Investigating the role of ELN rs2071307 gene variant as a risk factor for Achilles Tendon Pathologies in a British Cohort

Injuries to the Achilles tendon (tendinopathies or ruptures) are considered as ones of the most severe musculoskeletal traumas in sports with an incidence rate of 50% in athletes and 10% in the general population. A number of gene variants coding for tendon structural proteins such as COL5A11 and FBN22 have previously been associated with Achilles tendon pathologies (ATP). These protein along with others maintain a harmonious interaction with elastin to allow tendons to respond to tensile load by stretching and returning to their original lengths. The ELN rs2071307 variant has been associated with soft tissue pathologies and is believed to be a good candidate gene as it results in the substitution of the hydrophobic amino acid glycine with the hydrophilic serine. However, in a previous study this variant was not associated with either Achilles tendinopathy or ACL rupture in populations from Australia and South Africa2. As recent evidence suggests that genetic risk factors for tendinopathy may depend, to some extent, on geographic location 3, the aim of this study was to determine whether the ELN rs2071307 variant was associated with the risk of ATP in a British cohort

An examination of the suitability of a UK PFI model within the Czech Republic, the Republic of Ireland, Palestine (Gaza-West Bank), Portugal and Turkey

Purpose – The objective of this research is to identify the cross-cultural similarities and differences of the implementation of the UK PFI procurement process in different contexts. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology adopted was the SLEEPT approach. The identified features are examined from source material of various projects within the stated nations. A Delphic approach of confirmation by national collaborators from each country is utilised. Confirming and disaffirming features are examined utilising exogenous cultural drivers. Findings – The conclusion of this research identifies cross-cultural features of six different cultures presented as a “cultural compass” which will inform the development of future private finance initiative (PFI)/public private partnership (PPP) projects. The impact of this research will have implications for the appreciation of cultural similarities and differences of national “construction cultures” for effective project delivery of future PFI/PPP projects. Originality/value – This paper offers an approach that can be generalised for adoption by nations considering the introduction of PFI as a procurement process

Polariton quantum boxes in semiconductor microcavities

We report on the realization of polariton quantum boxes in a semiconductor microcavity under strong coupling regime. The quantum boxes consist of mesas that confine the cavity photon, etched on top of the spacer of a microcavity. For mesas with sizes of the order of a few micron in width and nm in depth, we observe quantization, caused by the lateral confinement, of the polariton modes in several peaks. We evidence the strong exciton-photon coupling regime through a typical/clear anticrossing curve for each quantized level. Moreover the growth technique is of high quality, which opens the way for the conception of new optoelectronic devices

The Potential of RFID as an Enabler of Knowledge Management and Collaboration for the Procurement Cycle in the Construction Industry

Among the array of innovative ICTs (information and communication technologies), radio frequency identification technology (RFID) can be considered as a major innovation with the potential to offer many new opportunities for construction companies to improve communication, facilitate teamwork, improve information management skills, and encourage greater cross-fertilization between business processes. Empirical results point to the need of the four participating firms to overcome several procurement issues and bottlenecks in order to gain more substantial competitive advantages and consistently satisfy project owners throughout the entire procurement cycle. An RFID system has the potential to improve real-time document and material tracking and control. But, more importantly, findings suggest that RFID improves the management, sharing, and transfer of knowledge and fosters collaboration through integrated document management, prompt issue management, risk management and efficient decision making

Double-descent curves in neural networks: a new perspective using Gaussian processes

Double-descent curves in neural networks describe the phenomenon that the generalisation error initially descends with increasing parameters, then grows after reaching an optimal number of parameters which is less than the number of data points, but then descends again in the overparameterised regime. Here we use a neural network Gaussian process (NNGP) which maps exactly to a fully connected network (FCN) in the infinite width limit, combined with techniques from random matrix theory, to calculate this generalisation behaviour, with a particular focus on the overparameterised regime. An advantage of our NNGP approach is that the analytical calculations are easier to interpret. We argue that neural network generalization performance improves in the overparameterised regime precisely because that is where they converge to their equivalent Gaussian process