Export basket and the effects of exchange rates on exports–why Switzerland is special

Why has Swiss export performance been so strong during the past quarters despite the strong appreciation of the CHF? In this paper, we use historical data on exchange rates and trade at the sectoral level to document that a contributing factor behind the limited impact of the exchange rate is the unique composition of Swiss exports. In particular, we document that the Swiss export basket is heavily concentrated in price-insensitive goods such as machinery or pharmaceuticals, where prices and thus the exchange rate have relatively little importance for demand. This makes the aggregate volume of Swiss exports less responsive to exchange rate changes than exports of other OECD nations.International trade ; International economic relations

Red list and checklist of the hoverflies of Berlin

Die vorliegende Liste ist die erste Fassung einer Roten Liste der Schwebfliegen für Berlin. Gegenwärtig sind 252 Schwebfliegenarten aus Berlin bekannt, von denen 17 Arten als Neufunde und weitere 17 Arten als Wiederfunde eingestuft werden. Die Rote Liste enthält 118 Arten (46,8 %), darunter 31 Arten der Kategorie 0 (ausgestorben oder verschollen). Die Hauptgefährdungsursachen sind der Verlust von Saum- und Sonderbiotopen, Veränderungen in Wald- und Feuchtgebieten sowie Lebensraumverluste durch Bebauung.The present list is the first Red List of the hoverflies of Berlin. Currently, 252 species of hoverflies are known from Berlin. 17 of these species are new records for Berlin and another 17 species were rediscovered. 118 species (46.8 %) are threatened in various degrees, including 31 that are considered extinct (category 0). The main reasons for endangerment of hoverflies in Berlin are the loss of ecotones and habitats like ruderal sites, changes in woodland and wetland habitats and habitat destruction due to urban sprawl

Adaptación de exámenes de comprensión auditiva en lengua inglesa para personas invidentes

Las instituciones educativas en México necesitan elaborar más material que ayude a los estudiantes invidentes a tener un mejor aprendizaje, este material es prácticamente inexistente en la clase de inglés; sin embargo, el problema se agudiza al momento de la evaluación porque a falta del mismo el profesor debe leer el examen al alumno y éste tiene que estar concentrado en varias cosas a la vez; por ejemplo, en la lectura del examen, las preguntas y en las respuestas. La pronunciación, ritmo, fluidez y la descripción de imágenes por parte del profesor pueden variar cada vez que se aplique el examen lo que reduce su confiabilidad. En este trabajo se diseñó un examen de comprensión auditiva en lengua inglesa de nivel B2 de acuerdo con el Marco Común de Referencia sobre las Lenguas con respuestas de opción múltiple y posteriormente se adaptó en tres versiones Braille, tiflotecnología y audio. Los tres formatos se aplicaron a seis informantes invidentes que tenían conocimientos del inglés. Los resultados fueron muy positivos debido a que las tres versiones contienen características apropiadas las cuales permiten que los ciegos puedan realizar su examen de manera independiente al igual que sus compañeros normovisuales. Se pudo probar que el examen contiene las seis cualidades que de acuerdo con Bachman y Palmer (1996) debe tener la prueba: confiabilidad, validez, autenticidad, interactividad, impacto, practicidad. Con esto se pudo concluir que las adaptaciones al examen de comprensión auditiva son adecuadas para que los invidentes realicen su examen de manera independiente en igualdad de condiciones con sus compañeros normovisuales y que estas adaptaciones sirven como modelo para la adaptación de ejercicios y exámenes con los cuales se quiera medir otra habilidad como producción escrita, comprensión de lectura o producción oral

Evaluating bicyclists’ risk perception using video clips: Comparison of frequent and infrequent city cyclists

Abstract Hazard and risk perception has been studied extensively among car drivers, and their link to crash involvement is established. Bicyclists, in particular, are vulnerable road users. Better understanding of their risk and hazard perception could help to improve their traffic safety. In this study, we investigated the risk perception of bicyclists in a city environment. Two groups of bicyclists were compared: 19 frequent and 19 infrequent bicyclists. Participants were shown video clips taken with a camera attached to the handlebar of a bicycle, and they were asked to continuously indicate with a slider how much caution the situation needed. The frequent cyclists had more frequent rises in the caution estimate, which suggest that they anticipated or detected more hazards than infrequent cyclists. This is in line with the classical hazard perception results, which link the car driving experience to faster and more accurate hazard perception. The overall level or caution was not directly related to the rise event rate or bicycling frequency. Those cyclists who reported typically cycling faster than others showed elevated overall level of caution on sidewalks compared with others, but there was no difference on bike paths.Hazard and risk perception has been studied extensively among car drivers, and their link to crash involvement is established. Bicyclists, in particular, are vulnerable road users. Better understanding of their risk and hazard perception could help to improve their traffic safety. In this study, we investigated the risk perception of bicyclists in a city environment. Two groups of bicyclists were compared: 19 frequent and 19 infrequent bicyclists. Participants were shown video clips taken with a camera attached to the handlebar of a bicycle, and they were asked to continuously indicate with a slider how much caution the situation needed. The frequent cyclists had more frequent rises in the caution estimate, which suggest that they anticipated or detected more hazards than infrequent cyclists. This is in line with the classical hazard perception results, which link the car driving experience to faster and more accurate hazard perception. The overall level or caution was not directly related to the rise event rate or bicycling frequency. Those cyclists who reported typically cycling faster than others showed elevated overall level of caution on sidewalks compared with others, but there was no difference on bike paths. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Should expectations about the rate of new antiretroviral drug development impact the timing of HIV treatment initiation and expectations about treatment benefits?

Background: Many analyses of HIV treatment decisions assume a fixed formulary of HIV drugs. However, new drugs are approved nearly twice a year, and the rate of availability of new drugs may affect treatment decisions, particularly when to initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART). Objectives: To determine the impact of considering the availability of new drugs on the optimal initiation criteria for ART and outcomes in patients with HIV/AIDS. Methods: We enhanced a previously described simulation model of the optimal time to initiate ART to incorporate the rate of availability of new antiviral drugs. We assumed that the future rate of availability of new drugs would be similar to the past rate of availability of new drugs, and we estimated the past rate by fitting a statistical model to actual HIV drug approval data from 1982-2010. We then tested whether or not the future availability of new drugs affected the model-predicted optimal time to initiate ART based on clinical outcomes, considering treatment initiation thresholds of 200, 350, and 500 cells/mm 3. We also quantified the impact of the future availability of new drugs on life expectancy (LE) and quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE). Results: In base case analysis, considering the availability of new drugs raised the optimal starting CD4 threshold for most patients to 500 cells/mm 3. The predicted gains in outcomes due to availability of pipeline drugs were generally small (less than 1%), but for young patients with a high viral load could add as much as a 4.9% (1.73 years) increase in LE and a 8% (2.43 QALY) increase in QALE, because these patients were particularly likely to exhaust currently available ART regimens before they died. In sensitivity analysis, increasing the rate of availability of new drugs did not substantially alter the results. Lowering the toxicity of future ART drugs had greater potential to increase benefit for many patient groups, increasing QALE by as much as 10%. Conclusions: The future availability of new ART drugs without lower toxicity raises optimal treatment initiation for most patients, and improves clinical outcomes, especially for younger patients with higher viral loads. Reductions in toxicity of future ART drugs could impact optimal treatment initiation and improve clinical outcomes for all HIV patients. © 2014 Khademi et al

The prognostic effect of cardiac rehabilitation in the era of acute revascularisation and statin therapy : A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized studies - The Cardiac Rehabilitation Outcome Study (CROS)

BACKGROUND: The prognostic effect of multi-component cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in the modern era of statins and acute revascularisation remains controversial. Focusing on actual clinical practice, the aim was to evaluate the effect of CR on total mortality and other clinical endpoints after an acute coronary event. DESIGN: Structured review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), retrospective controlled cohort studies (rCCSs) and prospective controlled cohort studies (pCCSs) evaluating patients after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or mixed populations with coronary artery disease (CAD) were included, provided the index event was in 1995 or later. RESULTS: Out of n = 18,534 abstracts, 25 studies were identified for final evaluation (RCT: n = 1; pCCS: n = 7; rCCS: n = 17), including n = 219,702 patients (after ACS: n = 46,338; after CABG: n = 14,583; mixed populations: n = 158,781; mean follow-up: 40 months). Heterogeneity in design, biometrical assessment of results and potential confounders was evident. CCSs evaluating ACS patients showed a significantly reduced mortality for CR participants (pCCS: hazard ratio (HR) 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20-0.69; rCCS: HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.49-0.84; odds ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.08-0.48), but the single RCT fulfilling Cardiac Rehabilitation Outcome Study (CROS) inclusion criteria showed neutral results. CR participation was also associated with reduced mortality after CABG (rCCS: HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.54-0.70) and in mixed CAD populations. CONCLUSIONS: CR participation after ACS and CABG is associated with reduced mortality even in the modern era of CAD treatment. However, the heterogeneity of study designs and CR programmes highlights the need for defining internationally accepted standards in CR delivery and scientific evaluation

Peripheral blood natural killer cell percentages in granulomatosis with polyangiitis correlate with disease inactivity and stage

Introduction: The role of CD3−CD56+ natural killer (NK) cells in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is poorly understood. Recently, it has been shown that peripheral blood NK cells can kill renal microvascular endothelial cells, suggesting a pathogenic role of NK cells in this disease. So far, subset distribution, phenotype, and function of peripheral blood NK cells in relation to GPA disease activity have not been elucidated. Moreover, it is not known whether NK cells infiltrate GPA tissue lesions. Methods: Paraffin sections of GPA granulomas and controls were stained with anti-CD56 and anti-CD3 antibodies. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. NK cell degranulation was analyzed using cocultures of patient PBMCs with target cells and surface expression of CD107a. Clinical data were extracted from medical records. Statistical analysis was performed in an exploratory way. Results: CD56+ cells were not detectable in active granulomatous GPA lesions but were found frequently in granulomas from tuberculosis and sarcoidosis patients. In GPA, the proportion of NK cells among peripheral blood lymphocytes correlated negatively with the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) (n = 28). Accordingly, NK cell percentages correlated positively with the duration of remission (n = 28) and were significantly higher in inactive GPA (BVAS = 0, n = 17) than in active GPA, healthy controls (n = 29), and inactive control diseases (n = 12). The highest NK cell percentages were found in patients with long-term remission and tapered immunosuppressive therapy. NK cell percentages >18.5 % of peripheral blood lymphocytes (n = 12/28) determined GPA inactivity with a specificity of 100 %. The differentiation into CD56dim and CD56bright NK cell subsets was unchanged in GPA (n = 28), irrespective of disease activity. Similar surface expression of the activating NK cell-receptors (NKp30, NKp46, and NKG2D) was determined. Like in healthy controls, GPA NK cells degranulated in the presence of NK cell receptor ligand bearing epithelial and lymphatic target cells. Conclusions: NK cells were not detectable in GPA granulomas. Peripheral blood NK cell percentages positively correlate with the suppression of GPA activity and could serve as a biomarker for GPA activity. Peripheral blood NK cells in GPA patients are mature NK cells with preserved immune recognition

Autismi naisilla

Tutkimuksen tausta ja tarkoitus: Autismi on kehityksellinen neuropsykiatrinen häiriö, jonka keskeisiä oireita ovat vaikeudet sosiaalisessa vuorovaikutuksessa ja kommunikaatiossa sekä toistava ja rajoittunut käyttäytyminen ja kiinnostuksen kohteet. Autismi on noin 2-5 kertaa yleisempi miehillä kuin naisilla. Viime vuosina on huomattu, että autismi voi ilmetä hieman eri tavoin naisilla kuin miehillä. Tämän systemaattisen katsauksen tarkoitus oli muodostaa kattava kokonaiskuva autismista naisilla, minkä vuoksi tutkimus kattoi seuraavat autismin osa-alueet: oireet, liitännäisongelmat, neuropsykologiset piirteet, neurobiologian, neurogenetiikan ja neuroendokrinolgian. Tutkimuskysymykset olivat seuraavat: 1) Onko autismin kliininen kuva naisilla erilainen kuin miehillä? 2) Onko autismin etiologiasta löydettävissä sellaisia eroja naisten ja miesten välillä, mitkä voivat selittää sukupuolivinoumaa? 3) Onko sukupuolivinoumaa selittäville tekijöille löydettävissä todisteita ja onko selityksiä mahdollista yhdistää yhdeksi kokoavaksi teoriaksi? Lisäksi tarkoitus on muodostaa malli, joka kokoaa aikaisemmat teoriat yhdeksi kokonaisuudeksi. Menetelmät: Tutkimus toteutettiin systemaattisena katsauksena, jossa seurattiin PRISMA-ohjetta soveltuvin osin. Katsaukseen valittavien artikkelien kriteerit ja käytetyt hakusanat määriteltiin niin, että tuloksena saataisiin mahdollisimman kattavasti artikkeleita, joissa käsitellään tutkimuksen aiheita. Artikkeleita haettiin PsycINFO- ja MedLine-tietokannoista. Kriteerit täyttäviä artikkeleita löytyi yhteensä 129 kappaletta. Artikkeleista kerättiin tutkimuksen kannalta oleelliset tiedot, joita olivat osallistujien määrä, ikä, sukupuoli ja diagnoosityyppi, käytetyt menetelmät ja tulokset. Tulokset: Sukupuolieroja löytyi kaikilta tutkimuksen kohteena olevilta alueilta. Autismikirjon naisilla, joilla on normaali kognitiivinen kapasiteetti, on havaittu olevan vähemmän vaikeuksia sosiaalisissa tilanteissa sekä vähemmän toistavaa ja rajoittunutta käyttäytymistä ja kiinnostuksenkohteita kuin autismikirjon miehillä. Lisäksi heillä todettu olevan paremmat kielelliset taidot kuin autismikirjon miehillä. Poikkeavuuksia aistiärsykkeiden prosessoinnissa autismikirjon naisilla on sen sijaan löydetty enemmän kuin autismikirjon miehillä. Autismikirjon naisilla on havaittu myös olevan enemmän mielenterveyden ongelmia ja epilepsiaa kuin autismikirjon miehillä. Lisäksi autismikirjon naisilla on havaittu olevan matalampi kognitiivinen peruskapasiteetti kuin autismikirjon miehillä. Etiologian osalta sukupuolieroja on löydetty neuroanatomiasta, alttiusgeeneistä ja hormonitasoista. Johtopäätökset: Tutkimustulokset viittaavat siihen, että autismia ei tunnisteta naisilla riittävän hyvin. Syynä tähän ovat sukupuolierot autismin etiologiassa, jotka ovat johtaneet siihen, että autismin oirekuva on osittain erilainen miehillä ja naisilla. Autismitutkimus on myös keskittynyt pääasiassa autismikirjon miehiin. Alidiagnosoinnilla on monia negatiivisia seurauksia autismikirjon naisille, koska ilman diagnoosia he eivät saa tarvitsemaansa tukea. Tulevaisuudessa on erityisen tärkeää kiinnittää sekä tutkimuksessa että kliinisessä työssä huomiota myös autisminkirjon naisiin.Background and objectives: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are developmental neuropsychiatric disorders in which core symptoms are problems in communication and interaction as well as restrictive and repetitive behaviour and interests. ASD is 2-5 times more common in males than in females. In recent years, researchers have found, that there are differences between females and males in ASD symptoms, neuropsychological characteristics, comorbid problems, neurobiology and etiology. The purpose of this systematic review is to give a comprehensive picture about the role of female sex/gender in ASD. To establish this, the review covers symptoms of autism, neuropsychology, neurobiology, comorbidity, neurogenetics and neuroendocrinology. Research questions were the following: 1) Is there evidence of sex/gender differences in ASD symptoms and comorbidity disorders? 2) Are there sex/gender differences to be found in ASD etiology? 3) What kind of support different explanations about sex/gender bias have gotten in various research areas? The purpose of the study is also to integrate the existing theories into one model that takes account to different aspects of sex/gender differences in ASD. Methods: The protocol of this systematic review follows "The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses" (PRISMA) when applicable. Eligibly criteria and search terms were selected in a way that would offer the widest range of articles covering the subjects of this study. Literature search was conducted using the Medline and PsychINFO as search engines. The final sample consisted of a total of 129 articles. Data was extracted on all relevant variables of the study, that were the number of participants, age of participants, specific diagnoses, methods and results. Results: Sex/gender differences in ASD were found in all areas that were included in this systematic review. Females with high function ASD (HFASD) were found to have less problems in social communication and interaction and less repetitive and restricted behavior and interests than males with HFASD. In addition, HFASD were found to have better language skills than males with HFASD. However, females with ASD were found to have more sensory processing problems, mental health problems and epilepsy than males with ASD. Females with ASD were also found to have lower full-scale intelligence quotient than males with ASD. In the context of etiology, it has been found that there are sex/gender differences in neuroanatomy, susceptibility genes and hormone levels. Conclusions: Results from this systematic review suggest that females with HFASD are underdiagnosed. This results from etiological sex/gender differences that cause partially different clinical presentation of ASD between females and males. ASD research has also concentrated mostly on males with ASD while ignoring females with ASD. Underdiagnosing can have many unfavorable consequences for females with HFASD since if they do not have a diagnosis, they do not get support. In the future, it is crucial to pay attention to females with ASD in the clinical work and scientific research

Enhanced Memory Consolidation Via Automatic Sound Stimulation During Non-REM Sleep

Introduction: Slow-wave sleep (SWS) slow waves and sleep spindle activity have been shown to be crucial for memory consolidation. Recently, memory consolidation has been causally facilitated in human participants via auditory stimuli phase-locked to SWS slow waves. Aims: Here, we aimed to develop a new acoustic stimulus protocol to facilitate learning and to validate it using different memory tasks. Most importantly, the stimulation setup was automated to be applicable for ambulatory home use. Methods: Fifteen healthy participants slept 3 nights in the laboratory. Learning was tested with 4 memory tasks (word pairs, serial finger tapping, picture recognition, and face-name association). Additional questionnaires addressed subjective sleep quality and overnight changes in mood. During the stimulus night, auditory stimuli were adjusted and targeted by an unsupervised algorithm to be phase-locked to the negative peak of slow waves in SWS. During the control night no sounds were presented. Results: Results showed that the sound stimulation increased both slow wave (p =.002) and sleep spindle activity (p Conclusions: We showed that the memory effect of the SWS-targeted individually triggered single-sound stimulation is specific to verbal associative memory. Moreover, the ambulatory and automated sound stimulus setup was promising and allows for a broad range of potential follow-up studies in the future.Peer reviewe

Closed cannulation of subclavian vein vs open cut-down of cephalic vein for totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP) implantation: protocol for a systematic review and proportional meta-analysis of perioperative and postoperative complications

Background: Totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP) implantation is one of the most often performed operations in general surgery (over 100,000/year in Germany). The two main approaches for TIVAP placement are insertion into the cephalic vein through an open cut-down technique (OCD) or closed cannulation technique of the subclavian vein (CC) with Seldinger technique. Both procedures are performed with high success rates and very low complication frequencies. Because of the low incidence of complications, no single interventional trial is able to report a valid comparison of peri- and postoperative complication frequencies between both techniques. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to summarize evidence for peri- and postoperative complication rates in patients undergoing OCD or CC. Methods/Design: A systematic literature search will be conducted in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Embase to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs), observational clinical studies (OCS), or case series (CS) reporting peri- and/or postoperative complications of at least one implantation technique. A priori defined data will be extracted from included studies, and methodological quality will be assessed. Event rates with their 95% confidence intervals will be derived taking into account the follow-up time per study by patient-months where appropriate. Pooled estimates of event rates with corresponding 95% confidence intervals will be calculated on the base of the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation within a random effect model framework. Discussion: The findings of this systematic review with proportional meta-analysis will help to identify the procedure with the best benefit/risk ratio for TIVAP implantation. This may have influence on daily practice, and data may be implemented in treatment guidelines. Considering the impact of TIVAP implantation on patients’ well being together with its socioeconomic relevance, patients will benefit from evidence-based treatment and health-care costs may also be reduced. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42013005180