The Tree-Generative Capacity of Combinatory Categorial Grammars

The generative capacity of combinatory categorial grammars as acceptors of tree languages is investigated. It is demonstrated that the such obtained tree languages can also be generated by simple monadic context-free tree grammars. However, the subclass of pure combinatory categorial grammars cannot even accept all regular tree languages. Additionally, the tree languages accepted by combinatory categorial grammars with limited rule degrees are characterized: If only application rules are allowed, then they can accept only a proper subset of the regular tree languages, whereas they can accept exactly the regular tree languages once first degree composition rules are permitted

Environmental regulation and green productivity growth: Evidence from Italian manufacturing industries

Environmental policy is at the core of the current research debate and policy action. Few studies have discussed the impact of environmental regulation on productivity growth at industry level, and the empirical evidence on this issue is still controversial. Based on panel data on thirteen Italian manufacturing industries from 1995 to 2017, this study analyzes the effect of environmental policies on sectoral productivity by measuring the adjusted productivity growth using the Malmquist-Luenberger index. The main result of this analysis is that environmental regulation has no negative effect in most of the sample industries. A bootstrapping approach has been used to assess the robustness of estimated results

External validity of randomized controlled trials on Alzheimer's disease: the biases of frailty and biological aging

To date, the external validity of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been assessed only considering monodimensional variables. Nevertheless, looking at isolated and single characteristics cannot guarantee a sufficient level of appreciation of the AD patients' complexity. The only way to understand whether the two worlds (i.e., research and clinics) deal with the same type of patients is to adopt multidimensional approaches more holistically reflecting the biological age of the individual. In the present study, we compared measures of frailty/biological aging [assessed by a Frailty Index (FI)] of a sample of patients with AD resulted eligible and subsequently included in phase III RCTs compared to patients referring to the same clinical service, but not considered for inclusion. The "RCT sample" and the "real world sample" were found to be statistically similar for all the considered sociodemographic and clinical variables. Nevertheless, the "real world sample" was found to be significantly frailer compared to the "RCT sample," as indicated by higher FI scores [0.28 (SD 0.1) vs. 0.17 (SD 0.1);p < 0.001, respectively]. Moreover, when assessing the relationship between FI and age, we found that the correlation was almost null in the "RCT sample" (Spearman'sr = 0.01;p = 0.98), while it was statistically significant in the "real world sample" (r = 0.49;p = 0.02). The application of too rigid designs may result in the poor representativeness of RCT samples. It may even imply the study of a condition biologically different from that observed in the "real world." The adoption of multidimensional measures capable to capture the individual's biological age may facilitate evaluating the external validity of clinical studies, implicitly improving the interpretation of the results and their translation in the clinical arena

Zweite Phase der Technologieplattform für ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft – Ausarbeitung einer Forschungsagenda und eines Aktionsplanes für die biologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft

Die Ziele und Aufgabenstellungen der Forschungsplattform erfüllen die einschlägigen Ziele des Bundesprogramms Ökologischer Landbau: Die Forschungsplattform entspricht dem Ziel die Rahmenbedingungen für die ökologische Landwirtschaft und andere nachhaltige Formen der Landwirtschaft deutlich zu verbessern und ein gleichgewichtiges Wachstum von Angebot und Nachfrage zu erzielen‘. Auch das Kriterium ‚alle Stufen der Wertschöpfungskette – von der Erzeugung bis hin zum Verbraucher‘ abzudecken, ist erfüllt. Die zentralen Ziele im Bereich Forschungsmanagement und Wissenstransfer im Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau sind erfüllt. Die Forschungspattform hat sowohl zur Forschungsförderung als auch zum Wissenstransfer beigetragen. Die Forschungsplattform ‘Organics’ kann als Erfolg bezeichnet werden. Es ist gelungen, die Forschungsplattform mit einem riesigen Netzwerk europäischer Dachorganisationen, Wissenschaftlern, Vertretern der Zivilgesellschaft, Firmen und nationalen Plattformen aufzubauen. Aufbauend auf der Forschungsvision konnten die Strategische Forschungsagenda und der Forschungsaktionsplan erarbeitet und veröffentlicht werden. Der Plattform gelang es außerdem, sich einen Namen bei relevanten Vertretern der EU-Administration und politischen Entscheidungsträgern zu machen. Die Forschungsplattform hat eine Kommunikationsstruktur aufgebaut um ihre Aktivitäten und Ergebnisse bekannt zu machen. Besonders die Webseite der Plattform und der Newsletter erfreuen sich großer Beliebtheit. Vertreter der Plattform haben die Struktur und Ergebnisse der TP ‚Organics‘ in 34 Veranstaltungen in ganz Europa vorgestellt. TP ‚Organics‘ wird auch in der Zukunft weiterhin ein Partner in Kongressen und Konferenzen sein. Es gelang der Plattform zudem, dass fünf seiner Forschungsvorschläge von der Generaldirektion Forschung der EU bei den Ausschreibungen für das Arbeitsprogramm 2011 berücksichtigt wurden. Im September 2010 wurden der Generaldirektion erneut 13 neue Themenvorschläge unterbreitet, von denen zu erwarten ist, dass einige Aufnahme in die Forschungsausschreibungen für die Arbeitsprogramme 2012 und 2013 finden werden. Die TP ‚Organics‘ bietet eine effektive Plattform um Informationen zu teilen und somit zur Entwicklung zukünftiger EU Forschungsprojekte beizutragen. Während der Definition der Forschungsprioritäten, hatten sowohl landwirtschaftliche Berater, Landwirte als auch Vertreter biologischer Klein- und Mittelunternehmen die Möglichkeit sich einzubringen und ihre Bedürfnisse zu kommunizieren. Der Wissenstransfer und die Teilhabe von Wirtschaftsbeteiligten in der Forschung entwickelten sich zu wichtigen Themenschwerpunkten. Die Ermittlung der Forschungsbedürnisse hatte und hat weiterhin einen großen Einfluss auf die zukünftigen Ausschreibungen von EU-Forschungsprojekten. Die Arbeit an der TP ‚Organics‘ hat außerdem alle Beteiligten durch die Wertschöpfungskette hindurch in ihrem Informations- und Arbeitsaustausch gestärkt. Partnerschaften wurden gefestigt, die der Weiterentwicklung der Forschungslandschaft für biologische Landwirtschaft zugutekommen werden. Die an der Plattform mitwirkenden Forscher und anderen Akteure hatten zudem die Möglichkeit, über neue Methoden partizipativer Forschung, des Austausches von Wissen, Netzwerken und Methoden zur Entscheidungsfindung zu diskutieren. Die TP ‘Organics’ hat außerdem Konzepte ausgearbeitet, die auch anderen Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft zugutekommen kann, so zum Beispiel einer Landwirtschaft, die sich auf nur geringe externe Betriebsmittel stützt (low external input agriculture)

Autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis response to experimentally induced cold pain in adolescent non-suicidal self-injury – study protocol

Background: Adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is associated with altered sensitivity to experimentally induced pain. Adolescents engaging in NSSI report greater pain threshold and pain tolerance, as well as lower pain intensity and pain unpleasantness compared to healthy controls. The experience of pain is associated with reactivity of both the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. However, previous research has not yet systematically addressed differences in the physiological response to experimentally induced pain comparing adolescents with NSSI and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Methods/Design: Adolescents with NSSI and healthy controls undergo repeated painful stimulation with the cold pressor task. ANS activity is continuously recorded throughout the procedure to assess changes in heart rate and heart rate variability. Blood pressure is monitored and saliva is collected prior to and after nociceptive stimulation to assess levels of saliva cortisol. Discussion: The study will provide evidence whether lower pain sensitivity in adolescents with NSSI is associated with blunted physiological and endocrinological responses to experimentally induced pain compared to healthy controls. Extending on the existing evidence on altered pain sensitivity in NSSI, measured by self-reports and behavioural assessments, this is the first study to take a systematic approach in evaluating the physiological response to experimentally induced pain in adolescent NSSI. Trial Registration: Deutsche Register Klinischer Studien, Study ID: DRKS00007807 ; Trial Registration Date: 13.02.201

Improved flexibility and economics of Calcium Looping power plants by thermochemical energy storage

Abstract In this work, a Calcium looping (CaL) system including high temperature sorbent storage is presented, allowing to reduce the size of the calciner and the associated capital-intensive equipment (ASU and CPU). Reduction of the capital costs is particularly important for power plants with low capacity factors, which is becoming increasingly frequent for fossil fuel power plants in electric energy mixes with increasing share of intermittent renewables. The process assessment is performed by: (i) defining pulverized coal power plant (PCPP) with CaL capture system with and without sorbent storage and their mass and energy balances at nominal load; (ii) defining a simple method to predict the performance of the plant at part-load; (iii) defining the economic model, including functions for the estimation of the plant equipment cost; (iv) performing yearly simulations of the systems to calculate yearly electricity production, CO2 emissions and levelized cost of electricity for different sizes of the calcination line and the storage system and (v) performing sensitivity analysis with different power production plans and carbon taxes. With this process, optimal size of the calciner and of the storage system minimizing the cost of electricity have been found. The optimal plant design was found to correspond to a solids storage system sized to manage the weekly cycling and a calciner line sized on the average weekly load. However, to avoid excessively large solids storage system, sizing the calciner on the average daily load and the storage system to manage the daily cycling appears more feasible from the logistic viewpoint and leads to minor economic penalty compared with the optimal plant design. For the selected case sized on the daily cycling, reduction of the cost of CO2 avoided between 16% and 26% have been obtained compared to the reference CaL plant without solids storage, for representative medium and low capacity factor scenarios respectively

Human Rights-Based Evaluation in German and International Development Cooperation: Literature Review

This literature review aims to summarise current knowledge on a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to evaluation and improve the basis for further conceptual discussions on this approach. To this end, we reviewed strategies and (publicly available) guidelines of multilateral and bilateral development actors, relevant tools for human rights in monitoring and evaluation, research articles, and evaluation reports published between 2014 and 2021

DISCUS: the distributed core for ubiquitous broadband access

A new end to end architecture based on Long-Reach Passive Optical Network (LR-PON) with wireless integration, a distributed core built of optical transparency islands and an OpenFlow-based control plane, which is being developed in the EU project DISCUS, is described in this paper. The main technological advances and the network modelling and optimization approach are reported

Optical Networks and Interconnects

The rapid evolution of communication technologies such as 5G and beyond, rely on optical networks to support the challenging and ambitious requirements that include both capacity and reliability. This chapter begins by giving an overview of the evolution of optical access networks, focusing on Passive Optical Networks (PONs). The development of the different PON standards and requirements aiming at longer reach, higher client count and delivered bandwidth are presented. PON virtualization is also introduced as the flexibility enabler. Triggered by the increase of bandwidth supported by access and aggregation network segments, core networks have also evolved, as presented in the second part of the chapter. Scaling the physical infrastructure requires high investment and hence, operators are considering alternatives to optimize the use of the existing capacity. This chapter introduces different planning problems such as Routing and Spectrum Assignment problems, placement problems for regenerators and wavelength converters, and how to offer resilience to different failures. An overview of control and management is also provided. Moreover, motivated by the increasing importance of data storage and data processing, this chapter also addresses different aspects of optical data center interconnects. Data centers have become critical infrastructure to operate any service. They are also forced to take advantage of optical technology in order to keep up with the growing capacity demand and power consumption. This chapter gives an overview of different optical data center network architectures as well as some expected directions to improve the resource utilization and increase the network capacity

Resting state functional thalamic connectivity abnormalities in patients with post-stroke sleep apnoea: a pilot case-control study

OBJECTIVE: Sleep apnoea is common after stroke, and has adverse effects on the clinical outcome of affected cases. Its pathophysiological mechanisms are only partially known. Increases in brain connectivity after stroke might influence networks involved in arousal modulation and breathing control. The aim of this study was to investigate the resting state functional MRI thalamic hyper connectivity of stroke patients affected by sleep apnoea (SA) with respect to cases not affected, and to healthy controls (HC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A series of stabilized strokes were submitted to 3T resting state functional MRI imaging and full polysomnography. The ventral-posterior-lateral thalamic nucleus was used as seed. RESULTS: At the between groups comparison analysis, in SA cases versus HC, the regions significantly hyper-connected with the seed were those encoding noxious threats (frontal eye field, somatosensory association, secondary visual cortices). Comparisons between SA cases versus those without SA, revealed in the former group significantly increased connectivity with regions modulating the response to stimuli independently to their potentiality of threat (prefrontal, primary and somatosensory association, superolateral and medial-inferior temporal, associative and secondary occipital ones). Further significantly functionally hyper connections were documented with regions involved also in the modulation of breathing during sleep (pons, midbrain, cerebellum, posterior cingulate cortices), and in the modulation of breathing response to chemical variations (anterior, posterior and para-hippocampal cingulate cortices). CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary data support the presence of functional hyper connectivity in thalamic circuits modulating sensorial stimuli, in patients with post-stroke sleep apnoea, possibly influencing both their arousal ability and breathing modulation during sleep