This vibrant history of the former German Democratic Republic’s public murals reveals a barely known but visually and theoretically rich cultural legacy. In the early 1990s, many artworks were ...dismantled or concealed in a direct political rejection of their socialist signification. Many others, falling into the categories of applied arts, were simply torn out because they were not comprehended to be art. Picturing Socialism traces the formal, functional and theoretical changes of the visual arts in urban space throughout this time, and shows how art, craft, design and architecture made up the terrain of a sustained struggle between practitioners and political leaders. This struggle was not the oft-assumed conflict between artistic freedom and political dogma. At stake was the self-identity of the socialist republic, and striking public murals functioned as the testing ground for East Germany’s ideological formation and development. The visual arts in architectural spaces were not simply viewed as pedagogical tools, but were charged with defining fundamental differences between the East German state and its affluent capitalist neighbour, the Federal Republic. Picturing Socialism provides an original, richly illustrated exploration into the function of socialist art, architecture and the impressive murals in East Germany’s public spaces.
This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the factors affecting U.S. public concern about the threat of climate change between January 2002 and December 2010. Utilizing Stimson’s method of ...constructing aggregate opinion measures, data from 74 separate surveys over a 9-year period are used to construct quarterly measures of public concern over global climate change. We examine five factors that should account for changes in levels of concern: 1) extreme weather events, 2) public access to accurate scientific information, 3) media coverage, 4) elite cues, and 5) movement/countermovement advocacy. A time-series analysis indicates that elite cues and structural economic factors have the largest effect on the level of public concern about climate change. While media coverage exerts an important influence, this coverage is itself largely a function of elite cues and economic factors. Weather extremes have no effect on aggregate public opinion. Promulgation of scientific information to the public on climate change has a minimal effect. The implication would seem to be that information-based science advocacy has had only a minor effect on public concern, while political mobilization by elites and advocacy groups is critical in influencing climate change concern.
In the absence of consistent clinical evidence, there are concerns that fructose contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To determine the effect of fructose on markers of NAFLD, we ...conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials.
We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library (through 3 September 2013). We included relevant trials that involved a follow-up of ≥ 7 days. Two reviewers independently extracted relevant data. Data were pooled by the generic inverse variance method using random effects models and expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD) for intrahepatocellular lipids (IHCL) and mean difference (MD) for alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Inter-study heterogeneity was assessed (Cochran Q statistic) and quantified (I(2) statistic).
Eligibility criteria were met by eight reports containing 13 trials in 260 healthy participants: seven isocaloric trials, in which fructose was exchanged isocalorically for other carbohydrates, and six hypercaloric trials, in which the diet was supplemented with excess energy (+21-35% energy) from high-dose fructose (+104-220 g/day). Although there was no effect of fructose in isocaloric trials, fructose in hypercaloric trials increased both IHCL (SMD=0.45 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.18, 0.72)) and ALT (MD=4.94 U/l (95% CI: 0.03, 9.85)).
Few trials were available for inclusion, most of which were small, short (≤ 4 weeks), and of poor quality.
Isocaloric exchange of fructose for other carbohydrates does not induce NAFLD changes in healthy participants. Fructose providing excess energy at extreme doses, however, does raise IHCL and ALT, an effect that may be more attributable to excess energy than fructose. Larger, longer and higher-quality trials of the effect of fructose on histopathological NAFLD changes are required.
The hippocampus is critical for human episodic memory, but its role remains controversial. One fundamental question concerns whether the hippocampus represents specific objects or assigns ...context-dependent representations to objects. Here, we used multivoxel pattern similarity analysis of fMRI data during retrieval of learned object sequences to systematically investigate hippocampal coding of object and temporal context information. Hippocampal activity patterns carried information about the temporal positions of objects in learned sequences, but not about objects or temporal positions in random sequences. Hippocampal activity patterns differentiated between overlapping object sequences and between temporally adjacent objects that belonged to distinct sequence contexts. Parahippocampal and perirhinal cortex showed different pattern information profiles consistent with coding of temporal position and object information, respectively. These findings are consistent with models proposing that the hippocampus represents objects within specific temporal contexts, a capability that might explain its critical role in episodic memory.
•Hippocampal activity patterns reflect the temporal positions of objects in sequences•Hippocampal activity patterns explain individual differences in sequence learning•Hippocampal representations differentiate same object in different sequence contexts•Hippocampal activity patterns are sensitive to boundaries between sequence contexts
One fundamental memory research question concerns whether the hippocampus represents specific objects or assigns context-dependent representations to objects. Hsieh et al. show that the hippocampus represents objects within specific temporal contexts, a capability that might explain its critical role in memory.
Some insects, such as dragonflies, have evolved nanoprotrusions on their wings that rupture bacteria on contact. This has inspired the design of antibacterial implant surfaces with insect-wing ...mimetic nanopillars made of synthetic materials. Here, we characterise the physiological and morphological effects of mimetic titanium nanopillars on bacteria. The nanopillars induce deformation and penetration of the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cell envelope, but do not rupture or lyse bacteria. They can also inhibit bacterial cell division, and trigger production of reactive oxygen species and increased abundance of oxidative stress proteins. Our results indicate that nanopillars' antibacterial activities may be mediated by oxidative stress, and do not necessarily require bacterial lysis.
Context.
Prominences in the solar atmosphere represent an intriguing and delicate balance of forces and thermodynamics in an evolving magnetic topology. How this relatively cool material comes to ...reside at coronal heights, and what drives its evolution prior to, during, and after its appearance, remains an area full of open questions.
Aims.
We here set forth to identify the physical processes driving the formation and evolution of prominence condensations within 2.5D magnetic flux ropes. We deliberately focus on the levitation-condensation scenario, where a coronal flux rope forms and eventually demonstrates in situ condensations, revisiting it at extreme resolutions down to order 6 km in scale.
Methods.
We perform grid-adaptive numerical simulations in a 2.5D translationally invariant setup, where we can study the distribution of all metrics involved in advanced magnetohydrodynamic stability theory for nested flux rope equilibria. We quantify in particular convective continuum instability (CCI), thermal instability (TI), baroclinicity, and mass-slipping metrics within a series of numerical simulations of prominences formed via levitation-condensation.
Results.
Overall, we find that the formation and evolution of prominence condensations happens in a clearly defined sequence regardless of resolution, with background field strength between 3 and 10 Gauss. The CCI governs the slow evolution of plasma prior to the formation of distinct condensations found to be driven by the TI. Evolution of the condensations towards the topological dips of the magnetic flux rope is a consequence of these condensations initially forming out of pressure balance with their surroundings. From the baroclinicity distributions, smaller-scale rotational motions are inferred within forming and evolving condensations. Upon the complete condensation of a prominence ‘monolith’, the slow descent of this plasma towards lower heights appears consistent with the mass-slippage mechanism driven by episodes of both local current diffusion and magnetic reconnection.
The term ‘macrophage’ encompasses tissue cells that typically share dependence on the same transcriptional regulatory pathways (e.g. the transcription factor PU.1) and growth factors (e.g. ...CSF1/IL‐34). They share a core set of functions that largely arise from a uniquely high phagocytic capacity manifest in their ability to clear dying cells, pathogens and scavenge damaged, toxic or modified host molecules. However, macrophages demonstrate a remarkable degree of tissue‐specific functionality and have diverse origins that vary by tissue site and inflammation status. With our understanding of this diversity has come an appreciation of the longevity and replicative capacity of tissue‐resident macrophages and thus the realisation that macrophages may persist through tissue perturbations and inflammatory events with important consequences for cell function. Here, we discuss our current understanding of the parameters that regulate macrophage survival and function, focusing on the relative importance of the tissue environment versus cell‐intrinsic factors, such as origin, how long a cell has been resident within a tissue and prior history of activation. Thus, we reconsider the view of macrophages as wholly plastic cells and raise many unanswered questions about the relative importance of cell life‐history versus environment in macrophage programming and function.
Macrophage function depends upon survival, transcriptional identity, and epigenetic status, which are products of both environmental and cell‐intrinsic factors. Thus, the view of macrophages as wholly plastic cells must be reconsidered. This review raises unanswered questions about the relative importance of cell life‐history versus environment in macrophage programming and function.
English has served as a means of communication among speakers of different first languages (i.e. a lingua franca) for many centuries. Yet its present spread and use are so new that English as a ...Lingua Franca (ELF) in its current global manifestation did not exist as recently as 1946 when this Journal was launched. During the 20 years or so since it was first identified and empirically researched, however, ELF has grown from a minority interest within applied linguistics to a major field of study in its own right. And most recently, attention has turned to its implications for the ELT classroom. This article explores the development of research into ELF, examines some of the misconceptions about it that have been expressed (including in this very Journal), and considers its future in terms of ELT pedagogy.
Stellar interiors are inaccessible through direct observations. For this reason, helioseismologists made use of the Sun's acoustic oscillation modes to tune models of its structure. The quest to ...detect modes that probe the solar core has been ongoing for decades. We report the detection of mixed modes penetrating all the way to the core of an evolved star from 320 days of observations with the Kepler satellite. The period spacings of these mixed modes are directly dependent on the density gradient between the core region and the convective envelope.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health concern associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, morbidity and mortality. Current CKD practice guidelines overlook dietary fiber, which ...is chronically low in the renal diet. However, increasing dietary fiber has been proposed to ameliorate the progress of CKD. We therefore conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of dietary fiber intake on serum urea and creatinine as classical markers of renal health in individuals with CKD.
We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINHAL and the Cochrane Library for relevant clinical trials with a follow-up ⩾7 days. Data were pooled by the generic inverse variance method using random-effects models and expressed as mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Heterogeneity was assessed by the Cochran Q statistic and quantified by I(2).
A total of 14 trials involving 143 participants met the eligibility criteria. Dietary fiber supplementation significantly reduced serum urea and creatinine levels in the primary pooled analyses (MD, -1.76 mmol/l (95% CI, -3.00, -0.51), P<0.01 and MD, -22.83 mmol/l (95% CI, -42.63, -3.02), P=0.02, respectively) with significant evidence of interstudy heterogeneity only in the analysis of serum urea.
This is the first study to summarize the potential beneficial effects of dietary fiber in the CKD population demonstrating a reduction in serum urea and creatinine, as well as highlighting the lack of clinical trials on harder end points. Larger, longer, higher-quality clinical trials measuring a greater variety of uremic toxins in CKD are required (NCT01844882).
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