Modelling the high mass accretion rate spectra of GX 339-4: Black hole spin from reflection?

We extract all the XMM-Newton EPIC pn burst mode spectra of GX 339-4, together with simultaneous/contemporaneous RXTE data. These include three disc dominated and two soft intermediate spectra, and the combination of broad bandpass/moderate spectral resolution gives some of the best data on these bright soft states in black hole binaries. The disc dominated spectra span a factor three in luminosity, and all show that the disc emission is broader than the simplest multicolour disc model. This is consistent with the expected relativistic smearing and changing colour temperature correction produced by atomic features in the newest disc models. However, these models do not match the data at the 5 per cent level as the predicted atomic features are not present in the data, perhaps indicating that irradiation is important even when the high energy tail is weak. Whatever the reason, this means that the data have smaller errors than the best physical disc models, forcing use of more phenomenological models for the disc emission. We use these for the soft intermediate state data, where previous analysis using a simple disc continuum found an extremely broad residual, identified as the red wing of the iron line from reflection around a highly spinning black hole. However, the iron line energy is close to where the disc and tail have equal fluxes, so using a broader disc continuum changes the residual 'iron line' profile dramatically. With a broader disc continuum model, the inferred line is formed outside of 30 ${\rm{R_g}}$, so cannot constrain black hole spin. We caution that a robust determination of black hole spin from the iron line profile is very difficult where the disc makes a significant contribution at the iron line energy i.e. in most bright black hole states.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figures, published in MNRA

Methodology for Simulation and Analysis of Complex Adaptive Supply Network Structure and Dynamics Using Information Theory

Supply networks existing today in many industries can behave as complex adaptive systems making them more difficult to analyze and assess. Being able to fully understand both the complex static and dynamic structures of a complex adaptive supply network (CASN) are key to being able to make more informed management decisions and prioritize resources and production throughout the network. Previous efforts to model and analyze CASN have been impeded by the complex, dynamic nature of the systems. However, drawing from other complex adaptive systems sciences, information theory provides a model-free methodology removing many of those barriers, especially concerning complex network structure and dynamics. With minimal information about the network nodes, transfer entropy can be used to reverse engineer the network structure while local transfer entropy can be used to analyze the network structure’s dynamics. Both simulated and real-world networks were analyzed using this methodology. Applying the methodology to CASNs allows the practitioner to capitalize on observations from the highly multidisciplinary field of information theory which provides insights into CASN’s self-organization, emergence, stability/instability, and distributed computation. This not only provides managers with a more thorough understanding of a system’s structure and dynamics for management purposes, but also opens up research opportunities into eventual strategies to monitor and manage emergence and adaption within the environment

Maternal and paternal depressive symptoms and parental vocalisation behaviours in infancy: findings from UK-based birth cohort

Background: Both maternal and paternal postnatal depression (PND) are associated with increased risk of less optimal offspring developmental outcomes. Early exposure to differences in maternal and paternal vocalisation behaviours associated with maternal and paternal PND may be important in this relationship. However, little research has captured vocalisation patterns at home without researchers present. Objectives This study sought to examine the associations between maternal and paternal PND and various aspects of parental vocalisation behaviours. Methods: Mothers (n = 104) and fathers (n = 34) of six-months old infants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Generation-2 (ALSPAC-G2) provided video footage of mother- and father-infant interactions filmed at home using the head-worn video cameras (headcams) without the need for researchers to be present. Twenty-five mother-infant and father-infant interactions were coded on multiple aspects of parental and infant vocalisation behaviours using the micro-behavioural observational coding system. Parental (PND) was measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; total score). Results: Frequencies and duration of vocalisation behaviours were similar in mothers and fathers. However, there was an indication that fathers demonstrated higher frequency and duration of commands, exclamations and ironic/sarcastic tone, and criticisms compared to mothers, while mothers engaged in more teaching compared to fathers. Linear regression models indicated that maternal and paternal PND were not associated with the majority of vocalisation behaviours. However, there were some specific patterns observed, mostly related to the emotional tone of the vocalisations. Higher levels of maternal PND were associated with lower frequency of speech in a neutral tone, frequency and duration of use of humour, and increased duration of speech in a positive tone. Higher levels of paternal PND were associated with higher mean duration of speech, infant-directed speech, higher frequency and duration of laughing, and increased duration of speech using questions and encouragement. Conclusion: These findings extend existing research by investigating the associations between maternal and paternal PND and a wide range of vocalisation behaviours captured and coded using innovative methods and in a more ecologically valid way than previous studies

Kaupunkien uusi rooli innovaatioiden edistämisessä - INKA-ohjelman loppuarviointi

Innovatiiviset kaupungit eli INKA-ohjelma käynnistyi vuonna 2014 ja sen tavoitteena on ollut alueellisten innovaatiokeskittymien vahvistaminen. Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö käynnisti keväällä 2017 INKA-ohjelman loppuarvioinnin, jonka on toteuttanut Gaia Consulting Oy maalis-elokuussa 2017. Koska INKA-ohjelma loppui jo ennen suunniteltua päättymisaikaansa, arviointi ei ole perin-teinen ohjelman tulosten ja vaikuttavuuden arviointi, vaan ennemmin tulevaisuuden innovaatiopolitiikkaa ja sen kehittämistä palveleva selvitys ohjelman tavoitteiden relevanssista sekä ohjelmassa käytetyistä parhaista ja uusista hyvistä käytännöistä ja toimintamalleist

Adhesive loose packings of small dry particles

5 pages, 4 figure

Potential higher risk of tethered spinal cord in children after prenatal surgery for myelomeningocele:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the incidence of secondary tethered spinal cord (TSC) between prenatal and postnatal closure in patients with MMC. The objectives was to understand the incidence of secondary TSC after prenatal surgery for MMC compared to postnatal surgery for MMC. Material and methods On May 4, 2023, a systematic search was conducted in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to gather relevant data. Primary studies focusing on repair type, lesion level, and TSC were included, while non-English or non-Dutch reports, case reports, conference abstracts, editorials, letters, comments, and animal studies were excluded. Two reviewers assessed the included studies for bias risk, following PRISMA guidelines. TSC frequency in MMC closure types was determined, and the relationship between TSC occurrence and closure technique was analyzed using relative risk and Fisher's exact test. Subgroup analysis revealed relative risk differences based on study designs and follow-up periods. A total of ten studies, involving 2,724 patients, were assessed. Among them, 2,293 patients underwent postnatal closure, while 431 received prenatal closure for the MMC defect. In the prenatal closure group, TSC occurred in 21.6% (n = 93), compared to 18.8% (n = 432) in the postnatal closure group. The relative risk (RR) of TSC in patients with prenatal MMC closure versus postnatal MMC closure was 1.145 (95%CI 0.939 to 1.398). Fisher's exact test indicated a statistically non-significant association (p = 0.106) between TSC and closure technique. When considering only RCT and controlled cohort studies, the overall RR for TSC was 1.308 (95%CI 1.007 to 1.698) with a non-significant association (p = .053). For studies focusing on children up until early puberty (maximum 12 years follow-up), the RR for tethering was 1.104 (95%CI 0.876 to 1.391), with a non-significant association (p = 0.409). Conclusion and discussion This review found no significant increase in relative risk of TSC between prenatal and postnatal closure in MMC patients, but a trend of increased TSC in the prenatal group. More longterm data on TSC after fetal closure is needed for better counseling and outcomes in MMC.</p

Clinicopathologic and Molecular Profiles of Microsatellite Unstable Barrett Esophagus-associated Adenocarcinoma

Microsatellite instability (MSI) has been reported in various tumors, with colon cancer as the prototype. However, little is known about MSI in Barrett esophagus (BE)-associated adenocarcinoma. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the clinicopathologic and molecular features of BE-associated adenocarcinomas with and without MSI. The study cohort consisted of 76 patients with BE-associated adenocarcinomas (66 male, 10 female), with a mean age of 65.1 years. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, and CD3 and in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNA were performed. MLH1 and PMS2 expression was lost by IHC in 5 cases (6.6%); of these, 5 showed high-level MSI (MSI-H) by polymerase chain reaction assay, and 4 showed hMLH1 promoter methylation. Histologically, tumors with MSI-H were heterogenous and included conventional adenocarcinomas with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (n=1), medullary carcinoma (n=2), signet ring cells (n=1), and signet ring cell and mucinous components (n=1). Compared with tumors negative for MSI by IHC, BE-associated adenocarcinomas with MSI-H were associated with older patient age (P=0.0060), lymphovascular invasion (P=0.027), and significantly larger numbers of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (P<0.0001). However, there was no statistical difference in overall survival between the 2 groups (P=0.285). In conclusion, MSI-H is uncommon in BE-associated adenocarcinomas, but is associated with clinicopathologic features fairly similar to sporadic microsatellite unstable colorectal cancers. Given the growing evidence that indicates lack of benefits from adjuvant therapy with fluorouracil in the colonic counterpart, it may be important to identify MSI-H in BE-associated adenocarcinomas

Experimental Mycobacterium bovis infection in three white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum):Susceptibility, clinical and anatomical pathology

Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is endemic in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) population in the Kruger National Park and other conservation areas in South Africa. The disease has been diagnosed in a total of 21 free ranging or semi-free ranging wildlife species in the country with highly variable presentations in terms of clinical signs as well as severity and distribution of tuberculous lesions. Most species are spillover or dead-end hosts without significant role in the epidemiology of the disease. White rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) are translocated from the Kruger National Park in substantial numbers every year and a clear understanding of their risk to manifest overt tuberculosis disease and to serve as source of infection to other species is required. We report the findings of experimental infection of three white rhinoceroses with a moderately low dose of a virulent field isolate of Mycobacterium bovis. None of the animals developed clinical signs or disseminated disease. The susceptibility of the white rhinoceros to bovine tuberculosis was confirmed by successful experimental infection based on the ante mortem isolation of M. bovis from the respiratory tract of one rhinoceros, the presence of acid-fast organisms and necrotizing granulomatous lesions in the tracheobronchial lymph nodes and the detection of M. bovis genetic material by PCR in the lungs of two animals

Age and growth of Anguilla interioris leptocephali collected in Indonesian waters

Anguilla interiorisis has been only known to be distributed in northern New Guinea, but recent sampling surveys for leptocephali and the development of species identification techniques using DNA analysis have discovered that this species also appears to occur off Sumatra in the eastern Indian Ocean, and may be present in other areas of the Indonesian Archipelago. To reveal the ages and early life histories of this species, the otolith microstructure of the leptocephali collected near the Sulawesi Island and off Sumatra of Indonesia were examined. The otolith microstructure of the A. interioris leptocephali was similar to other anguillid species and showed narrow increment widths (0.49-0.58μm) near the core that increased (1.14-1.34μm) before decreasing again until the otolith edge (0.51-0.83μm), except in the smallest specimen (12.4mm TL) collected off Sumatra, which had no peak. The range of Sr: Ca ratios in their otoliths were 8.37 to 14.01. Their ages were 19d for the smallest specimen from off Sumatra, 85d for the specimen (48.9mm TL) from Tomini Bay, and 85 to 94d for the three specimens (43.4-46.5mm TL) from the Molucca Sea. The overall growth rate of the leptocephali was 0.48mm/d, and this value was intermediate compared with the growth rates of the other anguillid species. The age of the smallest A. interioris leptocephalus collected off Sumatra and the geographic patterns of currents in the regions, suggest that it was spawned in the Indian Ocean and that it may belong to a different population than the New Guinea population

Cardiac Rehabilitation Using The Family-Centered Empowerment Model Versus Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation In Patients With Myocardial Infarction: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Objective To determine if a hybrid cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programme using the Family-Centered Empowerment Model (FCEM) as compared with standard CR will improve patient quality of life, perceived stress and state anxiety of patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Methods We conducted a randomised controlled trial in which patients received either standard home CR or CR using the FCEM strategy. Patient empowerment was measured with FCEM questionnaires preintervention and postintervention for a total of 9 assessments. Quality of life, perceived stress, and state and trait anxiety were assessed using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the 14-item Perceived Stress, and the 20-item State and 20-item Trait Anxiety questionnaires, respectively. Results 70 patients were randomised. Baseline characteristics were similar. Ejection fraction was significantly higher in the intervention group at measurements 2 (p=0.01) and 3 (p=0.001). Exercise tolerance measured as walking distance was significantly improved in the intervention group throughout the study. The quality of life results in the FCEM group showed significant improvement both within the group over time (p\u3c0.0001) and when compared with control (p\u3c0.0001). Similarly, the perceived stress and state anxiety results showed significant improvement both within the FCEM group over time (p\u3c0.0001) and when compared with control (p\u3c0.0001). No significant difference was found either within or between groups for trait anxiety. Conclusions The family-centred empowerment model may be an effective hybrid cardiac rehabilitation method for improving the physical and mental health of patients post-MI; however, further study is needed to validate these findings. Clinical Trials.gov identifier NCT02402582. Trial registration number NCT02402582