Digital Creativity Support for Original Journalism

The decline in circulations and revenues resulting from the digitalization of news production and consumption has led to a crisis in journalism.Journalists have less time to research, investigate and write original stories, leading to problems for our democratic processes and holding the powerful to account. This paper reports the architecture, features and rationale for new digital creativity support designed to support journalists to discover more original angles onstories. It also summarises the evaluation of the tool’s use in 3 newsrooms

Risk assessment of non-native fishes in the Balkans Region using FISK, the invasiveness screening tool for non-native freshwater fishes

A high level of freshwater fish endemism in the Balkans Region emphasizes the need for non-native species risk assessments to inform management and control measures, with pre-screening tools, such as the Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit (FISK) providing a useful first step. Applied to 43 non-native and translocated freshwater fishes in four Balkan countries, FISK reliably discriminated between invasive and non-invasive species, with a calibration threshold value of 9.5 distinguishing between species of medium and high risk sensu lato of becoming invasive. Twelve of the 43 species were assessed by scientists from two or more Balkan countries, and the remaining 31 species by a single assessor. Using the 9.5 threshold, three species were classed as low risk, 10 as medium risk, and 30 as high risk, with the latter category comprised of 26 moderately high risk, three high risk, and one very high risk species. Confidence levels in the assessments were relatively constant for all species, indicating concordance amongst assessors

Feasibility studies of time-like proton electromagnetic form factors at PANDA at FAIR

Simulation results for future measurements of electromagnetic proton form factors at \PANDA (FAIR) within the PandaRoot software framework are reported. The statistical precision with which the proton form factors can be determined is estimated. The signal channel $\bar p p \to e^+ e^-$ is studied on the basis of two different but consistent procedures. The suppression of the main background channel, $\textit{i.e.}$ $\bar p p \to \pi^+ \pi^-$, is studied. Furthermore, the background versus signal efficiency, statistical and systematical uncertainties on the extracted proton form factors are evaluated using two different procedures. The results are consistent with those of a previous simulation study using an older, simplified framework. However, a slightly better precision is achieved in the PandaRoot study in a large range of momentum transfer, assuming the nominal beam conditions and detector performance

Mutation analysis of the Fanconi anaemia A gene in breast tumours with loss of heterozygosity at 16q24.3

The recently identified Fanconi anaemia A (FAA) gene is located on chromosomal band 16q24.3 within a region that has been frequently reported to show loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in breast cancer. FAA mutation analysis of 19 breast tumours with specific LOH at 16q24.3 was performed. Single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis on cDNA and genomic DNA, and Southern blotting failed to identify any tumour-specific mutations. Five polymorphisms were identified, but frequencies of occurrence did not deviate from those in a normal control population. Therefore, the FAA gene is not the gene targeted by LOH at 16q24.3 in breast cancer. Another tumour suppressor gene in this chromosomal region remains to be identified. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Overexpression of Protein Kinase C Confers Protection Against Antileukemic Drugs by Inhibiting the Redox-Dependent Sphingomyelinase Activation

ABSTRACT Induction of apoptosis by chemotherapeutic drugs involves the sphingomyelin-ceramide (SM-CER) pathway. This signaling is critically dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and p53/p56 Lyn activation. In this study, we have investigated the influence of protein kinase C (PKC) overexpression on the SM-CER pathway in U937 human leukemia cell line. We show that PKC overexpression resulted in delayed apoptosis and significant resistance to both 1-␤-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) and daunorubicin (DNR), but there was no significant protection against cell-permeant C 6 -CER. Moreover, PKC overexpression abrogated drug-induced neutral sphingomyelinase stimulation and CER generation by inhibiting ROS production. We further investigated p53/p56 Lyn activation in PKC-overexpressing U937 cells treated with ara-C or DNR. We demonstrate that PKC inhibited p53/p56 Lyn phosphorylation and stimulation in drug-or H 2 O 2 -treated cells, suggesting that p53/p56 Lyn redox regulation is altered in PKC-overexpressing cells. Finally, we show that PKC-overexpressing U937 cells displayed accelerated H 2 O 2 detoxification. Altogether, our study provides evidence for the role of PKC in the negative regulation of drug-induced SM-CER pathway

Familial history of diabetes and clinical characteristics in Greek subjects with type 2 diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A lot of studies have showed an excess maternal transmission of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim, therefore, of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of familial history of T2D in Greek patients, and to evaluate its potential effect on the patient's metabolic control and the presence of diabetic complications.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 1,473 T2D patients were recruited. Those with diabetic mothers, diabetic fathers, diabetic relatives other than parents and no known diabetic relatives, were considered separately.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of diabetes in the mother, the father and relatives other than parents, was 27.7, 11.0 and 10.7%, respectively. Patients with paternal diabetes had a higher prevalence of hypertension (64.8 vs. 57.1%, P = 0.05) and lower LDL-cholesterol levels (115.12 ± 39.76 vs. 127.13 ± 46.53 mg/dl, P = 0.006) than patients with diabetes in the mother. Patients with familial diabetes were significantly younger (P < 0.001), with lower age at diabetes diagnosis (P < 0.001) than those without diabetic relatives. Patients with a diabetic parent had higher body mass index (BMI) (31.22 ± 5.87 vs. 30.67 ± 5.35 Kg/m², P = 0.08), higher prevalence of dyslipidemia (49.8 vs. 44.6%, P = 0.06) and retinopathy (17.9 vs. 14.5%, P = 0.08) compared with patients with no diabetic relatives. No difference in the degree of metabolic control and the prevalence of chronic complications were observed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study showed an excess maternal transmission of T2D in a sample of Greek diabetic patients. However, no different influence was found between maternal and paternal diabetes on the clinical characteristics of diabetic patients except for LDL-cholesterol levels and presence of hypertension. The presence of a family history of diabetes resulted to an early onset of the disease to the offspring.</p