Blockchain, Leadership And Management: Business AS Usual Or Radical Disruption?

The Internet provided the world with interconnection. However, it did not provide it with trust. Trust is lacking everywhere in our society and is the reason for the existence of powerful intermediaries aggregating power. Trust is what prevents the digital world to take over. This has consequences for organisations: they are inefficient because time, energy, money and passion are wasted on verifying everything happens as decided. Managers play the role of intermediaries in such case: they connect experts with each others and instruct them of what to do. As a result, in our expert society, people's engagement is low because no one is there to inspire and empower them. In other words, our society faces an unprecedented lack of leadership. Provided all those shortcomings, the study imagines the potential repercussions, especially in the context of management, of implementing a blockchain infrastructure in any type of organisation. Indeed, the blockchain technology seems to be able to remedy to those issues, for this distributed and immutable ledger provides security, decentralisation and transparency. In the context of a blockchain economy, the findings show that value creation will be rearranged, with experts directly collaborating with each others, and hierarchy being eliminated. This could, in turn, render managers obsolete, as a blockchain infrastructure will automate most of the tasks. As a result, only a strong, action-oriented, leadership would maintain the organisation together. This leadership-in-action would consist in igniting people to take action; coach members of the organisations so that their contribution makes sense in the greater context of life

BLOCKCHAIN, LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT: BUSINESS AS USUAL OR RADICAL DISRUPTION?

The Internet provided the world with interconnection. However, it did not provide it with trust. Trust is lacking everywhere in our society and is the reason for the existence of powerful intermediaries aggregating power. Trust is what prevents the digital world to take over. This has consequences for organisations: they are inefficient because time, energy, money and passion are wasted on verifying everything happens as decided. Managers play the role of intermediaries in such case: they connect experts with each others and instruct them of what to do. As a result, in our expert society, people’s engagement is low because no one is there to inspire and empower them. In other words, our society faces an unprecedented lack of leadership. Provided all those shortcomings, the study imagines the potential repercussions, especially in the context of management, of implementing a blockchain infrastructure in any type of organisation. Indeed, the blockchain technology seems to be able to remedy to those issues, for this distributed and immutable ledger provides security, decentralisation and transparency. In the context of a blockchain economy, the findings show that value creation will be rearranged, with experts directly collaborating with each others, and hierarchy being eliminated. This could, in turn, render managers obsolete, as a blockchain infrastructure will automate most of the tasks. As a result, only a strong, action-oriented, leadership would maintain the organisation together. This leadership-in-action would consist in igniting people to take action; coach members of the organisations so that their contribution makes sense in the greater context of life

Facial Pain Associated with CPAP Use: Intra-Sinusal Third Molar

Objective. This paper describes a patient with left hemifacial pain elicited by the use of a CPAP mask. Case Report. A 74-year-old man was referred with a history of pain in the left maxillary sinus related to the use of his CPAP interface, thereby prohibiting the use of the latter. Computed tomography revealed an intra-sinusal ectopic third molar in the left maxillary sinus floor corresponding to the painful area. After removal of the ectopic tooth under local anesthesia by a Caldwell-Luc approach, the patient was relieved of his symptoms. Conclusion. Although an ectopic tooth in the maxillary sinus is rare, this case points out the importance of actively looking for a regional problem if patients cannot tolerate the CPAP interface since this can lead to issues of incompliance and medical complications due to the untreated obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome

Factors Regulating Walleye Early Survival and Cohort Strength in Eastern South Dakota Glacial Lakes

Walleye Sander vitreus is an important ecological component of glacial lake aquatic communities in eastern South Dakota, and the most popular sport fish in the region. Walleye populations in this region exhibit consistently poor or annually-variable reproductive success and are regularly stocked in an effort to maintain consistent recreational fisheries. However, current stocking programs are based on reproductive success from previous years rather than on expected reproductive success in the year which stocking occurs. Determination of walleye cohort strength at the larval life stage would provide a stocking prioritization system that would utilize the natural reproduction of in situ walleye populations, and maximize the potential benefits of stocked walleye by supplementing weak or failed cohorts. In consideration of these management issues, the objectives of this study were to: 1) evaluate the utility of three ichthyoplankton gears for estimating the strength of walleye cohorts at the larval life stage; 2) assess the interaction between yellow perch and walleye during their first year and 3) determine the factors influencing the reproductive success of South Dakota glacial lakes walleye populations. Three cohorts of walleye were sampled from spring to fall in each of three years (2001 to 2003). Sampling was conducted in Clear (Marshall County), Madison (Lake County), Parks (Day County), Sinai (Brookings County), and Thompson (Kingsbury County) lakes in the glacial lakes region of eastern South Dakota. Concurrent larval walleye and yellow perch samples were collected weekly from 1 May through 15 June using a 0.5-m conical plankton net, a Miller high-speed fry sampler, and quatrefoil light traps. Juvenile walleye and yellow perch were collected bi-weekly from 1 July through 20 August with night-time seining; fall walleye collections consisted of a single night-time electrofishing trip during mid-September. Light traps captured substantially more larval walleye than either of the other two active ichthyoplankton (IP) gears. In general, light traps captured walleye yolk-sac larvae shortly after hatching (third week in May) and the conical net and Miller sampler captured walleye two weeks later. Precision of larval walleye abundance estimates was poor for all three IP gears. However, significant positive correlations were found between peak larval walleye abundance estimates from all three IP gears, suggesting that catch rates from all three gears varied in accordance with larval walleye abundance. Mean lengths of walleye larvae captured by each of the three IP gears reflected the differences in catch timing. Walleye captured with light traps were less than 11 mm and were generally larger than 13 mm in the two active IP gears. Peak larval walleye catch rates from all three IP gears showed highly significant (P\u3c0.001) positive linear correlations to estimates of relative abundance of juveniles from both summer seining and fall electrofishing. Although, prediction of walleye cohort strength from larval sampling is plausible using any of the three IP gears, light traps show the most promise as a predictive tool. Light traps captured walleye larvae from weak to very strong cohorts, while the active gears only captured walleye larvae from strong to very strong cohorts. In addition, light traps capture newly-hatched yolk sac larvae during the same time of the year that state hatcheries are producing walleye fry for stocking. Predictions of cohort strength generated at this time could direct hatchery products to waters with weak or failed cohorts. That walleye cohort strength was correlated with larval abundance suggests that cohort strength was set before larval sampling occurred. Mortality of larvae to fall was likely high but occurred in a predictable manner. The absence of walleye larvae in IP samples from waters with failed cohorts suggests that cohort strength was determined by the number of walleye that hatch rather than catastrophic or episodic mortality occurring at the larval or juvenile life stages

The [4+2]‐Cycloaddition of α‐Nitrosoalkenes with Thiochalcones as a Prototype of Periselective Hetero‐Diels–Alder Reactions—Experimental and Computational Studies

The [4+2]‐cycloadditions of α‐nitrosoalkenes with thiochalcones occur with high selectivity at the thioketone moiety of the dienophile providing styryl‐substituted 4H‐1,5,2‐oxathiazines in moderate to good yields. Of the eight conceivable hetero‐Diels–Alder adducts only this isomer was observed, thus a prototype of a highly periselective and regioselective cycloaddition has been identified. Analysis of crude product mixtures revealed that the α‐nitrosoalkene also adds competitively to the thioketone moiety of the thiochalcone dimer affording bis‐heterocyclic [4+2]‐cycloadducts. The experiments are supported by high‐level DFT calculations that were also extended to related hetero‐Diels–Alder reactions of other nitroso compounds and thioketones. These calculations reveal that the title cycloadditions are kinetically controlled processes confirming the role of thioketones as superdienophiles. The computational study was also applied to the experimentally studied thiochalcone dimerization, and showed that the 1,2‐dithiin and 2H‐thiopyran isomers are in equilibrium with the monomer. Again, the DFT calculations indicate kinetic control of this process

New frog

6 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 6)

Artificial intelligence applications and cataract management: A systematic review

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based applications exhibit the potential to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care in different fields, including cataract management. A systematic review of the different applications of AI-based software on all aspects of a cataract patient's management, from diagnosis to follow-up, was carried out in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. All selected articles were analyzed to assess the level of evidence according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine 2011 guidelines, and the quality of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. Of the articles analyzed, 49 met the inclusion criteria. No data synthesis was possible for the heterogeneity of available data and the design of the available studies. The AI-driven diagnosis seemed to be comparable and, in selected cases, to even exceed the accuracy of experienced clinicians in classifying disease, supporting the operating room scheduling, and intraoperative and postoperative management of complications. Considering the heterogeneity of data analyzed, however, further randomized controlled trials to assess the efficacy and safety of AI application in the management of cataract should be highly warranted

Impact on visual acuity in neovascular age related macular degeneration (Namd) in europe due to covid-19 pandemic lockdown

This is a retrospective, multicenter study of consecutive patients with nAMD scheduled for a visit and/or a treatment with an intravitreal injection (IVI) during the 3 months before lockdown in the Ophthalmology Departments of six centers of Europe.The study was conducted on 546 patients, of which 55.13% were females, almost 100% of the patients were White/Caucasian race, and 71.53% of the patients presented a type 1 macular neovascularization (NVM). A total of 62.82% of patients (343 patients) that were on scheduled clinic visits and/or intravitreal injection treatment during the 3 months before the quarantine did not attend either to visit or for treatment during the lockdown. The mean number of injections during the lockdown was significantly reduced. This was followed by a significant reduction in the mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) between the 3 months before the lockdown (mean BCVA of 60.68 ± 19.77 letters) and 6 months after lockdown (mean BCVA of 56.98 ± 22.59 letters). Patients with better BCVA before the lockdown and the ones showing neovascular activity were more likely to attend their scheduled visits and/or IVI treatments. The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown have led to a decrease in the number of IVI treatments in patients with nAMD, evidencing a significant vision loss at 6 months