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Seventeenth-century Thomists, with the exception of John of St Thomas, are today virtually unknown. Nevertheless, in their day they contributed to the Catholic reception of the thought of the Angelic Doctor not only by continuation of the commentarial tradition but also by engaging in the intramural Catholic debates in which the Holy See intervened. After introducing the reader to some of the more prominent Thomists of the century, this chapter outlines some Thomist responses to intramural Catholic debates concerning the formation of conscience in light of probable opinions, the nature of our desire for the beatific vision and its compatibility with love of God above self, and the role of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

Quality of life (QoL) was an important endpoint in the adjuvant breast cancer trials International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG) Trial VI and VII. Here, QoL was considered as a time-dependent effect. The hypothesis explored is that poorer QoL throughout the trial is associated with poorer disease-free survival (DFS) and vice-versa. Potential bias in the parameter estimates is an important concern associated with missing observations. Standard simple and multiple imputation methods were applied to missing QoL assessments before analysis in a time-dependent Cox model. There was no evidence that the patient's QoL is related to the patient's DFS.

This essay responds to an article by Elizabeth Bothamley Rex titled “The Magisterial Liceity of Embryo Adoption” (NCBQ, Winter 2015), specifically to Rex’s critique that his objections to the liceity of embryo transfer distort magisterial documents. He then draws out the implications of the differences between his view and Rex’s on the relation between maternity and pregnancy. The essay concludes by pointing out that, if they are to change their minds, opponents of embryo adoption need to be convinced that it is morally licit to impregnate, or “introduce an order to birth,” in a woman by means other than the marriage act.

BackgroundGlobally, seasonal influenza is responsible for an estimated 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths per year. It is uncertain to what extent national vaccination programmes can prevent this morbidity and mortality.ObjectiveTo determine the effectiveness of the seasonal trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine.DesignWe undertook a retrospective observational cohort study. A propensity score model was constructed and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to assess differences in vaccine uptake according to a number of patient characteristics. Adjusted illness and mortality hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated from a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for sex, age, socioeconomic status, smoking status, urban/rural location, clinical at-risk groups (i.e. patients with chronic respiratory, heart, kidney, liver or neurological disease, immunosuppression and diabetes), Charlson comorbidity index, previous pneumococcal and influenza vaccination, and number of previous primary care consultations, prescribed drugs and hospital admissions. We also included nursing home residence and social care support. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was expressed as a percentage, and represents a reduction in risk provided by the vaccine for a given outcome (e.g. laboratory-confirmed influenza). This was calculated as 1 − HR, where HR is that of the measured clinical outcome in vaccinated compared with unvaccinated individuals. For estimates of VE derived from linked virological swab data, we carried out a nested case–control study design.SettingA national linkage of patient-level primary care, hospital, death certification and virological swab-linked data across nine influenza seasons (2000–9).ParticipantsA nationally representative sample of the Scottish population during 1,767,919 person-seasons of observation. Cases of influenza were confirmed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in a subset of the population (n = 3323).InterventionsTrivalent inactivated seasonal influenza vaccination (n = 274,071).Main outcome measuresVE, pooled across seasons and adjusting for confounders, was estimated by determining laboratory-confirmed influenza, influenza-related morbidity and mortality including primary care influenza-like illnesses, hospitalisation and death from influenza and pneumonia.ResultsMost vaccines (93.6%;n = 256,474 vaccines) were administered to at-risk patients targeted for vaccination, with a 69.3% uptake among those aged ≥ 65 years (178,754 vaccinations during 258,100 person-seasons). For at-risk patients aged ConclusionsFew countries' health systems allow for the integrated and accessible data recording that made this study possible and made it feasible to collate centrally almost all hospitalisations and deaths attributed to influenza, thereby allowing completeness of reporting. Using these data, we found most influenza vaccines were administered to those at risk of serious complications from influenza. In a nationally representative cohort we found that the vaccine was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of RT-PCR-confirmed influenza (the decrease was substantial particularly for at-risk patients aged FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

The LivePaper system augments ordinary pieces of paper with projected information. Pages, cards and books are placed on an instrumented tabletop to activate their enhancement. To the user, it appears as if the paper gains new visual and auditory features. Projected annotations track the orientation and location of pages as the user moves them on the desktop. A piece of paper that is removed, but then returned to the desk, regains the same features that it previously exhibited. The LivePaper system accomplishes this by using features extracted from written material on the page, not from glyphs or other artificial marks. The paper describes both the system as a whole, and a number of sample applications we have developed to illustrate the feasibility of the LivePaper system. These applications include an architectural visualization tool, which projects a 3D hidden-line rendering of walls onto a page. The user may rotate and move the page to view the rendering from different angles. Another application is an audio player, which begins playing when a page (such as a business card) is laid on the desk. The user may control playback with his or her finger via projected buttons. Other applications include page-sharing, remote collaboration, and World Wide Web page viewing. From the user's perspective, all of these applications are attributes of the particular page, not features of the tabletop. Particular attention is given to the design of interaction: LivePaper is object-oriented, because the individual sheets are treated as computational units, but it also provides functions that involve several objects. The design principles applied to handle the different kinds of functionality are explained and illustrated in the LivePaper system, but are also proposed for wider use in augmented reality.

To examine the effect of an inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program on functional outcome, supplemental oxygen use, quality of life (QOL), and rehospitalization.A prospective study.Inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation unit.One hundred fifty-seven patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admitted to an inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program over a 3-year period.Comprehensive interdisciplinary inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program with an average length of stay of 21 days.Improvements in QOL questionnaire scores, COPD knowledge questionnaire scores, 6-minute walking test (with 3 ambulation categories: bed-bound, household ambulators, community ambulators), and supplemental oxygen use. Rehospitalization 1 year after completion of the program was also assessed and compared with hospital days for the year before the program.On discharge from the program, 88% of individuals walked farther (p.0001), and community ambulators doubled their walking distance, whereas bed-bound patients decreased 10-fold; supplemental oxygen use dropped 33% during the day (p.0001) and 57% during the night (p.0001); 82% showed improved QOL (p.0001); 67% showed improved knowledge of COPD (p.0001); and 67% of the sample spent less time in the hospital during the 12 months after program completion compared with the 12 months before admission (p.001).An inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program leads to improved endurance and functional ambulation, decreased supplemental oxygen use, and fewer hospitalizations 1 year after discharge for patients with COPD.

Sinka, Katy Kavanagh, Kimberley Gordon, Ruth Love, John Potts, Alison Donaghy, Martin Robertson, Chris eng England 2013/08/30 06:00 J Epidemiol Community Health. 2014 Jan;68(1):57-63. doi: 10.1136/jech-2013-202620. Epub 2013 Aug 28.; International audience; BACKGROUND AND METHODS: The national immunisation records of over 220,000 girls offered vaccine in the routine or catch-up programme of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) programme in Scotland were analysed. Descriptive statistics and multilevel modelling were used to determine individual and organisational factors associated with uptake. Age, school year, school denomination, deprivation and, for school-leavers, mode of delivery were explored. Additional aggregate data were used to examine the effect of late uptake of missed doses in the routine vaccination programme. RESULTS: School-based delivery initially achieved over 80% uptake of complete courses in routine and catch-up age groups. Within this context of generally high coverage, there was an association between individual level deprivation and lower uptake, and a decline in in-year course completion over time. However, later uptake of missed doses in the following year substantially decreased these effects. There was no influence on uptake of the type of school (non-denominational/denominational). Vaccination of school-leavers in the catch-up campaign had lower coverage, with 50% starting and 30% completing the course in-year. There was no clear advantage of vaccination through general practice or through Board-run clinics in reaching this group. CONCLUSIONS: School-based vaccination can achieve high and equitable uptake of a multidose vaccine in a routine immunisation programme. Sustained high coverage with HPV vaccine across Scotland provides a stable platform for planning future strategies for cervical screening and understanding the impact of the vaccination at a population level.

Aim This study examines estimation of seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) for a cohort of patients attending general practice in Scotland in 2010/11. The study focuses on the variation in estimation of VE for both virological and clinical consultation outcomes and understanding the dependency on date of analysis during the season, methodological approach and the effect of use of a propensity score model. Methods For the clinical outcomes, three methodological approaches were considered; adjusted Poisson multi-level modelling splitting consultations in vaccinated individuals into those before and after vaccination, adjusted Cox proportional hazards modelling and finally the screening method. For the virological outcome, the test-negative case–control study design was employed. Results VE was highest for the most specific outcomes of ILI (Poisson end-of-season VE = 47% (95% CI: −69%, 83%); Cox VE = 34% (95% CI: −64%, 73.2%); Screening VE = 52.8% (95% CI: 3.8%, 76.8%)) and a virological diagnosis (VE = 54% (95% CI: −37%, 85%)). Using the Cox approach, adjusted for propensity score only gave VE = 46.5% (95% CI: −30.4%, 78.0%). Conclusion Our approach illustrated the ability to achieve relatively consistent estimates of seasonal influenza VE using both specific and less specific outcomes. Construction of a propensity score and use for bias adjustment increased the estimate of ILI VE estimated from the Cox model and made estimates more similar to the Poisson approach, which models differences in consultation behaviour of vaccinated individuals more inherently in its structure. VE estimation for the same data was found to vary by methodology which should be noted when comparing results from different studies and countries.

Aims Patients with refractory respiratory symptoms related to gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) such as asthma and cough are being referred for laparoscopic fundoplication (LFP), as recommended by the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). However there are limited data regarding symptomatic response to fundoplication in this group of patients. Method A 7 year retrospective review was performed to study the efficacy of LFP in the treatment of patients with respiratory manifestations of GORD. Patients were followed up from 4 to 6 weeks (short-term) to 6–12 months (long-term) post-operatively. Results Of 208 patients who underwent LFP, 73 (35%) patients were eligible for inclusion into the study. 55 (75%) patients had improved respiratory symptoms at short-term follow-up. At long-term follow-up, 7 of these patients had recurrence of respiratory symptoms, while 4 patients had improvement not initially apparent. No significant predictive factor for the success or failure of surgery was identified. 190 (91%) of 208 patients had symptomatic improvement in GORD at short-term follow-up. Conclusion LFP is effective with the response rates over 75% in the control of respiratory manifestation of GORD, compared to over 91% response rate in the control GOR symptoms alone. More research is needed to identify factors to aid patient selection to improve response rate.

The VideoWriter is an investigation into applying a natural user interface to telewriting. It employs a computer-controlled video camera to capture images of the user's writing space: a desk with various pieces of paper. The images are processed to extract the written marks on the current page from the clutter of objects in the scene, including the user's moving hand and pen. The system compresses the extracted marks for transmission. The system is successful at extracting the marks as the user is writing and avoids digitizing most false marks. It incorporates update mechanisms that deal with false marks that do occur.

The VideoWriter is a real-time system that uses digitized images from a computer-controlled video camera to find the location of pages on a desktop. Once an image of a page is extracted, the system must determine if the page has been previously stored. We investigate the use of the Hausdorff distance metric to compare two-level versions of page images. The Hausdorff distance metric does not require exact correspondence between pels in images. We compare the accuracy of the original metric with several modifications.

We describe extensions to the traditional techniques for anomaly detection, as well as new anomaly detection techniques based on alternate models of what distinguishes normal from abnormal behavior. Some of these techniques are designed to capture anomalies at individual sensors; some detect anomalies across collections of sensors. To assist in reasoning about complex global behaviors, we construct and simulate a causal model of the physical system being monitored. These techniques have been tested on data from the ECLSS of Space Station Freedom (SSF) and are being applied in advanced monitoring prototypes for the SSF External Active Thermal Control System of SSF and the Environmental Emergency and Consumables Management subsystem of the Space Shuttle.

(1867). I.—On the organs of circulation of the Roman snail (Helix pomatia) Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Vol. 19, No. 109, pp. 1-8.

The statements made here are based upon observations, from i884 to 19I3, of 470 indigenous and 54 introduced entomophilous flowers. Twentythree more native and seven introduced species, with an average of five days, are excluded as fragmentary. The time of each flower includes early dates for early seasons and late dates for late seasons, and is therefore, when correct, somewhat longer than the actual blooming time observed in a single season. Except the earliest cases, however, it is remarkable how little the blooming times vary. Unless otherwise specified the statements relate to the indigenous species. The groups, except Archichlarnydeae, Syrnpetalae and Campanales, are those given by Bessey (1897, pp. I74-I78), who unites the apetalous and anemophilous groups with their petaliferous and entomophilous relatives, and compares the orders with the paleontological record. This system hardly af fects the families and has little effect on the best known of the dominant suborders. The maximum is the time when the most species are in bloom simultaneously. It is the time of greatest competition between members of a group and may be also the point of origin, the point from which the members tend to diverge. Every natural group has a definite position. It begins at a given time, increases to a maximum point and then declines until all of its members are out of bloom. Their seasons do not coincide, but they overlap. Dyschronous Groups.-A species, genus or family which does not overlap with any of its relatives, or a group which contains species which do not overlap with their relatives, may be called dyschronous. Of 98 genera containing more than one species I4 are dyschronous. They have an average of 2.7 species, while the normal genera average 3.3. Families, being more heterogeneous, would be expected to show more dyschronous cases. Of 58 families 13 are dyschronous. These average 3.7 species while the normal families average 9.2. The general blooming season is determined by the advent of warm weather in the spring and of cold in the fall. The most flowers are in bloom in the most central and warmest month, July, which shows 53.I per cent of the flora, but the maximum is August 20-23 and shows 42.7 per cent. Plants and flowers interfere with one another to such an extent that it is an advantage for them to have their seasons separated as much as possible.

This paper is intended to give the results of the study of the local species.Unless otherwise indicated, vein a = basal nervure; vein V2= transverse medial nervure; vein rm= first cubital nervure; cell III1+2= marginal cell; cell III5 = second cubtial cell; “joint” refers to antennæ; “segment” refers to abdomen.There has been enough confusion in this group to suit the most stupid of lumpers. It takes a mystagogue to identify a species from a description of its oranaments. Such descriptions are regular pitfalls—regular synonym-traps.

The sunflower, Helianthus, belongs to about the largest, most uniform, and most commonplace of the natural families. Compared with the Compositae in general (3 and 5 in table), it shows a higher percentage of bee species and a higher percentage of bee visits, as well as a higher percentage of species of Lepidoptera, and a lower percentage of other insects. This is because the corolla tubes are deeper than in the average Compositae. It resembles rosin-weed, Silphium (4 in table). Of the 655 species found on Compositae at Carlinville 21.8 percent occur on Helianthus. It forms 9.4 percent of the local Compositae and shows 8.i percent of the insect visits.

During the last winter, in connection with the study of the local bees, I had occasion to write out my views in regard to their classification, basing my observation upon the recent Apidae catalogue of Della Torre. As the views then arrived at form a fair statement of my present opinions, I venture to offer them in connection with the recent paper of Mr. Ashmead on the classification of the bees.