Recent transport equity literature has proposed a sufficientarian approach to transport planning, according to which all individuals would be entitled to a minimum level of accessibility deemed adequate or sufficient. The implementation of this approach would require the adoption of an accessibility standard as a key performance indicator guiding transport investments, land use planning and servic

The paper presents ethical and legal challenges of holographic communication technologies and suggests a framework to address them. Holographic communications enable the capturing of a user’s 3D depiction via special equipment, and its high-quality transmission to another user located elsewhere, introducing a distinctive data communication experience. Their wrongful use could compromise basic huma

OBJECTIVE: Salt-inducible kinase 2 (SIK2) is abundantly expressed in adipocytes and downregulated in adipose tissue from individuals with obesity or insulin resistance. The main aims of this work were to investigate the involvement of SIKs in the regulation of glucose uptake in primary mature human adipocytes and to identify mechanisms underlying this regulation.METHODS: Primary mature adipocytes

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are established pharmaceutical therapies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. They mimic the action of GLP-1 to reduce glucose levels through stimulation of insulin secretion and inhibition of glucagon secretion. They also reduce body weight by inducing satiety through central actions. The GLP-1 receptor agonists used clinically are ba

Salt-inducible kinase 2 (SIK2) is highly expressed in white adipocytes, but downregulated in individuals with obesity and insulin resistance. These conditions are often associated with a low-grade inflammation in adipose tissue. We and others have previously shown that SIK2 is downregulated by tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), however, involvement of other pro-inflammatory cytokines, or the mechanis

Epidemiological studies have associated plasma galectin-4 (Gal-4) levels with prevalent and incident diabetes, and with an increased risk of coronary artery disease. To date, data regarding possible associations between plasma Gal-4 and stroke are lacking. Using linear and logistic regression analyses, we tested Gal-4 association with prevalent stroke in a population-based cohort. Additionally, in

Understanding the impact of various factors on train arrival delays is a prerequisite for effectiverailway traffic operating control and management. Existing studies analyze the train delayfactors using a single, generic regression equation, restricting their capability in accounting forheterogeneous impacts of spatiotemporal factors on arrival delays as the train travels along itsroute. The paper

Understanding the impact of various factors on train arrival delays is a prerequisite for effective railway traffic operating control andmanagement. Existing studies model the train delay prediction problems using a single, generic equation, restricting their capabilityin accounting for heterogeneous impacts of spatiotemporal factors on arrival delays as the train travels along its route. The pape

Caffeine is a psychoactive substance widely consumed worldwide, mainly via sources such as coffee and tea. The effects of caffeine on kidney function remain unclear. We leveraged the genetic variants in the CYP1A2 and AHR genes via the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) framework to estimate the association of genetically predicted plasma caffeine and caffeine intake on kidney traits. Genetic

Although the genetic basis and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes have been studied extensively, how host responses to environmental factors might contribute to autoantibody development remains largely unknown. Here, we use longitudinal blood transcriptome sequencing data to characterize host responses in children within 12 months prior to the appearance of type 1 diabetes-linked islet autoantibodies

Myocardial infarction (MI) leads to irreversible ischemic damage of the heart muscle and is the leading cause of heart failure. The ischemic cardiac injury triggers a potent local and systemic immune response. In the acute phase post-MI, neutrophils infiltrate the myocardium in large numbers and induce further cardiomyocyte death, expanding the infarcted area. The alarmin S100A8/A9 is a proinflamm