Search

Additional file 8: Supplemental Document 2. CONSORT checklist.

Additional file 4: Supplemental Table 2. SIT LESS intervention characteristics.

Additional file 7: Supplemental Document 1. SIT LESS manual.

Additional file 2: Supplemental Figure 2. Longitudinal sedentary time (panel A) and prolonged sedentary bouts (≥ 30 min) (panel B) during SIT LESS based on the activity tracker data (SIT LESS group). Data are presented as median with interquartile range. The dashed line in panel A represents the upper-limit of normal daily sedentary time (9.5 hours per day). P-values are based on mixed model analysis to assess changes in sedentary behaviour during the intervention period using random intercepts with time as continuous variable, ranging from week 1 to week 12.

Additional file 3: Supplemental Table 1. Cardiac rehabilitation characteristics.

Additional file 5: Supplemental Table 3. Reasons for premature discontinuation SIT LESS activity tracker.

Additional file 9: Supplemental Document 3. TIDieR.

Additional file 6: Supplemental Table 4. Quality of life, self-efficacy and cardiovascular risk score.

Additional file 1: Supplemental Figure 1. Forest plot with stratified mixed model analyses on the impact of SIT LESS on changes in sedentary time from pre- to post-CR, the black squares indicate the estimates and the lines represent the 95% confidence intervals of the estimate. CABG: coronary artery bypass grafting; NSTEMI: non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction; PCI: Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; STEMI: ST-elevation myocardial infarction; (U)AP: (unstable) angina pectoris.

Contains fulltext : 286286.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Additional file 2.

Additional file 1.

Additional file 3.

Item does not contain fulltext

Contains fulltext : 179102.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

In order to achieve urinary and faecal continence an efficient control on both systems is necessary, which means equilibrium between the two important phases of each system: storage and emptying. This implicates not only control of the pelvic floor muscles (contraction and relaxation) but also a correct interpretation of the sensorial information during both functional alternative phases leading to social acceptable responses by “automatic” and voluntary procedures. Those automatic and voluntary responses are part of a learning process.

¡VAMOS! – Viable Alternative Mine OperatingSystem – is a research project fundedby the H2020 program which is buildinga prototype underwater mining systemthat will provide a novel way of exploitinginaccessible inland mineral resourcesthat lie beneath the water table. The project is developing a submerged remotelycontrolled mining vehicle prototype with associated launch, recovery and ore collectingequipment. The system is also equippedwith cutting-edge technology for environmentaldata collection and real-time gradecontrol. The ¡VAMOS! technology is expectedto provide major advantages in the fieldsof environmental sustainability and safetywith respect to conventional mining methods.Two separate field trials will prove theenvironmental integrity and eromicviability of the concept.

After restoration, eutrophicated shallow freshwaters may show mass development of only one or two submerged macrophyte species, lowering biodiversity and hampering recreation. It is unclear which environmental factors govern this high percentage of the volume inhabited (PVI11 PVI: The percent of the water volume inhabited by submerged macrophytes. ) by submerged macrophytes, and whether the development of a more diverse, low canopy vegetation is likely to occur if dominant species decline in abundance. We hypothesized that (1) adequate light and high sediment nutrient availability leads to massive development of submerged macrophytes, and (2) that macrophyte species richness is low at high PVI, but that this is not caused by a lack of viable propagules of non-dominant species (especially charophytes). To test these hypotheses, fifteen shallow waters in the Netherlands were studied with respect to submerged vegetation (including propagules), water, and sediment characteristics. The probability of high submerged macrophyte PVI is highest in shallow waters where light availability in the water layer and phosphorus availability in the sediment are abundant. These conditions typically occur upon restoration of eutrophic waterbodies by reducing water nutrient loading or applying biomanipulation. Other factors, as top-down control, can additionally influence realised PVI. Viable propagules of species other than the dominant ones, including charophytes, were found in most of the sediments, indicating that once the dominant species declines, there is local potential for a diverse submerged vegetation to develop. Results can be used to predict when mass development occurs and to tackle the factors causing mass development.

Contains fulltext : 174738.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Tremendous progress in genetics and genomics led to a wide range of healthcare providers, genetic tests, and more patients who can benefit from these developments. To guarantee and improve the quality of genetic testing, a unified European-based registration for individuals qualified in biomedicine was realized. Therefore a Europe-wide recognition of the profession 'European registered Clinical Laboratory Geneticist (ErCLG)' based on a syllabus of core competences was established which allows for harmonization in professional education. The 'European Board of Medical Genetics division - Clinical Laboratory Geneticist' provides now since 3 years the possibility to register as an ErCLG. Applicants may be from all European countries and since this year also from outside of Europe. Five subtitles reflect the exact specialty of each ErCLG, who can reregister every 5 years. A previously not possible statistics based on ~300 individuals from 19 countries as holders of an ErCLG title provides interesting insights into the professionals working in human genetics. It could be substantiated that there are around twice as many females than males and that a PhD title was achieved by 80% of registered ErCLGs. Also most ErCLGs are still trained as generalists (66%), followed by such ErCLGs with focus on molecular genetics (23%); the remaining are concentrated either on clinical (6%), tumor (4%) or biochemical genetics (1%). In conclusion, besides MDs and genetic counselors/nurses an EU-wide recognition system for Clinical Laboratory Geneticist has been established, which strengthens the status of specialists working in human genetic diagnostics in Europe and worldwide.

A novel optical method for the determination of CO2 concentration in aqueous and gaseous samples of plasticized PVC film is presented. The detection principle makes use of a direct molecular recognition of the carbonate ion by a molecular tweezer type ionophore which has previously been demonstrated to exhibit excellent carbonate selectivity. The carbonate ion is extracted together with hydrogen ions into a polymeric film that contains the anion exchanger tridodecylmethylammonium chloride a lipophilic electrically charged and highly basic pH indicator which is used for the readout in absorbance mode in addition to the lipophilic carbonate ionophore. According to known bulk optode principles such an optical sensor responds to the product of the carbonate ion activity and the square of hydrogen ion activity. This quantity is thermodynamically linked to the activity of carbon dioxide. This allows one to realize a direct carbon dioxide sensor that does not make use of the traditional Severinghaus sensing principle of measuring a pH change upon CO2 equilibration across a membrane. A selectivity analysis shows that common ions such as chloride are sufficiently suppressed for direct PCO2 measurements in freshwater samples at pH 8. Chloride interference however is too severe for direct seawater measurements at the same pH. This may be overcome by placing a gas permeable membrane over the optode sensing film. This is conceptually confirmed by establishing that the sensor is equally useful for gas phase PCO2 measurements. As expected humid air samples are required for proper sensor functioning as dry CO2 gas will not cause any signal change. The sensor showed acceptable response times and good reproducibility under both conditions.

Ion selective membranes operated in a thin layer coulometric detection mode have previously been demonstrated to exhibit attractive characteristics in view of realizing sensors without the need for frequent recalibration. In this methodology the analyte ion is exhaustively removed across an ion selective membrane by an applied potential and the resulting current is integrated to yield the coulomb number and hence the amount of analyte originally present in the sample. This exhaustive process however places greater demands on the selectivity of the membrane compared to direct potentiometry since the level of interference will increase as the analyte depletes. We evaluate here a double pulse protocol to reduce the level of interference in which the sample is electrolyzed once again after the initial coulometric detection pulse. Since the analyte ion is no longer present at significant concentrations during the second pulse but an interfering ion of high concentration did not appreciably deplete the second electrolysis step may be used to partially compensate for undesired interference. These processes are here evaluated by numerical simulation for ions of the same charge demonstrating that the resulting coulomb number may indeed be reduced for systems of limited selectivity. The improvement in operational selectivity relative to uncompensated coulometry is found to be ca. 6 fold. The methodology is successfully demonstrated experimentally with a calcium selective membrane and tetraethylammonium as a model interfering agent and the observed relative errors after background compensation can be favorably compared to that in direct potentiometry where no sample depletion occurs.

This Research Note presents the outcome of a project that looked at the personal characteristics of lone-actor terrorists. It is part of the larger Countering Lone-Actor Terrorism (CLAT) project. The project described here aimed to improve understanding of, and responses to, the phenomenon of (potentially) violent lone-actors based on an analysis of 120 cases from across Europe. The Research Note focuses on the personal characteristics of lone-actor terrorists. First of all, it presents the main findings of the general analysis of the study into personal variables of lone-actor terrorists. Subsequently, the authors outline a set of recommendations based on the key findings. In the beginning, we present the main research questions of the CLAT project and the working definition of lone-actor terrorism

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext OBJECTIVE: With a shift towards noninvasive testing, we have explored and validated the use of noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) for Huntington disease (HD). METHODS: Fifteen couples have been included, assessing a total of n = 20 pregnancies. Fetal paternally inherited CAG repeat length was determined in total cell-free DNA from maternal plasma using a direct approach by PCR and subsequent fragment analysis. RESULTS: All fetal HD (n = 7) and intermediate (n = 3) CAG repeats could be detected in maternal plasma. Detection of repeats in the normal range (n = 10) was successful in n = 5 cases where the paternal repeat size could be distinguished from maternal repeat patterns after fragment analysis. In all other cases (n = 5), the paternal peaks coincided with the maternal peak pattern. All NIPD results were concordant with results from routine diagnostics on fetal genomic DNA from chorionic villi. CONCLUSION: In this validation study, we demonstrated that all fetuses at risk for HD could be identified noninvasively in maternal plasma. Additionally, we have confirmed results from previously described case reports that NIPD for HD can be performed using a direct approach by PCR. For future diagnostics, parental CAG profiles can be used to predict the success rate for NIPD prior to testing. (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is caused by partial deletion of the D4Z4 repeat array on chromosome 4q35. Genetic diagnosis is based on sizing of this repeat array, which is complicated by cross-hybridization of a homologous polymorphic repeat array on chromosome 10 and by the frequent exchanges between these chromosomal regions. The restriction enzyme XapI optimizes the diagnosis of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy by uniquely digesting 4-derived repeat units and leaving 10-derived repeat units undigested, thus complementing BlnI, which uniquely digests 10-derived repeat units. A triple analysis with EcoRI, EcoRI/BlnI, and XapI unequivocally allows characterization of each of the four alleles, whether homogeneous or hybrid. This is particularly useful in the case of identical sized 4-derived and 10-derived arrays, in situations of suspected facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy with nonstandard allele configurations, and for assignment of hybrid fragments to their original alleles.

Small airway obstruction is important in the pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. Additionally, many CF patients lose lung function in the long term as a result of respiratory tract exacerbations (RTEs). No trials have been performed to optimize mucolytic therapy during a RTE. We investigated whether specifically targeting dornase alfa to the small airways improves small airway obstruction during RTEs.In a multi-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial CF patients hospitalized for a RTE and on maintenance treatment with dornase alfa were switched to a smart nebulizer. Patients were randomized to small airway deposition (n = 19) or large airway deposition (n = 19) of dornase alfa for at least 7 days. Primary endpoint was forced expiratory flow at 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF75 ).Spirometry parameters improved significantly during admission, but the difference in mean change in FEF75 between treatment groups was not significant: 0.7 SD, P = 0.30. FEF25-75 , FEV1 , nocturnal oxygen saturation and diary symptom scores also did not differ between groups.This study did not detect a difference if inhaled dornase alfa was targeted to small versus large airways during a RTE. However, the 95% confidence interval for the change in FEF75 was wide. Further studies are needed to improve the effectiveness of RTE treatment in CF.

Item does not contain fulltext 4 p.

Contains fulltext : 21863___.PDF (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Item does not contain fulltext

Contains fulltext : 78389.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) 4 p.

Contains fulltext : 46122.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) 12 p.

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext

Contains fulltext : 67211.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Item does not contain fulltext 6 p.

Item does not contain fulltext 103 p.

Item does not contain fulltext 6 p.

Item does not contain fulltext

Item does not contain fulltext