511 research outputs found
Immunomodulation With Azathioprine Therapy in Rasmussen Syndrome: A Multimodal Evaluation
No full textOBJECTIVE: To verify safety and efficacy of the corticosteroid-sparing drug Azathioprine (AZA) in Rasmussen syndrome (RS), we retrospectively analyzed a cohort of RS patients recruited in a single pediatric neuroscience center. METHODS: We compared outcomes in 30 RS patients who received AZA with 23 patients who were not treated with this drug. We used a multimodal approach to correlate therapy with clinical features (seizures, epilepsia partialis continua [EPC], hemiparesis) and neuroimaging markers of progressive brain atrophy. RESULTS: AZA was well tolerated; only one patient discontinued treatment due to pancytopenia. In 27/30 AZA patients, all of whom were corticosteroid responders, corticosteroid therapy could be weaned or reduced without worsening of seizures in 89%. AZA patients had a lower prevalence of EPC (42% vs. 67% in controls) and hemiparesis (64% vs. 92%, respectively). Cox regression showed for the AZA group compared to controls a delayed time to: 1) EPC (of about 2 years, Exp(B)=0.295, 95%CI[0.108, 0.807];p=0.017), 2) hemiparesis (about one year, Exp(B)=0.315, 95%CI[0.137, 0.724];p=0.007), and 3) surgery (about 2 years, Exp(B)=2.068, 95%CI[1.012, 4.227];p=0.046). However, there were no group differences in cognitive decline over time (IQ change per year) or in hemispheric grey matter atrophy on serial MRI scans. CONCLUSION: AZA treatment appears to slow clinical progression of Rasmussen syndrome in steroid responders; this will give most advantage in patients in the early stages of the disease in whom surgical decision-making may require further time. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that for pediatric RS patients AZA is well tolerated and slows hemiparesis and appearance of EPC
Mutualism, Parasitism, and Evolutionary Adaptation
No full textOur investigations concern the role of symbiosis as an enabling mechanism in evolutionary adaptation. Previous work has illustrated how the formation of mutualist groups can guide genetic variation so as to enable the evolution of ultimately independent organisms that would otherwise be unobtainable. The new experiments reported here show that this effect applies not just in genetically related organisms but may also occur from symbiosis between distinct species. In addition, a new detail is revealed: when the symbiotic group members are drawn from two separate species only one of these species achieves eventual independence and the other remains parasitic. It is nonetheless the case that this second species, formerly mutualistic, was critical in enabling the independence of the first. We offer a biological example that is suggestive of the effect and discuss the implications for evolving complex organisms, natural and artificial
The influence of Nature study in the school (1933), by the Danish author Vilhelm Rasmussen, on Margarita Comas Camps and the project for the renewal of natural science teaching in the Second Spanish Republic
No full textIn this article we examine the book El estudio de la naturaleza
en la escuela by the Danish pedagogue Vilhelm Rasmussen
(1869–1939), published by Editorial Labor in Barcelona in 1933,
and its influence on the pedagogical standpoint of Margarita
Comas Camps (1892–1972). Comas, who translated the book
into Spanish, was a member of the group of educators of
trainee teachers that spearheaded the project for the renewal
of science teaching during the Second Spanish Republic (1931–
1939). In line with the pedagogical principles and ideas of the
New School and Nature Study movements, Rasmussen – science
writer, social democratic politician, atheist and Darwinist – proposed
replacement of the textbook and the memorisation of
concepts in natural science classes, by observation, dialogue
and drawing, as well as studies of the relationships between
living things in their natural environment through outdoor
excursions and the use of aquaria and terraria in the classroom.
We analyse Comas’s Spanish translation of Nature study in the
school published in England in 1929 from the Danish original of
1909, as well as Rasmussen’s pedagogical proposals that Comas
included in Contribución a la metodología de las ciencias naturales
(1937), the last of her books to be published prior to her
exile in England. In Rasmussen, an author from a country geographically
and culturally distant from Spain, Comas found an
outstanding reference for the teaching of natural sciences.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación4 - Educació de Qualita
What is a Good Plan? Cultural Variations in Expert Planners’ Concepts of Plan Quality
No full textThis article presents the results of a field research study examining commonalities and differences between American and British operational planners’ mental models of planning. We conducted Cultural Network Analysis (CNA) interviews with 14 experienced operational planners in the US and UK. Our results demonstrate the existence of fundamental differences between the way American and British expert planners conceive of a high quality plan. Our results revealed that the American planners’ model focused on specification of action to achieve synchronization, providing little autonomy at the level of execution, and included the belief that increasing contingencies reduces risk. The British planners’ model stressed the internal coherence of the plan, to support shared situational awareness and thereby flexibility at the level of execution. The British model also emphasized the belief that reducing the number of assumptions decreases risk. Overall, the American ideal plan serves a controlling function, whereas the British ideal plan supports an enabling function. Interestingly, both the US and UK would view the other’s ideal plan as riskier than their own. The implications of cultural models of plans and planning are described for establishing performance measures and designing systems to support multinational planning teams
Warum Werber den Himmel auf Erden versprechen. Über den Einsatz religiöser Elemente in der Werbung
No full textWerbung ist an ihre Rezipienten stets mit dem Ziel adressiert, Aufmerksamkeit für Produkte, Dienstleistungen und Botschaften zu generieren. Dabei knüpft sie an Sinnstrukturen aus anderen gesellschaftlichen Bereichen an, darunter auch Religion. In diesem Beitrag untersucht der Autor diesen Zusammenhang zwischen Werbung und Religion. Es wird zunächst gezeigt, dass Werbung in mindestens drei Weisen Religion und Religiöses nutzt: ähnliche Formen (z. B. Predigt), ähnliche Funktionen (z. B. Kontingenzbewältigung) und ähnliche Inhalte (z. B. Weihnachten, Buddha etc.). Anschließend werden mehrere empirische Studien kurz vorgestellt. Zum Schluss wird diskutiert, ob die Verwendung religiöser Symbole deren Zerstörung oder Bewahrung herbeiführt und ob Werbung als (Ersatz-)Religion betrachtet werden kann.EnglishJeppe Rasmussen: Why PR-People Promise Heaven on Earth. On Using Religious Elements in AdvertisingAdvertisement addresses its recipients in order to generate attention for a product, a service or a message. It thereby ties in with structures of meaning and sense of a given society, among these religion. In this article the author examines this relation between ads and religion. Initially it is shown that advertisement uses religion and religious elements in at least three ways: similar forms (a sermon), similar functions (coping with contingent events) and similar content (Christmas, Buddha etc.). In addition several empiric surveys are presented. Finally, it is discussed whether the use of religious symbols causes their ruin or preservation, and whether advertisement can be seen as a (replacement-)religion.
NEIGHBOUR NOISE IN MULTI-STOREY HOUSING WITH POOR SOUND INSULATION-FACTS AND OCCUPANTS' VIEWPOINTS
No full textAMC Mecanocaucho;Bosco Italia Spa;Ecophon Saint-Gobain;et al.;Head Acoustics;Mason Industries, Inc.10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association, EAA 2023 -- 11 September 2023 through 15 September 2023 -- -- 198863Neighbour noise has a significant role in acoustic privacy, protection and indoor environmental quality in residential buildings. Estimation of annoyance due to neighbour noise and concluding dose-response relationships are challenging due to variety in noise characteristics, occupant perceptions and other individual factors such as attitudes against the noise sources. This study uses qualitative analysis to examine complaints, attitudes and viewpoints on neighbour noise. In February 2021, an article was published in a national newspaper (Jyllands-Posten) of Denmark on the topics of implementation of acoustic labelling and sound insulation improvement. The article was also shared as social media posts in newspaper's official account and it received high public interest and several comments. People's reactions were gathered from the Facebook pages and analysed qualitatively. More than 500 comments were received in total, and these were grouped according to agreement/disagreement with classification, noise complaints (noise sources/activities, building definition, exposure timeframe, measures taken) accountable parties, emotions, beliefs and suggested measures and/or actions. © 2023 Ayca Sentop Dumen [email protected] & Birgit Rasmussen [email protected] This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Essai d'ajustement de fonctions de production globale à un groupe d'exploitations anglaises
No full textTaking his inspiration from an English study by Dr Knud Rasmussen, at the time head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nottingham, the author of this article gives a feu) precise details about the production functions used in agriculture.
The author insists upon the econometric difficulties encountered when adjusting an aggregate production function, derived from accounts of a homogeneous group of farms.
Such research may lead to general useful data (production outlook, necessity of an intensified use of a particular input).S'inspirant d'une étude anglaise entreprise par le docteur Knud Rasmussen, alors chef du département d'Economie Rurale de l'Université de Nottingham, cet article apporte quelques précisions sur les fonctions de production utilisées en agriculture.
L'auteur insiste sur les difficultés économétriques rencontrées dans l'ajustement d'une fonction de production globale à partir des comptes d'un groupe homogène d'exploitations.
De telles recherches peuvent aboutir à des renseignements utiles sur un plan général (perspectives de production, nécessité d'intensifier l'utilisation de tel ou tel facteur de production...).Courtois B. Essai d'ajustement de fonctions de production globale à un groupe d'exploitations anglaises. In: Économie rurale. N°63, 1965. pp. 77-88
We are mock'd with art: theatricalizing devices in performances of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale
No full textTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras/Inglês e Literatura Correspondente, Florianópolis, 2011This dissertation discusses the use of theatricalizing devices in four stage productions of William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. The selected performances were staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company (England, 1992), Théâtre de la Complicité (England, 1992), Folger Theatre (United States, 2009), and Companhia Atores de Laura (Brazil, 2004-2005). The discussion is structured following the notion of "performance text", proposed by Marco de Marinis (1993), which testifies to the importance of analyzing a performance in terms of its stage elements and also its contextual circumstances. Hence, the notion of "theatricalizing devices" is proposed in the present study as a tool to look at those devices employed on stage that can, simultaneously, comment on the theatrical medium and its conventions and help a production address themes and concerns related to the world outside the theater building. Additionally, the referred devices have to do with further fictionalizing the already fictional stage reality, without losing sight of the fact that those making and attending any given performance are inserted in an outside context.A presente tese discute o uso de recursos teatricalizantes em quatro produções teatrais de O Conto do Inverno, de William Shakespeare. As performances selecionadas foram produzidas pela Royal Shakespeare Company (Inglaterra, 1992), Théâtre de la Complicité (Inglaterra, 1992), Folger Theatre (Estados Unidos, 2009), e Companhia Atores de Laura (Brasil, 2004-2005). A discussão está estruturada seguindo a noção de "texto espetacular" proposta por Marco de Marinis (1993), a qual testemunha a favor da importância de se analisar uma performance em termos de seus elementos de palco e também de suas circunstâncias contextuais. Dessa forma, a noção de "recursos teatricalizantes" é proposta na presente tese como ferramenta para olhar aqueles recursos empregados no palco que podem, simultaneamente, comentar o meio teatral e suas convenções e ajudar uma produção a tratar temas e preocupações relacionados ao mundo existente para além do auditório do teatro. Além disso, os referidos recursos associam-se com ficcionalizar mais profundamente a realidade já fictícia do palco teatral, sem perder de vista o fato que os indivíduos que realizam e assistem a qualquer performance estão inseridos em um contexto exterior
Childhood socioeconomic position and objectively measured physical capability levels in adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full text<p><b>Background:</b> Grip strength, walking speed, chair rising and standing balance time are objective measures of physical capability that characterise current health and predict survival in older populations. Socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood may influence the peak level of physical capability achieved in early adulthood, thereby affecting levels in later adulthood. We have undertaken a systematic review with meta-analyses to test the hypothesis that adverse childhood SEP is associated with lower levels of objectively measured physical capability in adulthood.</p>
<p><b>Methods and Findings:</b> Relevant studies published by May 2010 were identified through literature searches using EMBASE and MEDLINE. Unpublished results were obtained from study investigators. Results were provided by all study investigators in a standard format and pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. 19 studies were included in the review. Total sample sizes in meta-analyses ranged from N = 17,215 for chair rise time to N = 1,061,855 for grip strength. Although heterogeneity was detected, there was consistent evidence in age adjusted models that lower childhood SEP was associated with modest reductions in physical capability levels in adulthood: comparing the lowest with the highest childhood SEP there was a reduction in grip strength of 0.13 standard deviations (95% CI: 0.06, 0.21), a reduction in mean walking speed of 0.07 m/s (0.05, 0.10), an increase in mean chair rise time of 6% (4%, 8%) and an odds ratio of an inability to balance for 5s of 1.26 (1.02, 1.55). Adjustment for the potential mediating factors, adult SEP and body size attenuated associations greatly. However, despite this attenuation, for walking speed and chair rise time, there was still evidence of moderate associations.</p>
<p><b>Conclusions:</b> Policies targeting socioeconomic inequalities in childhood may have additional benefits in promoting the maintenance of independence in later life.</p>
GATE convection subprogramme: field phase report
No full textAssisted by J. L. Rasmussen and W. Murray of the U.S. GATE Project Office.February, 1975.A summary of the in-field decisions affecting the GATE Convection Subprogramme (C.S.P.) objectivesa preliminary tabulation and discussion of the data collectionand a discussion of the work of the Special Analysis Group in Dakar. Preliminary tables are presented of the upper air data coverage for the B and A/B ship arrays, the C-band ship radars, the SMS satellite coverage and the multi-aircraft missions flown in support of the C.S.P.A preliminary assessment of the subprogramme observational objectives is given
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