High temperature superconductors as a technological discontinuity in the power cable industry

The advent of superconductivity above 77 K represents to the power cable industry a technological discontinuity analogous to that seen in the copper telecommunications industry by the arrival of optical fibers. This phenomenon is discussed along with technical criteria and performance targets needed for high temperature superconducting wire to have an economic impact in transmission cables

Reduced risk of Barrett’s esophagus in statin users: case–control study and meta-analysis

Background: Use of statins has been associated with a reduced incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma in population-based studies. However there are few studies examining statin use and the development of Barrett’s esophagus. Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between statin use and the presence of Barrett’s esophagus in patients having their first gastroscopy. Methods: We have performed a case–control study comparing statin use between patients with, and without, an incident diagnosis of non-dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus. Male Barrett’s cases (134) were compared to 268 male age-matched controls in each of two control groups (erosive gastro-esophageal reflux and dyspepsia without significant upper gastrointestinal disease). Risk factor and drug exposure were established using standardised interviews. Logistic regression was used to compare statin exposure and correct for confounding factors. We performed a meta-analysis pooling our results with three other case–control studies. Results: Regular statin use was associated with a significantly lower incidence of Barrett’s esophagus compared to the combined control groups [adjusted OR 0.62 (95 % confidence intervals 0.37–0.93)]. This effect was more marked in combined statin plus aspirin users [adjusted OR 0.43 (95 % CI 0.21–0.89)]. The inverse association between statin or statin plus aspirin use and risk of Barrett’s was significantly greater with longer duration of use. Meta-analysis of pooled data (1098 Barrett’s, 2085 controls) showed that statin use was significantly associated with a reduced risk of Barrett’s esophagus [pooled adjusted OR 0.63 (95 % CI 0.51–0.77)]. Conclusions: Statin use is associated with a reduced incidence of a new diagnosis of Barrett’s esophagus

Spin, charge and orbital ordering in ferrimagnetic insulator YBaMn2_2O5_5

The oxygen-deficient (double) perovskite YBaMn$_2$O$_5$, containing corner-linked MnO$_5$ square pyramids, is found to exhibit ferrimagnetic ordering in its ground state. In the present work we report generalized-gradient-corrected, relativistic first-principles full-potential density-functional calculations performed on YBaMn$_2$O$_5$ in the nonmagnetic, ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic states. The charge, orbital and spin orderings are explained with site-, angular momentum- and orbital-projected density of states, charge-density plots, electronic structure and total energy studies. YBaMn$_2$O$_5$ is found to stabilize in a G-type ferrimagnetic state in accordance with experimental results. The experimentally observed insulating behavior appears only when we include ferrimagnetic ordering in our calculation. We observed significant optical anisotropy in this material originating from the combined effect of ferrimagnetic ordering and crystal field splitting. In order to gain knowledge about the presence of different valence states for Mn in YBaMn$_2$O$_5$ we have calculated $K$-edge x-ray absorption near-edge spectra for the Mn and O atoms. The presence of the different valence states for Mn is clearly established from the x-ray absorption near-edge spectra, hyperfine field parameters and the magnetic properties study. Among the experimentally proposed structures, the recently reported description based on $P$4/$nmm$ is found to represent the stable structure

Implementation of a novel stratified PAthway of CarE for common musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in primary care: Protocol for a multicentre pragmatic randomised controlled trial (the PACE MSK trial)

Introduction Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions constitute the highest burden of disease globally, with healthcare services often utilised inappropriately and overburdened. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel clinical PAthway of CarE programme (PACE programme), where care is provided based on people's risk of poor outcome. Methods and analysis Multicentre randomised controlled trial. 716 people with MSK conditions (low back pain, neck pain or knee osteoarthritis) will be recruited in primary care. They will be stratified for risk of a poor outcome (low risk/high risk) using the Short Form Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (SF-ÖMSPQ) then randomised to usual care (n=358) or the PACE programme (n=358). Participants at low risk in the PACE programme will receive up to 3 sessions of guideline based care from their primary healthcare professional (HCP) supported by a custom designed website (mypainhub.com). Those at high risk will be referred to an allied health MSK specialist who will conduct a comprehensive patient-centred assessment then liaise with the primary HCP to determine further care. Primary outcome (SF 12-item PCS) and secondary outcomes (eg, pain self-efficacy, psychological health) will be collected at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Cost-effectiveness will be measured as cost per quality-Adjusted life-year gained. Health economic analysis will include direct and indirect costs. Analyses will be conducted on an intention-To-Treat basis. Primary and secondary outcomes will be analysed independently, using generalised linear models. Qualitative and mixed-methods studies embedded within the trial will evaluate patient experience, health professional practice and interprofessional collaboration. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval has been received from the following Human Research Ethics Committees: The University of Sydney (2018/926), The University of Queensland (2019000700/2018/926), University of Melbourne (1954239), Curtin University (HRE2019-0263) and Northern Sydney Local Health District (2019/ETH03632). Dissemination of findings will occur via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and social media. Trial registration number ACTRN12619000871145

The effect of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands

Researchers and brand managers have limited understanding of the effects social media communication has on how consumers perceive brands. We investigated 504 Facebook users in order to observe the impact of firm-created and user-generated social media communication on brand equity, brand attitude and purchase intention by using a standardized online survey throughout Poland. To test the conceptual model, we analyzed 60 brands across three different industries: non-alcoholic beverages, clothing and mobile network operators. When analyzing the data, we applied the structural equation modeling technique to both investigate the interplay of firm-created and user-generated social media communication and examine industry-specific differences. The results of the empirical studies showed that user-generated social media communication had a positive influence on both brand equity and brand attitude, whereas firm-created social media communication affected only brand attitude. Both brand equity and brand attitude were shown to have a positive influence on purchase intention. In addition, we assessed measurement invariance using a multi-group structural modeling equation. The findings revealed that the proposed measurement model was invariant across the researched industries. However, structural path differences were detected across the models

Interleukin-1 polymorphisms associated with increased risk of gastric cancer

Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with a variety of clinical outcomes including gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer disease. The reasons for this variation are not clear, but the gastric physiological response is influenced by the severity and anatomical distribution of gastritis induced by H. pylori. Thus, individuals with gastritis predominantly localized to the antrum retain normal (or even high) acid secretion, whereas individuals with extensive corpus gastritis develop hypochlorhydria and gastric atrophy, which are presumptive precursors of gastric cancer. Here we report that interleukin-1 gene cluster polymorphisms suspected of enhancing production of interleukin-1-beta are associated with an increased risk of both hypochlorhydria induced by H. pylori and gastric cancer. Two of these polymorphism are in near-complete linkage disequilibrium and one is a TATA-box polymorphism that markedly affects DNA-protein interactions in vitro. The association with disease may be explained by the biological properties of interleukin-1-beta, which is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine and a powerful inhibitor of gastric acid secretion. Host genetic factors that affect interleukin-1-beta may determine why some individuals infected with H. pylori develop gastric cancer while others do no

Defect structures in MgB2 wires introduced by hot isostatic pressing

The microstructures of MgB2 wires prepared by the powder-in-tube technique and subsequent hot isostatic pressing were investigated using transmission electron microscopy. Large amount of crystalline defects including small angle twisting, tilting, and bending boundaries, in which high densities of dislocations reside, were found forming sub-grains within MgB2 grains. It is believed that these defects resulted from particle deformation during the hot isostatic pressing process and are effective flux pinning centers that contribute to the high critical current densities of the wires at high temperatures and at high fields.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

'The Germans are Hydrophobes': Germany and the Germans in the Shaping of French Identity

This article addresses issues of national identity and nationalism in the age of the French Revolution by looking at French attitudes towards the Germans. It engages with theories of nationalism while presenting empirical evidence gleaned from archival research. This material, sometimes grimly, sometimes rather amusingly, reveals much about French ideas and prejudices about the Germans and how it reflected back on the revolutionary and Napoleonic sense of what it meant to be French

Measurement properties of the Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale (MISS) in an elderly population in Sweden

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insomnia is common among elderly people and associated with poor health. The Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale (MISS) is a three item screening instrument that has been found to be psychometrically sound and capable of identifying insomnia in the general population (20-64 years). However, its measurement properties have not been studied in an elderly population. Our aim was to test the measurement properties of the MISS among people aged 65 + in Sweden, by replicating the original study in an elderly sample.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from a cross-sectional survey of 548 elderly individuals were analysed in terms of assumptions of summation of items, floor/ceiling effects, reliability and optimal cut-off score by means of ROC-curve analysis and compared with self-reported insomnia criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Corrected item-total correlations ranged between 0.64-0.70, floor/ceiling effects were 6.6/0.6% and reliability was 0.81. ROC analysis identified the optimal cut-off score as ≥7 (sensitivity, 0.93; specificity, 0.84; positive/negative predictive values, 0.256/0.995). Using this cut-off score, the prevalence of insomnia in the study sample was 21.7% and most frequent among women and the oldest old.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Data support the measurement properties of the MISS as a possible insomnia screening instrument for elderly persons. This study make evident that the MISS is useful for identifying elderly people with insomnia-like sleep problems. Further studies are needed to assess its usefulness in identifying clinically defined insomnia.</p

Copy Number Variation Affecting the Photoperiod-B1 and Vernalization-A1 Genes Is Associated with Altered Flowering Time in Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

The timing of flowering during the year is an important adaptive character affecting reproductive success in plants and is critical to crop yield. Flowering time has been extensively manipulated in crops such as wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) during domestication, and this enables them to grow productively in a wide range of environments. Several major genes controlling flowering time have been identified in wheat with mutant alleles having sequence changes such as insertions, deletions or point mutations. We investigated genetic variants in commercial varieties of wheat that regulate flowering by altering photoperiod response (Ppd-B1 alleles) or vernalization requirement (Vrn-A1 alleles) and for which no candidate mutation was found within the gene sequence. Genetic and genomic approaches showed that in both cases alleles conferring altered flowering time had an increased copy number of the gene and altered gene expression. Alleles with an increased copy number of Ppd-B1 confer an early flowering day neutral phenotype and have arisen independently at least twice. Plants with an increased copy number of Vrn-A1 have an increased requirement for vernalization so that longer periods of cold are required to potentiate flowering. The results suggest that copy number variation (CNV) plays a significant role in wheat adaptation