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Globalizing opposition to pro-environmental institutions: The growth of counter climate change organizations around the world, 1990 to 2018
More than two decades of social scientific research has identified the growing network of corporations, think tanks, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations that aim to obstruct climate change action within the United States. Conventional arguments emphasize the role of economic self-interest (e.g., wealthy and powerful corporations) in shaping the rise of an organized “counter climate change movement” that seeks to discredit evidence about anthropogenic climate change and derail solutions to address the problem. In this paper, we track the growth of counter climate change organizations around the world and emphasize the role of reactionary cultural dynamics in driving their emergence. As climate change discourse is infused in more areas throughout society, climate change issues become more salient in the public sphere, generating adversarial grievances, identities, and mobilization among oppositional groups. Drawing on panel logistic regression models for 162–164 countries from 1990 to 2018, we find that counter climate change organizations are most likely to develop in countries with more extensive state policies and structures oriented toward protecting the natural environment, net of a variety of factors that account for a country’s economic interests or its overall capacity to produce domestic associations.
Altermagnetism: A Chemical Perspective
Turmeric-black pepper-honey nanoemulsion formulation and antiulcerogenic effect evaluation against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats
Gastric ulcer is a common disorder of the digestive system. The combination of turmeric and honey is known to treat stomach ulcers. However, curcumin, an active component in turmeric, has limitations, i.e., poor water solubility and low oral bioavailability. Therefore, turmeric and honey were formulated into a nanoemulsion with black pepper to enhance curcumin bioavailability. The study followed a systematic approach to optimize the nanoemulsion formula, determine stability, and evaluate ulcer healing activity in rats with ethanol-induced gastric ulcers. Nanoemulsion was prepared using a low-energy emulsification method called emulsion phase inversion (EPI). Two stability evaluations were carried out, i.e., storage and freeze-thaw stability tests. The organoleptic, droplet size, polydispersity index, pH, viscosity, and curcumin content of the nanoemulsion were evaluated. Male Wistar albino rats were induced with 96% ethanol for six days. The rats were divided into six groups, i.e., healthy control, ulcerated control, omeprazole, two different doses of turmeric, honey, and black pepper nanoemulsion (NTBH1 and NTBH2), and turmeric and honey nanoemulsion (NTH). The antiulcer activity was determined by measuring the ulcer area, ulcer index, curative index, ulcer severity score, and histology. The best formula with the smallest droplet size, i.e., 144.6±3.8 nm, was obtained from the nanoemulsion using Tween 80 as surfactant, glycerin as cosolvent, and sodium alginate as viscosity enhancer. The result showed that the nanoemulsion was stable after being stored at 25 and 40°C for four weeks and after six cycles of freeze-thaw test. The ulcer index of the ulcerated rats from the lowest to the highest, i.e., NTBH2, omeprazole, NTH, and NTBH1. In conclusion, the nanoemulsion developed in this study containing turmeric, honey, and black pepper holds promising potential in treating gastric ulcers, offering a hopeful outlook for future treatments.
Realizing an Energy-Dense Potassium Metal Battery at −40 °C via an Integrated Anode-Free and Dual-Ion Strategy
Respiratory virus detections in children presenting to an Australian paediatric referral hospital pre-COVID-19 pandemic, January 2014 to December 2019
Acute respiratory infections cause significant paediatric morbidity, but for pathogens other than influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2, systematic monitoring is not commonly performed. This retrospective analysis of six years of routinely collected respiratory pathogen multiplex PCR testing at a major paediatric hospital in New South Wales Australia, describes the epidemiology, year-round seasonality, and co-detection patterns of 15 viral respiratory pathogens. 32,599 respiratory samples from children aged under 16 years were analysed. Most samples were associated with a hospital admission (24,149, 74.1%) and the median age of sampling was 16 months (IQR 5–53). Viruses were detected in 62.9% (20,510) of samples, with single virus detections occurring in 73.5% (15,082) of positive samples. In instances of single virus detection, rhinovirus was most frequent (5125, 40.6%), followed by RSV-B (1394, 9.2%) and RSV-A (1290, 8.6%). Moderate to strong seasonal strength was observed for most viruses with some notable exceptions. Rhinovirus and enterovirus were detected year-round and low seasonal strength was observed for adenovirus and bocavirus. Biennial seasonal patterns were observed for influenza B and parainfluenza virus 2. Co-detections occurred in 5,428 samples, predominantly with two (4284, 79.0%) or three viruses (904, 16.7%). The most common co-detections were rhinovirus-adenovirus (566, 10.4%), rhinovirus-enterovirus (357, 8.3%), and rhinovirus-RSV-B (337, 7.9%). Ongoing pan-pathogen surveillance, integrating both laboratory and clinical data, is necessary to assist in identification of key pathogens and combination of pathogens to support effective preventative public health strategies and reduce the burden of paediatric respiratory infections.
Female Brain and Endocrinological Research–Veteran (FemBER-Vet) study: A study protocol for identifying endocrinological, lifestyle and psychosocial determinants of brain health outcomes in female veterans for future intervention success
Background Recent studies have demonstrated a greater risk of dementia in female veterans compared to civilians; with the highest prevalence noted for former service women with a diagnosis of psychiatric (trauma, alcoholism, depression), and/or a physical health condition (brain injury, insomnia, diabetes). Such findings highlight the need for increased and early screening of medical and psychiatric conditions, and indeed dementia, in the female veteran population. Further, they call for a better understanding of the underlying biopsychosocial mechanisms that might confer heightened risk for female veterans, to tailor preventative and interventional strategies that support brain health across the lifespan. Methods The Female Brain and Endocrinological Research–Veteran (FemBER-Vet) Study will create a highly-phenotyped readiness cohort of ex-service persons as well as non-veterans to assess the impacts of, and risks associated with, military service on brain health, using state-of-the-art non-invasive cognitive, physiological and biomarker capture techniques. FEMBER-Vet will include 90 participants across three study groups (30 female veterans, 30 male veterans, 30 female civilians) to delineate the precise biological, socio-demographic, health, lifestyle, military-related, and life-course determinants of brain health outcomes (psychosocial, cognitive, neurophysiological, and other biomarkers). Discussion This work addresses the poorly understood biopsychosocial outcomes that female veterans experience compared to their male counterparts and the general female population. Ultimately, it will provide evidence to support the development of tailored interventions for an emerging health priority that currently lacks sufficient evidence for screening and therapeutic intervention.
Correction to “Single─Not Double─3D-Aromaticity in an Oxidized <i>Closo</i> Icosahedral Dodecaiodo-Dodecaborate Cluster”
Cost-effectiveness of monitoring and liver cancer surveillance among patients with inactive chronic hepatitis B
Patients with chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB) have an increased risk for death from liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the United States, only an estimated 37% of adults with chronic hepatitis B diagnosis without cirrhosis receive monitoring with at least an annual alanine transaminase (ALT) and hepatitis B deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and an estimated 59% receive antiviral treatment when they develop active hepatitis or cirrhosis. A Markov model was used to calculate the costs, health impact and cost-effectiveness of increased monitoring of adults with HBeAg negative inactive or HBeAg positive immune tolerant CHB who have no cirrhosis or significant fibrosis and are not recommended by the current American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) clinical practice guidelines to receive antiviral treatment, and to assess whether the addition of HCC surveillance would be cost-effective. For every 100,000 adults with CHB who were initially not recommended for treatment, if the monitoring rate increased from the current 37% to 90% and treatment rate increased from 59% to 80%, 4,600 cases of cirrhosis, 2,450 cases of HCC and 4,700 HBV-related deaths would be averted with a gain of 45,000 QALYs and a savings of $180 million in lifetime health care costs. At a willingness to pay threshold of $100,000/QALY, the addition of HCC surveillance with the standard recommended biannual liver ultrasound and alfa fetoprotein levels is likely cost-effective if the HCC risk ≥ 0.55%/year. Regular monitoring of persons with inactive or immune tolerant CHB who are initially not recommended to receive antiviral treatment in the United States is cost-saving. The addition of HCC surveillance with biannual US and AFP would be cost-effective for individuals with HCC incidence ≥ 0.55%/year.
The Elusive Ternary Intermediates of Chiral Phosphoric Acids in Ion Pair Catalysis─Structures, Conformations, and Aggregation
How belief in a just world shapes academic engagement among Chinese college art majors: A cross-level moderated mediation model
The belief in a just world (BJW) is perceived as an individual trait that aids in coping with challenges. This study employed Mplus8.0 and HLM6.08 to analyze 346 questionnaire responses, leading to the following conclusions: (1) BJW shows a positive correlation with academic engagement among college art majors; (2) Academic resilience mediates the relationship between BJW and academic engagement for college art majors; (3) The teacher-student relationship (TSR) exhibits a positive correlation with academic engagement among college art majors; (4) TSR functions as a moderator in the relationship between BJW and academic engagement among college art majors. These findings provide valuable insights for enhancing learning efficiency and talent development in art schools, thereby contributing to the overall quality of education for art students.
Monitoring of the Local Extracellular Environment Using Chiral Gold Nanoparticles
Tetracycline and chloramphenicol exposure induce decreased susceptibility to tigecycline and genetic alterations in AcrAB-TolC efflux pump regulators in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae
Tigecycline (Tgc), a third-generation tetracycline is found as the last line of defense against multi-drug resistant bacteria. Recent increased rate of resistance to tgc, a human-restricted agent among animal bacteria poses a significant global health challenge. Overuse of first generation tetracyclines (Tet) and phenicols in animals have been suggested to be associated with Tgc resistance development. In the current study we aimed to determine the effect of tetracycline (Tet) and chloramphenicol (Chl) overexposure on Tgc susceptibility. A Tet and Chl-susceptible isolate of K. pneumoniae and E. coli were exposed to successively increasing concentrations of tetracycline and chloramphenicol separately until a ≥4 times increase in Tet and Chl MICs was observed. Susceptibility changes to several antimicrobial agents were tested using disk diffusion and broth dilution methods. The genetic alterations of genes coding for major AcrAB regulators including acrR (repressor of acrAB), ramR (repressor of ramA), soxR (repressor of soxS) in K. pneumoniae and lon (proteolytic degradation of MarA), marR (repressor of marA), acrR and soxR in E. coli were investigated. The expression level of acrB was measured using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method. The excessive exposure (15 to 40 selection cycles) of studied bacteria to both antibiotics significantly decreased susceptibility of Tet-resistant (R) and Chl-R variants of E. coli (n = 6) and K. pneumoniae (n = 6) to several groups of antibiotics including tigecycline (4–16 and 8–64 times respectively) and quinolones. About 58% of variants (n = 7) carried genetic alterations in AcrAB regulators including ramR (frameshift mutations/locus deletion), MarR (L33R, A70T, G15S amino acid substitutions) and Lon (L630F change, frameshift mutation) which were associated with acrB upregulation. Our study demonstrated the capacity of chloramphenicol and tetracycline exposure for selection of mutants which revealed tigecycline resistance/decreased susceptibility mostly mediated by active efflux mechanism. Unaltered acrB expression level in some strains indicates possible contribution of other efflux pumps or non-efflux-based mechanisms in the development of multiple- antibiotic resistance phenotype.
Spectroscopic and Computational Insights into the Mechanism of Cofactor Cobalt–Carbon Bond Homolysis by the Adenosylcobalamin-Dependent Enzyme Ethanolamine Ammonia-Lyase
GsMTx-4 combined with exercise improves skeletal muscle structure and motor function in rats with spinal cord injury
Motor dysfunction and muscle atrophy are typical symptoms of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Exercise training is a conventional physical therapy after SCI, but exercise intervention alone may have limited efficacy in reducing secondary injury and promoting nerve regeneration and functional remodeling. Our previous research found that intramedullary pressure after SCI is one of the key factors affecting functional prognosis. It has been reported that GsMTx-4, a specific blocker of the mechanosensitive ion channels Piezo1, can protect the integrity of the neuromuscular junction and promote nerve regeneration, and thus has the potential as a therapeutic agent for SCI. In this study, we observed the combined and separate therapeutic effect of GsMTx-4 and exercise on the structure of the soleus muscle and motor function in rats with SCI. At 42 days post-injury, compared with SCI rats, the Basso–Beattie–Bresnahan score (P = 0.0007) and Gait Symmetry (P = 0.0002) were significantly improved after combination therapy. On histology of rat soleus muscle, compared with SCI rats, the combined treatment significantly increased the wet weight ratio, muscle fiber cross-sectional area and acetylcholinesterase (all P<0.0001). On histology of rat spinal tissue, compared with SCI rats, the combined treatment significantly increased neuron counts and BDNF levels, and significantly reduced the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells (all P<0.0001). On physiology of rat soleus muscle, compared with SCI rats, the combined treatment increased the succinate dehydrogenase expression (P<0.0001), while the expression of α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (P<0.0001) and GDF8 protein (P = 0.0008) decreased. Results indicate the combination therapy effectively improves histopathology of spinal cord and soleus muscle in SCI rats, enhancing motor function. This study was conducted on animal models, it offers insights for SCI treatment, advancing understanding of lower limb muscle pathology post-SCI. Further research is needed for clinical validation in the future.
Targeting Synthesis of Diatomic Catalysts by Selective Etching and Sequential Adsorption of Metal Atom
Gaps in disability inclusion across universities in the United States
Disabled people face social and environmental barriers to higher education, yet there is a dearth of clear, publicly available information on university websites related to accessibility and disability inclusion. Our team previously developed disability inclusion scores for the top 50 universities offering undergraduate programs based on funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and found low scores overall. Building on that, this study examines the relationship between disability inclusion (as scores ranging from 0 to 100 points) and six university characteristics for these 50 universities. The six university characteristics examined were U.S. News National Universities 2021 rankings, geographic region, year of institution founding, total number of undergraduates, public or private status of the university, and presence of an undergraduate disability studies program. Results indicate that university characteristics were not significantly associated with disability inclusion scores (p>0.05 for all university characteristics). The average scores across all categories of each characteristic fell below 72 points. These results indicate a gap in disability inclusion across all types of universities examined. Highly funded universities should evaluate their campuses for disability inclusion.