Search results for "language use"
showing 10 items of 5440 documents
Committee Parliamentary Specialization Index. Explaining MPs’ specialisation in the Spanish Congreso de los Diputados
2019
Nowadays legislatures are largely based on committee systems. This enables a division of work and specialisation, in the context of highly complex politics and policy development. It seems clear that MP specialisation in the field of the committee they serve on is an important political asset, both for MPs and their parliamentary party group. This paper presents the Committee Parliamentary Specialization Index. This index measures the degree an MP is specialised in the jurisdiction of the committee they serve on. In the second part of the paper, the index is applied to the Spanish Congreso de los Diputados, an interesting case for testing this multi-faceted index, to find institutional, pol…
Terrorism in the Website
2020
Without any doubt, terrorism causes higher levels of anxiety and very well enhances our fears as never before. The post 9/11 context witnesses the multiplication of xenophobic expressions, such as Islamophobia or tourist-phobia, only to name a few. These expressions result from a culture of intolerance, which not only was enrooted in the ideological core of western capitalism but was accelerated just after 9/11. Some voices emphasize the needs of employing technology to make this world a safer place. This chapter goes in a contradictory direction. The authors focus on the ethical limitations of technologies when they are subordinated to the ideals of zero-risk society. Echoing Sunstein and …
Local expert experiences and perceptions of environmentally induced migration from Bangladesh to India
2017
This study investigates local expert perceptions of the role of environmental factors, especially in terms of contemporary climate change, in population movements from Bangladesh to India. The aim is to delve into locally held understandings of the phenomenon and to gain a better understanding of these migration processes, which are actively intertwined with local experiences. Both Indian and Bangladeshi experts were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interviews in order to explore insights from locally held perceptions and understandings of contextual factors. In total, 10 Bangladeshi and 15 Indian experts were interviewed, covering different disciplines, sectors, regions and job …
Papel de las ómicas en la nutrición de precisión: fortalezas y debilidades
2018
Precision medicine has taken huge strides forward in recent years. Although there is still no generally accepted single definition, it basically considers the particular characteristics of each person as relevant in order to better adapt therapeutic or preventive measures in a more personalized fashion. Likewise, the concept of precision nutrition has gathered strength, in which the aim is to provide the best dietary recommendations to prevent or treat a disease in accordance with the characteristics of the individual in question. Of special importance among these characteristics are those based on omics. Initially genomics, and now epigenomics, metabolomics, proteomics and transcriptomics …
Computational processing and quality control of Hi-C, capture Hi-C and capture-C data
2019
Hi-C, capture Hi-C (CHC) and Capture-C have contributed greatly to our present understanding of the three-dimensional organization of genomes in the context of transcriptional regulation by characterizing the roles of topological associated domains, enhancer promoter loops and other three-dimensional genomic interactions. The analysis is based on counts of chimeric read pairs that map to interacting regions of the genome. However, the processing and quality control presents a number of unique challenges. We review here the experimental and computational foundations and explain how the characteristics of restriction digests, sonication fragments and read pairs can be exploited to distinguish…
Soluble Platelet Release Factors as Biomarkers for Cardiovascular Disease
2021
Platelets are the main players in thrombotic diseases, where activated platelets not only mediate thrombus formation but also are involved in multiple interactions with vascular cells, inflammatory components, and the coagulation system. Although in vitro reactivity of platelets provides information on the function of circulating platelets, it is not a full reflection of the in vivo activation state, which may be relevant for thrombotic risk assessment in various disease conditions. Therefore, studying release markers of activated platelets in plasma is of interest. While this type of study has been done for decades, there are several new discoveries that highlight the need for a critical a…
Impact of colonic fermentation on sterols after the intake of a plant sterol-enriched beverage: A randomized, double-blind crossover trial
2017
Summary Background Cholesterol microbial transformation has been widely studied using in vitro fermentation assays, but less information is available on the biotransformation of plant sterols (PS). The excretion percentage of animal sterols (AS) (67–73%) is considerably greater than that of PS (27–33%) in feces from healthy humans following a Western diet. However, a lower content of AS in feces from subjects following a vegetarian, vegan or low-fat animal diet has been seen when compared to omnivorous subjects. Although only one human study has reported fecal sterol excretion after the consumption of PS-enriched food (8.6 g PS/day), it was found that the target group showed an increase in …
Sex Alters the MHC Class I HLA-A Association With Polyglandular Autoimmunity.
2018
Abstract Context The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) strongly contributes to the development of polyglandular autoimmunity (PGA). Objective To evaluate the impact of sex on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) association with PGA for the first time. Design Cross-sectional immunogenetic study. Setting Academic tertiary referral Orphan Disease Center for PGA (ORPHA 282196) and immunogenetics laboratory. Subjects Patients (158) with coexistent type 1 diabetes and autoimmune thyroid disease (adult type 3 PGA, ORPHA 227982) and 479 unrelated healthy controls. Interventions All 637 white subjects were typed for HLA-A, -B, -DRB1, -DQA1, and -DQB1 alleles at a two-field level. Main Outcome Measure…
Incidental findings in a series of 2500 gene panel tests for a genetic predisposition to cancer: Results and impact on patients.
2020
Abstract With next generation sequencing, physicians are faced with more complex and uncertain data, particularly incidental findings (IF). Guidelines for the return of IF have been published by learned societies. However, little is known about how patients are affected by these results in a context of oncogenetic testing. Over 4 years, 2500 patients with an indication for genetic testing underwent a gene cancer panel. If an IF was detected, patients were contacted by a physician/genetic counsellor and invited to take part in a semi-structured interview to assess their understanding of the result, the change in medical care, the psychological impact, and the transmission of results to the f…
Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Trial of Selenium in Graves Hyperthyroidism.
2017
Abstract Context Supplemental selenium (Se) may affect the clinical course of Graves disease (GD). Objective Evaluate efficacy of add-on Se on medical treatment in GD. Design Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized supplementation trial. Setting Academic endocrine outpatient clinic. Patients Seventy untreated hyperthyroid patients with GD. Intervention Additionally to methimazole (MMI), patients received for 24 weeks either sodium selenite 300 µg/d po or placebo. MMI was discontinued at 24 weeks in euthyroid patients. Main Outcome Measures Response rate (week 24), recurrence rate (week 36), and safety. Results A response was registered in 25 of 31 patients (80%) and in 27 of 33 (82%) a…