Eurosceptics more likely to think of the EU as less democratic than it is, study shows

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

A significant share of voters see the EU as less democratic than it really is and believe the European Commission can steamroll its member states, a new study shows.

The research shows that key channels of legitimation in the EU are not well known by the citizens of large member states. Whether people see themselves only as citizens of their nation, or simultaneously as a European, is linked to what they believe about the EU.

A substantial share of EU voters who took part in the study believed that the members of the European Parliament are not directly elected. Many assumed the European Parliament is unimportant for decision making in Brussels.

Less than half of those who took part in the research knew which powers the EU has and which it does not have.

Some were aware of their gaps in knowledge about EU institutions, but a large number who had gaps in their knowledge also thought they were informed.

Those who said they did not hold a European identity were more likely to assume that the EU is less democratic than it is.  

The research, published in the journal European Union Politics, was carried out by Florian Stoeckel, Jack Thompson and Jason Reifler from the University of Exeter, Vittorio Mérola from Durham University and Benjamin Lyons from the University of Utah.

Professor Stoeckel said: “Not knowing how a complex institution like the EU works is completely understandable but it is problematic when people have the wrong idea about how the institution works and assume the organization is not as democratic as it is or has power over member states that it doesn’t have. Populist parties can mobilize or exploit such misperceptions, or they create them in the first place.”

“Our findings help elucidate the rhetorical value of ‘taking back control’ from Brussels. Indeed, to voters who believe that the European Commission can legislate against the will of a majority of MEPs or member states, European integration is likely to appear like an absolute loss of the sovereignty of the general will, rather than just a transfer of authority to another level.”

Researchers carried out a survey in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, with approximately 1,000 respondents per country, in February 2019. Participants were asked three questions - if MEPs are directly elected by voters; to react to the following statement: ‘the European Commission can issue new laws even when a majority of MPs of the European Parliament objects’ and whether the following statement is correct: ‘the European Commission can issue new laws for the EU even when a majority of member states objects’.

While the exact proportions vary by country and issue, the combined share of the uninformed and misinformed made up more than half of respondents.

For instance, a third (35 per cent) of respondents knew the European Commission cannot pass laws against the will of a majority of Member States. In contrast, 40 per cent of respondents wrongly believed the EC could override the will of member states, while another 25 per cent were uninformed.

Respondents who took part in the study who described their identity in a narrow, national way thought of the EU as an organisation with more unrestricted powers. They are more likely to wrongly believe MEPs are not directly elected and the European Commission can rule over the European Parliament and EU member states. They were less likely to know legislation needs to be approved by a majority of MEPs in order for it to become law.

Substantial portions of the public in all six countries were either uninformed or misinformed. Pooling responses across countries showed 19 per cent held the misperception that MEPs are not directly elected and 21 per cent of respondents answered that they ‘don’t know’.

A total of 22 per cent of respondents said the European Commission could pass laws while overriding the objection of the European Parliament, while 27 per cent of the respondents selected the ‘don’t know’ category.

Only 35 per cent of respondents correctly said that the European Commission cannot pass laws against the will of the member states of the EU, whereas 40 per cent of respondents held a misperception and another 25 per cent of respondents chose ‘don’t know’.

 

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JOURNAL

European Union Politics

DOI

10.1177/14651165231193833 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Public perceptions and misperceptions of political authority in the European Union

 

STUDY: Cancer misinformation on TikTok could be harmful to women’s health

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER

 

VIDEO: MILLIONS OF WOMEN ARE TURNING TO THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TIKTOK FOR HEALTH ADVICE RELATED TO GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THAT INFORMATION IS MISLEADING OR DRAMATICALLY INACCURATE, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY PUBLISHED BY THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER – ARTHUR G. JAMES CANCER HOSPITAL AND RICHARD J. SOLOVE RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN THE JOURNAL GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY. view more 

CREDIT: THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER – ARTHUR G. JAMES CANCER HOSPITAL AND RICHARD J. SOLOVE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Millions of women are turning to the social media platform TikTok for health advice related to gynecologic cancers, but the majority of that information is misleading or dramatically inaccurate, according to a new study published by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute in the journal Gynecologic Oncology.

Senior study author Laura Chambers, DO, says this highlights the power of social media to feed misinformation that could be harmful to patient health outcomes, but it also presents an opportunity to address gaps less likely to come up during a clinic appointment.

Chambers was interested in learning more about the unspoken concerns of her patients, who are often mothers and young women. She wanted to understand how these patients were using social media, what information they were sharing and how they are consuming that information.

“The intent of this study was to understand the needs of patients that may go unspoken in the clinic but represent gaps in care that need addressed,” says Chambers, an osteopathic physician at the OSUCCC – James. “As doctors, we are focused on treatment toxicities and patient outcomes, but many of our patients are navigating really difficult challenges at home – like figuring out how to show their child love and attention when they are going through fatiguing treatments.”

For this new study, the team systematically searched for the 500 most popular TikTok posts and analyzed the top five hashtags for each related to gynecologic cancer (ovarian, endometrial, cervical and vulvar cancers, as well as gestational trophoblastic disease) for key themes, quality of information and reliability of gynecologic cancer-related content on the social media platform, TikTok. Demographic information, message tone and thematic topics were collected. Educational videos were rated for quality using an established health education information scale. As of August 2022, the top five hashtags for each gynecologic cancer had more than 466 million views. 

The researchers found that, overall, the quality of the information being shared through TikTok was poor and at least 73% of content was inaccurate and of poor educational quality. Racial disparities in gynecologic cancer extended into this social media space.

“This data inspired a lot of questions about where to go next in addressing these inaccuracies and communicating with patients directly, especially focusing on opportunities to create more diverse content to overcome racial and cultural disparities related to treatment of these cancers,” says Chambers.

“The vulnerability shown in social media content around personal cancer journeys is inspiring, but this data really encourages us to ask, as a medical community, how we can provide a care environment that encourages that kind of trust and real conversation with patients? And what can we do, as a broader community, to provide quality health information and support services to patients seeking information about gynecologic cancers?”

Chambers encourages patients who desire a community of like-minded people going through similar experiences to seek out in-person and online support communities sponsored by reputable medical and patient advocacy organizations.

These findings were also presented in two poster presentations at the 2023 Annual Meeting for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology in Tampa, Florida.

Coauthors in this study include Molly Morton, Paulina Haight, Wafa Khadraoui, Floor Backes, Kristin Bixel, David O’Malley and Christa Nagel.

Laura Chambers, DO, studies gynecologic cancer content on TikTok and found the top posts to be of poor educational value. Chambers identified many posts that talked about unregulated substances and supplements to treat cancer with no medical proof. To combat the spread of misinformation on social media apps like TikTok, Chambers has an open dialogue with patients to answer questions.

CAPTION

Laura Chambers, DO, makes educational videos about gynecologic cancer on TikTok for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to prevent the spread of cancer misinformation. She recently published a study that evaluated 500 TikTok posts and found that cancer content already on the app lacked accurate educational value.

CREDIT

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute

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JOURNAL

Gynecologic Oncology

DOI

10.1016/j.ygyno.2023.06.004 

ARTICLE TITLE

"More than a song and dance": Exploration of patient perspectives and educational quality of gynecologic cancer content on TikTok

 

Predictive model could improve hydrogen station availability

NREL researchers offer idea to cut down unscheduled maintenance, boost motorist confidence

Peer-Reviewed Publication

DOE/NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

Consumer confidence in driving hydrogen-fueled vehicles could be improved by having station operators adopt a predictive model that helps them anticipate maintenance needs, according to researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Colorado State University (CSU).

Stations shutting down for unscheduled maintenance reduces hydrogen fueling availability to consumers and may slow adoption of these types of fuel cell electric vehicles, the researchers noted. The use of what is known as a prognostics health monitoring (PHM) model would allow hydrogen stations to reduce these unscheduled events.

“Motorists expect to be able to fuel their vehicles without any problems. We want to ensure motorists who drive hydrogen-fueled cars have the same experience,” said Jennifer Kurtz, lead author of the new paper, “Hydrogen Station Prognostics and Health Monitoring Model,” which appears in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. “This predictive model can let station operators know in advance when a problem might occur and minimize any disruptions that motorists might experience with hydrogen fueling.”

Co-authored by Spencer Gilleon of NREL and Thomas Bradley of CSU, the article posits the PHM model would improve station availability and consumer confidence.

The availability of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel is low compared to the ubiquity of gasoline, a fact reflected in the number of stations that dispense the low-emission fuel. While California has more than 10,000 gasoline stations, the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership counts just 59 retail hydrogen stations across the state. With relatively few choices, motorists who rely on hydrogen must be confident their needed fuel is available. Station operators must make any necessary repairs to meet the demands of consumers, but they also must investigate the causes of any failures to avoid future problems.

Data from the National Fuel Cell Technology Evaluation Center reveals the single most common reason hydrogen stations shut down for unscheduled maintenance is problems with the dispenser system, which encompasses such items as the hoses and dispenser valves as well as the user interface. By using a data-based PHM, station operators could reduce the frequency of unscheduled maintenance and increase the frequency of preventive maintenance. The researchers have dubbed this particular PHM “hydrogen station prognostics health monitoring,” or H2S PHM.

The H2S PHM calculates the probability a component will continue working without a failure, based on how many fills the station has completed. The model can also be used to estimate the remaining useful life for each of the components, thereby lowering maintenance costs and making the stations more reliable. Using a hypothetical example, the researchers considered a dispenser valve that the H2S PHM has flagged as needing attention. The station operator can then be prepared for upcoming maintenance and schedule a technician to come when demand for hydrogen will be low. That cuts down on the amount of time a station would be unable to fuel vehicles. If the valve were to fail without warning, the station operator would have to call a technician, wait for their arrival and diagnosis of the problem, while at the same time be unable to provide fuel.

Kurtz, the director of NREL’s Energy Conversion and Storage Systems Center, noted that limitations exist when applying H2S PHM to the reliability of a hydrogen station. The method would not predict sudden failures, which can be caused by human error. The H2S PHM is also only as good as the available data, and more data is needed.

The Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office funded the research.

NREL is the Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC.

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JOURNAL

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

DOI

10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.08.098 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Meta-analysis

ARTICLE TITLE

Hydrogen station prognostics and health monitoring model

 

International research effort to weigh “green ammonia” impact on climate change and environment

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

The U.S. National Science Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada have jointly funded a new global center to address the emerging opportunity and challenge of “green ammonia” to provide clean energy and support food production while mitigating climate change. The Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and the Environment (NICCEE), spearheaded by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) with key partners in the U.S. (New York University and University of Massachusetts Amherst), Canada (University of Guelph), and the UK (Rothamsted Research), will provide timely and crucial insights associated with the rapidly evolving technological innovation to produce ammonia using renewable energy for clean energy and food production.

“The Global Nitrogen Innovation Center addresses the urgent need to respond to the impending technological innovation to produce ammonia using renewable energy known as ‘green ammonia’,” said Center director Xin Zhang, professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. “By doing so, we hope to be able to harness the technological innovation of green ammonia production to bolster clean energy initiatives, combat climate change, and secure food supplies for the future, while minimizing risks of unintended consequences.”

The current industrial ammonia production is heavily energy-intensive and primarily dependent on fossil fuels, contributing 1-2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the agricultural sector, green ammonia technology could lead to decentralization of fertilizer production, enhancing fertilizer use and bolstering food production in countries where nitrogen (N) fertilizer accessibility has been limited, thus improving crop production, economic prosperity, nutrition, and food security. It could also enable farmers in industrialized countries to improve the timing and dosing of fertilizer to better match crop needs and thereby reduce N losses. However, more abundantly available N fertilizer could also exacerbate the current severe environmental problems of N losses to air and water from overuse and inefficient use of N fertilizers.

In the transportation sector, particularly the shipping industry, green ammonia is a viable and promising option to replace traditional fossil fuel, but doing so would likely triple the amount of reactive N that humans introduce to the biosphere, exacerbate coastal pollution, and increase emissions of N2O, which is the third most important greenhouse gas (GHG) and the most abundantly emitted stratospheric ozone depleting substance.

“Climate change and nitrogen pollution are two of the most significant threats facing humanity, and they are inextricably connected. The NICCEE will strengthen connections between the scientific and stakeholder communities that care about both issues and accelerate innovations that are effective and beneficial for actors across agri-food and energy systems," said New York University Professor and Chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative David Kanter.

NICCEE will serve as an information hub with state-of-the-art cyberinfrastructure to monitor the lifecycle and effects of nitrogen in agriculture-food-energy systems, an innovation platform to facilitate the co-development of technological and socioeconomic solutions with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, and an education center to nurture the next generation of scientists and innovators championing sustainable and climate-smart nitrogen management.

“The advent of green ammonia, depending on how it unfolds, could either contribute to the solution or exacerbate the problem of inefficient N fertilizer use and N loss to the environment. We need to get ahead of the curve of this impending technological transformation so that the impacts of green ammonia will be guided by excellent agronomic and socio-economic research,” said UMCES Professor Eric Davidson.

The international effort involves collaborators from eight countries, across academia, NGOs, international organizations, government, and private companies, and brings together expertise in biogeochemistry and agronomic science, chemical engineering, complex system modeling, environmental sociology, economics, statistics and data science, coastal ecology and equity in the geosciences, science engagement and evaluation, remote sensing, environmental law and policy, atmospheric modeling, sustainability science, life cycle assessment and translational science.    

 “The green ammonia process is to harvest solar energy or other renewable energy supplies to produce ammonia without carbon dioxide emission. For example, sunlight can drive conversion of nitrogen and water to ammonia,” said Nianqiang (Nick) Wu, Co-PI and Armstrong-Siadat Endowed Chair Professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“We are looking forward to working with this transnational and transdisciplinary team to address pressing environmental and energy related issues affecting the global nitrogen cycle. Joining forces with stakeholders and researchers in the US, the UK, Morocco, and beyond will allow us to maximize efforts and find solutions for these pressing issues,” said University of Guelph Professor Claudia Wagner-Riddle, lead partner from Canada.    

“The Center will enable scientists, engineers, farmers, and other agricultural stakeholders to work together to understand and shape the potential of new, promising technologies. By working with stakeholders as partners, we can help to ensure these green fertilizer technologies can and are achieving social, economic and environmental benefits” said UMCES Assistant Research Professor and Senior Social Scientist at The Nature Conservancy Matt Houser.    

“We are delighted to be part of this transnational science programme and to have an opportunity to apply our systems science to better understanding and managing the urgent energy and environmental issues surrounding the need for nitrogen to support production from agroecosystems, but in the context of also needing to reduce trade-offs,” said Professor Adie Collins, science director for Net Zero and Resilient Farming at Rothamsted Research.

The Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and the Environment is jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. U.S. researchers will be supported by the National Science Foundation up to $5 million over four to five years, while foreign researchers will be supported by their respective country's funding agency with a comparable amount of funds.

NICCEE is part of a Global Center initiative by the National Science Foundation to support international, interdisciplinary collaborative research centers focused on assessing and mitigating the impacts of climate change on society, people, and communities. The centers will also create and promote opportunities for students and early-career researchers to gain education and training in world-class research while enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Lead institutions include the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, University of Guelph, Rothamsted Research, New York University, and University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Collaborators include the Africa Plant Nutrition Institute, Agribusiness Council of Indiana, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ammonia Energy Association, Canola Council of Canada, Chinese Agricultural University, Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Environmental Protection Agency, Fertilizer Canada, FuelPositive, Harbor Launch, International Fertilizer Association (IFA), McGill University, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Nutrien, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Pacific Northwest National Lab, The Mill, The Nature Conservancy, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United States Geological Survey, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, University of Manitoba, and University of Saskatchewan.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science leads the way toward better management of Maryland’s natural resources and the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. From a network of laboratories located across the state, UMCES scientists provide sound evidence and advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment and prepare future scientists to the meet the global challenges of the 21st century. www.umces.edu

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WVU bioenergy researcher digging into the root of sustainability

Grant and Award Announcement

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: MISCANTHUS IS A BIOENERGY CROP THAT HOLDS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE FUEL AND CAPTURE CARBON DIOXIDE. JENNIFER KANE, A POSTDOCTORAL STUDENT AT WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY, WAS RECENTLY AWARDED A $219,000 GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE TO STUDY HOW MICROBES — LIKE BACTERIA AND FUNGI — INTERACT WITH MISCANTHUS ROOTS TO BOOST THE PLANT’S PRODUCTIVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY. view more 

CREDIT: WVU PHOTO

A researcher at West Virginia University is unearthing what facilitates the robust growth of Miscanthus grass, a bioenergy crop that grows well on reclaimed Appalachian mine lands and holds the potential to produce fuel and capture carbon dioxide.

Little is known about what makes the crop so effective, so Jennifer Kane, a plant and soil sciences postdoctoral scholar at the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, is studying how microbes — like bacteria and fungi — interact with Miscanthus roots to boost the plant’s productivity and sustainability.

Funded with a $219,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Kane is working with mentors Ember Morrissey and Edward Brzostek who is with the Department of Biology. Kane, a Lester native, will measure the roots, study their chemistry and activity, and connect that data with what’s happening aboveground. Evaluating the system holistically may help researchers understand what conditions enable the plant to prosper.

“We’re trying to connect what’s happening really close to the roots to what’s happening in the whole system,” Kane said. “Some of our results showed that certain root traits —like how many roots are there and what their physical structure is, and even what their tissue chemistry is — explains some of the things we’re seeing in the soil microbiome.”

As Miscanthus photosynthesizes, it brings in carbon from the atmosphere and deposits it underground, where microbes take it up. The microbes, in turn, unlock nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil, which the plant could not otherwise access. This trade can occur on or in the roots. Kane said evidence suggests the most active interaction occurs where the roots touch the soil, an area known as the rhizosphere.

“The plant can do some interesting things to manipulate microbes,” Kane said. “For example, they can produce more roots that have more surface area to interact with more microbes. Or they may exude more carbon from aboveground to encourage microbes to release nutrients. So, this dynamic thing is happening, where plants are changing their roots in different ways to get more out of the microbial relationship.”

While Miscanthus doesn’t require fertilizer to flourish, the researchers have been applying different types to plots in the field to study the results. These include both a chemical fertilizer treatment and an organic one made from daimanure. Next, they’ll collect root and soil samples to analyze the fertilizers’ effects on the soil-carbon cycle.

“We’re wondering if that will disrupt these interactions and change how the plants try to get nutrients from the soil and the microbes,” Kane said. “If we just give it to them freely, will they still invest in these relationships with microbes?”

Miscanthus is a good choice for the study, as it takes well to Appalachia’s climate and is robust to common soil challenges. In addition to its fast-growing nature, it withstands the harsh conditions mining may cause on the landscape. Kane is studying sample plots at the WVU Agronomy Farm as well as the Animal Science Farm. The two sites have unique soil characteristics and represent various types of terrain found in Appalachia; the former is a steep slope while the latter sits adjacent to surface mining and has been undermined itself.

Researchers have found that growing miscanthus improves soil conditions.

“We see nutrients and organic matter coming back to the soil, and we think that has a lot to do with this relationship between Miscanthus and the soil microbiome,” Kane said. “Over time, it builds favorable soil characteristics. This all feeds back to the idea that in the long run, with the right infrastructure, we could have this crop on these mine lands and, at minimum, restore some good soil characteristics. But maybe in the future, we’ll be able to use these plants to feed into the economy.”

In addition to the benefits below ground, Miscanthus’ quick growth produces large amounts of biomass with relatively minimal greenhouse gasses, which are released during cultivation, and researchers envision it as a renewable, carbon-negative source of bioenergy.

Morrissey said she believes Kane is an emerging leader in her field. The funding agency, NIFA, is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Jen is an ideal recipient for the USDA postdoctoral fellowship program because she is a productive and creative young scientist who cares deeply about agricultural sustainability,” Morrissey said. “As a Fellow, she will be able to simultaneously research fundamental questions about plant-microbe interactions and gain information to optimize bioenergy crop production on marginal lands in Appalachia.”

Brzostek added that Kane’s research has the potential to transform the understanding of how Miscanthus roots operate, how they engineer microbes in the soil, and how they can grow on infertile soils like abandoned mine lands.

For Kane, the importance of the research hits home.

“I grew up seeing the way Appalachia has been affected by mining,” she said of her youth in Raleigh County. “To see some of these lands not only improve, but potentially going back into a more sustainable energy purpose would be a full circle moment.”

 

Recent advances in bread research

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Whether light and fluffy or thin and flexible, bread holds an important place in many cultures and cuisines. And despite millennia of baking experience, scientists are still striving to improve this staple food. Below are some recent papers published in ACS journals that report insights into the quality, healthfulness and preparation of bread. Reporters can request free access to these papers by emailing newsroom@acs.org.

“Unraveling the Influence of Wheat Bran Chemical Composition, Lipolytic Enzyme Activities, and Phenolic Components on the Bread-Making Properties of Reconstituted Whole Wheat Flours”
ACS Food Science & Technology
Sept. 13, 2023
Whole-wheat bread contains more dietary fiber than its white bread counterpart because it contains wheat bran and germ, but those components also cause baked goods to be flatter and denser. Now, researchers have shown that the enzyme lipoxygenase could be contributing to this phenomenon. In tests, the team combined white flour and separate brans from 10 different wheat genotypes. The brans with greater lipoxygenase activity produced flatter loafs. Future studies are needed to determine how lipoxygenase influences the quality of whole-wheat products, the researchers say.

“Proteomic Characterization of Wheat Protein Fractions Taken at Different Baking Conditions”
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Aug.15, 2023
Here, researchers prepared three wheat flour-based baked goods: a thin crispbread, a shaped loaf and pretzel rolls. Then, they analyzed the products’ crumb and crust, and found that the abundances of 82 gluten proteins were affected by the dough’s processing conditions. Interestingly, most of the protein changes could be attributed to the high heat of baking. The results could be used to help guide wheat breeding and improve future bread products.

“Microcrystalline Cellulose Isolation and Impregnation with Sappan Wood Extracts as Antioxidant Dietary Fiber for Bread Preparation”
ACS Omega
Aug. 14, 2023
Plant cellulose is an edible fiber, and the microcrystalline form can stabilize and thicken foods, making it a promising ingredient in baked goods. And adding phenolic compounds, such as those extracted from wood, to dietary fibers could impart extra nutritional benefits. Now, scientists have soaked microcrystalline cellulose in extracts from sappan wood and then used various amounts of the powder to bake bread. Test results indicated that a small amount of the cellulose-based additive could enhance a bakery product’s antioxidant activity and phenolic content with minimal impacts on the overall color or texture.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

RADICAL MEDICINE

Anesthesia & Analgesia devotes special issue to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Papers promote solution-based approaches at the individual, hospital, and policy levels

WOLTERS KLUWER HEALTH

September 19, 2023 — Reflecting the need in anesthesiology to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Anesthesia & Analgesia has devoted its entire October 2023 issue to these topics. This official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. 

"The mission of Anesthesia & Analgesia states that the Journal exists for the benefit of current and future patients under the care of health care professionals engaged in the disciplines broadly related to anesthesiology," Paloma Toledo, MD, MPH, professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management at the University of Miami, Florida, and colleagues note in an introductory editorial. "We as a specialty cannot escape the reality that to fulfill this mission, we must also address DEI." 

Furthering DEI work is part of the effort to eliminate healthcare disparities 

The manuscripts selected for the special issue span a gamut. Some are descriptive, some identify potential solutions, and others describe what the authors are doing at their institutions or within a medical society to achieve meaningful change and progress in DEI. A sampling of topics: 

• Marching towards Utopia: Mentor–mentee relationship devoid of race or gender considerations 

• The Women in Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology (WICTA) special interest group: What can the lessons of one anesthesiology affinity group tell us about how to build impactful professional communities? 

• Leading change and managing resistance for equity, diversity, and inclusivity in anesthesiology departments 

• Assuring the groundwork for success: mentorship, sponsorship, and allyship for practicing anesthesiologists 

• Perspectives on ethnic and language diversity and perioperative neurocognitive disorders 

• Championing the mom: the role of a mothers' support group in academic anesthesia practice 

• The anesthesiology physician–scientist pipeline: current status and recommendations for future growth—an initiative of the Anesthesia Research Council 

• So, you want to DEI? Ten practical tips for establishing sustainable change 

• Pro–con debate: Consideration of race, ethnicity, and gender is detrimental to successful mentorship 

• Systematic efforts to recruit diversity in a residency program and the impact on representation over 3 years 

The themed edition is just one of several Anesthesia & Analgesia initiatives related to DEI 

In a related effort, the staff and editorial board of Anesthesia & Analgesia recently evaluated the composition of the journal's editorial board. Befitting an international journal, nearly half the editors were born outside the United States. Editors' ages are equally distributed across early-, mid-, and late-career, and 28% are women, comparable to the percentage of women in anesthesiology. 

Anesthesia & Analgesia intends to keep striving to ensure a diversity of perspectives and fair editorial and manuscript review processes, regardless of an author's gender, race, ethnicity, or country of origin. In keeping with that goal, at the 2023 annual meeting of the International Anesthesia Research Society the journal hosted its first peer review workshop, to train a greater range of anesthesiologists in the fundamentals of manuscript review. That effort is also expected to improve the diversity of the editorial board, because excellent peer reviewers are often invited to join the board. 

The editorialists add, "Anesthesia & Analgesia will continue to publish articles related to DEI and conduct journal-sponsored programming to further our understanding of how DEI impacts the care we give, and the outcomes our patients experience." 

Link to Article [ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: More Than Words ] 

Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students in effective decision-making and outcomes across healthcare. We support clinical effectiveness, learning and research, clinical surveillance and compliance, as well as data solutions. For more information about our solutions, visit https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/health and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth. 

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About Anesthesia & Analgesia 

Anesthesia & Analgesia is "The Global Standard in Anesthesiology" and provides the practice-oriented, clinical research needed to keep current and provide optimal care to patients. Each monthly issue includes peer-reviewed articles on the latest advances in drugs, preoperative preparation, patient monitoring, pain management, pathophysiology, and many other timely topics. 

About the International Anesthesia Research Society 

The International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) is a nonpolitical, not-for-profit medical society founded in 1922 to advance and support scientific research and education related to anesthesia, and to improve patient care through research. The IARS contributes more than $1 million annually to fund anesthesia research; provides a forum for anesthesiology leaders to share information and ideas; maintains a worldwide membership of physicians, health professionals in anesthesia-related practice, and physician residents and others with doctoral degrees; and sponsors the SmartTots initiative. 

About Wolters Kluwer 

Wolters Kluwer (EURONEXT: WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the healthcare, tax and accounting, financial and corporate compliance, legal and regulatory, and corporate performance and ESG sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.  

Wolters Kluwer reported 2022 annual revenues of €5.5 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 20,900 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. 

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JOURNAL

Anesthesia & Analgesia

ARTICLE TITLE

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: More Than Words

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-Sep-2023

How stakeholders are working to advance health equity

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC./GENETIC ENGINEERING NEWS

 

IMAGE: OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL THAT MEETS THE URGENT NEED FOR AUTHORITATIVE INFORMATION ABOUT HEALTH DISPARITIES AND HEALTH EQUITY AMONG VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. WITH COVERAGE RANGING FROM TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH TO PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND MANAGEMENT OF DISEASE AND ILLNESS, THE JOURNAL SERVES AS A PRIMARY RESOURCE FOR ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVE THESE POPULATIONS AT THE COMMUNITY, STATE, REGIONAL, TRIBAL, AND NATIONAL LEVELS view more 

CREDIT: MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC., PUBLISHERS

New Rochelle, NY, September 19, 2023–A special issue of the peer-reviewed journal Health Equity titled “How Stakeholders Are Working to Advance Health Equity" covers the following areas: changing mindsets, promoting antiracism in health delivery systems, and promoting antiracism in health policy. Click here to read the issue now.

Guest Editors of the special issue are Laurie Zephyrin, MD, MPH, MBA, Senior Vice President, Advancing Health Equity, The Commonwealth Fund; Claire-Cecile Pierre, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Vice President of Community Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and Torian Easterling, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President, Population and Community Health/Chief Strategic and Innovation Officer, One Brooklyn Health.

Featured in the special issue is the article by Allison Bryant, MD, MPH, from Mass General Brigham Health System, and coauthors, titled “A Health System Framework for Addressing Structural Racism: Mass General Brigham’s United Against Racism Initiative.” The authors describe an antiracism campaign organized into three pillars of focus: leadership/employees/culture, patient care equity, and community health and policy advocacy.

Molly Richardson, PhD, MPH, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and coauthors, contributed the article titled “Community and Systems Contributors and Strategies to Reduce Racial Inequities in Maternal Health in the Deep South: Provider Perspectives.” After seeking perspectives from providers of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care services in Alabama, the authors concluded that “racism, unjust laws and policies, and poverty/lack of infrastructure in communities emerged as themes contributing to racial disparities in maternal health at the community and systems levels.”

The article titled “Collaborative Learning Among Health Care Organizations to Improve Quality and Advance Racial Equity,” by Hector Rodriguez, PhD, MPH, from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, and coauthors, focused on stakeholder experiences of a statewide learning collaborative sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The results indicated that “the collaborative facilitated learning among groups on innovative approaches for reducing racial disparities in quality.”

“Understanding the need for advancing health equity does not equate with knowing how to get there. I’m really excited about this special issue because it provides a clear roadmap of not only THAT we need to do this, but HOW to do it,” says Health Equity Editor-in-Chief Monica R. McLemore, RN, PhD, FAAN, Professor, Child, Family and Population Health Department and Interim Director, Center for Anti-Racism in Nursing, University of Washington, School of Nursing.

About the Journal
Health Equity is a peer-reviewed open access journal that meets the urgent need for authoritative information about health disparities and health equity among vulnerable populations. With coverage ranging from translational research to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of disease and illness, the Journal serves as a primary resource for organizations and individuals who serve these populations at the community, state, regional, tribal, and national levels. Complete information is available on the Health Equity website.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a global media company dedicated to creating, curating, and delivering impactful peer-reviewed research and authoritative content services to advance the fields of biotechnology and the life sciences, specialized clinical medicine, and public health and policy. For complete information, please visit the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website.

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JOURNAL

Health Equity

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People