SUSMETRO : Impact Assessment Tools for Food Planning in Metropolitan Regions : IA tools and serious gaming in support of sustainability targets for food planning, nature conservation and recreation

By offering a series of decision support tools for stakeholders of metropolitan regions, SUSMETRO facilitates and enables evidence-based decision making by means of ‘serious gaming’. Making use of the Phase 1 thematic maps such as on agricultural competitiveness, nature conservation and recreational values, stakeholders can compare impacts of traditional versus innovative forms of agricultural production. The SUSMETRO Impact Assessment tool provides information on the expected effects of spatial planning with regard to the self-supportive capacities of the region (ecological footprint) and the share of recreational and nature conservation facilities (land use functions), offering cost-benefit calculations regarding the expected economic revenues. The whole process is embedded in a Landscape Character Assessment process and guided by Knowledge Brokerage procedures to strengthen the science-policy interface. In sum, the SUSMETRO approach allows a wide range of stakeholders to co-develop images for sustainable Metropolitan Agriculture

Killing spinors in supergravity with 4-fluxes

We study the spinorial Killing equation of supergravity involving a torsion 3-form \T as well as a flux 4-form \F. In dimension seven, we construct explicit families of compact solutions out of 3-Sasakian geometries, nearly parallel \G_2-geometries and on the homogeneous Aloff-Wallach space. The constraint \F \cdot \Psi = 0 defines a non empty subfamily of solutions. We investigate the constraint \T \cdot \Psi = 0, too, and show that it singles out a very special choice of numerical parameters in the Killing equation, which can also be justified geometrically

On the Ricci tensor in type II B string theory

Let $\nabla$ be a metric connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion \T on a Riemannian manifold. Given a spinor field $\Psi$ and a dilaton function $\Phi$, the basic equations in type II B string theory are \bdm \nabla \Psi = 0, \quad \delta(\T) = a \cdot \big(d \Phi \haken \T \big), \quad \T \cdot \Psi = b \cdot d \Phi \cdot \Psi + \mu \cdot \Psi . \edm We derive some relations between the length ||\T||^2 of the torsion form, the scalar curvature of $\nabla$, the dilaton function $\Phi$ and the parameters $a,b,\mu$. The main results deal with the divergence of the Ricci tensor \Ric^{\nabla} of the connection. In particular, if the supersymmetry $\Psi$ is non-trivial and if the conditions \bdm (d \Phi \haken \T) \haken \T = 0, \quad \delta^{\nabla}(d \T) \cdot \Psi = 0 \edm hold, then the energy-momentum tensor is divergence-free. We show that the latter condition is satisfied in many examples constructed out of special geometries. A special case is $a = b$. Then the divergence of the energy-momentum tensor vanishes if and only if one condition \delta^{\nabla}(d \T) \cdot \Psi = 0 holds. Strong models (d \T = 0) have this property, but there are examples with \delta^{\nabla}(d \T) \neq 0 and \delta^{\nabla}(d \T) \cdot \Psi = 0.Comment: 9 pages, Latex2

On invariants of almost symplectic connections

We study the irreducible decomposition under Sp(2n, R) of the space of torsion tensors of almost symplectic connections. Then a description of all symplectic quadratic invariants of torsion-like tensors is given. When applied to a manifold M with an almost symplectic structure, these instruments give preliminary insight for finding a preferred linear almost symplectic connection on M . We rediscover Ph. Tondeur's Theorem on almost symplectic connections. Properties of torsion of the vectorial kind are deduced

The "clover technique" as a novel approach for correction of post-traumatic tricuspid regurgitation

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Can Digital Tools Be Used for Improving Immunization Programs?

In order to successfully control and eliminate vaccine-preventable infectious diseases, an appropriate vaccine coverage has to be achieved and maintained. This task requires a high level of effort as it may be compromised by a number of barriers. Public health agencies have issued specific recommendations to address these barriers and therefore improve immunization programs. In the present review, we characterize issues and challenges of immunization programs for which digital tools are a potential solution. In particular, we explore previously published research on the use of digital tools in the following vaccine-related areas: immunization registries, dose tracking, and decision support systems; vaccine-preventable diseases surveillance; surveillance of adverse events following immunizations; vaccine confidence monitoring; and delivery of information on vaccines to the public. Subsequently, we analyze the limits of the use of digital tools in such contexts and envision future possibilities and challenges

The Spectral Action for Dirac Operators with skew-symmetric Torsion

We derive a formula for the gravitational part of the spectral action for Dirac operators on 4-dimensional manifolds with totally anti-symmetric torsion. We find that the torsion becomes dynamical and couples to the traceless part of the Riemann curvature tensor. Finally we deduce the Lagrangian for the Standard Model of particle physics in presence of torsion from the Chamseddine-Connes Dirac operator.Comment: Longer introduction and conclusion adde

Induction, Philosophical Conceptions of

How induction was understood took a substantial turn during the Renaissance. At the beginning, induction was understood as it had been throughout the medieval period, as a kind of propositional inference that is stronger the more it approximates deduction. During the Renaissance, an older understanding, one prevalent in antiquity, was rediscovered and adopted. By this understanding, induction identifies defining characteristics using a process of comparing and contrasting. Important participants in the change were Jean Buridan, humanists such as Lorenzo Valla and Rudolph Agricola, Paduan Aristotelians such as Agostino Nifo, Jacopo Zabarella, and members of the medical faculty, writers on philosophy of mind such as the Englishman John Case, writers of reasoning handbooks, and Francis Bacon

Which factors differentiate athletes with hip/groin pain from those without? A systematic review with meta-analysis

Background: Hip and groin injuries are common in many sports. Understanding the factors differentiating athletes with hip/groin pain from those without these injuries could facilitate management and prevention. Objective: Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature on factors differentiating athletes with and without hip/groin pain. Methods: The review was registered as PROSPERO CRD42014007416 and a comprehensive, systematic search was conducted in June 2014. Inclusion criteria were: cross-sectional, cohort or case-control study designs of n>10 that examined outcome measures differentiating athletes with and without hip/groin pain. Two authors independently screened search results, assessed study quality, and performed data extraction. Methodological heterogeneity was determined and data pooled for meta-analysis when appropriate. A best evidence synthesis was performed on the remaining outcome measures. Results: Of 2251 titles identified, 17 articles were included of which 10 were high quality. Sixty two different outcome measures were examined, 8 underwent meta-analysis. Pooled data showed strong evidence that athletes with hip/groin pain demonstrated: pain and lower strength on the adductor squeeze test, reduced range of motion in hip internal rotation and bent knee fall out; however, hip external rotation range was equivalent to controls. Strong evidence was found that lower patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores, altered trunk muscle function, and moderate evidence of bone oedema and secondary cleft sign were associated with hip/groin pain. Conclusions: PROs, pain and reduced strength on the adductor squeeze test, reduced range of motion in internal rotation and bent knee fall out are the outcome measures that best differentiate athletes with hip/groin pain from those without this pain