Function of the Endolysosomal Network in Cholesterol Homeostasis and Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD)

BACKGROUND: Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), also known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, has become the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Besides hepatic accumulation of triglycerides, dysregulated cholesterol metabolism is an important contributor to the pathogenesis of MAFLD. Maintenance of cholesterol homeostasis is highly dependent on cellular cholesterol uptake, and subsequently cholesterol transport to other membrane compartments, such as the endocytic reticulum (ER). SCOPE OF REVIEW: The endolysosomal network is key for regulating cellular homeostasis and adaptation, and emerging evidence has shown that the endolysosomal network is crucial to maintain metabolic homeostasis. In this review, we will summarize our current understanding of the role of the endolysosomal network in cholesterol homeostasis and its implications in MAFLD pathogenesis. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: Although multiple endolysosomal proteins have been identified in the regulation of cholesterol uptake, intracellular transport, and degradation, their physiological role is incompletely understood. Further research should elucidate their role in controlling metabolic homeostasis and development of fatty liver disease

Sputum Induction in Children Is Feasible and Useful in a Bustling General Hospital Practice

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The Jeroen Bosch Hospital funded this study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Solving Weighted Voting Game Design Problems Optimally: Representations, Synthesis, and Enumeration

We study the inverse power index problem for weighted voting games: the problem of finding a weighted voting game in which the power of the players is as close as possible to a certain target distribution. Our goal is to find algorithms that solve this problem exactly. Thereto, we study various subclasses of simple games, and their associated representation methods. We survey algorithms and impossibility results for the synthesis problem, i.e., converting a representation of a simple game into another representation. We contribute to the synthesis problem by showing that it is impossible to compute in polynomial time the list of ceiling coalitions of a game from its list of roof coalitions, and vice versa. Then, we proceed by studying the problem of enumerating the set of weighted voting games. We present first a naive algorithm for this, running in doubly exponential time. Using our knowledge of the

Thermal spin transport and spin-orbit interaction in ferromagnetic/non-magnetic metals

In this article we extend the currently established diffusion theory of spin-dependent electrical conduction by including spin-dependent thermoelectricity and thermal transport. Using this theory, we propose new experiments aimed at demonstrating novel effects such as the spin-Peltier effect, the reciprocal of the recently demonstrated thermally driven spin injection, as well as the magnetic heat valve. We use finite-element methods to model specific devices in literature to demonstrate our theory. Spin-orbit effects such as anomalous-Hall, -Nernst, anisotropic magnetoresistance and spin-Hall are also included in this model

A Tale Of Two Spicules: The Impact of Spicules on the Magnetic Chromosphere

We use high-resolution observations of the Sun in Ca II H 3968 A from the Solar Optical Telescope on Hinode to show that there are at least two types of spicules that dominate the structure of the magnetic solar chromosphere. Both types are tied to the relentless magnetoconvective driving in the photosphere, but have very different dynamic properties. ``Type-I'' spicules are driven by shock waves that form when global oscillations and convective flows leak into the upper atmosphere along magnetic field lines on 3-7 minute timescales. ``Type-II'' spicules are much more dynamic: they form rapidly (in ~10s), are very thin (<200km wide), have lifetimes of 10-150s (at any one height) and seem to be rapidly heated to (at least) transition region temperatures, sending material through the chromosphere at speeds of order 50-150 km/s. The properties of Type II spicules suggest a formation process that is a consequence of magnetic reconnection, typically in the vicinity of magnetic flux concentrations in plage and network. Both types of spicules are observed to carry Alfven waves with significant amplitudes of order 20 km/s.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted for Hinode special issue of PAS

The role of self-concept content, certainty and stability in academic procrastination

Academic procrastination has been associated with a variety of negative outcomes. While theorists have proposed that those with an unstable self-concept engage in procrastination due to the fear that they will be unable to meet the required standard, a systematic review conducted as part of the present study (Chapter 2) revealed that all research pertaining to the self-concept in academic procrastination has been correlational, thereby limiting the validity of such theories. As such, the present study employed an experimental design to investigate the self-concept of academic procrastinators (Chapter 3). Ninety-nine undergraduate students completed trait, symptom and academic procrastination inventories as well as measures of state-based affect and cognition, and self-concept content, certainty and stability before and after receiving feedback for a writing task. Compared to low procrastinators, high procrastinators described a self-concept characterised by a greater number of negative and procrastination-related attributes, higher levels of fear of negative evaluation, lower levels of self-concept clarity, self-efficacy and self-esteem and more severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Furthermore, both the content and certainty associated with procrastinators’ self-concept descriptions changed significantly as a result of receiving randomly allocated feedback for a writing task. While high procrastinators reported significant improvements to their self-concept after receiving a positive evaluation, low procrastinators showed a more positive self-concept which did not change after feedback. These results provide the first empirical evidence for the presence of an unstable self-concept in academic procrastinators, providing support for the aforementioned theory and emphasising the importance of addressing self-concept stability in the psychological treatment of academic procrastination. Further research may investigate mindfulness-based interventions