פרסומים

This study sheds light on the central role of adenine nucleotide translocase 2 (ANT2) in the pathogenesis of obesity-induced CKD. Our data demonstrate that ANT2 depletion in renal proximal tubule cells (RPTCs) leads to a shift in their primary metabolic program from fatty acid oxidation to aerobic glycolysis, resulting in mitochondrial protection, cellular survival, and preservation of renal function. These findings provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms of obesity-induced CKD and have the potential to be translated toward the development of targeted therapeutic strategies for this debilitating condition.

Fever in infants presenting to pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) often results in significant return visits (RVs). This retrospective study aimed to identify factors associated with RVs in febrile infants aged 0 to 90 days. Data from infants presenting to PED between 2018 and 2021 and returning within 7 days (RV group) were compared to age-matched febrile infants without RVs (control group). Each group had 95 infants with similar demographics and medical history. RVs were primarily due to positive cultures and persistent fever. The control group had higher initial hospitalization rates, longer PED stays, and increased antibiotic treatment. Prevalence of serious bacterial infections (SBIs) did not significantly differ. Higher hospitalization, prolonged PED stays, and initial antibiotic treatment were associated with reduced RV incidence despite similar SBI rates. Return visits in infants <90 days were primarily driven by persistent fever and positive cultures. Addressing these factors through targeted parental education and improved care protocols may reduce RVs.

review essay

Book review

book review

Vegetation productivity is a critical indicator of global ecosystem health and is impacted by human activities and climate change. A wide range of optical sensing platforms, from ground-based to airborne and satellite, provide spatially continuous information on terrestrial vegetation status and functioning. As optical Earth observation (EO) data are usually routinely acquired, vegetation can be monitored repeatedly over time, reflecting seasonal vegetation patterns and trends in vegetation productivity metrics. Such metrics include gross primary productivity, net primary productivity, biomass, or yield. To summarize current knowledge, in this paper we systematically reviewed time series (TS) literature for assessing state-of-the-art vegetation productivity monitoring approaches for different ecosystems based on optical remote sensing (RS) data. As the integration of solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) data in vegetation productivity processing chains has emerged as a promising source, we also include this relatively recent sensor modality. We define three methodological categories to derive productivity metrics from remotely sensed TS of vegetation indices or quantitative traits: (i) trend analysis and anomaly detection, (ii) land surface phenology, and (iii) integration and assimilation of TS-derived metrics into statistical and process-based dynamic vegetation models (DVMs). Although the majority of used TS data streams originate from data acquired from satellite platforms, TS data from aircraft and unoccupied aerial vehicles have found their way into productivity monitoring studies. To facilitate processing, we provide a list of common toolboxes for inferring productivity metrics and information from TS data. We further discuss validation strategies of the RS data derived productivity metrics: (1) using in situ measured data, such as yield; (2) sensor networks of distinct sensors, including spectroradiometers, flux towers, or phenological cameras; and (3) inter-comparison of different productivity metrics. Finally, we address current challenges and propose a conceptual framework for productivity metrics derivation, including fully integrated DVMs and radiative transfer models here labelled as “Digital Twin”. This novel framework meets the requirements of multiple ecosystems and enables both an improved understanding of vegetation temporal dynamics in response to climate and environmental drivers and enhances the accuracy of vegetation productivity monitoring.

Reviewed Publication.

Saul Bellow’s “Gothic Ontology: The Victim and More Die of Heartbreak” examines the different types of Gothic employed by Saul Bellow in The Victim (1947) and More Die of Heartbreak (1987). The article argues that in The Victim Gothic doubling becomes erased by an idea of hospitality which challenges the status of the Gothic ‘other’. This is contrasted with More Die of Heartbreak where the Gothic is used in order to critically read the psychological and emotional damage caused by a materialist culture. The article explores Bellow’s complex engagement with the Gothic and examines how he employs the Gothic to raise questions about ontology and materialism.

 

August 2023: Andrew Smith is Professor of Nineteenth-Century English Literature at the University of Sheffield where he co-directs the Centre for the History of the Gothic. He is the author or editor of over 20 published books including Gothic Fiction and the Writing of Trauma, 1914-1934: The Ghosts of World War One (2022), Gothic Death 1740-1914: A Literary History (2016), The Ghost Story 1840-1920: A Cultural History (2010), Gothic Literature (2007, revised 2013), Victorian Demons (2004) and Gothic Radicalism (2000). He is currently writing a book on Dickens and the Gothic for Cambridge University Press. With Professor Ben Fisher he co-edits the series “Gothic Literary Studies” and “Gothic Authors: Critical Revisions” for the University of Wales Press. With Professor William Hughes he co-edits the “Gothic Companions” series for Edinburgh University Press.  He is a past president of the International Gothic Association.

Young people’s gender practices and the function of the school in shaping these practices have become a contentious issue in Chinese public discussions over the past decade. This article explores an emergent strain of thinking within this debate: that schools should promote the notion of gender equality. Focusing on the case of Daode yu fazhi (Morality and legal rule) textbooks currently used in all junior high schools (Grades 7-9) across the country, the article employs qualitative textual analysis to examine whether and how the gender equality principle is presented to youth in the Xi Jinping era (2012-). The study finds that the Xi-era textbooks promote the principle of equality between men and women and urge young people to fight for the implementation of this principle. In a notable break from the past, the books also acknowledge the existence of diverse gender practices among contemporary youth. At the same time, the textbooks endorse the notion of “natural” gender difference and “harmonious” gender complementarity. The books also censor gender/sexuality expressions that do not conform with hegemonic binary gender norms. Reflecting patriarchal and heteronormative ideologies reinforced by nationalist politics and a growing moral anxiety about the blurring of boundaries between masculinity and femininity, the Xi era curriculum ultimately leaves little space for flexible gender formulations.