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Two alloys containing different Mg contents have been used to study the combined effect of stirring and oxidation on microstructure and ductility. The results show that intensive stirring can sufficiently disperse the α-Al particles and enable better liquid feeding during solidification and consequently reduce the porosity. The morphology of the oxides is determined by the amount of both Mg and stirring. With lower Mg content, the oxides present as oxide films, which can be broken up during stirring. In alloy with higher Mg content, the oxides exist as particles with numerous cracks, and the particle size increases slightly after stirring. In the Magsimal 59 alloy, due to the presence of large clusters of pores in the fracture surface, the influence of the small oxide particles on the ductility is negligible. In contrast, in the 42000 alloy, large oxide films on the fracture surface are correlated with the ductility.

The ferritic ductile cast iron, SiMo51, with graphite nodules and grain boundary carbides, was tested at 700°C with respect to creep, uniaxial strain and oxidation, investigating the internal damag...

This essay represents an effort to rethink the relationship between political emergence and migrant agency. This undertaking has a theoretical motivation. Mainstream human and social sciences seem to be at an impasse because of their structural inability to interpret and explain systemic crises and contradictions. While this is a topic far too complex to be dealt with in a brief essay, the following pages will explore three expressions of this impasse. First, the social sciences often analyse migration without acknowledging its profound political implications. Second, European history and sociology rarely recognize histories of imperial dominance and anticolonial resistance as intrinsic to European history and society. Third, mainstream social and political theories often ignore the structural significance of collective protests and resistance movements for the realization of democracy. The article frames the analysis of these problems via two different theoretical contexts in which we can observe ongoing conceptual or methodological shifts or ‘turns’ that respond to the said impasse. In studies of democracy and citizenship there has thus been a clear turn toward ‘borders’. In migration studies, there is a corresponding turn toward ‘agency’. By analysing the interconnections between these theoretical contexts the article suggests ways of resolving the three problems at hand. It starts by examining the first one, or the inability to acknowledge the profound political implications of migration. This discussion will then offer an approach to the other two, concerning the legacies of colonialism and the significance of political agency and protest. Résumé Cet essai représente un effort pour repenser la relation entre migration et politique. La motivation d’un tel essai est théorique. Les sciences humaines et sociales classiques semblent se trouver dans une impasse en raison de leur incapacité structurelle à interpréter et à expliquer les crises et les contradictions systémiques. Bien que ce sujet soit beaucoup trop complexe pour être traité dans un bref essai, les pages suivantes explorent trois expressions de cette impasse. Premièrement, les sciences sociales analysent souvent la migration sans reconnaître ses profondes implications politiques. Deuxièmement, l’histoire et la sociologie européennes reconnaissent rarement les histoires de domination impériale et de résistance anticoloniale comme étant intrinsèques à l’histoire et à la société européennes. Troisièmement, les théories sociales et politiques traditionnelles ignorent souvent la portée structurelle des manifestations collectives et des mouvements de résistance pour la réalisation de la démocratie. Je vais articuler mon analyse de ces problèmes selon deux contextes théoriques différents dans lesquels nous pouvons observer des changements conceptuels ou méthodologiques en cours ou des « tournants » qui répondent à cette impasse. Dans les études sur la démocratie et la citoyenneté, on s’est donc clairement tourné vers les « frontières ». Dans les études sur les migrations, on assiste à un virage correspondant à « l’agence ». En analysant les interconnexions entre ces contextes théoriques, j’espère suggérer des moyens de résoudre les trois problèmes actuels. Je commence par examiner le premier, ou l’incapacité de reconnaître les profondes implications politiques de la migration. Cette discussion offrira ensuite une approche aux deux autres, concernant les héritages du colonialisme et la signification de la volonté politique et de la protestation. Resumen Este ensayo presenta un intento de repensar teóricamente la relación entre migración y política. Las corrientes dominantes en ciencias humanas y sociales parecen encontrarse en un callejón sin salida por su incapacidad estructural para interpretar y explicar las crisis sistémicas y sus contradicciones. Aunque se trata de un tema demasiado complejo para ser tratado en un ensayo breve, las siguientes páginas explorarán tres expresiones de la misma coyuntura. En primer lugar, las ciencias sociales suelen estudiar el fenómeno migratorio sin reconocer sus profundas implicaciones políticas. Segundo, la historia y la sociología europeas no acostumbran a tener en cuenta la historia de la dominación imperial y las resistencias anticoloniales como intrínsecas a la historia y la sociedad europeas. En tercer lugar, los enfoques hegemónicos de las teorías sociales y políticas tienden a ignorar la importancia estructural de las protestas colectivas y los movimientos de resistencia en la realización de la democracia. Enmarcaremos el análisis de estos problemas en dos contextos teóricos diferentes para observar los cambios o ‘giros’ conceptuales y metodológicos en curso. Los estudios sobre democracia y ciudadanía han sufrido un claro giro hacia las ‘fronteras’. En los estudios sobre migraciones se constata el consiguiente giro hacia la noción de ‘agencia’. Analizando las conexiones entre estos contextos teóricos sugeriré varias vías para resolver estos tres problemas. Comenzaré examinando la primera, consistente en la incapacidad de comprensión de las profundas implicaciones políticas de la migración. Esta discusión conduce a las otras dos vías, relativas al legado del colonialismo y el sentido de la agencia política y la protesta.

Can we see migration? At every instant our sense of sight receives an infinite number of visual impressions from ordinary surroundings. These impressions make up the visual dimension of everyday li...

Aims The aim of this study was to use human genetics to investigate the pathogenesis of sick sinus syndrome (SSS) and the role of risk factors in its development. Methods and results We performed a genome-wide association study of 6469 SSS cases and 1 000 187 controls from deCODE genetics, the Copenhagen Hospital Biobank, UK Biobank, and the HUNT study. Variants at six loci associated with SSS, a reported missense variant in MYH6, known atrial fibrillation (AF)/electrocardiogram variants at PITX2, ZFHX3, TTN/CCDC141, and SCN10A and a low-frequency (MAF = 1.1–1.8%) missense variant, p.Gly62Cys in KRT8 encoding the intermediate filament protein keratin 8. A full genotypic model best described the p.Gly62Cys association (P = 1.6 × 10−20), with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.44 for heterozygotes and a disproportionally large OR of 13.99 for homozygotes. All the SSS variants increased the risk of pacemaker implantation. Their association with AF varied and p.Gly62Cys was the only variant not associating with any other arrhythmia or cardiovascular disease. We tested 17 exposure phenotypes in polygenic score (PGS) and Mendelian randomization analyses. Only two associated with the risk of SSS in Mendelian randomization, AF, and lower heart rate, suggesting causality. Powerful PGS analyses provided convincing evidence against causal associations for body mass index, cholesterol, triglycerides, and type 2 diabetes (P > 0.05). Conclusion We report the associations of variants at six loci with SSS, including a missense variant in KRT8 that confers high risk in homozygotes and points to a mechanism specific to SSS development. Mendelian randomization supports a causal role for AF in the development of SSS., Graphical Abstract Summary of genetic insight into the pathogenesis of SSS and the role of risk factors in its development. Variants at six loci (named by corresponding gene names) were identified through GWAS and their unique phenotypic associations provide insight into distinct pathways underlying SSS. Investigation of the role of risk factors in SSS development supported a causal role for AF and heart rate and provided convincing evidence against causality for BMI, cholesterol (HDL and non-HDL), triglycerides and T2D. Mendelian randomization did not support causality for CAD, ischaemic stroke, heart failure, PR interval or QRS duration (not shown in figure). Red and blue arrows represent positive and negative associations, respectively.

This article offers a collectively developed analysis of the Covid-19 crisis as it relates to contemporary cultures of rejection, i.e. the socio- cultural conditions in which authoritarian and right-wing populist politics thrive, in Europe. We explore how the pandemic and its management reinforces, transforms and/or overrides existing antagonisms and institutes new ones in Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Germany and Sweden. We discuss how the Covid-19 crisis affects the rise of new statisms ; gendered patterns of social reproduction ; mobility and migration ; digital infrastructures ; and new political mobilizations.

Semisolid casting can provide excellent castings, but the nature of the pore-forming mechanisms has not been properly clarified. In the current communication, it was suggested that hydrogen precipitated during slurry making might have a decisive role in the formation of both gas and shrinkage porosity. Intensive stirring at the end of the slurry making process may act as a degassing step. Without the intense shearing, structures of primary slurry particles form around the hydrogen pores, strongly affecting pore formation and feeding during the intensification stage.

Endomyocardial biopsy is a valuable tool in cardiac diagnostics but is limited by low diagnostic yield and significant complication risks. Meanwhile, recent developments in transcriptomic and proteomic technologies promise a wealth of biological data from minimal tissue samples. To take advantage of the minimal tissue amount needed for molecular analyses, we have developed a sub-millimeter endovascular biopsy device, considerably smaller than current clinical equipment, and devised a low-input RNA-sequencing protocol for analyzing small tissue samples. In in vivo evaluation in swine, 81% of biopsy attempts (n = 157) were successful. High quality RNA-sequencing data was generated from 91% of the sequenced cardiac micro-biopsy samples (n = 32). Gene expression signatures of samples taken with the novel device were comparable with a conventional device. No major complications were detected either during procedures or during 7 days’ follow-up, despite acquiring a relatively large number of biopsies (median 30) in each animal. In conclusion, the novel device coupled with RNA-sequencing provides a feasible method to obtain molecular data from the myocardium. The method is less traumatic and has a higher flexibility compared to conventional methods, enabling safer and more targeted sampling from different parts of the myocardium.

Publisher's version (útgefin grein), Hemoglobin is the essential oxygen-carrying molecule in humans and is regulated by cellular iron and oxygen sensing mechanisms. To search for novel variants associated with hemoglobin concentration, we performed genome-wide association studies of hemoglobin concentration using a combined set of 684,122 individuals from Iceland and the UK. Notably, we found seven novel variants, six rare coding and one common, at the ACO1 locus associating with either decreased or increased hemoglobin concentration. Of these variants, the missense Cys506Ser and the stop-gained Lys334Ter mutations are specific to eight and ten generation pedigrees, respectively, and have the two largest effects in the study (EffectCys506Ser = −1.61 SD, CI95 = [−1.98, −1.35]; EffectLys334Ter = 0.63 SD, CI95 = [0.36, 0.91]). We also find Cys506Ser to associate with increased risk of persistent anemia (OR = 17.1, P = 2 × 10−14). The strong bidirectional effects seen in this study implicate ACO1, a known iron sensing molecule, as a major homeostatic regulator of hemoglobin concentration., We thank the individuals who participated in this study and whose contributions made this work possible. We also thank our valued colleagues who contributed to the data collection and phenotypic characterization of clinical samples as well as to the genotyping and analysis of the whole-genome association data. This research has been conducted using the UK Biobank Resource under application number 24711. F.W.A. is supported by UCL Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.

Publisher's version (útgefin grein), Gallstones are responsible for one of the most common diseases in the Western world and are commonly treated with cholecystectomy. We perform a meta-analysis of two genomewide association studies of gallstone disease in Iceland and the UK, totaling 27,174 cases and 736,838 controls, uncovering 21 novel gallstone-associated variants at 20 loci. Two distinct low frequency missense variants in SLC10A2, encoding the apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT), associate with an increased risk of gallstone disease (Pro290Ser: OR = 1.36 [1.25–1.49], P = 2.1 × 10–12, MAF = 1%; Val98Ile: OR = 1.15 [1.10–1.20], P = 1.8 × 10–10, MAF = 4%). We demonstrate that lower bile acid transport by ASBT is accompanied by greater risk of gallstone disease and highlight the role of the intestinal compartment of the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids in gallstone disease susceptibility. Additionally, two low frequency missense variants in SERPINA1 and HNF4A and 17 common variants represent novel associations with gallstone disease., We thank the individuals who participated in this study and whose contribution made this work possible. We also thank our valued colleagues who contributed to the data collection and phenotypic characterization of clinical samples, as well as to the genotyping and analysis of the data.

In the present study, low-cycle fatigue (LCF) tests and oxidation tests in controlled atmospheres are carried out at 800°C on two ductile cast irons SiMo51 and SiMo1000. The LCF tests are carried out in argon and synthetic exhaust gas, whereas oxidation tests are carried out in the latter atmosphere. S-N curves and weight-gain curves are presented. The crack growth mechanisms and oxidation mechanisms are investigated, as well as the synergetic effects. A surprising finding of increased fatigue resistance in oxidizing atmosphere is partly explained.

Most sequence variants identified hitherto in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of atrial fibrillation are common, non-coding variants associated with risk through unknown mechanisms. We performed a meta-analysis of GWAS of atrial fibrillation among 29,502 cases and 767,760 controls from Iceland and the UK Biobank with follow-up in samples from Norway and the US, focusing on low-frequency coding and splice variants aiming to identify causal genes. We observe associations with one missense (OR = 1.20) and one splice-donor variant (OR = 1.50) in RPL3L, the first ribosomal gene implicated in atrial fibrillation to our knowledge. Analysis of 167 RNA samples from the right atrium reveals that the splice-donor variant in RPL3L results in exon skipping. We also observe an association with a missense variant in MYZAP (OR = 1.38), encoding a component of the intercalated discs of cardiomyocytes. Both discoveries emphasize the close relationship between the mechanical and electrical function of the heart.

Purpose In mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for ischemic stroke, endothelial cells (ECs) from intracranial blood vessels adhere to the stent retriever device and can be harvested. However, understanding the molecular biology and the role of the endothelium in different pathological conditions remains insufficient. The purpose of the study was to characterize and analyze the molecular aspect of harvested ECs using cell culture and transcriptomic techniques in an MT swine model relevant to clinical ischemic stroke. Methods In swine, preformed thrombi were injected into the external carotid and subclavian arteries to occlude their branches. MT was performed according to clinical routine. The stent retriever device and thrombus were treated with cell dissociation buffer. The resulting cell suspension was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and was cultured. Cultured cells were analyzed using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) after fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Results A total number of 37 samples were obtained containing CD31-positive cells. Cell culture was successful in 90% of samples, and the cells expressed multiple typical EC protein markers. Eighty-nine percent of the sorted cells yielded high-quality transcriptomes, and single-cell transcriptomes from cultured cells showed that they expressed typical endothelial gene patterns. Gene expression analysis of ECs from an occluded artery did not show distinctive clustering into subtypes. Conclusion ECs harvested during MT can be cultured and analyzed using single-cell transcriptomic techniques. This analysis can be implemented in clinical practice to study the EC gene expression of comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome, in patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by reduced lung function and is the third leading cause of death globally. Through genome-wide association discovery in 48,943 individuals, selected from extremes of the lung function distribution in UK Biobank, and follow-up in 95,375 individuals, we increased the yield of independent signals for lung function from 54 to 97. A genetic risk score was associated with COPD susceptibility (odds ratio per 1 s.d. of the risk score (similar to 6 alleles) (95% confidence interval) = 1.24 (1.20-1.27), P = 5.05 x 10(-49)), and we observed a 3.7-fold difference in COPD risk between individuals in the highest and lowest genetic risk score deciles in UK Biobank. The 97 signals show enrichment in genes for development, elastic fibers and epigenetic regulation pathways. We highlight targets for drugs and compounds in development for COPD and asthma (genes in the inositol phosphate metabolism pathway and CHRM3) and describe targets for potential drug repositioning from other clinical indications.

Introduction Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is the gold standard for diagnosis of several cardiac diseases, yet its use is limited by low diagnostic yield and significant complication risks. The size of the current devices allows only limited steering to different parts of the ventricle walls. In transplant monitoring, repeated biopsies with the current devices can cause scarring that makes it increasingly difficult to obtain adequate samples. We hypothesised that several of the shortcomings of EMB can be avoided with a smaller and more steerable device. Further, we hypothesised that the novel sampling procedure could be coupled to a low-input molecular analysis method, such as RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), to provide molecular characterisation of the tissue without the need of large biopsy samples. Purpose To develop an EMB device with significantly smaller dimensions, for future use in diagnostics and research investigations. Specific aims were to test feasibility and safety of the procedure, as well as the quality of the generated molecular data. Methods 65 “micro biopsy” (micro-EMB) device prototypes were designed and evaluated in-house. The prototypes were evaluated either in an ex-vivo simulator or in acute non-survival pig experiments (n=23). Once the final device design was reached, an in vivo trial was set up using six naive Yorkshire farm pigs. Micro-EMB, conventional EMB, skeletal muscle and blood samples were collected for RNA-seq characterisation and comparison. In half of the animals (n=3), micro-EMB was the only intervention in order to prioritise safety evaluations. The animals were monitored for one week. Results The final device design has an outer diameter (OD) of 0.4 mm, compared to a conventional 11 mm device (in the opened position), Fig 1A. The device can be directed to different parts of the myocardium in both ventricles. In the in vivo evaluation in swine, 81% of the biopsy attempts (n=157) were successful. High quality RNA-seq data was generated from 91% of the sequenced heart micro-biopsy samples (n=32). The gene expression signatures of samples taken with the novel device were comparable with samples taken with a conventional device, Fig 1B. No major complications were detected either during periprocedural monitoring or during the follow-up. The tissue mark after micro-biopsy was markedly smaller than after conventional endomyocardial biopsy. A) Bioptome dimensions. B) RNA-seq data. Conclusions Our preliminary data suggest that the novel submillimeter biopsy device, coupled with RNA-seq, provides a feasible method to obtain molecular data from the myocardium. The method is less traumatic and has a higher flexibility compared to conventional methods, enabling safer and more specific sampling from different parts of the myocardium. In the long term, the procedure could open unprecedented diagnostic and research possibilities. Future studies should be directed to establish the capabilities of the novel method in a relevant disease model. Acknowledgement/Funding Family Erling Persson Foundation. The Söderberg foundations. KID (Karolinska Institutet). The 4D project. Stockholm county council. Astra Zeneca.

Creep-fatigue tests with either tension or compression dwell and reference low-cycle fatigue test without dwell were conducted on the austenitic cast iron D5S in atmospheric air at 800oC to investigate the influence of dwell time on lifetime and the corresponding failure mechanisms. The addition of tension or compression dwell reduces the lifetime, by up to 50% and 80% in the tested range, respectively. Compared with tension dwell, compression dwell is found to be more detrimental and could further reduce the lifetime by up to 60%. Tension and compression dwell are seen to cause a thicker and thinner gauge length, respectively. Tension dwell causes the formation of creep pinholes at the graphite/matrix interface and subgrain boundaries, leading to the formation of internal microcracks. Compression dwell results in forming large cavities at the graphite/matrix interface. The intermetallics in an untested sample are found to contain G phase, Ni31Si12, α-Fe, and M7C3. The intermetallics in an LCF-tested sample are found to contain G phase, Ni31Si12, M7C3, and χ phase. Cracks inside intermetallics are found to form at the interfaces between Ni31Si12/χ phase, M7C3/χ phase, and Ni31Si12/M7C3.

The influence of ferritic nitrocarburizing on the high-temperature corrosion-fatigue properties of the Si-Mo-Al cast iron SiMo1000 is investigated in the present study. It was found that nitrocarburizing effectively increases the surface hardness, but dramatically decreases the fatigue and oxidation resistance of SiMo1000. The fatigue resistance is reduced due to two types of microcracks formed after nitrocarburizing. The oxidation resistance is dramatically diminished due to the formation of microcracks, and the depletion of aluminum in the matrix from nitride precipitation during the exposure at 800 °C. The corrosion-fatigue synergy is found to cause severe decarburization (i.e. graphite depletion) in nitrocarburized SiMo1000.

The austenitic ductile cast iron D5S, used for exhaust manifolds in heavy-duty truck engines, was creep tested at 750 °C in air under constant load with initial stresses of 18.5–50 MPa. Four of the specimens (20–50 MPa) were tested to rupture (22–5476 h) and the remaining one (18.5 MPa) was interrupted in the secondary creep regime after 6494 h. Secondary creep was generally predominant at lower stresses whereas primary and tertiary creep were predominant at higher stresses. The damage was characterized by various types of voids/creep cavities around the graphite nodules which were interlinked by shear cracks upon fracture. The results show that significant amounts of finely dispersed Cr7C3 carbides, larger Fe2Ni2Si particles, and an unknown carbide precipitated during creep exposure. Dislocation substructures which had developed during creep were revealed through EBSD.

This article argues that any attempt to conceive of a new narrative of the postcolonial Arctic will fail if it does not also entail a new narrative of European history. It begins by asserting the strong afterlife of colonial narratives of the Arctic through the example of the author’s own difficulty in writing an authentic, ethically acceptable report about East Greenland. By drawing on further examples, and by introducing narratological theory, the article moves on to consider the colonial narrative of the Arctic. It argues that the prototypical colonial narrative of the Arctic is modelled on Moby-Dick: a hunting and whaling story in which the setting is made up of landscape, wildlife and indigenous populations. The colonial narrative is gradually transformed as the indigenous peoples of the Arctic leave the setting and become agents in the narrative. Indeed, it is only when the indigene attains the place of the subject telling the story that we can seriously claim to have a postcolonial narrative of the Arctic. The article goes on to analyse two instances of such transformations of the colonial narrative: the works of the Danish-Greenlandic visual artist and researcher Pia Arke and the Sami visual artist Katarina Pirka Sikku. Both question the narrating subject in travel literature and scientific discourse about the Arctic, reclaiming that position for themselves.

This article is inspired by real-world phenomena that firms lose customers based on imprecise information and take a long time to recover. If consumers are playing an ordinary repeated game with fixed partners, there is no clear reason why recovery happens slowly. However, if consumers are playing an endogenously repeated game, a class of simple efficient equilibria exhibits the asymmetry of fast loss and slow recovery of customers after a bad signal. Exit is systematic, but formation of a new partnership is random. We also give empirical evidence of our equilibria at an individual-firm level.

The austenitic cast steel HK30, used in exhaust manifolds of heavy-duty truck engines, was studied with respect to creep, creep damage, oxidation and precipitation at 750 °C in air. Even though creep clearly affects the lifetime of the manifolds, there are very few studies available on the topic. The results of the present study provide a basis for materials selection as well as creep data input to component lifetime simulations. In the present study, five specimens were subjected to constant loads resulting in creep rupture times between 1 and 94 days. The minimum creep rate follows Norton's creep law with a Norton parameter (n) of 8.9 and the logarithmic creep rupture time increases linearly with reduced stress. At low stresses secondary creep is predominant observing oxide intrusions from the specimen surface, precipitation of sigma and G-phases, creep cavitation at grain boundaries and weak dislocation networks. At high stresses direct transitions from primary to tertiary creep are observed as well as stronger dislocation networks, but no oxide intrusions, no precipitation, or cavitation are observed. The material has grains of cm size and intergranular fracture is predominant at all stress levels. The segregation of elements during solidification was studied by Scheil/Gulliver simulations and precipitations of sigma and G-phases in the last solidified regions were predicted using Thermo-Calc.

OBJECTIVES With the emergence of targeted cell transplantation and gene therapy, there is a need for minimally invasive tissue access to facilitate delivery of therapeutic substrate. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the suitability of an endovascular device which is able to directly access tissue and deliver therapeutic agent to the heart, kidney and pancreas without need to seal the penetration site. METHODS In vivo experiments were performed in 30 swine, including subgroups with follow-up to evaluate complications. The previously described trans-vessel wall (VW) device was modified to be sharper and not require tip detachment to seal the VW. Injections into targets in the heart (n = 13, 24-h follow-up n = 5, 72-h follow-up n = 3), kidney (n = 8, 14-day follow-up n = 3) and pancreas (n = 5) were performed. Some animals were used for multiple organ injections. Follow-up consisted of clinical monitoring, angiography and necropsy. Transvenous (in heart) and transarterial approaches (in heart, kidney and pancreas) were used. Injections were targeted towards the subepicardium, endomyocardium, pancreas head and tail, and kidney subcapsular space and cortex. RESULTS Injections were successful in target organs, visualized by intraparenchymal contrast on fluoroscopy and by necropsy. No serious complications (defined as heart failure or persistent arrhythmia, haemorrhage requiring treatment or acute kidney injury) were encountered over a total of 157 injections. CONCLUSIONS The trans-VW device can achieve superselective injections to the heart, pancreas and kidney for delivery of therapeutic substances without tip detachment. All parts of these organs including the subepicardium, pancreas tail and renal subcapsular space can be efficiently reached.

Most sequence variants identified hitherto in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of atrial fibrillation are common, non-coding variants associated with risk through unknown mechanisms. We performed a meta-analysis of GWAS of atrial fibrillation among 29,502 cases and 767,760 controls from Iceland and the UK Biobank with follow-up in samples from Norway and the US, focusing on low-frequency coding and splice variants aiming to identify causal genes. We observe associations with one missense (OR = 1.20) and one splice-donor variant (OR = 1.50) in

Hot-compression tests down to 0.7 in nominal strain were conducted at a strain rate of 1s-1 between 800 and 1200 °C. The material was taken from the columnar and equiaxed zones of a continuous cast strand of Alloy 825. Furthermore, recrystallization was determined using LOM and FEG-SEM equipped with an EBSD-detector. The true stress of the columnar structure was a 0.2% lower than for the equiaxed microstructure for the studied deformation temperatures. The optical and EBSD images in both structures showed that a dynamic recrystallization had almost not occurred. Instead, a substructure formation with mostly low-angle grain boundaries dominated was found.

An essay on Robin Wagner-Pacifici's 'What Is and Event?' (2017). The essay argues that Wagner-Pacifici's book offers a platform from which it again becomes possible to rethink the relationship between system and transformation, and that this is precisely what the human and social sciences need if they are to retain their ability to critically interpret the dense fabric of late capitalist society and culture – a society of the spectacle if there ever was one, a world from heel to head made up by events. The essay assess Wagner-Pacifici's analytical apparatus of political semiosis, and it shows that aesthetics, and literary and visual interpretation, to a large extent explains why Wagner-Pacifici can make a tremendous contribution to a theory of political emergence. Finally, the essay argues that aesthetic theory offers an intersection where social theory and the theory of history may begin a new conversation about human agency, social change and historical experie

This essay describes the history of the Eurafrican project as it evolved from the Pan-European movement in the 1920s to its institutionalization in the European Economic Community (i.e. today’s EU) in the late 1950s. By way of conclusion, the article also discusses how this history affects current relations between Africa and the EU. As shown in the article practically all of the visions, movements and concrete institutional arrangements working towards European integration during this period placed Africa’s incorporation into the European enterprise as a central objective. European integration, it is argued, was thus inextricably bound up with a Eurafrican project. According to the geopolitical discourse on Eurafrica that became politically operative in the aftermath of World War II, a future European community presupposed the transformation of the strictly national colonial projects into a joint European colonization of Africa. Indeed, there is strong evidence to support that these ideas were instrumental in the actual, diplomatic and political constitution of the EU, or of Europe as a political subject. As the article shows, the history of Eurafrica, which is largely ignored in scholarship on the EU as well as in colonial studies, cannot be understood within a “continentalist” framework, but prompts a reconceptualization of the historical relation Africa and Europe.

We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on atrial fibrillation (AF) among 14,710 cases and 373,897 controls from Iceland and 14,792 cases and 393,863 controls from the UK Biobank, focusing on low frequency coding and splice mutations, with follow-up in samples from Norway and the US. We observed associations with two missense (OR=1.19 for both) and one splice-donor mutation (OR=1.52) in RPL3L, encoding a ribosomal protein primarily expressed in skeletal muscle and heart. Analysis of 167 RNA samples from the right atrium revealed that the splice donor mutation in RPL3L results in exon skipping. AF is the first disease associated with RPL3L and RPL3L is the first ribosomal gene implicated in AF. This finding is consistent with tissue specialization of ribosomal function. We also found an association with a missense variant in MYZAP (OR=1.37), encoding a component of the intercalated discs of cardiomyocytes, the organelle harbouring most of the mutated proteins involved in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Both discoveries emphasize the close relationship between the mechanical and electrical function of the heart.

A meta-analysis of publicly available summary statistics on multiple sclerosis combined with three Nordic multiple sclerosis cohorts (21,079 cases, 371,198 controls) revealed seven sequence variants associating with multiple sclerosis, not reported previously. Using polygenic risk scores based on public summary statistics of variants outside the major histocompatibility complex region we quantified genetic overlap between common autoimmune diseases in Icelanders and identified disease clusters characterized by autoantibody presence/absence. As multiple sclerosis-polygenic risk scores captures the risk of primary biliary cirrhosis and vice versa (P = 1.6 × 10−7, 4.3 × 10−9) we used primary biliary cirrhosis as a proxy-phenotype for multiple sclerosis, the idea being that variants conferring risk of primary biliary cirrhosis have a prior probability of conferring risk of multiple sclerosis. We tested 255 variants forming the primary biliary cirrhosis-polygenic risk score and found seven multiple sclerosis-associating variants not correlated with any previously established multiple sclerosis variants. Most of the variants discovered are close to or within immune-related genes. One is a low-frequency missense variant in TYK2, another is a missense variant in MTHFR that reduces the function of the encoded enzyme affecting methionine metabolism, reported to be dysregulated in multiple sclerosis brain., We are grateful to all the participants in the study. We thank Theodora Baldursdottir and Ottar M. Bergmann for validating the clinical information on PBC in Iceland. We acknowledge that this work would not have been possible without the important contribution of the staff at recruitment centers and genotyping and informatics facilities in deCODE Genetics and the MS research group at Oslo University Hospital and The Norwegian MS Registry and Biobank, Bergen Norway. We also thank the International MS Genetics Consortium and the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium for collaboration in the genotyping of the Norwegian samples. The MS research at Karolinska Institutet, as a basis for the Swedish MS case-control material has received grant support from the Swedish Research Council, The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, The AFA Foundation and the Swedish Brain Foundation. We are grateful for the access to the GWAS and summary statistics for the autoimmune diseases in Immunobase and IBD Genetics.

Appendicitis is one of the most common conditions requiring acute surgery and can pose a threat to the lives of affected individuals. We performed a genome-wide association study of appendicitis in 7,276 Icelandic and 1,139 Dutch cases and large groups of controls. In a combined analysis of the Icelandic and Dutch data, we detected a single signal represented by an intergenic variant rs2129979 [G] close to the gene PITX2 associating with increased risk of appendicitis (OR = 1.15, P = 1.8 × 10−11). We only observe the association in patients diagnosed in adulthood. The marker is close to, but distinct from, a set of markers reported to associate with atrial fibrillation, which have been linked to PITX2. PITX2 has been implicated in determination of right-left symmetry during development. Anomalies in organ arrangement have been linked to increased prevalence of gastrointestinal and intra-abdominal complications, which may explain the effect of rs2129979 on appendicitis risk.

International audience; This chapter traces the evolution of the core theoretical constructs of isomorphism, decoupling and diffusion in organizational institutionalism. We first review the original theoretical formulations of these constructs and then examine their evolution in empirical research conducted over the past four decades. We point to unexamined and challenging aspects of this conceptual evolution, including the causal relationships among these core theoretical constructs. The chapter ends with a discussion of important theoretical frontiers to address in future research.

Pia Arke’s work reminds Danes and Europeans of a history they never got to know, or were taught not to know, because it happened overseas. It began to be shown and discussed at the beginning of the 1990s,a period when notions of globalisation offered new models for understanding the dynamics of the world and exposed neglected historical and aesthetic issues. Among the most important of these issues were the colonial legacies of Western European states. In this context, Pia Arke’s interrogations of the suppressed past of Denmark’s relationship with Greenlandbegan to resonate. The daughter of an Inuitseamstress and a Danish telegraphist, shewas born in 1958 in Scoresbysund, orIttoqqortoormiit, Denmark’s outermostcolonial settlement in northeast Greenland.She was from birth entangled in imperialprocesses that endowed her with split visionand multiple identities. These qualitiesanimated her art already in the 1980s, whenshe studied at Copenhagen’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and until her untimely death at the age of 48, when she stood on the threshold of international recognition.Pia Arke’s work displayed a mesmerising blend of approaches: painting,photography, montage, video, performance and installation art. Her violation of artistic genres was carefully premeditated. A tastefor the absurdity of scientific collectingbrought her to examine under groundvaults – paleontological and ethnographic archives – stuffed with dusty specimens.She made a mockery of all attempts to represent and classify the natives and nature of the Arctic. Solidarity with the silenced victims of history prompted her to reinvent the art of photography, and to strenuously engage with oral history. She deconstructed ethnography, photography,travel writing, history, landscape painting and much more, and reassembled their elements into multilayered and ambiguous montages conceived in a spirit of criticality and playfulness.

Interventional treatment regimens have increased the demand for accurate understanding of the progression of injury in acute ischemic stroke. However, conventional animal models severely inhibit collateral blood flow and mimic the malignant infarction profile not suitable for treatment. The aim of this study was to provide a clinically relevant profile of the emergence and course of ischemic injury in cases suitable for acute intervention, and was achieved by employing a M2 occlusion model (M2CAO) that more accurately simulates middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in humans. Twenty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to Short (90 min), Intermediate (180 min) or Extended (600 min) transient M2CAO and examined longitudinally with interleaved diffusion-, T2- and arterial spin labeling perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging before and after reperfusion. We identified a rapid emergence of cytotoxic edema within tissue regions undergoing infarction, progressing in several distinct phases in the form of subsequent moderation and then reversal at 230 min (p < 0.0001). We identified also the early emergence of vasogenic edema, which increased consistently before and after reperfusion (p < 0.0001). The perfusion of the penumbra correlated more strongly to the perfusion of adjacent tissue regions than did the perfusion of regions undergoing infarction (p = 0.0088). This was interpreted as an effect of preserved collateral blood flow during M2CAO. Accordingly, we observed only limited recruitment of penumbra regions to the infarction core. However, a gradual increase in infarction size was still occurring as late as 10 hours after M2CAO. Our results indicate that patients suffering MCA branch occlusion stand to benefit from interventional therapy for an extended time period after the emergence of ischemic injury.

Today’s European Union was founded in a 1950s marked by its memberstates’ involvement in numerous colonial conflicts and with the colonial questionfirmly entrenched on the European and internationa ...