External Control Research Articles

Anomalous Floquet Phases. A resonance phenomena

Floquet topological phases emerge when systems are periodically driven out-of-equilibrium. They gained attention due to their external control, which allows to simulate a wide variety of static systems by just tuning the external field in the high frequency regime. However, it was soon clear that their relevance goes beyond that, as for lower frequencies, anomalous phases without a static counterpart are present and the bulk-to-boundary correspondence can fail. In this work we discuss the important role of resonances in Floquet phases. For that, we present a method to find analytical solutions when the frequency of the drive matches the band gap, extending the well-known high frequency analysis of Floquet systems. With this formalism, we show that the topology of Floquet phases with resonances can be accurately captured in analytical terms. We also find a bulk-to-boundary correspondence between the number of edge states in finite systems and a set of topological invariants in different frames of reference, which crucially do not explicitly involve the micromotion. To illustrate our results, we periodically drive a SSH chain and a π-flux lattice, showing that our findings remain valid in various two-band systems and in different dimensions. In addition, we notice that the competition between rotating and counter-rotating terms must be carefully treated when the undriven system is a semi-metal. To conclude, we discuss the implications to experimental setups, including the direct detection of anomalous topological phases and the measurement of their invariants.

Re-evaluation of the relationship between paranormal belief and perceived stress using statistical modelling.

Recent research indicates that paranormal belief, in the absence of allied cognitive-perceptual and psychopathology-related factors, is not associated with negative wellbeing outcomes. However, investigators have historically reported relationships between specific facets of belief (e.g., superstition) and stress vulnerability. These typically derive from the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (RPBS), which has questionable psychometric integrity. The main issue being that several RPBS items perform poorly. Noting this, the present paper re-examined the relationship between paranormal belief and stress using the Rasch purified version of the RPBS. This comprises two dimensions, called Traditional Paranormal Belief (TPB) and New Age Philosophy (NAP). These are operationalised in terms of function. Specifically, whether belief provides a sense of control at the social (TPB) or individual level (NAP). Accordingly, this study examined whether TPB and NAP were differentially predictive of levels of perceived stress. In this context, stress served as an indicator of well-being. A sample of 3084 participants (Mage = 50.31, SD = 15.20, range 18-91) completed the RPBS alongside the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling revealed that TPB was significantly predictive of higher Distress, and lower Coping. NAP was neither predictive of Distress nor Coping. These findings support the notion that TPB is attendant with external control, particularly the notion that unknown supernatural forces/powers influence existence.

Impact of Corporate Governance on Firms’ Sustainability Performance: Case Study of BIST 50 Index Companies

Purpose: the purpose of this study is to investigate whether corporate governance mechanisms and attributes influence the sustainability performance of companies included in the BIST 50 Index. Results and contributions: Regression analysis showed that there was a significant positive influence of board tenure on sustainability performance and all its types; board size on environmental performance; and a dummy variable for board evaluation externally facilitated and company size on sustainability, environmental, and social performance. A significant negative impact of director attendance at board meetings on social performance was also revealed. This study contributes to the literature on the role of corporate governance in achieving the SDGs for BIST 50 Index companies, highlighting the significant impact of its individual indicators on the achievement of sustainability performance. Methodology: The authors reviewed 45 sustainability reports of BIST 50 Index companies for 2023. Four indices—Sustainability Performance, Environmental Performance, Social Performance, and Corporate Governance Performance Indexes—were developed to characterize sustainability performance and its types based on a content analysis of sustainability disclosures. To analyze the influence of mechanisms and characteristics of the corporate governance system on sustainability performance, eight independent variables were used: board size, number of board meetings, director attendance at board meetings, board independence, board tenure, a dummy variable for board evaluation externally facilitated, a dummy variable for internal auditors present, and a dummy variable for CEO and Chair functions combined. Two control variables, company size and leverage, were used as well. Gap: Today, the scientific literature has no universal approach and understanding of how the corporate governance system should be developed to improve sustainability performance or its individual components. Relevance: Development of a corporate governance system is one of the ways to increase the level of sustainability performance of companies. Impact: The results of the study made it possible to produce several recommendations (expand the number of board members, develop an effective procedure for regular changes of general directors in company boards, introduce independent external control tools in the corporate governance systems of companies) that will lead to the achievement of SDGs 5, 8, 16.

Abstract 4137833: The plasma cell-free transcriptome non-invasively profiles the immune response and myocardial damage in immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced myocarditis.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced myocarditis (ICI-m) is a severe complication of cancer immunotherapy, marked by cardiac inflammation. Despite its high mortality rate, diagnosing ICI-m remains challenging due to the lack of sensitive and non-invasive diagnostic modalities. Plasma cell-free mRNA (cf-mRNA) has recently been highlighted as a promising tool for non-invasive tissue profiling. Hypothesis: The plasma cf-mRNA profile contains disease-specific immune and tissue transcriptomic signatures of ICI-m that can be leveraged for disease-specific precision diagnostics. Aims: To establish and validate a novel cf-mRNA bench and bioinformatic pipeline for noninvasive profiling of the immune and tissue landscape of patients with ICI-m. Methods: We isolated, DNase-treated, and sequenced bulk cfRNA from frozen plasma of patients with ICI-treated cancer patients with no autoimmunity (group A, n=5), extracardiac autoimmunity (group B, n=7), and ICI-m with or without extracardiac autoimmunity (group C, n=10). Publicly available healthy control cfRNA was downloaded (n=30) as external controls. We used cell type-specific gene panels curated from single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets of circulating immune cells and cardiac cells for cellular deconvolution of the cf-mRNA. Signature scores of the sum of the counts of each cell type-specific gene were used to compare cell type contributions between patient groups. Results: Cancer and inflammatory gene pathways were significantly enriched in the cf-mRNA of all ICI-treated cancer patients. Cardiac pathways and conduction genes were significantly enriched in group C vs. A and B patients. Signature scores of Temra CD8+ T cells and cardiomyocytes, and gene expression of CCL5 and MYH6 were elevated in group C patients. Our custom ICI-m classifier containing 3 cardiac- and 3 immune cell-specific genes differentiated group C from A (AUC 0.903, 95% CI 0.858-0.903) and B patients (AUC 0.983, 95% CI 0.970-0.983) effectively, outperforming a diagnostic classifier obtained from unsupervised feature selection from all differentially expressed genes. Conclusions: Using our novel plasma cf-mRNA platform, we developed a diagnostic classifier that captures the disease-specific immune and tissue transcriptomic signatures of ICI-m, highlighting the advantages of this disease-specific approach over conventional biomarker discovery, and demonstrating the broader implications of the platform for the field of precision diagnostics.

Useless Math – The Complex Untold Story

If you don't understand mathematics, ask yourself if I'm right, because others don't understand mathematics either. By useless mathematics we mean incomplete mathematical spaces of a classical 3D+t variety that are inadequate for generating well-defined definitions and hypotheses as well as time-dependent partial differential equations. The current classical discrete 3D+t space PDE, in which time is an external controller and not integrated into the 3D geometric space, cannot be integrated digitally. This space is logically incomplete and misleading in the production of definitions and hypotheses as well as in the resolution itself of time- dependent PDEs. No wonder these definitions/assumptions are ugly and result in weak or intractable mathematics, leading to all kinds of misunderstandings, from horrible notations to undisciplined length of theorems containing a considerable amount of black magic and ending with a gray nature of the mathematical result obtained. In this article we present some of the most catastrophic inaccurate assumptions existing in current classical mathematics, resulting from the use of 3D+t manifold space to specify initial conditions, boundary conditions and the source/sink term. Fortunately, these inaccurate assumptions that start with an ugly space for boundary conditions, initial conditions and source/sink term can be spotted and analyzed via 4D unitary numerical statistical theory called Cairo techniques in the format of transition chains of matrix B to complete what is missing. In other words, we present how to spot some of the ugliest mathematical conclusions of classical 3D geometry plus t as an external control numerical space, and then show how to correct them via the 4D unit space of statistical transition matrix chains. By complex and untold history, we mean that useless and misleading mathematics dominated scientific research and education throughout the 20th century, so much so that the accumulated legacy of misconceptions became a huge, complex mountain, almost impossible to eliminate. Fortunately, the numerical theory of Cairo techniques and the Laplacian theorem constitute an advanced and exhaustive form of the energy continuity equation and thus can create new logical mathematics. This is also the case of the famous Schrödinger time- dependent PDE.  The Laplacian theorem is one of the most important products created by the numerical statistical theory called Cairo techniques. In previous articles we introduced and briefly explained the so-called Laplacian theorem in the 4D x-t unit space, while in this article we highlight its importance and how it can generate new mathematics in more detail. The Laplacian partial differential equation that interests us is the one having a well-defined exclusive form and living in an isolated sample spatial control volume surrounded by a closed surface (A) and subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions. This very particular case of Laplacian PDE is always treated mathematically in a classical D^4 variety which is lazy and misleading. Finally, this article collects, studies, identifies and analyzes the dozen most common current useless mathematical events and presents an effective and adequate alternative.

PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF BANKING REGULATION AND SUPERVISION IN UKRAINE

Effective banking regulation and supervision are key factors for ensuring the stability of the national banking system of Ukraine. The purpose of this article is to analyze the peculiarities of banking regulation and supervision in Ukraine in order to identify problems and possible ways of development, including in the context of world experience. The article examines the theoretical aspects of the essence of the concepts of banking regulation and banking supervision. The main indicators of the banking system of Ukraine for 2020-2024 and the mechanism for identifying risks in the activities of banking institutions are also considered. The global trends in banking regulation at the current stage are its centralization, the concept of risk-oriented supervision, the introduction of new financial technologies, the development of the principles of proportional banking regulation. The main positive and negative methods of supervision in the banking sector are singled out. It has been proven that the conditions of a full-scale military conflict significantly undermined the development of the banking system of Ukraine. The destruction of infrastructure, loss of customer confidence, risks to the bank's loan portfolio and capitalization have become major problems. In addition, the decrease in liquidity and the growth of inflation risks create serious challenges for the banking system. The degree of suitability of world models in terms of the priority tasks of the state regarding the regulation of the banking sector is analyzed. Directions for improving banking supervision through improvement of banking activity licensing procedures are proposed; introduction of permanent monitoring of the activities of domestic commercial banks, in particular their financial condition; implementation of constant monitoring of compliance with banking regulations and current legislation; introduction of permanent inspections of banking activities; implementation by commercial banks of ongoing internal control and external audit control; developing and sending supervisory instructions for banking institutions regarding the implementation of Basel III standards.

The Use of Real-World Data for Estimating Relative Treatment Effects in NICE Health Technology Assessment Submissions: A Review.

This paper investigates the current use of real-world data (RWD) for estimating relative treatment effects in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) health technology assessment (HTA) submissions. This review included 64 HTA submissions, which accounted for approximately 11% of the total NICE HTA submissions between January 2016 and December 2023. The main sources of RWD considered in the submissions were disease registries and electronic health records. RWD were primarily used to provide an external control arm to enable comparisons within single-arm trials and to inform long-term treatment effects when extrapolating survival data beyond the trial follow-up. Adjustments for potential systematic differences between treatment groups have improved over time; however, approximately one-third of the submissions still relied on unadjusted treatment comparisons. We found that approximately 10% of NICE HTA submissions used RWD to directly inform treatment effects estimation. Over one-third of the submissions relied on naïve and/or unadjusted treatment comparisons, which may have introduced biases. To ensure that RWD provide sound evidence for HTA, submissions should follow published guidelines, including the NICE real-world evidence (RWE)framework.

Clinical outcome of guided endodontics versus freehand drilling: A controlled clinical trial, single arm with external control group.

High-quality, prospective clinical studies are needed to increase evidence for guided endodontics. This study aims to assess the clinical outcome of guided endodontics for treatment of teeth presenting with pulp canal obliteration (PCO) in comparison with freehand treatment. This trial was registered in the ISRCTN.com registry (ISRCTN75277265) and designed as a controlled clinical trial: Single arm trial, prospective, nonrandomized, single-centre study (ethical approval number S64630). Inclusion criteria were; tooth presenting with PCO and symptoms and/or signs of apical periodontitis (AP). An external control group was selected from clinical records of patients presenting the same criteria but treated freehanded. Guided root canal treatments were performed by the same operator on all patients. Freehanded treatments were performed by a specialist in endodontics under microscope with pre-operative CBCT available. Primary outcome for both groups was evaluated as: canal found, canal not found, or perforation. As secondary outcome, the qualitative accuracy of the drill path was assessed as: optimal precision, acceptable precision or technical failure. Patients were followed up yearly. Descriptive statistics on the study patient's demographics and healing outcome were performed and specific statistical analysis was performed on each outcome variable. A total of 133 teeth were included (n = 60 guided, n = 73 freehanded) from 128 patients (n = 59 guided, n = 69 freehanded). The primary outcome for the guided group was: 59 teeth canals found and 1 tooth canal not found. No perforations were recorded. In the freehanded group, the root canal was successfully found in 59 teeth, seven were not found, and seven had a perforation. An analysis of all data showed that guided endodontics presented statistically significant better outcome than freehand treatment (p < .05). Guided endodontics showed a statistically significant better outcome than freehanded treatment resulting in less technical failures. However, it is a complex procedure which should be carried out by an experienced endodontist with the aid of a dental microscope.

Constructing organoid-brain-computer interfaces for neurofunctional repair after brain injury.

The reconstruction of damaged neural circuits is critical for neurological repair after brain injury. Classical brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow direct communication between the brain and external controllers to compensate for lost functions. Importantly, there is increasing potential for generalized BCIs to input information into the brains to restore damage, but their effectiveness is limited when a large injured cavity is caused. Notably, it might be overcome by transplantation of brain organoids into the damaged region. Here, we construct innovative BCIs mediated by implantable organoids, coined as organoid-brain-computer interfaces (OBCIs). We assess the prolonged safety and feasibility of the OBCIs, and explore neuroregulatory strategies. OBCI stimulation promotes progressive differentiation of grafts and enhances structural-functional connections within organoids and the host brain, promising to repair the damaged brain via regenerating and regulating, potentially directing neurons to preselected targets and recovering functional neural networks in the future.

Comparison of Au Nanoparticle/Poly(9-vinylcarbazole) Thin-Film Electrogeneration at 3 Distinct Liquid/Liquid Interfaces: Water/1,2-Dichloroethane, /α,α,α-Trifluorotoluene, Or/Ionic Liquid.

Metal nanoparticle (NP) incorporated conductive polymer films are attractive for their mechanical stability for biomedical applications and as heterogeneous electrocatalysis materials. Novel approaches to generate these materials with tunable properties are still being sought. Herein, the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) has been employed as a molecularly sharp and reproducible platform for simultaneous Au NP and poly(9-vinylcarbazole) generation. Three interfaces have been compared, including between water|1,2-dichloroethane (w|DCE), water|α,α,α-trifluorotoluene (w|TFT), and water|ionic liquid (w|IL). In this case the IL was P8888TB (tetraoctylphosphonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate). 9-Vinylcarbazole (VC) can polymerize via two routes, either propagating through the vinyl substituent or the aryl rings. The former gives rise to a white semiconducting polymer with a wide bandgap, while the latter produces a green, conducting polymer. External potential control through voltammetric cycling was found to generate the film more rapidly favoring heterogeneous electron transfer with formation of the green poly(VC) variant at the ITIES. This was a free-standing film that could be easily removed from the interface. In the absence of external control, white polymer crystals formed within the oil phase spontaneously likely via AuCl4- w → o transfer followed by a homogeneous electron transfer reaction mechanism. Scanning electrochemical microscopy probe approach curve experiments were used to quantify the electroactivity of the film and are complemented by direct conductivity measurements.

Is MAGEC X better than earlier designs of magnetically controlled growing rod: an explant study.

Determine the performance of MAGEC X rods through retrieval analysis and comparison with clinical data. A multicentre explant database was searched to identify cases using MAGEC X device. Clinical and surgical data was gathered prospectively. Prior to rod disassembly, rods underwent testing with an external remote controller to measure the force output. Eleven cases from 6 centres were identified. Implantation occurred at mean age 6.9years with mean duration of implantation 42months. Dual rod constructs were used in all but one case, providing 21 MAGEC X rods for explant analysis. Tissue metallosis was identified at revision surgery in 8/11 cases (73%). Of the 21 rods, 13/21 (62%) produced no force while 8/21 (38%) produced the force stated by the manufacturer. Endcap separation was seen in 5/21 (24%) rods. Where full disassembly was possible, 13/14 (93%) rods had an intact locking pin. Average rod growth was 18mm (range 2-45mm), equivalent to 5.1mm per year. Wear debris was found within 20/21 (95%) MAGEC X rods. Despite the substantial design changes with MAGEC X tissue metallosis was seen in most cases; most explanted MAGEC X rods had lengthened only partially and produced no force output. While the previous issue of locking pin fracture appears to have been mitigated with MAGEC X, there are multiple other and new failure modes, such as endcap separation. Overall MAGEC X appears to give little improvement over earlier iterations of the rod.

Control of the Motion of an Inverted Spherical Pendulum on a Moving Base. Hybrid Impact Approach

A new hybrid method for the construction of control actions of a linear control system with constant coefficients is considered in this paper. It is assumed in this paper that a part of the discussed system meets some conditions. Some states of the main system are considered to be control actions for a subsystem for which and LQR stabilizer is acquired. Then, those control actions of the subsystem are used to construct the control actions for the main system. In the problem of controlling the motion of a complex linear system of an inverted spherical pendulum on a moving base, a new approach to the construction of control actions (hybrid action method) was used. It is assumed that a component of the complex system under discussion satisfies certain conditions. The inertial forces at the center of mass of the base of the composite system are considered to be the controlling influences on the inversion of the pendulum, for which the LQR stabilizer was purchased. The determined internal control actions on the inverted pendulum are then used to construct external control actions on the base of the composite system. In the end, a numerical analysis was carried out.

Validation of an LC-MS/MS Method for Analysis of 58 Drugs of Abuse in Oral Fluid and Method Comparison with an Established LC-HRMS Method.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods for detection of multiple drugs of abuse (DoA) in oral fluid (OF) samples are being implemented in many clinical routine laboratories. Therefore, there is a need to develop new multi-analyte methods with simple sample pre-treatment and short analysis times. The purpose of this work was to validate a method detecting 58 DoA to be used with two different OF sampling kits, the saliva collection system (SCS) from Greiner Bio-One and Quantisal from Immunalysis, using the same sample pretreatment and analytical method. A set of 110 samples collected with the SCS kit was further compared to an LC-HRMS (high resolution mass spectrometry) method in another laboratory. The method was successfully validated, with precision and accuracy of ≤15% and z-scores of <2 for external controls. Using a sensitive LC-MS/MS instrument, the detection limits were <1 µg/L in neat oral fluid. In the comparative study between the LC-MS/MS and LC-HRMS methods using SCS samples, a good agreement was observed. Discrepancies were limited to lower concentration ranges, attributable to differences in cut-off thresholds between the methods. This work contributes to the development of LC-MS multi-analyte methods for OF samples, which are suitable for clinical routine laboratories.

Incorporating external controls in the design of randomized clinical trials: a case study in solid tumors

BackgroundThe use of historical external control data in clinical trials has grown in interest and needs when considering the design of future trials. Hybrid control designs can be more efficient to achieve the same power with fewer patients and limited resources. The literature is sparse on appropriate statistical methods which can account for the differences between historical external controls and the control patients in a study. In this article, we illustrate the analysis framework of a clinical trial if a hybrid control design was used after determining an RCT may not be feasible.MethodsWe utilize two previously completed RCTs in nonsquamous NSCLC and a nationwide electronic health record derived de-identified database as examples and compare 5 analysis methods on each trial, as well as a set of simulations to determine operating characteristics of such designs.ResultsIn single trial estimation, the Case Weighted Adaptive Power Prior provided estimated treatment hazard ratios consistent with the original trial’s conclusions with narrower confidence intervals. The simulation studies showed that the Case Weighted Adaptive Power Prior achieved the highest power (and well controlled type-1 error) across all 5 methods with consistent study sample size.ConclusionsBy following the proposed hybrid control framework, one can design a hybrid control trial transparently and accounting for differences between control groups while controlling type-1 error and still achieving efficiency gains from the additional contribution from external controls.

Challenges in Cardiomyopathy Gene Therapy Clinical Trial Design.

Gene therapy has emerged as a possible treatment for progressive, debilitating Mendelian cardiomyopathies with limited therapeutic options. This paper arises from discussions at the 2023 Cardiovascular Clinical Trialists Forum and highlights several challenges relevant to gene therapy clinical trials, including low prevalence and high phenotypic heterogeneity of Mendelian cardiomyopathies, outcome selection complexities and resulting regulatory uncertainty, and immune responses to the adeno-associated viral vectors that are being used in ongoing studies. Avenues to address these challenges such as natural history studies, external controls, novel regulatory pathways, and immunosuppression are discussed. Relevant cases of recent therapy approvals are highlighted. Ultimately, this work aims to broadly frame discussions on and provide potential future avenues for clinical trial design for rare cardiomyopathy gene therapies.

The Interpretation of Public Administration Controlling From an Economic Perspective

Objective: The primary objective of this study is to assess the adherence of state/municipal economic companies to the requirements outlined in Government Decree 339/2019 (XII. 23.) concerning the use of budgetary funds. Furthermore, the study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of internal and external control systems and propose measures to enhance the efficiency and transparency of these companies' financial management. Theoretical Framework: The research builds on the principles of public sector governance, focusing on the role of internal control systems and external monitoring in ensuring the proper use of public funds. Government Decree 339/2019 serves as the regulatory basis for evaluating performance, while theories on financial control, transparency, and accountability in public administration are employed to interpret the findings. Method: A qualitative approach was employed, including an audit of selected state/municipal companies. The study utilized data from the ÁSZ (State Audit Office) reports, internal control mechanisms, and management reviews. Performance evaluations were conducted in light of the companies' compliance with regulatory requirements, with a focus on identifying systemic shortcomings and proposing improvements. Results and Discussion: The audit revealed that while the companies generally complied with Government Decree 339/2019, several shortcomings were noted, particularly in the areas of internal control and economic management. External monitoring by the ÁSZ and existing internal control systems contribute to ensuring the proper use of budgetary funds. However, there is a need to strengthen these systems further to address the observed issues. The study suggests the implementation of a management-oriented controlling system, which would emphasize economic decision-making and improve overall performance and transparency. Research Implications: The findings have significant implications for state and municipal economic companies. By adopting a more economically focused internal control system, these entities can enhance their financial management practices, optimize the use of public funds, and foster greater transparency and efficiency in their operations. This approach would not only benefit public administration but also improve service delivery to the general public. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the importance of a management-oriented controlling system based on economic principles in the public sector. It provides practical recommendations for enhancing the internal control and audit processes of state/municipal companies, offering valuable insights for policymakers and public administration professionals striving for greater fiscal responsibility and transparency.

El derecho operacional en Colombia: protagonismo militar y ausencias civiles

Outside military circles, little is known about operational law. However, this legal regime has grown dramatically in the last twenty years in Colombia. This research investigates the practice of operational law through interviews with five operators and identifies two characteristics of this field: the juridification of military operations and combat experience as a factor of legal expertise. The results evidence that the practice of operational law has developed with a leading role of military actors, as opposed to a marked civil absence. Therefore, the development of this military legal project should continue with its opening to external controls from civil governance.

Leveraging real-world data to conduct externally controlled trial for rare diseases with count-type endpoints: utilizing multiple entries – a simulation study

ABSTRACT Conducting randomized controlled trials for medications targeting rare diseases presents significant challenges, due to the scarcity of participants and ethical considerations. Under such circumstances, leveraging real-world data (RWD) to generate supporting evidence may be accepted by the regulatory agency. Constructing an external control arm (ECA) from RWD for a single-arm trial has been conducted occasionally. A complication in this design is that patients from RWD may be eligible at multiple time points. Most studies approach this by selecting one time point as the index date for ECA patients. Here, we propose a novel design for externally controlled trials that permits the inclusion of ECA patients at various entry points. Accompanying this design, we make recommendations for statistical methods to account for measured confounders, limited sample size, within-subject correlation, and potential overdispersion inherent in count data. Furthermore, we present an idea for the blinding process for this type of study. We have conducted a series of simulations to assess the performance of the design and statistical methods in terms of bias, type I error, and efficiency, as compared to the approach of selecting only one entry per ECA patient. The study and parameter setup were based on a hypothetical case inspired by a rare disease study. The results indicate that allowing multiple entries for ECA patients can lead to enhanced performance in many aspects. It provides a controlled type I error, robustness against certain model misspecifications, and a moderate power improvement compared with selecting a single entry per ECA patient.

Temperature‐Tunable Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Optical Combiners for Extended Reality Applications

Recent advancements in extended reality (XR) showcase their potential ability to enhance the user experience of traditional displays such as liquid crystal displays and organic light‐emitting diode screens. To achieve this goal, the upcoming generation of head‐mounted displays (HMDs) necessitates a seamless transition between different XR modes, including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) modes. Herein, an innovative cholesteric liquid crystal‐ (CLC‐) based optical combiner for HMDs is introduced. This approach enables the display device to switch between AR, VR, and transparent modes via temperature modulation. Since CLC materials demonstrate varying optical properties at different temperatures, a real‐time temperature monitoring system that is paired with an external controller is integrated. This allows for dynamic temperature adjustments of the optical combiner and enables smooth transitions between display modes. Furthermore, the Berreman 4 × 4 matrix method is used to simulate the optical properties of the optical combiner, finding strong agreement with the experimental results. The performance of the tunable optical combiners using 450, 532, and 635 nm laser sources is explored. The findings demonstrate that CLC‐based optical combiners can effectively switch between the three distinct modes at corresponding temperatures, paving the way for versatile applications in future HMDs.

The police investigation is illegal and illegitimate

The Public Prosecution Service, which is the exclusive holder of public criminal action and external control of police activity, among other duties, and the police are responsible for investigating criminal offenses. That said, the aim of this research is to demonstrate that the Public Prosecution Service has been treated as a mere opinion-forming body in criminal cases, given the understanding of criminal judges and also of the Legislative Branch, contrary to the Federal Constitution of 1988. In this regard, the Code of Criminal Procedure places the Public Prosecution Service in a situation of non-ownership in the conduct of cases, through various provisions of this code, when, notably, it allows the criminal judge to superimpose his decision on the theses of the Public Prosecution Service. As far as the legislative branch is concerned, the enactment of laws still does not respect the 1988 constitutional provision on the role of the Public Prosecution Service. In addition, external control of police activity must guarantee the constitutional legality and legitimacy of the greatest instrument for investigating crimes, the Police Inquiry, according to Article 129, VII of the Brazilian Federal Constitution. The absence of external control compromises the quality of evidence and the effectiveness of criminal justice, confirming the urgent need to implement regulatory mechanisms that ensure efficient control of police activity, resulting in improvements in public safety and, above all, in the legitimacy of the Brazilian justice system.