapping portfolios is presented. The effects of the latter are broken down into loss correlation, effects from fire sales and mark-to-market accounting. The impact can be quantified for any single contagion channel as well as when multiple channels are jointly active. The model can be used to compute contagion losses that are consistent with a given macroeconomic scenario and thus provides a macroprudential extension for microprudential stress tests. Empirical results for a real-world banking system suggest that contagion effects stemming from direct exposures have the highest loss contribution.
The information theory of individuality
Authors: Krakauer David , Bertschinger Nils , Olbrich Eckehard , Flack Jessica C. , Ay Nihat
Published: March 2020

Despite the near universal assumption of individuality in biology, there is little agreement about what individuals are and few rigorous quantitative methods for their identification. Here, we propose that individuals are aggregates that preserve a measure of temporal integrity, i.e., “propagate” information from their past into their futures. We formalize this idea using information theory and graphical models. This mathematical formulation yields three principled and distinct forms of individuality—an organismal, a colonial, and a driven form—each of which varies in the degree of environmental dependence and inherited information. This approach can be thought of as a Gestalt approach to evolution where selection makes figure-ground (agent–environment) distinctions using suitable information-theoretic lenses. A benefit of the approach is that it expands the scope of allowable individuals to include adaptive aggregations in systems that are multi-scale, highly distributed, and do not necessarily have physical boundaries such as cell walls or clonal somatic tissue. Such individuals might be visible to selection but hard to detect by observers without suitable measurement principles. The information theory of individuality allows for the identification of individuals at all levels of organization from molecular to cultural and provides a basis for testing assumptions about the natural scales of a system and argues for the importance of uncertainty reduction through coarse-graining in adaptive systems.
Virtual Operating Room Simulation Setup (VORSS) for Procedural Training in Minimally Invasive Surgery – a Pilot Study
Authors: Ganni Sandeep , Li Meng , Botden Sanne M. B. I. , Nayak Samir Ranjan , Ganni Bhaskar Rao , Rutkowski Anne-Francoise , Goossens Richard H. M. , Jakimowicz Jack
Published: March 2020

Virtual reality (VR) training is widely used in several minimal invasive surgery (MIS) training curricula for procedural training. However, VR training in its current state lack immersive training environments, such as using head-mounted displays that is implemented in military or aviation training and even entertainment. The virtual operating room simulation setup (VORSS) is explored in this study to determine the effectiveness of immersive training in MIS. Twenty-eight surgeons and surgical trainees performed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy on the VORSS comprising of a head-mounted 360-degree realistic OR surrounding on a VR laparoscopic simulator. The VORSS replicated a full setup of instruments and surgical team-members as well as some of the distractions occurring during surgical procedures. Questionnaires were followed by semi-structured interviews to collect the data. Experts and novices found the VORSS to be intuitive and easy to use (p = 0.001). The outcome of the usability test, applying QUESI and NASA-TLX, reflected the usability of the VORSS (p < 0.05), at the cognitive level, which indicates a good sense of immersion and satisfaction, when performing the procedure within VORSS. The need for personalized experience within the setup was strongly noted from most of the participants. The VORSS for procedural training has the potential to become a useful tool to provide immersive training in MIS surgery. Further optimizing of the VORSS realism and introduction of distractors in the OR should result in an improvement of the system.
Variation in forest landowners’ management preferences reduces timber supply from Finnish forests
Authors: Heinonen Tero , Pukkala Timo , Asikainen Antti
Published: March 2020

Key message

Forest owners who maximize profitability with a low discount rate or whose management goals are related to conservation and recreation, rarely sell timber. These owners make it difficult to achieve the high harvesting targets of the growing bioeconomy sector of Finland. To increase timber supply, these landowners should be informed about alternative silvicultural methods.

Context

The round wood harvests from Finnish forests are increasing and approaching to the level of maximum sustainable cut. Cutting budget calculations assume that forests are harvested in an optimal way for national timber supply. The calculations ignore the variability of landowners’ forest management preferences.

Aims

This study analyzed the effect of variation in the management objectives and silvicultural preferences of forest landowners on the forecasted timber supply from Finnish forests.

Methods

Forest owners were divided into savers (net present value maximized with a 1% discount rate), average owners (3% discount rate), and investors (5% discount rate). The owners of each group were further divided into three groups: those who allow only continuous cover management (12%), owners who use only rotation forest management (10%), and indifferent landowners who may use both silvicultural systems (78%). Scenarios were composed of management prescriptions that were optimized separately for the different groups of forest landowners.

Results

Compared to the even-flow timber drain scenario for rotation forest management (calculated without acknowledging the varying preferences of landowners), the scenario where the owners’ preferences varied decreased harvested volume by 15–19% during a 100-year calculation period. The main reason for the difference was the saver type of landowners who rarely sell timber.

Conclusion

It was concluded that variation of the preferences of forest landowners may make it challenging to meet the increasing harvesting targets of the growing bioeconomy of Finland.
Human migration: the big data perspective
Authors: Sîrbu Alina , Andrienko Gennady , Andrienko Natalia , Boldrini Chiara , Conti Marco , Giannotti Fosca , Guidotti Riccardo , Bertoli Simone , Kim Jisu , Muntean Cristina Ioana , Pappalardo Luca , Passarella Andrea , Pedreschi Dino , Pollacci Laura , Pratesi Francesca , Sharma Rajesh
Published: March 2020

How can big data help to understand the migration phenomenon? In this paper, we try to answer this question through an analysis of various phases of migration, comparing traditional and novel data sources and models at each phase. We concentrate on three phases of migration, at each phase describing the state of the art and recent developments and ideas. The first phase includesthe journey, and we study migration flows and stocks, providing examples where big data can have an impact. The second phase discussesthe stay, i.e. migrant integration in the destination country. We explore various data sets and models that can be used to quantify and understand migrant integration, with the final aim of providing the basis for the construction of a novel multi-level integration index. The last phase is related to the effects of migration on the source countries andthe returnof migrants.
Brentuximab Vedotin for Treating Relapsed or Refractory CD30-Positive Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of a NICE Single Technology Appraisal
Authors: Stainthorpe Angela , Fleeman Nigel , Houten Rachel , Chaplin Marty , Boland Angela , Beale Sophie , Dundar Yenal , McEntee Joanne , Syndikus Isabel
Published: March 2020

As part of the single technology appraisal process, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence invited Takeda UK Ltd to submit clinical- and cost-effectiveness evidence for brentuximab vedotin (BV) for treating relapsed or refractory CD30-positive (CD30+) cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). The Liverpool Reviews and Implementation Group at the University of Liverpool was commissioned to act as the evidence review group (ERG). This article summarises the ERG’s review of the company’s submission for BV and the appraisal committee (AC) decision. The principal clinical evidence was derived from a subgroup of patients with advanced-stage CD30+ mycosis fungoides (MF) or primary cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (pcALCL) in the phase III ALCANZA randomised controlled trial (RCT). This trial compared BV versus physician’s choice (PC) of methotrexate or bexarotene. Evidence from three observational studies was also presented, which included patients with other CTCL subtypes. The ERG’s main concerns with the clinical evidence were the lack of RCT evidence for CTCL subtypes other than MF or pcALCL, lack of robust overall survival data (data were immature and confounded by subsequent treatment and treatment crossover on disease progression) and lack of conclusive results from analyses of health-related quality-of-life data. The ERG noted that many areas of uncertainty in the cost-effectiveness analysis were related to the clinical data, arising from the rarity of the condition and its subtypes and the complexity of the treatment pathway. The ERG highlighted that the inclusion of allogeneic stem-cell transplant (alloSCT) as an option in the treatment pathway was based on weak evidence and generated more uncertainty in a disease area that, because of its rarity and diversity, was already highly uncertain. The ERG also lacked confidence in the company’s modelling of the post-progression pathway and was concerned that it may not produce reliable results. Results from the company’s base-case comparison (including a simple discount patient access scheme [PAS] for BV) showed that treatment with BV dominated PC. The ERG’s revisions and scenario analyses highlighted the high level of uncertainty around the company base-case cost-effectiveness results, ranging from BV dominating PC to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per quality-adjusted life-year gained of £494,981. The AC concluded that it was appropriate to include alloSCT in the treatment pathway even though data were limited. The AC recommended BV as an option for treating CD30+ CTCL after at least one systemic therapy in adults if they have MF, stage IIB or higher pcALCL or Sézary syndrome and if the company provides BV according to the commercial arrangement (i.e. simple discount PAS).
How I met the normalized p-Laplacian $$\varDelta _p^N$$ and what we know now about mean values and concavity properties
Authors: Kawohl Bernd
Published: March 2020

In this article I describe how I discovered the normalized p-Laplacian $$\varDelta _p^Nu=\frac{1}{p}|\nabla u|^{2-p}\varDelta _p u$$

Δ
p
N

u
=

1
p

|
∇
u
|

2
-
p

Δ
p

u

as an interesting mathematical object in the context of mathematical image processing. Then I provide a survey of results which this operator has in common with the linear Laplacian.
Impact of RB1 gene mutation type in retinoblastoma patients on clinical presentation and management outcome
Authors: Mehyar Mustafa , Mosallam Mohammad , Tbakhi Abdelghani , Saab Ala , Sultan Iyad , Deebajah Rasha , Jaradat Imad , AlJabari Reem , Mohammad Mona , AlNawaiseh Ibrahim , Al-Hussaini Maysa , Yousef Yacoub A.
Published: March 2020

Objective/background:

Retinoblastoma (RB), the most common intraocular malignancy in children, is caused by biallelic inactivation of the human retinoblastoma susceptibility gene (RB1). We are evaluating the impact of the type of RB1 gene mutation on clinical presentation and management outcome.

Methods:

A retrospective case series of 50 patients with RB. Main outcomes were clinical and pathologic features and types of RB1 gene mutations detected using quantitative multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), allele-specific PCR, next-generation sequencing analysis, and Sanger sequencing.

Results:

Twenty (40%) patients had unilateral RB and 30 (60%) had bilateral RB. Overall, 36 (72%) patients had germline disease, 17 (47%) of whom inherited the disease. Of these 17 inherited cases, paternal origin of the RB1 mutation was seen in 15 (88%). The overall eye salvage rate was 74% (n = 49/66; 100% for Groups A + B + C, and 79% for Group D eyes). The most frequent type of mutation was a nonsense mutation generating a stop codon (15/36, 42%). Other mutations that result in a premature stop codon due to deletions or insertions with donor splice site or receptor splice site mutations were detected in 7/36 (19%), 10/36 (28%), and 2/26 (6%) patients, respectively. The remaining two (6%) patients had frameshift mutation. Patients with deletion, acceptor splice site, and frameshift mutations presented with more advanced ICRB (International Classification of Retinoblastoma) stage (75% diagnosed with Group D or E), even though there was no significant difference in eye salvage rate or tumor invasiveness between patients with different types of mutations.

Conclusion:

Despite the heterogeneous nature of RB1 gene mutations, tumor stage remains the most important predictive factor for clinical presentation and outcome. Furthermore, acceptor splice site and frameshift mutations are associated with more advanced tumor stage at diagnosis.
Conversion, Causes, and Closed-Mindedness
Authors: DIPAOLO JOSHUA
Published: March 2020

‘You just believe that because you were raised to believe it!’ is a familiar criticism. Many converts, however, believe the opposite of what they were raised to believe. Does this make them immune to these challenges? I scrutinize this ‘conversion defense’. If these challenges only concern belief genealogy, a certain kind of convert is immune to them. However, these challenges often concern closed-mindedness rather than genealogy. Seen in this light, the convert who is immune to the genealogical critique may bemoresusceptible to these challenges due to her conversion. Her conversion may make her more likely to engage in ‘epistemic self-licensing’ akin to the empirically documented phenomenon of ‘moral self-licensing’.
Teaching South African History in the Digital Age: Collaboration, Pedagogy, and Popularizing History
Authors: Kelly Jill E. , Badsha Omar
Published: March 2020

The digitization of African materials has made it easier than ever for students to engage with primary source documentation and undertake original research. Digitizing sources and using digital sources to teach African history has great pedagogical value, but must be done ethically. This article suggests a model for collaborative and publicly-engaged scholarship, demonstrating the potential of transnational projects and shared knowledge production while maintaining sensitivity towards questions of the hegemony of the North. The study draws on experience of a virtual internship project between North American-based university students and the South African non-profit South African History Online (SAHO).
Hydrodynamic computational modelling and simulations of collisional shock waves in gas jet targets
Authors: Passalidis Stylianos , Ettlinger Oliver C. , Hicks George S. , Dover Nicholas P. , Najmudin Zulfikar , Benis Emmanouil P. , Kaselouris Evaggelos , Papadogiannis Nektarios A. , Tatarakis Michael , Dimitriou Vasilis
Published: March 2020

We study the optimization of collisionless shock acceleration of ions based on hydrodynamic modelling and simulations of collisional shock waves in gaseous targets. The models correspond to the specifications required for experiments with the

$\text{CO}_{2}$

laser at the Accelerator Test Facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Vulcan Petawatt system at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. In both cases, a laser prepulse is simulated to interact with hydrogen gas jet targets. It is demonstrated that by controlling the pulse energy, the deposition position and the backing pressure, a blast wave suitable for generating nearly monoenergetic ion beams can be formed. Depending on the energy absorbed and the deposition position, an optimal temporal window can be determined for the acceleration considering both the necessary overdense state of plasma and the required short scale lengths for monoenergetic ion beam production.
‘TO HEAVEN ON A HOOK’ (DIO CASS. 60.35.4): ENNIUS, LUCILIUS AND AN INEFFECTUAL COUNCIL OF THE GODS INAENEID10
Authors: Morgan Llewelyn
Published: March 2020

‘The last stanza of Horace's poem’, writes Denis Feeney of Hor.Carm.3.3, ‘declares virtually outright that he has just been “quoting” epic matter: “desine peruicax | referre sermones deorum et | magna modis tenuare paruis” (70–2)’. A poem that recounts the doings of gods automatically demands comparison with epic, but if thespeechesof gods are presented, all the more so. Horace's poem in fact evokes an episode within a specific epic poem, the Council of the Gods that occurred during the first book of Ennius’Annales. But such divine councils are a ‘stock epic scene’, and rather more than that: they are moments when epic is at its most quintessentially epic. In simple terms, an epic poet ‘may underline the significance and increase the dramatic effect’ of a critical point in the narrative ‘by showing us that it exercised the gods’, and that analysis applies to any divine presence in a poem: if a key impulse of epic is to amplify the significance of human activity, those occasions when higher forces overtly assert their control of human destiny satisfy a number of fundamental preoccupations of the genre. But in the Council of the Gods we have the most developed and impressive realization of this divine concern for mortal existence, as well as a topos that in Rome at least achieved special status within the broader field of divine machinery in epic. That status is perhaps reflected in a tendency discernible in the Roman section of the tradition for such councils to fall early in the epic narrative, as if initiating the epic plot. If so, however, Virgil's Council atAen.10.1–117 defies expectation by failing to be convened until the plot of the epic is very far advanced indeed, and even then, as this article will consider, achieving strikingly less than one might expect of a plenary gathering of supernatural powers at an advanced stage in an epic narrative.
OPTIMAL MULTISTEP VAR FORECAST AVERAGING
Authors: Liao Jen-Che , Tsay Wen-Jen
Published: March 2020

This article proposes frequentist multiple-equation least-squares averaging approaches for multistep forecasting with vector autoregressive (VAR) models. The proposed VAR forecast averaging methods are based on the multivariate Mallows model averaging (MMMA) and multivariate leave-h-out cross-validation averaging (MCVAh) criteria (with h denoting the forecast horizon), which are valid for iterative and direct multistep forecast averaging, respectively. Under the framework of stationary VAR processes of infinite order, we provide theoretical justifications by establishing asymptotic unbiasedness and asymptotic optimality of the proposed forecast averaging approaches. Specifically, MMMA exhibits asymptotic optimality for one-step-ahead forecast averaging, whereas for direct multistep forecast averaging, the asymptotically optimal combination weights are determined separately for each forecast horizon based on the MCVAh procedure. To present our methodology, we investigate the finite-sample behavior of the proposed averaging procedures under model misspecification via simulation experiments.
Thinking about World Peace
Authors: Bellamy Alex J.
Published: March 2020

For as long as humans have fought wars, we have been beguiled and frustrated by the prospect of world peace. Only a very few of us today believe that world peace is possible. Indeed, the very mention of the term “world peace” raises incredulity. In contrast, as part of the roundtable “World Peace (And How We Can Achieve It),” this essay makes the case for taking world peace more seriously. It argues that world peace is possible, though neither inevitable nor irreversible. World peace, I argue, is something that every generation must strive for, because the ideas, social structures, and practices that make war possible are likely to remain with us. The essay proceeds in three parts. First, I briefly set out what I mean by peace and world peace. Second, I explain why I think that world peace is possible. Third, I examine how the world might be nudged in a more peaceful direction.
On American Values, Unalienable Rights, and Human Rights: Some Reflections on the Pompeo Commission
Authors: Risse Mathias
Published: March 2020

In July 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched a Commission on Unalienable Rights, charged with a reexamination of the scope and nature of human rights–based claims. From his statements, it seems that Pompeo hopes the commission will substantiate—by appeal to the U.S. Declaration of Independence and to natural law theory—three key conservative ideas: (1) that there is too much human rights proliferation, and once we get things right, social and economic rights as well as gender emancipation and reproductive rights will no longer register as human rights; (2) that religious liberties should be strengthened under the human rights umbrella; and (3) that the unalienable rights that should guide American foreign policy neither need nor benefit from any international oversight. I aim to show that despite Pompeo's framing, the Declaration of Independence, per se, is of no help with any of this, whereas evoking natural law is only helpful in ways that reveal its own limitations as a foundation for both human rights and foreign policy in our interconnected age.
Toward a Social-Democratic Peace?
Authors: Gleditsch Nils Petter
Published: March 2020

The decline in organized violence in the period after World War II provides the promise of a more peaceful future. How can we move further in this direction? Democratic peace—the absence of armed violence between democracies and the domestic peace of mature democracies—may provide part of the answer. This phenomenon is a well-established empirical regularity, but its mechanisms and its limits remain a subject of continuing research. The key role of democracy in reducing violence has been challenged by alternative explanations, such as the liberal peace, the capitalist peace, the developed peace, the organized peace, the quality of government peace, the feminist peace, and the civil society peace—but also by realism. In this essay, part of the roundtable “World Peace (And How We Can Achieve It),” I argue that it is a social-democratic peace that provides the best basis for a lasting world peace. This formula includes democracy but incorporates additional elements, such as a market economy, an active and competent state, close international cooperation, and the reduction of discrimination and group-based inequality. Combining these elements would provide a solid basis for eliminating violence between, as well as within, states. The main limitation of such a program is its demanding nature. Few states and interstate relations as yet fulfill all these conditions, but the long-term trends are moving in the right direction.
Classifications in child and adolescent psychiatry: A risky business?
Authors: B. Falissard
Published: March 2020

Psychiatrists, like most physicians, are fascinated by their classifications. Like art critics that distinguish surrealists, cubists, hyperrealists, minimalists, etc. psychiatrists try to reveal patterns of symptoms, emotions or behaviors from the patients they see in their day-to-day practice. But psychiatric disorders are not used and determined only by psychiatrists. As pointed by P. Zachar (2015), psychiatric disorders can be considered as biological dysfunction, patterns of symptoms helpful for treatment and prognosis, categories used by health insurances, categories used by judges, words used in the media, concepts used by sociologists (“The weariness of the self”, Alain Eherenberg).We will discuss in the conference what science can say about this confusion and what clinicians should consider for their clinical practice.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.
25 years of impact – how EFPT shapes the future of psychiatry
Authors: E. Sönmez
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Established in 1993, the European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees (EFPT) has aimed to represent psychiatric trainees’ views in different platforms and to advocate for better training. Representation of more than twenty thousand psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) trainees has been realized through the cooperation of currently 34 national trainee associations (NTAs).

Objectives

To discuss the function of NTAs with regard to empowerment of psychiatry trainees and to share the relevant experience of EFPT.

Methods

The formation process of NTAs and the outcomes of NTA network of EFPT will be explored.

Results

The history of EFPT demonstrates that NTAs played an important role, first of all, in the formation of following NTAs. Today, most of them either independent or have a semi-independent position within the national psychiatry associations. The NTA network within EFPT has enabled the conduction of international research studies, which has contributed to the development of an insight on how specific aspects of psychiatry are perceived by trainees. The input of EFPT in several guidance documents and the dissemination of them through NTAs helped raising awareness about the rights and competencies, for both individual trainees and the organizations they formed. NTAs, with the good examples, support and encourage from the other NTAs, have become more involved in discussions about curriculum changes, even to a degree where trainees facilitated the launch of different rotations.

Conclusions

The experience EFPT proves that the organized efforts of NTAs can have a positive impact on psychiatry training in general, as well as the professional development of individual psychiatry trainees.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.
Transcultural adaptation after migration
Authors: D. Bhugra
Published: March 2020

International medical graduates (IMGs) by definition move from the country in which they received their training to another country in order to train and settle down in. The reasons for migration by IMGs can be political, educational or economic. Each reason brings with it a series of difficulties, both for the individual and for the society to which they move (as well as to the society they leave behind). Acculturation and settling down will raise specific issues in the functioning of the IMGs and to their response to the new country. Certain factorsmaycause stress and othersmaycontribute to the successful adjustment by the IMGs. Suggestions on how to support international medical graduates and how to help reduce their stress will be highlighted.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.
Complete closure of the ductus arteriosus in the foetus with transposition of the great arteries
Authors: Grzyb Agnieszka , Koleśnik Adam , Gruszfeld Dariusz , Szymkiewicz-Dangel Joanna
Published: March 2020

Prenatal restriction of the ductus arteriosus can manifest as persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn, especially dangerous with the transposition of the great arteries. Its aetiology has long been related to maternal intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; however, some other substances, including polyphenols, may have similar properties. We describe a case of complete prenatal closure of the ductus arteriosus in the foetus with transposition of the great arteries. The newborn presented with pulmonary hypertension unresponsive to pharmacotherapy and died of multi-organ failure.
Return to the Isle of Ted: Simulating the Collective Action Problem of Climate Change
Authors: Mitchell Jocelyn Sage
Published: March 2020

This article modifies the classic “Isle of Ted” simulation to teach students about the collective action problems associated with climate change. Modifications include the introduction of a common-pool resource (i.e., fish) and increased pirate attacks to model rising climate threats and unequal distribution of risk. A return to the Isle of Ted enables a deeper engagement with specific collective action problems of climate change, including the tragedy of the commons and issues of global inequality. This article provides a road map for the incorporation of this modified simulation into active-learning classrooms.
Consumption of ultra-processed foods at 11, 22 and 30 years at the 2004, 1993 and 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohorts
Authors: dos Santos Costa Caroline , Formoso Assunção Maria Cecília , dos Santos Vaz Juliana , Rauber Fernanda , Oliveira Bierhals Isabel , Matijasevich Alicia , Horta Bernardo L , Gonçalves Helen , Wehrmeister Fernando C , Santos Iná S
Published: March 2020

Objective:

To describe the consumption of ultra-processed foods according to demographic and socioeconomic characteristics in three birth cohorts.

Design:

Cross-sectional analysis.

Setting:

Data from the 2004, 1993 and 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohorts were used at 11, 22 and 30 years, respectively, collected between 2012 and 2015. Outcome was the relative contribution of ultra-processed foods from the total daily energy intake. Maternal-independent variables were self-reported skin colour, schooling, age and family income (obtained in the perinatal study), and variables of the cohort member, sex, skin colour, schooling and current family income (the last two obtained at the 11-, 22- and 30-year follow-ups of the respective cohorts). We calculated crude and adjusted means of the outcome for the whole cohorts and according to the independent variables.

Participants:

11-, 22- and 30-year-old individuals.

Results:

Daily energetic contribution from ultra-processed foods was higher in the younger cohort (33·7, 29·8 and 25·1 % at 11, 22 and 30 years, respectively). Maternal schooling and family income at birth showed an inverse dose–response relationship at 11 and 22 years, but a positive dose–response at 30 years. Female sex, lower schooling and family income at 22 years and higher schooling at 30 years were associated to a higher contribution from ultra-processed foods in the daily energy intake.

Conclusions:

Information from food and nutrition policies needs a higher dissemination, mostly among women and population groups of lower income and schooling, including its promotion in media and health services, aiming for a decreased consumption of ultra-processed foods.
Does vitamin D status predict weight gain or increase in waist circumference? Results from the longitudinal Health 2000/2011 Survey
Authors: Jääskeläinen Tuija , Männistö Satu , Härkänen Tommi , Sääksjärvi Katri , Koskinen Seppo , Lundqvist Annamari
Published: March 2020

Objective:

To investigate whether vitamin D status predicts weight gain or increase in waist circumference during the 11-year follow-up in general adult population.

Design:

A population-based longitudinal study.

Setting:

The study was conducted using data from the nationally representative Health 2000/2011 Survey. The analyses were based on regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

Participants:

Weight, waist circumference and vitamin D status (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration analysed with radioimmunoassay) were measured from 2924 participants aged 30–64 years at baseline.

Results:

In men, low vitamin D status at baseline predicted ≥10 % increase in waist circumference during the follow-up when adjusted for age only (OR for sufficientv. deficient S-25(OH)D 0·41; 95 % CI 0·25, 0·67;Pfor trend <0·01), but the association with weight gain was only borderline significant. After adjustment for potential confounders, low vitamin D status remained a significant predictor of increase in waist circumference, but the association with weight gain was further attenuated. In women, vitamin D status at baseline did not predict weight gain or increase in waist circumference.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that vitamin D insufficiency may be a risk factor of abdominal obesity among men but not among women. In men, it may also increase the risk of weight gain. Further studies are required to confirm these findings and examine potential mechanisms behind them. There is also a possibility that vitamin D is a biomarker of healthy lifestyle rather than an independent risk factor for obesity.
The dynactin subunit DCTN1 controls osteoclastogenesis via the Cdc42/PAK2 pathway
Authors: Lee Yong Deok , Kim Bongjun , Jung Suhan , Kim Haemin , Kim Min Kyung , Kwon Jun-Oh , Song Min-Kyoung , Lee Zang Hee , Kim Hong-Hee
Published: March 2020

Osteoclasts (OCs), cells specialized for bone resorption, are generated from monocyte/macrophage precursors by a differentiation process governed by RANKL. Here, we show that DCTN1, a key component of the dynactin complex, plays important roles in OC differentiation. The expression of DCTN1 was upregulated by RANKL. The inhibition of DCTN1 expression by gene knockdown suppressed OC formation, bone resorption, and the induction of NFATc1 and c-Fos, critical transcription factors for osteoclastogenesis. More importantly, the activation of Cdc42 by RANKL was inhibited upon DCTN1 silencing. The forced expression of constitutively active Cdc42 restored the OC differentiation of precursors with DCTN1 deletion. In addition, PAK2 was found to be activated by RANKL and to function downstream of Cdc42. The DCTN1-Cdc42 axis also inhibited apoptosis and caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, the anti-osteoclastogenic effect of DCTN1 knockdown was verified in an animal model of bone erosion. Intriguingly, DCTN1 overexpression was also detrimental to OC differentiation, suggesting that DCTN1 should be regulated at the appropriate level for effective osteoclastogenesis. Collectively, our results reveal that DCTN1 participates in the activation of Cdc42/PAK2 signaling and the inhibition of apoptosis during osteoclastogenesis.
AFM-compatible microfluidic platform for affinity-based capture and nanomechanical characterization of circulating tumor cells
Authors: Deliorman Muhammedin , Janahi Farhad K. , Sukumar Pavithra , Glia Ayoub , Alnemari Roaa , Fadl Samar , Chen Weiqiang , Qasaimeh Mohammad A.
Published: March 2020

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) carried by the patient’s bloodstream are known to lead to the metastatic spread of cancer. It is becoming increasingly clear that an understanding of the nanomechanical characteristics of CTCs, such as elasticity and adhesiveness, represents advancements in tracking and monitoring cancer progression and metastasis. In the present work, we describe a combined microfluidic–atomic force microscopy (AFM) platform that uses antibody–antigen capture to routinely isolate and nanomechanically characterize CTCs present in blood samples from prostate cancer patients. We introduce the reversible assembly of a microfluidic device and apply refined and robust chemistry to covalently bond antibodies onto its glass substrate with high density and the desired orientation. As a result, we show that the device can efficiently capture CTCs from patients with localized and metastatic prostate cancer through anti-EpCAM, anti-PSA, and anti-PSMA antibodies, and it is suitable for AFM measurements of captured intact CTCs. When nanomechanically characterized, CTCs originating from metastatic cancer demonstrate decreased elasticity and increased deformability compared to those originating from localized cancer. While the average adhesion of CTCs to the AFM tip surface remained the same in both the groups, there were fewer multiple adhesion events in metastatic CTCs than there were in their counterparts. The developed platform is simple, robust, and reliable and can be useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer as well as other forms of cancer.
Correction: MTSS1 and SCAMP1 cooperate to prevent invasion in breast cancer
Authors: Vadakekolathu Jayakumar , Al-Juboori Shaymaa Ismael Kadhim , Johnson Catherine , Schneider Anne , Buczek Magdalena Elżbieta , Di Biase Anna , Pockley Alan Graham , Ball Graham Roy , Powe Desmond George , Regad Tarik
Published: March 2020

The financial support for this Article was not fully acknowledged. The Acknowledgements should have included the following: “This study was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no 641549, Immutrain.” The PDF and HTML versions of the paper have been modified accordingly.
The nature of deep overturning and reconfigurations of the silicon cycle across the last deglaciation
Authors: Dumont M. , Pichevin L. , Geibert W. , Crosta X. , Michel E. , Moreton S. , Dobby K. , Ganeshram R.
Published: March 2020

Changes in ocean circulation and the biological carbon pump have been implicated as the drivers behind the rise in atmospheric CO2 across the last deglaciation; however, the processes involved remain uncertain. Previous records have hinted at a partitioning of deep ocean ventilation across the two major intervals of atmospheric CO2 rise, but the consequences of differential ventilation on the Si cycle has not been explored. Here we present three new records of silicon isotopes in diatoms and sponges from the Southern Ocean that together show increased Si supply from deep mixing during the deglaciation with a maximum during the Younger Dryas (YD). We suggest Antarctic sea ice and Atlantic overturning conditions favoured abyssal ocean ventilation at the YD and marked an interval of Si cycle reorganisation. By regulating the strength of the biological pump, the glacial–interglacial shift in the Si cycle may present an important control on Pleistocene CO2 concentrations.
Direct observation of nuclear reorganization driven by ultrafast spin transitions
Authors: Jiang Yifeng , Liu Lai Chung , Sarracini Antoine , Krawczyk Kamil M. , Wentzell Jordan S. , Lu Cheng , Field Ryan L. , Matar Samir F. , Gawelda Wojciech , Müller-Werkmeister Henrike M. , Miller R. J. Dwayne
Published: March 2020

One of the most basic molecular photophysical processes is that of spin transitions and intersystem crossing between excited states surfaces. The change in spin states affects the spatial distribution of electron density through the spin orbit coupling interaction. The subsequent nuclear reorganization reports on the full extent of the spin induced change in electron distribution, which can be treated similarly to intramolecular charge transfer with effective reaction coordinates depicting the spin transition. Here, single-crystal [FeII(bpy)3](PF6)2, a prototypical system for spin crossover (SCO) dynamics, is studied using ultrafast electron diffraction in the single-photon excitation regime. The photoinduced SCO dynamics are resolved, revealing two distinct processes with a (450 ± 20)-fs fast component and a (2.4 ± 0.4)-ps slow component. Using principal component analysis, we uncover the key structural modes, ultrafast Fe–N bond elongations coupled with ligand motions, that define the effective reaction coordinate to fully capture the relevant molecular reorganization.
Ferromagnetic quasi-atomic electrons in two-dimensional electride
Authors: Lee Seung Yong , Hwang Jae-Yeol , Park Jongho , Nandadasa Chandani N. , Kim Younghak , Bang Joonho , Lee Kimoon , Lee Kyu Hyoung , Zhang Yunwei , Ma Yanming , Hosono Hideo , Lee Young Hee , Kim Seong-Gon , Kim Sung Wng
Published: March 2020

An electride, a generalized form of cavity-trapped interstitial anionic electrons (IAEs) in a positively charged lattice framework, shows exotic properties according to the size and geometry of the cavities. Here, we report that the IAEs in layer structured [Gd2C]2+·2e− electride behave as ferromagnetic elements in two-dimensional interlayer space and possess their own magnetic moments of ~0.52 μB per quasi-atomic IAE, which facilitate the exchange interactions between interlayer gadolinium atoms across IAEs, inducing the ferromagnetism in [Gd2C]2+·2e− electride. The substitution of paramagnetic chlorine atoms for IAEs proves the magnetic nature of quasi-atomic IAEs through a transition from ferromagnetic [Gd2C]2+·2e− to antiferromagnetic Gd2CCl caused by attenuating interatomic exchange interactions, consistent with theoretical calculations. These results confirm that quasi-atomic IAEs act as ferromagnetic elements and trigger ferromagnetic spin alignments within the antiferromagnetic [Gd2C]2+ lattice framework. These results present a broad opportunity to tailor intriguing ferromagnetism originating from quasi-atomic interstitial electrons in low-dimensional materials.
Different regions of synaptic vesicle membrane regulate VAMP2 conformation for the SNARE assembly
Authors: Wang Chuchu , Tu Jia , Zhang Shengnan , Cai Bin , Liu Zhenying , Hou Shouqiao , Zhong Qinglu , Hu Xiao , Liu Wenbin , Li Guohui , Liu Zhijun , He Lin , Diao Jiajie , Zhu Zheng-Jiang , Li Dan , Liu Cong
Published: March 2020

Vesicle associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2/synaptobrevin2), a core SNARE protein residing on synaptic vesicles (SVs), forms helix bundles with syntaxin-1 and SNAP25 for the SNARE assembly. Prior to the SNARE assembly, the structure of VAMP2 is unclear. Here, by using in-cell NMR spectroscopy, we describe the dynamic membrane association of VAMP2 SNARE motif in mammalian cells, and the structural change of VAMP2 upon the change of intracellular lipid environment. We analyze the lipid compositions of the SV membrane by mass-spectrometry-based lipidomic profiling, and further reveal that VAMP2 forms distinctive conformations in different membrane regions. In contrast to the non-raft region, the membrane region of cholesterol-rich lipid raft markedly weakens the membrane association of VAMP2 SNARE motif, which releases the SNARE motif and facilitates the SNARE assembly. Our work reveals the regulation of different membrane regions on VAMP2 structure and sheds light on the spatial regulation of SNARE assembly.
Leptin receptor-expressing neuron Sh2b1 supports sympathetic nervous system and protects against obesity and metabolic disease
Authors: Jiang Lin , Su Haoran , Wu Xiaoyin , Shen Hong , Kim Min-Hyun , Li Yuan , Myers Martin G. , Owyang Chung , Rui Liangyou
Published: March 2020

Leptin stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), energy expenditure, and weight loss; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains elusive. Here, we uncover Sh2b1 in leptin receptor (LepR) neurons as a critical component of a SNS/brown adipose tissue (BAT)/thermogenesis axis. LepR neuron-specific deletion of Sh2b1 abrogates leptin-stimulated sympathetic nerve activation and impairs BAT thermogenic programs, leading to reduced core body temperature and cold intolerance. The adipose SNS degenerates progressively in mutant mice after 8 weeks of age. Adult-onset ablation of Sh2b1 in the mediobasal hypothalamus also impairs the SNS/BAT/thermogenesis axis; conversely, hypothalamic overexpression of human SH2B1 has the opposite effects. Mice with either LepR neuron-specific or adult-onset, hypothalamus-specific ablation of Sh2b1 develop obesity, insulin resistance, and liver steatosis. In contrast, hypothalamic overexpression of SH2B1 protects against high fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndromes. Our results unravel an unrecognized LepR neuron Sh2b1/SNS/BAT/thermogenesis axis that combats obesity and metabolic disease.
Regulating strain in perovskite thin films through charge-transport layers
Authors: Xue Ding-Jiang , Hou Yi , Liu Shun-Chang , Wei Mingyang , Chen Bin , Huang Ziru , Li Zongbao , Sun Bin , Proppe Andrew H. , Dong Yitong , Saidaminov Makhsud I. , Kelley Shana O. , Hu Jin-Song , Sargent Edward H.
Published: March 2020

Thermally-induced tensile strain that remains in perovskite films following annealing results in increased ion migration and is a known factor in the instability of these materials. Previously-reported strain regulation methods for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have utilized substrates with high thermal expansion coefficients that limits the processing temperature of perovskites and compromises power conversion efficiency. Here we compensate residual tensile strain by introducing an external compressive strain from the hole-transport layer. By using a hole-transport layer with high thermal expansion coefficient, we compensate the tensile strain in PSCs by elevating the processing temperature of hole-transport layer. We find that compressive strain increases the activation energy for ion migration, improving the stability of perovskite films. We achieve an efficiency of 16.4% for compressively-strained PSCs; and these retain 96% of their initial efficiencies after heating at 85 °C for 1000 hours—the most stable wide-bandgap perovskites (above 1.75 eV) reported so far.
Enantioselective three-component aminomethylation of α-diazo ketones with alcohols and 1,3,5-triazines
Authors: Che Jiuwei , Niu Li , Jia Shikun , Xing Dong , Hu Wenhao
Published: March 2020

Enantioselective α-aminomethylation of carbonyl compounds constitutes a powerful protocol for introducing aminomethyl groups to simple organic molecules. However, current strategies rely on nucleophile-based enantioselective activation with inherently activated substrates only, and enantioselective protocol based on the activation of in situ-generated unstable formaldimines remains elusive, probably owing to their unstable nature and the lack of steric environment for efficient stereocontrols. Here, based on a rhodium/chiral phosphoric acid cooperative catalysis, we achieved an enantioselective three-component reaction of α-diazo ketones with alcohols and 1,3,5-triazines. A dual hydrogen bonding between the chiral phosphoric acid catalyst and two distinct active intermediates was proposed to be crucial for the efficient electrophile-based enantiocontrol. A series of chiral β-amino-α-hydroxy ketones including those derived from simple aliphatic alcohols, allylic alcohol, propargyl alcohol, complicated natural alcohols and water could all be prepared in high efficiency and enantioselectivity.