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The role of information-processing strategies in defining individual attitudes toward decision-making has been little investigated and, in general, has almost always been explored via self-reported measures. This study investigates how different strategies for information processing are used to make decisions, via a new task based on realistic decision-making scenarios and observation of actual decisional behavior. Three levels of information processing are considered: (i) low-level information related to decision details; (ii) mid-level information concerning the task and the goals to be accomplished; (iii) high-level information including situational aspects and features of the context. General decision-making style questionnaire was also administered. Hierarchical cluster analysis parsed out three emerging profiles characterized by attention to low-level, mid-level, and high-level pieces of information, which was linked to detail-focused, task-oriented, and situation-aware approaches to gather and process information in supporting decision. Such emerging profiles also proved to differ in terms of primary general decision-making styles, a finding that depose in favor of the robustness of the latent classification. These findings allowed us to delineate a model in which different information-processing strategies provide the basis for identifying different profiles of decision-makers.

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli(STEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli(EPEC) are pathovars that affect mainly infants’ health. Cattle are the main reservoir of STEC. Uremic hemolytic syndrome and diarrheas can be found at high rates in Tierra del Fuego (TDF). This study aimed to establish the prevalence of STEC and EPEC in cattle at slaughterhouses in TDF and to analyze the isolated strains. Out of 194 samples from two slaughterhouses, STEC prevalence was 15%, and EPEC prevalence was 5%. Twenty-seven STEC strains and one EPEC were isolated. The most prevalent STEC serotypes were O185:H19 (7), O185:H7 (6), and O178:H19 (5). There were no STEC eae+ strains (AE-STEC) or serogroup O157 detected in this study. The prevalent genotype was stx2c (10/27) followed by stx1a/stx2hb (4/27). Fourteen percent of the strains presented at least one stxnon-typeable subtype (4/27). Shiga toxin production was detected in 25/27 STEC strains. The prevalent module for the Locus of Adhesion and Autoaggregation (LAA) island was module III (7/27). EPEC strain was categorized as atypical and with the ability to cause A/E lesion. The ehxA gene was present in 16/28 strains, 12 of which were capable of producing hemolysis. No hybrid strains were detected in this work. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests showed that all strains were resistant to ampicillin and 20/28 were resistant to aminoglycosides. No statistical differences could be seen in the detection of STEC or EPEC either by slaughterhouse location or by production system (extensive grass or feedlot). The rate of STEC detection was lower than the one reported for the rest of Argentina. STEC/EPEC relation was 3 to 1. This is the first study on cattle from TDF as reservoir for strains that are potentially pathogenic to humans.

This work aims to apply Acoustic Emission to monitor the drilling process in carbon fibre laminates. Continuous Acoustic Emission data is captured over the entire drilling process of a through hole. The use of continuous acoustic emission data acquisition allows the identification of lower frequency periodic temporal features related to the cutting process. A new approach to data analysis is presented that utilises an enveloping technique to study these periodic phenomena and show that they correlate to changes in cutting regime as tool wear advances and hole quality reduces. This analysis of Acoustic Emission data is supported by the measurement of tool temperature, thrust force and the assessment of hole quality. Results show that Acoustic Emission activity is correlated to changes in the cutting process, and a correlation between tool wear and Acoustic Emission is observed. This correlation has been confirmed by corresponding increases in thrust force and drill temperature, with a consequent decrease in the observed hole quality.

Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 associates with diverse symptoms, which can persist for months. While antiviral antibodies are protective, those targeting interferons and other immune factors are associated with adverse coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. Here we discovered that antibodies against specific chemokines were omnipresent post-COVID-19, were associated with favorable disease outcome and negatively correlated with the development of long COVID at 1 yr post-infection. Chemokine antibodies were also present in HIV-1 infection and autoimmune disorders, but they targeted different chemokines compared with COVID-19. Monoclonal antibodies derived from COVID-19 convalescents that bound to the chemokine N-loop impaired cell migration. Given the role of chemokines in orchestrating immune cell trafficking, naturally arising chemokine antibodies may modulate the inflammatory response and thus bear therapeutic potential.

Recent studies have shown that the stimulator of interferon gene (STING) protein plays a central role in the immune system by facilitating the production of type I interferons in cells. The STING signaling pathway is also a prominent activator of cancer-killing T cells that initiate a powerful adaptive immune response. Since biomolecular signaling pathways are complicated and not easily identified through traditional experiments, molecular dynamics (MD) has often been used to study structural and dynamical responses of biological pathways. Here, we carried out MD simulations for full-length chicken and human STING (chSTING and hSTING) proteins. Specifically, we investigated ligand-bound closed (holo) and ligand-unbound open (apo) forms of STING in the membrane system by comparing their conformational and dynamical differences. Our research provides clues for understanding the mechanism of the STING signaling pathway by uncovering detailed insights for the examined systems: the residues from each chain in the binding pocket are strongly correlated to one another in the open STING structure compared with those in the closed STING structure. Ligand-bound closed STING displays ∼174° rotation of the ligand-binding domain (LBD) relative to the open STING structure. The dynamical analysis of residue Cys148 located in the linker region of hSTING does not support the earlier hypothesis that Cys148 can form disulfide bonds between adjacent STING dimers. We also demonstrate that using the full-length proteins is critical, since the MD simulations of the LBD portion alone cannot properly describe the global conformational properties of STING.

We evaluated the effect of the antidiabetic drug metformin on patients enrolled in the ADNI study considering patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Employing data from this observational study, we performed a principal component analysis focusing on the cognitive sphere by evaluating data from neuropsychological tests included in a modified version of the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study-Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (ADCS-PACC). Second, we included the levels of amyloid-β, tau, and phosphorylated tau in CSF. We found that MCI metformin-treated patients were globally characterized as subjects with a better cognitive performance and CSF biomarkers profile than the mean population of MCI patients. On the other hand, control subjects and type 2 diabetes patients (T2D) were paired by age, gender, ApoE allele, and years of education, defining three groups: MCI, MCI + T2D, and MCI + T2D + metformin. We evaluated the effect of T2D and metformin treatment employing the PACC score and composites defined from standardized ADNI variables to evaluate the memory and learning function. We found that MCI + T2D patients had a worse cognitive performance than MCI patients, but this deleterious effect was not observed in MCI + T2D + metformin patients. These cognitive variations were associated with changes in cortical thickness and hippocampal volume. Finally, no differences were found in metabolic plasmatic parameters (glycemia, cholesterol, triglycerides). Our study—employing different strategies for data analysis from the global study ADNI—shows a beneficial effect of metformin treatment on cognitive performance, CSF biomarkers profile, and neuroanatomical measures in MCI due to AD patients.

AbstractThis paper reviews the World Trade Organization (WTO) Panel Report Russia – Measures Concerning Traffic in Transitof April 2019. It constitutes the first attempt to disentangle the legal and political aspects related to the invoked essential security interests from the economic considerations underlying the measures imposed on the transit through Russia of goods exported from Ukraine to the Republic of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. One the one hand, the panel's interpretation of Article XXI of the GATT denies Members unilateral determination over security exceptions. It further enables a pathway for future WTO panels to review possible abuses of security exceptions – a growing concern due to the rising complexity of transnational economic relations. On the other hand, our economic analysis suggests a stricter assessment of Russia's transit restrictions was necessary. In particular, it argues that the panel adopted a circular assessment when considering the plausibility of whether Russia implemented its measures for the protection of its essential security interests at a time of emergency in international relations. Ultimately, although the panel's focus on finding a diplomatic and legal path forward failed economic scrutiny a legal assessment argues that the panel's findings fit the legal design of Article XXI:b of the GATT.

Given their crucial role in everyday activities and successful aging, prefrontal executive functions (EFs) and their neural substrates may be a critical target for non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) interventions. This study investigates the empowerment effects of a prefrontal multi-session NIBS intervention on EF in a sample of healthy aging people. The present report investigates the long-term maintenance effects of such intervention. The experimental design included a control and experimental group, who underwent a neuropsychological assessment before (t0) and after (t1) the intervention period, and at a 6-month follow-up (t2). The intervention period lasted 8 weeks with 3 NIBS sessions per week. Results highlighted the up modulations of fluid intelligence, cognitive flexibility, and verbal generation, and visual attention in the experimental group partially maintained even at t2. Present findings may point out the potential of NIBS protocols targeting executive control and of upregulation of compensatory cortical activation even in healthy aging.

Though it is often said that climate change is a risk to people's well‐being, the specific ways in which it affects people's well‐being is still poorly understood, especially as it relates to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. Two interrelated issues contribute to this gap in knowledge: (1) the use of different conceptualizations of well‐being across disciplines; and (2) the limited use of local and context‐specific understandings of well‐being that are meaningful to people exposed to climate change. Here, we review 103 articles covering the topic of climate change adaptation and well‐being. We find that, despite the growing interest on the topic, most of the articles do not include definitions of well‐being. We then propose an approach informed by emic values to better understand how climate change may affect well‐being in Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. We conclude that, given the increasing recognition of well‐being as a fundamental marker of successful adaptation, well‐being should be central to climate change research and policymaking, but for this to be of benefit to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities context‐specific understandings of well‐being are necessary. This article is categorized under:Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Values‐Based Approach to Vulnerability and AdaptationClimate and Development > Sustainability and Human Well‐BeingThe Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Sociology/Anthropology of Climate Knowledge Cooking a traditional pork meal for a mortuary celebration in Budibudi (Papua New Guinea). Cultural practices that determine the well‐being of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are threatened by climate change. Adaptation actions need to take local psycho‐cultural elements in consideration to ensure the well‐being of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) is maintained.

The implicit and explicit awareness of owning a body and its parts is a constant accompaniment in our everyday life and our interaction with the outside world. The way in which we build and maintain a coherent sense of body ownership is not fully understood. It has been postulated that the integration between exteroceptive, interoceptive, and proprioceptive signals may play a fundamental role in the sense of body ownership. For instance, studies on healthy subjects and brain-damaged patients have suggested that alterations in the sense of body ownership are coupled with autonomic signal changes, such as thermoregulatory reactions. However, the available evidence is conflicting, possibly due to shortcomings in the experimental paradigm that previous studies have adopted. In this study, we explore the relationship between body ownership, thermoregulation, and thermal sensitivity through a novel application of the mirror-box illusion paradigm, overcoming some of the limitations of previous studies. We find a bilateral decrease in hand skin temperature, together with reduced thermal sensitivity for warm thermal stimuli following the induction of the illusion of ownership towards the participant's reflected hand. These findings demonstrate the importance of the orchestration of exteroceptive (e.g., visual), autonomic (e.g., body temperature) and proprioceptive (e.g., position and movement of the body) signals in maintaining a coherent sense of body ownership.

Of 725 consecutive hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019, 108 (15%) had acute neurologic symptoms necessitating neurologic imaging.

Hard ballistic body armour plates are designed to withstand the impact of a bullet and protect the wearer, if this happens the armour is clearly damaged and so is retired from service. Mishandling, however, such as dropping the armour, may cause minor and difficult to detect damage which compromises the effectiveness of the plate. Current methods of inspection involve shipping the plates to a central location, performing a thorough inspection and returning them to service if uncompromised; this is costly and requires redundancy of equipment for when not in service. Acousto-Ultrasonics is a method of structural health monitoring in which ultrasonic waves are excited in a structure by a transducer and receivers record the response, any deviation from a baseline measurement give an indication of damage within the structure. Within this paper the development and testing of a novel handheld prototype device is presented, which gives a simple yes/no answer to if there is damage on the plate. This inspection is quick and easy to perform by unskilled personnel. Low profile sensors have been utilised combined with a novel flexible circuitry with built in memory, which does not compromise the effectiveness of the armour.

Reincarnation has been a fundamental tenet of anthropologists’ representations of Trobriand cosmology since Bronislaw Malinowski published “Baloma; The spirits of the dead in the Trobriand Islands” in 1916. Yet, during recent ethnographic fieldwork, many Trobrianders repeatedly denied the possibility of rebirth. Faced with a potential major shift in this fundamental belief, we used a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods to assess current Trobriand cosmological views. Drawing on a combination of structured and semi-structured interviews and focus groups, we tested the current validity of prior cosmological representations as found in the literature. In this article, we first analyze the results of the questionnaires. Second, we examine some of the implications that current beliefs have for Trobriand kinship and cosmology. And third, in light of the observed near universal negation of reincarnation, we discuss whether Trobrianders’ reported assumptions about the afterlife changed drastically in the last century or if Malinowski misrepresented them at the outset.

AbstractThis article reviews the Appellate Body decision in the implementation phase of the EC–Aircraftdispute. Focusing on some of the key findings, we assess whether they are legally and economically correct. We conclude that (a) though still unclear, the test for establishing de facto contingency on import substitution subsidies is probably too demanding; (b) though legitimate, the interpretation of the remedy of removal of the adverse effects for actionable subsidies is the weakest and most deferential possible; (c) the hesitation in confirming that quantitative methods are the key tool to define the relevant market is unwelcome; and (d) the Appellate Body correctly recognize the importance for Panels to consider, in the context of the serious prejudice analysis, whether the like product of the complainant has been subsidized. Most importantly, the analysis of this case, set within the broader jurisprudence and practice, has led us to conclude that WTO subsidy disciplines are not particularly strong. The review of the main economic theories justifying subsidy control (strategic trade policy, terms of trade, private information, commitment theory) has shown that no single theory is able to fully account for subsidies and the need to control them. The key question is the definition of what we want to achieve by controlling subsidies, which is the main message sent to the policy-makers and negotiators that are currently considering law reform.

Background and aimNo marker to categorise the severity of chronic intestinal failure (CIF) has been developed. A 1-year international survey was carried out to investigate whether the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism clinical classification of CIF, based on the type and volume of the intravenous supplementation (IVS), could be an indicator of CIF severity.MethodsAt baseline, participating home parenteral nutrition (HPN) centres enrolled all adults with ongoing CIF due to non-malignant disease; demographic data, body mass index, CIF mechanism, underlying disease, HPN duration and IVS category were recorded for each patient. The type of IVS was classified as fluid and electrolyte alone (FE) or parenteral nutrition admixture (PN). The mean daily IVS volume, calculated on a weekly basis, was categorised as <1, 1–2, 2–3 and >3 L/day. The severity of CIF was determined by patient outcome (still on HPN, weaned from HPN, deceased) and the occurrence of major HPN/CIF-related complications: intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD), catheter-related venous thrombosis and catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI).ResultsFifty-one HPN centres included 2194 patients. The analysis showed that both IVS type and volume were independently associated with the odds of weaning from HPN (significantly higher for PN <1 L/day than for FE and all PN >1 L/day), patients’ death (lower for FE, p=0.079), presence of IFALD cholestasis/liver failure and occurrence of CRBSI (significantly higher for PN 2–3 and PN >3 L/day).ConclusionsThe type and volume of IVS required by patients with CIF could be indicators to categorise the severity of CIF in both clinical practice and research protocols.

Background/AimTo set a safe giant slalom course, speed needs to be controlled in certain sections. Speed may be reduced by adjusting how the gates are set on a course. We studied the effect of elements of course-setting, entrance speed and terrain incline on the mechanics of turning (ie, turn speed, turn radius, and ground reaction force and impulse).MethodsDuring seven World Cup alpine giant slalom competitions, the course and terrain characteristics of the official racetracks and the mechanics of a professional-level athlete skiing the course immediately prior to competition were analysed with differential global navigation satellite system technology. Data were analysed using a linear mixed-effects model.ResultsCourse-setting geometry (vertical gate distance and horizontal gate offset), entrance speed and terrain incline modulated the injury-relevant factor turn speed. Depending on the terrain, the speed throughout a turn can be reduced by 0.5 m/s either by shortening the vertical gate distance by 4.9–6.9 m (from −20% to −29%) or by increasing the horizontal gate offset by 2.8–3.2 m (from +33% to +55%). However, increasing the horizontal gate offset causes the skier to turn with a smaller minimal turn radius, increase maximal ground reaction force and also increase impulse.DiscussionTo reduce speed, we recommend decreasing the vertical gate distance rather than increasing the horizontal gate offset. Increasing horizontal gate offset would require the skiers to sharpen and prolong their turns (reducing turn radius), and this increases the acting ground reaction force and impulse and thus the athlete’s fatigue.

Structure-based methods in drug discovery have become an integral part of the modern drug discovery process. The power of virtual screening lies in its ability to rapidly and cost-effectively explore enormous chemical spaces to select promising ligands for further experimental investigation. Relative free energy perturbation (RFEP) and similar methods are the gold standard for binding affinity prediction in drug discovery hit-to-lead and lead optimization phases, but have high computational cost and the requirement of a structural analog with a known activity. Without a reference molecule requirement, absolute FEP (AFEP) has, in theory, better accuracy for hit ID, but in practice, the slow throughput is not compatible with VS, where fast docking and unreliable scoring functions are still the standard. Here, we present an integrated workflow to virtually screen large and diverse chemical libraries efficiently, combining active learning with a physics-based scoring function based on a fast absolute free energy perturbation method. We validated the performance of the approach in the ranking of structurally related ligands, virtual screening hit rate enrichment, and active learning chemical space exploration; disclosing the largest reported collection of free energy simulations to date.

Decisions under risk are a particular case of decisional skills taking place in complex and mostly unpredictable situations, where affective connotation of deciding is highly relevant. We aimed at investigating decisional processes under risk by outlining individual risk-taking (RT) and risk management (RM) attitudes via realistic decision-making and, in keeping with the risk-as-feeling hypothesis, at exploring implicit physiological correlates of such processes. 35 participants were presented with realistic situations where they had to make decisions by choosing between alternatives connoted by different levels of riskiness. Concurrently, autonomic physiological activation (cardiovascular and electrodermal activity) was recorded. Data analysis highlighted that: (i) participants showed higher propensity towards risk management than risk-taking; (ii) the propensity towards both risk taking and risk management was significantly determined by physiological markers of autonomic activity; and (iii) risk taking and risk management indices showed associations with different autonomic measures, respectively heart rate and skin conductance metrics.

Data supporting the efficacy of preventive pharmacological therapy (PPT) to reduce urolithiasis recurrence are based on clinical trials with composite outcomes that incorporate imaging findings and have uncertain clinical significance. This study evaluated whether the use of PPT leads to fewer symptomatic stone events.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) blockade therapy is able to induce long-lasting antitumor responses in a fraction of cancer patients. Nonetheless, there is still room for improvement in the quest for new therapeutic combinations. ICOS costimulation has been underscored as a possible target to include with CTLA-4 blocking treatment. Herein, we describe an ICOS agonistic aptamer that potentiates T cell activation and induces stronger antitumor responses when locally injected at the tumor site in combination with anti-CTLA-4 antibody in different tumor models. Furthermore, ICOS agonistic aptamer was engineered as a bi-specific tumor-targeting aptamer to reach any disseminated tumor lesions after systemic injection. Treatment with the bi-specific aptamer in combination with CTLA-4 blockade showed strong antitumor immunity, even in a melanoma tumor model where CTLA-4 treatment alone did not display any significant therapeutic benefit. Thus, this work provides strong support for the development of combinatorial therapies involving anti-CTLA-4 blockade and ICOS agonist tumor-targeting agents.

Previous knowledge of molecular mechanisms related with multi-drug resistances in tuberculosis is important if molecular diagnostic procedures want to be used in specific geographical regions. For that reason, the aim of this study was to investigate the mutations at rpoB, katGand inhAin multi-drug resistant tuberculosis isolates from Southeast Mexico.

In last years, neurocognitive enhancement represents a field of great interest and a debated topic in literature. The neuroenhancement concerns the use of different neuroscientific methods that increase individuals’ cognitive performance operating on the brain and the nervous system. Recent studies have indeed highlighted how neuroscientific techniques could improve specific functions such as attention, perception, and memory in clinical and experimental contexts. The development of new and different techniques of neurocognitive enhancement leads to the necessity to investigate the ethical and legal implications related to the use of these tools for the enhancement of mental and physical functions. In particular, this work highlights the ethical and moral implications of the use of neurocognitive tools and techniques based on awareness practices and supported by the use of a wearable device. This paper, therefore, offers an overview of the criticalities and benefits of the use of neurocognitive enhancement techniques on individuals and society, highlighting particularly the use of neurocognitive enhancement within professional contexts in the improvement of organizations effectiveness, coordination, and productivity.

This longitudinal study aimed to elucidate whether systemic bone fragility predicts severe periodontal clinical attachment loss (CAL) and tooth loss over the years and to test the influence of bone medication and periodontal maintenance in these relationships. Elderly women were evaluated for bone mineral density (BMD) and for fracture risk assessment (FRAX) in a cross-sectional analysis and retrospective follow-up (6- and 10-y periods). Data on BMD and FRAX were used as indicators of bone fragility in structural equation modeling. Periodontal examination and data on postmenopausal tooth loss were recorded. Multivariate Poisson regression models with robust covariance were used to estimate relative risk (RR) and 95% CI of BMD and FRAX for sites with CAL ≥6 mm and for tooth loss. The cross-sectional analysis included 134 women aged 65 to 80 y, and from them 71 and 49 women had available data for analysis in the 6- and 10-y follow-up periods, respectively. Bone fragility predicted severe CAL over 10 y (e.g., femoral neck: 10-y analysis, β = −0.389, P= 0.005; cross-sectional, β = −0.190, P= 0.004); however, this association did not remain significant when the use of bone medication was evaluated. Poisson regression showed that a better skeletal condition was associated with a lower risk of severe periodontal disease and tooth loss (cross-sectional femoral neck: RR = 0.08, P< 0.001; RR = 0.03, P< 0.001, respectively) when not adjusted for bone medication and periodontal maintenance. The receiver operating characteristic curve suggested that women with osteoporosis should be referred for periodontal assessment (sensitivity = 71.0%, specificity = 70.0%). Bone fragility is a relevant longitudinal predictor of severe periodontal disease and tooth loss among elderly women. The use of bisphosphonates improved the bone condition as well as the periodontal status. Periodontal maintenance also minimized the negative impact of low BMD on teeth-supportive tissues in the studied population.Knowledge Transfer Statement:The results of this study present evidence that the management of bone fragility and osteoporosis may be important in the prevention of periodontal attachment loss and future tooth loss. Besides the antiresorptive effects of the antiosteoporosis drugs on systemic bone conditions, these medications may protect periodontal tissues. The interaction of health care professionals such as dentists and physicians represents a key role for the approach to women’s health, especially in an aging world.

Recent studies demonstrated that beta oscillations are elicited during cognitive processes. To investigate their potential as electrophysiological markers of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), we recorded beta EEG activity during resting and during an omitted tone task in patients and healthy elderly. Thirty participants were enrolled (15 patients, 15 healthy controls). In particular, we investigated event-related spectral perturbation and intertrial coherence indices. Analyses showed that (a) healthy elderly presented greater beta power at rest than patients with aMCI patients; (b) during the task, healthy elderly were more accurate than aMCI patients and presented greater beta power than aMCI patients; (c) both groups showed qualitatively similar spectral perturbation responses during the task, but different spatiotemporal response patterns; and (d) aMCI patients presented greater beta phase locking than healthy elderly during the task. Results indicate that beta activity in healthy elderly differs from that of patients with aMCI. Furthermore, the analysis of task-related EEG activity extends evidences obtained during resting and suggests that during the prodromal phase of Alzheimer’s disease there is a reduced efficiency in information exchange by large-scale neural networks. The study for the first time shows the potential of task-related beta responses as early markers of aMCI impairments.

To assess the association between overweight/obesity and anemia in early childhood in Tajikistan. Using a two-stage-cluster sampling, a representative sample of 1342 children (48.7% girls) aged 25–60 months was included in a nationwide survey in Tajikistan in 2009. Weight status was defined by age- and gender-specific body mass index, anemia by hemoglobin < 11 g/dl, according to WHO cut-off values for children, adjusted for altitude. Gender-stratified association of anemia and overweight/obesity was estimated by mixed models, controlling for age, parental education, and location type and region. In the study population, the prevalence of anemia was 20.0%, overweight 13.0%, and obesity 9.5%. In multivariable analyses, obesity and overweight were not associated with anemia. Lower age and living in the remote region of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast were associated with a higher prevalence of anemia. In Tajikistan, anemia is at a moderate level, affecting every fifth child aged 25–60 months. Around every fifth child is overweight or obese. Interventions should focus on preventing anemia and overweight/obesity.

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is a tool used to study pore networks in zeolites, as the diffusion of metastable ortho-positronium (o-Ps, an electron–positron bound pair) provides insights into connectivity that cannot be obtained by other techniques. The accurate assessment of porosity requires knowledge of the interaction of o-Ps with acid centers commonly present in these materials. Although previous studies have highlighted a potential effect, the specific impact of the nature and concentration of the acid sites remains unclear. By preparing a series of well-crystallized aluminum- and tin-containing MFI-type zeolites and with the study of commercial samples, we map the effects of Brønsted and Lewis acidity on the PALS response. The results reveal that both types of acid sites decrease the amount of o-Ps detected but through different mechanisms. Brønsted acid sites strongly affect the amount of o-Ps being annihilated in the micropore network but only nominally influence the amount out-diffusing from the crystal, which is attributed to an energy threshold for the interaction. Lewis acid sites originating from the incorporation of framework tin have a more substantial but uniform impact ascribed to the suppressed formation of o-Ps. A similar effect is observed due to the Lewis acid sites in sodium-exchanged aluminum-containing MFI, but the introduction of larger extraframework cations also hinders the diffusion of o-Ps. A preliminary model is put forward to describe the changes in the PALS response in the presence of acid centers.

Cowden syndrome (CS) is an inherited autosomal dominant disorder associated with germline pathogenic variants of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene. Its phenotypical expression is highly variable and the existence of patients with a CS suggestive phenotype without pathogenic PTEN variant may be related to genetic heterogeneity. In order to explore this hypothesis through the detection of potentially deleterious variants enabling us to identify a new candidate gene, we performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) in a series of 22 CS patients without detectable PTEN pathogenic variant using conventional methods for mutation screening. We failed to identify a novel candidate gene, but interestingly in two patients WES revealed the presence of two distinct, previously undescribed Alu insertions with the same break points in exon 5. These insertions were not found in a series of 35 breast carcinomas that showed a loss of PTEN expression without a detectable alteration of this gene. This study reveals the presence of a PTEN Alu insertion hotspot involved in CS, and suggests that undetected PTEN pathogenic variants could contribute to CS.

Theoretical considerations suggest that saltation dynamics is dominated by either aerodynamic entrainment or by a combination of ejection and rebound at a given time and location. Calling these two regimes “weak” and “strong” saltation, respectively, we have investigated high‐resolution snow mass flux measurements by shadowgraphy in a cold wind tunnel to determine whether these two regimes can be experimentally reproduced. In this contribution, we first suggest that aerodynamic entrainment should lead to a negative correlation in the growth rates of horizontal versus vertical mass fluxes, while for the ejection regime, a positive correlation is plausible. Based on this criterion, we find evidence of weak and strong saltation in our data. Weak saltation is characterized by smaller peaks of horizontal mass flux; however, these peaks have a higher growth rate and therefore are typically narrow. The larger peaks are associated with strong saltation, are wider, and their frequency of occurrence increases with increasing overall saltation mass flux. We found evidence of weak and strong saltation regimes from wind tunnel experimentsWeak saltation is characterized by short and narrow peaks, while strong saltation presents wider and larger peaks with a reduced growth rateThe probability of occurrence of splash entrainment increases with the saltation strength

A preliminary study of acoustic emission during orthopaedic screw fixation was performed using polyurethane foam as the bone-simulating material. Three sets of screws, a dynamic hip screw, a small fragment screw and a large fragment screw, were investigated, monitoring acoustic-emission activity during the screw tightening. In some specimens, screws were deliberately overtightened in order to investigate the feasibility of detecting the stripping torque in advance. One set of data was supported by load cell measurements to directly measure the axial load through the screw. Data showed that acoustic emission can give good indications of impending screw stripping; such indications are not available to the surgeon at the current state of the art using traditional torque measuring devices, and current practice relies on the surgeon’s experience alone. The results suggest that acoustic emission may have the potential to prevent screw overtightening and bone tissue damage, eliminating one of the commonest sources of human error in such scenarios.

The article aims to present the Swiss landscape of work integration social enterprises (WISEs). The origins of SEs are rooted within three distinct social security regimes, i. e. disability insurance, unemployment insurance and social assistance. The debate around SE has a longer tradition in the French-speaking part of the country, while it seems more recent in the German-speaking area. The literature review presented in this article allowed for identifying at least five definitions of the WISE model emerging from Swiss civil society. The heterogeneity of their normative elements reflects different conceptions about the positioning of SE in the market, its resources mix, the integration goals and the wage models for the disadvantaged workers. This article draws on a recent empirical survey from which some key-figures concerning the size of the WISE sector have been estimated. Descriptive statistics on legal forms, profit allocation, target-groups, integration goals, remuneration models, economic sectors and the competitive nature of WISEs are provided. By means of a cluster analysis, four models of SE have been identified. The article concludes with a discussion of some of the major issues around the future development of the sector.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a very heterogeneous disease. Several gene expression and mutation profiling approaches were used to classify it, and all converged to the identification of distinct molecular subtypes, with some overlapping across different approaches. However, a standardised tool to routinely classify TNBC in the clinics and guide personalised treatment is lacking. We aimed at defining a specific gene signature for each of the six TNBC subtypes proposed by Lehman et al. in 2011 (basal-like 1 (BL1); basal-like 2 (BL2); mesenchymal (M); immunomodulatory (IM); mesenchymal stem-like (MSL); and luminal androgen receptor (LAR)), to be able to accurately predict them. Methods: Lehman’s TNBCtype subtyping tool was applied to RNA-sequencing data from 482 TNBC (GSE164458), and a minimal subtype-specific gene signature was defined by combining two class comparison techniques with seven attribute selection methods. Several machine learning algorithms for subtype prediction were used, and the best classifier was applied on microarray data from 72 Italian TNBC and on the TNBC subset of the BRCA-TCGA data set. Results: We identified two signatures with the 120 and 81 top up- and downregulated genes that define the six TNBC subtypes, with prediction accuracy ranging from 88.6 to 89.4%, and even improving after removal of the least important genes. Network analysis was used to identify highly interconnected genes within each subgroup. Two druggable matrix metalloproteinases were found in the BL1 and BL2 subsets, and several druggable targets were complementary to androgen receptor or aromatase in the LAR subset. Several secondary drug–target interactions were found among the upregulated genes in the M, IM and MSL subsets. Conclusions: Our study took full advantage of available TNBC data sets to stratify samples and genes into distinct subtypes, according to gene expression profiles. The development of a data mining approach to acquire a large amount of information from several data sets has allowed us to identify a well-determined minimal number of genes that may help in the recognition of TNBC subtypes. These genes, most of which have been previously found to be associated with breast cancer, have the potential to become novel diagnostic markers and/or therapeutic targets for specific TNBC subsets.

Templating approaches play a key role in expanding the structural diversity of many important classes of porous materials. Understanding the interaction of the templating agent with the resulting porous framework and the mechanism of detemplation is critical to ensure their effective application. This study explores the scope of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) to gain insight into the location of tetrapropylammonium (TPA+) industrially employed as a structure directing agent (SDA) in the synthesis of MFI-type zeolites. ortho-Positronium (o-Ps) formed upon positron implantation are initially confined within the zeolite crystals. Simulations using a modified Tao potential confirm that o-Ps atoms localize between the propyl chains of adjacent TPA+molecules within the sinusoidal channels of the micropore network. Controlled removal of the SDA leads to a linear increase in the micropore volume determined by nitrogen sorption. In contrast, the out-diffusion of o-Ps is found to be crystal size dependent. Analysis of the expected percolation threshold shows that the experimental data is best represented by an isotropic detemplation mechanism favoring the formation of small isolated SDA-free volumes. The restricted accessibility of the zeolite micropores due to the presence of the SDA is supported by confocal fluorescence microscopy. These findings emphasize the unique sensitivity of PALS to the presence of guest species within the micropore network opening new doors to study their impact on the textural properties of other porous materials.

Historians of globalization have considered how the early phases of globalization brought about changes in localized legal systems. But rather than pursuing the conventional approach of identifying ways in which the law developed to function on a more global scale, we adopt a localized perspective to examine how a landscape of different legal systems offered myriad opportunities in which the entrepreneurial activities of many actors could flourish. Instead of investigating the ‘usual suspects’ of the mercantile world – the seemingly ubiquitous, multi-faceted ‘merchants’ – we focus on the economic role played by seamen as tradersby interrogating ‘economic’ and ‘legal’ evidence to illuminate the spread of their entrepreneurial activities across the globe. We take a comparative view of this broad subject by seeking to identify similarities and contrasts in the economic behaviour of seafarers from various European countries. In spatial terms, our focus is on the Mediterranean basin, because this was the first area in which different European legal and business models clashed. However, the session at the XVIIth World Economic History in Kyoto was conceived to include a wider selection of early modern examples, as it is our contention that these clashes were formative elements in the economic tide that swept across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, giving rise to early modern globalization.

The wind‐driven redistribution of snow has a significant impact on the climate and mass balance of polar and mountainous regions. Locally, it shapes the snow surface, producing dunes and sastrugi. Sediment transport has been mainly represented as a function of the wind strength, and the two processes assumed to be stationary and in equilibrium. The wind flow in the atmospheric boundary layer is unsteady and turbulent, and drifting snow may never reach equilibrium. Our question is therefore: what role do turbulent eddies play in initiating and maintaining drifting snow? To investigate the interaction between drifting snow and turbulence experimentally, we conducted several wind tunnel measurements of drifting snow over naturally deposited snow covers. We observed a coupling between snow transport and turbulent flow only in a weak saltation regime. In stronger regimes it self‐organizes developing its own length scales and efficiently decoupling from the wind forcing. Wind tunnel experiments of drifting snow reveal the existence of two regimes of interaction between saltation mass fluxes and turbulenceHigh saltation mass fluxes have a certain degree of self‐organization in strong saltationSaltation mass fluxes show stronger coupling with turbulent eddies in weak saltation

Los pacientes con demencia son considerados conductores de alto riesgo. Sin embargo, un gran porcentaje de ellos todavía puede conducir adecuadamente.

Trade liberalization in transition economies has been followed by a significant reduction in government revenue from trade taxes. This paper empirically tests whether and to what extent domestic tax revenue has actually compensated for the trade tax revenue lost by looking at the experience in a panel of 33 transition countries in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and North Africa and the Middle East. The paper finds evidence of strong revenue replacement for total domestic tax revenue. The contribution of the different taxes to the replacement strategy is, as expected leaded by the Value-added Tax, followed by a lower contribution from the personal income tax (PIT). The paper also provides some empirical evidence suggesting that replacement may have been higher for countries in the run-up to the EU, and that countries with a high tax revenue effort may have relied relatively more on the PIT to replace trade taxes.

Une campagne d’échantillonnage des civelles Anguilla anguilla a été menée de novembre 2000 à mai 2001 au grau de la Fourcade (Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, côte méditerranéenne française). Des civelles ont été capturées sur toute la période d’échantillonnage, mais les maxima d’abondance se situent en janvier-février et, dans une moindre mesure, en avril. Afin d’optimiser le recrutement dans les lagunes littorales intérieures, la mesure de gestion proposée est donc de favoriser l’ouverture des martelières au milieu de l’hiver.

The eel population of the Camargue lagoon system can be divided into two subunits living in two distinct biotopes (freshwater and brackish water) and characterised by different population structures and especially growth patterns. The sub-population living in the Fumemorte canal (average salinity: 0.9 g/l) is a freshwater population type (81.6% females, maximum ages observed = 9 - 11 years, slow growth (annual gain 46 mm)) whereas that of the Vaccarès lagoon (average salinity: 9.7 g/l over the same period) is typical of a lagoon (45.6% females, maximum ages 5 – 6 years, fast growth (annual gain 90 mm)).