Design and validation of a German version of the GSRS-IBS - an analysis of its psychometric quality and factorial structure

Background: Currently, a suitable questionnaire in German language is not available to monitor the progression and evaluate the severity of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Therefore, this study aimed to translate the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (GSRS-IBS) into German and to evaluate its psychometric qualities and factorial structure. Methods: This study is based on a total sample of 372 participants [62.6% female, mean age = 41 years (SD = 17 years)]. 17.5% of the participants had a diagnosis of IBS, 19.9% were receiving treatment for chronic inflammatory bowel disease, 12.1% of the participants were recruited from a psychosomatic clinic, and 50.5% belonged to a control group. All participants completed the German version of GSRS-IBS (called Reizdarm-Fragebogen, RDF), as well as the Gießen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-24) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - German version (HADS-D). Results: The internal consistency of the RDF total scale was at least satisfactory in all subsamples (Cronbach’s Alpha between .77 and .92), and for all subscales (Cronbach’s Alpha between .79 and .91). The item difficulties (between .25 and .73) and the item-total correlations (between .48 and .83) were equally satisfactory. Principal axis analysis revealed a four-factorial structure of the RDF items, which mainly resembled the structure of the English original. Convergent validity was established based on substantial and significant correlations with the stomach-complaint scale of the GBB-24 (r = .71; p < .01) and the anxiety (r = .42; p < .01) and depression scales (r = .43; p < .01) of the HADS-D. Conclusion: The German version of the GSRS-IBS RDF proves to be an effective, reliable, and valid questionnaire for the assessment of symptom severity in IBS, which can be used in clinical practice as well as in clinical studies

From creative destruction to destruction of the creatives: innovation in walled-off ecosystems

For a long time, a prevailing view was that due to the dynamic nature of competition in digital markets intervention by antitrust authorities may do more harm than good. It was assumed that Joseph Schum- peter’s “perennial gales of creative destruction” would sufficiently discipline any incumbent digital firm as rivals were only ‘one click away’, switching costs low and network effects reversable. Based upon the economics of innovation, the article first examines the market conditions under which significant prod- uct improvement and/or disruptions from outside may develop and unfold. It then examines why such conditions are lacking where a single undertaking largely controls a digital ecosystem. The article con- cludes that the protective moats and walls that digital gatekeepers have built around their “cash cow” services significantly reduce the incentives and abilities to innovate for any participant within such eco- system and to disrupt the incumbent’s service. Due to common interests and mutual interdependencies of the operators of the largest digital ecosystems, it also cannot be presumed that the lack of innovation within ecosystems (intra-ecosystem competition) is sufficiently outbalanced by innovation across eco- systems (inter-ecosystem competition). In such a setting, competition policy may no longer assume that dynamic competition sufficiently disciplines even dominant companies and that there is a higher risk from over-enforcement than from underenforcement. Accordingly, the measures proposed, for in- stance, in the European Digital Markets Act and the American Choice and Innovation Online Act to open up markets for innovation go into the right direction

Estate Tax— Possession or Enjoyment under 2036—\u3ci\u3eO\u27Malley v. United States\u3c/i\u3e (F. Supp. 1963)

As of yet the courts have not been faced squarely with the question of whether in the case of income-producing property, a retained possession or enjoyment is enough to tax it to one\u27s estate under section 2036 of the Internal Revenue Code. Thus far there has either been no transfer of the property in question or the courts have found a retention of the right to the income. It is inevitable, however, that the issue will one day have to be faced. The answer is not clear, but in looking at the reasons for the joint resolution that amended the statute in 1931, and the later Congressional interpretation of the statute in the conference report of 1949, the balance is on the side of recognizing a distinction between income-producing and non-income-producing property. On the other hand, the dicta propounded by the courts thus far seems to find no distinction between income-producing and non-income-producing property so far as the possession or enjoyment section of the statute is concerned. I. The O’Malley Facts II. Possible Effects of the O’Malley Interpretation III. The History of “Right to Income” IV. Judicial Reaction to “Right to Income” V. Conclusio

Estate Tax— Possession or Enjoyment under 2036—\u3ci\u3eO\u27Malley v. United States\u3c/i\u3e (F. Supp. 1963)

As of yet the courts have not been faced squarely with the question of whether in the case of income-producing property, a retained possession or enjoyment is enough to tax it to one\u27s estate under section 2036 of the Internal Revenue Code. Thus far there has either been no transfer of the property in question or the courts have found a retention of the right to the income. It is inevitable, however, that the issue will one day have to be faced. The answer is not clear, but in looking at the reasons for the joint resolution that amended the statute in 1931, and the later Congressional interpretation of the statute in the conference report of 1949, the balance is on the side of recognizing a distinction between income-producing and non-income-producing property. On the other hand, the dicta propounded by the courts thus far seems to find no distinction between income-producing and non-income-producing property so far as the possession or enjoyment section of the statute is concerned. I. The O’Malley Facts II. Possible Effects of the O’Malley Interpretation III. The History of “Right to Income” IV. Judicial Reaction to “Right to Income” V. Conclusio

Control of Lesion Nematodes, Pratylenchus spp., in Grapevine Nursery Material by Immersion in Fenamiphos Solutions and Hot Water

Control of Pratylenchus spp. in dormant grapevine nursery material was attempted using fenamiphos solutions and a hot-water treatment. Five months after treatment, the lesion nematodes were eradicated by all treatments. Although no visual phytotoxicity symptoms were recorded at any stage wiith any of the treatments tested, hot water significantly reduced plant growth of certain scion/rootstock combinations. Treatment with 0,1 % (a.i.) fenamiphos solution for 30 minutes at 25°C is recommended

Molekularno-genetička analiza osteogenesis imperfecta u kliničkoj praksi

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is characterized by fractures with minimal or absent trauma, representing a continuum ranging from perinatal lethality through individuals with severe skeletal deformities to nearly asymptomatic individuals with mild predisposition to fractures. Diagnosis of OI is an interdisciplinary task based on family and/or patient history of fractures combined with characteristic physical fi ndings. Radiographic examination reveals fractures of varying ages and stages of healing, wormian bones, and osteopenia. As there is no defi nitive test for OI, molecular genetic testing by next generation sequencing (NGS) of COL1A1 and COL1A2 and up to 12 other genes is essential to confi rm the genetic background. Therefore, we designed a NGS gene panel comprising 12 genes involved in OI or severe osteoporosis. Here we report results in a cohort of 11 apparently sporadic young patients with OI, all off spring of unaff ected parents, who were referred to orthopaedic surgery at Sv. Katarina Special Hospital (Zabok/Zagreb, Croatia). Ten of these 11 patients could be classifi ed genetically. Overall, three genes with diff erent percent relating to the whole cohort were involved: COL1A1 (63.6%), COL1A2 (18.18%) and WNT1 (9.09%).Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) je obilježena prijelomima uz minimalnu ili odsutnu traumu i predstavlja kontinuum u rasponu od perinatalne smrtnosti, osobe s teškim skeletnim deformitetima do gotovo asimptomatskih osoba s niskom sklonošću prijelomima. Dijagnosticiranje OI je interdisciplinski zadatak koji se temelji na obiteljskoj i/ili bolesnikovoj povijesti prijeloma u kombinaciji sa znakovitim fi zičkim nalazima. Radiografsko snimanje otkriva prijelome različite starosti i stadija zaraštanja, Wormove kosti i osteopeniju. Kako nema konačnog testa za OI, molekularno genetsko testiranje pomoću next generation sequencing (NGS) gena COL1A1 i COL1A2 te do 12 drugih gena bitno je za potvrdu genetske podloge. Stoga smo izradili NGS genski panel koji sadrži 12 gena uključenih u OI ili tešku osteoporozu. Prikazujemo rezultate dobivene u nizu od 11 očito sporadičnih mladih bolesnika s OI, svi potomci nezahvaćenih roditelja, koji su bili upućeni na ortopedsku kirurgiju u Specijalnoj bolnici sv. Katarina u Zaboku/Zagrebu. Deset od tih 11 bolesnika mogli smo genetski klasifi cirati. Sveukupno, uključena su bila tri gena u različitim postocima u našem nizu bolesnika: COL1A1 (63,6%), COL1A2 (18,18%) i WNT1 (9,09%)

Energy Flow in the Hadronic Final State of Diffractive and Non-Diffractive Deep-Inelastic Scattering at HERA

An investigation of the hadronic final state in diffractive and non--diffractive deep--inelastic electron--proton scattering at HERA is presented, where diffractive data are selected experimentally by demanding a large gap in pseudo --rapidity around the proton remnant direction. The transverse energy flow in the hadronic final state is evaluated using a set of estimators which quantify topological properties. Using available Monte Carlo QCD calculations, it is demonstrated that the final state in diffractive DIS exhibits the features expected if the interaction is interpreted as the scattering of an electron off a current quark with associated effects of perturbative QCD. A model in which deep--inelastic diffraction is taken to be the exchange of a pomeron with partonic structure is found to reproduce the measurements well. Models for deep--inelastic $ep$ scattering, in which a sizeable diffractive contribution is present because of non--perturbative effects in the production of the hadronic final state, reproduce the general tendencies of the data but in all give a worse description.Comment: 22 pages, latex, 6 Figures appended as uuencoded fil

The MACHO Project 9 Million Star Color-Magnitude Diagram of the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present a 9 million star color-magnitude diagram (9M CMD) of the LMC bar. The 9M CMD reveals a complex superposition of different age and metallicity stellar populations, with important stellar evolutionary phases occurring over 3 orders of magnitude in number density. First, we count the non-variable supergiants, the associated Cepheids, and measure the effective temperatures defining the instability strip. Lifetime predictions of stellar evolution theory are tested, with implications for the origin of low-luminosity Cepheids. The highly-evolved AGB stars have a bimodal distribution in brightness, which we interpret as discrete old populations (>1 Gyr). The faint AGB may be metal-poor and very old. We identify the clusters NGC 411 and M3 as templates for the admixture of old stellar populations. However, there are indications that the old and metal-poor field population has a red HB morphology: the RR Lyraes lie on the red edge of the instability strip, the AGB-bump is very red, and the ratio of AGB-bump stars to RR Lyraes is quite large. If the HB second parameter is age, the old and metal-poor field population likely formed after the oldest clusters. Lifetime predictions of stellar evolution theory lead us to associate a significant fraction of the red HB clump giants with the same old and metal-poor population producing the RR Lyraes and the AGB-bump. In this case, compared to the age-dependent luminosity predictions of stellar evolution theory, the red HB clump is too bright relative to the RR Lyraes and AGB-bump. Last, the surface density profile of RR Lyraes is fit by an exponential, favoring a disk-like rather than spheroidal distribution. We conclude that the age of the LMC disk is probably similar to the age of the Galactic disk. (ABRIDGED)Comment: to appear in the Astronomical Journal, 49 pages, 12 figures, aaspp4.st

Inducing Increased Bioplastic Production in \u3ci\u3eR. palustris\u3c/i\u3e CGA009

PHA’s (polyhydroxyalkanoates) are important bio polymers in different industries such as petroleum, medicine, and nano technology. In the microorganisms in which they are produced, they serve as an energy storage material by storing both carbon and usable electrons. This is useful in environments where the organisms are nutrient starved. PHA’s have a practical use especially in the medical field as bio-plastics because they are biodegradable and bio-compatible. Rhodopseudomonas. palustris, a common soil bacterium, is notable for its uncommon metabolic flexibility. Its diverse metabolism means that it can fix CO 2 and grow on many lignin based monomers in both aerobic and anaerobic environments. Currently, R. palustris already produces PHB (polyhydroxybutyrate), but there are other PHA’s and co polymers that have superior processing characteristics and applications. Our research will investigate the effect of the PHA production genes from Paraburkholderia sacchari DSM 17165 and Cupriavidus necator DSM 545 when introduced into R. palustris and potentially R. palustris strains with their native PHA production genes knocked out Both P. sacchari and C. necator produce higher titers of PHA’s as well as co polymers with improved processing characteristics and more applications than R. palustris ’ current PHB production. Our research will work to combine the metabolic flexibility of R. palustris with the higher PHA and co polymer production of P sacchari and C. necator by introducing genes for PhaA, PhaB, and PhaC production into R. palustris