Multi-wavelength properties of IGR J05007-7047 (LXP 38.55) and identification as a Be X-ray binary pulsar in the LMC

We report on the results of a $\sim$40 d multi-wavelength monitoring of the Be X-ray binary system IGR J05007-7047 (LXP 38.55). During that period the system was monitored in the X-rays using the Swift telescope and in the optical with multiple instruments. When the X-ray luminosity exceeded $10^{36}$ erg/s we triggered an XMM-Newton ToO observation. Timing analysis of the photon events collected during the XMM-Newton observation reveals coherent X-ray pulsations with a period of 38.551(3) s (1 {\sigma}), making it the 17$^{th}$ known high-mass X-ray binary pulsar in the LMC. During the outburst, the X-ray spectrum is fitted best with a model composed of an absorbed power law ($\Gamma =0.63$) plus a high-temperature black-body (kT $\sim$ 2 keV) component. By analysing $\sim$12 yr of available OGLE optical data we derived a 30.776(5) d optical period, confirming the previously reported X-ray period of the system as its orbital period. During our X-ray monitoring the system showed limited optical variability while its IR flux varied in phase with the X-ray luminosity, which implies the presence of a disk-like component adding cooler light to the spectral energy distribution of the system.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA

Does training increase the use of more emotionally laden words by nurses when talking with cancer patients? A randomised study

The emotional content of health care professionals–cancer patient communication is often considered as poor and has to be improved by an enhancement of health care professionals empathy. One hundred and fifteen oncology nurses participating in a communication skills training workshop were assessed at three different periods. Nurses randomly allocated to a control group arm (waiting list) were assessed a first time and then 3 and 6 months later. Nurses allocated to the training group were assessed before training workshop, just after and 3 months later. Each nurse completed a 20-min clinical and simulated interview. Each interview was analysed by three content analysis systems: two computer-supported content analysis of emotional words, the Harvard Third Psychosocial Dictionary and the Martindale Regressive Imagery Dictionary and an observer rating system of utterances emotional depth level, the Cancer Research Campaign Workshop Evaluation Manual. The results show that in clinical interviews there is an increased use of emotional words by health care professionals right after having been trained (P=0.056): training group subjects use 4.3 (std: 3.7) emotional words per 1000 used before training workshop, and 7.0 (std: 5.8) right after training workshop and 5.9 (std: 4.3) 3 months later compared to control group subjects which use 4.5 (std: 4.8) emotional words at the first assessment point, 4.3 (std: 4.1) at the second and 4.4 (std: 3.3) at the third. The same trend is noticeable for emotional words used by health care professionals in simulated interviews (P=0.000). The emotional words registry used by health care professionals however remains stable over time in clinical interviews (P=0.141) and is enlarged in simulated interviews (P=0.041). This increased use of emotional words by trained health care professionals facilitates cancer patient emotion words expressions compared to untrained health care professionals especially 3 months after training (P=0.005). This study shows that health care professionals empathy may be improved by communication skills training workshop and that this improvement facilitates cancer patients emotions expression

The optical/NIR afterglow of GRB 111209A: Complex yet not unprecedented

Context. Afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are simple in the most basic model, but can show many complex features. The ultra-long duration GRB 111209A, one of the longest GRBs ever detected, also has the best-monitored afterglow in this rare class of GRBs. Aims. We want to address the question whether GRB 111209A was a special event beyond its extreme duration alone, and whether it is a classical GRB or another kind of high-energy transient. The afterglow may yield significant clues. Methods. We present afterglow photometry obtained in seven bands with the GROND imager as well as in further seven bands with the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) on-board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The light curve is analysed by multi-band modelling and joint fitting with power-laws and broken power-laws, and we use the contemporaneous GROND data to study the evolution of the spectral energy distribution. We compare the optical afterglow to a large ensemble we have analysed in earlier works, and especially to that of another ultra-long event, GRB 130925A. We furthermore undertake a photometric study of the host galaxy. Results. We find a strong, chromatic rebrightening event at ≈0.8 days after the GRB, during which the spectral slope becomes redder. After this, the light curve decays achromatically, with evidence for a break at about 9 days after the trigger. The afterglow luminosity is found to not be exceptional. We find that a double-jet model is able to explain the chromatic rebrightening. The afterglow features have been detected in other events and are not unique. Conclusions. The duration aside, the GRB prompt emission and afterglow parameters of GRB 111209A are in agreement with the known distributions for these parameters. While the central engine of this event may differ from that of classical GRBs, there are multiple lines of evidence pointing to GRB 111209A resulting from the core-collapse of a massive star with a stripped envelope

Side-Channel Analysis of the TERO PUF

Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) have the potential to provide a higher level of security for key storage than traditional Non-Volatile Memory (NVM). However, the susceptibility of the PUF primitives to non-invasive Side-Channel Analysis (SCA) is largely unexplored. While resistance to SCA was indicated for the Transient Effect Ring Oscillator (TERO) PUF, it was not backed by an actual assessment. To investigate the physical security of the TERO PUF, we first discuss and study the conceptual behavior of the PUF primitive to identify possible weaknesses. We support our claims by conducting an EM-analysis of a TERO design on an FPGA. When measuring TERO cells with an oscilloscope in the time domain, a Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) based approach allows to extract the relevant information in the frequency domain. By applying this method we significantly reduce the entropy of the PUF. Our analysis shows the vulnerability of not only the originally suggested TERO PUF implementation but also the impact on TERO designs in general. We discuss enhancements of the design that potentially prevent the TERO PUF from exposing the secret and point out that regarding security the TERO PUF is similar to the more area-efficient Ring Oscillator PUF

A Fourier Analysis Based Attack against Physically Unclonable Functions

Electronic payment systems have leveraged the advantages offered by the RFID technology, whose security is promised to be improved by applying the notion of Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs). Along with the evolution of PUFs, numerous successful attacks against PUFs have been proposed in the literature. Among these are machine learning (ML) attacks, ranging from heuristic approaches to provable algorithms, that have attracted great attention. Our paper pursues this line of research by introducing a Fourier analysis based attack against PUFs. More specifically, this paper focuses on two main aspects of ML attacks, namely being provable and noise tolerant. In this regard, we prove that our attack is naturally integrated into a provable Probably Approximately Correct (PAC) model. Moreover, we show that our attacks against known PUF families are effective and applicable even in the presence of noise. Our proof relies heavily on the intrinsic properties of these PUF families, namely arbiter, Ring Oscillator (RO), and Bistable Ring (BR) PUF families. We believe that our new style of ML algorithms, which take advantage of the Fourier analysis principle, can offer better measures of PUF security

Tryptophan degradation in irritable bowel syndrome: evidence of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activation in a male cohort

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects 10–15% of the population. Although characterised by a lack of reliable biological markers, the disease state is increasingly viewed as a disorder of the brain-gut axis. In particular, accumulating evidence points to the involvement of both the central and peripheral serotonergic systems in disease symptomatology. Furthermore, altered tryptophan metabolism and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity are hallmarks of many stress-related disorders. The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation may serve to link these findings to the low level immune activation recently described in IBS. In this study, we investigated tryptophan degradation in a male IBS cohort (n = 10) and control subjects (n = 26).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Plasma samples were obtained from patients and healthy controls. Tryptophan and its metabolites were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and neopterin, a sensitive marker of immune activation, was measured using a commercially available ELISA assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both kynurenine levels and the kynurenine:tryptophan ratio were significantly increased in the IBS cohort compared with healthy controls. Neopterin was also increased in the IBS subjects and the concentration of the neuroprotective metabolite kynurenic acid was decreased, as was the kynurenic acid:kynurenine ratio.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that the activity of IDO, the immunoresponsive enzyme which is responsible for the degradation of tryptophan along this pathway, is enhanced in IBS patients relative to controls. This study provides novel evidence for an immune-mediated degradation of tryptophan in a male IBS population and identifies the kynurenine pathway as a potential source of biomarkers in this debilitating condition.</p

Yield and nutritional value of biomass sorghum (BRS 716) managed in different row spacing and maturity at harvest in the semiarid region of Brazil.

The objective was to evaluate the structural, yield and nutritional characteristics of biomass sorghum BRS 716 managed in different row planting spacing and harvest age in a semiarid region of Brazil. Three row spacing (45, 70 and 90 cm; plots) and four maturity at harvest (70, 100, 130 and 160 days; subplots) were evaluated following a randomized block design in a 3 x 4 split plot arrangement, with eight blocks. The useful area was 3 x 15 m. Variation in soil fertility in the area was the blocking factor. There was interaction between row spacing and maturity at harvest (P < 0.05) on plant height (P = 0.01), dry matter yield (DMY; P < 0.01) and proportion of senescent material (P = 0.01). The DMY observed at the age of 160 days and spacing of 90 cm was 41.40% higher than the DMY at the same age and in spacings of 45 and 70 cm (mean of 21.45 t/ha). As the maturity at harvest increased, there was a reduction in the crude protein content (P < 0.01), potential degradability (P < 0.01) and effective degradability (P < 0.01) of dry matter, and the content of non-fiber carbohydrates (P < 0.01), total digestible nutrients (P < 0.01) and the readily soluble fraction (P < 0.01) of the dry matter increased. Considering the yield and nutritional characteristics of biomass sorghum BRS 716 managed in the semiarid region for silage production, the row spacing of 90 cm and the maturity at harvest of 160 days after planting are recommended

A cross sectional comparison of postnatal care quality in facilities participating in a maternal health voucher program versus non-voucher facilities in Kenya

Background: Health service fees constitute substantial barriers for women seeking childbirth and postnatal care. In an effort to reduce health inequities, the government of Kenya in 2006 introduced the output-based approach (OBA), or voucher programme, to increase poor women’s access to quality Safe Motherhood services including postnatal care. To help improve service quality, OBA programmes purchase services on behalf of the poor and marginalised, with provider reimbursements for verified services. Kenya’s programme accredited health facilities in three districts as well as in two informal Nairobi settlements. Methods: Postnatal care quality in voucher health facilities (n = 21) accredited in 2006 and in similar non-voucher health facilities (n = 20) are compared with cross sectional data collected in 2010. Summary scores for quality were calculated as additive sums of specific aspects of each attribute (structure, process, outcome). Measures of effect were assessed in a linear regression model accounting for clustering at facility level. Data were analysed using Stata 11.0. Results: The overall quality of postnatal care is poor in voucher and non-voucher facilities, but many facilities demonstrated ‘readiness’ for postnatal care (structural attributes: infrastructure, equipment, supplies, staffing, training) indicated by high scores (83/111), with public voucher facilities scoring higher than public non-voucher facilities. The two groups of facilities evinced no significant differences in postnatal care mean process scores: 14.2/ 55 in voucher facilities versus 16.4/55 in non-voucher facilities; coefficient: -1.70 (-4.9, 1.5), p = 0.294. Significantly more newborns were seen within 48 hours (83.5 % versus 72.1 %: p = 0.001) and received Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) (82.5 % versus 76.5 %: p \u3c 0.001) at voucher facilities than at non-voucher facilities. Conclusions: Four years after facility accreditation in Kenya, scores for postnatal care quality are low in all facilities, even those with Safe Motherhood vouchers. We recommend the Kenya OBA programme review its Safe Motherhood reimbursement package and draw lessons from supply side results-based financing initiatives, to improve postnatal care quality

Do inattention and hyperactivity symptoms equal scholastic impairment? evidence from three European cohorts

Background Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects many children, adolescents, and adults and is associated with a number of impairments. Poor academic performance is related to ADHD in clinical samples. However, it is unclear to what extent core ADHD symptoms and scholastic impairment are related in non-referred school-aged children. Methods Data come from three population-based cohorts from Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, which are part of the Nordic Network on ADHD. The combined sample size was 13,087 children who were studied at ages 7–8 or 10–12 years. Teachers rated children on inattention and hyperactivity symptoms and reported children's scholastic performance on basic skills. Results There was a significant association in all cohorts between core ADHD symptoms and scholastic impairment in reading, writing, and mathematics. Particularly, inattention was related to a two to tenfold increase in scholastic impairment. Prevalence of hyperactivity symptoms was similar across the three cohorts, but inattention was lowest among children from the Finnish cohort, after stratification on living conditions. Conclusion These results extend previous reports of scholastic impairment among children with clinically diagnosed ADHD to non-referred population samples from three European countries. Surveillance policies should be implemented in school systems to catch children in need of behavioral or scholastic support early