Hemiclamshell approach for left pneumonectomy.

Hemiclamshell and clamshell incisions were virtually forgotten since the introduction to cardiac surgery of median sternotomy and the exhilarating advances in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. However, in rare clinical scenarios, as in large, space-occupying lesions in thoracic cavity, the surgeon will resort to a clamshell or a hemiclamshell approach to achieve complete exposure and remove a large mass from the thoracic cavity. In this video tutorial, we demonstrate the operative steps of the hemiclamshell approach in a clinical scenario for a left pneumonectomy for T4N1M0 non-small-cell lung cancer.

A versatile microtomography system to study in situ the failure and fragmentation in geomaterials.

This article describes a microtomography experimental platform enabling in situ micro-mechanical study of failure and fragmentation in geomaterials. The system is based on an original high-pressure triaxial flow cell, which is fully integrated into a custom built microtomography scanner equipped with a laboratory x-ray source. The design of the high-precision mechanical apparatus was informed by the concurrent development of advanced tomographic reconstruction methods based on helical scanning and of algorithms correcting for hardware inaccuracies. This experimental system produces very high-quality 3D images of microstructural changes occurring in rocks undergoing mechanical failure and substantial fragmentation. We present the results of two experiments as case studies to demonstrate the capabilities and versatility of this instrumental platform. These experiments tackle various questions related to the onset of rock failure, the hydromechanical coupling and relaxation mechanisms in fractured rocks, or the fragmentation process in geomaterials such as copper ores.

Production and Purification of Pectinase from Bacillus subtilis 15A-B92 and Its Biotechnological Applications.

Enzymes that degrade pectin are called pectinases. Pectinases of microbial origin are used in juice clarification as the process is cost-effective. This study screened a pectinase-producing bacterium isolated from soil and identified as Bacillus subtilis 15A B-92 based on the 16S rRNA molecular technique. The purified pectinase from the isolate showed 99.6 U/mg specific activity and 11.6-fold purity. The molecular weight of the purified bacterial pectinase was 14.41 ± 1 kD. Optimum pectinase activity was found at pH 4.5 and 50 °C, and the enzyme was 100% stable for 3.5 h in these conditions. No enzymatic inhibition or activation effect was seen with Fe2+, Ca2+, or Mg2+. However, a slight inhibition was seen with Cu2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+. Tween 20 and 80 slightly inhibited the pectinase, whereas iodoacetic acid (IAA), ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), urea, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) showed potent inhibition. The bacterial pectinase degraded citrus pectin (100%); however, it was inactive in the presence of galactose. With citrus pectin as the substrate, the Km and Vmax were calculated as 1.72 mg/mL and 1609 U/g, respectively. The high affinity of pectinase for its substrate makes the process cost-effective when utilized in food industries. The obtained pectinase was able to clarify orange and apple juices, justifying its application in the food industry.

Characterization of Bioactive Compounds from Acacia concinna and Citrus limon, Silver Nanoparticles' Production by A. concinna Extract, and Their Biological Properties.

The applications of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants as therapeutic drugs are largely increasing. The present study selected the bioactive compounds from Acacia concinna (A. concinna) and Citrus limon (C. limon) to assess their phytochemicals, proteins, and biological activity. The plant material was collected, and extraction performed as per the standard procedure. Qualitative analysis was undertaken, and identification of functional organic groups was performed by FTIR and HPLC. Antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, and inhibition kinetics studies for enzymes were performed to assess the different biological activities. Flavonoids and phenols were present in a significant amount in both the selected plants. A. concinna showed significant antimicrobial activity against Z. mobilis, E. coli, and S. aureus, with minimum inhibition zones (MIZ) of 24, 22, and 20 mm, respectively. C. limon strongly inhibited all the tested pathogenic bacteria with maximum and minimum MIZ of 32 and 17 mm. A. concinna silver nanoparticles also exhibited potent antimicrobial activity. Both extracts showed substantial antioxidant, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, anticancer (MCF-7), and anti-urease (antiulcer) properties. To conclude, these plants can be used to treat hyperlipidemia, diabetes, cancer, and gastrointestinal ulcers. They can also serve as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. Thus, the studied plants must be exploited cost-effectively to generate therapeutic drugs for various diseases.

Fluctuation-Induced Interaction in Turbulent Flows.

Fluctuation-induced forces are observed in numerous physical systems spanning from quantum to macroscopic scale. However, there is as yet no experimental report of their existence in hydrodynamic turbulence. Here, we present evidence of an attraction force mediated via turbulent fluctuations by using two walls locally confining 2D turbulence. This long-range interaction is a function of the wall separation and the energy injection rate in the turbulent flow. As the wall spacing decreases, the confined flow becomes less energetic and more anisotropic in the bounded domain, producing stronger attraction. The mechanism of force generation is rooted in a nontrivial fluid-wall coupling where coherent flow structures are guided by the cavity walls. For the narrowest cavities studied, a resonance phenomenon at the flow forcing scale leads to a complex short-range interaction. The results could be relevant to problems encountered in a range of fields from industrial multiphase flows to modeling of planetary formation.

Correlation of Malaria Rapid Test and Peripheral Blood Smear Microscopy among Patients attending Byumba Health Centre.

Background: Malaria presents a diagnostic challenge in most tropical countries including Rwanda. Microscopy remains the gold standard for diagnosing malaria, however, it is labour intensive and depends upon the skill of the examiner. Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (MRDTs) have been developed as an easy, convenient alternative to microscopy. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from October to November 2019 on 130 febrile patients who were directed to the laboratory department for blood screening for malaria parasites at Byumba Health centre. The main objective of this study was to correlate Microscopy and MRDTs in diagnosis of malaria. Results: After signing a consent form, blood samples were collected and screened for malaria parasites microscopically and by using MRDTs. Data collection forms were filled with relevant information and obtained results for MRDTs and for peripheral blood smear were recorded. The collected data were statistically analyzed using GraphPad Prism 9 software. The mean age found to be 16 years old. In this study peripheral blood smear microscopy was considered as a reference method. The sensitivity and specificity of RDT Histidine-Rich Protein 2 (HRP-2) were calculated and found to be 96.6% and 60% respectively. The negative predictive value was found to be 92.85% where positive predictive value was 73.3%. Conclusion: MRDTs should be used along with microscopy to avert complications associated with delayed diagnosis and similar studies are required to identify alternative techniques with high specificity for the diagnosis of malaria.

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in pregnancy for prevention of mother to child transmission of hepatitis B in a rural setting on the Thailand-Myanmar border: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is transmitted from mother to child which can be prevented via birth dose vaccine combined with three follow up hepatitis B vaccines, hepatitis B immunoglobulins (HBIG), and maternal antiviral treatment with Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF). This study evaluates the cost effectiveness of six strategies to prevent perinatal HBV transmission in a resource limited setting (RLS) on the Thailand-Myanmar border. METHODS: The cost effectiveness of six strategies was tested by a decision tree model in R. All strategies included birth and follow up vaccinations and compared cost per infection averted against two willingness to pay thresholds: one-half and one gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Strategies were: 1) Vaccine only, 2) HBIG after rapid diagnostic test (RDT): infants born to HBsAg+ are given HBIG, 3) TDF after RDT: HBsAg+ women are given TDF, 4) TDF after HBeAg test: HBeAg+ women are given TDF, 5) TDF after high HBV DNA: women with HBV DNA > 200,000 are given TDF, 6) HBIG & TDF after high HBV DNA: women with HBV DNA > 200,000 are given TDF and their infants are given HBIG. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted on the cost-effective strategies. RESULTS: Vaccine only was the least costly option with TDF after HBeAg test strategy as the only cost-effective alternative. TDF after HBeAg test had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of US$1062; which would not be considered cost-effective with the lower threshold of one-half GDP per capita. The one-way sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the results were reasonably robust to changes in single parameter values. The PSA showed that TDF after HBeAg test had an 84% likelihood of being cost effective at a willingness to pay threshold of one GDP per capita per infection averted. CONCLUSIONS: We found that TDF after HBeAg test has the potential to be cost-effective if TDF proves effective locally to prevent perinatal HBV transmission. The cost of TDF treatment and reliability of the RDT could be barriers to implementing this strategy. While TDF after RDT may be a more feasible strategy to implement in RLS, TDF after HBeAg test is a less costly option.

Detergent-compatible fungal cellulases.

Detergent enzymes are currently added to all powder and liquid detergents that are manufactured. Cellulases, lipases, amylases, and proteases are used in the detergency to replace toxic phosphates and silicates and to reduce high energy consumption. This makes the use of enzymes in detergent formulation cost effective. Fungi are producers of important extracellular enzymes for industrial use. The fungal and bacterial cellulases maintain the shape and color of the washed garments. There is a high demand for cellulases at the market by detergent industries. With this high demand, genetic engineering has been a solution due to its high production of detergent-compatible cellulases. Fungi are the famous source for detergent-compatible cellulases production, but still, there is a lack of the cost-effective process of alkaline fungal cellulase production. Review papers on detergent-compatible bacterial cellulase and amylase and detergent-compatible fungal and bacterial proteases and lipases are available, but there is no review on detergent fungal cellulases. This review aims to highlight the production, properties, stability, and compatibility of fungal cellulases. It will help other academic and industrial researchers to study, produce, and commercialize the fungal cellulases with good aspects.

Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics of Turbulence-Driven Rotors.

We characterize a process of energy extraction via rectification of strongly turbulent flow by using tools of stochastic thermodynamics. We study the dynamics of an asymmetric autonomous rotor that shows biased direction of rotation when placed in a stream. We give experimental evidence that a fluctuation theorem can be used to describe the work injected in the rotor via its coupling with the turbulent flow structure. This approach allows to measure the mean power extracted from the chaotic fluid motion over a broad range of turbulent kinetic energy. A nontrivial dependence of the rotor power on flow kinetic energy is identified. This observation is described by a model taking into account the dissipation of the rotor energy and the temporal memory of coherent structures present in the turbulent flow.

Invasive rhino-orbital-cerebral aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient.

INTRODUCTION: Rhino-orbital-aspergillosis (ROA) is a rare but serious disease in immunocompetent patients. Diagnosis is often delayed due to the absence of specific clinical symptoms. We describe the case of a patient who presented initially with ROA which spread progressively to the right ethmoid-sphenoid sinuses and then to the brain. OBSERVATION: A 61-year-old patient with a history of well-controlled diabetes presented with a sudden severe decrease in right visual acuity. Cerebral MRI showed the presence of an infiltrate in the right orbital apex extending to the homolateral cavernous sinus without any cerebral involvement. A diagnosis of right orbital myositis was made and corticosteroid therapy was started. His symptoms worsened progressively leading to quasi-blindness. A new MRI showed the development of right sphenoid-ethmoid osteolytic lesions. A fungal aetiology was suspected and tests for fungal biomarkers found a ß-(1-3)-D-glucan level of 99pg/ml but negative galactomannan. An ethmoid biopsy was performed for histological and mycological investigations, including the detection of Aspergillus DNA by qPCR. qPCR was positive and culture resulted in the isolation of multi-sensitive Aspergillus fumigatus. Treatment was initiated with voriconazole. Due to persistence of blindness and the appearance of a lesion extending to the right frontal lobe, surgical excision was performed followed by antifungal treatment for a total duration of 1year. The patient is currently stable, but has persistence of blindness in the right eye. CONCLUSION: Invasive ROA is a rare but serious disease in immunocompetent patients which should be evoked in the differential diagnosis of a tumour or vasculitis. Early diagnosis is essential for optimal management.

Exploring feature selection of St John's wort grown under different light spectra using 1 H-NMR spectroscopy.

INTRODUCTION: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy combined with multivariate statistical analysis can provide tools to help detect differences in plant chemistry when grown under varying conditions. Hypericum perforatum, or Saint John's wort, plants are a suitable model to explore methods of discrimination between early stage plants grown in different conditions. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this work was to develop a method for identifying differences in chemical profiles between young Hypericum perforatum plants grown under different lighting conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cuttings were grown for 3 weeks under different light conditions. Plant extracts were prepared in MeOD-d4 and analysed by 1 H-NMR. A multivariate analysis method of the NMR data was developed in an effort to determine variations in chemical profiles. RESULTS: The method identified specific metabolites as drivers of difference between the plants grown under different light conditions. STOCSY (statistical total correlation spectroscopy) and quantification of highlighted metabolites supported the findings of the multivariate analysis. Glutamine, sucrose and fructose were found to be chemical markers of light quality in this study. CONCLUSION: NMR metabolomics using a medium field instrument could find differences in plant chemistry when grown in different conditions. This method could easily be extended to benchtop instruments and be used for crop monitoring and growth condition optimisation.

Detergent-compatible bacterial cellulases.

Cellulases, lipases, proteases, and amylases are employed in the detergent preparation to speed up the detergency process. Microbial cellulases are now commercially manufactured and are being used by various industries like detergent industry. Currently, the supplementation of detergent-compatible enzymes is a new trend followed by most of the detergent industries. The cellulases are supplemented to the detergents to improve the fabric smoothness and soil removal without damaging them. They act by passing through the textile interfibril spaces and thus the fabric quality is preserved. The process is environment friendly, and the use of cellulases and other detergent-compatible enzymes diminishes the utilization of toxic detergent constituents that are hazardous to humans. Alkaline cellulases active at ambient and low temperature are now preferred to maintain the fabric quality and use of low energy. The review reports on the production, purification, and properties studies of detergent-compatible proteases, amylases, and lipases are available. However, there is no report on detergent-compatible bacterial cellulases. In the present review, an overview on the production, purification, and characterization of detergent bacterial cellulases is presented. The stability and compatibility of the alkaline bacterial cellulases in the presence of the detergents and the detergent constituents are also discussed.

A novel, green, low-cost chitosan-starch hydrogel as potential delivery system for plant growth-promoting bacteria.

The study examines the use of macrobeads for the controlled-release of bacteria. Macrobeads were prepared by an easy dripping-technique using 20/80 wt/wt chitosan-starch blends and sodium tripolyphosphate as cross-linking agent. The resulting polymeric matrix was examined by SEM, XRD, TGA, and solid-RMN. The swelling-equilibrium, thermal behaviour, crystallinity, and size of macrobeads were affected by the autoclave-sterilization. The diameter of the sterilized xerogel was c.a. 1.6 mm. The results suggested that ionotropic-gelation and neutralization were the mechanisms underlying hydrogel formation. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) were loaded into macrobeads separately or co-inoculated. Bacteria loaded macrobeads were dried and stored. Bacteria survived at least 12 months in orders of 109 CFU of A. brasilense/g and 108 CFU of P. fluorescens/g. Bacterial release in sterile saline solution tended to a super Case-II transport mechanism. Polymeric-matrix release efficiently both PGPB in natural soils, which uncovers their potential for the formulation of novel and improved biofertilizers.

Use patterns, use values and management of Afzelia africana Sm. in Burkina Faso: implications for species domestication and sustainable conservation.

BACKGROUND: The lack of literature on the interactions between indigenous people and the valuable agroforestry trees hinder the promotion of sustainable management of plant resources in West African Sahel. This study aimed at assessing local uses and management of Afzelia africana Sm. in Burkina Faso, as a prerequisite to address issues of domestication and sustainable conservation. METHODS: One thousand forty-four peoples of seven dominant ethnic groups were questioned in 11 villages through 221 semi-structured focus group interviews. The surveys encompassed several rural communities living around six protected areas along the species distribution range. Questions refer mainly to vernacular names of A. africana, locals' motivations to conserve the species, the uses, management practices and local ecological knowledge on the species. Citation frequency was calculated for each response item of each questionnaire section to obtain quantitative data. The quantitative data were then submitted to comparison tests and multivariate statistics in R program. RESULTS: A. africana is a locally well-known tree described as a refuge of invisible spirits. Due to this mystery and its multipurpose uses, A. africana is conserved within the agroforestry systems. The species is widely and mostly used as fodder (87.55%), drugs (75.93%), fetish or sanctuary (70.95%), food (41.49%), and raw material for carpentry (36.19%) and construction (7.05%). While the uses as fodder, food and construction involved one organ, the leaves and wood respectively, the medicinal use was the most diversified. All tree organs were traditionally used in 10 medical prescriptions to cure about 20 diseases. The species use values differed between ethnic groups with lower values within the Dagara and Fulani. The findings reveal a total absence of specific management practices such as assisted natural regeneration, seeding, or transplantation of A. africana sapling. However, trees were permanently pruned and debarked by local people. Harvesting of barks mostly contributed to the decline of the species populations. Local people acknowledged declining populations of A. africana with lower densities within the agroecosystems. They also perceived between individuals, variations in the traits of barks, leaves, fruits and seeds. Significant differences were found between ethnic groups and gender regarding the species uses. Local knowledge on the species distribution differed between ethnic groups. CONCLUSION: This study showed the multipurpose uses of A. africana throughout Burkina Faso. The results provide relevant social and ecological indicators to all stakeholders and constitute a springboard towards the species domestication and the elaboration of efficient sustainable conservation plans.

Immunogenicity, safety and reactogenicity of the pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) in 2-17-year-old children with asplenia or splenic dysfunction: A phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: Immunization with pneumococcal vaccines is an important prophylactic strategy for children with asplenia or splenic dysfunction, who are at high risk of bacterial infections (including S. pneumoniae). This study aimed to assess immunogenicity and safety of pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV, GSK) in this at-risk population. METHODS: This phase III, multi-centre, open-label, controlled study, in which at-risk children with asplenia or splenic dysfunction were enrolled (age strata: 2-4, 5-10 and 11-17years), was conducted in Poland and the Russian Federation. For the 2-4years at-risk group, healthy age-matched children were enrolled as control. Unprimed children (not previously vaccinated with any pneumococcal vaccine) received 2 PHiD-CV doses (≥2months apart) and pneumococcal vaccine-primed children received 1 dose. Immune responses were assessed pre-vaccination and one month post-each dose. Solicited and unsolicited adverse events (AEs) were recorded for 4 and 31days post-vaccination, respectively, and serious AEs (SAEs) throughout the study. RESULTS: Of 52 vaccinated children (18 at-risk primed, 28 at-risk unprimed and 6 control unprimed), 45 (18, 23 and 4, respectively) were included in the according-to-protocol cohort for immunogenicity. Post-vaccination (post-dose 1 in primed and post-dose 2 in unprimed children), for each vaccine pneumococcal serotype and vaccine-related serotype 6A all at-risk children had antibody concentrations ≥0.2µg/mL, and for vaccine-related serotype 19A at least 94.4%. Increases in antibody geometric mean concentrations were observed. For most serotypes, all at-risk children had post-vaccination opsonophagocytic activity (OPA) titers ≥8 and increases in OPA geometric mean titers were observed. No safety concerns were raised. One non-fatal SAE (respiratory tract infection, considered not vaccine-related) was reported by one at-risk unprimed child. CONCLUSION: PHiD-CV was immunogenic and well tolerated in 2-17-year-old children with asplenia or splenic dysfunction. Clinical Trial Registry: www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01746108.

Pore configuration landscape of granular crystallization.

Uncovering grain-scale mechanisms that underlie the disorder-order transition in assemblies of dissipative, athermal particles is a fundamental problem with technological relevance. To date, the study of granular crystallization has mainly focussed on the symmetry of crystalline patterns while their emergence and growth from irregular clusters of grains remains largely unexplored. Here crystallization of three-dimensional packings of frictional spheres is studied at the grain-scale using X-ray tomography and persistent homology. The latter produces a map of the topological configurations of grains within static partially crystallized packings. Using numerical simulations, we show that similar maps are measured dynamically during the melting of a perfect crystal. This map encodes new information on the formation process of tetrahedral and octahedral pores, the building blocks of perfect crystals. Four key formation mechanisms of these pores reproduce the main changes of the map during crystallization and provide continuous deformation pathways representative of the crystallization dynamics.

Wave-based liquid-interface metamaterials.

The control of matter motion at liquid-gas interfaces opens an opportunity to create two-dimensional materials with remotely tunable properties. In analogy with optical lattices used in ultra-cold atom physics, such materials can be created by a wave field capable of dynamically guiding matter into periodic spatial structures. Here we show experimentally that such structures can be realized at the macroscopic scale on a liquid surface by using rotating waves. The wave angular momentum is transferred to floating micro-particles, guiding them along closed trajectories. These orbits form stable spatially periodic patterns, the unit cells of a two-dimensional wave-based material. Such dynamic patterns, a mirror image of the concept of metamaterials, are scalable and biocompatible. They can be used in assembly applications, conversion of wave energy into mean two-dimensional flows and for organising motion of active swimmers.

The DSM5/RDoC debate on the future of mental health research: implication for studies on human stress and presentation of the signature bank.

In 2008, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) announced that in the next few decades, it will be essential to study the various biological, psychological and social "signatures" of mental disorders. Along with this new "signature" approach to mental health disorders, modifications of DSM were introduced. One major modification consisted of incorporating a dimensional approach to mental disorders, which involved analyzing, using a transnosological approach, various factors that are commonly observed across different types of mental disorders. Although this new methodology led to interesting discussions of the DSM5 working groups, it has not been incorporated in the last version of the DSM5. Consequently, the NIMH launched the "Research Domain Criteria" (RDoC) framework in order to provide new ways of classifying mental illnesses based on dimensions of observable behavioral and neurobiological measures. The NIMH emphasizes that it is important to consider the benefits of dimensional measures from the perspective of psychopathology and environmental influences, and it is also important to build these dimensions on neurobiological data. The goal of this paper is to present the perspectives of DSM5 and RDoC to the science of mental health disorders and the impact of this debate on the future of human stress research. The second goal is to present the "Signature Bank" developed by the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal (IUSMM) that has been developed in line with a dimensional and transnosological approach to mental illness.

Asymmetric Anion-π Catalysis on Perylenediimides.

Anion-π catalysis, that is the stabilization of anionic transition states on π-acidic aromatic surfaces, has so far been developed with naphthalenediimides (NDIs). This report introduces perylenediimides (PDIs) to anion-π catalysis. The quadrupole moment of PDIs (+23.2 B) is found to exceed that of NDIs and reach new records with acceptors in the core (+70.9 B), and their larger surface provides space to better accommodate chemical transformations. Unlike NDIs, the activity of PDI catalysts for enolate and enamine addition is determined by the twist of their π surface rather than their reducibility. These results, further strengthened by nitrate inhibition and circular dichroism spectroscopy, support an understanding of anion-π interactions centered around quadrupole moments, i.e., electrostatic contributions, rather than redox potentials and charge transfer. The large PDI surfaces provide access to the highest enantioselectivities observed so far in anion-π catalysis (96 % ee).

Core-Substituted Naphthalenediimides: LUMO Levels Revisited, in Comparison with Preylenediimides with Sulfur Redox Switches in the Core.

Core-substituted naphthalenediimides (NDIs) attract increasing attention to bind, transport, and transform electrons, anions, anionic intermediates, and anionic transition states, and to shine as most colorful rainbow fluorophores. The energy level of their lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is decisive for many of these applications. Here, differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurements for a consistent series of NDIs are reported to extract exact LUMO levels under identical conditions. The influence of primary and secondary substituents in the core and on the primary imides is compared with general trends for the reliable prediction of LUMO levels in functional systems. Emphasis is on sulfur redox switches in the NDI core because of their frequent use as isostructural probes for π acidity. The same sulfur redox chemistry is expanded to perylenediimides (PDIs), and LUMO engineering is discussed in a broader context, including also fullerenes, aminonaphthalimides (ANIs), and aminoperyleneimides (APIs). The result is a comprehensive reference table that graphically maps out the LUMO space covered by the leading families of electronaccepting aromatics. This graphical summary of general trends in the π-acidic space is expected to be both inspiring and quite useful in practice.