The Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality

A Review of The Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality by Sandra Lipsitz Be

Anbau von Ölpflanzen im Mischanbau mit anderen Kulturen im ökologischen Landbau

Mischanbausysteme bieten aufgrund ihrer höheren Biodiversität auch eine höhere Pufferkapazität gegen biotischen und abiotischen Stress und weisen durch gute Ausnutzung von Standraum und Standebene eine höhere Konkurrenzkraft gegen Unkraut auf als Reinanbausysteme. Zudem kommt es zu Synergismen bei der Nährstoffaufnahme und bei der Standfestigkeit (Aufhammer, 1999; Rauber, 2001). Besonders in Systemen mit limitiertem Betriebsmittelinput, wie dem ökologischen Landbau sind diese Bestandseigenschaften interessant. Die Koppelproduktion einer Ölsaat, z. B. zur energetischen Nutzung mit der Kultur von z. B. Erbsen zur Futternutzung könnte auch eine ökonomisch und ökologische Perspektive sein, um bei ackerbaulichen Vorteilen neben Futter- oder Marktfrüchten auch nachwachsende Rohstoffe zu produzieren. Für die Tierfütterung fallen dabei zusätzlich eiweiss- und energiereiche Presskuchen an (Henkel, 1997). Seit einigen Jahren sammelt ein inzwischen als AG-Mischfruchtanbau (www.mischfruchtanbau.de) etablierter Zusammenschluss von Praktiker/innen, Berater/innen und Forscher/innen Praxiserfahrungen v. a. mit dem Mischanbau mit Leindotter (Camelina sativa). In einem Forschungsprojekt werden verschiedene Mischanbausysteme mit Ölfrüchten erprobt, deren einjährige Ergebnisse vorliegen. Mehrjährige Ergebnisse liegen aus Praxisbetrieben vor. Der Mischanbau von Ölpflanzen mit Getreide oder Körnerleguminosen ist eine beachtenswerte Möglichkeit zur Ölerzeugung für den ökologischen Landbau. Notwendig sind Untersuchungen zu optimalen Mischungsverhältnissen, zu Reihenabständen, zur Sorteneignung und zur Unkrautunterdrückung. Die Versuche werden fortgesetzt

Explainable Boosting Machines with Sparsity -- Maintaining Explainability in High-Dimensional Settings

Compared to "black-box" models, like random forests and deep neural networks, explainable boosting machines (EBMs) are considered "glass-box" models that can be competitively accurate while also maintaining a higher degree of transparency and explainability. However, EBMs become readily less transparent and harder to interpret in high-dimensional settings with many predictor variables; they also become more difficult to use in production due to increases in scoring time. We propose a simple solution based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) that can help introduce sparsity by reweighting the individual model terms and removing the less relevant ones, thereby allowing these models to maintain their transparency and relatively fast scoring times in higher-dimensional settings. In short, post-processing a fitted EBM with many (i.e., possibly hundreds or thousands) of terms using the LASSO can help reduce the model's complexity and drastically improve scoring time. We illustrate the basic idea using two real-world examples with code.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

Childhood amblyopia: current management and new trends

INTRODUCTION OR BACKGROUND: With a prevalence of 2-5%, amblyopia is the most common vision deficit in children in the UK and the second most common cause of functional low vision in children in low-income countries. SOURCES OF DATA: Pubmed, Cochrane library and clinical trial registries (clinicaltrials.gov, ISRCTN, UKCRN portfolio database). AREAS OF AGREEMENT: Screening and treatment at the age of 4-5 years are cost efficient and clinically effective. Optical treatment (glasses) alone can improve visual acuity, with residual amblyopia treated by part-time occlusion or pharmacological blurring of the better-seeing eye. Treatment after the end of the conventional 'critical period' can improve vision, but in strabismic amblyopia carries a low risk of double vision. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY: It is not clear whether earlier vision screening would be cost efficient and associated with better outcomes. Optimization of treatment by individualized patching regimes or early start of occlusion, and novel binocular treatment approaches may enhance adherence to treatment, provide better outcomes and shorten treatment duration. GROWING POINTS: Binocular treatments for amblyopia. AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: Impact of amblyopia on education and quality of life; optimal screening timing and tests; optimal administration of conventional treatments; development of child-friendly, effective and safe binocular treatments

Challenges in the management of pediatric blepharokeratoconjunctivis / ocular rosacea

Introduction: Childhood blepharokeratoconjunctivitis is a common lid margin inflammation with secondary ocular surface disease. Its etiology is unclear and there are no randomized controlled trials to support the superiority of any treatment option. / Areas covered: We searched the following databases; Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid MEDLINE and affiliated Ovid databases, EMBASE, the ISRCTN registry, Clinical- Trials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Due to the paucity of pediatric data we also considered information from articles focused on adults. / Expert commentary: Treatment is based on the assumption that the mechanisms of BKC and rosacea keratitis are the same: meibomian gland dysfunction, bacterial colonisation of the lid margin, delayed type hypersensitivity, Demodex folliculorum, genetic predisposition and Toll-like receptors inducing release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Generally accepted grading scales are needed. Randomized clinical trials are needed to evaluate treatment options. The effects of antibiotics, immunomodulators, osmoprotectants and essential fatty acids need further investigation

S100A4 in cancer metastasis: Wnt signaling-driven interventions for metastasis restriction

The aberrant activity of Wnt signaling is an early step in the transformation of normal intestinal cells to malignant tissue, leading to more aggressive tumors, and eventually metastases. In colorectal cancer (CRC), metastasis accounts for about 90% of patient deaths, representing the most lethal event during the course of the disease and is directly linked to patient survival, critically limiting successful therapy. This review focuses on our studies of the metastasis-inducing gene S100A4, which we identified as transcriptional target of {beta}-catenin. S100A4 increased migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in mice. In patient CRC samples, high S100A4 levels predict metastasis and reduced patient survival. Our results link pathways important for tumor progression and metastasis: the Wnt signaling pathway and S100A4, which regulates motility and invasiveness. S100A4 suppression by interdicting Wnt signaling has potential for therapeutic intervention. As proof of principle, we applied S100A4 shRNA systemically and prevented metastasis in mice. Furthermore, we identified small molecule inhibitors from high-throughput screens of pharmacologically active compounds employing an S100A4 promoter-driven reporter. Best hits act, as least in part, via intervening in the Wnt pathway and restricted metastasis in mouse models. We currently translate our findings on restricting S100A4-driven metastasis into clinical practice. The repositioned FDA-approved drug niclosamide, targeting Wnt signaling, is being tested in a prospective phase II clinical trial for treatment of CRC patients. Our assay for circulating S100A4 transcripts in patient blood is used to monitor treatment success

Late‐ but not early‐onset blindness impairs the development of audio‐haptic multisensory integration

Integrating different senses to reduce sensory uncertainty and increase perceptual precision can have an important compensatory function for individuals with visual impairment and blindness. However, how visual impairment and blindness impact the development of optimal multisensory integration in the remaining senses is currently unknown. Here we first examined how audio‐haptic integration develops and changes across the life span in 92 sighted (blindfolded) individuals between 7 to 70 years of age. We used a child‐ friendly task in which participants had to discriminate different object sizes by touching them and/or listening to them. We assessed whether audio‐haptic performance resulted in a reduction of perceptual uncertainty compared to auditory‐only and haptic‐only performance as predicted by maximum‐likelihood estimation model. We then compared how this ability develops in 28 children and adults with different levels of visual experience, focussing on low‐vision individuals and blind individuals that lost their sight at different ages during development. Our results show that in sighted individuals, adult‐like audio‐haptic integration develops around 13‐15 years of age, and remains stable until late adulthood. While early‐blind individuals, even at the youngest ages, integrate audio‐haptic information in an optimal fashion, late‐blind individuals do not. Optimal integration in low‐vision individuals follows a similar developmental trajectory as that of sighted individuals. These findings demonstrate that visual experience is not necessary for optimal audio‐haptic integration to emerge, but that consistency of sensory information across development is key for the functional outcome of optimal multisensory integration

Eye movements elevate crowding in idiopathic infantile nystagmus syndrome

Idiopathic infantile nystagmus syndrome is a disorder characterised by involuntary eye movements, which leads to decreased acuity and visual function. One such function is visual crowding - a process whereby objects that are easily recognised in isolation become impaired by nearby flankers. Crowding typically occurs in the peripheral visual field, although elevations in foveal vision have been reported in congenital nystagmus, similar to those found with amblyopia. Here, we examine whether elevated foveal crowding with nystagmus is driven by similar mechanisms to those of amblyopia - long-term neural changes associated with a sensory deficit - or by the momentary displacement of the stimulus through nystagmus eye movements. A Landolt-C orientation identification task was used to measure threshold gap sizes with and without either horizontally or vertically placed Landolt-C flankers. We assume that a sensory deficit should give equivalent crowding in these two dimensions, whereas an origin in eye movements should give stronger crowding with horizontal flankers given the predominantly horizontal eye movements of nystagmus. We observe elevations in nystagmic crowding that are above crowding in typical vision but below that of amblyopia. Consistent with an origin in eye movements, elevations were stronger with horizontal than vertical flankers in nystagmus, but not in typical or amblyopic vision. We further demonstrate the same horizontal elongation in typical vision with stimulus movement that simulates nystagmus. Consequently, we propose that the origin of nystagmic crowding lies in the eye movements, either through image smear of the target and flanker elements or through relocation of the stimulus into the peripheral retina