cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Interplay between MacDonald and Hall-Littlewood expansions of extended torus superpolynomials
Creators: name: Mironov, A.
name: Morozov, A.
name: Shakirov, Sh.
name: Sleptsov, A.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: Geometric Topology (math.GT)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: In arXiv:1106.4305 extended superpolynomials were introduced for the torus links T[m,mk+r], which are functions on the entire space of time variables and, at expense of reducing the topological invariance, possess additional algebraic properties, resembling those of the matrix model partition functions and the KP/Toda tau-functions. Not surprisingly, being a suitable extension it actually allows one to calculate the superpolynomials. These functions are defined as expansions into MacDonald polynomials, and their dependence on k is entirely captured by the action of the cut-and-join operator, like in the HOMFLY case. We suggest a simple description of the coefficients in these character expansions, by expanding the initial (at k=0) conditions for the k-evolution into the new auxiliary basis, this time provided by the Hall-Littlewood polynomials, which, hence, play a role in the description of the dual m-evolution. For illustration we list manifest expressions for a few first series, mk\pm 1, mk\pm 2, mk\pm 3, mk\pm 4. Actually all formulas were explicitly tested up to m=17 strands in the braid.
description: 8 pages
Supplementary document for Characterisation of multi-layered structures using a vector-based gradient descent algorithm at Terahertz frequencies - 6365731.pdf
Creators: name: Mukherjee, Amlan kusum
name: Wassmann, Sven
name: Wenzel, Konstantin
name: Globisch, Björn
name: Kohlhaas, Robert
name: Liebermeister, Lars
name: Preu, Sascha
Publisher: name: Optica Publishing Group
Year: 2023
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Additional imaging examples, comparison of various algorithms and a brief description of Sigmoid functions
Supplementary document for Characterisation of multi-layered structures using a vector-based gradient descent algorithm at Terahertz frequencies - 6373602.pdf
Creators: name: Mukherjee, Amlan kusum
name: Wassmann, Sven
name: Wenzel, Konstantin
name: Globisch, Björn
name: Kohlhaas, Robert
name: Liebermeister, Lars
name: Preu, Sascha
Publisher: name: Optica Publishing Group
Year: 2023
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: More imaging examples and discussion about Sigmoid function
Corticofugal postsynaptic potentials and their frequency specific impact on auditory midbrain neurons
Creators: name: Qi, Jiyao
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: Corticofugal modulation
subject: Patch clamp
subject: Inferior colliculus
subject: Medical Science

description: Neuroanatomical studies reveal a great amount of descending (corticofugal) projections from the primary auditory cortex (AI) to all subcortical regions such as the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICc). In the past 20 years, physiological studies have shown that the corticofugal system implements a highly frequency-specific modulation of sound information processing in the ascending auditory system. Specifically, focal electrical stimulation of the AI (ESAI) facilitates subcortical neurons when the best frequency (BF) of subcortical neurons is identical to the BF of cortical neurons (physiologically matched). In contrast, ESAI inhibits subcortical neurons when their BFs are different (unmatched). ESAI also shifts the BFs of unmatched subcortical neurons towards the BF of cortical neurons. While previous physiological findings have been achieved using extracellular recordings, to date, little is known about the cellular mechanism(s) underlying such highly, frequency-specific corticofugal modulation. An immediate question this raises is: what corticofugal postsynaptic potentials may be found in matched and unmatched subcortical neurons? A subsequent, critical question to ask is how the corticofugal postsynaptic potentials interplay with ascending (tone-evoked) postsynaptic potentials. This thesis sets out to answer these two questions by examining the corticocolliculuar (AI-to-ICc) synaptic activities in a mouse model. The membrane potential of ICc neurons was recorded by in vivo whole-cell patch current-clamp. I found that ESAI primarily evoked excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) in ICc neurons. ESAI-evoked ICc EPSPs were larger in matched than in unmatched neurons. I further examined how ESAI-evoked EPSPs influence the tone-evoked EPSPs of ICc neurons. My data show that ESAI-evoked EPSPs facilitated tone-evoked EPSPs of matched neurons, but inhibited tone-evoked EPSPs of unmatched neurons. My findings reveal for the first time that corticofugal postsynaptic potentials are excitatory and frequency-dependent, and they interact with the ascending synaptic inputs in a frequency-specific manner.
Addressing Key Stakeholders to Assess the Reach of a Community-Based Pediatric Oncology Physical Activity Program
Creators: name: Kronlund, Liam James
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: pediatric oncology
subject: physical activity
subject: programming
subject: RE-AIM
subject: reach
subject: Health Care Management
subject: Oncology

description: Physical activity provides both physical and psychosocial benefits to children with cancer. The Pediatric Cancer Patients and Survivors Engaging in Exercise for Recovery (PEER) program is a community-based pediatric oncology program supporting the physical, social, and mental wellbeing of children affected by cancer. Using the RE-AIM framework to assess the reach of the PEER program, we implemented a mixed methodology approach to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from key stakeholders. Participants included healthcare professionals practicing in pediatric oncology, parents/guardians of PEER program users and parents/guardians non-users, adolescent PEER program users and eligible adolescent non-users, and Kids Cancer Care informants. Participants completed a preliminary survey followed by an optional 30-minute in-person or telephone interview with the study coordinator. The results generated six main themes around factors that impact the reach including knowledge, program support, sharing information, program referrals, participation barriers, and participation facilitators. Understanding these themes related to the PEER program’s reach provides potential solutions to foster increased PEER program awareness and uptake by the pediatric cancer community.
Review on Potentials of Rhizobia-Leguminous Plants Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation for Sustainable Agriculture
Creators: name: Keneni, Asefa
Publisher: name: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development
Year: 2018

description: Agricultural sector throughout the World is facing problem of supplying sufficient amount of food for the increasing human population without affecting the sustainability of the environment. To supply sufficient food, increasing agricultural productivity is required, which in turn need sufficient application of nitrogen fertilizer which has negative effect on human health and on the environment. To overcome, the negative health and environmental effect of chemical nitrogen fertilizer in put in agriculture replacing or supplementing nitrogen inputs from biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) has been in use for more than a century. Form all Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) systems; the symbiotic nitrogen fixation between leguminous plants and rhizobia is the most efficient in supplying fixed nitrogen for the host plant. The use of Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) system to replace and or supplement the chemical nitrogen fertilizer is limited in the developing nations like Ethiopia. In addition, BNF is affected by various environmental factors like soil acidity, salinity, temperature, moisture, and the rhizobial strain(s) used. As a result, rhizobial strain (s) that has been adapted to the prevailing environmental conditions should be sought. In this review paper, the types of rhizobia and their contribution in biological nitrogen fixation, interaction of rhizobia with host plant and factors affecting symbiotic nitrogen fixation were summarized
description: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development, Vol. 6 No. 2 (2018)
Diffraction characteristics of optical elements designed as phase layers with cosine-profiled periodicity in azimuthal direction
Creators: name: Topuzoski, Suzana
name: Janicijevic, Ljiljana
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Optics (physics.optics)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The article concerns an investigation of the Fresnel diffraction characteristics of two types of phase optical elements, under Gaussian laser beam illumination. Both elements provide an azimuthal periodicity of the phase retardation. The first element possess azimuthal cosine-profiled phase changes deposited on a plane base. The second element is a combination of the first element and a thin phase axicon. The cosine profile of the phase retardation, of both diffractive elements, produces an azimuthal cosine-profiled modulation on their diffractograms. It destroys the vortex characteristics of their diffraction fields.
description: 20 pages, submitted for publishing
Spatial orientation and postural control under vestibular guidance in patients with central dysfunction of the nervous system
Creators: name: Chepisheva, Mariya
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2023

description: The brain processing of the vestibular signals of self-motion is used for guiding spatial orientation as well as postural control, two faculties simultaneously engaged in ecological behaviour such as foraging. It follows that brain disease affecting the processing of vestibular signals will manifest with spatial disorientation and postural imbalance. Research investigating the neural control of these two vestibular-dependent functions is sparse, particularly in patients with central dysfunction of the nervous system. This thesis attempts to assess how the spatial and postural modalities are affected in patients with brain disease by using clinical and non-clinical behavioural tests and linking these with neuro-imaging data, where available. I investigated vestibular-guided spatial and postural control in: (1) acute traumatic brain injury - linking behavioural tests of vestibular-spatial orientation and posture with structural brain imaging, I found that (1) postural imbalance is linked to widespread bi-hemispheric WM microstructural abnormalities, whereas spatial impairment is not as widespread and predominantly but not exclusively right-hemispheric including also some left-hemispheric regions, as assessed by whole-brain and ROI DTI, (2) imbalanced patients’ right inferior longitudinal fasciculus correlates with vestibular perceptual thresholds and represents a circuit whose damage might be linked to loss of vestibular motion perception and imbalance. (2) patients with memory and (balance) complaints – using vestibular-based posturography and specifically designed vestibular system-based spatial tests of self-motion perception, egocentric and allocentric (egocentric+) performance, I found that (1) patients with worse cognition show impaired balance and abnormal performance for all three vestibular spatial tasks, (2) the allocentric (egocentric+) task discriminated better between patients and controls than the pure egocentric task, and (3) cognitive tests correlate better with the allocentric than egocentric navigation. These findings suggest that vestibular-dependent spatial orientation and postural control are deficient in brain disease patients, some of whom with cognitive impairment. Understanding how posture, navigation, and cognition are linked from a vestibular system perspective and how they are affected during disease may allow the development of targeted treatment of these ecologically important functions.
The Experiences of Internationally Trained Ghanaian Male Immigrants In Canada
Creators: name: Otoo, Benedict Kojo
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: Ghanaian Male Immigrants
subject: Skilled Immigrants
subject: Internationally Trained
subject: men of colour
subject: Canada
subject: Canadian Immigration
subject: Education--Adult and Continuing

description: In this qualitative, narrative inquiry, I focused on a small segment within the pool of skilled immigrants who come to Canada every year—5 internationally trained Ghanaian males. I explored their experiences and how they navigated the challenges and opportunities related to seeking employment after having immigrated to Canada. I also examined the impact on identity of being a visible minority immigrant and drew out the learning experiences that have impacted them. Participants had resided in a province in western Canada for a minimum of 2 years. As an internationally trained Ghanaian male immigrant myself, I was a researcher–participant in this study. Together, the participants and I interpreted and shared our life experiences through storytelling. Narratives focused on why participants decided to immigrate; their significant learning experiences; their perspectives, as men of colour, and how they navigated the system in seeking employment; and the challenges they faced when integrating into a new culture and society. Major themes included hurdles, the importance of a support system, the path to jobs, spectra of colour and identity, and optimism and hope in a new country. The findings provide a broader view of how participants navigated the barriers, challenges, and successes associated with being an internationally trained male immigrant of colour in a province in western Canada.
Physicochemical Properties and Trace Metal Contents of Honey in Lowlands of Eastern Hararge, Ethiopia
Creators: name: Nagari, Ararso
name: Bussa, Negussie
name: Zelalem, Andarge
name: Kiros, Tsegu
Publisher: name: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development
Year: 2018

description: This study was aimed at characterizing natural hone produced in different lowlands of Eastern Hararge, Ethiopia. Standard methods were employed to study the physicochemical properties and trace metal contents of the selected samples. The results showed that the content of moisture, electrical conductivity, pH, free acid value and total acid value were ranged from 9.07-19.32%, 0.32-0.75 mS/cm, 3.48-4.25, 25.83-64.17 meq/kg and 28.25-66.5 meq/kg respectively. These results showed similarity with national and international reports. The contents of Fe, Zn, Cu, Co, Cd, Pb, Mn, Ni and Cr were determined using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. As to the determination results, the concentrations of the elements were found to be ND - 6.04 mg/kg, ND - 1.01 mg/kg, ND - 0.44 mg/kg, ND - 0.45 mg/kg, ND - 0.28 mg/kg, ND - 0.25 mg/kg, ND - 0.15 mg/kg, ND and ND respectively. These results vividly revealed the amounts of metals in safety baseline levels for human consumption.
description: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development, Vol. 6 No. 1 (2018)
The GeV-scale dark matter with B-L asymmetry
Creators: name: Ibe, Masahiro
name: Matsumoto, Shigeki
name: Yanagida, Tsutomu T.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: One of important properties of dark matter is its stability. The U(1)$_{\rm B-L}$ gauge symmetry is the most attractive symmetry to guarantee the stability. Though the symmetry is expected to be broken at very high energy scale to account for tiny neutrino masses through the seesaw mechanism, the residual discrete symmetry of U(1)$_{\rm B-L}$ can stabilize the dark matter naturally. We prove that, when there is new physics connecting B$-$L charges of dark matter and standard model particles at the scale between the electroweak and the U(1)$_{\rm B-L}$ breaking, the mass of dark matter is definitely predicted to be (5--7)/$Q_{\rm DM}$ GeV ($Q_{DM}$ is the B$-$L charge of dark matter) independent not only of details of the new physics but also of its energy scale. We also show two attractive examples. First one is the scalar dark matter with the B$-$L charge of one, which turns out to be very consistent with current CoGeNT results. Another one is the fermionic dark matter having the B$-$L charge of one third, which is also attractive from the viewpoint of model building.
description: 16 pages, 2 figures
Herschel observations of a z~2 stellar mass selected galaxy sample drawn from the GOODS NICMOS Survey
Creators: name: Hilton, M.
name: Conselice, C. J.
name: Roseboom, I. G.
name: Burgarella, D.
name: Buat, V.
name: Berta, S.
name: Béthermin, M.
name: Bock, J.
name: Chapman, S. C.
name: Clements, D. L.
name: Conley, A.
name: Conversi, L.
name: Cooray, A.
name: Farrah, D.
name: Ibar, E.
name: Magdis, G.
name: Magnelli, B.
name: Marsden, G.
name: Nordon, R.
name: Oliver, S. J.
name: Page, M. J.
name: Popesso, P.
name: Pozzi, F.
name: Schulz, B.
name: Scott, Douglas
name: Smith, A. J.
name: Symeonidis, M.
name: Valtchanov, I.
name: Viero, M.
name: Wang, L.
name: Zemcov, M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present a study of the far-IR properties of a stellar mass selected sample of 1.5 < z < 3 galaxies with log(M_*/M_sun) > 9.5 drawn from the GOODS NICMOS Survey (GNS), the deepest H-band Hubble Space Telescope survey of its type prior to the installation of WFC3. We use far-IR and sub-mm data from the PACS and SPIRE instruments on-board Herschel, taken from the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) and Herschel Multi-Tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) key projects respectively. We find a total of 22 GNS galaxies, with median log(M_*/M_sun) = 10.8 and z = 2.0, associated with 250 um sources detected with SNR > 3. We derive mean total IR luminosity log L_IR (L_sun) = 12.36 +/- 0.05 and corresponding star formation rate SFR_(IR+UV) = (280 +/- 40) M_sun/yr for these objects, and find them to have mean dust temperature T_dust ~ 35 K. We find that the SFR derived from the far-IR photometry combined with UV-based estimates of unobscured SFR for these galaxies is on average more than a factor of 2 higher than the SFR derived from extinction corrected UV emission alone, although we note that the IR-based estimate is subject to substantial Malmquist bias. To mitigate the effect of this bias and extend our study to fainter fluxes, we perform a stacking analysis to measure the mean SFR in bins of stellar mass. We obtain detections at the 2-4 sigma level at SPIRE wavelengths for samples with log(M_*/M_sun) > 10. In contrast to the Herschel detected GNS galaxies, we find that estimates of SFR_(IR+UV) for the stacked samples are comparable to those derived from extinction corrected UV emission, although the uncertainties are large. We find evidence for an increasing fraction of dust obscured star formation with stellar mass, finding SFR_IR/SFR_UV \propto M_*^{0.7 +/- 0.2}, which is likely a consequence of the mass--metallicity relation.
description: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 17 pages, 17 figures; added/updated references
Service Quality Nexus Students’ Satisfaction at Ambo University Selected Campuses, Ethiopia
Creators: name: Talegeta, Sileshi
name: Worku, Tigist
name: Gemechu, Ayana
Publisher: name: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development
Year: 2018

description: The present study examined the relationship between service quality dimensions (tangibility, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy) and students’ satisfaction in Ambo University. Modified SERVQUAL model was adopted to undertake the study. Data was collected through questionnaires to measure service quality and students’ satisfaction. Interview was also conducted to triangulate information obtained through questionnaire. Stratified sampling technique was used in the study. The study developed and analyzed five hypotheses using regression and correlation analysis, whereas ANOVA and T-test were used to measure the level of significance between means. The result revealed that students in Awaro and Woliso campuses were not satisfied with some services delivery at the university. The findings indicated empathy explains variation in service quality (R2=0.58) and has strong relationship with student satisfaction followed by responsiveness, reliability, assurance and tangibility dimensions. Therefore, empathy and responsiveness had the most significant contribution on students’ satisfaction in all campuses of the university. The differences in gender, year of studies and age had no significant relation with students’ satisfaction where as campus difference showed significant relationship. However, campus difference had no significant disparity in students’ satisfaction in the case of students resided in Awaro and Woliso campuses. The study suggested that management at different levels of the University should give due attention to deliver quality services especially in empathy and responsiveness dimensions of service quality to maximize student’s satisfaction.
description: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development, Vol. 6 No. 1 (2018)
Caring about aid : an ethics of care approach to global health aid
Creators: name: Seekings, David Robert
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2011

description: Taken on face value the concept of foreign aid seems to imply some level of caring on the part of donors for recipients, but in reality aid is given for all kinds of reasons, many that have nothing to do with care. This project seeks to understand what aid would look like if it was designed and delivered from a caring perspective and how that change would impact aid recipients. Using an ethics of care perspective I examine current thought on our ethical obligations to the poor, demonstrating how the relational perspective of a care approach moves the discussion away from abstract debates to focus on the concrete daily realities of people struggling with poverty and poor health. A care approach helps expose the broader social, political and economic background against which global health and development problems occur. Mainstream approaches to global health that focus on human rights, economic growth and security provide only a partial picture of that background. In contrast a care approach to global health keeps the focus sharply on the targets of aid, working to create space for them to give voice to their experiences and empowering them to create more responsive aid programs. After discussing what a care approach to health would look like at the theoretical level I apply it to the case of global aid for HIV/AIDS. By analyzing three of the largest HIV/AIDS relief efforts, the U.S., U.K. and Global Fund programs, I show both the strengths and weaknesses of these programs as well as how they could be adapted using a care approach to become more responsive to the needs of target communities. A care approach offers scholars of global aid an important critical prescriptive that brings to light aspects of poverty and poor health that can be missed by conventional perspectives and provides policy makers with a tool to build more caring and responsive aid policy, empowering aid recipients as active partners in the aid process.
Supplementary Information from Confusion will be my epitaph: genome-scale discordance stifles phylogenetic resolution of Holothuroidea
Creators: name: Koch, Nicolás Mongiardino
name: Tilic, Ekin
name: Miller, Allison K.
name: Stiller, Josefin
name: Rouse, Greg W.
Publisher: name: The Royal Society
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Evolutionary Biology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
classificationCode: 60301
subject: Animal Systematics and Taxonomy
classificationCode: 60310
subject: Plant Systematics and Taxonomy
classificationCode: 60408
subject: Genomics

description: Figures S1-S9; Table S1
Accounting for The Revelation Effect: Criterion Flux or Discrepancy Misattribution?
Creators: name: Currie, Devon
Publisher: name: Arts
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: revelation effect
subject: recognition ratings
subject: truth ratings
subject: fluency
subject: cognitive illusion
subject: Psychology--Cognitive
subject: Psychology--Experimental

description: The revelation effect occurs when performing an initial task (vs. no task) increases ratings/endorsements of a subsequent target. I examined whether initial task difficulty (solving an easy vs. hard anagram) moderates the revelation effect in recognition and truth tasks. By a criterion flux account, solving an anagram displaces working memory contents, yielding a liberal response bias. This account predicts a revelation effect only in the recognition task—not influenced by anagram difficulty. By a discrepancy misattribution account, after solving an anagram, discrepantly fluent processing of the target is misattributed to recognition/truth. This account predicts a revelation effect in both tasks that is larger after hard anagrams. The revelation effect on recognition ratings was significant only after hard anagrams, consistent with both accounts, whereas a revelation effect on truth ratings occurred only after easy anagrams, contrary to both accounts. However, I argue that discrepancy misattribution fits best with this unexpected pattern.
Climate Variability, Causes and Consequences Percieved by Smallholder Farmers of Soro Woreda, Hadiya Zone, Southern Nations’, Nationalities’and Peoples’ Region, Ethiopia
Creators: name: Ayele, Mesfin
name: Tekalign, Solomon
name: Sishaw, Tegegne
Publisher: name: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development
Year: 2018

description: Climate change has become environmental, social, institutional and economic threats to the world. People in developing countries have also been facing serious challenges due to environmental strains.This study was focused to assesse climate variability, causes and consequences perceived by smallholder farmers in Soro woreda of Hadiya zone, Southern Nations’, Nationalities’and Peoples’Region. The study was conducted in 4 sample kebeles that were puroposely selected based on their accessibility, agro-ecological zone and population. Accordingly, 189 sample respondents were identified using simple random and systematic sampling. The primary data were collected using household survey,key informants interview, focus group discussions, and field observation. Secondary data on rainfall and temperature data from 1995 to 2014 were collected from National Meteorological Service Agency. Discriptive statistics, rainfall coefficient, coefficient of variation, linear regression and deviations of annual and monthly means from weighted mean were employed for data analyses. The results indicated presence of climate variability:increasing temperature, decreasing rainfall, and increasing seasonality of rainfall in the study area. The wettest and driest years were 1997 and 1998, and 2001 and 2004, respectively. Moreover, seven big rain months (MAMJJlAS) with moderate concentration, four dry months (NDJF), and one small rain month (O) were identified. Summer (34.%) and Spring (31.4%) seasons were with highest rainall contribution to annual rainfall. Nearly 2/3rd of sample respondents perceived human intervention as major causes of climate variability. Natural factors and Creater punishments due to human sin were perceived causes of climate variability by 18% and 10% of the respondents, respectively. Major consequences of climate variability perceived by smallholder farmers include increase in loss of agricultural outputs, loss of soil fertility, rill or gully erosion, decrease in ground water table, extinction of indigenous crops and trees, and human, crop, livestock and plant diseases, decrease in crop and livestock production, disintegration of social institutions and networks such as edir, equb and debo among others. Thus, it calls for proper insurance system, improvement of human and livestock health facilities, crop protection technologies, integrated irrigation and rain water harvesting technologies as well as livelihood diversitification towards sustainble agricultural production and livelihood development in Soro woreda in paricular and related areas at large.
description: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development, Vol. 6 No. 1 (2018)
Dendrocoris neomexicanus Nelson 1955
Creators: name: Thomas, D. B. Jr.
name: H. Brailovsky
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1999
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Pentatomidae
Dendrocoris
Dendrocoris neomexicanus

description: Dendrocoris neomexicanus Nelson 1955
Diagnosis. Vertex ofhead tumid. Dorsal color tan to pale yellowwithnumerous dark punctations on the base of the head around the ocelli. The pronotal cicatrices arecontrastingly darkbrown or black. The connexivallaterotergites are pale with black margins. Juga contiguous before tylus or nearly so. Anterolateral pronotal margins arcuately concave in dorsal view. Humeri not prominent. Legs immaculate. Venation of hemelytral membrane simple or furcate, not reticulate. Abdominal tubercle present in both sexes. Male pygophore without black teeth on posterior aspeat.
Distribution. USA: New Mexico, Utah.
Remarks. Our colleague David Rider examined N elson’s type specimen and provided us with a homotype specimen for study. The type series was taken on juniper. However, a report by Ruckes (1938) of D. contaminatus being abundant on gambel’s oak in New Mexico may refer to D. neomexicanus inasmuch as the two species are easily confused and D. contaıninatus is restricted to creosote bush.
description: Published as part of Thomas, D. B. Jr. & H. Brailovsky, 1999, Review of the genus Dendrocoris Bergroth with descriptions of new species (Pentatomidae: Heteroptera), pp. 1-9 in Insecta Mundi 13 on pages 2-3
Novel methods for assembly and quantification of Plasmodium falciparum var transcript expression in laboratory and clinical samples
Creators: name: Andradi-Brown, Clare
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2023

description: The pathogenesis of severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria involves cytoadhesive microvascular sequestration of infected erythrocytes, mediated by P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1). PfEMP1 variants are encoded by the highly polymorphic family of var genes, the sequences of which are largely unknown in clinical samples as each parasite isolate contains a unique repertoire of var genes. This has hindered large scale analysis of var genes with previous characterisation attempts presenting a collection of limitations, including the inability to detect novel var sequences and only focussing on small regions of the var gene. Thus, the goal of this project was to develop novel approaches for var transcriptome quantification, which overcome the previous limitations and improve on current methods for var gene expression quantification. To achieve this, I first investigated different technical and biological factors, assembly tools and parameters in the context of var transcript assembly. This revealed the impact of read depth, read length, assembler type, k-mer value and the life cycle stage on var transcript assembly. The integration of these findings led to the development of a novel var transcript assembly and multi-dimensional quantification method. It substantially outperforms a previous approach on both laboratory and clinical isolates across a combination of metrics, including the N50 value, number of mis-assemblies and the ability to characterise lowly expressed var transcripts. It is a powerful tool to interrogate the var transcriptome in context with the rest of the transcriptome and can be applied to enhance our understanding of the role of var genes in malaria pathogenesis. I first applied the approaches to investigate changes in the var and core transcriptome during short-term in vitro cultivation. I then used the methods to assess the var transcriptome in infected individuals, where they previously had to be excluded from analysis. The new approaches lead the way for characterising the relationships between var gene expression and the rest of the parasite transcriptome. They enable large scale studies of associations of var gene expression with clinical outcomes and immunity to malaria. This has the potential to identify targets of novel therapy and identify key mediators of severe versus asymptomatic infections. This would further allow the development of vaccine candidates that would ensure high levels of immunity are achieved.
Role of Intercropping on Predatory Thrips (Aeolothrips Spp.) for the Management of Onion Thrips (Thrips tabaci Lind) in Central Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia
Creators: name: Zereabruk, Gebretsadkan
name: Wakgari, Mulatu
name: Ayalew, Gashawbeza
Publisher: name: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development
Year: 2018

description: Onion thrips, Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a major insect pest constraining onion production in Central Zone of Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Onion growers in this central zone rely on synthetic insecticides for the management of thrips; there was no other recommended onion trips management option for the area so far. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted in Axum Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia from November 2015 to April 2016 to encourage the number of banded thrips (Aeolothrips sp) using intercropping and to determine their effects on onion thrips management. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with split plot arrangement and replicated three times. Onion cultivars Bombay Red and Nasik Red were used as main plot treatments and intercropping onion with three other vegetable crops viz. cabbage, carrot, lettuce and their combinations, as sub-plot treatments. Onion treated with the insecticide Lambda-cyhalothrin (Karate) 5%EC and untreated control was included as standard and control checks. The number of predatory thrips (Aeolothrips spp) were significantly higher in onion intercropped with cabbage (10.97) and cabbage + carrot (10.73) banded thrips per plant ,respectively, at 90 days after treatment and were absent in the insecticide treated plots. As a result, the number of onion thrips was significantly lower in these treatments and higher in onion treated with Lambda-cyhalothrin. The results showed that the resurgence of thrips pest as the insecticide had more adverse effect on the predator than the prey. Thus, encouraging natural enemies especially banded thrips is an important option of biological control of onion thrips in onion production in central zone of Tigray, Ethiopia.
description: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development, Vol. 6 No. 1 (2018)
Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) for lead acid battery recycling
Creators: name: Wang, Yanying
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2023

description: Lead acid batteries (LABs) are commonly used in automotives since their invention. LABs are also the most recycled batteries among all batteries. Currently, pyrometallurgy is the dominating recycling route of a LAB in industry. Pyrometallurgy is a process which converts metal compounds into metal at a temperature above 1000 oC. One of the main challenges in pyrometallurgy is thus the energy consumption. Another challenge is the risk of pollution of lead particulates to the environment during pyrometallurgy. In this thesis, a solution-based recycling route was developed to minimize the environmental risk during LABs recycling. LAB waste components were recycled via a green solvent, Natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES), through a precipitation followed by calcination method. Two types of NADESs were used, one is malic acid-based NADES, and the other is lactic acid- based NADES. The corresponding precipitates achieved by using these two NADESs were lead malate dihydrate and lead lactate, both of which were limited studied. Both precipitates were analysed and calcined at 550 oC to β-PbO. The reaction behaviour of lead compounds from lead paste (LAB waste) in NADESs were also analysed. Results have shown that the reaction behaviour of lead compounds in NADESs were a dissolution followed by slow precipitation. This offers the possibility of the removal of impurities such as fibres or plastics in lead paste.
Cubic MnSb: epitaxial growth of a predicted room temperature half-metal
Creators: name: Aldous, James D.
name: Burrows, Christopher W.
name: Sánchez, Ana M.
name: Beanland, Richard
name: Maskery, Ian
name: Bradley, Matthew K.
name: Dias, Manuel dos Santos
name: Staunton, Julie B.
name: Bell, Gavin R.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Epitaxial films including bulk-like cubic and wurtzite polymorphs of MnSb have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs via careful control of the Sb4/Mn flux ratio. Nonzero-temperature density functional theory was used to predict ab initio the spin polarization as a function of reduced magnetization for the half-metals NiMnSb and cubic MnSb. In both cases, half-metallicity is lost at a threshold magnetization reduction, corresponding to a temperature T*< Tc. This threshold is far higher for cubic MnSb compared to NiMnSb and corresponds to T* > 350K, making epitaxial cubic MnSb a promising candidate for room temperature spin injection into semiconductors.
description: 3 figures
Microglial pannexin-1 is a cellular determinant of opioid withdrawal
Creators: name: Burma, Nicole Elizabeth
Publisher: name: Cumming School of Medicine
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: opioid
subject: opioid withdrawal
subject: Microglia
subject: Pannexin-1
subject: panx1
subject: P2X7R
subject: opioid-induced hyperalgesia
subject: opioid analgesic tolerance
subject: reward behaviours
subject: morphine
subject: fentanyl
subject: pain
subject: Neuroscience

description: Opioid analgesics are indispensable for treating acute post-operative pain, and a variety of chronic pain conditions. However, an over-reliance on opioids can put individuals at risk of developing severe side effects. For chronic opioid users, stopping or decreasing opioid use is difficult as many individuals experience a severe withdrawal syndrome. Opioid withdrawal is characterized by a host of debilitating signs and symptoms, including somatic and autonomic physical symptoms and an aversive affective component. The adverse effects associated with opioid use have become increasingly linked to the activity of microglia, which are immune cells in the central nervous system. Yet, the cellular mechanisms mediating this microglial response remain poorly understood. This thesis investigates the core cellular mechanisms by which microglial pannexin-1 (Panx1) channels underlie opioid withdrawal and other adverse effects associated with chronic opioid use. My over-arching hypothesis is that microglial Panx1 critically contributes to opioid withdrawal. Here, I show that morphine produces a preferential increase in Panx1 expression and function on microglia, and that genetic ablation of microglial Panx1 is sufficient to attenuate the physical signs and aversive component of morphine withdrawal. I provide novel evidence for direct microglia-neuron signaling in opioid withdrawal, and identify that Panx1-mediated ATP release is a key spinal substrate of physical withdrawal signs. I also demonstrate that morphine analgesia, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, analgesic tolerance, and reward behaviours are notably intact in microglial Panx1-deficient mice. This suggests that the side effects of repeated opioid use may be mechanistically separable, and that microglial Panx1 preferentially underlies the expression of opioid withdrawal. Finally, I show the potent amelioration of opioid withdrawal using the clinically utilized broad-spectrum Panx1 blocker, probenecid, indicating that Panx1 may represent a feasible therapeutic target for combating withdrawal in the clinic. In conclusion, this thesis identifies microglial Panx1 as a novel cellular determinant and unexpected target for combating opioid withdrawal, and as a result, represents a paradigm shift in understanding how opioid withdrawal occurs.
Improved microRNA cloning and analysis of RNA splicing
Creators: name: Long, Yi
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2023

description: MicroRNAs are single stranded RNA molecules of 19-25 nucleotides in length that are evolutionary conserved. MicroRNAs anneal through complementarity to messenger RNAs and can cause either inhibition of target messenger RNA translation or promotion of messenger RNA degradation. Mutations of miRNA genes can disrupt normal development and many other physiological processes. IsomiRs are miRNA variants that are generated by imprecise Drosha or Dicer cleavage, many of these variants would be expected to target new messenger RNA and so may be of biological importance. We previously demonstrated that the expression of miRNAs and isomiRs can differ significantly between tissues as shown by cloning and sequence analysis. Here we used a bioinformatics approach to screen cell lines for markedly different ratios of miRNA:isomiR production, in order to establish model systems to investigate isomiR function. We confirmed that the first step in the cloning of miRNAs by the commonly used Illumina protocol is biased but could be remedied by changing the condition of the ligation reaction and by the use of variable bases at the end of the 3’ adaptor RA3. We found that similar modifications could not reduce bias in the second step of cloning miRNAs to the standard 5’ RNA adapter RA5. We confirmed that the second step of cloning could be improved by using a combined RA3:RA5 adapter suggested to us by Somagenics. This required the successful identification of a suitable ligation enzyme and a reversible block for the 3’ end of adapter RA3:RA5. Our preliminary results indicate how the Somagenics protocol could be further improved. In a second bioinformatics project we show how a sequencing database of spliced mRNA called Snaptron can be used to predict the effect of splice site mutations upon cryptic splice site activation and exon skipping, using BRCA1 and BRCA2 splice site mutations for the initial analysis. We discuss that this empirical approach compares favourably to in silico methods and is also of value for the analysis of other types of splicing mutations.
Workplace regimes in western europe, 1995–2015: Implications for intensification, intrusion, income and insecurity
Creators: name: Ó Riain, Seán
name: Healy, Amy
Publisher: name: University of Limerick
Year: 2023
Subjects: Human society

description: The article investigates the emergence of ‘new’ forms of working such as ‘lean production’ and ‘learning organisations’ in Western Europe, 1995–2015. First, the article identifies the dominant forms of work organisation (‘workplace regimes’) across Western Europe, including new ‘pressure’ and ‘extreme’ varieties of previously identified regimes. Second, the article analyses the implications of these workplace regimes for various important worker outcomes – insecurity, income, intensity of work and intrusion of work into non-working life – and assesses the ‘trade-offs’ of different outcomes across regimes. Third, the article assesses the changing distribution of these regimes, whether certain forms such as Lean Production are coming to dominate the division of labour, and where and for whom. The shape of the ‘new world of work’ is increasingly Lean, but remains open to political contestation – both in how regimes themselves are organised and in the mix of regimes in particular societies and for particular workers.
Financial Profitability Analysis of Dairy Marketing in Bako Tibe District, Ethiopia
Creators: name: Terefe, Bultossa
Publisher: name: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development
Year: 2018

description: The study was carried out to analyze the financial profitability of dairy farmers in Bako Tibe district, Ethiopia. The necessary data was obtained from dairy producing households through survey. In addition, data was collected from secondary sources such as District Agricultural office, Bako Agricultural and Mechanization Research Centres. Gross margin and descriptive statistics was employed to analyze financial profitability of dairy farmers. Besides, total Revenue less total variable costs and OLS were used in examining financial profitability of the dairy farmers. The study revealed that financial profitability was affected by distance from market, extension visit, education level of the house hold head, number of milking cows owned and family size. The results indicated that production and marketable surplus should be improved through introducing improved technologies and adequate marketing infrastructure such as roads and transport facilities. Transportation infrastructure and facilities should be established between rural and urban areas in the district to enhance market participation. The results also pointed out that there should be adequate marketing link, through institutional arrangements such as dairy cooperatives, between the rural producers and urban consumers to reduce transactions cost. Relaxing the criteria required to obtain bank and micro credit and forming a well functioning urban and rural financial system would also enable resource poor farm households participate in dairy markets and improve the supply of dairy products.
description: Journal of Science and Sustainable Development, Vol. 6 No. 1 (2018)
A complete set of multidimensional Bell inequalities
Creators: name: Arnault, François
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We give a multidimensional generalisation of the complete set of Bell-correlation inequalities given by Werner and Wolf, and by Zukowski and Brukner, for the two-dimensional case. Our construction applies for the n parties, two-observables case, where each observable is d-valued. The d^{d^n} inequalities obtained involve homogeneous polynomials. They define the facets of a polytope in a complex vector space of dimension d^n. We also show that these inequalities are violated by Quantum Mechanics. We exhibit examples in the three-dimensional case.
description: 14 pages, 1 figure. Plain TeX file This version 2 adds Section 7 about violations. Section 8 (the case d=3) and bibliography have been extended accordingly
Stability of Evolving Multi-Agent Systems
Creators: name: De Wilde, Philippe
name: Briscoe, Gerard
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Multiagent Systems (cs.MA)
subject: Neural and Evolutionary Computing (cs.NE)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: A Multi-Agent System is a distributed system where the agents or nodes perform complex functions that cannot be written down in analytic form. Multi-Agent Systems are highly connected, and the information they contain is mostly stored in the connections. When agents update their state, they take into account the state of the other agents, and they have access to those states via the connections. There is also external, user-generated input into the Multi-Agent System. As so much information is stored in the connections, agents are often memory-less. This memory-less property, together with the randomness of the external input, has allowed us to model Multi-Agent Systems using Markov chains. In this paper, we look at Multi-Agent Systems that evolve, i.e. the number of agents varies according to the fitness of the individual agents. We extend our Markov chain model, and define stability. This is the start of a methodology to control Multi-Agent Systems. We then build upon this to construct an entropy-based definition for the degree of instability (entropy of the limit probabilities), which we used to perform a stability analysis. We then investigated the stability of evolving agent populations through simulation, and show that the results are consistent with the original definition of stability in non-evolving Multi-Agent Systems, proposed by Chli and De Wilde. This paper forms the theoretical basis for the construction of Digital Business Ecosystems, and applications have been reported elsewhere.
description: 9 pages, 5 figures, journal