On the universal extensions in Tannakian categories

We use the notion of universal extension in a linear abelian category tostudy extensions of variations of mixed Hodge structure and convergent andoverconvergent isocrystals. The results we obtain apply, for example, to provethe exactness of some homotopy sequences for these categories and to study$F$-able isocrystals.<br

Utilization Of Satellite-Derived Salinity To Study Indian Ocean Climate Variability

For several decades, researchers have explored Indian Ocean climate variability primarily using numerical models because of a lack of observations. Remote sensing technology has helped overcome this scarcity of observational data, but satellite-derived salinity has only been recently made available by the ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS, operating since November 2009-present) and NASA’s Aquarius SAC-D (operated during June 2011-June 2015) satellites. Along with the Lagrangian in situ Argo floats array, these new datasets may be used to validate widely used numerical models, such as the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), and also potentially observe new salinity phenomena that were previously not resolved by less capable observational systems. In the northern Indian Ocean this study found Aquarius sea surface salinity (SSS) data useful for validating model simulations because of its higher horizontal resolution when compared with the Argo floats dataset. Analyses of the regional subsurface found that HYCOM produced spurious vertical profiles of salinity in the near surface environment due to over mixing and also overestimated meridional depth-integrated salt transports because of erroneous subsurface currents it manufactured. The southwest tropical Indian Ocean (SWTIO) has been linked to year-to-year changes in the Asian monsoon and is strongly forced by regional climate scale variability in the form of both El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). This study found that strong remote forcing in the form of annual downwelling Rossby waves combined with local salinity stratification generates a seasonal barrier layer with maximum thickness in boreal fall (August-October). A new methodology for estimating barrier layer thickness (BLT) was also introduced that combines the satellitederived SSS with subsurface Argo data. Additionally, correlation between interannual variability in SWTIO BLT and MJO formation over the region was described. The discovery of annual MJO genesis within the SWTIO is important for future forecasting efforts that with this new information may be able to better predict interannual variability in the Asian and Australian monsoons as well as the phase of ENSO. Finally, the Agulhas western boundary current has been shown to be an important driver of climate variability because of leakage of salt and heat from the southern Indian Ocean into the southern Atlantic Ocean that occurs at its point of retroflection. This leakage affects Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), but is not well quantified because of poor observational density in the southern hemisphere at high latitudes. This study demonstrated that both Aquarius and SMOS data have high accuracy in the region when compared with Argo and the higher spatio-temporal resolutions of both satellites make them advantageous for improving both the monitoring and prediction of future changes in AMOC, and thus global climate

Characteristics and Cluster of Lifestyle Factors in Neurological Outpatients

Objective: Neurological disorders are increasing, because of demographic and epidemiologic changes occurring in both developed and developing countries. This study was aimed at examining and clustering lifestyle factors in an Italian sample of neurological outpatients. Material and Methods: A total of 153 subjects were recruited from the ambulatory Unit Operative Complex of neurology, of S. Eugenio Hospital in Rome. This study was conducted from January, 2017 to May, 2019. Body Mass Index (general obesity) and Waist Circumference (abdominal obesity) were used as outcome measures. Lifestyle behaviours were assessed via questionnaires. Results: The percentage of overweight/obesity was74.0% (77.0% in males and 70.0% in females); whereas, the percentage of subjects with abdominal obesity (67.0%) was significantly higher in females than in males (76.0% vs 60.0%, p-value= 0.038). Also, among patients suffering from neurological diseases there was a significant prevalence of: (i) males, (ii) subjects with low education levels, iii) elderly adults (aged over 75), and iv) people having a significantly lower percentage of appropriate hours of sleep. Three clusters were identified for males and four for females, according to lifestyles. The ‘unhealthy habits’ cluster, dominant among males (38.4%), was characterized by high prevalence of overweight/obese, and abdominal obese subjects; high prevalence of wine and alcoholic beverages consumers, high prevalence of inactive subjects; especially in females and high prevalence of neurological diseases among males. Conclusion: The clusters were identified according to lifestyles, and the main, important findings showed a high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle clustering was dominant among male, elderly people with neurological diseases

Geographic and socioeconomic diversity of food and nutrient intakes: a comparison of four European countries

Purpose: Public health policies and actions increasingly acknowledge the climate burden of food consumption. The aim of this study is to describe dietary intakes across four European countries, as baseline for further research towards healthier and environmentally-friendlier diets for Europe. Methods: Individual-level dietary intake data in adults were obtained from nationally-representative surveys from Denmark and France using a 7-day diet record, Italy using a 3-day diet record, and Czech Republic using two replicates of a 24-h recall. Energy-standardised food and nutrient intakes were calculated for each subject from the mean of two randomly selected days. Results: There was clear geographical variability, with a between-country range for mean fruit intake from 118 to 199 g/day, for vegetables from 95 to 239 g/day, for fish from 12 to 45 g/day, for dairy from 129 to 302 g/day, for sweet beverages from 48 to 224 ml/day, and for alcohol from 8 to 15 g/day, with higher intakes in Italy for fruit, vegetables and fish, and in Denmark for dairy, sweet beverages and alcohol. In all countries, intakes were low for legumes ( 80 g/day). Within countries, food intakes also varied by socio-economic factors such as age, gender, and educational level, but less pronounced by anthropometric factors such as overweight status. For nutrients, intakes were low for dietary fibre (15.8–19.4 g/day) and vitamin D (2.4–3.0 µg/day) in all countries, for potassium (2288–2938 mg/day) and magnesium (268–285 mg/day) except in Denmark, for vitamin E in Denmark (6.7 mg/day), and for folate in Czech Republic (212 µg/day). Conclusions: There is considerable variation in food and nutrient intakes across Europe, not only between, but also within countries. Individual-level dietary data provide insight into the heterogeneity of dietary habits beyond per capita food supply data, and this is crucial to balancing healthy and environmentally-friendly diets for European citizens

Burdens of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages in 184 countries

The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, an updated and comprehensive assessment of the global burden attributable to SSBs remains scarce. Here we estimated SSB-attributable T2D and CVD burdens across 184 countries in 1990 and 2020 globally, regionally and nationally, incorporating data from the Global Dietary Database, jointly stratified by age, sex, educational attainment and urbanicity. In 2020, 2.2 million (95% uncertainty interval 2.0–2.3) new T2D cases and 1.2 million (95% uncertainty interval 1.1–1.3) new CVD cases were attributable to SSBs worldwide, representing 9.8% and 3.1%, respectively, of all incident cases. Globally, proportional SSB-attributable burdens were higher among men versus women, younger versus older adults, higher- versus lower-educated adults, and adults in urban versus rural areas. By world region, the highest SSB-attributable percentage burdens were in Latin America and the Caribbean (T2D: 24.4%; CVD: 11.3%) and sub-Saharan Africa (T2D: 21.5%; CVD: 10.5%). From 1990 to 2020, the largest proportional increases in SSB-attributable incident T2D and CVD cases were in sub-Saharan Africa (+8.8% and +4.4%, respectively). Our study highlights the countries and subpopulations most affected by cardiometabolic disease associated with SSB consumption, assisting in shaping effective policies and interventions to reduce these burdens globally