High compliance with dietary recommendations in a cohort of meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Oxford study

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in dietary intakes between 30251 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Oxford study, comprising 18 244 meat eaters, 4 531 fish eaters, 6 673 vegetarians, and 803 vegans aged 30 to 90 years who completed semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires. We hypothesized that these groups characterized by varying degrees of animal product exclusion have significantly different intakes of many nutrients, with possible implications for dietary adequacy and compliance with population dietary goals. Nutrient intakes were estimated including fortification in foods, but excluding dietary supplements. Dietary supplementation practices were also evaluated. Highly significant differences were found in estimated nutrient intakes between meat eaters and vegans, with fish eaters and vegetarians usually having intermediate values. Meat eaters had the highest energy intakes, followed by fish eaters and vegetarians, whereas vegans had the lowest intakes. Vegans had the highest intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, vitamins C and E, folate, magnesium, iron, and copper. Meat eaters had the highest intake of saturated fatty acids, protein, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin D, zinc, and iodine. Fish eaters had the highest intakes of calcium and selenium. There were no statistically significant differences in sodium and potassium intakes between dietary groups. With the exception of sodium intake, compliance with population dietary goals was high across diet groups. The results suggested a high prevalence of inadequacy for dietary vitamin B12 and iodine in vegans. The diet groups under study showed striking differences in dietary intakes, with possible implications for compliance with dietary recommendations, as well as cardiometabolic diseases risk

The Intersection of Culture and Science in South African Traditional Medicine

Traditional African medicine often carries with it a perception and stigma of being irrational and ungrounded in scientific method in academia. One reason for this common prejudicial view of traditional African medicine is the failure to effectively interpret African traditional medicine concepts, as these are often metaphorical descriptions of the biological and psychological effects of plants or combinations of them used in the traditional medicine preparations. When translated into other languages such as English, these metaphorical descriptions of medicinal plant use can seem to incorrectly reflect mysticism and/or superstition with no scientific basis. This difficulty in interpreting cultural descriptions of medical phenomena, together with the fact that there are hardly any academic papers engaging the science of South African traditional medicine in the biological sciences, is an indication of the disconnection between the humanities studies and the biomedical studies of South African traditional medicine. This paper investigates some popular examples of spiritual plant use in traditional South African medicine using phytopharmacological studies together with anthropological fieldwork methods, demonstrating the empirical basis for use of some plants in divination (by producing clarity of thought or dreams). The examples also reveal the phytochemical and biomedical foundations of the South Bantu speaking traditional healers’ explanations of why and how various spiritually used plants have medicinal value. The challenge for scientists (such as botanists) is to effectively translate and interpret cultural and language based descriptions of spiritual medicinal plant use made by indigenous peoples while recognizing and discarding cultural prejudices that prevent a more comprehensive and integrated understanding of the science that intersects and forms the basis of many, though not all, cultural healing practices

Wykorzystanie technologii blockchain do eliminacji wybranych problemów systemu podatkowego

Owing to the distinctive features distinguishing it from traditional database solutions, blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the way taxes are settled: the way they are collected and refunded, the way transactions are settled and verified as well as the way compliance and invoicing are handled. Hence it may effectively help solve the fundamental problem of the tax system – the tax gap. However, achievement of desired results will be contingent upon the use of specific mechanisms as well as the manner and area of their implementation. We are discussing and analysing six concepts of solutions within five areas: digitalisation of invoices; creation of a national cryptocurrency for tax settlements; settlement of dividends earned by foreign shareholders; compliance in terms of transfer pricing; and verification of active VAT payers. We believe that the greatest benefits and at the same time the least deficiencies can potentially be offered by the introduction of the concept of Digital Invoice Customs Exchange (DICE) based on blockchain technology. Currently, the concepts that are supposed to support payment of tax liabilities are seriously flawed, which limits their effectiveness. Whereas other solutions are not developed enough to be able to serve as any real alternative to the existing tax system or potential solutions that are not based on blockchain technology.Technologia blockchain, dzięki cechom wyróżniającym ją na tle tradycyjnych rozwiązań bazodanowych, ma potencjał, aby zrewolucjonizować sposób rozliczeń podatkowych: sposób poboru i zwrotu podatku, sposób rozliczeń i weryfikacji transakcji, compliance czy też mechanizmy fakturowania. Dzięki temu może pomóc skutecznie rozwiązać podstawowy problem systemu podatkowego - lukę podatkową. Osiągnięcie korzyści będzie zależało jednak od konkretnych mechanizmów i sposobu implementacji oraz obszaru wdrożeń. Omawiamy i analizujemy 6 koncepcji rozwiązań w 5 obszarach: digitalizacji faktur; utworzenia krajowej kryptowaluty do rozliczeń podatkowych; rozliczenia dywidend zagranicznych udziałowców; compliance w zakresie cen transferowych oraz weryfikacji czynnych podatników VAT. W naszej ocenie najwięcej korzyści przy najmniejszej liczbie wad ma potencjał dostarczyć koncepcja wprowadzająca cyfrowy obieg faktur (DICE) w oparciu o technologię blockchain. Koncepcje wspierające płatności zobowiązań podatkowych posiadają obecnie istotne wady ograniczające efektywność. Pozostałe rozwiązania nie są wystarczająco dobrze dopracowane, aby stanowić realną alternatywę dla istniejącego systemu podatkowego lub możliwych rozwiązań nie opartych na technologii blockchain. Słowa kluczowe: blockchain, sektor usług publicznych, opodatkowanie, system podatkowy, podwójne wydatkowanie, umowy o unikaniu podwójnego opodatkowania, nauki o projektowaniu, podatek od towarów i usług, ceny transferowe

A nutritional biomarker score of the Mediterranean diet and incident type 2 diabetes: Integrated analysis of data from the MedLey randomised controlled trial and the EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study

The MedLey trial was funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council Grant (#APP1050949 to KJM). The InterAct project was funded by the EU FP6 programme (grant number LSHM_CT_2006_037197 to NJW). Biomarker measurements for carotenoids were funded jointly by the InterAct project, the EPIC-CVD project, and the MRC Cambridge Initiative (RG71466 and SJAH/004 to NJW, NGF, JD, AB). EPIC-CVD has been supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MR/L003120/1 to ASB and JD), the British Heart Foundation (RG/13/13/30194 and RG/18/13/33946 to ASB and JD), the European Commission Framework Programme 7 (HEALTH -F2-2012-279233 to ASB and JD), the European Research Council (268834 to ASB and JD), and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR; Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre at the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, BRC-1215-20014 to ASB and JD). This work was also supported by Health Data Research UK (to ASB and JD), which is funded by the UK Medical Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Department of Health and Social Care (England), Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates, Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (Welsh Government), Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), and Wellcome. The coordination of EPIC is financially supported by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and also by the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London which has additional infrastructure support provided by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The national cohorts are supported by: Danish Cancer Society (Denmark); Ligue Contre le Cancer, Institut Gustave Roussy, Mutuelle Ge'ne'rale de l'Education Nationale, Institut National de la Sante' et de la Recherche Me'dicale (INSERM) (France); German Cancer Aid, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (Germany); Associazione Iblea Ricerca Epidemiologica (A.I.R.E. - ONLUS) Ragusa, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro-AIRC-Italy, Compagnia di San Paolo, National Research Council and Sicilian Regional Government (Italy); Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS), Netherlands~Cancer Registry (NKR), LK Research Funds, Dutch Prevention Funds, Dutch ZON (Zorg Onderzoek Nederland), World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), Statistics Netherlands (The Netherlands); Health Research Fund (FIS) -Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Regional Governments of Andaluci'a, Asturias, Basque Country, Murcia and Navarra, and the Catalan Institute of Oncology -ICO (Spain); Swedish Cancer Society, Swedish Research Council and County Councils of Skane and Vasterbotten (Sweden); Cancer Research UK (14136 to NJW; C8221/A29017), Medical Research Council (1000143 to NJW; MR/M012190/1) (United Kingdom). JGS was supported by the MRC PhD studentship. NJW, NGF, and FI acknowledge funding from the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit (MC_UU_00006/1, MC_UU_00006/3); and NJW, NGF and AK from the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (IS-BRC-1215-20014; NIHR203312). NGF and JD are NIHR Senior Investigators. JD holds a British Heart Foundation Professorship. MBS acknowledges funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the State of Brandenburg (DZD grant 82DZD03D03). JSZ has received funding from Westlake University (No YSYY0209) and European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 701708. PWF has received funding from Novo Nordisk, Swedish Diabetes Association, Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, European Research Council. ER has received funding from Imperial College Biomedical Research Centre. The funders of the studies had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or report preparation. Trial Australian.Background Self-reported adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been modestly inversely associated with incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in cohort studies. There is uncertainty about the validity and magnitude of this association due to subjective reporting of diet. The association has not been evaluated using an objectively measured biomarker of the Mediterranean diet. Methods and findings We derived a biomarker score based on 5 circulating carotenoids and 24 fatty acids that discriminated between the Mediterranean or habitual diet arms of a parallel design, 6-month partial-feeding randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted between 2013 and 2014, the MedLey trial (128 participants out of 166 randomised). We applied this biomarker score in an observational study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-InterAct case-cohort study, to assess the association of the score with T2D incidence over an average of 9.7 years of follow-up since the baseline (1991 to 1998). We included 22,202 participants, of whom 9,453 were T2D cases, with relevant biomarkers from an original case-cohort of 27,779 participants sampled from a cohort of 340,234 people. As a secondary measure of the Mediterranean diet, we used a score estimated from dietary-self report. Within the trial, the biomarker score discriminated well between the 2 arms; the cross-validated C-statistic was 0.88 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82 to 0.94). The score was inversely associated with incident T2D in EPIC-InterAct: the hazard ratio (HR) per standard deviation of the score was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.65 to 0.77) following adjustment for sociodemographic, lifestyle and medical factors, and adiposity. In comparison, the HR per standard deviation of the self-reported Mediterranean diet was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.86 to 0.95). Assuming the score was causally associated with T2D, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet in Western European adults by 10 percentiles of the score was estimated to reduce the incidence of T2D by 11% (95% CI: 7% to 14%). The study limitations included potential measurement error in nutritional biomarkers, unclear specificity of the biomarker score to the Mediterranean diet, and possible residual confounding. Conclusions These findings suggest that objectively assessed adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower risk of T2D and that even modestly higher adherence may have the potential to reduce the population burden of T2D meaningfully.EU FP6 programme LSHM_CT_2006_037197European Commission Framework Programme 7 HEALTH-F2-2012-279233European Research Council (ERC)World Health OrganizationHealth Research Fund (FIS) - Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)Catalan Institute of Oncology - ICO (Spain)Spanish Government 701708Marie Curie Actions 701708European Union's Horizon 2020, Marie Sklodowska-Curie 70170

Nagrody im. Alfreda Nobla z ekonomii z buntem mas w tle

Przyznanie Nagrody Banku Szwecji im. Alfreda Nobla w dziedzinie ekonomii Thomasowi J. Sargentowi oraz Christopherowi A. Simsowi, jest dla autora okazją do refleksji na temat postępującego procesu specjalizacji w nauce. I o ile specjalizacja stanowi konieczny warunek rozwoju nauki, to autor ma wątpliwości, czy nadmierna specjalizacja w ekonomii będzie służyć gospodarce

An Unified Multiscale Framework for Planar, Surface, and Curve Skeletonization

Computing skeletons of 2D shapes, and medial surface and curve skeletons of 3D shapes, is a challenging task. In particular, there is no unified framework that detects all types of skeletons using a single model, and also produces a multiscale representation which allows to progressively simplify, or regularize, all skeleton types. In this paper, we present such a framework. We model skeleton detection and regularization by a conservative mass transport process from a shape's boundary to its surface skeleton, next to its curve skeleton, and finally to the shape center. The resulting density field can be thresholded to obtain a multiscale representation of progressively simplified surface, or curve, skeletons. We detail a numerical implementation of our framework which is demonstrably stable and has high computational efficiency. We demonstrate our framework on several complex 2D and 3D shapes

Interwencjonizm w rolnictwie: dlaczego jest konieczny?

The state interventionism in the agriculture consists of the interference in the socio-economic relations shaped by the market mechanism. The aim of the article is an attempt to prove the thesis, that interventionism in agriculture is a permanent feature of the economic process, enabling this branch to fulfill all its functions: productive-nourishing, economic, environmental, social, cultural. The author recalls the genesis of interventionism, its development, and discusses the factors that determined the necessity of state interference in the market mechanism in agriculture. Also put attention to the contemporary threats to food security and the natural environment, resulting from the mass buying-up of the earth, leading to excessive concentration of farmland and to change of their destination.Interwencjonizm państwa w rolnictwie polega na ingerencji w stosunki społeczno-ekonomiczne kształtowane przez mechanizm rynkowy. Celem artykułu jest próba dowiedzenia tezy, że interwencjonizm w rolnictwie jest trwałą cechą procesu gospodarczego, umożliwiającą wypełnianie przez rolnictwo wszystkich jego funkcji: produkcyjno-wyżywieniowej, ekonomicznej, ekologicznej, społecznej, kulturowej. Autor przypomina genezę interwencjonizmu, jego rozwój oraz omawia czynniki, które decydowały o konieczności ingerencji państwa w mechanizm rynkowy rolnictwa. Zwraca uwagę na współczesne zagrożenia dla bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego oraz środowiska naturalnego, wynikające z masowego wykupu ziemi, prowadzące do nadmiernej koncentracji użytków rolnych oraz zmiany ich przeznacze