6,750 research outputs found
Actors that Unify Threads and Events
There is an impedance mismatch between message-passing concurrency and virtual machines, such as the JVM. VMs usually map their threads to heavyweight OS processes. Without a lightweight process abstraction, users are often forced to write parts of concurrent applications in an event-driven style which obscures control flow, and increases the burden on the programmer. In this paper we show how thread-based and event-based programming can be unified under a single actor abstraction. Using advanced abstraction mechanisms of the Scala programming language, we implemented our approach on unmodified JVMs. Our programming model integrates well with the threading model of the underlying VM
A thematic analysis of barriers and facilitators to participant engagement in group exposure and response prevention therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the gold standard in the treatment of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It can be delivered effectively using an individual or group therapy format. Nonetheless, a sizeable proportion of people diagnosed with OCD do not experience OCD symptom remission following ERP. Research suggests that participant engagement with ERP tasks predicts therapy outcomes but there is little consistent evidence across studies on what predicts engagement. A recent meta-analysis of participant engagement in cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD found that group ERP had a comparatively lower dropout rate than individual ERP. Little is known about participant perceptions of ERP to guide an understanding of how the group therapy format may affect participant engagement. This study conducted a qualitative exploration of what helps or hinders participants' engagement in group ERP. It involved thematic analysis of semi-structured interview data collected at a 6-month follow-up from 15 adults with OCD who took part in group ERP. The study identified five main themes that captured participants' perceived facilitators and barriers to engagement in therapy: 'Group processes', 'Understanding how to overcome OCD', 'Personal relevance', 'Personal circumstances', and 'Attitudes towards ERP', which captured dynamically inter-related barriers and facilitators at the level of the client, therapist, therapy and social environment. Each theme and associated sub-themes are discussed in turn, followed by a consideration of the study's limitations and implications
2,6-Dipicolinoylbis(N,N-dialkylthioureas) as versatile building blocks for oligo- and polynuclear architectures
Similar reactions of 2,6-dipicolinoylbis(N,N-diethylthiourea) (H2La) with: (i)
Ni(NO3)2·6H2O, (ii) a mixture of Ni(NO3)2·6H2O and AgNO3, (iii) a mixture of
Ni(OAc)2·4H2O and PrCl3·7H2O and (iv) a mixture of Ni(OAc)2·4H2O and
BaCl2·2H2O give the binuclear complex [Ni2(La)2(MeOH)(H2O)], the polymeric
compound [NiAg2(La)2]∞, and the heterobimetallic complexes [Ni2Pr(La)2(OAc)3]
and [Ni2Ba(La)3], respectively. The obtained assemblies can be used for the
build up of supramolecular polymers by means of weak and medium intermolecular
interactions. Two prototype examples of such compounds, which are derived from
the trinuclear complexes of the types [MII2LnIII(L)2(OAc)3] and [MII2Ba(L)3],
are described with the compounds {[CuII2DyIII(La)2(p-O2C-C6H4-CO2)(MeOH)4]Cl}∞
and [MnII2Ba(MeOH)(Lb)3]∞, H2Lb =
2,6-dipicolinoylbis(N,N-morpholinoylthiourea)
Sorting of chromosomes by magnetic separation
Chromosomes were isolated from Chinese hamster x human hybrid cell lines containing four and nine human chromosomes. Human genomic DNA was biotinylated by nick translation and used to label the human chromosomes by in situ hybridization in suspension. Streptavidin was covalently coupled to the surface of magnetic beads and these were incubated with the hybridized chromosomes. The human chromosomes were bound to the magnetic beads through the strong biotin-streptavidin complex and then rapidly separated from nonlabeled Chinese hamster chromosomes by a simple permanent magnet. The hybridization was visualized by additional binding of avidin-FITC (fluorescein) to the unoccupied biotinylated human DNA bound to the human chromosomes. After magnetic separation, up to 98% of the individual chromosomes attached to magnetic beads were classified as human chromosomes by fluorescence microscopy
A road map for defining Good Environmental Status in the deep-sea
The development of tools to assess the Good Environmental Status (GES) in the Deep Sea (DS) is one of the aspects that ATLAS WP3 is addressing. GES assessment in the DS is challenging due to 1) the lack of baseline data, 2) the remoteness of the DS ecosystems, and 3) the limitations of the sampling methods currently available. Throughout the duration of the project, ATLAS will develop a suitable approach to address GES in the DS. During the 2nd General Assembly, we will present a draft for a “road map” to address GES in the DS as well some of the aspects discussed during the 2017 ICES WG on Deep Sea Ecosystems. The temporal and spatial scale at which GES should be assessed in the deep-sea is an important aspect to be considered. Due to the data limited situation and challenges posed to monitoring, it may well be the case that GES will have to be assessed at large spatial and temporal scales when comparing the shallower waters of the European Seas. For similar reasons, the type of indicators to be used may have to be simplified and likely be based on high-level analyses related to traits, pressures/risks, and habitat /ecosystem resilience. Ultimately, the results of the combined analyses of GES descriptors might bring to a potential refining or redefinition of the GES concept for the deep-sea
Multipole State of Heavy Lanthanide Filled Skutterudites
We discuss multipole properties of filled skutterudites containing heavy
lanthanide Ln from a microscopic viewpoint on the basis of a seven-orbital
Anderson model. For Ln=Gd, in contrast to naive expectation, quadrupole moments
remain in addition to main dipole ones. For Ln=Ho, we find an exotic state
governed by octupole moment. For Ln=Tb and Tm, no significant multipole moments
appear at low temperatures, while for Ln=Dy, Er, and Yb, dipole and
higher-order multipoles are dominant. We briefly discuss possible relevance of
these multipole states with actual materials.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Supervision and Scholarly Writing: Writing to Learn - Learning to Write
This paper describes an action research project on postgraduate students’ scholarly writing in which I employed reflective approaches to examine and enhance my postgraduate supervisory practice. My reflections on three distinct cycles of supervision illustrate a shift in thinking about scholarly writing and an evolving understanding of how to support postgraduate students’ writing. These understandings provide the foundation for a future-oriented fourth cycle of supervisory practice, which is characterised by three principles, namely the empowerment of students as writers, the technological context of contemporary writing, and ethical issues in writing
Quadrupole Susceptibility of Gd-Based Filled Skutterudite Compounds
It is shown that quadrupole susceptibility can be detected in Gd compounds
contrary to our textbook knowledge that Gd ion induces pure spin moment
due to the Hund's rules in an coupling scheme. The ground-state multiplet
of Gd is always characterized by =7/2, where denotes total
angular momentum, but in a - coupling scheme, one electron in =7/2
octet carries quadrupole moment, while other six electrons fully occupy =5/2
sextet, where denotes one-electron total angular momentum. For realistic
values of Coulomb interaction and spin-orbit coupling, the ground-state
wavefunction is found to contain significant amount of the - coupling
component. From the evaluation of quadrupole susceptibility in a simple
mean-field approximation, we point out a possibility to detect the softening of
elastic constant in Gd-based filled skutterudites.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
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