Temperature dependence of absorption in photorefractive iron-doped lithium niobate crystals

We present experimental data showing a significant dependence of light absorption on temperature in photorefractive LiNbO3:Fe crystals. The results are successfully explained by assuming that the widths of the Fe2+ absorption bands in the visible and in the infrared spectral region depend on temperature. The findings are of relevance for thermal fixing of holograms. Furthermore, a temperature-induced increase of the infrared absorption is promising for improved infrared recording

On the Relevance of Cross-project Learning with Nearest Neighbours for Commit Message Generation

Commit messages play an important role in software maintenance and evolution. Nonetheless, developers often do not produce high-quality messages. A number of commit message generation methods have been proposed in recent years to address this problem. Some of these methods are based on neural machine translation (NMT) techniques. Studies show that the nearest neighbor algorithm (NNGen) outperforms existing NMT-based methods, although NNGen is simpler and faster than NMT. In this paper, we show that NNGen does not take advantage of cross-project learning in the majority of the cases. We also show that there is an even simpler and faster variation of the existing NNGen method which outperforms it in terms of the BLEU_4 score without using cross-project learning

Barriers and opportunities to restricting marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children in Nepal: a policy analysis

BACKGROUND: Marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars, or salt (“unhealthy foods”) to children is contributing to increasing child obesity. However, many countries have not implemented WHO recommendations to restrict marketing of unhealthy foods to children. We sought to understand the absence of marketing restrictions and identify potential strategic actions to develop and implement such restrictions in Nepal. METHODS: Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was based on Baker et al.’s 18 factor-framework for understanding what drives political commitment to nutrition, organised by five categories: Actors; Institutions; Political and societal contexts; Knowledge, evidence and framing; Capacities and resources. RESULTS: All factors in Baker et al.’s framework were reported to be acting largely as barriers to Nepal developing and implementing marketing restrictions. Six factors were identified by the highest number of respondents: the threat of private sector interference in policy-making; lack of international actor support; absence of well-designed and enacted policies and legislation; lack of political commitment to regulate; insufficient mobilisation of existing evidence to spur action and lack of national evidence to guide regulatory design; and weak implementation capacity. Opportunities for progress were identified as Nepal’s ability to combat private sector interference - as previously demonstrated in tobacco control. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study conducted in Nepal examining the lack of restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods to children. Our findings reflect the manifestation of power in the policy process. The absence of civil society and a multi-stakeholder coalition demanding change on marketing of unhealthy food to children, the threat of private sector interference in introducing marketing restrictions, the promotion of norms and narratives around modernity, consumption and the primary role of the individual in regulating diet - all have helped create a policy vacuum on marketing restrictions. We propose that stakeholders focus on five strategic actions, including: developing a multi-stakeholder coalition to put and keep marketing restrictions on the health agenda; framing the need for marketing restrictions as critical to protect child rights and government regulation as the solution; and increasing support, particularly through developing more robust global policy guidance

Open forest successional stages and landscape heterogeneity promote wild bee diversity in temperate forests

Recent studies have emphasized forests as crucial habitat for wild bees. In Europe, most forests are managed following the principles of close-to-nature silviculture, which combine timber production and nature conservation. How- ever, open late and early successional stages within these forests are largely missing, which could be important for wild bees. This highlights that close-to- nature silviculture alone might not be sufficient to conserve bees within tem- perate forests. Open structures such as canopy gaps and road verges in forests could improve habitat for bees. To provide management recommendations for wild bee conservation in temperate forests, we analyzed how components of bee beta diversity varied between forest management types and tested how open structures, namely clear-cuts, canopy gaps, and forest road verges influ- enced bee abundance, richness, and diversity. In addition, we analyzed the abundance and percent of red-listed bee species at different scales. Bees were sampled using 90 pan traps on 45 (1 ha) plots in 2019 and 2020 in the Black Forest, Germany. Plots were selected in 15 triplets each consisting of three management types related to different successional stages: unmanaged, close- to-nature, and small clear-cut. Beta diversity was not consistently nested highlighting the importance of different management and successional stages within the landscape to support bees in forests. Abundance, species richness, and Shannon diversity of bees were highest on clear-cuts, compared to unmanaged- and close-to-nature plots. At landscape scale, wild bee abundance increased with canopy openness while wild bee diversity increased with land- scape heterogeneity. Abundance- and percent of red-listed bee species increased with the length of forest road verges. We advocate creating habitats at local scales which offer flowering and nesting resources by providing canopy gaps. At landscape scale, heterogeneity created through different forest succes- sional stages is needed to conserve the entire community of wild bees

Poling effect on distribution of quenched random fields in a uniaxial relaxor ferroelectric

The frequency dependence of the dielectric permitivity's maximum has been studied for poled and unpoled doped relaxor strontium barium niobate $Sr_{0.61}Ba_{0.39}Nb_{2}O_{6}:Cr^{3+}$ (SBN-61:Cr). In both cases the maximum found is broad and the frequency dispersion is strong. The present view of random fields compensation in the unpoled sample is not suitable for explaining this experimental result. We propose a new mechanism where the dispersion of quenched random electric fields, affecting the nanodomains, is minimized after poling. We test our proposal by numerical simulations on a random field Ising model. Results obtained are in agreement with the polarization's measurements presented by Granzow et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett {\bf 92}, 065701 (2004)].Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

An updated checklist of the scarab beetle fauna of Asinara Island, Sardinia, Italy (Coleoptera: Trogidae, Geotrupidae, Scarabaeidae, Aphodiidae, Cetoniidae, Dynastidae, Hybosoridae)

The island of Asinara, located in the northwest of Sardinia, is characterized by a large number of feral grazing mammals belonging to four herbivorous species (horse, donkey, mouflon, and goat) and an omnivorous one (wild boar). Hand-collections of scarabs in 2014 and the examination of unpublished records revealed the presence of five species new for Asinara (Trox nodulosus, Ateuchetus laticollis, Sisyphus schaefferi, Caccobius schreberi and Cetonia carthami). Based on all records (published and unpublished) we present a new checklist of the scarab beetle fauna of Asinara which increased from 30 to 43 species belonging to seven families: 2 Trogidae, 2 Geotrupidae, 13 Scarabaeidae, 19 Aphodiidae, 5 Cetoniidae, 1 Dynastidae, and 1 Hybosorida

Liraglutide and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes

In a randomized, controlled trial that compared liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 analogue, with placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk who were receiving usual care, we found that liraglutide resulted in lower risks of the primary end point (nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes) and death. However, the long-term effects of liraglutide on renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes are unknown

Langzeitmedikation und perioperatives Management

Zusammenfassung: Anästhesisten und Operateure sehen sich zunehmend mit Patienten konfrontiert, die unter einer medikamentösen Dauertherapie stehen. Ein Teil dieser Medikamente können mit Anästhetika oder anästhesiologischen und/oder chirurgischen Interventionen interagieren. Als Folge können Komplikationen wie Blutungen, Ischämien, Infektionen oder schwere Kreislaufreaktionen auftreten. Andererseits birgt oft gerade das perioperative Absetzen von Medikamenten die größere Gefahr. Der Anteil ambulant durchgeführter Operationen hat in den letzten Jahren stark zugenommen und wird voraussichtlich auch in Zukunft zunehmen. Seit Einführung der Fallpauschalen (in der Schweiz bevorstehend) wird der Patient in der Regel erst am Vortag der Operation stationär aufgenommen. Somit sind sowohl zuweisende Ärzte als auch Anästhesisten und Operateure gezwungen, sich frühzeitig mit Fragen der perioperativen Pharmakotherapie auseinanderzusetzen. Dieser Übersichtsartikel behandelt das Management der wichtigsten Medikamentenklassen während der perioperativen Phase. Neben kardial und zentral wirksamen Medikamenten und Wirkstoffen, welche auf die Hämostase und das endokrine System wirken, werden Spezialfälle wie Immunsuppressiva und Phytopharmaka behandel