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Relier les enregistrements vidéo et les memoires: Recherches en constellation sur l’œuvre de Marie-Jane Otth
Volkswirtschaftslehre: Eine Einführung für die Schweiz
(2024)
Konjunktur, Inflation, Frankenstärke, Arbeitslosigkeit, Bankenkrise, Globalisierung …
Volkswirtschaftliche Themen spielen in unserem Alltag, in den Medien und in der politischen Diskussion stets eine wichtige Rolle. Entsprechend gross ist das Bedürfnis, volkswirtschaftliche Vorgänge zu verstehen und einzuordnen. Dieses Buch zeigt, dass sich mithilfe einiger weniger Denkmodelle volkswirtschaftliche Fragen kompetent beantworten lassen. Alle wichtigen Gebiete der Volkswirtschaftslehre werden in diesem Werk mit denselben Grundkonzepten erläutert. Auf dieser Basis werden die Erkenntnisse dann auf die konkrete Situation der Schweiz und ihr internationales Umfeld angewendet
Keynote Lecture - Science Fiction and Communities of Agreement: Using literary criticism to explore science and theology
Machine learning quantification of Amyloid-β deposits in the temporal lobe of 131 brain bank cases.
Accurate and scalable quantification of amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology is crucial for deeper disease phenotyping and furthering research in Alzheimer Disease (AD). This multidisciplinary study addresses the current limitations on neuropathology by leveraging a machine learning (ML) pipeline to perform a granular quantification of Aβ deposits and assess their distribution in the temporal lobe. Utilizing 131 whole-slide-images from consecutive autopsied cases at the University of California Davis Alzheimer Disease Research Center, our objectives were threefold: (1) Validate an automatic workflow for Aβ deposit quantification in white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM); (2) define the distributions of different Aβ deposit types in GM and WM, and (3) investigate correlates of Aβ deposits with dementia status and the presence of mixed pathology. Our methodology highlights the robustness and efficacy of the ML pipeline, demonstrating proficiency akin to experts' evaluations. We provide comprehensive insights into the quantification and distribution of Aβ deposits in the temporal GM and WM revealing a progressive increase in tandem with the severity of established diagnostic criteria (NIA-AA). We also present correlations of Aβ load with clinical diagnosis as well as presence/absence of mixed pathology. This study introduces a reproducible workflow, showcasing the practical use of ML approaches in the field of neuropathology, and use of the output data for correlative analyses. Acknowledging limitations, such as potential biases in the ML model and current ML classifications, we propose avenues for future research to refine and expand the methodology. We hope to contribute to the broader landscape of neuropathology advancements, ML applications, and precision medicine, paving the way for deep phenotyping of AD brain cases and establishing a foundation for further advancements in neuropathological research
Prevalence and characteristics of and risk factors for impacted teeth with ankylosis and replacement resorption - a retrospective, 3D-radiographic assessment.
BACKGROUND
Large variation in the prevalence of ankylosis and replacement resorption (ARR) is reported in the literature and most studies have relatively small patient numbers. The present retrospective study aimed to provide an overview on prevalence, location of, and associated risk factors with ARR based on a large sample of computed tomography (CT) / cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of impacted teeth. The results should allow clinicians to better estimate the risk of ARR at impacted teeth.
METHODS
The CT/CBCT scans of 5764 patients of a single center in Central Europe were screened with predefined eligibility criteria. The following parameters were recorded for the finally included population: gender, age, tooth type/position, number of impacted teeth per patient, and presence/absence of ARR. For teeth with ARR the tooth location in reference to the dental arch, tooth angulation, and part of the tooth affected by ARR were additionally registered.
RESULTS
Altogether, 4142 patients with 7170 impacted teeth were included. ARR was diagnosed at 187 impacted teeth (2.6%) of 157 patients (3.7%); 58% of these patients were female and the number of teeth with ARR per patient ranged from 1 to 10. Depending on the tooth type the prevalence ranged from 0 (upper first premolars, lower central and lateral incisors) to 41.2% (upper first molars). ARR was detected at the crown (57.2%), root (32.1%), or at both (10.7%). After correcting for confounders, the odds for ARR significantly increased with higher age; further, incisors and first/second molars had the highest odds for ARR, while wisdom teeth had the lowest. More specifically, for 20-year-old patients the risk for ARR at impacted incisors and first/second molars ranged from 7.7 to 10.8%, but it approximately tripled to 27.3-35.5% for 40-year-old patients. In addition, female patients had significantly less often ARR at the root, while with increasing age the root was significantly more often affected by ARR than the crown.
CONCLUSION
ARR at impacted teeth is indeed a rare event, i.e., only 2.6% of 7170 impacted teeth were ankylosed with signs of replacement resorption. On the patient level, higher age significantly increased the odds for ARR and on the tooth level, incisors and first/second molars had the highest odds for ARR, while wisdom teeth had the lowest
Prescriptive Pricing and Stabilisation Clauses in Investment Agreements
‘Prescriptive’ pricing methods, which employ reference prices and fixed margins for tax purposes, have gained prominence as a pragmatic approach to combatting commodity trade mispricing and tax evasion, especially for countries with limited tax administration capabilities. While these methods hold promise for facilitating enforcement, reducing administrative burdens, and curtailing abusive tax avoidance practices, concerns have arisen about their potential deviation from established international rules and principles. The perceived risk of legal liabilities and investor claims, including ‘unfair treatment’ under investment treaties, acts as a significant uncertainty factor in the adoption of such methods. Thus, the present chapter addresses the legal aspects of ‘prescriptive’ pricing methods within the parameters of international investment law, offering a multifaceted perspective on challenges involving the scope of defence arguments that states can mobilise under international investment law to justify such methods and exploring the right and duty of states to regulate corporate conduct and economic activities under human rights law, as well as the practical limitations to this approach in present lawmaking practices
Ninety years of pulse oximetry: history, current status, and outlook.
SIGNIFICANCE
This year, 2024, marks the 50th anniversary of the invention of pulse oximetry (PO), which was first presented by Takuo Aoyagi, an engineer from the Nihon Kohden Company, at the 13th Conference of the Japanese Society of Medical Electronics and Biological Engineering in Osaka in 1974. His discovery and the development of PO for the non-invasive measurement of peripheral arterial oxygenation represents one of the most significant chapters in the history of medical technology. It resulted from research and development efforts conducted by biochemists, engineers, physicists, physiologists, and physicians since the 1930s.
AIM
The objective of this work was to provide a narrative review of the history, current status, and future prospects of PO.
APPROACH
A comprehensive review of the literature on oximetry and PO was conducted.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Our historical review examines the development of oximetry in general and PO in particular, tracing the key stages of a long and fascinating story that has unfolded from the first half of the twentieth century to the present day-an exciting journey in which serendipity has intersected with the hard work of key pioneers. This work has been made possible by the contributions of numerous key pioneers, including Kurt Kramer, Karl Matthes, Glenn Millikan, Evgenii M. Kreps, Earl H. Wood, Robert F. Show, Scott A. Wilber, William New, and, above all, Takuo Aoyagi. PO has become an integral part of modern medical care and has proven to be an important tool for physiological monitoring. The COVID-19 pandemic not only highlighted the clinical utility of PO but also revealed some of the problems with the technology. Current research in biomedical optics should address these issues to make the technology even more reliable and accurate. We discuss the necessary innovations in PO and present our thoughts on what the next generation of PO might look like
Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in allergy: Targeting IgE, cytokine, and alarmin pathways.
The etiology of allergy is closely linked to type 2 inflammatory responses ultimately leading to the production of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), a key driver of many allergic conditions. At a high level, initial allergen exposure disrupts epithelial integrity, triggering local inflammation via alarmins including IL-25, IL-33, and TSLP, which activate type 2 innate lymphoid cells as well as other immune cells to secrete type 2 cytokines IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13, promoting Th2 cell development and eosinophil recruitment. Th2 cell dependent B cell activation promotes the production of allergen-specific IgE, which stably binds to basophils and mast cells. Rapid degranulation of these cells upon allergen re-exposure leads to allergic symptoms. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying allergic pathophysiology have significantly shaped the development of therapeutic intervention strategies. In this review, we highlight key therapeutic targets within the allergic cascade with a particular focus on past, current and future treatment approaches using monoclonal antibodies. Specific targeting of alarmins, type 2 cytokines and IgE has shown varying degrees of clinical benefit in different allergic indications including asthma, chronic spontaneous urticaria, atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, food allergies and eosinophilic esophagitis. While multiple therapeutic antibodies have been approved for clinical use, scientists are still working on ways to improve on current treatment approaches. Here, we provide context to understand therapeutic targeting strategies and their limitations, discussing both knowledge gaps and promising future directions to enhancing clinical efficacy in allergic disease management
Sprinting to the top: comparing quality of distance variety and specialization between swimmers and runners.
OBJECTIVES
To compare performance progression and variety in race distances of comparable lengths (timewise) between pool swimming and track running. Quality of within-sport variety was determined as the performance differences between individual athletes' main and secondary race distances across (top-) elite and (highly-) trained swimmers and runners.
METHODS
A total of 3,827,947 race times were used to calculate performance points (race times relative to the world record) for freestyle swimmers (n = 12,588 males and n = 7,561 females) and track runners (n = 9,230 males and n = 5,841 females). Athletes were ranked based on their personal best at peak performance age, then annual best times were retrospectively traced throughout adolescence.
RESULTS
Performance of world-class swimmers differentiates at an earlier age from their lower ranked peers (15-16 vs. 17-20 year age categories, P < 0.05), but also plateaus earlier towards senior age compared to runners (19-20 vs. 23 + year age category, P < 0.05), respectively. Performance development of swimmers shows a logarithmic pattern, while runners develop linearly. While swimmers compete in more secondary race distances (larger within-sport variety), runners specialize in either sprint, middle- or long-distance early in their career and compete in only 2, 4 or 3 other race distances, respectively. In both sports, sprinters specialize the most (P < 0.05). Distance-variety of middle-distance swimmers covers more longer rather than sprint race distances. Therefore, at peak performance age, (top-) elite female 200 m swimmers show significantly slower sprint performances, i.e., 50 m (P < 0.001) and 100 m (P < 0.001), but not long-distance performances, i.e., 800 m (P = 0.99) and 1,500 m (P = 0.99). In contrast, (top-) elite female 800 m middle-distance runners show significantly slower performances in all their secondary race distances (P < 0.001). (Top-) elite female athletes specialize more than (highly-) trained athletes in both sports (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
The comparison to track running and lower ranked swimmers, the early performance plateau towards senior age, and the maintenance of a large within-sport distance variety indicates that (top-) elite sprint swimmers benefit from greater within-sport specialization