Phonon dispersion and phonon densities of states for ZnS and ZnTe

Neutron scattering data are reported for II–VI zincblende crystals, which are believed to be of sufficient precision to refine earlier ZnS ambiguities and to provide a basis for model fitting comparable to existing III‐V results. Valence shell models, including 9–12 parameters (VSM) and a variable shell charge extension (VCM), were fit to the data and used to generate phonon density of states and Debye temperatures. Very good fits to the neutron data were obtained, but no model was found that also predicts an accurate set of electric and mechanical constants. It is concluded that an unambiguous ionic charge Z cannot be assigned from the neutron results in either case.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71346/2/JCPSA6-60-9-3613-1.pd

The effectiveness of multifactorial and multicomponent interventions for the prevention of falls for adults in hospital settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of multicomponent and multifactorial interventions for reducing falls in adult in-patients. Falls are the most common cause of accidental injury in hospitals worldwide, resulting in high human and economic costs. In attempts to reduce the number of falls, a wide range of interventions have been employed, often in combination, either as a package (multicomponent) or tailored to the individual (multifactorial). There is a need to synthesise the findings from primary studies and assess which approach may be more effective. The systematic review included studies comprising adult inpatients aged 18 years and over from any hospital setting including elective, non-elective, day-case and secondary care. Randomized controlled trials (RCT), cluster-randomised trials, quasi-experimental controlled trials and historical controlled trials were included that presented sufficient information regarding the rate or number of falls. This effectiveness review was conducted in accordance with JBI methodology and was guided by an a priori protocol. A comprehensive 3-step search strategy was employed across 14 databases. Screening was conducted by two independent reviewers, and data was extracted using a bespoke data extraction tool designed for this review. Methodological quality was assessed using adapted versions of JBI critical appraisal checklists. Meta-analyses were conducted within a Bayesian framework to interpret results probabilistically and account for covariance in multiple sets of falls data reported in the same study. Effect sizes were calculated by comparing the rate or number of falls in the intervention group compared with usual care. Narrative syntheses were conducted on studies that met the inclusion criteria but did not provide sufficient data for inclusion in meta-analyses. A total of 9,637 records were obtained and following screening 24 studies were included in this review, 21 of which presented sufficient information to be included in meta-analyses. Most studies (n=16) comprised a weaker historical control design with 6 quasi-experimental and only 5 RCT studies. Multifactorial interventions were more common (n=18) than multicomponent (n=6), with the most frequent components including environmental adaptations and assistive aids (75% of studies). Meta-analyses provided evidence that both intervention types were effective at reducing the rate and risk of falls compared to usual care. Evidence was also obtained of greater reductions in rate and risk of falls with multicomponent interventions, however, analyses were potentially confounded by an association between intervention type and study design. Falls interventions routinely employed in hospitals can substantially reduce falls, however, no evidence was obtained in support of tailoring interventions to individual risk factors. Future high-quality RCTs are required that directly compare multicomponent and multifactorial interventions

Theodicy and End-of-Life Care

Acknowledgments The section on Islamic perspective is contributed by information provided by Imranali Panjwani, Tutor in Theology & Religious Studies, King's College London.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Exercise therapy for the treatment of tendinopathies: a scoping review.

Purpose: Tendinopathy is a common condition leading to pain, disability and reduced quality of life/participation. Due to many tendinopathies having a chronic or recurrent course, there is a need to identify effective, evidence based practice for this condition. Exercise is the mainstay of conservative management for tendinopathy however, due to the heterogeneity of tendinopathy, populations affected and variation in exercise approaches a mapping of this area is required to inform future research, both primary and secondary and ultimately practice. The aim of this scoping review was therefore to map the existing evidence on exercise interventions and outcomes for the treatment of any tendinopathy. Methods: JBI Scoping Review methodology and an apriori protocol guided this review. Inclusion criteria included i). Participants - studies including any age or gender with any tendinopathy, ii). Concept – Exercise therapy (any type or format) intervention, delivered in any setting by any professional with any outcomes related to evaluating exercise interventions for tendinopathy, iii). Context – any setting in any developed nation listed as having very high human development. Nine databases, five clinical trial registries and six grey literature sources were searched. Results were uploaded to Covidence for screening. All screening (title/abstract and full text) were conducted by two reviewers independently with conflicts resolved by a third reviewer. A data extraction tool was iteratively developed and piloted by the review team prior to data extraction. As per scoping review methodology, no critical appraisal was conducted. Data was synthesised to present a map of tendinopathy exercise interventions and outcomes (related to ICON health related domains) alongside an accompanying narrative. Results: 22,547 studies were identified and after de-duplication and screening 554 studies were included in the review representing 25,687 participants. Studies were predominantly randomised controlled trials or systematic reviews conducted in the UK, Turkey, USA & Australia. The main tendinopathies reported were rotator cuff, achilles, lateral elbow and patellar. The majority of studies included a range of strength training approaches followed by flexibility and motor re-training /proprioception exercise. There was a range in quality of reporting of exercise across tendinopathies, assessed using the TIDieR checklist with 65.8% partially reproducible and 28% not reproducible. There was variation across tendinopathies in domains (disability, pain and physical function capacity) reported with corresponding variation in primary outcome measures related to these. Conclusion(s): This scoping review has mapped the evidence on exercise for tendinopathies. There is a range of exercise approaches across different tendinopathies and a need for future research to strictly adhere to reporting guidelines. There are a range of outcomes and domains reported across tendinopathies and future research would benefit from the development of core outcome sets for each tendinopathy. Impact: This scoping review adds to the body of evidence on tendinopathy rehabilitation. The results have informed systematic reviews currently being conducted on effectiveness of exercise for tendinopathies and the acceptability and feasibility of exercise interventions for tendinopathies. These reviews will provide guidance on exercise for tendinopathy rehabilitation, which can be adopted internationally. Funding acknowledgements: This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) [Health Technology Assessment (HTA) 129388 Exercise therapy for the treatment of tendinopathies]. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate induces peripheral neuropathy and alters inflammation and mitochondrial biogenesis in the brains of mice.

Mounting evidence suggests that antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs may contribute to the prevalence of HIV-associated neurological dysfunction. The HIV envelope glycoprotein (gp120) is neurotoxic and has been linked to alterations in mitochondrial function and increased inflammatory gene expression, which are common neuropathological findings in HIV+ cases on ART with neurological disorders. Tenofovir disproxil fumarate (TDF) has been shown to affect neurogenesis in brains of mice and mitochondria in neurons. In this study, we hypothesized that TDF contributes to neurotoxicity by modulating mitochondrial biogenesis and inflammatory pathways. TDF administered to wild-type (wt) and GFAP-gp120 transgenic (tg) mice caused peripheral neuropathy, as indicated by nerve conduction slowing and thermal hyperalgesia. Conversely TDF protected gp120-tg mice from cognitive dysfunction. In the brains of wt and gp120-tg mice, TDF decreased expression of mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). However, double immunolabelling revealed that TFAM was reduced in neurons and increased in astroglia in the hippocampi of TDF-treated wt and gp120-tg mice. TDF also increased expression of GFAP and decreased expression of IBA1 in the wt and gp120-tg mice. TDF increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α in wt mice. However, TDF reduced interleukin (IL) 1β and TNFα mRNA in gp120-tg mouse brains. Primary human astroglia were exposed to increasing doses of TDF for 24 hours and then analyzed for mitochondrial alterations and inflammatory gene expression. In astroglia, TDF caused a dose-dependent increase in oxygen consumption rate, extracellular acidification rate and spare respiratory capacity, changes consistent with increased metabolism. TDF also reduced IL-1β-mediated increases in IL-1β and TNFα mRNA. These data demonstrate that TDF causes peripheral neuropathy in mice and alterations in inflammatory signaling and mitochondrial activity in the brain

Shift of percolation thresholds for epidemic spread between static and dynamic small-world networks

The aim of the study was to compare the epidemic spread on static and dynamic small-world networks. The network was constructed as a 2-dimensional Watts-Strogatz model (500x500 square lattice with additional shortcuts), and the dynamics involved rewiring shortcuts in every time step of the epidemic spread. The model of the epidemic is SIR with latency time of 3 time steps. The behaviour of the epidemic was checked over the range of shortcut probability per underlying bond 0-0.5. The quantity of interest was percolation threshold for the epidemic spread, for which numerical results were checked against an approximate analytical model. We find a significant lowering of percolation thresholds for the dynamic network in the parameter range given. The result shows that the behaviour of the epidemic on dynamic network is that of a static small world with the number of shortcuts increased by 20.7 +/- 1.4%, while the overall qualitative behaviour stays the same. We derive corrections to the analytical model which account for the effect. For both dynamic and static small-world we observe suppression of the average epidemic size dependence on network size in comparison with finite-size scaling known for regular lattice. We also study the effect of dynamics for several rewiring rates relative to latency time of the disease.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

The effects of oral contraceptives on exercise performance in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) are double agents, which downregulate endogenous concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone whilst simultaneously providing daily supplementation of exogenous oestrogen and progestin during the OCP-taking days. This altered hormonal milieu differs significantly from that of eumenorrheic women and might impact exercise performance, due to changes in ovarian hormone-mediated physiological processes. Objective: To explore the effects of OCPs on exercise performance in women and to provide evidence-based performance recommendations to users. Methods: This review complied with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A between-group analysis was performed, wherein performance of OCP users was compared with naturally menstruating women, and a within-group analysis was conducted, wherein performance during OCP consumption was compared with OCP withdrawal. For the between-group analysis, women were phase matched in two ways: (1) OCP withdrawal versus the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle and (2) OCP consumption versus all phases of the menstrual cycle except for the early follicular phase. Study quality was assessed using a modified Downs and Black Checklist and a strategy based on the recommendations of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation working group. All meta-analyses were conducted within a Bayesian framework to facilitate probabilistic interpretations. Results: 42 studies and 590 participants were included. Most studies (83%) were graded as moderate, low or very low quality, with 17% achieving high quality. For the between-group meta-analysis comparing OCP users with naturally menstruating women, posterior estimates of the pooled effect were used to calculate the probability of at least a small effect (d ≥ 0.2). Across the two between-group comparison methods, the probability of a small effect on performance favouring habitual OCP users was effectually zero (p < 0.001). In contrast, the probability of a small effect on performance favouring naturally menstruating women was moderate under comparison method (1) (d ≥ 0.2; p = 0.40) and small under comparison method (2) (d ≥ 0.2; p = 0.19). Relatively large between-study variance was identified for both between-group comparisons (0.5 = 0.16 [95% credible interval (CrI) 0.01-0.44] and 0.5 = 0.22 [95% CrI 0.06-0.45]). For the within-group analysis comparing OCP consumption with withdrawal, posterior estimates of the pooled effect size identified almost zero probability of a small effect on performance in either direction (d ≥ 0.2; p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: OCP use might result in slightly inferior exercise performance on average when compared to naturally menstruating women, although any group-level effect is most likely to be trivial. Practically, as effects tended to be trivial and variable across studies, the current evidence does not warrant general guidance on OCP use compared with non-use. Therefore, when exercise performance is a priority, an individualised approach might be more appropriate. The analysis also indicated that exercise performance was consistent across the OCP cycle

Determination of the Minimum Antenna Mast Height for Microwave Links with Nonzero Path Inclination: Method I

In this paper, a method that can be used to determine the minimum antenna mast height when the path inclination is not equal to zero is presented. In this method, none of the antenna height is known. In this case, the two antenna mast heights are determined from the knowledge of the location and height of the maximum obstruction in the communication link path. The mathematical models and the algorithm pertaining to the method are presented in this paper  along with sample numerical example using path profile data for a line of sight  4 GHz microwave communication link with path length of 38887.6 m. From the results, the receiver antenna height  is 176.07 m and  transmitter antenna height  is 127.09 m. With respective to the elevation height, this gives the transmitter antenna mast height of 37.25m and the receiver antenna mast height of 127.2 m. In effect, the transmitter antenna is lower than the receiver antenna. The transmitter is also below the maximum height of the tip of the obstruction which is 144.21 m high.  The path inclination is . The ideas presented in this study are useful for installation of entirely new line of sight microwave communication link

Determination of the Minimum Antenna Mast Height for Microwave Links with Nonzero Path Inclination: Method I

In this paper, a method that can be used to determine the minimum antenna mast height when the path inclination is not equal to zero is presented. In this method, none of the antenna height is known. In this case, the two antenna mast heights are determined from the knowledge of the location and height of the maximum obstruction in the communication link path. The mathematical models and the algorithm pertaining to the method are presented in this paper  along with sample numerical example using path profile data for a line of sight  4 GHz microwave communication link with path length of 38887.6 m. From the results, the receiver antenna height  is 176.07 m and  transmitter antenna height  is 127.09 m. With respective to the elevation height, this gives the transmitter antenna mast height of 37.25m and the receiver antenna mast height of 127.2 m. In effect, the transmitter antenna is lower than the receiver antenna. The transmitter is also below the maximum height of the tip of the obstruction which is 144.21 m high.  The path inclination is . The ideas presented in this study are useful for installation of entirely new line of sight microwave communication link