Along-the-channel modeling and analysis of PEFCs at low stoichiometry: Development of a 1+2D model

Water management remains a key challenge in polymer-electrolyte fuel cells. In this work, a pseudo 3-D (1+2D) model is developed to account better for changes of water management along the channel, as well as verify the possibilities of using differential cells for data capture and translation to integral cell performance. An accurate 2-D membrane-electrode-assembly model is developed for differential cell modeling, which is combined with an along-the-channel stepping algorithm to account for down the channel changes in pressure, temperature, reactant concentration, and relative humidity. Variations in cell performance along the channel due to changes in operating conditions are characterized quantitatively and optimized, where drier feed conditions demonstratively require such an approach. Overall, the study identifies gaps between differential and integral cells including those related to flow velocity and highlights the need for better models to understand and link integral cell performance and water management

A Web-based Stress Reduction Program for Occupational Health

Purpose: The purpose of this evidenced-based practice project is to implement a sustainable 6-week mindfulness web-based program to reduce stress of call center employees in a corporate setting. Background/significance: Stress is a major public health issue, calling for a need of better stress management programs to prevent and manage chronic stress. Stress is caused when an individual perceives environmental demands as beyond his/her adaptive capacity. In the workplace, stress leads to emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction, lower productivity, and impaired performance (Allexandre et al., 2016). According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report, 40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful. The Seventh Annual Labor Day Survey results indicate that 80% of workers feel stress on the job, nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress, and 42% say their coworkers need such help (The American Institute of Stress (TAIS), 2014). Mindfulness meditation consists of developing focused attention, non-judgmental awareness, openness, curiosity, and acceptance of internal and external present experiences, all of which aim to help individuals act more reflectively rather than impulsively. Internet-based stress management programs, focusing on mindfulness meditation, may provide easy access, minimize stress-related diseases, and improve individual resilience (Morledge et al., 2013). From September 2014 to December 2016, the study site experienced a high number of stress-related clinic visits. 829 employees were seen and completed a health questionnaire. Of these employees, 17.1% were unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with their stress management posing a significant need for a program to reduce stress. Methods: The employees were informed about the web-based mindfulness stress management program via email and if interested in completing the 6-week course, were encouraged to inquire by responding to the notification. An individual meeting was held prior to the start of the program to introduce and review the details and at the end of the program to debrief. Throughout the duration of the program, participants received emails every week to ensure participation and completion of weekly topics. Two validated scales, The Perceived Stress Scale and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, were used at two time periods throughout the program: pre-program and post-program. Outcomes achieved: The results indicated that the mindfulness intervention group had significant decreases in perceived stress as well as increased mindfulness as evidenced by improvement in scores of the perceived stress and mindful attention awareness scales. Conclusions: This on-line mindfulness intervention seems to be both practical and effective in decreasing employee stress, while improving mindfulness leading to increased work engagement, work productivity and becoming effective at dealing with life’s stressful events, thereby enhancing overall employee well-being

Progress towards omnidirectional transformation optics with lenses

We study, theoretically, omni-directional Euclidean transformation-optics (TO) devices comprising planar, light-ray-direction changing, imaging, interfaces. We initially studied such devices in the case when the interfaces are homogeneous, showing that very general transformations between physical and electromagnetic space are possible. We are now studying the case of inhomogeneous interfaces. This case is more complex to analyse, but the inhomogeneous interfaces include ideal thin lenses, which gives rise to the hope that it might be possible to construct practical omni-directional TO devices from lenses alone. Here we report on our progress in this direction

AFLP/SSR mapping of resistance genes to Alectra vogelii in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata l. Walp)

The parasite weed Alectra vogelii (Benth) causes significant yield reduction of cowpea in Africa. To find and map the resistance gene to A. vogelii in cowpea, a F2 population from a cross involving a resistant parent IT81D-994 and a susceptible TVX3236 was screened. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) in combination with Single Sequence Repeat (SSR) analysis was used to identify markers that may be linked to the gene Rav3 conferring resistance to A. vogelii in the cowpea cultivar IT81D-994. The analysis of F2 individuals scored for resistance showedthat a single dominant gene conditioned A. vogelii resistance in IT81D-994 with a probability of 30 to 50%. Sixty-six AFLP/SSR markers were identified. Using MAPMAKER, four linkage groups were found. The first group showed 33 markers linked to the susceptible gene. The closest identified marker was 21.4 centimorgans away from the susceptible gene. The primer combination that showed the closest linkage was 809ACG8 (E-ACG 8 + UBC-809). The second group indicated 4 markers linked together while the third and the fourth groups showed 2 markers linkedtogether respectively. No markers were found linked to the resistance gene Rav3 conferring the resistance in the cultivated cowpea cultivar IT81D-994.La plante parasite Alectra vogelii (Benth) provoque une réduction significative du rendement de niébé en Afrique. Pour repérer et cartographier le gène de résistance à A. vogelii, une population F2 issue d’un croisement impliquant le cultivar résistant IT81D-994 et le cultivar sensible TVX3236 a été criblée. La technique Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) en combinaison avec des Séquences Simples Répétés (SSR) a été utilisée pour identifier les marqueurs qui seraient liés au gène Rav3 qui confère la résistance à A. vogelii chez le cultivar de niébé IT81D- 994. L’analyse des individus F2 montrant une résistance indique qu’un seul gène dominant conditionne la résistance à A. vogelii chez IT81D-994 avec une probabilité de 30 à 50 %. Soixante six marqueurs AFLP/SSR ont été identifiés. A l’aide de MAPMAKER, 4 groupes de liaison ont été trouvés. Le premier groupe montre 33 marqueurs liés au gène sensible. Le marqueur le plus proche identifié est à 21.4 centimorgans du gène sensible. La combinaison d’amorces ayant des liaisons les plus proches était 809ACG8 (E-ACG 8 + UBC-809). Le secondgroupe montre 4 marqueurs liés ensemble tandis que le troisième et le quatrième groupe montrent 2 marqueurs liés entre eux respectivement. Aucun marqueur n’a été trouvé lié au gène Rav3 qui confère la résistance au cultivar de niébé cultivé IT81D-994.Key words: Parasite, weeds, legumes, molecular marker

A guided tour of asynchronous cellular automata

Research on asynchronous cellular automata has received a great amount of attention these last years and has turned to a thriving field. We survey the recent research that has been carried out on this topic and present a wide state of the art where computing and modelling issues are both represented.Comment: To appear in the Journal of Cellular Automat

Exploring experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young racially minoritised people in the United Kingdom: A Qualitative Study

Within high-income-countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted people from racially minoritised backgrounds. There has been significant research interrogating the disparate impact of the virus, and recently, interest in the long-term implications of the global crisis on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. However, less work explores the experiences of young people from racialised backgrounds as they navigate the pandemic, and the specific consequences this has for their mental health. Forty young people (age 16-25) from black, mixed and other minority backgrounds and living in London, participated in consecutive focus group discussions over a two-month period, to explore the impact of the pandemic on their lives and emotional wellbeing. Thematic analysis identified seven categories describing the impact of the pandemic, indicating: deepening of existing socioeconomic and emotional challenges; efforts to navigate racism and difference within the response; and survival strategies drawing on communal and individual resources. Young people also articulated visions for a future public health response which addressed gaps in current strategies. Findings point to the need to contextualise public health responses to the pandemic in line with the lived experiences of racialised young people. We specifically note the importance of long-term culturally and socio-politically relevant support interventions. Implications for policy and practice are discusse

Secondary left ventricular injury with haemopericardium caused by a rib fracture after blunt chest trauma

Trauma is the third most common cause of death in the West. In the US, approximately 90,000 deaths annually are traumatic in nature and over 75% of casualties from blunt trauma are due to chest injuries. Cardiac injuries from rib fractures following blunt trauma are extremely rare. We report the unusual case of a patient who fell from a height and presented with haemopericardium and haemothorax as a result of left ventricular and lingular lacerations and was sucessfully operated upon

General Practitioners involvement in enteral tube feeding at home: a qualitative study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Complex medical treatment is moving from hospital to primary care and General Practitioners (GPs) are increasingly asked to undertake new roles. There are now an estimated 19,500 patients being fed in the UK in the community on enteral tube feeding using a variety of different feeding tubes (Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), Jejunostomy, or nasogastric (NG). The majority of patients are over the age of 65 years when they had artificial feeding initiated and mainly because of dysphagia. The aim of this study was to explore GPs knowledge, attitudes and skills relating to enteral feeding in the community.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Semi-structured one-to-one interviews with a convenience sample of GPs in Northern Ireland.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-three GPs in three health boards in Northern Ireland participated in the study. Most found dealing with enteral feeding to be a predominantly negative experience. They had little involvement in patient selection for the procedure and poor or no discharge information. GPs felt inadequately trained, there was poor communication between primary and secondary care and little support. There was anger and frustration among GPs about lack of resources (funding and training), and the perception that primary care was used as a dumping ground.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Moving complex medical treatment from secondary to primary care has major implications for GPs who should be included in the patient selection process, have adequate discharge information about their patients, be adequately resourced and have appropriate support and training.</p

ST3 beta-galactoside alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase 1 (ST3Gal1) synthesis of Siglec ligands mediates anti-tumour immunity in prostate cancer

\ua9 The Author(s) 2024.Immune checkpoint blockade has yet to produce robust anti-cancer responses for prostate cancer. Sialyltransferases have been shown across several solid tumours, including breast, melanoma, colorectal and prostate to promote immune suppression by synthesising sialoglycans, which act as ligands for Siglec receptors. We report that ST3 beta-galactoside alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase 1 (ST3Gal1) levels negatively correlate with androgen signalling in prostate tumours. We demonstrate that ST3Gal1 plays an important role in modulating tumour immune evasion through the synthesises of sialoglycans with the capacity to engage the Siglec-7 and Siglec-9 immunoreceptors preventing immune clearance of cancer cells. Here, we provide evidence of the expression of Siglec-7/9 ligands and their respective immunoreceptors in prostate tumours. These interactions can be modulated by enzalutamide and may maintain immune suppression in enzalutamide treated tumours. We conclude that the activity of ST3Gal1 is critical to prostate cancer anti-tumour immunity and provide rationale for the use of glyco-immune checkpoint targeting therapies in advanced prostate cancer

Asynchronous cellular automata

This text has been proposed for the Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science edited by Springer Nature and should appear in 2018.International audienceThis text is intended as an introduction to the topic of asynchronous cellular automata. We start from the simple example of the Game of Life and examine what happens to this model when it is made asynchronous (Sec. 1). We then formulate our definitions and objectives to give a mathematical description of our topic (Sec. 2). Our journey starts with the examination of the shift rule with fully asynchronous updating and from this simple example, we will progressively explore more and more rules and gain insights on the behaviour of the simplest rules (Sec. 3). As we will meet some obstacles in having a full analytical description of the asynchronous behaviour of these rules, we will turn our attention to the descriptions offered by statistical physics, and more specifically to the phase transition phenomena that occur in a wide range of rules (Sec. 4). To finish this journey, we will discuss the various problems linked to the question of asynchrony (Sec. 5) and present some openings for the readers who wish to go further (Sec. 6)