Search

Copyright of Climacteric is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper analyzes the public content on the websites of targeted universities in North America and English speaking-Europe to examine their commitment to education in sustainable transportation. Analyzing about 5000 shows that most of them were worth three credits, more sustainable transportation courses were offered to graduate students than to undergraduates, lecturing was the most common teaching method, and, on average, North American universities offered more sustainable transport courses than did their European counterparts. Finally, the environmental issue was emphasized and discussed far more than the economic and social issues in the sustainable transport context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning can be used to define subtypes of psychiatric conditions based on shared biological foundations of mental disorders. Here we analyzed cross-sectional brain images from 4,222 individuals with schizophrenia and 7038 healthy subjects pooled across 41 international cohorts from the ENIGMA, non-ENIGMA cohorts and public datasets. Using the Subtype and Stage Inference (SuStaIn) algorithm, we identify two distinct neurostructural subgroups by mapping the spatial and temporal 'trajectory' of gray matter change in schizophrenia. Subgroup 1 was characterized by an early cortical-predominant loss with enlarged striatum, whereas subgroup 2 displayed an early subcortical-predominant loss in the hippocampus, striatum and other subcortical regions. We confirmed the reproducibility of the two neurostructural subtypes across various sample sites, including Europe, North America and East Asia. This imaging-based taxonomy holds the potential to identify individuals with shared neurobiological attributes, thereby suggesting the viability of redefining existing disorder constructs based on biological factors., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

China has the world's largest carbon market in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, but its system needs to be improved and enhanced. In comparison, the European carbon market stands as the most mature and well-developed carbon market globally. Carbon trading prices, serving as a barometer for the carbon market, are significantly influenced by investor behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the characteristics of carbon trading prices in both China and Europe, considering the impact of investor trading intervals and psychological expected returns. This study utilizes the Zipf method to characterize the dynamic behavior of carbon trading prices between China and Europe, conducting a comparative analysis. The results show distinctive asymmetry in the behavior of carbon trading prices in both markets. In the Chinese market, when τ < 277, the absolute deviation da(τ, ε) value gradually changes but consistently indicates a bullish trend. However, when τ ≥ 277, the da(τ, ε) value surges rapidly, reflecting a pronounced bullish sentiment among investors toward carbon trading prices in China. In the European market, within the sample period, regardless of variations in τ and ε, the da(τ, ε) value shows a linear upward trend, indicating a significant overall bullishness in prices. This suggests a higher probability of long-term bullishness in carbon trading prices. Investors' investment time scale (τ) and expected returns (ε) both influence the behavior of carbon trading prices in both China and Europe. Generally, a longer τ implies a higher probability of bullishness. As for ε, higher values lead to more extreme judgments on price movements, resulting in greater distortion in carbon trading prices. Short-term investors (τ<1 month) anticipate extreme fluctuations, exhibiting random behavior when ε < 0.15 and converging rapidly to extreme values of 1 or 0 when ε ≥ 0.15. Long-term investors (τ>quarter) are less biased, expressing a bullish outlook on both Chinese and European carbon prices. With increasing ε, the probability of bullishness either increases or decreases rapidly until reaching the saturation point. Once saturated, there is no further distortion in carbon price behavior. Furthermore, the Chinese carbon market displays a positive trend in carbon trading prices and a higher probability of long-term bullishness. For the European market, lower expected returns contribute to considerable carbon trading price fluctuations, exacerbating risk and uncertainty. The results of this study contribute to understanding the diverse trading behaviors in Chinese and European carbon markets and provide guidance for avoiding extreme volatility in carbon trading prices., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Cheng. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: In recent years, the concept of living systematic review (LSR) has attracted the attention of many scholars and institutions. A growing number of studies have been conducted based on LSR methodology, but their focus direction is unclear. The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of existing LSR-related studies and to analyse their whole picture and future trends with bibliometrics., Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was used to construct a representative dataset of LSRs up to October 2021. GraphPad V.8.2.1 and Mindmaster Pro presented the basic information of the included studies and the timeline of LSR development, respectively. The author and country cooperation network, hotspot distribution clustering, historical citation network and future development trend prediction related to LSR were visualised by VOSviewer V.1.6.16 and R-Studio V.1.4., Results: A total of 213 studies were eventually included. The concept of LSR was first proposed in 2014, and the number of studies has proliferated since 2020. There was a closer collaboration between author teams and more frequent LSR research development and collaboration in Europe, North America and Australia. Numerous LSR studies have been published in high-impact journals. COVID-19 is the predominant disease of concern at this stage, and the rehabilitation of its patients and virological studies are possible directions of research in LSR for a long time to come. A review of existing studies found that more than half of the LSR series had not yet been updated and that the method needed to be more standardised in practice., Conclusion: Although LSR has a relatively short history, it has received much attention and currently has a high overall acceptance. The LSR methodology was further practised in COVID-19, and we look forward to seeing it applied in more areas., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The origin of the temperature divergence between Holocene proxy reconstructions and model simulations remains controversial, but it possibly results from potential biases in the seasonality of reconstructions or in the climate sensitivity of models. Here we present an extensive dataset of Holocene seasonal temperatures reconstructed using 1310 pollen records covering the Northern Hemisphere landmass. Our results indicate that both summer and winter temperatures warmed from the early to mid-Holocene (~11-7 ka BP) and then cooled thereafter, but with significant spatial variability. Strong early Holocene warming trend occurred mainly in Europe, eastern North America and northern Asia, which can be generally captured by model simulations and is likely associated with the retreat of continental ice sheets. The subsequent cooling trend is pervasively recorded except for northern Asia and southeastern North America, which may reflect the cross-seasonal impact of the decreasing summer insolation through climatic feedbacks, but the cooling in winter season is not well reproduced by climate models. Our results challenge the proposal that seasonal biases in proxies are the main origin of model-data discrepancies and highlight the critical impact of insolation and associated feedbacks on temperature changes, which warrant closer attention in future climate modelling., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Increasing studies reported increased mortality risk associated with exposure to lower-than-standard air pollution. This study aimed to investigate mortality burden and life expectancy loss due to lower-than-standard particulate matter air pollution in Hong Kong, China., Methods: We obtained 17-year (2000-2016) daily time-series data on mortality, particulate matters with aerodynamic diameters <2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ) and <10 μm (PM 10 ). We applied a distributed lag non-linear model to fit the association of years of life lost (YLL) with PM 2.5 and PM 10 . Total YLL attributable to PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations below ambient air quality standards were estimated., Results: We estimated 5.2% of total YLL due to PM 2.5 , of which, 33.5%, 52.8% and 94.5% occurred in concentrations not exceeding the criterion of WHO, the USA, and China, corresponding to 0.3, 0.4 and 0.7 years loss in life expectancy, respectively. There was 6.9% (annual 34434.4 YLL) of total YLL due to PM 10 , of which, 50.7%, 50.7%, 99.5% and 99.5% occurred in concentrations below the criterion of WHO, Europe, the USA, and China, which corresponded to 0.5, 0.5, 1 and 1 year loss in life expectancy, respectively. Assuming that PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations had met stricter standards, more gains in life expectancy could be expected in women than in men, in people aged up to 64 years than those of 65 years or older, and in those with respiratory disease than those with cardiovascular disease., Conclusions: Exposure to lower-than-standard particulate matters air pollution could shorten life expectancy and incur massive mortality burden in Hong Kong., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of flame-retardants that are found throughout the human body. However, global trends and diversity of the concentrations in human body and the potential risks remain largely unresolved. Based on published data during 2000-2019, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis to understand the burden and risks of PBDEs in humans and their spatiotemporal variations. The report provides a global picture of PBDE concentrations in human blood and breast milk. We found the levels of body PBDE burden in the North American population were higher than those from Asia and Europe. However, high concentrations of blood PBDEs in occupational population from Asia were observed, largely because of poorly controlled e-waste recycling operations. Penta- and deca-BDE were the main contributors in North America and Asia, respectively, reflecting the difference in the production and use of these chemicals. On a global scale, no substantial decreases in the concentrations of PBDEs in the blood and breast milk were observed, although most of the chemicals have been phased out. The results suggested that humans will be exposed to PBDEs with relatively high concentrations in a certain period because of the legacy in products and the environmental media. And the potential health risks necessitate careful study in the future. Our results also remind that the uses of degradation-resistant chemicals should be attached great importance to their safety., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase-B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K-AKT-mTOR) signalling pathway is aberrantly activated in several cancers. Notch signalling maintains cell proliferation, growth and metabolism in part by driving the PI3K pathway. Combining the mTOR inhibitor ridaforolimus with the Notch inhibitor MK-0752 may increase blockade of the PI3K pathway., Methods: This phase I dose-escalation study (NCT01295632) aimed to define the dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of combination oral ridaforolimus (rising doses starting at 20 mg, 5 days/week) and oral MK-0752 (1800 mg once weekly) in patients with solid tumours. No intrapatient dose escalation was permitted., Results: Twenty eight patients were treated on study. Ridaforolimus doses were escalated from 20 to 30 mg/day. Among 14 evaluable patients receiving ridaforolimus 20 mg, one DLT (grade 2 stomatitis, second episode) was reported. Among eight evaluable patients receiving ridaforolimus 30 mg, three DLTs were reported (one each grade 3 stomatitis, grade 3 diarrhoea, and grade 3 asthenia). The MTD was 20 mg daily ridaforolimus 5 days/week+1800 mg weekly MK-0752. The most common drug-related adverse events included stomatitis, diarrhoea, decreased appetite, hyperglycaemia, thrombocytopenia, asthenia and rash. Two of 15 (13%) patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) had responses: one with complete response and one with partial response. In addition, one patient experienced stable disease ⩾6 months., Conclusions: Combined ridaforolimus and MK-0752 showed activity in HNSCC. However, a high number of adverse events were reported at the MTD, which would require careful management during future clinical development., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified two key SNPs (rs11833579 and rs12425791) on chromosome 12p13 that were significantly associated with stroke in Caucasians. However, the validity of the association has remained controversial. We performed genetic association analyses in a very unique population which has 60% European ancestry and 40% East Asian ancestry. No significant association between these two SNPs and ischemic stroke was detected in this Chinese Uyghur population., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)