The resilience of post market infrastructures and payment systems Initiatives and perspectives.

The use of non-cash payment schemes is particularly widespread in France where the number of non-cash transactions is in fact well above the European average. Though they have different features corresponding to users’ varying needs (payments may be face-to-face, remote or recurring, for instance), non-cash payment schemes generally consist of an instrument that generates a payment order combined with the technical and organisational arrangements that enable this order to be processed. Putting these arrangements in place requires close co-operation between all participants of the payment «network», i.e., naturally, credit institutions that hold accounts for debtors and beneficiaries, and also their technical service providers. The Everyday Security Act of 15 November 2001 entrusts the Banque de France with a specific task with regard to overseeing the security of non-cash means of payment. This task falls naturally within the purview of central banks, which guarantee both the value of the currency and the stability of payment systems. To carry out its task, the Banque de France analyses the potential threats associated with payment schemes and defines, in consultation with the parties involved, the minimum security objectives designed to prevent the occurrence of payment-specific risk events. To assess the security of a payment scheme, the Banque de France ensures that the parties involved comply with these objectives.

Immediate Effects of Cervical Spine Thrust Joint Manipulation on Gait Parameters in Individuals with Neck Pain

Purpose/Hypotheses: 1. To investigate for any change in gait parameters in individuals with neck pain while walking with different functional neck conditions immediately following cervical thrust joint manipulation (TJM) versus a sham intervention. 2. To investigate any association between Global Rating of Change (GROC) scores and gait parameters immediately following cervical thrust joint manipulation versus a sham intervention. The hypotheses were that, a) cervical TJM would have an immediate effect on gait parameters during walking with the neck in at least one of three conditions (neutral, flexion/extension and rotation) among individuals with neck pain; and b) higher scores on the GROC would be associated with improved gait parameters post-intervention. Subjects: Convenience sample of 40 individuals (30 female; mean age 24.5 ± 6.78 years) with neck pain. To qualify, subjects had to have a score \u3e0 on the question of pain intensity in the neck on the Neck Disability Index (NDI) questionnaire and have no contraindications or precautions for cervical TJM. Materials/Methods: Subjects walked on a Zeno Walkway under the following conditions: 1) head in neutral; 2) head rotating from side-to-side, and 3) head nodding up and down. After completing 30 practice trials (10 in each condition), pre-intervention trial 1 gait parameters were recorded for each of the three neck conditions in a randomized order. After a 5-minute rest period, pre-intervention trial 2 was conducted for each condition in same order as trial 1. Subjects then received one of two randomly assigned interventions: cervical spine TJM or active cervical rotation. Immediately after the intervention, the subject returned to the Zeno Walkway for the post-intervention trial 3 in each of the three conditions, in the same order as their previous trials. Gait parameters of average step length, stride length, stride width, velocity, and cadence were analyzed using a 2x2 repeated measures ANOVA (of trials 2 and 3), as well as independent and paired t-tests, to determine if there were any significant changes based on intervention when comparing TJM to sham groups. Results: The results of the 2x2 ANOVA revealed significant interactions between group and time on average gait velocity (p=0.008), step length (p=\u3c0.001), and stride length (p=0.009) when the head was in a neutral position. The TJM group experienced significant increases from pre to post-intervention as shown by paired samples t-test for average gait velocity (p=0.003), step length (p\u3c0.001), and stride length (p=0.008). The sham group however, experienced no significant change in gait velocity (p = 0.290), average step length (p = 0.299), and stride length (p = 0.292). There was also a significant decrease in the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) (mean decrease of 1.25; p=0.003) and the group that received cervical TJM reported an improved perception of change demonstrated by an average increase in GROC score by 2.85 (p=0.001). Conclusions: Although our results demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in three gait parameters following TJM while walking with the neck in a neutral position, the improvements are not clinically significant. At this time, there is no evidence-based indication for the clinical use of cervical TJM to improve gait parameters in individuals with neck pain. Our findings cannot confirm clinical significance for reduction of neck pain with cervical TJM based on NDI, NPRS, or GROC questionnaires

Biomechanical performance of polycaprolactone (PCL)-based scaffold with rhBMP-2 in a sheep thoracic spine fusion model

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a complex three dimensional deformity affecting 2-3% of the general population. Resulting spine deformities include progressive coronal curvature, hypokyphosis, or frank lordosis in the thoracic spine and vertebral rotation in the axial plane with posterior elements turned into the curve concavity. The potential for curve progression is heightened during the adolescent growth spurt. Success of scoliosis deformity correction depends on solid bony fusion between adjacent vertebrae after the intervertebral discs have been surgically cleared and the disc spaces filled with graft material. Problems with bone graft harvest site morbidity as well as limited bone availability have led to the search for bone graft substitutes. Recently, a bioactive and resorbable scaffold fabricated from medical grade polycaprolactone (PCL) has been developed for bone regeneration at load bearing sites. Combined with recombinant human bone morphogenic protein–2 (rhBMP-2), this has been shown to be successful in acting as a bone graft substitute in acting as a bone graft substitute in a porcine lumbar interbody fusion model when compared to autologous bone graft. This in vivo sheep study intends to evaluate the suitability of a custom designed medical grade PCL scaffold in combination with rhBMP-2 as a bone graft substitute in the setting of mini–thoracotomy surgery as a platform for ongoing research to benefit patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Prevention of muscle wasting and osteoporosis: the value of examining novel animal models

Bone mass and skeletal muscle mass are controlled by factors such as genetics, diet and nutrition, growth factors and mechanical stimuli. Whereas increased mechanical loading of the musculoskeletal system stimulates an increase in the mass and strength of skeletal muscle and bone, reduced mechanical loading and disuse rapidly promote a decrease in musculoskeletal mass, strength and ultimately performance (i.e. muscle atrophy and osteoporosis). In stark contrast to artificially immobilised laboratory mammals, animals that experience natural, prolonged bouts of disuse and reduced mechanical loading, such as hibernating mammals and aestivating frogs, consistently exhibit limited or no change in musculoskeletal performance. What factors modulate skeletal muscle and bone mass, and what physiological and molecular mechanisms protect against losses of muscle and bone during dormancy and following arousal Understanding the events that occur in different organisms that undergo natural periods of prolonged disuse and suffer negligible musculoskeletal deterioration could not only reveal novel regulatory factors but also might lead to new therapeutic options. Here, we review recent work from a diverse array of species that has revealed novel information regarding physiological and molecular mechanisms that dormant animals may use to conserve musculoskeletal mass despite prolonged inactivity. By highlighting some of the differences and similarities in musculoskeletal biology between vertebrates that experience disparate modes of dormancy, it is hoped that this Review will stimulate new insights and ideas for future studies regarding the regulation of atrophy and osteoporosis in both natural and clinical models of muscle and bone disuse

Nonmydriatic Fundus Photography: A Practical Review for the Neurologist

Declining proficiency in direct ophthalmoscopy by non-ophthalmologists has spurred a search for alternative methods of ocular fundus examination. Recent technological advances have improved the ease of use and quality of non-mydriatic fundus photography, increasing its suitability for clinical care. As the availability of this technology continues to improve, neurologists will need to be familiar with its advantages, limitations and potential applications in the clinical care of patients with neurological conditions

The Value of Comparative Animal Research : Krogh’s Principle Facilitates Scientific Discoveries

There are no conflicts of interest to declare. This paper developed from the 2016 Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences to TJS. TJS has received funding from The Leverhulme Trust. FJPE is in receipt of funding from the BBSRC (BB/M001555/1). The National Institutes of Health has funded RDF (NS 034950, NS093277, NIMH 087930), AGO (HD079573, IOS-1354760) and AMK (HD081959). BAA is an Arnold O. Beckman postdoctoral fellow.Peer reviewedPostprin

La marche vers l’Europe des moyens de paiement scripturaux : le projet SEPA.

SEPA, infrastructures de paiement, inter-opérabilité, instruments de paiement, intégration européenne, Eurosystème.

Quantifying uncertainty in computational neuroscience with Bayesian statistical inference

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-106).Two key fields of computational neuroscience involve, respectively, the analysis of experimental recordings to understand the functional properties of neurons, and modeling how neurons and networks process sensory information in order to represent the environment. In both of these endeavors, it is crucial to understand and quantify uncertainty - when describing how the brain itself draws conclusions about the physical world, and when the experimenter interprets neuronal data. Bayesian modeling and inference methods provide many advantages for doing so. Three projects are presented that illustrate the advantages of the Bayesian approach. In the first, Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling methods were used to answer a range of scientific questions that arise in the analysis of physiological data from tuning curve experiments; in addition, a software toolbox is described that makes these methods widely accessible. In the second project, the model developed in the first project was extended to describe the detailed dynamics of orientation tuning in neurons in cat primary visual cortex. Using more sophisticated sampling-based inference methods, this model was applied to answer specific scientific questions about the tuning properties of a recorded population. The final project uses a Bayesian model to provide a normative explanation of sensory adaptation phenomena. The model was able to explain a range of detailed physiological adaptation phenomena.by Beau D. Cronin.Ph.D

Sorption of Ibuprofen to Coastal Plain Soils

The transport and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems has become an area of concern in the environmental science community. Due to advances in analytical technology, PPCPs have been detected in surface and groundwater at ng to [micro]g L-1 concentrations. Chronic exposure to PPCPs at these concentrations may have adverse effects on humans and aquatic organisms. The environmental fate of PPCPs is strongly influenced by their partitioning to soils, which is dependent on soil properties such as texture and organic matter content. However, few studies have examined the sorption of PPCPs to sandy, Coastal Plain soils containing low organic matter. Rapid subsurface PPCP transport may occur in Coastal Plain regions due to their characteristic permeable soils and seasonally high water tables. Laboratory batch studies were conducted in this study to evaluate the sorption of ibuprofen, a commonly used analgesic, to soils with varying physiochemical properties collected from discrete locations within North Carolina's Coastal Plain region. Sorption distribution coefficients (Kd values) were influenced by soil organic carbon content and ranged from 0.63-1.26 L kg-1. Empirical organic carbon normalized sorption coefficients, log Koc, for ibuprofen in Goldsboro, Norfolk, and Lynchburg soils were compared to theoretical estimates of its partitioning to soil organic matter (SOM). Results suggest that using such correlation equations may overestimate the partitioning of ibuprofen to SOM