An analytical approach to solution of two- point boundary condition problems in optimal guidance Summary report, May 1965 - Apr. 1966

Analytical approaches to path-adaptive guidance functions, circular orbit trajectories, and use of Fortran-compiled program

Behaviour change interventions to influence antimicrobial prescribing: a cross-sectional analysis of reports from UK state-of-the-art scientific conferences

Background To improve the quality of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions the application of behavioural sciences supported by multidisciplinary collaboration has been recommended. We analysed major UK scientific research conferences to investigate AMS behaviour change intervention reporting. Methods Leading UK 2015 scientific conference abstracts for 30 clinical specialties were identified and interrogated. All AMS and/or antimicrobial resistance(AMR) abstracts were identified using validated search criteria. Abstracts were independently reviewed by four researchers with reported behavioural interventions classified using a behaviour change taxonomy. Results Conferences ran for 110 days with >57,000 delegates. 311/12,313(2.5%) AMS-AMR abstracts (oral and poster) were identified. 118/311(40%) were presented at the UK’s infectious diseases/microbiology conference. 56/311(18%) AMS-AMR abstracts described behaviour change interventions. These were identified across 12/30(40%) conferences. The commonest abstract reporting behaviour change interventions were quality improvement projects [44/56 (79%)]. In total 71 unique behaviour change functions were identified. Policy categories; “guidelines” (16/71) and “service provision” (11/71) were the most frequently reported. Intervention functions; “education” (6/71), “persuasion” (7/71), and “enablement” (9/71) were also common. Only infection and primary care conferences reported studies that contained multiple behaviour change interventions. The remaining 10 specialties tended to report a narrow range of interventions focusing on “guidelines” and “enablement”. Conclusion Despite the benefits of behaviour change interventions on antimicrobial prescribing, very few AMS-AMR studies reported implementing them in 2015. AMS interventions must focus on promoting behaviour change towards antimicrobial prescribing. Greater focus must be placed on non-infection specialties to engage with the issue of behaviour change towards antimicrobial use

NOVEL ENERGY ABSORBING MATERIALS WITH APPLICATIONS IN HELMETED HEAD PROTECTION

A finite element, functionally graded foam model (FGFM) is proposed, which is shown to provide more effective energy absorption management, compared to homogenous foams, under low energy impact conditions. The FGFM is modelled by discretising a virtual foam into a large number of element layers through the foam thickness. Each layer is described by a unique constitutive cellular response, which is derived from the initial foam density, ρ, unique to that layer. Large strain unixial compressive tests at a strain rate of 0.001 s-1 are performed on expanded polystyrene (EPS), and their σ −ε response is used as input to a modified constitutive model from the literature. It is found that under low energy impacts an FGFM can outperform a uniform foam of equivalent density terms of reducing peak accelerations, while performing almost as effectively as uniform foams under high energy conditions. These novel materials, properly manufactured, could find use as next generation helmet liners in answer to recent, more rigorous equestrian helmet standards, e.g. BS EN 14572:2005

OPTIMISATION OF ENERGY ABSORBING LINER FOR EQUESTRIAN HELMETS

The density of foam used as energy absorbing liner material in safety helmets was optimised in this paper using Finite Element Modelling (FEM). FEM simulations of impact tests from certification standards were carried out to obtain the best performing configurations of helmet liner. For each test condition, two best liner configurations were identified as minimising peak impact accelerations: one was composed of layers of uniform foam and the other of functionally graded foam (FGF). It was found that the observed decreases in the peak accelerations for the best performing helmets in various test conditions are directly related to the contact area, the distribution of internal stresses, and the dissipated plastic energy density (DPED). Application of the methods described in this study could help increase energy absorption for current and future equestrian helmet designs

Distance measures to compare real and ideal quantum processes

With growing success in experimental implementations it is critical to identify a "gold standard" for quantum information processing, a single measure of distance that can be used to compare and contrast different experiments. We enumerate a set of criteria such a distance measure must satisfy to be both experimentally and theoretically meaningful. We then assess a wide range of possible measures against these criteria, before making a recommendation as to the best measures to use in characterizing quantum information processing.Comment: 15 pages; this version in line with published versio

Ehrlichia chaffeensis antibodies in white-tailed deer, Iowa, 1994 and 1996.

Surveillance of 2,277 white-tailed deer for antibodies against Ehrlichia chaffeensis in Iowa showed seropositivity rates of 12.5% in 1994 and 13.9% in 1996. From 1994 to 1996, the estimated number of seropositive deer increased to 54,701 (28%). The increasing deer population and expanding tick distribution may increase risk for human monocytic ehrlichiosis

Non-Volatile Memory Characteristics of Submicrometre Hall Structures Fabricated in Epitaxial Ferromagnetic MnAl Films on GaAs

Hall-effect structures with submicrometre linewidths (<0.3pm) have been fabricated in ferromagnetic thin films of Mn[sub 0.60]Al[sub 0.40] which are epitaxially grown on a GaAs substrate. The MnAl thin films exhibit a perpendicular remanent magnetisation and an extraordinary Hall effect with square hysteretic behaviour. The presence of two distinct stable readout states demonstrates the potential of using ultrasmall ferromagnetic volumes for electrically addressable, nonvolatile storage of digital information

Lineage dynamics of murine pancreatic development at single-cell resolution.

Organogenesis requires the complex interactions of multiple cell lineages that coordinate their expansion, differentiation, and maturation over time. Here, we profile the cell types within the epithelial and mesenchymal compartments of the murine pancreas across developmental time using a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing, immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization, and genetic lineage tracing. We identify previously underappreciated cellular heterogeneity of the developing mesenchyme and reconstruct potential lineage relationships among the pancreatic mesothelium and mesenchymal cell types. Within the epithelium, we find a previously undescribed endocrine progenitor population, as well as an analogous population in both human fetal tissue and human embryonic stem cells differentiating toward a pancreatic beta cell fate. Further, we identify candidate transcriptional regulators along the differentiation trajectory of this population toward the alpha or beta cell lineages. This work establishes a roadmap of pancreatic development and demonstrates the broad utility of this approach for understanding lineage dynamics in developing organs

Determining the Efficacy of Interventions to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Perpetration by Men who Use Substances: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

A summary of key features from a systematic review protocol registered in PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews