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The ageing, the immature and the ageless : Juliette Binocheβs midlife roles since 2010
No full textBattery configuration dependence to power line communication using high-order quadrature amplitude modulation
Get PDFPower line communication (PLC) within future smart batteries facilitates the communication of high fidelity sensor data between smart cells and external systems, with application areas including intelligent vehicles and smart grids. This interconnected PLC system of smart cells will enhance cell utilisation and safety through cell-to-cell coordination at a system level, leveraging the existing bus bar within the battery and eliminating the need for additional wire harnesses. This paper studies the performance of a PLC system operating at carrier frequencies of 10 MHz to 6 GHz within four distinct configurations of lithium-ion batteries. This assessment focuses on changes in scattering parameters and data transmission error ratios. Furthermore, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) orders of up to 1024 are investigated for their viability within such environments. The results indicate that the addition of cells in parallel increases error ratios with high-order QAM, and that this effect varies substantially with carrier frequency. Using QAM increases data throughput, allowing for data transfers within large-scale battery systems without PLC bus bandwidth saturation. A prospective centre frequency of 3650 MHz allows for a wide bandwidth of 300 MHz and 1024-QAM with little signal attenuation and data error. At this frequency, the need for signal repeaters and higher signal output power is reduced. These results are used to determine the most suitable arrangement of cells within a smart battery with consideration of the PLC performance. The preliminary performance of a large-scale battery system with PLC in-situ could be derived from the findings in this research based upon the four battery configurations tested
PDMP Monte Carlo methods for piecewise-smooth densities
No full textThere has been substantial interest in developing Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms based on piecewise-deterministic Markov processes. However existing algorithms can only be used if the target distribution of interest is differentiable everywhere. The key to adapting these algorithms so that they can sample from densities with discontinuities is defining appropriate dynamics for the process when it hits a discontinuity. We present a simple condition for the transition of the process at a discontinuity which can be used to extend any existing sampler for smooth densities, and give specific choices for this transition which work with popular algorithms such as the Bouncy Particle Sampler, the Coordinate Sampler and the Zig-Zag Process. Our theoretical results extend and make rigorous arguments that have been presented previously, for instance constructing samplers for continuous densities restricted to a bounded domain, and we present a version of the Zig-Zag Process that can work in such a scenario. Our novel approach to deriving the invariant distribution of a piecewise-deterministic Markov process with boundaries may be of independent interest
Sertraline for anxiety in adults with a diagnosis of autism (STRATA) : study protocol for a pragmatic, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised controlled trial
Get PDFBackground: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed to manage anxiety in adults with an autism diagnosis. However, their effectiveness and adverse effect profile in the autistic population are not well known. This trial aims to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the SSRI sertraline in reducing symptoms of anxiety and improving quality of life in adults with a diagnosis of autism compared with placebo and to quantify any adverse effects. Methods: STRATA is a two-parallel group, multi-centre, pragmatic, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial with allocation at the level of the individual. It will be delivered through recruiting sites with autism services in 4 regional centres in the United Kingdom (UK) and 1 in Australia. Adults with an autism diagnosis and a Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) score β₯ 10 at screening will be randomised 1:1 to either 25 mg sertraline or placebo, with subsequent flexible dose titration up to 200 mg. The primary outcome is GAD-7 scores at 16 weeks post-randomisation. Secondary outcomes include adverse effects, proportionate change in GAD-7 scores including 50% reduction, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, panic attacks, repetitive behaviours, meltdowns, depressive symptoms, composite depression and anxiety, functioning and disability and quality of life. Carer burden will be assessed in a linked carer sub-study. Outcome data will be collected using online/paper methods via video call, face-to-face or telephone according to participant preference at 16, 24 and 52 weeks post-randomisation, with brief safety checks and data collection at 1β2, 4, 8, 12 and 36 weeks. An economic evaluation to study the cost-effectiveness of sertraline vs placebo and a QuinteT Recruitment Intervention (QRI) to optimise recruitment and informed consent are embedded within the trial. Qualitative interviews at various times during the study will explore experiences of participating and taking the trial medication. Discussion: Results from this study should help autistic adults and their clinicians make evidence-based decisions on the use of sertraline for managing anxiety in this population. Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN15984604. Registered on 08 February 2021. EudraCT 2019-004312-66. ANZCTR ACTRN12621000801819. Registered on 07 April 2021
Psychology student evaluation of a third year option module delivered online during COVID-19
Get PDFContext and Objectives:
This study aims to describe studentsβ evaluation of an adaptation of a third year Psychology option module at a UK University designed for face-to-face delivery. The module was required to be delivered exclusively online owing to suspension of in person teaching as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
Student feedback was collected via an online module evaluation survey following completion of the module.
Results:
The module was well received overall; Students provided more positive than negative comments. Thematic groupings in positive and negative comments showed students liked the structure and organisation of the module, including interactive activities and being able to work in a flexible manner at their own pace. They disliked the volume of material, describing it as too much.
Conclusions:
Maintaining a structured approach, incorporating interactive activities and clearly setting student expectations regarding practical learning hours are important considerations for future teaching strategy beyond the pandemic
The pro-k-solvable topology on a free group
No full textWe prove that, given a finitely generated subgroup H of a free group F, the following questions are decidable: is H closed (dense) in F for the pro-(met)abelian topology? Is the closure of H in F for the pro-(met)abelian topology finitely generated? We show also that if the latter question has a positive answer, then we can effectively construct a basis for the closure, and the closure has decidable membership problem in any case. Moreover, it is decidable whether H is closed for the pro- V
topology when V
is an equational pseudovariety of finite groups, such as the pseudovariety Sk
of all finite solvable groups with derived length β€k
. We also connect the pro-abelian topology with the topologies defined by abelian groups of bounded exponent
In vitro PK/PD modeling of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in nonβsmall cell lung cancer cell lines
No full textTyrosine Kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are routinely prescribed for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As with all medications, patients can experience adverse events due to TKIs. Unfortunately, the relationship between many TKIs and the occurrence of certain adverse events remains unclear. There are limited in-vivo studies which focus on TKIs and their effects on different regulation pathways. Many in-vitro studies, however, that investigate the effects of TKIs observe additional changes such as changes in gene activations or protein expressions. These studies could potentially help to gain greater understanding of the mechanisms for TKI induced adverse events. However, in order to utilise these pathways in a pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) framework, an in-vitro PK/PD model needs to be developed, in order to characterise the effects of TKIs in NSCLC cell lines. Through the use of ordinary differential equations, cell viability data and non-linear mixed effects modelling, an in-vitro TKI PK/PD model was developed with estimated PK and PD parameter values for the TKIs alectinib, crizotinib, erlotinib and gefitinib. The relative standard errors (R.S.E) for the population parameters are all less than 25. The inclusion of random effects enabled the model to predict individual parameter values which provided a closer fit to the observed response. It is hoped that this model can be extended to include in-vitro data of certain pathways that may potentially be linked with adverse events and provide a better understanding to of TKI induced adverse events
Shuttle diplomacy
Get PDFIn practice mediation operates through shuttle diplomacy: the mediator goes back and forth between parties, meeting them in private. We model shuttle diplomacy as a dynamic procedure. The mediator helps each party to gradually discover (privately) her value from settlement and re-assess her bargaining position, while also proposing the terms of the deal. We show that shuttle diplomacy always allows parties to achieve an ex-post efficient final settlement. In contrast, this is not possible with a static mediation procedure. In addition, if parties have symmetric prior value distributions, shuttle diplomacy guarantees a fair split of the social value from settlement
Fingering of a cavitation bubble in a thin gap : ejection of the reversed boundary layer into the bulk flow
Get PDFThe flow around a bubble, precipitously expanding in a thin gap between flat walls, was found to have a peculiar feature: distinct fingering occurs at the bubble wall, which was observed through the ultra-high speed optical visualization. The effect is attributed to the reversal of the flow within boundary layers, which provokes the growth of instabilities at the inflection point and, when the surface tension is low enough (the local Weber number is high enough), leads to the fingering. In this paper, we show the high speed recordings of the fingering and model the evolution of the radial velocity to quantitatively confirm feasibility of the proposed instability mechanism