Cosmological scenarios from multiquintessence

In this work we derive and analyse cosmological scenarios coming from multi-component scalar field models. We consider a direct sum of a sine-Gordon with a Z2 model, and also a combination of those with a BNRT model. Moreover, we work with a modified version of the BNRT model, which breaks the Z2 x Z2 symmetry of the original BNRT potential, coupled with the sine-Gordon and with the standard Z2 models. We show that our approach can be straightforwardly elevated to $N$ fields. All the computations are made analytically and some parameters restriction is put forward in order to get in touch with complete and realistic cosmological scenarios

What makes re-finding information difficult? A study of email re-finding

Re-nding information that has been seen or accessed before is a task which can be relatively straight-forward, but often it can be extremely challenging, time-consuming and frustrating. Little is known, however, about what makes one re-finding task harder or easier than another. We performed a user study to learn about the contextual factors that influence users' perception of task diculty in the context of re-finding email messages. 21 participants were issued re-nding tasks to perform on their own personal collections. The participants' responses to questions about the tasks combined with demographic data and collection statistics for the experimental population provide a rich basis to investigate the variables that can influence the perception of diculty. A logistic regression model was developed to examine the relationships be- tween variables and determine whether any factors were associated with perceived task diculty. The model reveals strong relationships between diculty and the time lapsed since a message was read, remembering when the sought-after email was sent, remembering other recipients of the email, the experience of the user and the user's ling strategy. We discuss what these findings mean for the design of re-nding interfaces and future re-finding research

Applications of a new fluorimetric enzyme assay for the diagnosis of aspartylglucosaminuria

L-Aspartic acid-β-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin is a sensitive and specific fluorogenic substrate for lysosomal glycoasparaginase (aspartylgluco-saminidase). Fibroblasts and leukocytes from 8 patients with aspartylglucosaminuria, showed 1-7% of the mean normal glycoasparaginase activity. Heterozygotes showed intermediate activities. Glycoasparaginase activity in chorionic villi, cultured trophoblasts, cultured amniotic fluid cells and amniotic fluid was readily detectable, indicating that prenatal analysis of aspartylglucosaminuria should be possible with this assay. β-Aspartyl-4-methylumbelliferone was synthesized but this potential substrate can not be used to assay glycoasparaginase since it hydrolyses spontaneously

In the Shadow of Celebrity? World-Class University Policies and Public Value in Higher Education

The growing popularity of the concept of world-class universities raises the question of whether investing in such universities is a worthwhile use of public resources. Does concentrating public resources on the most excellent universities improve the overall quality of a higher education system, especially if definitions of excellence and world-class are made by external ranking organizations? This paper addresses that question by developing a framework for weighing up trade-offs between institutional and system performance, focusing on the potential system-wide improvements which world-class university programmes (WCUPs) may bring. Because WCUPs are in a relatively early stage of their development, systemic effects are not yet clear. We therefore analyse the ex ante reasons that policy makers have for adopting WCUPs to see if they at least seek to create these systemic benefit

Institutional Mergers in Ireland

The importance of knowledge as a driver of social and economic growth and prosperity, and the increasingly competitive “global race for knowledge and talent” (Hazelkorn, Higher Educ Manage Policy 21(1):55–76, 2009) have combined to transform the higher education landscape, forcing national governments and higher education institutions (HEIs) to pursue new ways of addressing the challenges of a multi-polar world order. Rising demand for higher education (HE), as part of the broader shift from elite to mass to universal participation, has led to the emergence of new models of provision. At the same time, many governments face restrictions on public resources due to high levels of public and private debt; accordingly, system-level and institutional restructuring has been contemplated as a way to enhance quality, performance and efficiency

Conflict and catastrophe-related severe burn injuries: A challenging setting for antimicrobial decision-making.

Severe burns are a major component of conflict-related injuries and can result in high rates of mortality. Conflict and disaster-related severe burn injuries present unique challenges in logistic, diagnostic and treatment options, while wider conflict is associated with driving local antimicrobial resistance. We present a targeted review of available literature over the last 10 years on the use of systemic antimicrobial antibiotics in this setting and, given limited available data, provide an expert consensus discussion. While international guidelines do not tend to recommend routine use of prophylactic systemic antibiotics, the challenges of conflict settings and potential for polytrauma are likely to have ongoing impacts on antimicrobial decision-making and use. Efforts must be made to develop a suitable evidence base in this unique setting. In the interim, a pragmatic approach to balancing selective pressures of antimicrobial use with realistic access is possible

Investigating older adults’ preferences for functions within a human-machine interface designed for fully autonomous vehicles

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018. Compared to traditional cars, where the driver has most of their attention allocated on the road and on driving tasks, in fully autonomous vehicles it is likely that the user would not need to intervene with driving related functions meaning that there will be little need for HMIs to have features and functionality relating to these factors. However, there will be an opportunity for a range of other interactions with the user. As such, designers and researchers need to have an understanding of what is actually needed or expected and how to balance the type of functionality they make available. Also, in HMI design, the design principles need to be considered in relation to a range of user characteristics, such as age, and sensory, cognitive and physical ability and other impairments. In this study, we proposed an HMI specially designed for connected autonomous vehicles with a focus on older adults. We examined older adults’ preferences of CAV HMI functions, and, the degree to which individual differences (e.g., personality, attitude towards computers, trust in technology, cognitive functioning) correlate with preferences for these functions. Thirty-one participants (M age = 67.52, SD = 7.29), took part in the study. They had to interact with the HMI and rate its functions based on the importance and likelihood of using them. Results suggest that participants prefer adaptive HMIs, with journey planner capabilities. As expected, as it is a CAV HMI, the Information and Entertainment functions are also preferred. Individual differences have limited relationship with HMI preferences