Micro-geodemographics and deharmonisation of the 2021/2 Output Area Classification

The 2001 and 2011 Area Classification for Output Areas (2001 OAC and 2011 OAC) are open geodemographic classifications that have offered an understanding of the UK population for the majority of the 21st century. Both were developed based on Census data and in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and they have been widely used in academia, the public as well as the private sector. Although providing an invaluable overview of the demographic and socio-economic structure of the neighbourhoods, the reliance on Census data implicates a decreasing reliability and temporal stability of the results over time. While the prospect of the 2021 UK national enumeration has naturally made a space for the development of a 2021 OAC that would encompass wider socio-economic changes that occurred since 2011 and solidify the conventional methodology utilised for the creation of OACs, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting Census deharmonisation have highlighted the need for the development of a new methodology that could provide timely updates to open geodemographic classifications, without relying solely on Census data. Consequently, this has brought a fair amount of uncertainty about the future of the geodemographic classification in light of the increasing costs and decreasing longevity of national enumerations, leading to a growing interest in the utility of administrative and consumer data sources in describing the population. This project addresses the challenge posed by Census deharmonisation and delivers a new open geodemographic classification of the UK despite the absence of 2021 Scottish Census results. Moreover, it introduces the concept of hybrid geodemographics and calls for the utilisation of highly spatially and temporally granular datasets in the development of micro-geodemographics

The Relationship Between Knee Strength Capabilities, Postural Control and Slip Severity

Slips and falls are serious public health concerns in older populations. Understanding relationships between propensity to slip and biomechanical and physiological characteristics is important to identify factors responsible for slip-initiated falls and to improve slip/fall prevention. Thus, the first goal of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between knee flexion/extension strength and slip severity. Reduced muscle strength is associated with aging and falls. Knee corrective moments generated during slipping assist in balance recovery. Isometric knee flexion/extension peak torque, rate of torque development (RTD), and angular impulse were measured in 30 young and 28 older subjects. Motion data were collected for an unexpected slip during self-paced walking. Slips were characterized as non-hazardous or hazardous based on a 1.0 m/s peak slip velocity threshold measured at the slipping heel. Within-gender regressions relating strength to slip hazardousness and age group revealed significantly greater left knee extension RTD and angular impulse in young males experiencing non-hazardous versus hazardous slips. Findings were not evident in older males, who perhaps implement cautious walking styles, allowing less reliance on post-slip recovery reactions. Other strength variables were not associated with hazardousness. Thus, rapid knee extension force generation may assist balance recovery from hazardous slips.Decreased postural stability is also associated with aging and falls. Therefore, the second goal of this project was to investigate the association between ability to integrate sensoryinformation important for balance and slip severity. The Sensory Organization Test (SOT) was administered and COP standard deviation (COP ST DEV) and path length (PATH LENGTH) were calculated for each condition. COP ST DEV, PATH LENGTH, and variable ratios were regressed on age group and hazardousness within condition. Significantly greater PATH LENGTH and its subsequent effects on ratio variables associated with Condition 4, in which somatosensation was rendered inaccurate, were evident in individuals experiencing hazardous versus non-hazardous slips. Conditions in which vestibular or visual information was rendered inaccurate or missing were not associated with hazardousness. Somatosensory channels detect slips first at the shoe-floor interface and thus may be especially important in early detection and response to a slip

A neighbourhood Output Area Classification from the 2021 and 2022 UK censuses

UK-wide multivariate neighbourhood classifications have been built using small area population data following every census since 1971, and have been built using Output Area geographies since 2001. Policy makers in both the public and private sectors find such taxonomies, typically arranged into hierarchies of Supergroups, Groups and Subgroups, useful across a wide range of applications in business and service planning. Recent and forthcoming releases of small area census statistics pose new methodological challenges. For example, the 2022 Scottish Census was carried out a year after those in other UK nations, and some of the variables now collected across different jurisdictions do not bear direct comparison with one another. Here we develop a methodology to accommodate these issues alongside the more established procedures of variable selection, standardisation, transformation, class definition and labelling

Estrogen inhibits GH signaling by suppressing GH-induced JAK2 phosphorylation, an effect mediated by SOCS-2

Oral estrogen administration attenuates the metabolic action of growth hormone (GH) in humans. To investigate the mechanism involved, we studied the effects of estrogen on GH signaling through Janus kinase (JAK)2 and the signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) in HEK293 cells stably expressing the GH receptor (293GHR), HuH7 (hepatoma) and T-47D (breast cancer) cells. 293GHR cells were transiently transfected with an estrogen receptor-α expression plasmid and luciferase reporters with binding elements for STAT3 and STAT5 or the β-casein promoter. GH stimulated the reporter activities by four- to sixfold. Cotreatment with 17β-estradiol (E2) resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in the response of all three reporters to GH to a maximum of 49-66% of control at 100 nM (P < 0.05). No reduction was seen when E2 was added 1-2 h after GH treatment. Similar inhibitory effects were observed in HuH7 and T-47D cells. E2 suppressed GH-induced JAK2 phosphorylation, an effect attenuated by actinomycin D, suggesting a requirement for gene expression. Next, we investigated the role of the suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) in E2 inhibition. E2 increased the mRNA abundance of SOCS-2 but not SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 in HEK293 cells. The inhibitory effect of E2 was absent in cells lacking SOCS-2 but not in those lacking SOCS-1 and SOCS-3. In conclusion, estrogen inhibits GH signaling, an action mediated by SOCS-2. This paper provides evidence for regulatory interaction between a sex steroid and the GH/JAK/STAT pathway, in which SOCS-2 plays a central mechanistic role

CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins in normal mammary development and breast cancer

CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs) are a family of leucine zipper, transcription factors that bind to DNA as homodimers and heterodimers. They regulate cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis in the mammary gland. Multiple protein isoforms, including truncated, dominant negatives, are generated by translation of the C/EBPβ transcript or via proteolytic cleavage of the full-length C/EBPβ protein. Gene deletion of individual C/EBP family members has demonstrated an essential role for C/EBPβ in normal mammary development, while transgenic and overexpression studies provide evidence that the dominant-negative C/EBPβ-liver-enriched inhibitory protein isoform induces proliferation in mammary epithelial cells. Mounting evidence suggests that alterations in the ratio of the C/EBPβ-liver-enriched inhibitory protein isoform and the C/EBPβ-liver-enriched activating protein isoform may play a role in the development of breast cancer. This review will consequently focus on C/EBP actions in normal mammary development and on the emerging data that supports a role in breast cancer

Transcriptional Regulation of Human Dual Specificity Protein Phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) Gene by Glucocorticoids

Background: Glucocorticoids are potent anti-inflammatory agents commonly used to treat inflammatory diseases. They convey signals through the intracellular glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which upon binding to ligands, associates with genomic glucocorticoid response elements (GREs) to regulate transcription of associated genes. One mechanism by which glucocorticoids inhibit inflammation is through induction of the dual specificity phosphatase-1 (DUSP1, a.k.a. mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1, MKP-1) gene. Methodology/Principal Findings: We found that glucocorticoids rapidly increased transcription of DUSP1 within 10 minutes in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) scanning, we located a GR binding region between 21421 and 21118 upstream of the DUSP1 transcription start site. This region is active in a reporter system, and mutagenesis analyses identified a functional GRE located between 21337 and 21323. We found that glucocorticoids increased DNase I hypersensitivity, reduced nucleosome density, and increased histone H3 and H4 acetylation within genomic regions surrounding the GRE. ChIP experiments showed that p300 was recruited to the DUSP1 GRE, and RNA interference experiments demonstrated that reduction of p300 decreased glucocorticoid-stimulated DUSP1 gene expression and histone H3 hyperacetylation. Furthermore, overexpression of p300 potentiated glucocorticoid-stimulated activity of a reporter gene containing the DUSP1 GRE, and this coactivation effect was compromised when the histone acetyltransferase domain was mutated. ChIP-reChIP experiments using GR followed by p300 antibodies showed significant enrichment of the DUSP1 GRE upon glucocorticoid treatment, suggesting that GR and p300 are in the same protein complex recruited to the DUSP1 GRE. Conclusions/Significance: Our studies identified a functional GRE for the DUSP1 gene. Moreover, the transcriptional activation of DUSP1 by glucocorticoids requires p300 and a rapid modification of the chromatin structure surrounding the GRE. Overall, understanding the mechanism of glucocorticoid-induced DUSP1 gene transcription could provide insights into therapeutic approaches against inflammatory diseases. © 2010 Shipp et al

Place and role of the Armed Forces of the Republic in Poland

Stan klęski żywiołowej, będąc jednym ze stanów nadzwyczajnych oznacza, że działanie sił natury, awarie techniczne lub inne czynniki, dotknęły dany teren na tyle dotkliwie, że regularnie działające siły i straże przeznaczone do zapobiegania sytuacjom kryzysowym, nie są w stanie samodzielnie zapewnić ludziom bezpieczeństwa. W artykule opisano możliwości Sił Zbrojnych RP w zakresie posiadanych sił i środków, które można użyć w celu ratowania lokalnej ludności. Autor opisał uwarunkowania formalno-prawne użycia Sił Zbrojnych, wskazał ich strukturę i wyodrębnił podstawowe kategorie sprzętu, mogącego wspomagać działania systemu pozamilitarnego. W opracowaniu zaznaczono zasady powoływania do działania Siły Zbrojne, wskazując na ich znacząca rolę w systemie bezpieczeństwa państwa.The state of natural disaster, being one of the states of emergency, means that the operation of natural forces, technical failures or other factors have affected the area so severely that regularly operating forces and guards intended to prevent crises are unable to ensure their own safety. The article describes the capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces in terms of their forces and means that can be used to save local people. The author described the formal and legal conditions for the use of the Armed Forces, pointed out their structure and identified the basic categories of equipment that could support the operation of a non-military system. The study highlights the principles of establishing the Armed Forces, indicating their significant role in the state security system