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New Instruments (new + instruments)
Selected AbstractsCorruption, Productivity and SocialismKYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2003Geoffrey Wyatt Summary The level of productivity is correlated across countries with measures of (lack of) corruption, but this appears to be due to a common association of these variables with measures of civil infrastructure, here measured by a combination of governance indexes labelled ,rule of law' and ,government effectiveness'. New instruments based on the size- and spatial-distributions of cities within the countries of the world were constructed in order to explore the causal relationships between civil infrastructure and productivity. Civil infrastructure accounts for a substantial fraction of the global variation in output per worker across countries. Within this empirical pattern there is a systematic deviation associated with the current and former socialist states, which have both lower productivity and inferior civil infrastructure than would be predicted for otherwise similar non-socialist states. However, for a given level of the index of civil infrastructure these states are also shown to have a higher level of productivity than otherwise similar non-socialist states. The unconditionally low productivity of socialist states is attributed entirely to the indirectly deleterious effects that socialism had on civil infrastructure, which more than offset its directly positive effect on output. [source] The psychosocial impact of food allergy and food hypersensitivity in children, adolescents and their families: a reviewALLERGY, Issue 8 2010A. J. Cummings To cite this article: Cummings AJ, Knibb RC, King RM, Lucas JS. The psychosocial impact of food allergy and food hypersensitivity in children, adolescents and their families: a review. Allergy 2010; 65: 933,945. Abstract Food allergy affects 6% of children but there is no cure, and strict avoidance of index allergens along with immediate access to rescue medication is the current best management. With specialist care, morbidity from food allergy in children is generally low, and mortality is very rare. However, there is strong evidence that food allergy and food hypersensitivity has an impact on psychological distress and on the quality of life (QoL) of children and adolescents, as well as their families. Until recently, the measurement of QoL in allergic children has proved difficult because of the lack of investigative tools available. New instruments for assessing QoL in food allergic children have recently been developed and validated, which should provide further insights into the problems these children encounter and will enable us to measure the effects of interventions in patients. This review examines the published impact of food allergy on affected children, adolescents and their families. It considers influences such as gender, age, disease severity, co-existing allergies and external influences, and examines how these may impact on allergy-related QoL and psychological distress including anxiety and depression. Implications of the impact are considered alongside avenues for future research. [source] The prevalence, cost and basis of food allergy across EuropeALLERGY, Issue 7 2007E. N. C. Mills The development of effective management strategies to optimize the quality of life for allergic patients is currently hampered by a lack of good quality information. Estimates of how many individuals suffer from food allergy and the major foods involved vary widely and inadequacies of in vitro diagnostics make food challenges the only reliable means of diagnosis in many instances. The EuroPrevall project brings together a multidisciplinary partnership to address these issues. Cohorts spanning the main climatic regions of Europe are being developed in infants through a birth cohort, community surveys in school-age children and adults and an outpatient clinic study. Confirmatory double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge diagnosis is being undertaken using foods as they are eaten with titrated doses to allow no-effect and lowest-observable effect levels for allergenic foods to be determined. The cohorts will also facilitate validation of novel in vitro diagnostics through the development of the EuroPrevall Serum Bank. Complementary studies in Ghana, western Siberia, India and China will allow us to gain insights into how different dietary patterns and exposure to microorganisms affect food allergies. New instruments to assess the socioeconomic impact of food allergy are being developed in the project and their application in the clinical cohorts will allow, for the first time, an assessment to be made of the burden this disease places on allergy sufferers and their communities. [source] Positron experiments at the new positron beam facility NEPOMUC at FRM IIPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 10 2007C. Hugenschmidt Abstract The in-pile positron source NEPOMUC of the Munich research reactor FRM II delivers a low-energy positron beam of highest intensity. Different source potentials can be applied in order to vary the primary kinetic energy of the positrons in the range between 15 eV and 1 keV. The maximum yield of slow positrons is up to 4 × 107 and 5 × 108 moderated positrons per second, respectively. New instruments for beam diagnostics have been implemented for the determination of the positron intensity and for positron beam profile measurements. The long-term stability and the degradation of the platinum moderator as well as the recovery procedure were investigated. In the present arrangement of NEPOMUC's instrumentation the monoenergetic positron beam is magnetically guided to different experiments: a coincident Doppler broadening spectrometer (CDBS) and an analysis chamber for positron induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES). In addition, an apparatus for the production of the negatively charged positronium ion was connected to the beam line in order to investigate this bound leptonic system in collaboration with the Max-Planck Institute for nuclear physics. An overview of the beam performance, the current status of the positron beam facility and the experiments is presented. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] New instruments , old practices?BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 6 2006The implications of environmental management systems, extended producer responsibility for design for the environment Abstract As the focus of environmental policy and management is shifting from cleaner production at the process level towards greener products, there is a need for new kinds of policy instruments and initiatives. Environmental management systems (EMSs) and extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems are efforts to overcome the limitations of the traditional regulatory approach. In this paper, I illustrate how EMSs and EPR systems have influenced the emergence of greener products in three case companies. These case studies are complemented by results from a survey on design for the environment in the electrical and electronics industry. Both the case studies and the survey indicate that the linkage between EMSs and product development is weak or completely missing. Therefore, the mere existence of an EMS can hardly be used as a convincing indicator of the implementation of an environmentally friendly design process. The results regarding the EPR systems are more positive. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] In situ on-line toxicity biomonitoring in water: Recent developmentsENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2006Almut Gerhardt Abstract ,In situ on-line biomonitoring is an emerging branch of aquatic biomonitoring. On-line biomonitoring systems use behavioral and/or physiological stress responses of caged test organisms exposed in situ either in a bypass system or directly instream. Sudden pollution waves are detected by several existing single-species on-line biomonitors, which until now have been placed mostly in streamside laboratories. However, recent achievements have been multispecies biomonitors, mobile biomonitors for direct in-stream use, development of new instruments, new methods for data analysis and alarm generation, biomonitors for use in soil and sediment, and scientific research supporting responses as seen in on-line biomonitors by linking them to other biological and ecological effects. Mobile on-line monitoring platforms containing an array of biomonitors, biosensors, and chemical monitoring equipment might be the future trend, especially in monitoring transboundary rivers at country borders as well as in coastal zones. [source] Current techniques of liver transectionHPB, Issue 3 2007RONNIE T.P. POON The operative mortality rate of liver resection has decreased from 10% to 20% before the 1980s to <5% in most specialized hepatobiliary centers nowadays. The most important factor for better outcome is reduced blood loss due to improvement in surgical techniques. Liver transection is the most challenging part of liver resection, associated with a risk of massive hemorrhage. Understanding the segmental anatomy of the liver and delineation of the proper transection plane using intraoperative ultrasound are prerequisites to safe liver transection. Clamp crushing and ultrasonic dissection are the two most widely used transection techniques. In recent years, new instruments using different types of energy for coagulation or sealing of vessels have been developed for liver transection. These include radiofrequency devices, Harmonic Scalpel, Ligasure and TissueLink dissecting sealer. Whether these new instruments, used alone or in combination with clamp crushing or ultrasonic dissection, improve the safety of liver transection has not been clearly demonstrated. The use of the vascular stapler for transection of major intrahepatic vascular trunks is also gaining popularity. These new instruments are particularly useful in liver transection during laparoscopic liver resection. Adjunctive measures such as intermittent Pringle maneuver and low central venous pressure anesthesia are also useful measures to reduce the risk of hemorrhage. This article reviews the safety and efficacy of different techniques of liver transection, with particular attention to evidence from randomized controlled trials available in the literature. [source] Advanced Optical Microscopy Course at the Canale GrandeIMAGING & MICROSCOPY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2007Alberto Diaspro Biophysics is a molecular science rapidly moving to the nanoscale. It seeks to explain biological function in terms of the molecular structures and properties of specific molecules. The size of these molecules varies dramatically, from small fatty acids and sugars (,1 nm = 10,9 m), to macromolecules like proteins (5,10 nm), starches (bigger than 1,000 nm), and the enormously elongated DNA molecules. Much effort in biophysics is directed to determining the structure of specific biological molecules and of the larger structures into which they assemble. Some of this effort involves inventing new methods and building new instruments for monitoring these structures. [source] Value-based labels for fresh beef: an overview of French consumer behaviour in a BSE crises contextINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 5 2008Pierre Sans Abstract In the last decade, the French beef industry has been through two major health scares related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. This paper describes and discusses changes in beef supply in France from the consumer's perspective. The authors review the initiatives implemented in each crisis and show that the immediate effects (slump in consumption), however spectacular, were not the most lasting effects. By contrast, responses from the industry and the authorities brought about a far-reaching change in practices by requiring new instruments to be used (traceability). Yet the information conveyed by this innovation cannot readily be appropriated by consumers who are not conversant with the characteristics of beef production systems. [source] The properties of Ly, emitting galaxies in hierarchical galaxy formation modelsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2006M. Le Delliou ABSTRACT We present detailed predictions for the properties of Ly,-emitting galaxies in the framework of the , cold dark matter cosmology, calculated using the semi-analytical galaxy formation model galform. We explore a model that assumes a top-heavy initial mass function in starbursts and that has previously been shown to explain the sub-millimetre number counts and the luminosity function of Lyman-break galaxies at high redshift. We show that this model, with the simple assumption that a fixed fraction of Ly, photons escape from each galaxy, is remarkably successful at explaining the observed luminosity function of Ly, emitters (LAEs) over the redshift range 3 < z < 6.6. We also examine the distribution of Ly, equivalent widths and the broad-band continuum magnitudes of emitters, which are in good agreement with the available observations. We look more deeply into the nature of LAEs, presenting predictions for fundamental properties such as the stellar mass and radius of the emitting galaxy and the mass of the host dark matter halo. The model predicts that the clustering of LAEs at high redshifts should be strongly biased relative to the dark matter, in agreement with observational estimates. We also present predictions for the luminosity function of LAEs at z > 7, a redshift range that is starting to be be probed by near-infrared surveys and using new instruments such as the Dark Ages Z Lyman Explorer (DAzLE). [source] The impact of the introduction of web information systems (WIS) on information policies: An analysis of the Canadian federal government policies related to WIS,PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2002Christine Dufour This communication presents the results of an analysis of the Canadian federal government information policies that govern its Web information systems (WIS). The goal of this study was to better understand how the Canadian federal government has adapted its information policies to the WIS. A side-by-side analysis of 53 policy instruments was done. The results indicate that the Canadian federal government has crafted new instruments to take into account the WIS context. These policies build upon generic information management and information technologies policy instruments. These policy instruments have a good coverage of the tasks underlying the WIS life-cycle. Among the many players present in the policy instruments, one of the key player is the Treasury Board Secretariat that plays an important coordination and evaluation role. [source] Managing and reporting intangible assets in research technology organisationsR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2005Karl-Heinz Leitner In the last couple of years, new instruments and methods for measuring, valuing and managing different forms of intangible assets have been proposed. Firms started to implement comprehensive management techniques to identify and value different forms of intangible assets based on an integrative framework, incorporating different forms of intangible assets such as R&D and human capital. Research Technology Organisations (RTOs) present an interesting case for studying different forms of intangible assets, their interdependencies and their impact on outputs. The main business of these organisations is R&D; thus, nearly all forms of investments are related to the R&D process. Their outputs are knowledge-intensive products, services and public goods with the aim of improving the innovation output of their various customers. Some European RTOs have started to introduce new instruments for measuring and managing their intangible assets more explicitly. The paper investigates the general background, a specific model and empirical experiences of an Austrian RTO, which introduced an intellectual capital management system. [source] Advanced da Vinci surgical system simulator for surgeon training and operation planningTHE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ROBOTICS AND COMPUTER ASSISTED SURGERY, Issue 3 2007L. W. Sun Abstract Background Although patients benefit considerably from minimally invasive surgery, the use of new instruments such as robotic systems is challenging for surgeons, and extensive training is required. Method We developed a computer-based simulator of the da Vinci Surgical System, modelling the robot and designing a new interface. Results The simulator offers users a two-handed interface to control a realistic model of the da Vinci robot. The simulator can be applied (i) to provide an environment in which to practice simple surgical skills and (ii) to serve as a visualization platform on which to validate port placement and robot pose for operation planning. Conclusions Virtual reality is a useful technique for medical training. The simulator is currently in its early stages, but this preliminary work is promising. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Aerosol Direct Radiative Impact Experiment (ADRIEX) overviewTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue S1 2007E. J. Highwood Abstract The Aerosol Direct Radiative Experiment (ADRIEX) took place over the Adriatic and Black Seas during August and September 2004 with the aim of characterizing anthropogenic aerosol in these regions in terms of its physical and optical properties and establishing its impact on radiative balance. Eight successful flights of the UK BAE-146 Facility for Atmospheric Airborne Measurements were completed together with surface-based lidar and AERONET measurements, in conjunction with satellite overpasses. This paper outlines the motivation for the campaign, the methodology and instruments used, describes the synoptic situation and provides an overview of the key results. ADRIEX successfully measured a range of aerosol conditions across the northern Adriatic, Po Valley and Black Sea. Generally two layers of aerosol were found in the vertical: in the flights over the Black Sea and the Po Valley these showed differences in chemical and microphysical properties, whilst over the Adriatic the layers were often more similar. Nitrate aerosol was found to be important in the Po Valley region. The use of new instruments to measure the aerosol chemistry and mixing state and to use this information in determining optical properties is demonstrated. These results are described in much more detail in the subsequent papers of this special issue. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Einstein Lecture , Passion for precision,ANNALEN DER PHYSIK, Issue 9 2006T.W. Hänsch Abstract Optical frequency combs from mode-locked femtosecond lasers have link optical and microwave frequencies in a single step, and they provide the long missing clockwork for optical atomic clocks. By extending the limits of time and frequency metrology, they enable new tests of fundamental physics laws. Precise comparisons of optical resonance frequencies of atomic hydrogen and other atoms with the microwave frequency of a cesium atomic clock are establishing sensitive limits for possible slow variations of fundamental constants. Optical high harmonic generation is extending frequency comb techniques into the extreme ultraviolet, opening a new spectral territory to precision laser spectroscopy. Frequency comb techniques are also providing a key to attosecond science by offering control of the electric field of ultrafast laser pulses. In our laboratories at Stanford and Garching, the development of new instruments and techniques for precision laser spectroscopy has long been motivated by the goal of ever higher resolution and measurement accuracy in optical spectroscopy of the simple hydrogen atom which permits unique confrontations between experiment and fundamental theory. This lecture recounts these adventures and the evolution of laser frequency comb techniques from my personal perspective. [source] Natural orifice surgery: applications in colonic surgeryASIAN JOURNAL OF ENDOSCOPIC SURGERY, Issue 2 2010J. Leroy Abstract Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic abdominal surgery, or NOTES, allows invasive operations to be performed through a single or multiple natural-orifice approach either in isolation ("pure") or in combination with a transparietal ("hybrid") access format. Therefore, to facilitate a colonic or rectal resection, the transgastric, transrectal or transcolonic routes, as well as the transvaginal route in women, can all be used either alone or in combination. We are now performing resectional colonic techniques on our patients that have been inspired by this revolutionary concept, carefully planned with storyboarding and validated in porcine models with survival analysis. Adaptation of existing equipment along with the use of new instruments and some simple ideas, such as magnetic fields to retract and mobilize the colon, have allowed us to simplify and standardize the operative technique (the first steps to ensuring procedural reproducibility). Initial potential applications can easily be imagined for partial colonic resections for voluminous benign polyps and for small early cancers, but these applications may extend to incorporate inflammatory bowel diseases such as diverticular disease of the sigmoid colon. For these techniques to further improve and the concept to become a concrete reality, a change in current surgical practice is required, and conventional laparoscopic techniques must be understood to represent a point along the evolutional development of surgery and not considered the final destination. However, as important as technical capacity is, due consideration and assurance of oncological and immunological propriety is essential, as is the issue of clarifying precise patient harm:benefit risk ratios. [source] New light on post-main sequence stellar evolutionASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 3 2002Myfanwy Bryce The 8 m class telescopes now coming on stream, the availability of new instruments on 4 m telescopes and mm/radio telescopes, are beginning to throw new light on post-main sequence stellar evolution. The February RAS discussion meeting, organized by Nye Bevan, described the impact of these facilities on our understanding of this phase. Myfanwy Bryce reports. [source] LUTS/BPH in clinical practice: the importance of nocturia and quality of sleepBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2006EMMANUEL CHARTIER-KASTLER Various studies indicate that nocturia is one of the most bothersome of lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH). Nocturia has a negative impact on quality of sleep (QoS), which might lead to daytime fatigue, reduced performance the next day and might ultimately affect the patient's overall quality of life (QoL). However, the evaluation of a patient with LUTS/BPH and assessment of benefits of LUTS/BPH treatment are mainly focused on voiding symptoms or flow rate, and the impact of nocturia on the patient's QoL is often neglected. At the Sixth International Consultation on Prostate Cancer and Prostate Diseases in 2005, a discussion forum about nocturia and its impact on QoS and QoL was organized, followed by a meeting of an expert consensus panel. Both recognized the importance of assessing nocturia and its impact on QoS and QoL in the initial evaluation of patients with LUTS/BPH, and in assessing the benefits of (new) LUTS/BPH treatments. However, currently used instruments that measure the severity of nocturia and its impact on QoS and QoL were not specifically designed for this purpose and lack sensitivity. At the expert consensus meeting, the expert panel stated that new instruments are required that can fully monitor the impact of nocturia on QoS and QoL. Potential new instruments that address these requirements are nocturia-specific questionnaires such as the Nocturia QoL questionnaire. Furthermore, the expert panel acknowledged the assessment of ,hours of undisturbed sleep' (HUS) as a potential new method to evaluate the impact of nocturia on QoS and QoL. HUS refers to the time from falling asleep to the first awakening to void. Sleep assessment tools such as sleep diaries and actigraphy are potential instruments to measure HUS. [source] Technoreview: Molecular imaging of host,pathogen interactions in intact small animalsCELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2004David Piwnica-Worms Summary Characterization and non-invasive measurement of host,pathogen interactions in living cells, animal models and humans at the cellular and molecular levels is now possible using remote imaging detectors. Positron emission tomography scanners, highly sensitive cooled charge-coupled device cameras for bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging as well as high-magnetic-field magnetic resonance imaging scanners can be used to study such diverse processes as pathogen tropism, pathogen life cycle, signal transduction, host response, cell trafficking and gene transfer. In many cases, images from more than one modality can be fused, allowing structure,function and multifunction relationships to be studied on a tissue-restricted or regional basis. These new instruments, when used in conjunction with targeted contrast agents, reporter substrates and radiopharmaceuticals, enable ,molecular imaging' with enormous potential for elucidating host,pathogen interactions in intact animal models. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||