Putting Women’s Rights to Work: The Participation of Women on Company Boards as a Human Rights Law Issue

Most of the legal scholarship on the participation of women on company boards focuses on European Union (EU) law and/or national law. In this chapter we take a novel approach by offering a critical reflection on the question to what extent international human rights law mandates the use of positive measures to improve the participation of women on company boards, and what obligations this entails on the state and on companies themselves. We thereby use the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee’s multi-layered conception of equality—consisting of formal, substantive and transformative equality—as framework to assess and critique human rights law. This chapter shows that the proper implementation of CEDAW indeed requires States Parties adopt measures to tackle the underrepresentation of women in top corporate positions, though there is considerable discretion as to the content of these measures. Also under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) states should take an active stance towards the private sector on this topic. Responsibilities for companies are based on the UNGPs’ corporate responsibility to respect. We argue that promoting the participation of women on company boards falls into the scope of what is currently expected from companies

Fit & Food für Jugendliche mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf

Der Leitfaden Fit & Food für Jugendliche mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf (FIFOFÖ) bietet ein schulisches Interventionsprogramm zur Adipositas-Prävention bei Jugendlichen im Alter von 13 – 16 Jahren. Die Prävention hat die Aufgabe, der weiteren Ausbreitung von Übergewicht und Adipositas bei der ausgewählten Zielgruppe der Jugendlichen entgegen zu wirken. Dabei sollte sie verhindern, dass Normalgewichtige übergewichtig, Übergewichtige adipös werden und dass diejenigen, die Gewicht reduziert haben, wieder zunehmen. Die Adipositas–Prävention durch Ernährung und Bewegung im Schulalltag ist so konzipiert, dass Schüler und Schülerinnen langfristig zur Handlungskompetenz und zu Einstellungsveränderungen befähigt werden. Die Interventionsmaßnahmen müssen Schülern und Schülerinnen für ein gesundes Ernährungs- und Bewegungsverhalten befähigen. Dabei gilt es, insbesondere die Aspekte aufzuzeigen, die das Übergewicht beeinflussen. Das Präventionskonzept FIFOFÖ ist in die beiden Bereich Ernährung und Bewegung gegliedert. Hierdurch wird den unterschiedlichen Lernräumen und der inhaltlichen Strukturierung Rechnung getragen. Berücksichtigt werden die verschiedenen Bildungsgänge, die an den Förderschulen unterrichtet und zu unterschiedlichen Abschlüssen führen: Die dargestellten Unterrichtseinheiten orientieren sich demzufolge an den Richtlinien und Lehrplänen der allgemeinen Schule, dem Bildungsgang des Förderschwerpunkts Lernen und dem Bildungsgang des Förderschwerpunkts Geistige Entwicklung. Im Ernährungsbereich werden Rezepte und viele weitere Materialien dreifach differenziert in: Materialien, die Lese- und Zahlenverständnis erfordern Piktogramme mit kurzen Texterläuterungen Realistische Darstellung durch Fotos. Alle Übungen im Bewegungsbereich wurden unter Berücksichtigung von Übergewicht, Adipösität und verschiedener Behinderungsschwerpunkte ausgewählt und vorgestellt. Der Aspekt der Schwerst- und Mehrfachbehinderungen wurde bewusst herausgenommen, da es die mögliche Auswahl an unterschiedlichen Spielen und Übungen erheblich einschränken würde. Für Jugendliche ohne sonderpädagogischen Förderbedarf ist ein entsprechendes schulisches Interventionsprogram veröffentlicht: Bönnhoff, N., Hemker, M.: Fit & Food. Ein schulisches Interventionsprogramm zur Adipositas-Prävention bei Jugendlichen im Alter von 13 – 16 Jahren. In: Eissing, G. (Hrsg.): Schriftenreihe Arbeitsberichte des Fachs Hauswirtschaftswissenschaft Nr. 8/2008, Universität Dortmund 2008 URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2003/2722

Mice lacking the inhibitory collagen receptor LAIR-1 exhibit a mild thrombocytosis and hyperactive platelets

Objective— Leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor-1 (LAIR-1) is a collagen receptor that belongs to the inhibitory immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif–containing receptor family. It is an inhibitor of signaling via the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif–containing collagen receptor complex, glycoprotein VI-FcRγ-chain. It is expressed on hematopoietic cells, including immature megakaryocytes, but is not detectable on platelets. Although the inhibitory function of LAIR-1 has been described in leukocytes, its physiological role in megakaryocytes and in particular in platelet formation has not been explored. In this study, we investigate the role of LAIR-1 in megakaryocyte development and platelet production by generating LAIR-1–deficient mice. Approach and Results— Mice lacking LAIR-1 exhibit a significant increase in platelet counts, a prolonged platelet half-life in vivo, and increased proplatelet formation in vitro. Interestingly, platelets from LAIR-1–deficient mice exhibit an enhanced reactivity to collagen and the glycoprotein VI–specific agonist collagen-related peptide despite not expressing LAIR-1, and mice showed enhanced thrombus formation in the carotid artery after ferric chloride injury. Targeted deletion of LAIR-1 in mice results in an increase in signaling downstream of the glycoprotein VI–FcRγ-chain and integrin αIIbβ3 in megakaryocytes because of enhanced Src family kinase activity. Conclusions— Findings from this study demonstrate that ablation of LAIR-1 in megakaryocytes leads to increased Src family kinase activity and downstream signaling in response to collagen that is transmitted to platelets, rendering them hyper-reactive specifically to agonists that signal through Syk tyrosine kinases, but not to G-protein–coupled receptors. </jats:sec

Preference for Lighting Chromaticity in Migraine With Aura

Objective: We studied the color of lighting chosen as comfortable for reading by individuals with migraine and controls. We explored the effects of the chosen color on visual performance. Background: It has been reported that individuals who experience migraine with aura (MWA) choose, as comfortable for reading, light that is more strongly saturated in color than that chosen by individuals without migraine. Methods: A convenience sample of 18 individuals who experienced MWA, 18 without aura, and 18 controls without migraine participated in a cross‐sectional laboratory study at Anglia Ruskin University. We used an Intuitive Colorimeter that illuminated text with colored light and permitted the separate control of hue (color) and saturation (strength of color) without a change in luminance. We selected individuals with migraine and healthy controls from the general population. They were headache‐free in the 48 hours prior to testing. We used a routine that permitted the selection of the most comfortable hue from 12 alternatives and then alternately optimized the saturation and hue using small changes, thereby allowing for color adaptation. Visual performance at a word search task was measured under white light and under light of a color chosen as comfortable, using colored lenses. Results: Healthy individuals chose light with chromaticity close to the Planckian locus, which approximates the chromaticities of daylight and most electric lighting. The distance from the locus averaged 0.029 (SD 0.021). Individuals who experienced MWA chose strongly saturated colors well away from the Planckian locus (average distance 0.056, SD 0.022). Individuals who experienced migraine without aura chose intermediate chromaticities (average distance 0.034, SD 0.022). Overall there was a large statistically significant difference between participant groups that explained 24% variance. Visual search time of individuals with migraine aura decreased from 22.5 to 16.8 s when light of the chosen color was provided using tinted lenses (the average increase in search speed was 45.7%). The lenses had no statistically significant effect on the performance of individuals without migraine aura. Conclusions: Individuals who experienced MWA selected as comfortable colors that deviated from the lighting typically experienced in everyday life. Possibly, individuals who experience MWA may be more susceptible to photophobia under typical lighting. Visual performance was improved using lenses that provided light of the chosen comfortable color. The spectral power of that choice showed no evident relationship to melanopic energy (energy captured by the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells)

LAIR-1 Limits Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation

Neutrophils are crucial to antimicrobial defense, but excessive neutrophilic inflammation induces immune pathology. The mechanisms by which neutrophils are regulated to prevent injury and preserve tissue homeostasis are not completely understood. We recently identified the collagen receptor leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor (LAIR)-1 as a functional inhibitory receptor on airway-infiltrated neutrophils in viral bronchiolitis patients. In the current study, we sought to examine the role of LAIR-1 in regulating airway neutrophil responses in vivo. LAIR-1-deficient (Lair1−/−) and wild-type mice were infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or exposed to cigarette smoke as commonly accepted models of neutrophil-driven lung inflammation. Mice were monitored for cellular airway influx, weight loss, cytokine production, and viral loads. After RSV infection, Lair1−/− mice show enhanced airway inflammation accompanied by increased neutrophil and lymphocyte recruitment to the airways, without effects on viral loads or cytokine production. LAIR-1-Fc administration in wild type mice, which blocks ligand induced LAIR-1 activation, augmented airway inflammation recapitulating the observations in Lair1−/− mice. Likewise, in the smoke-exposure model, LAIR-1 deficiency enhanced neutrophil recruitment to the airways and worsened disease severity. Intranasal CXCL1–mediated neutrophil recruitment to the airways was enhanced in mice lacking LAIR-1, supporting an intrinsic function of LAIR-1 on neutrophils. In conclusion, the immune inhibitory receptor LAIR-1 suppresses neutrophil tissue migration and acts as a negative regulator of neutrophil-driven airway inflammation during lung diseases. Following our recent observations in humans, this study provides crucial in-vivo evidence that LAIR-1 is a promising target for pharmacological intervention in such pathologies

Identification of new genetic susceptibility loci for breast cancer through consideration of gene-environment interactions

Genes that alter disease risk only in combination with certain environmental exposures may not be detected in genetic association analysis. By using methods accounting for gene-environment (G × E) interaction, we aimed to identify novel genetic loci associated with breast cancer risk. Up to 34,475 cases and 34,786 controls of European ancestry from up to 23 studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium were included. Overall, 71,527 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), enriched for association with breast cancer, were tested for interaction with 10 environmental risk factors using three recently proposed hybrid methods and a joint test of association and interaction. Analyses were adjusted for age, study, population stratification, and confounding factors as applicable. Three SNPs in two independent loci showed statistically significant association: SNPs rs10483028 and rs2242714 in perfect linkage disequilibrium on chromosome 21 and rs12197388 in ARID1B on chromosome 6. While rs12197388 was identified using the joint test with parity and with age at menarche (P-values = 3 × 10(−07)), the variants on chromosome 21 q22.12, which showed interaction with adult body mass index (BMI) in 8,891 postmenopausal women, were identified by all methods applied. SNP rs10483028 was associated with breast cancer in women with a BMI below 25 kg/m(2) (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.15–1.38) but not in women with a BMI of 30 kg/m(2) or higher (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.72–1.11, P for interaction = 3.2 × 10(−05)). Our findings confirm comparable power of the recent methods for detecting G × E interaction and the utility of using G × E interaction analyses to identify new susceptibility loci

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

A computational model of invasive aspergillosis in the lung and the role of iron

BACKGROUND: Invasive aspergillosis is a severe infection of immunocompromised hosts, caused by the inhalation of the spores of the ubiquitous environmental molds of the Aspergillus genus. The innate immune response in this infection entails a series of complex and inter-related interactions between multiple recruited and resident cell populations with each other and with the fungal cell; in particular, iron is critical for fungal growth. RESULTS: A computational model of invasive aspergillosis is presented here; the model can be used as a rational hypothesis-generating tool to investigate host responses to this infection. Using a combination of laboratory data and published literature, an in silico model of a section of lung tissue was generated that includes an alveolar duct, adjacent capillaries, and surrounding lung parenchyma. The three-dimensional agent-based model integrates temporal events in fungal cells, epithelial cells, monocytes, and neutrophils after inhalation of spores with cellular dynamics at the tissue level, comprising part of the innate immune response. Iron levels in the blood and tissue play a key role in the fungus’ ability to grow, and the model includes iron recruitment and consumption by the different types of cells included. Parameter sensitivity analysis suggests the model is robust with respect to unvalidated parameters, and thus is a viable tool for an in silico investigation of invasive aspergillosis. CONCLUSIONS: Using laboratory data from a mouse model of invasive aspergillosis in the context of transient neutropenia as validation, the model predicted qualitatively similar time course changes in fungal burden, monocyte and neutrophil populations, and tissue iron levels. This model lays the groundwork for a multi-scale dynamic mathematical model of the immune response to Aspergillus species. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12918-016-0275-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users