Dispersion Interactions and Vibrational Effects in Ice as a Function of Pressure: A First Principles Study

We present a first principles theoretical framework that accurately accounts for several properties of ice, over a wide pressure range. In particular, we show that, by using a recently developed nonlocal van der Waals functional and by taking into account hydrogen zero point motion, one can properly describe the zero temperature equation of state, the vibrational spectra, and the dielectric properties of ice at low pressure and of ice VIII, a stable phase between 2 and 60 GPa. While semilocal density functionals yield a transition pressure from ice XI to VIII that is overestimated by almost an order of magnitude, we find good agreement with experiments when dispersion forces are taken into account. Zero point energy contributions do not alter the computed transition pressure, but they affect structural properties, including equilibrium volumes and bulk moduli

Presenting dynamic information on mobile computers

A problem with mobile computing devices is the output of dynamic information owing to their small screens. This paper describes an experiment to investigate the use of non-speech sounds to present dynamic information without using visual display space. Results showed that non-speech sound could be used in a simple share-dealing scenario to present a “sound graph” of share prices. This allowed participants to reduce the workload they had to invest in share-price monitoring as they could listen to the graph whilst they worked in a share accumulation window

Historic landmarks in clinical transplantation: Conclusions from the consensus conference at the University of California, Los Angeles

The transplantation of organs, cells, and tissues has burgeoned during the last quarter century, with the development of multiple new specialty fields. However, the basic principles that made this possible were established over a three-decade period, beginning during World War II and ending in 1974. At the historical consensus conference held at UCLA in March 1999, 11 early workers in the basic science or clinical practice of transplantation (or both) reached agreement on the most significant contribution of this era that ultimately made transplantation the robust clinical discipline it is today. These discoveries and achievements are summarized here is six tables and annotated with references

Continuous relaxation of MINLP problems by penalty functions: a practical comparison

A practical comparison of penalty functions for globally solving mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problems is presented. The penalty approach relies on the continuous relaxation of the MINLP problem by adding a specific penalty term to the objective function. A new penalty algorithm that addresses simultaneously the reduction of the error tolerances for optimality and feasibility, as well as the reduction of the penalty parameter, is designed. Several penalty terms are tested and different penalty parameter update schemes are analyzed. The continuous nonlinear optimization problem is solved by the deterministic DIRECT optimizer. The numerical experiments show that the quality of the produced solutions are satisfactory and that the selected penalties have different performances in terms of efficiency and robustness.This work has been supported by COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, within the projects UID/CEC/00319/2013 and UID/MAT/00013/2013.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prognostic value of lymph node ratio and extramural vascular invasion on survival for patients undergoing curative colon cancer resection

There was no study funding. We are grateful to Tony Rafferty (Tailored Information for the People of Scotland, TIPs) for providing survival data.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Guidance for laboratories performing molecular pathology for cancer patients

Molecular testing is becoming an important part of the diagnosis of any patient with cancer. The challenge to laboratories is to meet this need, using reliable methods and processes to ensure that patients receive a timely and accurate report on which their treatment will be based. The aim of this paper is to provide minimum requirements for the management of molecular pathology laboratories. This general guidance should be augmented by the specific guidance available for different tumour types and tests. Preanalytical considerations are important, and careful consideration of the way in which specimens are obtained and reach the laboratory is necessary. Sample receipt and handling follow standard operating procedures, but some alterations may be necessary if molecular testing is to be performed, for instance to control tissue fixation. DNA and RNA extraction can be standardised and should be checked for quality and quantity of output on a regular basis. The choice of analytical method(s) depends on clinical requirements, desired turnaround time, and expertise available. Internal quality control, regular internal audit of the whole testing process, laboratory accreditation, and continual participation in external quality assessment schemes are prerequisites for delivery of a reliable service. A molecular pathology report should accurately convey the information the clinician needs to treat the patient with sufficient information to allow for correct interpretation of the result. Molecular pathology is developing rapidly, and further detailed evidence-based recommendations are required for many of the topics covered here

PEXO : a global modeling framework for nanosecond timing, microsecond astrometry, and μm/s radial velocities

54 pages, 2 tables, 19 figures, accepted for publication in ApJS, PEXO is available at https://github.com/phillippro/pexoThe ability to make independent detections of the signatures of exoplanets with complementary telescopes and instruments brings a new potential for robust identification of exoplanets and precision characterization. We introduce PEXO, a package for Precise EXOplanetology to facilitate the efficient modeling of timing, astrometry, and radial velocity data, which will benefit not only exoplanet science but also various astrophysical studies in general. PEXO is general enough to account for binary motion and stellar reflex motions induced by planetary companions and is precise enough to treat various relativistic effects both in the solar system and in the target system. We also model the post-Newtonian barycentric motion for future tests of general relativity in extrasolar systems. We benchmark PEXO with the pulsar timing package TEMPO2 and find that PEXO produces numerically similar results with timing precision of about 1 ns, space-based astrometry to a precision of 1{\mu}as, and radial velocity of 1 {\mu}m/s and improves on TEMPO2 for decade-long timing data of nearby targets, due to its consideration of third-order terms of Roemer delay. PEXO is able to avoid the bias introduced by decoupling the target system and the solar system and to account for the atmospheric effects which set a practical limit for ground-based radial velocities close to 1 cm/s. Considering the various caveats in barycentric correction and ancillary data required to realize cm/s modeling, we recommend the preservation of original observational data. The PEXO modeling package is available at GitHub (https://github.com/phillippro/pexo).Peer reviewe

The Seeker

This book is dedicated to acknowledge and honour the work Prof John P Keeves. A seeker of knowledge, John is exemplary in highlighting the nexus between instruction, learning and research. John’s diversity of learning experiences and contributions to students, colleagues and the broader community are highlighted through the broad range of articles in the book. PART 1 FROM SCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY Chapter 1 Observations from a Family Perspective by John S. Keeves & Wendy Keech Chapter 2 Student Days at PAC by Ren Potts Chapter 3 Prince Alfred College 1934-1977 by Murray Thompson & Alan Dennis Chapter 4 John’s Reflection of PAC and beyond by Ron Gibbs & Murray Thompson Chapter 5 Teaching Days at PAC 1947-49, 52-56, 58-61 by David Prest Chapter 6 Wesley College Council by David Prest Chapter 7 Port Willunga by David Prest Chapter 8 Teacher and Scout Leader by John Willoughby PART 2 CONTRIBUTIONS AND COLLABORATIONS BEYOND AUSTRALIA Chapter 9 Ten Questions by which to Judge the Soundness of Educational Achievement Surveys by T. Neville Postlethwaite Chapter 10 Exploring the Effects of Language Proficiency upon Secondary Students’ Performance in Mathematics in a Developing Context by Sarah J Howie & Tjeerd Plomp Chapter 11 The Subversive Influence of Formative Assessment by Paul Black Chapter 12 Diversity of Research on Teaching by Toh Kok Aun PART 3 FLINDERS UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION AND BEYOND Chapter 13 Investigating Good Quality Knowledge about Learning and Teaching by Michael J. Lawson & Helen Askell-Williams Chapter 14 Future Directions for the Reform of Education in Oceania by G R (Bob) Teasdale Chapter 15 Students’ Knowledge of Normal Swallowing: Tracking Growth and Determining Variables by Ingrid Scholten Chapter 16 Rasch Scaling and the Judging of Produce by Murray Thompson Chapter 17 Modelling and Experiments by Tony Gibbons Chapter 18 Theological Education and the Identity of the Uniting Church in Australia by Andrew Dutney Chapter 19 Teaching Out of the Unconscious: The Role of Shadow and Archetype by Robert Matthews Chapter 20 Collaboration over the Net: HTML & Java, the Necessary Tools by Sivakumar Alagumalai & Jury Mohyla Chapter 21 Factors Influencing Reading Achievement in Germany and Finland: Evidence from PISA 2000 by Dieter Kotte & Petra Lietz Epilogue Lifelong Learning and the Place for ICT: Learning and Research for the Twenty-first Century by John P. Keeveshttps://research.acer.edu.au/saier/1014/thumbnail.jp