Reciprocal Impact Research Articles

Overview of the cardio-metabolic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evidence has shown that cardiometabolic disorders (CMDs) are amongst the top contributors to COVID-19 infection morbidity and mortality. The reciprocal impact of COVID-19 infection and the most common CMDs, the risk factors for poor composite outcome among patients with one or several underlying diseases, the effect of common medical management on CMDs and their safety in the context of acute COVID-19 infection are reviewed. Later on, the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine on the general population's lifestyle (diet, exercise patterns) and metabolic health, acute cardiac complications of different COVID-19 vaccines and the effect of CMDs on the vaccine efficacy are discussed. Our review identified that the incidence of COVID-19 infection is higher among patients with underlying CMDs such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Also, CMDs increase the risk of COVID-19 infection progression to severe disease phenotypes (e.g. hospital and/or ICU admission, use of mechanical ventilation). Lifestyle modification during COVID-19 era had a great impact on inducing and worsening of CMDs. Finally, the lower efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines was found in patients with metabolic disease.

Abstract 1362: Impact of chemotherapy on functional and biochemical characteristics of cancer-associated fibroblasts​

Abstract Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), as the major components of the tumor microenvironment (TME), have been extensively explored and are known to be involved in tumor biology, including growth, energy metabolism, immune regulation, invasion and metastasis. A large number of preclinical studies describe the functional and biochemical impact of commonly used chemotherapeutics, such as paclitaxel and oxaliplatinum, on cancer cells, but their effect on the phenotypical and biochemical changes of CAFs and their reciprocal impact on tumor progression are lacking. In our study, we used patient-derived breast and colorectal CAF to evaluate dose-response effects of paclitaxel and oxaliplatinum, respectively first-line chemotherapeutics in breast and colorectal cancer. We evaluated the damage responses of CAF and investigated changes in morphology, cell death, woundhealing migration, type I collagen contraction and invasion, cytokine and chemokine release, differential protein expression, and metabolic activity. In response to paracrine signals emerging from chemotherapy-treated CAF we investigated the impact on functional activity of macrophages, neutrophils and cancer cells. Our project could help us better understand and modulate the activity of CAFs, which might provide novel targets for the clinical treatment of cancer. Citation Format: Zihan Xia, Olivier De Wever. Impact of chemotherapy on functional and biochemical characteristics of cancer-associated fibroblasts​ [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 1362.

Longitudinal associations between emotion regulation strategies and subjective well-being in migrant and non-migrant adolescents in urban China.

This study examined the long-term reciprocal impact of two key emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, on the subjective well-being of migrant and non-migrant adolescents in urban China. A total of 2397 middle school students from urban China (864 migrant, Mage =13.05 years, SD=0.62, 41.7% girls; 1533 non-migrant, Mage =13.01 years, SD=0.47, 50.1% girls) were followed from 2016 to 2017. Data on the two emotion regulation strategies (measured using the Chinese version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) and subjective well-being (measured using the Subjective Well-Being Inventory) were collected. Although no differences were found in the use of cognitive reappraisal, migrant adolescents reported greater use of expressive suppression than non-migrant adolescents. Furthermore, a two-group cross-lagged panel analysis showed that cognitive reappraisal positively predicted subjective well-being among both migrant and non-migrant adolescents, whereas expressive suppression was positively related to subjective well-being in only migrant adolescents. Migrant adolescents with higher levels of subjective well-being jointly used cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, while non-migrant adolescents were prone to only using cognitive reappraisal. These findings indicate that group-level context influences both the utilisation and functionality of emotion regulation strategies among migrant and non-migrant adolescents in urban China.

Neighbor-specific gene expression revealed from physically interacting cells during mouse embryonic development

Development of multicellular organisms is orchestrated by persistent cell-cell communication between neighboring partners. Direct interaction between different cell types can induce molecular signals that dictate lineage specification and cell fate decisions. Current single-cell RNA-seq technology cannot adequately analyze cell-cell contact-dependent gene expression, mainly due to the loss of spatial information. To overcome this obstacle and resolve cell-cell contact-specific gene expression during embryogenesis, we performed RNA sequencing of physically interacting cells (PIC-seq) and assessed them alongside similar single-cell transcriptomes derived from developing mouse embryos between embryonic day (E) 7.5 and E9.5. Analysis of the PIC-seq data identified gene expression signatures that were dependent on the presence of specific neighboring cell types. Our computational predictions, validated experimentally, demonstrated that neural progenitor (NP) cells upregulate Lhx5 and Nkx2-1 genes, when exclusively interacting with definitive endoderm (DE) cells. Moreover, there was a reciprocal impact on the transcriptome of DE cells, as they tend to upregulate Rax and Gsc when in contact with NP cells. Using individual cell transcriptome data, we formulated a means of computationally predicting the impact of one cell type on the transcriptome of its neighboring cell types. We have further developed a distinctive spatial-t-distributed stochastic neighboring embedding to display the pseudospatial distribution of cells in a 2-dimensional space. In summary, we describe an innovative approach to study contact-specific gene regulation during embryogenesis.

Food, work and sensuous materiality: Immigrant Muslim women living in Fordsburg, Johannesburg

abstract In this article food and food practices are used as a lens to access the narratives of identity constructed by immigrant Muslim women living in Fordsburg, Johannesburg, an urban space renowned for its many eating places and street food culture. Fordsburg, affectionately known as ‘Foodsburg’ to locals, has played host to diverse communities in its history who have left their influence in numerous ways. The reciprocal impact of person on place and place on person is highlighted through this purposeful selection of Fordsburg as a geographic site of enquiry. Sensory experiences were shared by participants, both positive – the smells of familiar food, the sights of familiar ingredients, the sounds of home language, and negative − the lack of taste and texture in some ingredients, among others. The research collected a number of narratives that weave together everyday practices of food and culture, including purchasing, preparation and consumption across time and place. The voices of the participants highlight the sensuous relationship to food of immigrant women in re-making home in Fordsburg and through re-membering the places that resonate with belonging.

Monitoring in a reinforced concrete structure for storing low and intermediate level radioactive waste. Lessons learnt after 25 years

Where concrete structures are designed to have a service life of over 100 years, their performance must be monitored, for the prediction models available are fraught with uncertainties that need to be eliminated. The present study was conducted to meet that need by monitoring a pilot structure for low and intermediate radioactive waste storage. Long-term operation of the sensors was observed to be adequate to determine the value of the parameters that characterise structural durability, such as corrosion current density. The parameters analysed were correlated to calculate their reciprocal impact: where applied in conjunction with artificial intelligence tools, temperature, for instance, was found suitable for finding activation energy and expansion coefficients and detecting outliers. The results showed the pilot structure to perform satisfactorily.

Many Faces of Mediation

Many Faces of Mediation

The mediating role of knowledge management processes in the effective use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing firms

PurposeThis paper aims to provide and empirically test a conceptual model in which artificial intelligence (AI), knowledge management processes (KMPs) and supply chain resilience (SCR) are simultaneously considered in terms of their reciprocal relationships and impact on manufacturing firm performance (MFP).Design/methodology/approachIn the study, six hypotheses have been developed and tested through an empirical survey administered to 120 senior executives of Italian manufacturing firms. The data analysis has been carried out via the partial least squares structural equation modelling approach, using the Advanced Analysis for Composites 2.0 variance-based software program.FindingsUsing a conceptual model validated using an empirical survey, the study sheds light on the relationships between AI, KMPs and SCR, as well as their impacts on MFP. In particular, the authors show the positive effects of the adoption of AI on KMPs, as well as the influence of KMPs on SCR and MFP. Finally, the authors demonstrate that KMPs act as a mediator through which AI affects SCR and MFP.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the critical role of KMPs for manufacturing firms that can deploy AI to stimulate KMPs and through attaining a high level of the latter might succeed in enhancing both their SCR and MFP.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that manufacturing firms interested in properly applying AI to ameliorate their performance and resilience must carefully consider KMPs as a mediator mechanism.

Medical Family Therapy with Diverse Populations Part I: interracial Couples Navigating Infertility, Racialized Pregnancy, and Pregnancy Loss

ABSTRACT Medical Family Therapy (MedFT) is a much-needed and growing specialization in the United States and internationally, bringing attention to the relationship between acute and chronic illness and their reciprocal impact on couple and family systems. Despite the growth of MedFT and the growing body of research affirming its effectiveness in general, there remains a need for greater research demonstrating its effectiveness with specific medical conditions, such as pregnancy-related issues, namely infertility, racialized pregnancy, and pregnancy loss. Much of the research related to these losses leaves out at least two important populations impacted by these events – interracial couples and men. In this paper, we discuss the experiences of interracial couples, generally, and men, specifically, to: (1) draw attention to unique struggles faced by interracial couples, with special attention to cisgender male (cis male) partners’ experiences, (2) describe how MedFTs utilizing a systemic, relational, BPSS focus, are well-positioned to effectively work with interracial couples experiencing infertility, racialized pregnancy, and pregnancy loss, and (3) include a case example to illustrate how a MedFT might approach working with an interracial couple experiencing these struggles. Finally, we conclude by providing clinical recommendations and practical future directions for research in the areas of infertility, racialized pregnancy, and pregnancy loss, and discuss future MedFT training needs.

Analysis Of Student’s Response Toward Online Learning System Based On Academic Intensive-Home Activity

The implementation of online learning has the potential to be a challenge for education practitioners to carry out learning and teaching activities. Online learning systems tend to have a different reciprocal impact than face-to-face learning. This condition is certainly a difficulty for educators in carrying out online learning and teaching. The increasing online learning platforms indirectly change the set of lecturers to be more open-minded and inclusive of a variety of renewable information technologies that can support the sustainability of the teaching and learning process. The focus of this study generally was; 1) To analyze the student’s responses to an online learning system based on academic intensive home activities; 2) To analyze the effectiveness of the online learning system during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to analyze the student's responses to the online learning system based on academic intensive-home activity. The method was qualitative descriptive research. The results of this study were; that 75% of the online learning process was based on doing academic homework intensively. 66.7% of students were motivated by an online learning system based on academic intensive-home activities. 85.5% of student performance improved in literacy and digital literacy.

Games and How Math Can Help Us Win Them

Every day, we make many decisions that impact those around us, and we in turn are impacted by decisions that others make. This reciprocal impact makes it challenging to analyze situations that involve more than one participant. In the mathematical field of game theory, such situations are called games. When I participate in a game, I must guess what the other participants will do, so that I can choose the best course of action to cope with their decisions. The other participants are aware that I am trying to guess what they plan to do, and they in turn will adapt their actions based on what they guess my moves will be. Can game theory recommend players how to play to “win” or otherwise achieve their goals? This article will explain concepts related to game theory and help answer this question.

Active regulation of ultraviolet light exposure overrides thermal preference behaviour in eastern fence lizards

Abstract Over a century of ecophysiological studies on lizards have perpetuated the assumption that basking and shuttling movements between sun and shade function solely for temperature regulation. However, these behaviours also modulate exposure to ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths that are essential for maintaining physiological homoeostasis as well as ensuring proper growth and development and enhancing long‐term fitness. An alternative hypothesis is that lizards also actively regulate their UV exposure. In this scenario, UV needs may even override temperature needs (or vice versa), generating asymmetries in the ability of a lizard to regulate both conditions equally. We test this hypothesis using field and laboratory data collected on adult Sceloporus undulatus. We found that S. undulatus actively regulate UV exposure and prioritize UV over temperature, favouring body temperatures much higher than preferred values to sustain preferred UV exposure. In stark contrast, temperature had no reciprocal impact on UV regulation behaviour. Our field data support these patterns, suggesting that lizards may even seek out hotter environments despite thermal costs to enhance UV exposure. We conclude that S. undulatus actively regulate for UV as well as temperature. Unfortunately, outside of zoos and private hobbyists, appreciation of the importance of UV for ectotherm survival and reproductive success has been minimal. Addressing this deficit will therefore be vital to improve our understanding of the factors shaping the evolution of ectotherm photoregulation behaviour in nature. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Obesity and COVID-19 in Children and Adolescents: Reciprocal Detrimental Influence-Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

The dramatic lifestyle changes forced by COVID-19-related lockdown promoted weight gain, with a stronger impact on obese subjects, at higher risk of severe infection. The PubMed database was searched to identify original studies assessing: (1) the extent and risk factors of lockdown-induced weight increase; and (2) the impact of obesity on the risk of hospital admission in children and adolescents. A systematic literature review and meta-analyses were performed. Twenty out of 13,986 identified records were included. A significant weight increase was reported in the majority of subjects, with no apparent gender or age differences. It was induced by a higher consumption of hypercaloric/hyperglycemic/junk food and/or the reduction of physical activity, often associated with an altered sleep–wake cycle. On the other hand, obesity increased the risk of hospitalization (OR = 4.38; 95% C.I. 1.46–13.19; p = 0.009; I2 = 96%) as compared to the normal weight population. COVID-19 and obesity represent epidemic conditions with reciprocal detrimental impact. Urgent public health interventions, targeting the various age and social strata, and involving governmental authorities, health care personnel, teachers and families are warranted to increase awareness and actively promote healthy lifestyles to contrast pediatric obesity and its detrimental consequences at a global level.

Evaluation of residual stresses in additively produced thermoelastic cylinder. Part I. Thermal fields

The study is aimed at mathematical modeling of non-stationary temperature and stress-strain fields in growing thermoelastic cylinder, which growth is due to the layer-by-layer sintering over its lateral surface. This modeling makes it possible to estimate the reciprocal impact of non-stationary temperature fields, stress-strain state and the scenario of the additive process even in manufacturing of more complicated shapes. The problem is considered in the framework of the theory of thermal stresses with non-linear radiative boundary condition. A distinctive feature of modeling is that the material composition of the body changes over time. Therefore, the mathematical model is represented by the recurrent sequence of initial boundary value problems, formulated for each step of the additive process in different domains with respect to the increments of thermal and stress fields. The domains constitute nested sequence of regions and, together with the sequence of the moments of layer sintering, define the scenario of additive process. Initial values for a step are taken to be equal to the corresponding values at the final moment of previous step. The solution for each step is represented in the form of decomposition over eigenfunctions of differential operator, generated by boundary value problem on this step. Computational modeling of various sintering modes has been carried out. A classification of thermomechanical additive processes, based on the relationship between the characteristic time of the process and the time of thermal relaxation of the attached layer is given. Special attention is paid to non-uniform volume heating, which can be obtained by skin effect during high-frequency induction. Computational simulations based on obtained analytical solution show that auxiliary inductive heating makes it possible to substantially reduce the non-uniformity of the temperature field and thus to reduce the temperature stresses caused by it.

A Qualitative Exploration on the Impact of Cancer to Adult Relationships: Applying the Vulnerability Stress Adaptation Model within Couples Therapy

Cancer is widely acknowledged to have a reciprocal impact on couples, being referred to as a ‘we disease’. We conducted a qualitative exploration to investigate how the disease impacts heterosexual couples. Data collection comprised of three phases; i) online survey with people living with and beyond cancer and current/former partners; ii) semi-structured interviews with cancer counsellors, and; iii) semi-structured interviews with people living with and beyond cancer and current/former partners. Findings are framed and contextualized using the vulnerability stress adaptation model with recommendations for future research being offered in conclusion.

General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sociological Functions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the Basis of De / Stabilization and Dis / Functionality of the State

The author explain the importance of the conditions and circumstances under which the state constitution is adopted and their reciprocal impact on the applicability of the constitution in practice. The focus of the analysis is on considering the possibility of exercising the sociological functions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (symbolic, legitimizing and integrative function), in the context of the conditions that led to the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in connection with subsequently established and court-verified facts confirming the violation of international law. Arguments for the possibility of achieving and strengthening the sociological functions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the author finds in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is characterized by centuries of tradition of coexistence and tolerance. The paper concludes that the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina performs sociological functions in the basic elements, but that these functions can be developed and strengthened over time. However, the author emphasizes that there is a danger of the emergence of opposite tendencies that can lead to the disintegration of society, which is confirmed by the current political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

DIRITTO E NUOVE TECNOLOGIE DELLA COMUNICAZIONE

NEW TECHNOLOGIES – LAW – RECIPROCAL IMPACT – POTENTIALS – DYSCRASIAS This paper discusses the relationships between law and new communication technologies from a socio-legal perspective, with a focus on artificial intelligence and the access to Big Data. The author contends that, on the one side, such innovations have brought about a revolution in information about law, in that they make legislative processes easier, offer new keys for the interpretation of precedents, enable the administration’s inner machineries to be inspected or future deviances to be predicted and, no less important, impose a steady reorganization of work in all sectors, including that of the legal professions. On the other side, much still remains to be done in the field of the formation of law, even though experiments with ‘smart’ legislation and ‘smart’ contracts, as well as automated judicial decision-making, are already online. Here a dyscrasia still exists between legal and algorithmic languages. Law operates as a conditional action programme, based on the transmission of signs to be interpreted and the link between a factual premise and a deontic consequence (“if X, then Y”), as well as on the activity of “a third actor”, whether law-giver, administrator or judge, “who doubts and decides”. Conversely, learning machines operate by transmitting pre-packaged signals that exclude the “third actor’s” interpretative and decision-making activity, especially delicate when addressed to understanding the motivations of human action or facing an unforeseeable future. The law’s complexity therefore seems to resist algorithmic regulation and the question, nowadays, is whether technologies will adapt to the law and leave room for human intervention, or whether they will impose a kind of simplified law, in which human intervention will be annulled or drastically reduced.

MicroRNA and Gut Microbiota: Tiny but Mighty-Novel Insights into Their Cross-talk in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Pathogenesis and Therapeutics.

MicroRNAs [miRNAs], small non-coding RNAs, have recently been described as crucial contributors to intestinal homeostasis. They can interact with the gut microbiota in a reciprocal manner and deeply affect host health status, leading to several disorders when unbalanced. Inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that co-occurs with alterations of the gut microbiota, and whose aetiology remains largely unclear. On one hand, host miRNA could be playing a relevant role in IBD pathophysiology by shaping the gut microbiota. The gut microbiome, on the other hand, may regulate the expression of host miRNAs, resulting in intestinal epithelial dysfunction, altered autophagy, and immune hyperactivation. Interestingly, it has been hypothesised that their reciprocal impact may be used for therapeutic goals. This review describes the latest research and suggests mechanisms through which miRNA and intestinal microbiota, as joint actors, may participate specifically in IBD pathophysiology. Furthermore, we discuss the diagnostic power and therapeutic potential resulting from their bidirectional communication after faecal transplantation, probiotics intake, or anti-miRNAs or miRNA mimics administration. The current literature is summarised in the present work in a comprehensive manner, hoping to provide a better understanding of the miRNA-microbiota cross-talk and to facilitate their application in IBD.

Review – Tom Lodge, Red Road to Freedom, A History of the South African Communist Party 1921–2021, Jacana, Johannesburg

In the year of the South African Communist Party’s centenary, Tom Lodge’s in-depth, scholarly work is a landmark achievement. The account is particularly strong in tracing the ideological currents that shaped the party and the changing and diverse sociology of its membership. The influential role of the party in helping transform the African National Congress into a mass-based campaigning formation from 1945 is a central focus. Lodge also traces the critical role of the party in the re-building, at first largely in exile, of a weakened ANC following the major strategic setback of the liberation movement in the mid-1960s. There is less focus on the reciprocal impact of the ANC upon the party, especially in the context of the practice of “dual membership” in both formations. This neglect is one factor in weakening the analysis of the post-1994 period in which the ANC has been the ruling party.

The Impact of Dysmetabolic Sarcopenia Among Insulin Sensitive Tissues: A Narrative Review.

Sarcopenia is a common muscular affection among elderly individuals. More recently, it has been recognized as the skeletal muscle (SM) expression of the metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of sarcopenia is increasing along with visceral obesity, to which it is tightly associated. Nonetheless, it is a still underreported entity by clinicians, despite the worsening in disease burden and reduced patient quality of life. Recognition of sarcopenia is clinically challenging, and variability in study populations and diagnostic methods across the clinical studies makes it hard to reach a strong evidence. Impaired insulin activity in SM is responsible for the altered molecular pathways and clinical manifestations of sarcopenia, which is morphologically expressed by myosteatosis. Lipotoxicity, oxidative stress and adipose tissue-derived inflammation lead to both alterations in glucose disposal and protein synthesis in SM, with raising insulin resistance (IR) and SM atrophy. In particular, hyperleptinemia and leptin resistance interfere directly with SM activity, but also with the release of Growth Hormone from the hypohysis, leading to a lack in its anabolic effect on SM. Moreover, sarcopenia is independently associated to liver fibrosis in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), which in turn worsens SM functionality through the secretion of proinflammatory heptokines. The cross-talk between the liver and SM in the IR setting is of crucial relevance, given the high prevalence of NAFLD and the reciprocal impact of insulin-sensitive tissues on the overall disease burden. Along with the efforts of non-invasive diagnostic approaches, irisin and myostatin are two myokines currently evaluated as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognostication. Decreased irisin levels seem to be potentially associated to sarcopenia, whereas increased myostatin has shown to negatively impact on sarcopenia in pre-clinical studies. Gene variants in irisin have been explored with regard to the impact on the liver disease phenotype, with conflicting results. The gut-muscle axis has gain relevance with the evidence that insulin resistance-derived gut dysbiosis is responsible for increased endotoxemia and reduction in short-chain free fatty acids, directly affecting and predisposing to sarcopenia. Based on the current evidence, more efforts are needed to increase awareness and improve the management of sarcopenic patients.