Toxicity of lanthanum oxide (La2O3) nanoparticles in aquatic environments

This study demonstrates the acute toxicity of lanthanum oxide nanoparticles (La2O3 NP) on two sentinel aquatic species, fresh-water microalgae Chlorella sp. and the crustacean Daphnia magna. The morphology, size and charge of the nanoparticles were systematically studied. The algal growth inhibition assay confirmed absence of toxic effects of La2O3 NP on Chlorella sp., even at higher concentration (1000 mg L-1) after 72 h exposure. Similarly, no significant toxic effects were observed on D. magna at concentrations of 250 mg L-1 or less, and considerable toxic effects were noted in higher concentrations (effective concentration [EC50] 500 mg L-1; lethal dose [LD50] 1000 mg L-1). In addition, attachment of La2O3 NP on aquatic species was demonstrated using microscopy analysis. This study proved to be beneficial in understanding acute toxicity in order to provide environmental protection as part of risk assessment strategies. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015

Transcriptome pathways unique to dehydration tolerant relatives of modern wheat

Among abiotic stressors, drought is a major factor responsible for dramatic yield loss in agriculture. In order to reveal differences in global expression profiles of drought tolerant and sensitive wild emmer wheat genotypes, a previously deployed shock-like dehydration process was utilized to compare transcriptomes at two time points in root and leaf tissues using the Affymetrix GeneChip(R) Wheat Genome Array hybridization. The comparison of transcriptomes reveal several unique genes or expression patterns such as differential usage of IP(3)-dependent signal transduction pathways, ethylene- and abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent signaling, and preferential or faster induction of ABA-dependent transcription factors by the tolerant genotype that distinguish contrasting genotypes indicative of distinctive stress response pathways. The data also show that wild emmer wheat is capable of engaging known drought stress responsive mechanisms. The global comparison of transcriptomes in the absence of and after dehydration underlined the gene networks especially in root tissues that may have been lost in the selection processes generating modern bread wheats

Firm Foundations: The Statistical Footprint of Multinational Corporations as a Problem for Political Economy

The discipline of comparative political economy (CPE) relies heavily on aggregate, country-level economic indicators. However, the practices of multinational corporations have increasingly undermined this approach to measurement. The problem of indicator drift is well documented by a growing critical literature and calls for systematic methodological attention in CPE. We present the case for a rocky but ultimately rewarding middle road between indicator fatalism and indicator faith. We illustrate our argument by examining two important cases—Sweden’s recent export success and the financialization of non-financial corporations in France. A careful parsing of the data suggests corrections to common characterizations of the two cases. Swedish exports have been reshaped by intragroup trade among foreign subsidiaries of domestic corporations. The growth of financial assets held by French firms is attributable to the growth of foreign direct investment and to cumulative revaluation effects, while what remains of financialization is concentrated among the very largest firms. Based on these findings, we propose a methodological routine that parses data by zooming in on the qualitative specifics of countries, sectors, and firms, while using all available options for disaggregation.Introduction The problems with measuring “the economy” Growth models, export indicators, and the globalization of production Not so financialized after all? Firm financialization in France Methodological ways forward: Zoom in and disaggregate Conclusion Notes Reference

Firm Foundations: The Statistical Footprint of Multinational Corporations as a Problem for Political Economy

The discipline of comparative political economy (CPE) relies heavily on aggregate, country-level economic indicators. However, the practices of multinational corporations have increasingly undermined this approach to measurement. The problem of indicator drift is well-documented by a growing critical literature and calls for systematic methodological attention in CPE. We present the case for a rocky but ultimately rewarding middle road between indicator fatalism and indicator faith. We illustrate our argument by examining two important cases – Sweden’s recent export success and the financialization of non-financial corporations in France. A careful parsing of the data suggests corrections to common characterizations of the two cases. Swedish exports have been reshaped by intragroup trade among foreign subsidiaries of domestic corporations. The growth of financial assets held by French firms is attributable to the growth of foreign direct investment and to cumulative revaluation effects, while what remains of financialization is concentrated among the very largest firms. Based on these findings, we propose a methodological routine that parses data by zooming in on the qualitative specifics of countries, sectors, and firms, while using all available options for disaggregation.Die vergleichende politische Ökonomie (CPE) stützt sich in hohem Maße auf aggregierte, ländervergleichende Wirtschaftsindikatoren. Die Praktiken multinationaler Unternehmen haben diesen Ansatz jedoch zunehmend unterminiert. Das Problem abdriftender Indikatoren wird durch eine wachsende kritische Literatur gut dokumentiert und erfordert eine systematische methodische Antwort. Wir plädieren für einen Mittelweg zwischen Indikator-Fatalismus und Indikator-Glauben und veranschaulichen unser Argument anhand von zwei wichtigen Fällen – Schwedens jüngstem Exporterfolg und der Finanzialisierung von nichtfinanziellen Unternehmen in Frankreich. Eine sorgfältige Analyse der Daten zeigt, dass der Handel zwischen ausländischen Tochtergesellschaften inländischer Unternehmen die schwedische Exportstatistik prägt und dass das Wachstum der von französischen Unternehmen gehaltenen Finanzaktiva auf ausländische Direktinvestitionen und kumulative Bewertungseffekte zurückzuführen und außerdem auf multinationale Großunternehmen konzentriert ist. Methodisch schlagen wir die routinemäßige Rückbindung vergleichender Analysen an die qualitativen Besonderheiten von Ländern, Sektoren und Unternehmen vor sowie eine verstärkte Nutzung verfügbarer Möglichkeiten zur Disaggregation.Contents 1 Introduction 2 The problems with measuring “the economy” Indicator critique in neighboring fields Four major fields of indicator problems 3 Growth models, export indicators, and the globalization of production Macroeconomic pattern recognition in the growth model literature The rise of merchanting in Sweden’s trade data The growth of merchanting as a problem for data legibility The decreasing value of derived indicators 4 Not so financialized after all? Firm financialization in France Disaggregating financial assets: components, valuation, concentration Financial income: From gross to net 5 Methodological ways forward: Zoom in and disaggregate 6 Conclusion Reference

Is the Presence of Retinopathy of Practical Value in Defining Cases of Diabetic Nephropathy in Genetic Association Studies?: The Experience With the ACE Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism in 53 Studies Comprising 17,791 Subjects

OBJECTIVE— A key consideration when setting up genetic studies is the case definition. For diabetic nephropathy, the case definition is typically based on the presence of albuminuria. However, it has been long debated whether diabetic nephropathy cases defined in this way may have a high prevalence of nondiabetic kidney disease, especially if diabetic retinopathy is absent

Molecular and functional heterogeneity of IL-10-producing CD4 + T cells

IL-10 is a prototypical anti-inflammatory cytokine, which is fundamental to the maintenance of immune homeostasis, especially in the intestine. There is an assumption that cells producing IL-10 have an immunoregulatory function. However, here we report that IL-10-producing CD4 + T cells are phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous. By combining single cell transcriptome and functional analyses, we identified a subpopulation of IL-10-producing Foxp3 neg CD4 + T cells that displays regulatory activity unlike other IL-10-producing CD4 + T cells, which are unexpectedly pro-inflammatory. The combinatorial expression of co-inhibitory receptors is sufficient to discriminate IL-10-producing CD4 + T cells with regulatory function from others and to identify them across different tissues and disease models in mice and humans. These regulatory IL-10-producing Foxp3 neg CD4 + T cells have a unique transcriptional program, which goes beyond the regulation of IL-10 expression. Finally, we found that patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease demonstrate a deficiency in this specific regulatory T-cell subpopulation

Sex-specific analysis in Behçet's disease reveals higher genetic risk in male patients

Objectives: Behçet's disease tends to be more severe in men than women. This study was undertaken to investigate sex-specific genetic effects in Behçet's disease. Methods: A total of 1762 male and 1216 female patients with Behçet's disease from six diverse populations were studied, with the majority of patients of Turkish origin. Genotyping was performed using an Infinium ImmunoArray-24 BeadChip, or extracted from available genotyping data. Following imputation and extensive quality control measures, genome-wide association analysis was performed comparing male to female patients in the Turkish cohort, followed by a meta-analysis of significant results in all six populations. In addition, a weighted genetic risk score for Behçet's disease was calculated and compared between male and female patients. Results: Genetic association analysis comparing male to female patients with Behçet's disease from Turkey revealed an association with male sex in HLA-B/MICA within the HLA region with a GWAS level of significance (rs2848712, OR = 1.46, P = 1.22 × 10−8). Meta-analysis of the effect in rs2848712 across six populations confirmed these results. Genetic risk score for Behçet's disease was significantly higher in male compared to female patients from Turkey. Higher genetic risk for Behçet's disease was observed in male patients in HLA-B/MICA (rs116799036, OR = 1.45, P = 1.95 × 10−8), HLA-C (rs12525170, OR = 1.46, P = 5.66 × 10−7), and KLRC4 (rs2617170, OR = 1.20, P = 0.019). In contrast, IFNGR1 (rs4896243, OR = 0.86, P = 0.011) was shown to confer higher genetic risk in female patients. Conclusions: Male patients with Behçet's disease are characterized by higher genetic risk compared to female patients. This genetic difference, primarily derived from our Turkish cohort, is largely explained by risk within the HLA region. These data suggest that genetic factors might contribute to differences in disease presentation between men and women with Behçet's disease