Static condensation optimal port/interface reduction and error estimation for structural health monitoring

Having the application in structural health monitoring in mind, we propose reduced port spaces that exhibit an exponential convergence for static condensation procedures on structures with changing geometries for instance induced by newly detected defects. Those reduced port spaces generalize the port spaces introduced in [K. Smetana and A.T. Patera, SIAM J. Sci. Comput., 2016] to geometry changes and are optimal in the sense that they minimize the approximation error among all port spaces of the same dimension. Moreover, we show numerically that we can reuse port spaces that are constructed on a certain geometry also for the static condensation approximation on a significantly different geometry, making the optimal port spaces well suited for use in structural health monitoring

Localized orbital amyloidosis involving the lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct

Purpose: To report the case of a 70-year-old man who presented with tearing in his left eye and a firm palpable lump in the area overlying his left lacrimal sac. Design: Retrospective interventional case report. Methods: Noninvasive diagnostic evaluation followed by external dacryocystorhinostomy, histopathologic studies, and systemic evaluation. Results: The patient was found to have idiopathic localized amyloidosis limited to the lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct. Conclusion: The localized form of amyloidosis is rare, typically involves the head and neck without systemic manifestations, and carries an excellent prognosis. Previous reports of orbital amyloidosis have described involvement of the lacrimal gland, extraocular muscles, and the cranial nerves. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with nasolacrimal duct obstruction secondary to amyloid deposition in the lacrimal sac and fossa. © 2006 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Small molecules enhance autophagy and reduce toxicity in Huntington's disease models

The target of rapamycin (TOR) proteins regulate various cellular processes including autophagy1, which may play a protective role in certain neurodegenerative and infectious diseases2. Here we show that a primary small-molecule screen in yeast yields novel small-molecules modulators of mammalian autophagy. We first identified novel small-molecule enhancers (SMER) and inhibitors (SMIR) of the cytostatic effects of rapamycin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Three SMERs induced autophagy independently of rapamycin in mammalian cells, enhancing the clearance of autophagy substrates like mutant huntingtin and A53T α-synuclein, associated with Huntington’s disease (HD) and familial Parkinson’s disease, respectively3-5. These SMERs, which appear to act either independently, or downstream, of TOR, attenuated mutant huntingtin-fragment toxicity in HD cell and Drosophila models, suggesting therapeutic potential. We also screened structural analogs of these SMERs and identified additional candidate drugs enhancing autophagy. Thus, we have demonstrated proof-of-principle for a novel approach for discovery of small-molecule modulators of mammalian autophagy

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: : 24-Month Data from a Randomised Controlled Trial

Purpose: There is ongoing controversy on the effectiveness of psychotherapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In the few small studies, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) has been shown to alleviate symptoms of anxiety or depression. However, there is little research on the impact of CBT on physical outcomes in IBD and no studies on long-term effectiveness of CBT.\ud \ud Methods: The present two-arm pragmatic randomised controlled trial aimed to establish the impact of CBT on disease course after 24 months of observation. The study compared standard care plus CBT (+CBT) with standard care alone (SC). CBT was delivered over 10 weeks, face-to-face (F2F) or online (cCBT). The data were analysed using linear mixed-effects models.\ud \ud Results: CBT did not significantly influence disease activity as measured by disease activity indices at 24 months (Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI), p = 0.92; Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI), p = 0.88) or blood parameters (C-reactive protein (CRP), p < 0.62; haemoglobin (Hb), p = 0.77; platelet, p = 0.64; white cell count (WCC), p = 0.59) nor did CBT significantly affect mental health, coping or quality of life (all p > 0.05).\ud \ud Conclusions: Therefore, we conclude that CBT does not influence the course of IBD over 24 months. Given the high rate of attrition, particularly in the CBT group, future trials should consider a personalised approach to psychotherapy, perhaps combining online and one-to-one therapist time

Accounting Professionals’ Ethical Judgment and the Institutional Disciplinary Context: A French–US Comparison

International audienceThis paper investigates whether one aspect of the national institutional context (namely the disciplinary process of the accounting profession) may be associated with accounting professionals' ethical judgment, in France and the United States. For each country our study seeks to find if there is a link between the ethical judgment of accounting professionals and the disciplinary context, then we make a comparative analysis between the two nations. Our findings suggest that the judgment of the American accounting professionals is more influenced by the disciplinary decisions of the accountancy board. Conversely, the judgment of French accounting professionals seems to be more independent of the disciplinary context. Beyond the differences between the two countries, our results also show some common points; in both countries women tend to judge misconduct more severely than men. We then discuss these results by highlighting some characteristics of the legal systems (such as the facility of the procedure and the publication of sanctions), and that of the national culture (mainly the perception of the law and its link to ethics) which may account for the differences between the two nations. We conclude by identifying implications for the regulation of the accounting profession