The Full Two-Loop R-parity Violating Renormalization Group Equations for All Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model Couplings

We present the full two-loop $\beta$-functions for the minimal supersymmetric standard model couplings, extended to include R-parity violating couplings through explicit R-parity violation

Sustainable Energy - Technological Issues, Applications and Case Studies

The sustainable energy sources are potentially employed to substitute petrol fuels in transport engines such as buses and small vehicles. Hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas engines are forthcoming energy carriers for the internal combustion engine, with higher thermal efficiency and less pollutant emissions. The different availability of renewables has allowed various countries to adopt the most appropriate type of renewable energy technology according to their energy source adequacy/abundance. In Taiwan, ocean energy is considered as an abundant source of renewables due to its geographical location as an island. The Taiwanese government has approved the investment to construct an MW-scale demonstration electricity plant. In this book, the Taiwanese ocean energy experience is comprehensively presented. The technical and legal analyses of ocean energy implementation are provided. The challenges that they had to overcome to optimize the utilization of the most available ocean energy potential are discussed. The sustainable transition in South Africa would be a good example for implementing rooftop solar, especially in low-income communities. Apart from the environmental benefits, sustainable energy technologies can boost the socioeconomic level of developing countries. Other advantages may be the continuous supply of energy and creation of new job opportunities. Moreover, sustainable renewable energy sources such as the wind could be employed for generating electricity to operate water purification systems in remote areas. This, in turn, would overcome the health problems associated with drinking water scarcity issues. This book is an attempt to cover the sustainable energy issues from a technical perspective. Furthermore, the sustainable energy applications and existing case studies are helpful illustrations for the broad understanding of the importance of sustainable energy

The role of parietal cortex in overimitation: a study with fNIRS

Previous studies have shown right parietal activation in response to observing irrational actions. Behavioural studies show that people sometimes imitate irrational actions, a phenomenon called overimitation. However, limitations on movement in fMRI mean that the neural basis of overimitation has not been studied. To address this, our study employed a less restrictive neuroimaging technique, functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Measurements were taken while participants observed either rational or irrational movements before performing movements on a computerised puzzle task. Observing irrational actions produced greater activation in right anterior inferior parietal lobule (aIPL), replicating results from the fMRI literature. This is a proof of principle that fNIRS can be used as an alternative to fMRI in social cognition experiments, and that parietal cortex has a core role in responding to irrational actions

Amniotic Fluid Embolism. Is a New Pregnancy Possible? Case Report.

Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a rare but potentially catastrophic clinical condition, characterized by a combination of signs and symptoms that reflect respiratory distress, cardiovascular collapse and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Its pathogenesis is still unclear. More recently, the traditional view of obstruction of pulmonary capillary vessels by amniotic fluid emboli as the main explanation for the etiology has been ruled out, and immunologic factors and the activation of the inflammatory cascade took on an important role. Amniotic fluid embolism has an unpredictable character, its diagnosis is exclusively clinical, and the treatment consists mainly of cardiovascular support and administration of blood products to correct the DIC. No diagnostic test is recommended until now, though multiple blood markers are currently being studied. The authors present a case report of a woman who had survived AFE in her previous pregnancy and had a subsequent pregnancy without recurrence, providing one more clinical testimony of the low risks for the pregnancy after AFE.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Slow light in paraffin-coated Rb vapor cells

We present preliminary results from an experimental study of slow light in anti-relaxation-coated Rb vapor cells, and describe the construction and testing of such cells. The slow ground state decoherence rate allowed by coated cell walls leads to a dual-structured electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) spectrum with a very narrow (<100 Hz) transparency peak on top of a broad pedestal. Such dual-structure EIT permits optical probe pulses to propagate with greatly reduced group velocity on two time scales. We discuss ongoing efforts to optimize the pulse delay in such coated cell systems.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Journal of Modern Optic

Truthful Mechanisms for Matching and Clustering in an Ordinal World

We study truthful mechanisms for matching and related problems in a partial information setting, where the agents' true utilities are hidden, and the algorithm only has access to ordinal preference information. Our model is motivated by the fact that in many settings, agents cannot express the numerical values of their utility for different outcomes, but are still able to rank the outcomes in their order of preference. Specifically, we study problems where the ground truth exists in the form of a weighted graph of agent utilities, but the algorithm can only elicit the agents' private information in the form of a preference ordering for each agent induced by the underlying weights. Against this backdrop, we design truthful algorithms to approximate the true optimum solution with respect to the hidden weights. Our techniques yield universally truthful algorithms for a number of graph problems: a 1.76-approximation algorithm for Max-Weight Matching, 2-approximation algorithm for Max k-matching, a 6-approximation algorithm for Densest k-subgraph, and a 2-approximation algorithm for Max Traveling Salesman as long as the hidden weights constitute a metric. We also provide improved approximation algorithms for such problems when the agents are not able to lie about their preferences. Our results are the first non-trivial truthful approximation algorithms for these problems, and indicate that in many situations, we can design robust algorithms even when the agents may lie and only provide ordinal information instead of precise utilities.Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of WINE 201

Relationship Between the 6-minute Walk Test and Correlates of Type 2 Diabetes: Indication for caution in exercise prescription

Physical exercise is adjudged effective in the prevention and co-management of Type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, because of the different levels of exercise capacity; it must be prescribed with caution based on the individual’s peculiarities. The link between the 6-minute walk test and some correlates of T2D was investigated. This cross-sectional study of 58 consenting patients with T2D was conducted at the diabetes clinic of a secondary health centre in Kano, Nigeria. The measurements included the 6-Minute Walk Distance (6MWD) for exercise capacity and the T2D correlates including age, body mass index, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio. The relationships between the parameters were determined using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient at a significance level of 0.05. The participants consisted of 36 males (62.1%) and 22 females (37.9%). The mean 6MWD for males was 302 ± 33.28 meters and was shorter in women. The 6MWD correlated significantly (P < 0.05) with each of age [r = -0.78 (males), -0.62 (females)], waist circumference [r = -0.82 (males), -0.77 (females)] and body mass index [r = -0.66 (males), -0.74 (females)], while the waist hip ratio correlated significantly with the 6MWD only in the male participants (r = -0.59). Low exercise capacity in patients with T2D was associated with higher age and adiposity. Prescription of physical exercise to patients with T2D who present with one or a combination of these variables should be done with care in order not to exceed safe limits. KEY WORDS: type 2 diabetes, physical exercise, age, body mass index, waist circumference and waist-hip rati

Determinants of Motivation and Its Implications Toward the Performance of Lecturers at Private Colleges in Manado

The purpose of this study was to find out and analyze the influence of competence, organizational culture, and career development on motivation and the influence of competence, organizational culture, career development, and motivation on the performance of lecturers at private colleges in Manado, both partially and simultaneously. The methods used in this study are descriptive and explanatory survey with a sample size of 200 respondents; data collection was done using a questionnaire instrument with a Likert scale and structural equation modeling analysis technique with the Lisrel 8.80 program. The results showed partially that competency, organizational culture, and career development had positive and significant effect on motivation. Competence, organizational culture, and career development simultaneously have positive and significant effect on motivation. But when viewed partially, it turns out that competence has the most dominant influence on motivation. Partially, competency, organizational culture, career development, and motivation have positive and significant effect on lecturer performance. Competence, organizational culture, career development, and motivation simultaneously have positive and significant effect on the performance of lecturers. But when viewed partially, it turns out that career development has the most dominant influence on lecturer performance. &nbsp; &nbsp; Keywords: competence, organizational culture, career development, motivation, lecturer performanc

Signatures of Star-planet interactions

Planets interact with their host stars through gravity, radiation and magnetic fields, and for those giant planets that orbit their stars within $\sim$10 stellar radii ($\sim$0.1 AU for a sun-like star), star-planet interactions (SPI) are observable with a wide variety of photometric, spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric studies. At such close distances, the planet orbits within the sub-alfv\'enic radius of the star in which the transfer of energy and angular momentum between the two bodies is particularly efficient. The magnetic interactions appear as enhanced stellar activity modulated by the planet as it orbits the star rather than only by stellar rotation. These SPI effects are informative for the study of the internal dynamics and atmospheric evolution of exoplanets. The nature of magnetic SPI is modeled to be strongly affected by both the stellar and planetary magnetic fields, possibly influencing the magnetic activity of both, as well as affecting the irradiation and even the migration of the planet and rotational evolution of the star. As phase-resolved observational techniques are applied to a large statistical sample of hot Jupiter systems, extensions to other tightly orbiting stellar systems, such as smaller planets close to M dwarfs become possible. In these systems, star-planet separations of tens of stellar radii begin to coincide with the radiative habitable zone where planetary magnetic fields are likely a necessary condition for surface habitability.Comment: Accepted for publication in the handbook of exoplanet

The Association between Vitamin D Receptor Expression and Prolonged Overall Survival in Breast Cancer.

Summary In this study, we analyzed vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression and survival in a breast cancer patient cohort of 82 breast cancer patients. Immunohistochemical analysis was possible in 91.5% of the patients (75/82). Staining was evaluated using the semi-quantitative assay according to Remmele and Stegner (immunoreactivity score [IRS]). IRS 0–1 was negative/very low, IRS 2–4 was moderate to high, and IRS 6–12 was high. Statistical analysis was performed by Spearman’s correlation test (p<0.05 significant). Overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimations. Only 6 patients had a negative IRS. Moderate IRS values were present in 20 patients. Most of the patients had a high IRS (49). For survival analysis, data were dichotomized (IRS 0–4: negative to moderate and IRS 6–12: high VDR expression). In univariate analysis, VDR expression showed significant differences in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Patients with high IRS scores showed significantly better PFS and OS than patients with moderate/negative IRS scores for VDR expression. Tumor size was significantly correlated to PFS. When analyzed separately, the three different IRS groups showed significant differences in VDR expression. The present data suggest that VDR expression in breast cancer tissue may be of clinical significance, and the results provide evidence that VDR may be a factor with prognostic relevance. (J Histochem Cytochem 60:121–129, 2012). Keywords: breast cancer, vitamin D receptor, immunohistochemistry, prognosi