152 research outputs found
The use of theory to develop physical activity interventions in urological cancer survivors : a narrative review
Схема образования стружки при несвободном резании
Дан анализ существующих схем образования стружки при свободном и несвободном резании материалов. Предложен новый подход к описанию зоны стружкообразования при несвободном резании с единственной условной поверхностью сдвига. Решена задача аналитического описания формы условной поверхности сдвига в общем виде. Приведены примеры анализа зоны стружкообразования для острозаточенного и закругленного лезвия инструмента. Показана актуальность полученных результатов для решения задач механики процесса резания материалов лезвийными инструментами. The analysis of existing schemes chip formation with the free and non-free cutting materials. A new approach to the description of chip area with an unfree cutting with a single conventional shear surface. The problem of analytical description of the conditional form shear surfaces in general. Examples of chip area for analysis ostrozatochennogo and rounded blade tool. The urgency of the results for the solution of problems of the process of cutting edge tools of mechanics of materials
The United States, PMSCs and the state monopoly on violence: Leading the way towards norm change
This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2013 Sage.The proliferation of private military and security companies (PMSCs) in Iraq and Afghanistan has raised many questions regarding the use of armed force by private contractors. This article addresses the question of whether the increased acceptance of PMSCs indicates a transformation of the international norm regarding the state monopoly on the legitimate use of armed force. Drawing on theoretical approaches to the analysis of norm change, the article employs four measures to investigate possible changes in the strength and meaning of this norm: modifications in state behaviour, state responses to norm violation, the promulgation of varying interpretations of the norm in national and international laws and regulations, and changes in norm discourse. Based on an analysis of empirical evidence from the United States of America and its allies, the article concludes that these measures suggest that the USA is leading the way towards a transformation of the international norm of the state monopoly on violence, involving a revised meaning. Although this understanding has not yet been formally implemented in international law, it has allowed a growing number of countries to tolerate, accept or legalize the use of armed force by PMSCs in the international arena.The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
Security: Collective good or commodity?
This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2008 Sage.The state monopoly on the legitimate use of violence in Europe and North America has been central to the development of security as a collective good. Not only has it institutionalized the state as the prime national and international security provider, it has helped to reduce the threat from other actors by either prohibiting or limiting their use of violence. The recent growth of the private security industry appears to undermine this view. Not only are private security firms proliferating at the national level; private military companies are also taking over an increasing range of military functions in both national defence and international interventions. This article seeks to provide an examination of the theoretical and practical implications of the shift from states to markets in the provision of security. Specifically, it discusses how the conceptualization of security as a commodity rather than a collective good affects the meaning and implementation of security in Western democracies.ESR
Who takes risks when and why: determinants of changes in investor risk taking
Between September08 and June09, a period with significant market events, we surveyed UK online-brokerage customers at three-months intervals for their willingness to take risk, three-months expectations of returns and risks for the market and their own portfolio, and self-reported risk attitude. This unique dataset allowed us to analyze how these variables changed over time, and whether changes in risk taking were related to changes in expectations and/or risk attitudes. Risk taking changed substantially during the period, as did return and risk expectations. Numeric assessments of return and risk expectations were only weakly correlated with corresponding subjective judgments. Consistent with the risk-as-feelings hypothesis, changes in risk taking were associated with changes in subjective expectations of market portfolio risk and returns, but less with changes in numeric expectation
Genetic and clinical basis for two distinct subtypes of primary Sjögren's syndrome
Objectives
Clinical presentation of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) varies considerably. A shortage of evidence-based objective markers hinders efficient drug development and most clinical trials have failed to reach primary endpoints.
Methods
We performed a multicentre study to identify patient subgroups based on clinical, immunological and genetic features. Targeted DNA sequencing of 1853 autoimmune-related loci was performed. After quality control, 918 patients with pSS, 1264 controls and 107 045 single nucleotide variants remained for analysis. Replication was performed in 177 patients with pSS and 7672 controls.
Results
We found strong signals of association with pSS in the HLA region. Principal component analysis of clinical data distinguished two patient subgroups defined by the presence of SSA/SSB antibodies. We observed an unprecedented high risk of pSS for an association in the HLA-DQA1 locus of odds ratio 6.10 (95% CI: 4.93, 7.54, P=2.2×10−62) in the SSA/SSB-positive subgroup, while absent in the antibody negative group. Three independent signals within the MHC were observed. The two most significant variants in MHC class I and II respectively, identified patients with a higher risk of hypergammaglobulinaemia, leukopenia, anaemia, purpura, major salivary gland swelling and lymphadenopathy. Replication confirmed the association with both MHC class I and II signals confined to SSA/SSB antibody positive pSS.
Conclusion
Two subgroups of patients with pSS with distinct clinical manifestations can be defined by the presence or absence of SSA/SSB antibodies and genetic markers in the HLA locus. These subgroups should be considered in clinical follow-up, drug development and trial outcomes, for the benefit of both subgroups.publishedVersio
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A Report of the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology & Global Climate Change
This report examines the role of the field of psychology in understanding and dealing with global climate change. The report explores the psychological drivers for contributing to climate change and the psychological barriers to action in response to the threat of climate change. The report makes policy recommendations based on its findings
The use of mid-regional proadrenomedullin to identify disease severity and treatment response to sepsis - a secondary analysis of a large randomised controlled trial
Background: This study assessed the ability of mid-regional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) in comparison to conventional biomarkers (procalcitonin (PCT), lactate, C-reactive protein) and clinical scores to identify disease severity in patients with sepsis. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock across 33 German intensive care units. The association between biomarkers and clinical scores with mortality was assessed by Cox regression analysis, area under the receiver operating characteristic and Kaplan-Meier curves. Patients were stratified into three severity groups (low, intermediate, high) for all biomarkers and scores based on cutoffs with either a 90% sensitivity or specificity. Results: 1089 patients with a 28-day mortality rate of 26.9% were analysed. According to the Sepsis-3 definition, 41. 2% and 58.8% fulfilled the criteria for sepsis and septic shock, with respective mortality rates of 20.0% and 32.1%. MR-proADM had the strongest association with mortality across all Sepsis-1 and Sepsis-3 subgroups and could facilitate a more accurate classification of low (e.g. MR-proADM vs. SOFA: N = 265 vs. 232;9.8% vs. 13.8% mortality) and high (e.g. MR-proADM vs. SOFA: N = 161 vs. 155;55.9% vs. 41.3% mortality) disease severity. Patients with decreasing PCT concentrations of either >= 20% (baseline to day 1) or >= 50% (baseline to day 4) but continuously high MR-proADM concentrations had a significantly increased mortality risk (HR (95% CI): 19.1 (8.0-45.9) and 43.1 (10.1-184.0)). Conclusions: MR-proADM identifies disease severity and treatment response more accurately than established biomarkers and scores, adding additional information to facilitate rapid clinical decision-making and improve personalised sepsis treatment
Specification of progression in glaucomatous visual field loss, applying locally condensed stimulus arrangements
The goal of this work was to (i) determine patterns of progression in glaucomatous visual field loss, (ii) compare the detection rate of progression between locally condensed stimulus arrangements and conventional 6° × 6° grid, and (iii) assess the individual frequency distribution of test locations exhibiting a local event (i.e., an abrupt local deterioration of differential luminance sensitivity (DLS) by more than -10dB between any two examinations).
The visual function of 41 glaucomatous eyes of 41 patients (16 females, 25 males, 37 to 75 years old) was examined with automated static perimetry (Tuebingen Computer Campimeter or Octopus 101-Perimeter). Stimuli were added to locally enhance the spatial resolution in suspicious regions of the visual field. The minimum follow-up was four subsequent sessions with a minimum of 2-month (median 6-month) intervals between each session. Progression was identified using a modified pointwise linear regression (PLR) method and a modified Katz criterion. The presence of events was assessed in all progressive visual fields.
Eleven eyes (27%) showed progression over the study period (median 2.5 years, range 1.3–8.6 years). Six (55%) of these had combined progression in depth and size and five eyes (45%) progressed in depth only. Progression in size conformed always to the nerve fiber course. Seven out of 11 (64%) of the progressive scotomata detected by spatially condensed grids would have been missed by the conventional 6° × 6° grid. At least one event occurred in 64% of all progressive eyes. Five of 11 (46%) progressive eyes showed a cluster of events.
The most common pattern of progression in glaucomatous visual fields is combined progression in depth and size of an existing scotoma. Applying individually condensed test grids remarkably enhances the detection rate of glaucomatous visual field deterioration (at the expense of an increased examination time) compared to conventional stimulus arrangements
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