Exact and approximate boundary data interpolation in the finite element method

Matching boundary data exactly in an elliptic problem avoids one of Strang's "variational crimes". (Strang and Fix (1973)). Supporting numerical evidence for this procedure is given by Marshall and Mitchell (1973), who considered the solution of Laplace's equation with Dirichlet boundary data by bilinear elements over squares and measured the errors in the L2 norm. Then Marshall and Mitchell (1978) obtained some surprising results: for certain triangular elements, matching the boundary data exactly produced worse results than the usual procedure of interpolating the boundary data

The structure of tagetitoxin

Based on detailed analysis of newly acquired NMR data, we show that the previously revised structure of tagetitoxin is incorrect. A new structure of tagetitoxin is proposed which is consistent with the NMR and MS data

Fathers of people with an intellectual disability : a review of the literature

The aim of this paper is to review the literature related to fathers of people who have an intellectual disability. Electronic databases and citation tracking were used to collate data using key terms such as fathers, adults with an intellectual disability, learning disability, mental handicap and developmental disability. Relevant articles were analysed and compared for commonality and difference. Eight themes emerged from the literature: response to diagnosis; varied response to intellectual disability; concern for the future; work; roles and relationships; impact of fathers upon child development; fathers and service providers; fathers’ needs and coping strategies. This review of the literature presents areas of similarity and divergence, and highlights the lack of information that relates specifically to fathers of adults. There are clear messages to service providers to support the inclusion of fathers and the need for further research in this area is indicated

A path-oriented encoding evolutionary algorithm for network coding resource minimization

Network coding is an emerging telecommunication technique, where any intermediate node is allowed to recombine incoming data if necessary. This technique helps to increase the throughput, however, very likely at the cost of huge amount of computational overhead, due to the packet recombination performed (ie coding operations). Hence, it is of practical importance to reduce coding operations while retaining the benefits that network coding brings to us. In this paper, we propose a novel evolutionary algorithm (EA) to minimize the amount of coding operations involved. Different from the state-of-the-art EAs which all use binary encodings for the problem, our EA is based on path-oriented encoding. In this new encoding scheme, each chromosome is represented by a union of paths originating from the source and terminating at one of the receivers. Employing path-oriented encoding leads to a search space where all solutions are feasible, which fundamentally facilitates more efficient search of EAs. Based on the new encoding, we develop three basic operators, that is, initialization, crossover and mutation. In addition, we design a local search operator to improve the solution quality and hence the performance of our EA. The simulation results demonstrate that our EA significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of global exploration and computational time

Using Electronic Technology to Improve Clinical Care -- Results from a Before-after Cluster Trial to Evaluate Assessment and Classification of Sick Children According to Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) Protocol in Tanzania.

Poor adherence to the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) protocol reduces the potential impact on under-five morbidity and mortality. Electronic technology could improve adherence; however there are few studies demonstrating the benefits of such technology in a resource-poor settings. This study estimates the impact of electronic technology on adherence to the IMCI protocols as compared to the current paper-based protocols in Tanzania. In four districts in Tanzania, 18 clinics were randomly selected for inclusion. At each site, observers documented critical parts of the clinical assessment of children aged 2 months to 5 years. The first set of observations occurred during examination of children using paper-based IMCI (pIMCI) and the next set of observations occurred during examination using the electronic IMCI (eIMCI). Children were re-examined by an IMCI expert and the diagnoses were compared. A total of 1221 children (671 paper, 550 electronic) were observed. For all ten critical IMCI items included in both systems, adherence to the protocol was greater for eIMCI than for pIMCI. The proportion assessed under pIMCI ranged from 61% to 98% compared to 92% to 100% under eIMCI (p < 0.05 for each of the ten assessment items). Use of electronic systems improved the completeness of assessment of children with acute illness in Tanzania. With the before-after nature of the design, potential for temporal confounding is the primary limitation. However, the data collection for both phases occurred over a short period (one month) and so temporal confounding was expected to be minimal. The results suggest that the use of electronic IMCI protocols can improve the completeness and consistency of clinical assessments and future studies will examine the long-term health and health systems impact of eIMCI

Pathological and ecological host consequences of infection by an introduced fish parasite

The infection consequences of the introduced cestode fish parasite Bothriocephalus acheilognathi were studied in a cohort of wild, young-of-the-year common carp Cyprinus carpio that lacked co-evolution with the parasite. Within the cohort, parasite prevalence was 42% and parasite burdens were up to 12% body weight. Pathological changes within the intestinal tract of parasitized carp included distension of the gut wall, epithelial compression and degeneration, pressure necrosis and varied inflammatory changes. These were most pronounced in regions containing the largest proportion of mature proglottids. Although the body lengths of parasitized and non-parasitized fish were not significantly different, parasitized fish were of lower body condition and reduced weight compared to non-parasitized conspecifics. Stable isotope analysis (δ15N and δ13C) revealed trophic impacts associated with infection, particularly for δ15N where values for parasitized fish were significantly reduced as their parasite burden increased. In a controlled aquarium environment where the fish were fed ad libitum on an identical food source, there was no significant difference in values of δ15N and δ13C between parasitized and non-parasitized fish. The growth consequences remained, however, with parasitized fish growing significantly slower than non-parasitized fish, with their feeding rate (items s−1) also significantly lower. Thus, infection by an introduced parasite had multiple pathological, ecological and trophic impacts on a host with no experience of the parasite

Are people who participate in cultural activities more satisfied with life?

The influence of various aspects of life on wellbeing has been extensively researched. However, despite little empirical evidence, participation in leisure activities has been assumed to increase subjective wellbeing. Leisure is important because it is more under personal control than other sources of life satisfaction. This study asked whether people who participate in cultural leisure activities have higher life satisfaction than people who do not, if different types of leisure have the same influence on life satisfaction and if satisfaction is dependent on the frequency of participation or the number of activities undertaken. It used data from UKHLS Survey to establish associations between type, number and frequency of participation in leisure activities and life satisfaction. Results showed an independent and positive association of participation in sport, heritage and active-creative leisure activities and life satisfaction but not for participation in popular entertainment, theatre hobbies and museum/galleries. The association of reading hobbies and sedentary-creative activities and life satisfaction was negative. High life satisfaction was associated with engaging in a number of different activities rather than the frequency of participation in each of them. The results have implications for policy makers and leisure services providers, in particular those associated with heritage recreation. Subjective wellbeing measures, such as life satisfaction, and not economic measures alone should be considered in the evaluation of services. The promotion of leisure activities which are active and promote social interaction should be considered in programmes aimed at improving the quality of life

Shedding Light Onto the Nature of Iron Decorated Graphene and Graphite Oxide Nanohybrids for CO₂ Conversion at Atmospheric Pressure

We report on the design and testing of new graphite and graphene oxide‐based extended π‐conjugated synthetic scaffolds for applications in sustainable chemistry transformations. Nanoparticle‐functionalised carbonaceous catalysts for new Fischer Tropsch and Reverse GasWater Shift (RGWS) transformations were prepared: functional graphene oxides emerged from graphite powders via an adapted Hummer's method and subsequently impregnated with uniform‐sized nanoparticles. Then the resulting nanomaterials were imaged by TEM, SEM, EDX, AFM and characterised by IR, XPS and Raman spectroscopies prior to incorporation of Pd(II) promoters and further microscopic and spectroscopic analysis. Newly synthesised 2D and 3D layered nanostructures incorporating carbon‐supported iron oxide nanoparticulate pre‐catalysts were tested, upon hydrogen reduction in situ, for the conversion of CO2 to CO as well as for the selective formation of CH4 and longer chain hydrocarbons. The reduction reaction was also carried out and the catalytic species isolated and fully characterised. The catalytic activity of a graphene oxide‐supported iron oxide pre‐catalyst converted CO2 into hydrocarbons at different temperatures (305, 335, 370 and 405 °C), and its activity compared well with that of the analogues supported on graphite oxide, the 3‐dimensional material precursor to the graphene oxide. Investigation into the use of graphene oxide as a framework for catalysis showed that it has promising activity with respect to reverse gas water shift (RWGS) reaction of CO2 to CO, even at the low levels of catalyst used and under the rather mild conditions employed at atmospheric pressure. Whilst the γ‐Fe2O3 decorated graphene oxide‐based pre‐catalyst displays fairly constant activity up to 405 °C, it was found by GC‐MS analysis to be unstable with respect to decomposition at higher temperatures. The addition of palladium as a promoter increased the activity of the iron functionalised graphite oxide in the RWGS. The activity of graphene oxide supported catalysts was found to be enhanced with respect to that of iron‐functionalised graphite oxide with, or without palladium as a promoter, and comparable to that of Fe@carbon nanotube‐based systems tested under analogous conditions. These results display a significant step forward for the catalytic activity estimations for the iron functionalised and rapidly processable and scalable graphene oxide. The hereby investigated phenomena are of particular relevance for the understanding of the intimate surface morphologies and the potential role of non‐covalent interactions in the iron oxide‐graphene oxide networks, which could inform the design of nano‐materials with performance in future sustainable catalysis applications

The cigarette box as an advertising vehicle in the UK : a case for plain packaging

This research aimed to study tobacco advertising between 1950-2003 and to evaluate the role of the cigarette box in advertising. Tobacco company advertisements (n = 204) were coded for content and meanings used to promote their product. There was a significant shift from cigarettes being displayed to the cigarette box only. Changes in advertising and the meanings evoked were unrelated to changes in smoking behaviour. It is argued that the cigarette box has absorbed the meanings associated with smoking and has become an effective vehicle for advertising. It is also argued that this can only be minimised with plain packaging