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This project introduces a wearable, non-intrusive device for snoring detection and remediation, designed to be placed under or alongside a pillow. The device uses sensors and machine learning algorithms to detect snoring and employs gentle vibrations to prompt positional changes, thereby reducing snoring episodes. The device is capable of connecting via an API to a cloud-based platform for the analysis of snoring sleep patterns and environmental context. The paper details the development from concept to prototype, emphasizing the technical challenges, solutions, and alignment with ubiquitous computing in sleep quality improvement., Comment: 6 Pages, 3 Figures

Explore the diverse DevOps career paths and prepare for each stage of the interview process with collective wisdom from DevOps experts and interviews with DevOps Practitioners Key FeaturesNavigate the many career opportunities in the field of DevOpsDiscover proven tips and tricks from industry experts for every step of the DevOps interviewSave both time and money by avoiding common mistakes in your interviewsBook DescriptionDevOps is a set of practices that make up a culture, and practicing DevOps methods can make developers more productive and easier to work with. The DevOps Career Handbook is filled with hundreds of tips and tricks from experts regarding every step of the interview process, helping you save time and money by steering clear of avoidable mistakes.You'll learn about the various career paths available in the field of DevOps, before acquiring the essential skills needed to begin working as a DevOps professional. If you are already a DevOps engineer, this book will help you to gain advanced skills to become a DevOps specialist. After getting to grips with the basics, you'll discover tips and tricks for preparing your resume and online profiles and find out how to build long-lasting relationships with the recruiters. Finally, you'll read through interviews which will give you an insight into a career in DevOps from the viewpoint of individuals at different career levels.By the end of this DevOps book, you'll gain a solid understanding of what DevOps is, the various DevOps career paths, and how to prepare for your interview.What you will learnUnderstand various roles and career paths for DevOps practitionersDiscover proven techniques to stand out in the application processPrepare for the many stages of your interview, from the phone screen to taking the technical challenge and then the onsite interviewNetwork effectively to help your career move in the right directionTailor your resume to specific DevOps rolesDiscover how to negotiate after you've been ex

Explore the diverse DevOps career paths and prepare for each stage of the interview process with collective wisdom from DevOps experts and interviews with DevOps Practitioners Key FeaturesNavigate the many career opportunities in the field of DevOpsDiscover proven tips and tricks from industry experts for every step of the DevOps interviewSave both time and money by avoiding common mistakes in your interviewsBook DescriptionDevOps is a set of practices that make up a culture, and practicing DevOps methods can make developers more productive and easier to work with. The DevOps Career Handbook is filled with hundreds of tips and tricks from experts regarding every step of the interview process, helping you save time and money by steering clear of avoidable mistakes.You'll learn about the various career paths available in the field of DevOps, before acquiring the essential skills needed to begin working as a DevOps professional. If you are already a DevOps engineer, this book will help you to gain advanced skills to become a DevOps specialist. After getting to grips with the basics, you'll discover tips and tricks for preparing your resume and online profiles and find out how to build long-lasting relationships with the recruiters. Finally, you'll read through interviews which will give you an insight into a career in DevOps from the viewpoint of individuals at different career levels.By the end of this DevOps book, you'll gain a solid understanding of what DevOps is, the various DevOps career paths, and how to prepare for your interview.What you will learnUnderstand various roles and career paths for DevOps practitionersDiscover proven techniques to stand out in the application processPrepare for the many stages of your interview, from the phone screen to taking the technical challenge and then the onsite interviewNetwork effectively to help your career move in the right directionTailor your resume to specific DevOps rolesDiscover how to negotiate after you've been ex

Covering all the key aspects of anatomy and physiology that nursing students need to know, this book condenses vast amounts of scientific information into short, concise, and easily accessible chapters. From an overview of cells, blood, and the major organ systems, through to the key developmental stages, genetics and ageing, this book introduces all the vital anatomy and physiology information that aspiring nurses will need to learn. Throughout the book, case studies link core principles of anatomy and physiology to realistic scenarios commonly encountered by nurses in clinical practice, helping students apply this knowledge to their everyday working life. Key features • Mapped to the new NMC standards of proficiency for registered nurses (2018) • Case studies, activities and other learning features help students translate the theory to practice • Provides revision guidance and strategies for tackling exams and assessments

Covering all the key aspects of anatomy and physiology that nursing students need to know, this book condenses vast amounts of scientific information into short, concise, and easily accessible chapters. From an overview of cells, blood, and the major organ systems, through to the key developmental stages, genetics and ageing, this book introduces all the vital anatomy and physiology information that aspiring nurses will need to learn. Throughout the book, case studies link core principles of anatomy and physiology to realistic scenarios commonly encountered by nurses in clinical practice, helping students apply this knowledge to their everyday working life. Key features • Mapped to the new NMC standards of proficiency for registered nurses (2018) • Case studies, activities and other learning features help students translate the theory to practice • Provides revision guidance and strategies for tackling exams and assessments

Increased protein synthesis supports the rapid cell proliferation associated with cancer. The Rpl24Bst mutant mouse reduces the expression of the ribosomal protein RPL24 and has been used to suppress translation and limit tumorigenesis in multiple mouse models of cancer. Here, we show that Rpl24Bst also suppresses tumorigenesis and proliferation in a model of colorectal cancer (CRC) with two common patient mutations, Apc and Kras. In contrast to previous reports, Rpl24Bst mutation has no effect on ribosomal subunit abundance but suppresses translation elongation through phosphorylation of eEF2, reducing protein synthesis by 40% in tumour cells. Ablating eEF2 phosphorylation in Rpl24Bst mutant mice by inactivating its kinase, eEF2K, completely restores the rates of elongation and protein synthesis. Furthermore, eEF2K activity is required for the Rpl24Bst mutant to suppress tumorigenesis. This work demonstrates that elevation of eEF2 phosphorylation is an effective means to suppress colorectal tumorigenesis with two driver mutations. This positions translation elongation as a therapeutic target in CRC, as well as in other cancers where the Rpl24Bst mutation has a tumour suppressive effect in mouse models.

Increased protein synthesis supports the rapid cell proliferation associated with cancer. The Rpl24Bst mutant mouse reduces the expression of the ribosomal protein RPL24 and has been used to suppress translation and limit tumorigenesis in multiple mouse models of cancer. Here, we show that Rpl24Bst also suppresses tumorigenesis and proliferation in a model of colorectal cancer (CRC) with two common patient mutations, Apc and Kras. In contrast to previous reports, Rpl24Bst mutation has no effect on ribosomal subunit abundance but suppresses translation elongation through phosphorylation of eEF2, reducing protein synthesis by 40% in tumour cells. Ablating eEF2 phosphorylation in Rpl24Bst mutant mice by inactivating its kinase, eEF2K, completely restores the rates of elongation and protein synthesis. Furthermore, eEF2K activity is required for the Rpl24Bst mutant to suppress tumorigenesis. This work demonstrates that elevation of eEF2 phosphorylation is an effective means to suppress colorectal tumorigenesis with two driver mutations. This positions translation elongation as a therapeutic target in CRC, as well as in other cancers where the Rpl24Bst mutation has a tumour suppressive effect in mouse models.

La finance sans mathématiques ni jargon ! Un livre d’initiation tout public pour comprendre les données financières de l’entreprise. Les livres d’introduction à la finance décrivent généralement le contenu d’un bilan ou d’un compte de résultat, mais ils n’expliquent pas ce que signifient les chiffres. L’objectif de cet ouvrage est le contraire : au lieu de détailler les questions techniques, il se consacre avec pédagogie à la compréhension intime du sens des données financières. Voici quelques-unes des questions pratiques auxquelles il répond : Mon entreprise est-elle en bonne santé ? Comment puis-je contribuer à améliorer ma trésorerie ? La société dont j’ai acheté des actions pourra-t-elle me verser un dividende ? Comment développer l’intelligence financière dans mon entreprise ? Cet ouvrage s’appuie sur des exemples réels, clairs et compréhensibles afin de donner des bases solides aux professionnels, quelle que soit leur fonction dans l’entreprise, mais aussi aux investisseurs et aux étudiants. Cette nouvelle édition révisée et augmentée est enrichie de concepts et de notions supplémentaires, et présente le nouveau paysage financier de ces dernières années. KAREN BERMAN est fondatrice et copropriétaire du Business Literacy Institute, société de conseil proposant des programmes de formation en intelligence financière sur mesure, des évaluations du niveau d’intelligence financière, les Money Maps (« cartes financières ») et d’autres produits et services visant à s’assurer que tous les employés d’une organisation comprennent comment la performance de l’entreprise est mesurée et quel rôle ils jouent dans cette performance. JOE KNIGHT est copropriétaire du Business Literacy Institute et l’un des principaux propriétaires de Setpoint Companies, où il est également directeur financier. Il est facilitateur responsable et orateur principal du Business Literacy Institute et intervient dans le monde entier, auprès de clients et lors de conférences, pour ensei

BACKGROUND Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes are the major causes of death and disability worldwide. They are associated with high health service utilization persisting over many years. Their slow progression and wide clinical variation make them eminently suitable for study in population-based cohorts. However, current understanding of their prevalence, incidence, and progression is largely based on studies conducted in clinical populations. OBJECTIVE This study aims to establish a novel link between an existing population-based cohort (the 45 and Up Study) and routinely collected laboratory and administrative data to facilitate research across the full disease spectrum of CKD and diabetes. METHODS In the EXTEND45 Study (EXamining OuTcomEs in chroNic Disease in the 45 and Up Study), baseline questionnaire responses of over 260,000 participants of the 45 and Up Study aged ≥45 years living in New South Wales (NSW), collected between January 2006 and December 2009, are linked to data from laboratory service providers as well as national- and state-based administrative datasets via probabilistic linkage. Routinely collected data were obtained for participants who could be linked between January 2005 and July 2013. Laboratory data will enable the identification of early cases of chronic disease and the assessment of clinically relevant biochemical targets during the disease course. Health administrative datasets will allow for the examination of health service use, pharmacological management, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS The study received ethics approval from the NSW Population and Health Services Research Ethics Committee in February 2014. Data linkage for 267,153 of the 45 and Up Study participants was completed in June 2016, with congruent linkage achieved for 265,086 (99.23%) individuals. To date, the CKD and diabetes cohorts have been identified (published elsewhere), and a diverse portfolio of research projects relating to disease burden, risk factors

La finance sans mathématiques ni jargon ! Un livre d’initiation tout public pour comprendre les données financières de l’entreprise. Les livres d’introduction à la finance décrivent généralement le contenu d’un bilan ou d’un compte de résultat, mais ils n’expliquent pas ce que signifient les chiffres. L’objectif de cet ouvrage est le contraire : au lieu de détailler les questions techniques, il se consacre avec pédagogie à la compréhension intime du sens des données financières. Voici quelques-unes des questions pratiques auxquelles il répond : Mon entreprise est-elle en bonne santé ? Comment puis-je contribuer à améliorer ma trésorerie ? La société dont j’ai acheté des actions pourra-t-elle me verser un dividende ? Comment développer l’intelligence financière dans mon entreprise ? Cet ouvrage s’appuie sur des exemples réels, clairs et compréhensibles afin de donner des bases solides aux professionnels, quelle que soit leur fonction dans l’entreprise, mais aussi aux investisseurs et aux étudiants. Cette nouvelle édition révisée et augmentée est enrichie de concepts et de notions supplémentaires, et présente le nouveau paysage financier de ces dernières années. KAREN BERMAN est fondatrice et copropriétaire du Business Literacy Institute, société de conseil proposant des programmes de formation en intelligence financière sur mesure, des évaluations du niveau d’intelligence financière, les Money Maps (« cartes financières ») et d’autres produits et services visant à s’assurer que tous les employés d’une organisation comprennent comment la performance de l’entreprise est mesurée et quel rôle ils jouent dans cette performance. JOE KNIGHT est copropriétaire du Business Literacy Institute et l’un des principaux propriétaires de Setpoint Companies, où il est également directeur financier. Il est facilitateur responsable et orateur principal du Business Literacy Institute et intervient dans le monde entier, auprès de clients et lors de conférences, pour ensei

This chapter draws on practical experience in designing, delivering, operating, and innovating conversational services. The article summarises the current context for these distinctively new kinds of services and provides an overview of the relevant technologies and common platforms used in commercial service production. The chapter explores the broader commercial context for smart voice-oriented services and provides an applied framework to aid service innovation. The two concluding parts move into service production, outline a grounded design approach (FLOW) for maximising service flow, and discuss future research directions, specifically how design anthropology can help in radical service innovation.

This chapter draws on practical experience in designing, delivering, operating, and innovating conversational services. The article summarises the current context for these distinctively new kinds of services and provides an overview of the relevant technologies and common platforms used in commercial service production. The chapter explores the broader commercial context for smart voice-oriented services and provides an applied framework to aid service innovation. The two concluding parts move into service production, outline a grounded design approach (FLOW) for maximising service flow, and discuss future research directions, specifically how design anthropology can help in radical service innovation.

La finance sans mathématiques ni jargon ! Un livre d’initiation tout public pour comprendre les données financières de l’entreprise. Les livres d’introduction à la finance décrivent généralement le contenu d’un bilan ou d’un compte de résultat, mais ils n’expliquent pas ce que signifient les chiffres. L’objectif de cet ouvrage est le contraire : au lieu de détailler les questions techniques, il se consacre avec pédagogie à la compréhension intime du sens des données financières. Voici quelques-unes des questions pratiques auxquelles il répond : Mon entreprise est-elle en bonne santé ? Comment puis-je contribuer à améliorer ma trésorerie ? La société dont j’ai acheté des actions pourra-t-elle me verser un dividende ? Comment développer l’intelligence financière dans mon entreprise ? Cet ouvrage s’appuie sur des exemples réels, clairs et compréhensibles afin de donner des bases solides aux professionnels, quelle que soit leur fonction dans l’entreprise, mais aussi aux investisseurs et aux étudiants. Cette nouvelle édition révisée et augmentée est enrichie de concepts et de notions supplémentaires, et présente le nouveau paysage financier de ces dernières années. KAREN BERMAN est fondatrice et copropriétaire du Business Literacy Institute, société de conseil proposant des programmes de formation en intelligence financière sur mesure, des évaluations du niveau d’intelligence financière, les Money Maps (« cartes financières ») et d’autres produits et services visant à s’assurer que tous les employés d’une organisation comprennent comment la performance de l’entreprise est mesurée et quel rôle ils jouent dans cette performance. JOE KNIGHT est copropriétaire du Business Literacy Institute et l’un des principaux propriétaires de Setpoint Companies, où il est également directeur financier. Il est facilitateur responsable et orateur principal du Business Literacy Institute et intervient dans le monde entier, auprès de clients et lors de conférences, pour ensei

La finance sans mathématiques ni jargon ! Un livre d’initiation tout public pour comprendre les données financières de l’entreprise. Les livres d’introduction à la finance décrivent généralement le contenu d’un bilan ou d’un compte de résultat, mais ils n’expliquent pas ce que signifient les chiffres. L’objectif de cet ouvrage est le contraire : au lieu de détailler les questions techniques, il se consacre avec pédagogie à la compréhension intime du sens des données financières. Voici quelques-unes des questions pratiques auxquelles il répond : Mon entreprise est-elle en bonne santé ? Comment puis-je contribuer à améliorer ma trésorerie ? La société dont j’ai acheté des actions pourra-t-elle me verser un dividende ? Comment développer l’intelligence financière dans mon entreprise ? Cet ouvrage s’appuie sur des exemples réels, clairs et compréhensibles afin de donner des bases solides aux professionnels, quelle que soit leur fonction dans l’entreprise, mais aussi aux investisseurs et aux étudiants. Cette nouvelle édition révisée et augmentée est enrichie de concepts et de notions supplémentaires, et présente le nouveau paysage financier de ces dernières années. KAREN BERMAN est fondatrice et copropriétaire du Business Literacy Institute, société de conseil proposant des programmes de formation en intelligence financière sur mesure, des évaluations du niveau d’intelligence financière, les Money Maps (« cartes financières ») et d’autres produits et services visant à s’assurer que tous les employés d’une organisation comprennent comment la performance de l’entreprise est mesurée et quel rôle ils jouent dans cette performance. JOE KNIGHT est copropriétaire du Business Literacy Institute et l’un des principaux propriétaires de Setpoint Companies, où il est également directeur financier. Il est facilitateur responsable et orateur principal du Business Literacy Institute et intervient dans le monde entier, auprès de clients et lors de conférences, pour ensei

This chapter draws on practical experience in designing, delivering, operating, and innovating conversational services. The article summarises the current context for these distinctively new kinds of services and provides an overview of the relevant technologies and common platforms used in commercial service production. The chapter explores the broader commercial context for smart voice-oriented services and provides an applied framework to aid service innovation. The two concluding parts move into service production, outline a grounded design approach (FLOW) for maximising service flow, and discuss future research directions, specifically how design anthropology can help in radical service innovation.

This chapter draws on practical experience in designing, delivering, operating, and innovating conversational services. The article summarises the current context for these distinctively new kinds of services and provides an overview of the relevant technologies and common platforms used in commercial service production. The chapter explores the broader commercial context for smart voice-oriented services and provides an applied framework to aid service innovation. The two concluding parts move into service production, outline a grounded design approach (FLOW) for maximising service flow, and discuss future research directions, specifically how design anthropology can help in radical service innovation.

BACKGROUND: Tolerance induced in stringent animal transplant models using donor-specific transfusions (DST) has previously required additional immunological manipulation. Here, we demonstrate a dominant skin-allograft tolerance model induced by a single DST across an major histocompatibility class I mismatch in an unmanipulated B6 host. METHODS: C57BL/6 (H-2) (B6) mice were injected intravenously with splenocytes from B6.C.H-2 (H-2k) (bm1) or F1 (B6 × bm1) mice before skin transplantation. Mice were transplanted 7 days postinjection with donor (bm1 or F1) and third-party B10.BR (H-2) skin grafts. RESULTS: B6 hosts acutely rejected skin grafts from B6.C.H-2 (bm1) and F1 (B6 × bm1) mice. A single transfusion of F1 splenocytes into B6 mice without any additional immune modulation led to permanent acceptance of F1 skin grafts. This graft acceptance was associated with persistence of donor cells long-term in vivo. The more rapid removal of DST bm1 cells than F1 cells was reduced by natural killer-cell depletion. Tolerant grafts survived an in vivo challenge with naive splenocytes. Both CD4CD25 and CD4CD25 T cells from F1 DST treated B6 mice suppressed alloproliferation in vitro. Tolerance was associated with expansion of peripheral Foxp3CD4CD25 regulatory T cells (Treg) and increased forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) expression in tolerant grafts. In tolerant mice, Foxp3 Treg arises from the proliferation of indirectly activated natural Foxp3 Treg (nTreg) and depletion of Foxp3 Treg abrogates skin-graft tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the persistence of transfused semiallogeneic donor cells mismatched at major histocompatibility class I can enhance tolerance to subsequent skin allografts through indirectly expanded nTreg leading to dominant tolerance without additional immunological manipulation.

This paper reports on a series of studies that attempt to unpick the factors that contribute to successful team ideation. Ideation is a popular, structured approach to creative thinking, where the goal is to produce many viable and innovative ideas and concepts. This is often accomplished through structured collaborative workshops that include ‘Design Thinking’ techniques and methods. The reported studies involved manipulating variables in controlled experiments with subjects (AKA ideators). The sample of ideators, were tasked with generating ideas to solve a challenge and the outcome of their work was measured by quantity and quality of output. The latter criterion was assessed by an expert panel using a standardised evaluation framework. Four variables were employed to understand idea generation success factors. These were identified as common and thus easily applied factors in typical ideation scenarios and included varying levels of participant stimulation (before sessions), presence or absence of a facilitator, application of ‘Design Thinking’ technique (or not) and lastly, participant profile based on professional background. In this case, participant characteristics were split between designers and non-designers. The different experiments were run, with participants generating ideas in a timeboxed activity in which their outputs were assessed against the various experimental conditions. The findings suggest that counter orthodox thinking, applying the methods (e.g. Round Robin) is less effective than the influence of ideators’ differing professional background and their level of stimulation. These conclusions in turn suggest the possibility of extending the effectiveness of workshop facilitation to increase efficiency and quality of output. The paper concludes with pointers on improving ideation. In particular, increasing levels of engagement and immersion among participants and using aspects of game theory are seen a possible areas of further investigation.

This paper reports on a series of studies that attempt to unpick the factors that contribute to successful team ideation. Ideation is a popular, structured approach to creative thinking, where the goal is to produce many viable and innovative ideas and concepts. This is often accomplished through structured collaborative workshops that include ‘Design Thinking’ techniques and methods. The reported studies involved manipulating variables in controlled experiments with subjects (AKA ideators). The sample of ideators, were tasked with generating ideas to solve a challenge and the outcome of their work was measured by quantity and quality of output. The latter criterion was assessed by an expert panel using a standardised evaluation framework. Four variables were employed to understand idea generation success factors. These were identified as common and thus easily applied factors in typical ideation scenarios and included varying levels of participant stimulation (before sessions), presence or absence of a facilitator, application of ‘Design Thinking’ technique (or not) and lastly, participant profile based on professional background. In this case, participant characteristics were split between designers and non-designers. The different experiments were run, with participants generating ideas in a timeboxed activity in which their outputs were assessed against the various experimental conditions. The findings suggest that counter orthodox thinking, applying the methods (e.g. Round Robin) is less effective than the influence of ideators’ differing professional background and their level of stimulation. These conclusions in turn suggest the possibility of extending the effectiveness of workshop facilitation to increase efficiency and quality of output. The paper concludes with pointers on improving ideation. In particular, increasing levels of engagement and immersion among participants and using aspects of game theory are seen a possible areas of further investigation.

This paper reports on a series of studies that attempt to unpick the factors that contribute to successful team ideation. Ideation is a popular, structured approach to creative thinking, where the goal is to produce many viable and innovative ideas and concepts. This is often accomplished through structured collaborative workshops that include ‘Design Thinking’ techniques and methods. The reported studies involved manipulating variables in controlled experiments with subjects (AKA ideators). The sample of ideators, were tasked with generating ideas to solve a challenge and the outcome of their work was measured by quantity and quality of output. The latter criterion was assessed by an expert panel using a standardised evaluation framework. Four variables were employed to understand idea generation success factors. These were identified as common and thus easily applied factors in typical ideation scenarios and included varying levels of participant stimulation (before sessions), presence or absence of a facilitator, application of ‘Design Thinking’ technique (or not) and lastly, participant profile based on professional background. In this case, participant characteristics were split between designers and non-designers. The different experiments were run, with participants generating ideas in a timeboxed activity in which their outputs were assessed against the various experimental conditions. The findings suggest that counter orthodox thinking, applying the methods (e.g. Round Robin) is less effective than the influence of ideators’ differing professional background and their level of stimulation. These conclusions in turn suggest the possibility of extending the effectiveness of workshop facilitation to increase efficiency and quality of output. The paper concludes with pointers on improving ideation. In particular, increasing levels of engagement and immersion among participants and using aspects of game theory are seen a possible areas of further investigation.

This paper reports on a series of studies that attempt to unpick the factors that contribute to successful team ideation. Ideation is a popular, structured approach to creative thinking, where the goal is to produce many viable and innovative ideas and concepts. This is often accomplished through structured collaborative workshops that include ‘Design Thinking’ techniques and methods. The reported studies involved manipulating variables in controlled experiments with subjects (AKA ideators). The sample of ideators, were tasked with generating ideas to solve a challenge and the outcome of their work was measured by quantity and quality of output. The latter criterion was assessed by an expert panel using a standardised evaluation framework. Four variables were employed to understand idea generation success factors. These were identified as common and thus easily applied factors in typical ideation scenarios and included varying levels of participant stimulation (before sessions), presence or absence of a facilitator, application of ‘Design Thinking’ technique (or not) and lastly, participant profile based on professional background. In this case, participant characteristics were split between designers and non-designers. The different experiments were run, with participants generating ideas in a timeboxed activity in which their outputs were assessed against the various experimental conditions. The findings suggest that counter orthodox thinking, applying the methods (e.g. Round Robin) is less effective than the influence of ideators’ differing professional background and their level of stimulation. These conclusions in turn suggest the possibility of extending the effectiveness of workshop facilitation to increase efficiency and quality of output. The paper concludes with pointers on improving ideation. In particular, increasing levels of engagement and immersion among participants and using aspects of game theory are seen a possible areas of further investigation.

Background. Hyperoxaluria is a major risk factor for kidney stone formation. Although urinary oxalate measurement is part of all basic stone risk assessment, there is no standardized method for this measurement. Methods. Urine samples from 24-h urine collection covering a broad range of oxalate concentrations were aliquoted and sent, in duplicates, to six blinded international laboratories for oxalate, sodium and creatinine measurement. In a second set of experiments, ten pairs of native urine and urine spiked with 10 mg/L of oxalate were sent for oxalate measurement. Three laboratories used a commercially available oxalate oxidase kit, two laboratories used a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-based method and one laboratory used both methods. Results. Intra-laboratory reliability for oxalate measurement expressed as intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) varied between 0.808 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.427-0.948] and 0.998 (95% CI: 0.994-1.000), with lower values for HPLC-based methods. Acidification of urine samples prior to analysis led to significantly higher oxalate concentrations. ICC for inter-laboratory reliability varied between 0.745 (95% CI: 0.468-0.890) and 0.986 (95% CI: 0.967-0.995). Recovery of the 10 mg/L oxalate-spiked samples varied between 8.7 ± 2.3 and 10.7 ± 0.5 mg/L. Overall, HPLC-based methods showed more variability compared to the oxalate oxidase kit-based methods. Conclusions. Significant variability was noted in the quantification of urinary oxalate concentration by different laboratories, which may partially explain the differences of hyperoxaluria prevalence reported in the literature. Our data stress the need for a standardization of the method of oxalate measurement

This new edition of Forecasting Volatility in the Financial Markets assumes that the reader has a firm grounding in the key principles and methods of understanding volatility measurement and builds on that knowledge to detail cutting-edge modelling and forecasting techniques. It provides a survey of ways to measure risk and define the different models of volatility and return. Editors John Knight and Stephen Satchell have brought together an impressive array of contributors who present research from their area of specialization related to volatility forecasting. Readers with an understanding of volatility measures and risk management strategies will benefit from this collection of up-to-date chapters on the latest techniques in forecasting volatility. Chapters new to this third edition: What good is a volatility model Applications for portfolio variety A comparison of the properties of realized variance for the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 equity indices Volatility modeling and forecasting in finance An investigation of the relative performance of GARCH models versus simple rules in forecasting volatility

Newnes Building Services Pocket Book is a unique compendium of essential data, techniques and procedures, best practice, and underpinning knowledge. This makes it an essential tool for engineers involved in the design and day-to-day running of mechanical services in buildings, and a valuable reference for managers, students and engineers in related fields.This pocket reference gives the reader access to the knowledge and know-how of the team of professional engineers who wrote the sixteen chapters that cover all aspects of mechanical building services. Topic coverage includes heating systems, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, fans, ductwork, pipework and plumbing, drainage, and fire protection. The result is a comprehensive guide covering the selection of HVAC systems, and the design process from initial drafts through to implementation.The second edition builds on the success of this popular guide with references to UK and EU legislation fully updated throughout, and coverage fully in line with the latest CIBSE guides.

Newnes Building Services Pocket Book is a unique compendium of essential data, techniques and procedures, best practice, and underpinning knowledge. This makes it an essential tool for engineers involved in the design and day-to-day running of mechanical services in buildings, and a valuable reference for managers, students and engineers in related fields.This pocket reference gives the reader access to the knowledge and know-how of the team of professional engineers who wrote the sixteen chapters that cover all aspects of mechanical building services. Topic coverage includes heating systems, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, fans, ductwork, pipework and plumbing, drainage, and fire protection. The result is a comprehensive guide covering the selection of HVAC systems, and the design process from initial drafts through to implementation.The second edition builds on the success of this popular guide with references to UK and EU legislation fully updated throughout, and coverage fully in line with the latest CIBSE guides.

Newnes Building Services Pocket Book is a unique compendium of essential data, techniques and procedures, best practice, and underpinning knowledge. This makes it an essential tool for engineers involved in the design and day-to-day running of mechanical services in buildings, and a valuable reference for managers, students and engineers in related fields.This pocket reference gives the reader access to the knowledge and know-how of the team of professional engineers who wrote the sixteen chapters that cover all aspects of mechanical building services. Topic coverage includes heating systems, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, fans, ductwork, pipework and plumbing, drainage, and fire protection. The result is a comprehensive guide covering the selection of HVAC systems, and the design process from initial drafts through to implementation.The second edition builds on the success of this popular guide with references to UK and EU legislation fully updated throughout, and coverage fully in line with the latest CIBSE guides.

The distinction between out-performance of an Investment fund or plan manager vs rewards for taking risks is at the heart of all discussions on Investment fund performance measurement of fund managers. This issue is not always well-understood and the notion of risk adjusting performance is not universally accepted. Performance Measurement in Finance addresses this central issue. The topics covered include evaluation of investment fund management, evaluation of the investment fund itself, and stock selection performance. The book also surveys and critiques existing methodologies of performance measurement and covers new innovative approaches to performance measurement. The contributors to the text include both academics and practitioners providing comprehensive coverage of the topic areas. Performance Measurement in Finance is all about how to effectively measure financial performance of the fund manager and investment house managers, what measures need to be put in place and technically what works and what doesn't. It covers risk, and what's acceptable and what isn't, how, in short, to manage risk.

Introduction: Bedside thoracic ultrasound (US) can rapidly diagnose pneumothorax (PTX) with improved accuracy over the physical examination and without the need for chest radiography (CXR); however, US is highly operator dependent. A computerized diagnostic assistant was developed by the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research to detect PTX on standard thoracic US images. This computer algorithm is designed to automatically detect sonographic signs of PTX by systematically analyzing B-mode US video clips for pleural sliding and M-mode still images for the seashore sign. This was a pilot study to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of the PTX detection computer algorithm when compared to an expert panel of US trained physicians.Methods: This was a retrospective study using archived thoracic US obtained on adult patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) between 5/23/2011 and 8/6/2014. Emergency medicine residents, fellows, attending physicians, physician assistants, and medical students performed the US examinations and stored the images in the picture archive and communications system (PACS). The PACS was queried for all ED bedside US examinations with reported positive PTX during the study period along with a random sample of negatives. The computer algorithm then interpreted the images, and we compared the results to an independent, blinded expert panel of three physicians, each with experience reviewing over 10,000 US examinations.Results: Query of the PACS system revealed 146 bedside thoracic US examinations for analysis. Thirteen examinations were indeterminate and were excluded. There were 79 true negatives, 33 true positives, 9 false negatives, and 12 false positives. The test characteristics of the algorithm when compared to the expert panel were sensitivity 79% (95 % CI [63-89]) and specificity 87% (95% CI [77-93]). For the 20 images scored as highest quality by the expert panel, the algorithm demonstrated 100% sensitivity (95% CI [56-100])

Introduction: Bedside thoracic ultrasound (US) can rapidly diagnose pneumothorax (PTX) with improved accuracy over the physical examination and without the need for chest radiography (CXR); however, US is highly operator dependent. A computerized diagnostic assistant was developed by the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research to detect PTX on standard thoracic US images. This computer algorithm is designed to automatically detect sonographic signs of PTX by systematically analyzing B-mode US video clips for pleural sliding and M-mode still images for the seashore sign. This was a pilot study to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of the PTX detection computer algorithm when compared to an expert panel of US trained physicians.Methods: This was a retrospective study using archived thoracic US obtained on adult patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) between 5/23/2011 and 8/6/2014. Emergency medicine residents, fellows, attending physicians, physician assistants, and medical students performed the US examinations and stored the images in the picture archive and communications system (PACS). The PACS was queried for all ED bedside US examinations with reported positive PTX during the study period along with a random sample of negatives. The computer algorithm then interpreted the images, and we compared the results to an independent, blinded expert panel of three physicians, each with experience reviewing over 10,000 US examinations.Results: Query of the PACS system revealed 146 bedside thoracic US examinations for analysis. Thirteen examinations were indeterminate and were excluded. There were 79 true negatives, 33 true positives, 9 false negatives, and 12 false positives. The test characteristics of the algorithm when compared to the expert panel were sensitivity 79% (95 % CI [63-89]) and specificity 87% (95% CI [77-93]). For the 20 images scored as highest quality by the expert panel, the algorithm demonstrated 100% sensitivity (95% CI [56-100])

We show that a common polymorphic variant in the ERCC5 5′ untranslated region (UTR) generates an upstream ORF (uORF) that affects both the background expression of this protein and its ability to be synthesized following exposure to agents that cause bulky adduct DNA damage. Individuals that harbor uORF1 have a marked resistance to platinum-based agents, illustrated by the significantly reduced progression-free survival of pediatric ependymoma patients treated with such compounds. Importantly, inhibition of DNA-PKcs restores sensitivity to platinum-based compounds by preventing uORF1-dependent ERCC5 expression. Our data support a model in which a heritable 5′ noncoding mRNA element influences individuals’ responses to platinum-based chemotherapy.

BackgroundEnd-stage kidney disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prevalence of the disease and worldwide use of renal replacement therapy (RRT) are expected to rise sharply in the next decade. We aimed to quantify estimates of this burden.MethodsWe systematically searched Medline for observational studies and renal registries, and contacted national experts to obtain RRT prevalence data. We used Poisson regression to estimate the prevalence of RRT for countries without reported data. We estimated the gap between needed and actual RRT, and projected needs to 2030.FindingsIn 2010, 2·618 million people received RRT worldwide. We estimated the number of patients needing RRT to be between 4·902 million (95% CI 4·438–5·431 million) in our conservative model and 9·701 million (8·544–11·021 million) in our high-estimate model, suggesting that at least 2·284 million people might have died prematurely because RRT could not be accessed. We noted the largest treatment gaps in low-income countries, particularly Asia (1·907 million people needing but not receiving RRT; conservative model) and Africa (432 000 people; conservative model). Worldwide use of RRT is projected to more than double to 5·439 million (3·899–7·640 million) people by 2030, with the most growth in Asia (0·968 million to a projected 2·162 million [1·571–3·014 million]).InterpretationThe large number of people receiving RRT and the substantial number without access to it show the need to both develop low-cost treatments and implement effective population-based prevention strategies.

Security weaknesses in DoD information systems remain a major challenge for system stakeholders. We have advanced technology transition for technology developed under the Helix and PEASOUP projects to protect Air Force systems of interests. The result is an asset that, if widely deployed by the DoD, would enable a high level of confidence in the security of DoD systems, in particular, confidence that certain classes of critical vulnerabilities were no longer subject to possible exploitation. Our technology, called Kevlar, includes key security technologies are protective transformations and targeted recovery. The protective transformations are applied to application binaries before they are deployed. Salient features of Kevlar include applying high-entropy randomization techniques, automated program repairs, leveraging highly optimized virtual machine technology, and developing a novel framework for program analysis, transformation and composition.

BackgroundEnd-stage kidney disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prevalence of the disease and worldwide use of renal replacement therapy (RRT) are expected to rise sharply in the next decade. We aimed to quantify estimates of this burden.MethodsWe systematically searched Medline for observational studies and renal registries, and contacted national experts to obtain RRT prevalence data. We used Poisson regression to estimate the prevalence of RRT for countries without reported data. We estimated the gap between needed and actual RRT, and projected needs to 2030.FindingsIn 2010, 2·618 million people received RRT worldwide. We estimated the number of patients needing RRT to be between 4·902 million (95% CI 4·438–5·431 million) in our conservative model and 9·701 million (8·544–11·021 million) in our high-estimate model, suggesting that at least 2·284 million people might have died prematurely because RRT could not be accessed. We noted the largest treatment gaps in low-income countries, particularly Asia (1·907 million people needing but not receiving RRT; conservative model) and Africa (432 000 people; conservative model). Worldwide use of RRT is projected to more than double to 5·439 million (3·899–7·640 million) people by 2030, with the most growth in Asia (0·968 million to a projected 2·162 million [1·571–3·014 million]).InterpretationThe large number of people receiving RRT and the substantial number without access to it show the need to both develop low-cost treatments and implement effective population-based prevention strategies.

The focus of the Helix project was to dramatically improve the status quo for architecting secure and resilient information systems by developing a coherent body of scientific and engineering knowledge to design and evaluate new algorithms and concepts for self-regenerative systems. The hallmarks of such systems is that they are automated and proactive; they can adapt and reconfigure themselves to present attackers with an ever-shifting attack surface; and they can self-heal when confronted with both known and unknown attacks., The original document contains color images.

Leadership writing has tended to present a positive picture about leadership practice yet, in recent times, researchers have highlighted the ‘dark side’ of leadership. In this exploratory conceptual paper, we juxtapose two contrasting forms of leadership: narcissistic leadership and service-oriented leadership (that draws heavily upon servant leadership) in order to provide a better understanding of both of these forms. In particular, we explore four core constructs of leadership: service, power, role of followers, and morality, to provide a constrast. Given that little empirical works exists on narcissistic and servant leadership in educational contexts, the paper concludes by arguing for further research in the field.

Conformance to software standards plays an essential role in establishing confidence in high-integrity software systems. However, standards conformance suffers from uncertainty about its meaning for three reasons: because requirements of the standard must be interpreted to fit the specifics of the application; because standards can deliberately leave options for developers; and because goal-based software standards exist that simply specify the high-level principles of software assurance without prescribing a specific means of compliance. The overall effect of these issues is that when conformance to a software assurance standard is claimed, there can be a lack of clarity as to exactly what the claim entails. This article draws on principles and practice from the domain of safety argument construction to describe the use of explicit and structured conformance arguments to help address this problem.

Leadership writing has tended to present a positive picture about leadership practice yet, in recent times, researchers have highlighted the 'dark side' of leadership. In this exploratory conceptual paper, we juxtapose two contrasting forms of leadership: narcissistic leadership and service-oriented leadership (that draws heavily upon servant leadership) in order to provide a better understanding of both of these forms. In particular, we explore four core constructs of leadership: service, power, role of followers, and morality, to provide a contrast. Given that little empirical works exists on narcissistic and servant leadership in educational contexts, the article concludes by arguing for further research in the field.

Cyclin E supports pre-replication complex (pre-RC) assembly, while cyclin A-associated kinase activates DNA synthesis. We show that cyclin E, but not A, is mounted upon the nuclear matrix in sub-nuclear foci in differentiated vertebrate cells, but not in undifferentiated cells or cancer cells. In murine embryonic stem cells, Xenopus embryos and human urothelial cells, cyclin E is recruited to the nuclear matrix as cells differentiate and this can be manipulated in vitro. This suggests that pre-RC assembly becomes spatially restricted as template usage is defined. Furthermore, failure to become restricted may contribute to the plasticity of cancer cells.

Cyclin E supports pre-replication complex (pre-RC) assembly, while cyclin A-associated kinase activates DNA synthesis. We show that cyclin E, but not A, is mounted upon the nuclear matrix in sub-nuclear foci in differentiated vertebrate cells, but not in undifferentiated cells or cancer cells. In murine embryonic stem cells, Xenopus embryos and human urothelial cells, cyclin E is recruited to the nuclear matrix as cells differentiate and this can be manipulated in vitro. This suggests that pre-RC assembly becomes spatially restricted as template usage is defined. Furthermore, failure to become restricted may contribute to the plasticity of cancer cells.

Using South African data, the paper poses six questions about the determinants of subjective well-being. Much of the paper is concerned with the role of relative concepts. We find that comparator income, when measured as the average income of others in the local residential cluster, enters the household's utility function positively (close neighbors are 'positives', not 'negatives'), but that the income of more distant others enters negatively. Race-based comparator groups are also important in racially divided South Africa. Relative income is more important to happiness at higher levels of absolute income. Potential explanations and implications of these results are considered.

Assurance Based Development (ABD) is a novel approach to the synergistic construction of critical software systems and their assurance arguments. In ABD, the need for assurance drives a unique process synthesis mechanism that results in a detailed process for building both software and an argument demonstrating its fitness for use in given operating contexts. In this paper, we introduce the ABD process synthesis mechanism. A key element of ABD process synthesis is the success argument, an argument which documents developers' rationale for believing that the development effort in progress will result in a system that demonstrably meets an acceptable balance of all stakeholder goals. Such goals include safety and security requirements for systems using the software as a component and time and budget constraints. We also present the details of a case study in which we used ABD to develop the control software for a prototype artificial heart pump.

The technology for building dependable computing systems has advanced dramatically. Nevertheless, there is still no complete solution to building software for critical systems in which every aspect of software dependability can be demonstrated with high confidence. In this paper, we present the results of a case study exploration of the practical limitations on software dependability. We analyze a software assurance argument for weaknesses and extrapolate a set of limitations including dependence upon correct requirements, dependence upon reliable human-to-human communication, dependence upon human compliance with protocols, dependence upon unqualified tools, the difficulty of verifying low-level code, and the limitations of testing. We discuss each limitation's impact on our specimen system and potential mitigations., 15th International Conference on Reliable Software Technologies, Ada-Europe 2010; Valencia; Spain; 14 June 2010 through 18 June 2010