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Background Behçet’s disease (BD), a chronic systemic vasculitis, has distinct geographical and ethnic variation. Data regarding the epidemiology of patients with BD in the U.S. are limited; therefore, we sought to describe BD patient characteristics and medication use in the U.S., and compared them with data from patients from endemic regions. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the RISE registry (2014–2018). Patients aged ≥ 18 years with BD were included. Sociodemographic and treatment information was extracted. We compared patients from the RISE registry to data from other published studies of patients with BD from endemic areas. Results One thousand three hundred twenty-three subjects with BD from the RISE registry were included. Mean age was 48.7 ± 16.3 years, female to male ratio was 3.8:1, and 66.7% were White. The most frequently used medications included glucocorticoids (67.6%) and colchicine (55.0%). Infliximab and adalimumab were the most used biologics (14.5% and 14.1%, respectively); 3.2% of patients used apremilast. The RISE registry had more women (79.3%), and patients were older compared to previously published BD studies from endemic areas. Methotrexate and TNFi were more commonly reported in RISE (21.8% and 29.4%) compared to studies from Egypt and Turkey. Colchicine, cyclosporine, and cyclophosphamide were more commonly used in cohorts from Egypt, Turkey, and Iran. Conclusions Findings from the largest BD dataset in the U.S. suggest that BD patients are predominantly female. Further research is needed to explore the reasons for the higher prevalence of BD among women in the U.S. and its possible impact on disease severity and management.

In this paper I analyze changes in the wage distribution in the Netherlands. I use a matched employer-employee dataset that covers the population of employees. Wage inequality increases over the period of 2001–2016. Changes in between-firm wage components are responsible for nearly the entire increase. Increases in the variance of workers’ skills and increases in worker sorting and worker segregation explain the majority of the rise in the variance of wages. These changes are accompanied by a pattern where variation in educational degree and firm average wages become more correlated over time. Finally, it is suggested that labor market institutions in the Netherlands play an important role in mediating overall wage inequality.

Ideological stance of politicians might play a role in the efficiency of service provision as well as in the global spending efficiency. This paper examines whether the shares of left-wing, populist, and extremist councillors on all regional councillors are associated with a higher or lower efficiency of education, healthcare, and infrastructure provision as well as with the global spending efficiency of regional governments. To calculate efficiency in each policy domain, we use conditional non-parametric efficiency models and adjust the outputs for the quality of the service provision. Subsequently, we use a composite indicator to obtain the global spending efficiency. On a rich panel dataset of Czech regional governments in the period between 2007 and 2017, we find that the share of left-wing members in the regional councils is negatively associated with the global spending efficiency. This global negative relationship appears to driven by the low performance in health provision, which outweighs a good performance in education. Finally, while we do not find any significant relationship between the share of populist councillors in the councils and the global spending efficiency, we find a significant and negative relationship between this share and the efficiency of education provision.

Are large families a liability or an asset for an autocratic ruler? In this article, we show that in medieval and early modern Europe, relatives protected monarchs from challenges from their elite groups, thus reducing their risk of being deposed. Women reduced the risk of both depositions from outside and from within the family, whereas men primarily reduced the risk of outside depositions (as well as the risk of civil wars breaking out). This is demonstrated in a statistical analysis of 27 European monarchies spanning the time period 1000–1799, which enlists new data on royal offspring, siblings, and paternal uncles and aunts. These findings not only elucidate power dynamics in the medieval and early modern world of dynastic politics but also have implications for present-day authoritarian states where institutions are weak and personal relationships retain their importance.

Introduction: The future of work is characterized by changes that could disrupt all aspects of the nature and availability of work. Our study aims to understand how the future of work could result in conditions, which contribute to vulnerability for different groups of workers.Methods: A horizon scan was conducted to systematically identify and synthesize diverse sources of evidence, including academic and gray literature and resources shared over social media. Evidence was synthesized, and trend categories were developed through iterative discussions among the research team.Results: Nine trend categories were uncovered, which included the digital transformation of the economy, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning-enhanced automation, AI-enabled human resource management systems, skill requirements for the future of work; globalization 4.0, climate change and the green economy, Gen Zs and the work environment; populism and the future of work, and external shocks to accelerate the changing nature of work. The scan highlighted that some groups of workers may be more likely to experience conditions that contribute to vulnerability, including greater exposure to job displacement or wage depression. The future of work could also create opportunities for labor market engagement.Conclusion: The future of work represents an emerging public health concern. Exclusion from the future of work has the potential to widen existing social and health inequities. Thus, tailored supports that are resilient to changes in the nature and availability of work are required for workers facing vulnerability.

This article builds on the model of regulatory intermediaries by incorporating insights from the field of legal hermeneutics about the process through which the meaning of a legal rule emerges. It describes how intermediaries can take on a jurisgenerative role in the development of legal rules through their interpretation of legal rules. This role is demonstrated through an analysis of social audits from Chinese and Vietnamese factories involved in the Fair Labor Association (FLA). The analysis illustrates how the integration of fundamental labor rights into the FLA's private Code of Conduct requires auditors to develop new interpretations of the Freedom of Association as a result of uncertainties and contradictions between legal requirements at various levels, as well as with the FLA's own rules. Through this empirical analysis, the article contributes to the literature by identifying regulatory intermediaries' jurisgenerative capacities when they monitor fundamental labor rights referenced by private governance instruments. It further highlights why legal and regulatory governance scholars need to consider the transformative effects that transnational private labor governance may have on international labor law.

In spite of the recent advances and the current perspectives of satellite radar altimetry to reach the coastline and monitor coastal sea level changes, this space-borne technology remains geocentric by essence. In contrast, the quantity that matters for coastal management and society is relative sea level. That is, the sea level relative to the land, as measured by conventional tide gauges. However, two important issues are associated with the use of tide gauges. First, supplemental information is required to separate vertical land motion from ocean climate signals in tide gauge records, and hence to understand the causes of future coastal sea level changes and their relative importance. This can be provided by space-borne geodetic techniques, for instance installing a permanent Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna at the tide gauge. Second, vertical land motion can show local spatial patterns, which limits the spatial validity of the point-wise information at the GPS station. Using Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and high-precision GPS data, the above-mentioned limitations were addressed in the case study of Brest (France). Our findings show that, over the past decades, Brest and its surroundings are overall stable, in agreement with the geological setting, except for the embankment areas of the commercial and military harbours. The GPS-calibrated InSAR results were then further combined with geocentric satellite radar altimetry data to obtain relative sea level trends along the Brest coastline with an unprecedented high-spatial resolution of 200 m. Our approach is applicable beyond the case study of Brest, especially in coastal areas where tide gauge data are not available, provided satellite data are., Cyril Poitevin acknowledges a Ph.-D. grant from the French Research Ministry. This work benefited from the financial support of CNES (French space agency) through a TOSCA funding. Universitat de les Illes Balears provided a visiting professor grant for G. Wöppelmann. M. Marcos acknowledges support from the European INSeaPTION project (ERA4CS). G. Le Cozannet and D. Raucoules were supported by an internal BRGM grant. The SAR images from ERS-1/2 and Envisat satellite missions were downloaded freely with the support of ESA (European Space Agency) through the project Cat-1/19372. The Brest tide gauge and GPS data were obtained from SONEL (www.sonel.org).

We aimed to answer one key question, that was not previously addressed as to whether serum progesterone (P4-hCG day) and its co-variates (estradiol (E2-hCG day) and the number of retrieved oocytes) of a given cycle can be predictive of the subsequent cycle when both cycles are consecutive and comparable for the stimulation protocol, gonadotropin dose and duration of stimulation. We analyzed such 244 consecutive (< 6 months) IVF cycles in 122 patients with GnRH agonist long protocol and found that P4, E2 and the number of retrieved oocytes significantly vary between the two cycles. Although P4 increased (ranging from 4.7 to 266.7%) in the 2nd cycle in 61 patients, E2 and the number of retrieved oocytes, which are normally positively correlated with P4 paradoxically decreased in the 41% and 37.7% respectively, of these same 61 patients. When a similar analysis was done in the 54 out of 122 patients (44.3%) in whom serum P4 was decreased in the 2nd cycle, the mean decrease in P4 was − 34.1 ± 23.3% ranging from − 5.26 to − 90.1%. E2 and the number of retrieved oocytes paradoxically increased in the 42.3% and 40.7% of these 54 patients respectively. P4 remained the same only in the 7 (5.7%) of these 122 patients. These findings indicate that late follicular phase serum P4 may change unpredictably in the subsequent IVF cycle. The changes are not always necessarily proportional with ovarian response of previous cycle suggesting that growth characteristics and steroidogenic activities of antral cohorts may exhibit considerable cycle to cycle variations., NA

The Nordic countries aim to have a unique place within the European and global health data economy. They have extensive nationally maintained and centralized health data records, as well as numerous biobanks where data from individuals can be connected based on personal identification numbers. Much of this phenomenon can be attributed to the emergence and development of the Nordic welfare state, where Nordic countries sought to systematically collect large amounts of population data to guide decision making and improve the health and living conditions of the population. Recently, however, the so-called Nordic gold mine of data is being re-imagined in a wholly other context, where data and its ever-increasing logic of accumulation is seen as a driver for economic growth and private business development. This article explores the development of policies and strategies for health data economy in Denmark and Finland. We ask how nation states try to adjust and benefit from new pressures and opportunities to utilize their data resources in data markets. This raises questions of social sustainability in terms of states being producers, providers, and consumers of data. The data imaginaries related to emerging health data markets also provide insight into how a broad range of different data sources, ranging from hospital records and pharmacy prescriptions to biobank sample data, are brought together to enable "full-scale utilization" of health and welfare data.

The fisheries sector significantly contributes to global food security, nutrition, and livelihood of people. Its importance for economic benefits, healthy diets, and nutrition, and achieving sustainable food systems is highlighted by several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), i.e., SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water). However, due to unprecedented population levels, the contribution of the fisheries sector to fulfills these roles is challenging, particularly given additional concerns regarding environmental well-being and sustainability. From this perspective, this study aims to identify the links and trade-offs between the development of this sector and the environmental sustainability in Thailand via a critical analysis of their trends, current ecological impacts, and more importantly, their contributions to several individual SDGs. A time-series of Thailand’s fisheries production from 1995 to 2015 indicates a recent reduction from around 3.0 million tons in 1995 to 1.5 million tons in 2015 of wild fish and shellfish from marine and freshwater habitats. The maximum sustainable yield of these species has been exceeded. Conversely, Thailand’s aquaculture production has continued to grow over the last decade, resulting in a reduction of mangrove forest area, wild fish stocks, and water quality. While capture fisheries and aquaculture production significantly contribute to several SDG targets, there are potential trade-offs between their development and the achievement of SDGs within the planet dimension, i.e., SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14, and SDG 15 (Life on Land). On the one hand, the mitigation of overfishing will be beneficial for the targets of SDG 14, leading to more sustainable resource management. On the other hand, it might cause a decrease in the volume of marine catches and economic and social profits. We conclude that the SDGs can serve as a framework for both policymakers and industrial workers to monitor and compromise on regulations that will optimize productivity in the context of sustainable development.

The technological challenge imposed by the time resolution essential to achieve real-time molecular imaging calls for a new generation of ultrafast detectors. In this contribution, we demonstrate that CdSe-based semiconductor nanoplatelets can be combined with standard scintillator technology to achieve 80 ps coincidence time resolution on a hybrid functional pixel. This result contrasts with the fact that the overall detector light output is considerably affected by the loss of index-light-guiding. Here, we exploit the principle of 511 keV energy sharing between a high-Z, high stopping power bulk scintillator, and a nano-scintillator with sub-1 ns radiative recombination times, aiming at a breakthrough in the combined energy and time resolution performance. This proof-of-concept test opens the way to the design and study of larger size sensors using thin nanocomposite layers able to perform as efficient time taggers in a sampling detector geometry of new generation.

Research Summary Constructing narratives of transformative change is an important but challenging practice through which strategy makers attempt to influence acceptance of an ongoing transformation. To understand whether and how strategy makers can construct a steady influx of captivating narratives of transformative change, we analyzed how one noted strategy maker assisted the successful transformation of his organization over three decades by orchestrating the production of change narratives. Our analysis reveals that the strategy maker constructed and reconstructed meanings of change over time using three sets of distinct but interconnected narrative practices. We develop a dynamic model linking the simultaneous mobilization of these practices to strategy makers’ ability to harness the persistent tension between novelty and familiarity in a transformative change, and thereby win endorsement from key audiences. Managerial Summary How can storytelling be used to influence acceptance of an ongoing organizational transformation? In this paper, we try to answer this question by examining how, over three decades, Italian company Alessi documented its transformation from a manufacturer of kitchen steel utensils to a producer of a variety of household objects purchased also for their symbolic value. The leader behind Alessi's transformation, Alberto Alessi, orchestrated such narrative production, targeting employees, customers, retailers, and visitors to Alessi exhibitions. Our findings uncover how narratives can be used to win audiences’ endorsement of change, through narrative practices aimed at: (1) constructing a collective memory of change; (2) depicting change as a novel but coherent departure from the past; and (3) portraying change as a transcendent endeavor.

An object-oriented approach to load-balanced adaptive mesh refinement in two and three dimensions is presented for OpenFOAM, a mature C++ library for computational fluid dynamics. Such a high-performance computing technique is mandatory for computational efficiency in cases of moving regions of interest for distributed-memory parallel computer architectures where domain decomposition is applied. Moving regions of interest are dynamically deforming and migrating through the domain during simulations and require high spatial resolution of solution features. We present software design and code structure, and detail on our achievements with respect to software usability for engineering applications, as well as on numerous developments and improvements necessary for high stability and runtime performance. Keywords: Dynamic load balancing, Adaptive mesh refinement, 2D, 3D, OpenFOAM

This paper investigates the way in which factors at the global and local level interact in the emergence and development of “global city-regions”, which are deemed to be the contemporary growth machines of the global economy. To this end, this paper takes the Jakarta metropolitan area (JMA) as a case to investigate its evolution in the context of the intertwined dynamics of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow and state intervention over the past three decades. The findings indicate that from a macro-level perspective the JMA has maintained its position as the country’s hotspot for manufacturing investment embedded in East Asian production networks. In addition, we find that the national state has continuously privileged the JMA as the main grounds for national economic development in spite of the country’s shifting political system. We reveal how the nexus between “global” forces (incoming FDI) and “local” conditions (the state’s strategic intervention) has led to the development and restructuring of the JMA as a global city-region.

This paper analyses changes in job opportunities of older workers in the Netherlands in the period 1996–2010. The standard human capital model predicts that, as a result of human capital obsolescence, mobility becomes more costly when workers become older. We measure and interpret how changing job opportunities across 96 occupations affect different age and skill groups. Older workers end up in shrinking occupations, in occupations with a lower share of high-skilled workers, in occupations facing a higher threat of offshoring tasks abroad, more focus on routine-intensive tasks and less rewarding job content. This process is not only observed for the oldest group of workers, but for workers aged 40 and above. Observing older workers in declining occupations is to a large extent a market outcome, but declining job opportunities in terms of less satisfying working conditions and job tasks and content could potentially raise incentives to retire early.

The growth of organic agriculture in Denmark raises the interest of both producers and consumers in the sustainability performance of organic production. The aim of this study was to examine the sustainability performance of farms in four agricultural sectors (vegetable, dairy, pig and poultry) using the sustainability assessment tool RISE 2.0. Thirty seven organic farms were assessed on 10 themes, including 51 subthemes. For one theme (water use) and 17 subthemes, a difference between sectors was found. Using the thresholds of RISE, the vegetable, dairy and pig sector performed positively for seven themes and the poultry sector for eight themes. The performance on the nutrient flows and energy and climate themes, however, was critical for all sectors. Moreover, the performance on the economic viability theme was critical for vegetable, dairy and pig farms. The development of a tool, including decisions, such as the selection of themes and indicators, reference values, weights and aggregation methods, influences the assessment results. This emphasizes the need for transparency and reflection on decisions made in sustainability assessment tools. The results of RISE present a starting point to discuss sustainability at the farm-level and contribute to an increase in awareness and learning about sustainability.

Care avoidance refers to the condition wherein clients do not seek assistance and do not attend appointments although they are in need of help. Care avoidance is linked to another phenomenon, the inability to help clients with multiple and complex problems by social services and care facilities, in this article identified as care paralysis. The aim of this article is to understand the production and reduction of care avoidance and care paralysis. Care avoidance and care paralysis not only coincide, they reinforce and recall each other. Trust and initiative — the opposite of avoidance and paralysis — are affirmed under conditions as an experienced proximity between the local population and care facilities and the committed involvement of professionals to a bounded territory. Trust and initiative also coincide, reinforce and recall each other. The existence of a safety net like Public Mental Health Care is closely linked to the absence of this vitality.

This article is the first in-depth examination of Hayden White's earliest writings. Ignored by most scholars of White's thought, these medievalist studies, dating from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, offer a fascinating insight into the young White's approach to history. Much unlike his later, better-known writings, White's doctoral dissertation, on the papal schism of 1130, expresses the belief that history should model itself after the social sciences. In particular, the thesis reflects a close affinity with Weberian-style sociology, not only in the use of models and ideal types derived from Max Weber, but also in its conceptions of ideology and,means-ends rationality'. Besides, traces of Weber's conviction that modern individuals have 'to live in a godless and prophetless time' can be recognized in White's critical treatment of charismatic religious leadership. This does not imply that White, talented in absorbing influences from different directions, unreservedly adhered to Weberian methods. An increasingly critical stance toward what he considered Weber's 'science of society' is evident from White's engagement with the work of Carlo Antoni. Still, one might argue that White's agenda in what the author calls his 'medievalist period' was to a large extent shaped by Weberian themes and attitudes. Finally, the author suggests that White's focus on ideology as well as his covering-law type of evolutionary model can be seen as anticipations of the metahistorical readings and tropological sequence that White would offer in his chef-d'oeuvre, Metahistory (1973).

Software projects in small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) produce similar work products when building interactive software systems. For each project, software engineers create requirements, design specifications, source code, data schemes, and so forth, gain experience with these work products, and create associated products such as test cases for the source code or inspection plans for the requirements. All of this constitutes knowledge that the engineers can reuse in new variants of the software system.

Access to safe and healthy food is a crucial element of food security. In Vietnam the safety of daily vegetables is of great concern to both consumers and policymakers. To mitigate food safety risks, the Vietnamese government enforces rules and regulations and relies strongly on a single approach for organizing food provision; being modernizing retail by replacing wet markets with supermarkets. In general, reorganizing food provision in this way is increasingly considered to be a guarantee for food safety, especially in urban settings with growing populations. To assess the effectiveness of this induced retail modernization of the fresh vegetables market in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, this paper examines for whom and under which conditions does this approach deliver the desired outcomes. The survey data and interviews show that ongoing retail modernization in Hanoi reaches only a minor segment of the population and drives a large group of shoppers into informal vending structures. On the basis of five case studies, this paper demonstrates how similar supermarket interventions can yield contrasting outcomes when they do not accommodate for differences in shopper population and do not adapt to variations in the urban conditions. To reduce exposure to unsafe food, particularly for poorer segments of the population, we conclude that developing a flexible portfolio of retail modernization pathways and adopting a reflexive policy approach provide better impact and leverage, as opposed to the current trend of promoting supermarkets as a single, ideal-type form of food shopping.

Plants unlike other living forms are sessile thereby facing severe biotic and abiotic stresses. Plants have evolved different efficient defence responses which thrive upon a number of intrinsic factors, such as genotypic and phenotypic constitutions and developmental circumstances, and extrinsic factors like severity and duration of the stresses. Stress management uses molecular and biochemical level controls, the competence, and speed, at which a stress signal is perceived and transmitted to generate stress signal molecules and activate stress-protective mechanisms. A well-concerted action of the plants' competence at morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular strata regulates numerous adaptive responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Genetic manipulations of signalling networks have been widely used to improve plant productivity under stressful conditions. Advanced biotechnological application will enable maintaining agriculture in a sustainable manner. In this special issue, we present two reviews and four research papers which address genomic, molecular, and physiological regulations as well as signalling networks dealing with plant responses to abiotic and biotic factors. Climate change, desertification, and the rise in human population have put a severe load on agriculture and are deteriorating crop productivity. In recent years, numerous molecular and metabolic pathways involved in plant responses and adaptation to various types of environmental stresses have been identified and reported. Among hundreds of metabolic pathways identified, the role of polyamines in stress management to enhance plant acclimation and adaptation is emerging rapidly. In this special issue, a timely review by P. Rangan et al. (2014) summarizes our knowledge on biosynthesis and catabolism of polyamines and highlights recent progress in elucidating the functions of polyamines in regulation of plant responses to abiotic stresses. Given a huge genetic variation among plant species, the authors also discuss a systematic approach based on polyamine-mediated enhancement of stress tolerance which might be used as a potential strategy for screening and identification of natural variants within existing crop species. The identified genotypes that possess compatible allelic variants could be then used for the improvement of stress tolerance. Plant-microbe interactions are at the core of symbiotic, parasitic, or mutualistic plant-microbe relationships. These interactions have displayed a unique way of mutualistic communications for a resource sharing. To shed light on the topic, a detailed review of M. Libault (2014) explains the unique mechanisms in using legumes to interact with bacteria. Leguminous plants have developed a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with rhizobium (a type of soil bacteria). Upon bacterial infection, a new root organ called nodule is developed that enables the leguminous plants to access a steady source of nitrogen through the fixation and assimilation of the atmospheric N2 by the symbiotic bacteria. In return, the bacteria also get benefit from the symbiotic plants that provide photosynthesis product to bacteria as source of carbon. Environmental stress or climate change, which influences the concentration of the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), will have a significant impact on plant photosynthesis. As a consequence, this will affect the nitrogen and carbon metabolism, leading to altered nitrogen fixation efficiency. The key regulatory mechanisms controlling carbon/nitrogen balances with particular attention to legume nodulation are reviewed by coeditor M. Libault in his review article. In addition, readers can also get an overview about the effect of the change in CO2 level on nitrogen fixation efficiency through this review, giving rise to idea as to how we could mitigate the impact of the change in atmospheric CO2 concentration. Besides the change in atmospheric CO2 level, water deficit is one of the major constraints for nodulation, and, as a consequence for plant productivity. This topical issue is presented here by a research article of S. Sulieman et al. (2014). In their study, the authors assessed the growth and nodulation attributes of two soybean varieties DT2008 and Williams 82 (W82), which have contrasting drought-tolerant capacity, in a symbiotic association with Bradyrhizobium japonicum under drought and subsequent rehydration. The authors aimed to understand the correlation between N2 fixation efficiency and differential drought-responsive phenotypes of DT2008 and W82. Their results also provide genetic resources and basis foundation for further genomic research that would lead to better understanding of mechanisms involved in regulation of N2 fixation in soybean under drought at molecular level. Heavy metal pollution has been a matter of grave concern. Until recently, efforts have been mainly restricted to phytoremediation of soils using plant species with high metal uptake capacity such as Brassica species. Chromium (Cr) is a highly phytotoxic heavy metal affecting crop productivity and human health via entering the food chain. Phytoremediation of Cr-polluted soils has been mostly demonstrated in using herbaceous plants, whereas use of cotton cultivars in Cr phytoremediation is least explored. In the present issue, M. K. Daud et al. (2014) have shown the potentials of two transgenic cotton cultivars (J208 and Z905) and their hybrid line (ZD14) in Cr phytoremediation using a multiple biomarker approach. Their work showed that these cotton cultivars and hybrid line could effectively uptake and sequestrate Cr in dead parts of the plants, such as vacuole and cell wall, besides having a more highly accelerated antioxidant system. This study thus proposes a new role of cotton cultivars in phytoremediation of Cr-polluted soils. The interactions between macro- and micronutrient homeostases have been reported in many physiological and nutritional situations. N. Bouain et al. (2014) studied the interaction between phosphate (Pi) and zinc (Zn) homeostasis in two lettuce varieties. The results revealed that the variation in Pi and Zn supplies affects the biomass and photosynthesis as well as the dynamics of Pi transport in a contrasting manner between the two varieties, indicating a genetic basis for such physiological responses. On the basis of their results, the authors proposed a working model of how Pi and Zn signalling pathways are integrated into functional networks to control plant growth. Salinity is a major abiotic stress worldwide claiming agriculture lands and affecting productivity. Research paper by A. Matsui et al. (2014) investigated salt stress in Arabidopsis. The authors reported that the tasiRNA-ARF pathway is involved in controlling floral architecture in plants under drought and high salinity. The ta-siRNA biosynthesis mutants and mutated ARF3-overexpressing plants showed short stamen under drought and salt stress, which hampered self-pollination. This study reports for the first time that a type of ta-siRNAs (tasiRNA-ARF) plays an important role in maintaining normal stamen growth and fertilization under drought and high salinity.

Animal experiments suggest that astrocytic glycogen may act as an energy source for axons especially during heightened activity. In this model astrocytic glycogen breaks down to lactate that is shuttled to axons where it is metabolized oxidatively to generate ATP. The aim of this study was to investigate whether H-1-magnetic resonance spectroscopy could be used to detect a rise in lactate levels in human white matter during enhanced axonal activation. Six healthy volunteers (four women and two men; age range 21-38 years) participated in the study. We were unable to detect any significant MR spectral change, i.e. neither in the peak areas of inositol, choline, creatine, glutamate and N-acetylaspartate nor in the lactate level, in the contralateral posterior limb of the internal capsule during intense motor activation of the hand (four successive episodes of squeezing a soft ball for 7 min followed by 7 min rest). Possible explanations are that the technique is not sensitive enough to detect a small rise in lactate, or lactate turnover is too fast to be detected, or that another monocarboxylate different from lactate may be involved in axonal energy metabolism.

Purpose The efficacy and adverse effects of 0.25% apraclonidine on intraocular pressure (IOP) after Nd: YAG laser posterior capsulotomy were investigated, and the results were compared with placebo, 0.50% timolol maleate and 1% apraclonidine. Methods Eighty eyes were randomly assigned to four groups of 20 eyes. In a double-masked design, the groups were treated with placebo (group I), 0.50% timolol maleate (group 2), 1% apraclonidine (group 3), 0.25% apraclonidine (group 4) one hour before and five minutes after Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy. IOP was measured by applanation tonometry 1 hour before (baseline IOP) and 1,3, 24 hours after capsulotomy. Results The average baseline IOP increased respectively 3.90 ± 5.35, 5.95 ± 5.32, 1.15 ± 3.20 mmHg in the first group 1, 3 and 24 hours post-treatment. There were significant differences between baseline IOP and 1 and 3 hours but not at 24 hours (p=0.004, p=0.001, p=0.13). IOP increased 0.40 ± 4.08, 0.75 ± 5.33, 0.80 ± 6.03 mmHg in the second group at the same times. The differences between the average baseline IOP and the 1, 3 and 24h measurement were not significant (p=0.83, p=0.65, p=0.93). In the third group, IOP decreased 3.70 ± 2.40, 3.30 ± 2.47, 2.65 ± 1.56 mmHg at the measurement times, with significant differences between the average baseline IOP and the 1, 3 and 24 hour measurements (p=0.001, p=0.0001, p=0.01). In the fourth group IOP increased 0.35 ± 3.32 mmHg at 1 hour, but decreased 1.25 ± 3.41, 0.90 ± 2.07 mmHg at 3 and 24 hours. The differences were not significant (p=0.94, p=0.16, p=0.08). When the 0.25% and 1% apraclonidine groups were compared, there were significant differences between the average IOP at 1 hour in both groups but not at 3 and 24 hours (p=0.01, p=0.17, p=0.21). Similarly, there were no significant differences between the average IOP at the same times when the 0.25% apraclonidine group was compared with the timolol group (p=0.30, p=0.08, p=0.16). Some systemic and local side effects were seen in the timolol and 1% apraclonidine groups, but none with 0.25% apraclonidine. Conclusions It was concluded that 0.25% apraclonidine is effective in preventing the early elevation of IOP after Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy and may offer an alternative to 0.50% timolol maleate and 1% apraclonidine.

This special issue contributes to a better understanding of science–policy interactions in environmental governance, by assembling studies based on interpretative policy analysis. We introduce the theory and use of interpretative approaches in the analysis of science–policy interactions and draw on Stone's Policy Paradox (2002) to demonstrate how policy discourses are constituted by expertise but also by interests and rhetoric. This enables us to show how policy discourses are shaped by, but also shape their environment, especially when they become dominant and suppress alternative discourses and related knowledge claims and governance practices. In particular, we highlight the role of scientific and other technical expertise in the establishment and interpretation of policy discourses in different settings and argue that current environmental policy discourses afford considerable space for science and expertise to calculate the state of the environment, evaluate the sustainability of policies and forge solutions for green economic growth. In the conclusion we underscore the importance of reflexivity on the part of scientists working at the science–policy interface regarding the political choices implicit in the policy discourses they both work within and help to establish.

We show how the capillary filling of microchannels is affected by posts or ridges on the sides of the channels. Ridges perpendicular to the flow direction introduce contact line pinning which slows, or sometimes prevents, filling; whereas ridges parallel to the flow provide extra surface which may enhances filling. Patterning the microchannel surface with square posts has little effect on the ability of a channel to fill for equilibrium contact angle $\theta_e \lesssim 30^{\mathrm{o}}$. For $\theta_e \gtrsim 60^{\mathrm{o}}$, however, even a small number of posts can pin the advancing liquid front., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures