bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systematic Control of Structural and Photophysical Properties of π‐Extended Mono‐ and Bis‐BODIPY Derivatives
Authors: Ito Hiroaki , Sakai Hayato , Suzuki Yasutaka , Kawamata Jun , Hasobe Taku
Published: November 2019

A series of π‐extended mono‐ and bis‐BODIPY (BODIPY=boron‐dipyrromethene) derivatives, namely, benzo[a]phenanthrene‐fused BODIPY (Phena‐Mono‐BDP), benzo[a]anthracene‐fused BODIPY (Ant‐Mono‐BDP), and dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DBA)‐bridged bis‐BODIPY (Ant‐Bis‐BDP), were designed and synthesized to examine their structural, electrochemical, and photophysical properties. Single‐crystal X‐ray crystallographic analyses demonstrated the planar configuration of Ant‐Mono‐BDP, in contrast to that of nonplanar Phena‐Mono‐BDP, whereas Ant‐Bis‐BDP has a DBA‐centered planar configuration and two terminal nonplanar units of BODIPYs. The oxidation and reduction potentials agree with the estimated energies obtained through DFT calculations. The localized HOMO and LUMO states suggested the intramolecular charge‐transfer characteristics in these BODIPY derivatives. The absorption spectra of these compounds extended up to the near‐IR region. Strong redshifted trends of fluorescence spectra were observed in Ant‐Bis‐BDP with increasing solvent polarity, as supported by the differences in dipole moments estimated from Lippert–Mataga plots. To evaluate the excited‐state dynamics of these molecules, the fluorescence quantum yield (ΦFL) of Ant‐Bis‐BDP dramatically increased in the range from 0.05 to 0.86, with decreasing solvent polarity. Finally, the efficient two‐photon absorption cross section of Ant‐Bis‐BDP (ca. 1200 GM at λ=1000 nm) was also obtained by considering the large π‐extended structure (acceptor–donor–acceptor type).
Interfacial Engineering FeOOH/CoO Nanoneedle Array for Efficient Overall Water Splitting Driven by Solar Energy
Authors: Qiu Chunyu , He Suqi , Wang Yuan , Wang Qingxiang , Zhao Chuan
Published: November 2019

Interface engineering has been applied as an effective strategy to boost the electrocatalytic performance because of the strong coupling and synergistic effects between individual components. Here, we engineered vertically aligned FeOOH/CoO nanoneedle array with a synergistic interface between FeOOH and CoO on Ni foam (NF) by a simple impregnation method. The synthesized FeOOH/CoO exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity and stability for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium. For the overall water splitting, the bifunctional FeOOH/CoO nanoneedle catalyst requires only a cell voltage of 1.58 V to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2, which is much lower than that required for IrO2//Pt/C (1.68 V). The FeOOH/CoO catalyst has been successfully applied for solar cell‐driven water electrolysis, revealing its great potential for commercial hydrogen production and solar energy storage.
π‐Extended Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons by Sustainable Alkyne Annulations through Double C−H/N−H Activation
Authors: Gońka Elżbieta , Yang Long , Steinbock Ralf , Pesciaioli Fabio , Kuniyil Rositha , Ackermann Lutz
Published: November 2019

The widespread applications of substituted diketopyrrolopyrroles (DPPs) call for the development of efficient methods for their modular assembly. Herein, we present a π‐expansion strategy for polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by C−H activation in a sustainable fashion. Thus, twofold C−H/N‐H activations were accomplished by versatile ruthenium(II)carboxylate catalysis, providing step‐economical access to diversely decorated fluorogenic DPPs that was merged with late‐stage palladium‐catalyzed C−H arylation on the thus‐assembled DPP motif.
Sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2 inhibition does not reduce hepatic steatosis in overweight, insulin‐resistant patients without type 2 diabetes
Authors: Marjot Thomas , Green Charlotte J , Charlton Catriona A , Cornfield Thomas , Hazlehurst Jonathan , Moolla Ahmad , White Sarah , Francis Jane , Neubauer Stefan , Cobbold Jeremy FL , Hodson Leanne , Tomlinson Jeremy W
Published: November 2019

Background and Aim

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly becoming the leading indication for liver transplant and is associated with increased cardiovascular and liver mortality, yet there are no licensed therapies. Sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are widely used for their glucose‐lowering effects in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Preclinical models have suggested a beneficial impact on NAFLD, but clinical data are limited, and there are currently no data on patients without T2D. We aimed to investigate the impact of SGLT2 inhibition on NAFLD in overweight, nondiabetic patients and establish the effect these agents may have on the processes that regulate hepatic steatosis in vivo.

Methods

We conducted an open‐label, experimental medicine pilot study on insulin‐resistant overweight/obese individuals (n = 10) using gold‐standard noninvasive assessments of NAFLD phenotype, including magnetic resonance spectroscopy, two‐step hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps, and stable isotope tracers to assess lipid and glucose metabolism. Investigations were performed before and after a 12‐week treatment with the SGLT2 inhibitor, dapagliflozin.

Results

Despite a body weight reduction of 4.4 kg, hepatic steatosis was unchanged following treatment. Hepatic glucose production increased, and there was impairment of glucose disposal during the low‐dose insulin infusion. Although circulating, nonesterified, fatty acid levels did not change, the ability of insulin to suppress lipolysis was reduced.

Conclusions

SGLT2 inhibition for 12 weeks does not improve hepatic steatosis in patients without T2D. Additional studies in patients with established T2D or impairments of fasting or postprandial glucose homeostasis are needed to determine whether SGLT2 inhibition represents a viable therapeutic strategy for NAFLD. (ClinicalTrials.gov Number NCT02696941).
MicroRNA‐425‐5p promotes breast cancer cell growth by inducing PI3K/AKT signaling
Authors: Zhang Li‐Feng , Zhang Ji‐Gang , Zhou Hao , Dai Tian‐Tian , Guo Feng‐Bao , Xu Shao‐Yong , Chen Yan
Published: November 2019

MicroRNA‐425‐5p (miR‐425‐5p) has been reported to be involved in the tumorigenesis of several tumors, but its function in breast cancer is still unknown. In this study, miR‐425‐5p was found significantly upregulated in breast cancer cells, and predicted a poor prognosis for breast cancer patients. Overexpression of miR‐425‐5p could significantly promote breast cancer cell growth. Further studies showed that overexpression of miR‐425‐5p upregulated the protein levels of Cyclin D1, Cyclin D3, CDK4, and CDK6. However, inhibiting miR‐425‐5p downregulated their expression and induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. In mechanism, overexpression of miR‐425‐5p increased the phosphorylation of PI3K p85 and AKT, but inhibiting miR‐425‐5p displayed opposite effects. Moreover, miR‐425‐5p bound to the 3'UTR of PTEN mRNA, and downregulated the expression levels of PTEN in both mRNA and protein levels in breast cancer cells. Collectively, the results above demonstrated that miR‐425‐5p was involved in the tumorigenesis of breast cancer by inducing PI3K/AKT signaling and indicated that miR‐425‐5p could be as a potential target for breast cancer therapy in the future.
Microplastic occurrence and effects in commercially harvested North American finfish and shellfish: Current knowledge and future directions
Authors: Baechler Britta R. , Stienbarger Cheyenne D. , Horn Dorothy A. , Joseph Jincy , Taylor Alison R. , Granek Elise F. , Brander Susanne M.
Published: November 2019

Commercial fisheries yield essential foods, sustain cultural practices, and provide widespread employment around the globe. Commercially harvested species face a myriad of anthropogenic threats including degraded habitats, changing climate, overharvest, and pollution. Microplastics are pollutants of increasing concern, which are pervasive in the environment and can harbor or adsorb pollutants from surrounding waters. Aquatic organisms, including commercial species, encounter and ingest microplastics, but there is a paucity of data about those caught and cultured in North America. Additional research is needed to determine prevalence, physiological effects, and population‐level implications of microplastics in commercial species from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Investigations into possible human health effects of microplastic exposure from seafood are also greatly needed. This synthesis summarizes current knowledge, identifies data gaps, and provides future research directions for addressing microplastics effects in commercially valuable North American fishery species.
Nonlinear control with integral sliding properties for circular aerial robot trajectory tracking: Real‐time validation
Authors: Ibarra‐Jimenez E. , Castillo P. , Abaunza H.
Published: November 2019

A nonlinear control algorithm for tracking dynamic trajectories using an aerial vehicle is developed in this work. The control structure is designed using a sliding mode methodology, which contains integral sliding properties. The stability analysis of the closed‐loop system is proved using the Lyapunov formalism, ensuring convergence in a desired finite time and robustness toward unknown and external perturbations from the first time instant, even for high frequency disturbances. In addition, a dynamic trajectory is constructed with the translational dynamics of an aerial robot for autonomous take‐off, surveillance missions, and landing. This trajectory respects the constraints imposed by the vehicle characteristics, allowing free initial trajectory conditions. Simulation results demonstrate the good performance of the controller in closed‐loop system when a quadrotor follows the designed trajectory. In addition, flight tests are developed to validate the trajectory and the controller behavior in real time.
Nanoscale Spatial Separation to Regulate Gold Microstructures Formation
Authors: Balgley Renata , Rechav Katya , Lahav Michal , van der Boom Milko E.
Published: November 2019

Flower‐like gold microstructures are directly formed from solution on the surface of nanometric molecular assemblies. We show that the size and morphology of these microstructures are controlled by the nanoscale thickness of the assemblies, which consist of ruthenium polypyridyl complexes crosslinked with a palladium salt. Gold electrodeposition on these ultrathin (3–15 nm) molecular assemblies, bound to a conductive substrate, follows an instantaneous nucleation regime that results in multiple small clusters. On thicker assemblies (15–55 nm) a progressive nucleation mode is dominant, which leads to the formation of larger (up to 50 times) and highly branched microstructures. The ability to control the characteristics of these microstructures by nanoscale assemblies is based on the mechanistic insights of the nucleation and growth processes obtained by electrochemical means and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurement.
Experimental investigations on hybrid strengthening of short reinforced concrete column elements under eccentric compression
Authors: Chellapandian Maheswaran , Prakash Shanmugam Suriya , Sharma Akanshu
Published: November 2019

This work experimentally investigates the efficacy of hybrid strengthening technique using a combination of near‐surface mounted (NSM) carbon fiber laminates and externally bonded (EB) carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer (CFRP) wraps for short reinforced concrete (RC) columns under eccentric loads. The performance of the hybrid FRP strengthened column elements was compared with the members strengthened using only NSM CFRP laminates or only EB CFRP wraps. The behavior of columns without and with different types of strengthening under concentric and eccentric compression was also compared. The tests showed that the RC column elements upgraded using hybrid strengthening displayed significant improvement in both the stiffness and strength, especially under eccentric compression. The performance improvement was primarily due to the substantial contribution of NSM laminates to the bending resistance. Existing analytical models were used to validate the observed behavior. The analytical results obtained had a close match when compared to the experimental results.
Extracellular vesicles in metabolic disease
Authors: Akbar Naveed , Azzimato Valerio , Choudhury Robin P. , Aouadi Myriam
Published: November 2019

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are submicron-sized lipid envelopes that are produced and released from a parent cell and can be taken up by a recipient cell. EVs are capable of mediating cellular signalling by carrying nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and cellular metabolites between cells and organs. Metabolic dysfunction is associated with changes in plasma concentrations of EVs as well as alterations in their EV cargo. Since EVs can act as messengers between parent and recipient cells, they could be involved in cell-to-cell and organ-to-organ communication in metabolic diseases. Recent literature has shown that EVs are produced by cells within metabolic tissues, such as adipose tissue, pancreas, muscle and liver. These vesicles have therefore been proposed as a novel intercellular communication mode in systemic metabolic regulation. In this review, we will describe and discuss the current literature that investigates the role of adipose-derived EVs in the regulation of obesity-associated metabolic disease. We will particularly focus on the EV-dependent communication between adipocytes, the vasculature and immune cells in type 2 diabetes.
Correlating the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology with Histology and Extent of Surgery: A Review of 21,746 Patients from Four Endocrine Surgery Registries Across Two Continents
Authors: Inabnet William B. , Palazzo Fausto , Sosa Julie Ann , Kriger Joshua , Aspinall Sebastian , Barczynski Marcin , Doherty Gerard , Iacobone Maurizio , Nordenstrom Erik , Scott‐Coombes David , Wallin Goran , Williams Lauren , Bray Rachel , Bergenfelz Anders
Published: November 2019

Background

The Bethesda system for cytopathology (TBSRTC) is a 6‐tier diagnostic framework developed to standardize thyroid cytopathology reporting. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of malignancy (ROM) for each Bethesda category.

Methods

Thyroidectomy‐related data from 314 facilities in 22 countries were entered into the following outcome registries: CESQIP (North America), Eurocrine (Europe), SQRTPA (Sweden) and UKRETS (UK). Demographic, cytological, pathologic and extent of surgery data were mapped into one dataset and analyzed.

Results

Out of 41,294 thyroidectomy patient entries from January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2017, 21,746 patients underwent both thyroid FNA and surgery. A comparison of cytology and surgical pathology data demonstrated a ROM for Bethesda categories 1 to 6 of 19.2%, 12.7%, 31.9%, 31.4%, 77.8% and 96.0%, respectively. Male patients had a higher rate of malignancy for every Bethesda category. Secondary analysis demonstrated a high ROM in male patients with Bethesda 3 category aged 31–35 years (52.1%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 37.9–66.2%), aged 36–40 years (55.9%, 95% CI 39.2–72.6%) and aged 41–45 years (46.9%, 95% CI 33–60.9%). Patients with Bethesda 5 and 6 scores were more likely to undergo total thyroidectomy (65.9% and 84.6%); for patients with Bethesda scores 2 and 3, a higher percentage of females underwent total thyroidectomy compared to males in spite of a higher ROM for males.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate that Bethesda categories 1–4 are associated with a higher ROM compared to the first edition of TBSRTC, especially in male patients, and validate findings from the second edition of TBSRTC.
Was sagt die LAC-Depressionsstudie wirklich aus?
Authors: Kaiser Tim , Kolar David , Kok Robin N. , Schuster Raphael
Published: November 2019

Hintergrund

Kognitiv-behaviorale und psychodynamische Therapieverfahren befinden sich in einem Konkurrenzverhältnis, was den Nachweis ihrer Wirksamkeit angeht. Obwohl es bereits vergleichende Wirksamkeitsstudien gab, bilden diese oft nicht die Versorgungssituation in Deutschland ab. Anfang des Jahres wurden die Ergebnisse der „LAC-Depressionsstudie“ vorgelegt, die diese beiden Verfahren in einem naturalistischen Studiendesign vergleicht. Diese Ergebnisse suggerieren die gleiche Effektivität von kognitiver Verhaltenstherapie (KVT) und psychoanalytischer Therapie (PAT).

Material und Methode

Methodenkritische Betrachtung mehrerer, aus den Ergebnissen der LAC-Depressionsstudie publizierter Forschungsberichte, alternative Darstellung der primären Ergebnismaße relativ zur Anzahl der Behandlungssitzungen.

Ergebnisse

Die LAC-Depressionsstudie wich an entscheidenden Stellen vom vorher veröffentlichten Versuchsprotokoll ab. Die KVT erreicht die gleichen Ergebnisse mit deutlich weniger Therapiesitzungen. Das Versuchsdesign sowie die erreichte Stichprobengröße sind ungeeignet, um die in den Hypothesen vermuteten Effekte nachzuweisen.

Schlussfolgerungen

Aufgrund von methodischen Problemen, teils deutlichen Abweichungen vom Studienprotokoll und gravierenden Dosis-Wirkung-Unterschieden können die Ergebnisse dieser Studie jedoch nicht als Beleg für eine vermeintlich gleiche Effektivität von PAT und KVT gewertet werden.
Developing Soft Sensors for Polymer Melt Index in an Industrial Polymerization Process Using Deep Belief Networks
Authors: Zhu Chang-Hao , Zhang Jie
Published: November 2019

This paper presents developing soft sensors for polymer melt index in an industrial polymerization process by using deep belief network (DBN). The important quality variable melt index of polypropylene is hard to measure in industrial processes. Lack of online measurement instruments becomes a problem in polymer quality control. One effective solution is to use soft sensors to estimate the quality variables from process data. In recent years, deep learning has achieved many successful applications in image classification and speech recognition. DBN as one novel technique has strong generalization capability to model complex dynamic processes due to its deep architecture. It can meet the demand of modelling accuracy when applied to actual processes. Compared to the conventional neural networks, the training of DBN contains a supervised training phase and an unsupervised training phase. To mine the valuable information from process data, DBN can be trained by the process data without existing labels in an unsupervised training phase to improve the performance of estimation. Selection of DBN structure is investigated in the paper. The modelling results achieved by DBN and feedforward neural networks are compared in this paper. It is shown that the DBN models give very accurate estimations of the polymer melt index.
He who pays the piper calls the tune? Setting the stage for an informed discourse on third-party funding of academic business research
Authors: Fink Matthias , Hatak Isabella , Scholz Markus , Down Simon
Published: November 2019

Third-party funding of academic research has grown rapidly in its scope and impact. However, several forces demand greater attention to potential opportunities, challenges and threats of third-party research funding. Adopting a historical approach rooted in Anglo-Saxon academia, we discuss what third-party research funding means for European business researchers, which opportunities and tensions arise, and how to best manage them in the interest of the diverse stakeholders of our field. Finally, we introduce the six papers in this special issue and how they move the conversation on third-party research funding forward. The evidence base provided here is composed of a rich blend of empirical data, reflections on personal experience and conclusions drawn from formal mathematical models. As a result, the collection of papers offers a kaleidoscope of the state-of-the-art of research on third-party funding of academic business research in Europe. The insights emerging from these six papers collapse into a clear overall picture with each paper contributing a distinct jigsaw piece, a picture we present and discuss in this paper.
The Elastin-Derived Peptide VGVAPG Does Not Activate the Inflammatory Process in Mouse Cortical Astrocytes In Vitro
Authors: Szychowski Konrad A. , Gmiński Jan
Published: November 2019

During vascular aging or in pathological conditions in humans, elastin is degraded and its by-products, the elastin-derived peptides (EDPs), enter the blood circulation. EDPs may be detected in the serum of healthy subjects or people who suffered a stroke. Moreover, recent evidence suggests a potential role of inflammatory mechanisms in neurological conditions, which are usually not categorized as inflammatory. Therefore, the present in vitro study was conducted to investigate the impact of the VGVAPG peptide on the activation of inflammatory process in mouse primary astrocytes, which were maintained in phenol red-free DMEM/F12 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. The cells were exposed to VGVAPG or VVGPGA peptides for 24 and 48 h; this was followed by the determination of the activity of caspase-1 and levels of SOD, CAT, PPARγ, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-1βR1. Furthermore, rosiglitazone—a PPARγ agonist—was applied. Our study pioneered the finding that the VGVAPG peptide increases caspase-1 activity in astrocytes in vitro. The VGVAPG peptide simultaneously decreases the release of IL-1β into the cell-culture medium from astrocytes.The ELISA method revealed that the VGVAPG peptide increases the protein expression of SOD1 whereas it decreases the expression of IL-1βR1, CAT, and NF-κB. Therefore, the available data suggest that the VGVAPG peptide (concentration 10 nM) synergistically acts with agonists of PPARγ in mouse astrocytes. However, given the lack of sufficient data to explain the molecular mechanism of action of the VGVAPG peptide in the nervous system, more studies in this area are necessary.
Hybrids and the Boundaries of Moral Considerability or Revisiting the Idea of Non-Instrumental Value
Authors: Holy-Luczaj Magdalena , Blok Vincent
Published: November 2019

The transgressive ontological character of hybrids—entities crossing the ontological binarism of naturalness and artificiality, e.g., biomimetic projects—calls for pondering the question of their ethical status, since metaphysical and moral ideas are often inextricably linked. The example of it is the concept of “moral considerability” and related to it the idea of “intrinsic value” understood as a non-instrumentality of a being. Such an approach excludes hybrids from moral considerations due to their instrumental character. In the paper, we revisit the boundaries of moral considerability by reexamining the legitimacy of identifying intrinsic value with a non-instrumental one. We offer the concept of “functional value,” which we define as a simultaneous contribution to the common good of the ecosystem and the possibility to disclose the full variety of aspects of a being’s identity. We argue that such a value of hybrids allows us to include them into the scope of moral considerability.
A globally convergent hybrid conjugate gradient method with strong Wolfe conditions for unconstrained optimization
Authors: Kaelo P. , Mtagulwa P. , Thuto M. V.
Published: November 2019

In this paper, we develop a new hybrid conjugate gradient method that inherits the features of the Liu and Storey (LS), Hestenes and Stiefel (HS), Dai and Yuan (DY) and Conjugate Descent (CD) conjugate gradient methods. The new method generates a descent direction independently of any line search and possesses good convergence properties under the strong Wolfe line search conditions. Numerical results show that the proposed method is robust and efficient.
Competing for kayabo: gendered struggles for fish and livelihood on the shore of Lake Victoria
Authors: Medard Modesta , van Dijk Han , Hebinck Paul
Published: November 2019

The dry-salted trade of Nile perch or kayabo is important for many along the shores of Lake Victoria. The kayabo trade started in the 1990s and has been increasingly restructured due to changing regional and global trade relationships. This shift has led to the emergence of hierarchical trading relations, which create an exploitative network in which powerful middlemen control the access of trade for women from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and marginalizes the Tanzanian women, changing the organization from a poly-centric to a more centralized trade organization in the hands of a small group of powerful business men. We show in this paper that whereas the women traders from the DRC manoeuvred themselves in positions from which they could manipulate the network through bribery and conniving to derive substantial capital gains from the kayabo trade, their Tanzanian counterparts however are excluded from the decision-making processes, access to fish resources, financial capital, and negotiation power. They persevere by operating in increasingly competitive markets, relying on illegal fish that they sell with little profit at local and domestic markets. They survive in jobs that are insecure and risky by nature.
What you Feel, Is what you like Influence of Message Appeals on Customer Engagement on Instagram
Authors: Rietveld Robert , Van Dolen Willemijn , Mazloom Masoud , Worring Marcel
Published: November 2019

Visual-based social media are growing exponentially and have become an integrated part of the customer engagement strategy of many brands. Prior work points to the textual message content as a driver of customer engagement behavior. So far, little is known about the impact of visual message content, specifically visual emotional and informative appeals. We extract emotional and informative appeals from Instagram posts using machine learning models and use a Negative Binomial model to explain customer engagement. We test our model on 46.9 K Instagram posts from 59 brands in six sectors. Our results show that visual emotional and informative appeals encoded in brand-generated content influence customer engagement in terms of likes and comments. Specifically, we demonstrate that positive high and negative low arousal images drive customer engagement. Informative appeals do not drive customer engagement with the exception of informative brand-related appeals. These findings help brand managers in developing an effective customer engagement strategy on visual social media.
Shadow Zones: Transparency and Pesticides Regulation in the European Union
Authors: HAMLYN Olivia
Published: November 2019

In recent years, pesticides have captured the attention of both policymakers and the general public. A particular focus has been the transparency of the EU-level procedure for approving active substances, spurred by controversies surrounding the active substance glyphosate. Active substances are the ingredient in pesticides with the pesticidal effect. Once an active substance is approved at EU level, the pesticide containing that active substance must be authorised by each Member State. For this purpose, the EU's 2009 Plant Protection Product Regulation divides Member States into three zones—Northern, Central, and Southern—within which, zonal rapporteur Member States evaluate applications for authorisation. National authorisation decisions are based on these zonal evaluations. This novel system governing pesticides is under-researched. Furthermore, unlike active substance approval, the transparency of pesticide authorisation escapes public and policy scrutiny. Drawing on empirical research conducted for the European Parliament, this article evaluates the transparency of the zonal pesticide authorisation procedure. It thus contributes to the literature on transparency a detailed exploration of transparency in a highly complex, decentred, and polycentric risk regulation regime. While it finds that the zonal pesticide authorisation procedure, generally speaking, does not operate transparently, it argues further that levels of transparency within the regime as a whole may vary significantly depending on multiple different factors. It introduces the concept of ‘chiaroscuro regulation’ to characterise and understand these varying levels of transparency across different elements of the regime and considers some of its implications.
The Impact of Forced Top-Down Nation Building on Conflict Resolution: Lessons from the 1923 Compulsory Population Exchange between Greece and Turkey
Authors: Filippidou Anastasia
Published: November 2019

Borders and boundaries can represent old narratives, which often, however, cannot deal with new realities. Borders are inflexible, but reality is flexible and fluid. This is augmented in crisis situations. Multi-ethnicity and history run in parallel, as shared cultures often precede and transcend Westphalia and institutionally imposed borders. For cultures with roots in antiquity, top-down established borders appear to lack legitimacy, as these cultures place more emphasis on historical similarities and traditions of peoples. Thus, what is more important: cultural and historical commonalities or institutional top-down constructions? This article examines the impact of the prioritization of top-down ethno-religious homogeneity over lasting conflict resolution. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the article draws a number of hypotheses from the fields of conflict resolution, territoriality, and nation building and tests these hypotheses on the specific case of the 1923 Compulsory Population Exchange (CPE) between Greece and Turkey and the dual role of the Mediterranean as a security bridge or barrier. This article highlights a “how-not-to” scenario in conflict resolution and argues that efforts to form apparent homogeneous nation-states led to short-term, incomplete conflict termination with a lasting impact, while conflict resolution remained elusive.
Effects of two types of energy restriction on methylation levels of adiponectin receptor 1 and leptin receptor overlapping transcript in a mouse mammary tumour virus-transforming growth factor-α breast cancer mouse model
Authors: Cicekdal M. B. , Kazan B. T. , Tuna B. G. , Ozorhan U. , Ekici I. D. , Zhu F. , Suakar O. , Kuskucu A. , Bayrak O. F. , Arcaro K. , Cleary M. P. , Dogan S. , Atasayan O. , Yilmaz B.
Published: November 2019

The role of adiponectin and leptin signalling pathways has been suggested to play important roles in the protective effects of energy restriction (ER) on mammary tumour (MT) development. To study the effects of ER on the methylation levels in adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) and leptin receptor overlapping transcript (Leprot) genes using the pyrosequencing method in mammary fat pad tissue, mouse mammary tumour virus-transforming growth factor-α (MMTV-TGF-α) female mice were randomly assigned to ad libitum (AL), chronic ER (CER, 15 % ER) or intermittent ER (3 weeks AL and 1 week 60 % ER in cyclic periods) groups at 10 weeks of age until 82 weeks of age. The methylation levels of AdipoR1 in the CER group were higher than those in the AL group at week 49/50 (P < 0·05), while the levels of methylation for AdipoR1 and Leprot genes were similar among the other groups. Also, the methylation levels at CpG2 and CpG3 regions of the promoter region of the AdipoR1 gene in the CER group were three times higher (P < 0·05), while CpG1 island of Leprot methylation was significantly lower compared with the other groups (P < 0·05). Adiponectin and leptin gene expression levels were consistent with the methylation levels. We also observed a change with ageing in methylation levels of these genes. These results indicate that different types of ER modify methylation levels of AdipoR1 and Leprot in different ways and CER had a more significant effect on methylation levels of both genes. Epigenetic regulation of these genes may play important roles in the preventive effects of ER against MT development and ageing processes.
Muslim Trade and City Growth Before the Nineteenth Century: Comparative Urbanization in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia
Authors: Blaydes Lisa , Paik Christopher
Published: November 2019

Scholars have long sought to understand when and why the Middle East fell behind Europe in its economic development. This article explores the importance of historical Muslim trade in explaining urban growth and decline in the run-up to the Industrial Revolution. The authors examine Eurasian urbanization patterns as a function of distance to Middle Eastern trade routes before and after 1500 CE – the turning point in European breakthroughs in seafaring, trade and exploration. The results suggest that proximity to historical Muslim trade routes was positively associated with urbanization in 1200 but not in 1800. These findings speak to why Middle Eastern and Central Asian cities – which had long benefited from their central location between Europe and Asia – declined as Europeans found alternative routes to the East and opened trade opportunities in the New World.
The Rus Archbishop Peter at the First Council of Lyon
Authors: MAIOROV ALEXANDER V.
Published: November 2019

The article establishes that the role of the Rus Archbishop Peter at the First Council of Lyon (1245) was not limited to conveying sensational information about the Tatars, as is usually believed. Peter was willing to resume negotiations between the Apostolic See and the rulers of the Byzantine (Nicene) Empire on the union of Churches, which continued with varying success throughout the thirteenth century. In the mid-1240s the Rus church hierarchs, who headed the Kiev (all Rus) Metropolitanate of the Byzantine Church, played an important, yet underestimated by researchers, role in establishing direct contacts between the Byzantine and Roman Churches and resuming negotiations for church unity.
The Rooibos Benefit Sharing Agreement–Breaking New Ground with Respect, Honesty, Fairness, and Care
Authors: SCHROEDER DORIS , CHENNELLS ROGER , LOUW COLLIN , SNYDERS LEANA , HODGES TIMOTHY
Published: November 2019

The 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its 2010 Nagoya Protocol brought about a breakthrough in global policy making. They combined a concern for the environment with a commitment to resolving longstanding human injustices regarding access to, and use of biological resources. In particular, the traditional knowledge of indigenous communities was no longer going to be exploited without fair benefit sharing. Yet, for 25 years after the adoption of the CBD, there were no major benefit sharing agreements that led to significant funding streams for indigenous communities. This changed with the signing of the Rooibos Benefit Sharing Agreement in South Africa, described in this paper. As the authors report, the Rooibos Agreement is a superlative in two respects. It is the biggest benefit sharing agreement between industry and indigenous peoples to date. It is also the first industry-wide agreement to be formed in accordance with biodiversity legislation. This article is a co-production between traditional knowledge holders, the lawyer who represented their interests, the Co-Chair of the Nagoya Protocol negotiations, and an ethicist who analyzed the major challenges of this historic agreement. With no precedent in the benefit sharing world, the agreement stands as a concrete example of the ‘art of the possible.’ Although the rooibos case is unique in a number of aspects, the experience offers many transferable insights, including: patience; incrementalism; honesty; trust; genuine dialogue; strong legal support; a shared recognition that a fair, win-win deal is possible; government leadership; and unity amongst indigenous peoples. Such ingredients of success can apply well beyond southern Africa.
Accuracy of anthropometric measurements and weight status perceptions reported by parents of 4-year-old children
Authors: Esteban-Vasallo María D , Galán Ignacio , Ortiz-Pinto Maira A , Astray San Martín Amelia , Cabrero López Eva M , Morales San José María Teresa , Ortiz-Marrón Honorato
Published: November 2019

Objective:

To assess the validity of self-reported height and weight by parents of 4-year-old children and subjective weight perception.

Design:

Descriptive cross-sectional study.

Setting:

Paediatric population living in the Autonomous Community of Madrid.

Participants:

Children born in 2008–2009 examined at 47–59 months of age. Data were collected by paediatricians of the Madrid Primary Care Physicians Sentinel Network. Parents reported weight and height data. Prevalence of weight status categories was calculated using WHO and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) reference criteria. Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) were estimated. The appraisal of their child’s weight perception and parental misperception were assessed.

Results:

For 2914 children, reported height was underestimated by −1·38 cm, weight by −0·25 kg and BMI was overestimated by +0·41 kg/m2on average. The prevalence of obesity estimated with reported data was 2·7 times higher than that calculated with measured data (16·2v. 6·0 %) according to WHO classification, and 3·6 times higher with IOTF classification. Sensitivity to identify obesity was 70·5 %, specificity was 87·3 % and PPV was 26·2 % (WHO classification). Half of the parents of pre-schoolers with obesity failed to identify their child’s weight status. Parental misperception among children classified as having overweight or obesity reached 93·0 and 58·8 %, respectively.

Conclusions:

Parents underestimated children’s height and weight, leading to an overestimation of the prevalence of obesity. Small inaccuracies in reported measures have an important effect for the estimation of population prevalences. Parents’ report of child weight status is unreliable. Parental awareness and acknowledgement of child weight status should be improved.
Diet quality is associated with reduced risk of hypertension among Inner Mongolia adults in northern China
Authors: Wang Xuemei , Liu Aiping , Du Maolin , Wu Jing , Wang Wenrui , Qian Yonggang , Zheng Huiqiu , Liu Dan , Nan Xi , Jia Lu , Song Ruier , Liang Danyan , Wang Ruiqi , Wang Peiyu
Published: November 2019

Objective:

The present study investigated the association between dietary patterns and hypertension applying the Chinese Dietary Balance Index-07 (DBI-07).

Design:

A cross-sectional study on adult nutrition and chronic disease in Inner Mongolia. Dietary data were collected using 24 h recall over three consecutive days and weighing method. Dietary patterns were identified using principal components analysis. Generalized linear models and multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between DBI-07 and dietary patterns, and between dietary patterns and hypertension.

Setting:

Inner Mongolia (n 1861).

Participants:

A representative sample of adults aged ≥18 years in Inner Mongolia.

Results:

Four major dietary patterns were identified: ‘high protein’, ‘traditional northern’, ‘modern’ and ‘condiments’. Generalized linear models showed higher factor scores in the ‘high protein’ pattern were associated with lower DBI-07 (βLBS = −1·993, βHBS = −0·206, βDQD = −2·199; all P < 0·001); the opposite in the ‘condiments’ pattern (βLBS = 0·967, βHBS = 0·751, βDQD = 1·718; all P < 0·001). OR for hypertension in the highest quartile of the ‘high protein’ pattern compared with the lowest was 0·374 (95 % CI 0·244, 0·573; Ptrend < 0·001) in males. OR for hypertension in the ‘condiments’ pattern was 1·663 (95 % CI 1·113, 2·483; Ptrend < 0·001) in males, 1·788 (95 % CI 1·155, 2·766; Ptrend < 0·001) in females.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggested a higher-quality dietary pattern evaluated by DBI-07 was related to decreased risk for hypertension, whereas a lower-quality dietary pattern was related to increased risk for hypertension in Inner Mongolia.
Lower circulating zinc and selenium levels are associated with an increased risk of asthma: evidence from a meta-analysis
Authors: Chen Meng , Sun Yongye , Wu Yili
Published: November 2019

Objective:

Previous studies evaluating the associations of circulating Zn and Se levels with asthma have produced inconsistent results. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to summarize and quantitatively synthesize the evidence from observational research.

Design:

Meta-analysis.

Setting:

We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases up to May 2019 for relevant available articles. Random-effects model was adopted to estimate the pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95 % CI. Meta-regression analysis and ‘leave-one-out’ sensitivity analysis were used to assess heterogeneity.

Participants:

The meta-analysis focused on general populations.

Results:

A total of twenty-six studies for Zn and forty studies for Se were included in the meta-analysis. The overall analyses identified that asthma patients had lower Zn (SMD = −0·40; 95 % CI −0·77, −0·03; I2 = 94·1 %) and Se (SMD = −0·32; 95 % CI −0·48, −0·17; I2 = 90·9 %) levels in serum or plasma compared with healthy controls. After removing the studies that contributed to the heterogeneity, the pooled SMD were −0·26 (95 % CI −0·40, −0·13; I2 = 37·42 %) for Zn and −0·06 (95 % CI −0·13, 0·02; I2 = 43·54 %) for Se.

Conclusions:

Lower circulating Zn and Se levels might be associated with an increased risk of asthma.
Effects of family income and conditional cash transfers on household food insecurity: evidence from a longitudinal study in Northeast Brazil
Authors: Palmeira Poliana A , Salles-Costa Rosana , Pérez-Escamilla Rafael
Published: November 2019

Objective:

Food insecurity (FI) is a challenge to policy makers worldwide, who need to understand which polices and programmes are effective at overcoming FI. The present study aimed to examine the impact of family income and conditional cash transfers on changes in household FI status in a highly vulnerable municipality in Northeast Brazil.

Design:

A population-based longitudinal cohort study among families in a municipality in the semi-arid area in Northeast Brazil (2011 and 2014). FI was estimated with the Brazilian Household Food Insecurity Measurement Scale (EBIA). The effects of family income and cash transfer on changes in FI were estimated using logistic regression models and the population-attributable risk fraction.

Setting:

Households in Cuité, Paraíba, Brazil.

Participants:

Household respondents interviewed in 2011 (n 358) and 2014 (n 326).

Results:

There was a reduction in FI prevalence of 17·5 % across time; 24·5 % of families who were food insecure in 2011 became food secure in 2014. After adjustment, families that did not experience an increase in their total household income or a reduction in the cash transfer amount were at increased risk of persistent FI across time. If the cash transfer programme had not been in place, about 10 % of the families that switched from food insecure to food secure across time would have remained in FI instead.

Conclusions:

The decrease of FI occurred in an area of extreme climatic and social vulnerability. These changes were more related to the cash transfer than the increase in family income over time.
The Legacy of the Right to Buy and the Differentiation of Older Home Owners
Authors: McCall Vikki , Satsangi Madhu , Greasley-Adams Corinne
Published: November 2019

This article explores older owner occupiers in lower value properties who, having acquired their home through the Right to Buy (RTB) in the 1980s, are now experiencing housing-related challenges in older age. This article outlines the views and perceptions of older owner occupiers, social landlords, voluntary groups and housing organisations to explore the legacy of the RTB. Current and future policy challenges in the area include the differentiation of home owners, difficulties of selling property with low equity in older age and the relationship between health and housing. This article calls to widen the analysis of the long-term impact of the RTB to owner occupiers in lower value properties and notes that ‘ageing in place’ goes beyond looking at people’s current house to the linked housing choices available to them. We recommend that policy support be extended to older home owners to increase housing choice in older age.
The Place of Social Citizenship and Property Rights in Brazil’s ‘Right to the City’ Debate
Authors: Friendly Abigail
Published: November 2019

There has been considerable attention on Brazil’s experience in applying the right to the city, influencing the urban reform movement and subsequent legislation including the 1988 Constitution and the 2001 Statute of the City. While much is known about Brazil’s urban transformations, this article views this trajectory within debates on social citizenship, expanding the focus to show that property is integral to this debate. Through the lens of social citizenship, property rights and insurgency, this article traces Brazil’s right to the city debate through a focus on three issues: (1) the rights dimension of such debates; (2) the role of the social function of property in urban legislation; and (3) the role of insurgent planning evident in urban social movements. While property rights and land rights are often distanced from debates on social citizenship, the Brazil case provides evidence in which the two are clearly intertwined.
CHRONICLING THE MEROVINGIANS IN HEBREW: THE EARLY MEDIEVAL CHAPTERS OF YOSEF HA-KOHEN'SDIVREI HAYAMIM
Authors: FOX YANIV
Published: November 2019

Yosef Ha-Kohen (1496–ca. 1575) was a Jewish Italian physician and intellectual who in 1554 published a chronicle in Hebrew titledSefer Divrei Hayamim lemalkei Tzarfat ulemalkei Beit Otoman haTogar, orThe Book of Histories of the Kings of France and of the Kings of Ottoman Turkey. It was, as its name suggests, a history told from the perspective of two nations, the French and the Turks. Ha-Kohen begins his narrative with a discussion of the legendary origins of the Franks and the history of their first royal dynasty, the Merovingians. This composition is unique among late medieval and early modern Jewish works of historiography for its universal scope, and even more so for its treatment of early medieval history. For this part of the work, Ha-Kohen relied extensively on non-Jewish works, which themselves relied on still earlier chronicles composed throughout the early Middle Ages. Ha-Kohen thus became a unique link in a long chain of chroniclers who worked and adopted Merovingian material to suit their authorial agendas. This article considers how the telling of Merovingian history was transformed in the process, especially as it was adapted for a sixteenth-century Jewish audience.
NUNS, SIGNATURES, AND LITERACY IN LATE-CAROLINGIAN CATALONIA
Authors: JARRETT JONATHAN
Published: November 2019

It is somewhat rare to be able to analyze the membership of an early medieval women's religious community in any detail. Sant Joan de Ripoll, which operated from the late ninth century until 1017 at modern-day Sant Joan de les Abadesses in Catalonia, provides not just this opportunity but the even rarer chance to evaluate the nuns’ command of writing, by means of a single original charter of 949 that several of them signed autograph. This article argues that the signatures of these nuns indicate that they had in fact been taught to write before joining the nunnery. They are thus a source for female lay, rather than religious, literacy in this time and area. Consolidating this, the article provides a prosopography of the known nuns derived from the other charters of the nunnery's part-surviving archive, including tracing some of their careers beyond the 1017 dissolution of the house. This shows that the members of the comital family who had founded the house and provided several of its abbesses were not otherwise frequent among the nuns; rather, the nunnery recruited from the local notables in its neighborhoods, to whose interest in female literacy these signatures therefore testify. Such support could not prevent the closure of the house, however, and the article closes with a reflection on the agency available to the nuns in a political sphere dominated by male, secular interests.