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The artificial sweetener neotame negatively regulates the intestinal epithelium directly through T1R3-signaling and indirectly through pathogenic changes to model gut bacteria
No full textIntroduction: Recent studies have indicated considerable health risks associated with the consumption of artificial sweeteners. Neotame is a relatively new sweetener in the global market however there is still limited data on the impact of neotame on the intestinal epithelium or the commensal microbiota.
Methods: In the present study, we use a model of the intestinal epithelium (Caco-2) and microbiota (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis) to investigate how physiologically-relevant exposure of neotame impacts intestinal epithelial cell function, gut bacterial metabolism and pathogenicity, and gut epithelium-microbiota interactions.
Results: Our findings show that neotame causes intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis and death with siRNA knockdown of T1R3 expression significantly attenuating the neotame-induced loss to cell viability. Similarly, neotame exposure results in barrier disruption with enhanced monolayer leak and reduced claudin-3 cell surface expression through a T1R3-dependent pathway. Using the gut bacteria models, E. coli and E. faecalis, neotame significantly increased biofilm formation and metabolites of E. coli, but not E. faecalis, reduced Caco-2 cell viability. In co-culture studies, neotame exposure increased adhesion capacity of E. coli and E. faecalis onto Caco-2 cells and invasion capacity of E. coli. Neotame-induced biofilm formation, E.coli-specific Caco-2 cell death, adhesion and invasion was identified to be meditated through a taste-dependent pathway.
Discussion: Our study identifies novel pathogenic effects of neotame on the intestinal epithelium or bacteria alone, and in co-cultures to mimic the gut microbiome. These findings demonstrate the need to better understand food additives common in the global market and the molecular mechanisms underlying potential negative health impacts.</p
Peer effects in corporate financialization: The role of Fintech in financial decision making
No full textThis paper develops a three-period theoretical model of corporate investment decision-making to illustrate the impact of peer effects on corporate financialization and the influence of Fintech on peer effects in corporate financialization. To empirically examine the framework, we utilize 27,697 firm-year observations from Chinese A-share listed companies between 2011 and 2021 in a panel data setting. Findings show that there is a significant and positive relationship between the degree of corporate financialization and peer effects. In addition, Fintech can mitigate the ‘peer effects’ of corporate financialization among companies located in the same geographic region, regardless of their industrial affiliation. We further demonstrate that companies’ perceptions of uncer?tainty arising from market competition, regulatory policy, monetary policy, and fiscal policy are important mechanisms for the peer effect of corporate financialization and the influence of Fintech on peer effects in corporate financialization. Our results remain qualitatively consistent after conducting a set of robustness checks.</p
Cross-adaptation from heat stress to hypoxia: A systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis
No full textCross-adaptation (CA) refers to the successful induction of physiological adaptation under one environmental stressor (e.g., heat), to enable subsequent benefit in another (e.g., hypoxia). This systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis investigated the effect of heat acclimation (HA) on physiological, perceptual and physical performance outcome measures during rest, and submaximal and maximal intensity exercise in hypoxia.
Database searches in Scopus and MEDLINE were performed. Studies were included when they met the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome criteria, were of English-language, peer-reviewed, full-text original articles, using human participants. Risk of bias and study quality were assessed using the COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments checklist.
Nine studies were included, totalling 79 participants (100 % recreationally trained males). The most common method of HA included fixed-intensity exercise comprising 9 ± 3 sessions, 89 ± 24-min in duration and occurred within 39 ± 2 °C and 32 ± 13 % relative humidity. CA induced a moderate, beneficial effect on physiological measures at rest (oxygen saturation: g = 0.60) and during submaximal exercise (heart rate: g = −0.65, core temperature: g = −0.68 and skin temperature: g = −0.72). A small effect was found for ventilation (g = 0.24) and performance measures (peak power: g = 0.32 and time trial time: g = −0.43) during maximal intensity exercise. No effect was observed for perceptual outcome measures.
CA may be appropriate for individuals, such as occupational or military workers, whose access to altitude exposure prior to undertaking submaximal activity in hypoxic conditions is restricted. Methodological variances exist within the current literature, and females and well-trained individuals have yet to be investigated. Future research should focus on these cohorts and explore the mechanistic underpinnings of CA.</p
Dataset: 20 Channel adopted cases 2021
No full textObserving two Channel panels for 3 months allowed the researcher to build a dataset of 20 cases. As Channel panels meet every month, the amount of the cases discussed varies and it comprises the following categories:1. Review cases: people who have completed the early de-radicalisation support programme and are followed up by the panel 6 months and 12 months after the end of the programme. If the panel decides that after the 12-month review the person is not a CT concern anymore, he/she is discharged by the panel.2. Live cases: people who are currently supported by the Channel programme through various initiatives, tailored on their specific needs and vulnerabilities.3. Newly adopted cases: people whose case has been adopted at the Channel panel meeting.The dataset build through the observation of the researcher includes 4 review cases, 10 live cases, and 6 newly adopted cases. The dataset comprises 20 cases analysed for this study. This dataset was built by using NVIVO case classification function which allowed a deeper exploration of each of the features characterising the cases discussed at Channel panels meetings. For the purpose of this study, the following attributes were identified as relevant because pertinent to the research questions of this study and comparable among all cases, i.e. sex, ideology, mental health issues, neurodivergence, age, on medications, online radicalisation, and self-harm. Values were assigned where information was available. Where relevant details were not available or disclosed, the specific field shows as “unassigned”</p
A validated web-application (GFDC) for automatic classification of glaucomatous visual field defects using Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson criteria
No full textSubjectivity and ambiguity of visual field classification limits the accuracy and reliability of glaucoma diagnosis, prognostication, and management decisions. Standardised rules for classifying glaucomatous visual field defects exist, but these are labour-intensive and therefore impractical for day-to-day clinical work. Here a web-application, Glaucoma Field Defect Classifier (GFDC), for automatic application of Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson, is presented and validated in a cross-sectional study. GFDC exhibits perfect accuracy in classifying mild, moderate, and severe glaucomatous field defects. GFDC may thereby improve the accuracy and fairness of clinical decision-making in glaucoma. The application and its source code are freely hosted online for clinicians and researchers to use with glaucoma patients. </p
Female academics’ experiences of gendered health at the intersection of middlescence, ethnicity, social and professional status in the neoliberal academy
No full textPurpose
Gender inequality and age discrimination persist in the Higher Education (HE) sectors. The significance of gendered health at middlescence, including peri/menopause, is often negated. This article explores women’s lived experiences of gendered health issues at middlescence in the neoliberal academy through an intersectional lens.
Design/methodology/approach
Two female academics engaged in dialogic narrative using duoethnography addressing their experiences of gendered health issues in a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI). They recorded intentional written reflections and met to explore their experiences over a four month period. Thematic analysis was applied to analyse their responses.
Findings
Both women considered how they self-advocated for their own care at the stage of middlescence whilst seeking health support and in accessing accommodations in the HE workplace. This process impacted on the construction of their professional identity and on their self-concept as social work academics at the dynamic intersection of age, gender, ethnic, social and professional status.
Originality/value
This article uniquely foregrounds two female academics’ lived experiences of middlescence in a UK HEI conceptualised through an intersectional lens. Their experiences are explored in the context of gendered age discrimination in HE sectors that are perpetuated through masculinized forms of career progression and management. The concept of the ideal academic, a white male, unencumbered by domestic responsibilities, is contested through consideration of care ethics. We acknowledge that forms of epistemic injustice silence women’s narratives in the neoliberal academy but highlight recommendations to enable their stories of gendered health discrimination to be heard.</p
Sex differences in the global burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis without extensive drug resistance in the general population and people living with HIV/AIDS, 1990-2019
No full textOBJECTIVE: Currently, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) without extensive drug resistance (XDR) are significant challenges in terms of the global burden of disease. This study aimed to evaluate the trends of the global burden of MDR-TB without XDR and HIV/AIDS-MDR-TB without XDR, focusing on differences in socioeconomic status and sex for 204 countries and territories across periods from 1990 to 2019.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study were obtained to construct a separate index measuring the burden of MDR-TB without XDR and HIV/AIDS-MDR-TB without XDR. Incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were calculated for each case and group. A population-attributable fraction approach was used to assess mortality and incidence of HIV/AIDS and MDR-TB coinfection. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were presented for all measures.RESULTS: Our global estimates suggest that there were approximately 450,000 (95% UI 247,000-785,000) incident cases of MDR-TB without XDR and 109,000 (43,000-210,000) deaths caused by MDR-TB without XDR among individuals who were HIV-negative in 2019. For HIV-positive individuals, the corresponding figures were approximately 47,000 (33,000-67,000) incident cases of MDR-TB and 19,000 (8,000-36,000) deaths due to MDR-TB in the same year. In 2019, higher numbers of incident cases and deaths were observed in males compared to females among individuals who were HIV-negative. Conversely, for HIV-positive individuals, females had higher numbers of incident cases and deaths compared to males. Specifically, the estimated numbers for incident cases were 23,000 (15,000-33,000) for females and 24,000 (17,000-35,000) for males, while the estimated numbers for deaths were 9,600 (4,000-17,900) for females and 9,800 (4,100-18,500) for males. Male-to-female ratios have remained above 1.0 from 1990 to 2019 in both incident cases and number of deaths for HIV-negative individuals. However, for HIV and MDR-TB coinfection, both ratios were below 1.0 in most of the time series.CONCLUSIONS: Males had more cases and deaths due to MDR-TB without XDR than females in HIV-negative patients, while females faced a higher incidence and mortality in HIV/AIDS-MDR-TB without XDR. Interventions are needed to deal with such factors, which increase the burden of coinfection among females across the world.</p
Simulation and analysis of Automated Generalised Interleaved Layered Execution (AGILE) process for concrete shell structures
No full textThere has been increased research and interest in new methods of automated construction. This study presents a novel computational model for an augmented and generalised version of an automated construction process that was previously tested experimentally only for vertical concrete walls. The Automated Generalised Interleaved Layer Execution (AGILE) utilises a robotic arm for the alternating deposition of formwork and concrete, aiming to facilitate the creation of free-form concrete shell structures with enhanced design and construction versatility, overcoming the constraints of previous methods. The paper proposes an FEA analysis framework for this construction methodology, evaluating its implications, limitations, and challenges via a detailed case study that includes calculating lateral pressures and displacements throughout the construction process. Moreover, it introduces new failure criteria specific to this construction method, enabling the optimisation of the design and geometry of the shell and formwork, as well as the construction process details and parameters. The proposed computational analysis method allows designers to improve the performance of a broader range of shell structures while reducing construction costs, time, complexity, and environmental impact by replacing early-stage experimental methods with finite-element analysis. In conclusion, apart from generalising the limited process and identifying its design options and parameters, this study proposes a new and straightforward computational method for analysis of the AGILE construction method in its general form in the absence of any other analysis method and where only the experimental method in one particular case was used before, identifies four different construction failure modes, and paves the way for experimental verification and calibration of this analysis method for different specific setups and applications of this general construction process
Constrained Symmetric Non-Negative Matrix Factorization with Deep Autoencoders for Community Detection
No full textRecently, community detection has emerged as a prominent research area in the analysis of complex network structures. Community detection models based on non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) are shallow and fail to fully discover the internal structure of complex networks. Thus, this article introduces a novel constrained symmetric non-negative matrix factorization with deep autoencoders (CSDNMF) as a solution to this issue. The model possesses the following advantages: (1) By integrating a deep autoencoder to discern the latent attributes bridging the original network and community assignments, it adeptly captures hierarchical information. (2) Introducing a graph regularizer facilitates a thorough comprehension of the community structure inherent within the target network. (3) By integrating a symmetry regularizer, the model’s capacity to learn undirected networks is augmented, thereby facilitating the precise detection of symmetry within the target network. The proposed CSDNMF model exhibits superior performance in community detection when compared to state-of-the-art models, as demonstrated by eight experimental results conducted on real-world networks.</p
Art for the Sake of Care: Editorial Introduction
No full textThis special issue showcases more than 30 authors with contributions rooted in artistic practice, offering fresh perspectives on care. Based on their contributions, in this editorial introduction, we propose three promises for revitalizing care through artistic practice: (1) fullness, (2) shared sensibilities, and (3) regenerating places. With this issue, we respond to what Ellen Dissanayake, professor emerita and author of Homo Aestheticus and Art & Intimacy, once wrote: “Lacking mutuality, we lack humanity” (1992, p. 43). Now, more than three decades later, in this current particularly challenging moment, we find ourselves yearning for more than just our lost humanity. We crave respect for all species and a more fluid, interconnected understanding of existence. We’re becoming increasingly aware of the deep interdependence of all life forms, urging us to transcend traditional boundaries and embrace a renewed perspective to life and how we care for it. This quest for interconnectedness and inter-species respect is not just a desire or ‘nice,’ but a necessity for a harmonious, caring future (Puíg de la Bellacasa, 2017; Varpanen et al., 2024). We've observed this yearning for regeneration not only among the authors of this issue but also among our students and on our campuses. This generation of students is particularly interested in sustainability, repurposing, and revitalizing both physical spaces and cultural artifacts through upcycling and sustainable fashion; interest in preserving and restoring historical buildings and landmarks; through community projects that aim to revitalize neglected spaces and breathe new life into forgotten corners of our cities as well as the resurgence of traditional crafts like knitting and sewing. These activities not only provide a creative outlet but also contribute to a sense of community and sustainability and care. They show us how important it is for us to ‘make.’ This special issue, Art for the Sake of Care, which emerged from five-years of collaboration in our Art & Care Platform Series (www.art-and-care.com), joins the chorus of the quickly developing interest in the nexus of Art & Care, for example through artistic, practice-led research creation on care (Travis et al., 2024; Slager, 2024; Springgay, 2022; Bickel & Fisher, 2022; ARIAS, n.d.; HKU, n.d.), research on the concept of (feminist) “care aesthetics” (Thompson, 2022; Saito, 2022; Cologni, 2020a, 2020b). And research in related but distinct fields such as art therapy, worldwide Arts & Health programs (Sonke et al., 2024; Lewis et al, 2024; Sajnani, 2023; Fancourt, 2017; Fancourt & Finn, 2019; Pesata et al., 2022; Groot et al., 2021), initiatives on the ‘art of caring’ in the Caring Sciences and nursing (Suárez‐Baquero & Champion, 2021), initiatives in the field of occupational therapy, the health humanities (Hansen, 2023; Crawford et al., 2015) and many more, such as those who are combining orientations and fields inquiring care (e.g. Bourgault & Rosamond, 2024; Daelman et al., 2024; Visse et al., 2019, 2020, 2024).</p
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