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The fall of the Berlin Wall marks one of the largest transformations of the 20th century. At its core, the year 1990 brought two new systems to Eastern Europe: capitalism and democracy. Yet, to this day, Eastern Europeans show distinctly negative attitudes toward the Western world order, and democratic and market institutions across the region are far from perfect. What explains this unsuccessful transformation? This paper points to the rushed privatization of East European economies as one plausible driver of citizens’ discontent with capitalism and democracy. Using micro-level data from East Germany, we show that firm privatizations led to a marked resurgence of the successor of the former Socialist Unity Party as early as 1994. We argue that this effect is likely due to perceived injustice: Socialist voting thrived whenever firms were sold to Western elites, which local residents took as a sign that capitalism is not meritocratic.

AbstractEarly life stress (ELS), such as abuse, neglect, and maltreatment, is a well-known risk factor for mental illness. However, it is unclear how ELS affects the brain and cognitive development. Identifying specific relationships of ELS with the genetic and brain-related underpinnings of cognitive development may reveal biological mechanisms responsible for the negative impact of ELS and those that lead to individual differences in sensitivity (or resilience) to ELS. In this study, to investigate the interlinked processes of cognitive development, we analyzed the multimodal data of DNA genotypes, brain imaging (MRI), and neuropsychological assessment (NIH Toolbox) outcomes of 4,276 children (ages 9 to 10 years, European ancestry) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We estimated the genetic influence on cognitive capacity using genome-wide polygenic scores (GPSs). Our regression and mediation analyses revealed significant causal relationships for the gene-brain-cognition pathway: Brain structural development significantly mediated the genetic influence on cognitive development (partial mediation effect = 0.016, PFWE<0.001). Interestingly, within the triangular relationship, we found a significant moderation effect of abuse only on the gene-to-brain pathway (Index of Moderated Mediation = −0.007; 95% CI= −0.012 ∼ −0.002; PFWE<0.05). These findings indicate the negative modulatory effects of ELS on the genetic influence on brain structural development that lead to disadvantageous neurocognitive development in prepubertal children.

Nostalgia is a complex affective state with a strong cognitive component focussed on past autobiographical memories. This complex nature of nostalgia is discussed in the literature but there are scarce empirical observations of state nostalgic processes. In this study, the operational process of nostalgia is explored by the use of two types of stimuli—indirect (instructions) and direct (music)—with a sample of 285 participants (18–35 years old) in a mixed-method experimental design. Nostalgia was observed in terms of its operational process (reaction time, duration, intensity and variation), the characteristics of the recalled event (event type and contents), and the nature of the nostalgic experience (its phenomenology, affect and motivation). The studied parameters of all three nostalgic components were found to vary with the stimulus that triggered it. The study shows that nostalgia is not a constant phenomenon but depends on the conditions that give rise to it.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to explore the correlation and difference of influencing factors by analyzing the psychological status of patients with cervical precancerous lesions and cancer in Han and Ethnic minorities. So as to provide evidence for more targeted psychological intervention for categories types of patients. Methods 200 Han patients with cervical lesions and 100 Ethnic minority patients in Yunnan cancer center were investigated with the Chinese version of Kessler 10 Scale. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, analysis of variance, and multivariable linear regression. Results There was no significant difference in the distribution of demographic characteristics between the two groups (P>0.05).The results of univariate analysis showed that the impression of K10 score was statistically significant among the following factors: educational level, awareness of HPV vaccine, disease screening status, employee medical insurance, economic burden of disease, cancerous or not, pathological type, treatment modalities, marital status, and family genetic history of tumor (P<0.05).Among them, the marital status had opposite effects on the two groups of patients. The mean score of married Han patients were higher than those of Han patients with other marital status, but the score of Ethnic minority patients the opposite. Multivariate analysis indicates that the economic burden of the disease, occupation, and family genetic history of tumor had a greater impact on the total score of Han patients among many factors, accounting for a total of 8.1% (Adj=0.081).Treatment modalities had the greatest effect on the scores of ethnic minority patients, accounting for 8.4%(Adj=0.084). Conclusion The factors affecting the psychological status of patients between the two groups have similarities and differences. Multifactorial analysis showed that the main factors affecting the psychology of Han patients were: economic burden caused by the disease, occupation, and family genetic history of tumor; while the main factors affecting the psychology of minority patients were: treatment modalities. Therefore, targeted recommendations and policy measures can be proposed respectively. We should not only increase the publicity of disease-related knowledge, but also call on all women to receive vaccines and regular screening of women in the high incidence age group. It is also necessary to positively guide patients with higher education level and give more encouragement and spiritual support to patients with family genetic history of tumor and heavy economic burden of the disease. The effect of marital relationship on patients cannot be neglected at the same time. More targeted psychological intervention and more favorable treatment modalities should be provided for patients.

AbstractA multidisciplinary approach has been applied to investigate the production technology of a collection of copper-based artefacts found during archaeological excavation campaigns carried out in the Almohad neighbourhood of Mārtulah, the Islamic name of modern Mértola (South of Portugal). In stark contrast to other Islamic materials found in the same site such as common and finely decorated pottery, glass, and bone artefacts, metal objects have received less attention despite the high number of artefacts recovered.This study focuses on the chemical characterisation of 171 copper-based artefacts dating back to the 12th and the first half of the thirteenth centuries. The artefacts are daily use objects and consist of personal ornaments (earrings, rings, and casket ornaments), tools (spindles, spatulas, and oil lamp sticks) and artefacts with unknown functions. The analytical results by X-ray fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) provided information not only about technological issues but infer as well on the socio-economic implications of metal consumption in Islamic Mértola. Results revealed that metals were produced using a variety of Cu-based alloys, namely unalloyed copper, brasses (Cu + Zn), bronzes (Cu + Sn), and red brasses (Cu + Sn + Zn), with a variable concentration of Pb, without any apparent consistency, as a likely result of recurrent recycling and mixing scrap metals practices or use of mineral raw materials available locally.

ABSTRACTRationaleThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends systematic tuberculosis (TB) screening in prisons. Evidence is lacking for accurate and scalable screening approaches in this setting.ObjectivesTo assess the diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence-based chest x-ray interpretation algorithms for TB screening in prisons.MethodsProspective TB screening study in three prisons in Brazil from October 2017 to December 2019. We administered a standardized questionnaire, performed chest x-ray in a mobile unit, and collected sputum for confirmatory testing using Xpert MTB/RIF and culture. We evaluated x-ray images using three algorithms (CAD4TB version 6, LunitTB and qXR) and compared their diagnostic accuracy. We utilized multivariable logistic regression to assess the effect of demographic and clinical characteristics on algorithm accuracy. Finally, we investigated the relationship between abnormality scores and Xpert semi-quantitative results.Measurements and Main ResultsAmong 2,075 incarcerated individuals, 259 (12.5%) had confirmed TB. All three algorithms performed similarly overall with AUCs of 0.87-0.91. At 90% sensitivity, only LunitTB and qXR met the WHO Target Product Profile requirements for a triage test, with specificity of 84% and 74%, respectively. All algorithms had variable performance by age, prior TB, smoking, and presence of TB symptoms. LunitTB was the most robust to this heterogeneity, but nonetheless failed to meet the TPP for individuals with previous TB. Abnormality scores of all three algorithms were significantly correlated with sputum bacillary load.ConclusionsAutomated x-ray interpretation algorithms can be an effective triage tool for TB screening in prisons. However, their specificity is insufficient in individuals with previous TB.

Abstract This study, presented in a pair of articles, defines a comprehensive methodological approach to the reconstruction of a traditional masonry-timber mansion building constructed in the 1880s of the Turkish house typology on Istanbul’s historical peninsula area that was intentionally demolished in 1948. A historical process research was carried out in the first stage of the study, after which ground penetration radar measurements and an archeological excavation were carried out to determine any possible remains or ruins of the structure, and the original architectural features of the demolished building were ascertained from the obtained data. The proposed stages in the current paper can be considered a comprehensive approach to the determination of the authentic properties of demolished or destroyed buildings in historical areas, given that the methodology allows for the integration of construction features obtained separately and independently through different activities, such as excavations, georadar measurements and historical surveys. The result is a versatile approach to the complete and realistic reconstruction of historical buildings.

Abstract Chitin is a natural polymer with N-acetylglucosamine units, extracted from seafood waste as a major source. It remains an underexplored polymer due to its crystalline structure. The commercial applicability can be improved if we could make it soluble. One of the routes employed to decrease this crystallinity is the conversion of chitin to chitosan via deacetylation. The industrial production of chitosan uses chemical methods, which leaves the process footprint on the environment. The greener alternative approach to producing chitosan is using chitin deacetylases (CDA). The enzymatically converted chitosan with known characteristics has a wide range of applications, importantly in the biomedical field. In the present paper, we report heterologous expression of CDA from a marine moneran; Bacillus aryabhattai B8W22. The process and the nutritional conditions were optimized for the submerged fermentation condition of E. coli Rosetta pLysS expressing the recombinant CDA using the design of experiment tools. The employment of central composite design (CCD) resulted in a ~2.39 fold increase in the total activity of expressed CDA with the process conditions of induction temperature at 22 ºC, agitation at 120 rpm, and 30 h of fermentation. The nutritional conditions required for the optimized expression were 0.061% glucose concentration and 1% lactose in media. The employment of these optimal growth conditions could result in cost-effective large-scale production of the lesser-explored moneran deacetylase, embarking on the greener route to produce biomedical grade chitosan.