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We give all solutions of completely multiplicative functions ƒ , g, for which the equation Ag(n + 1) = Bƒ (n) + C holds for every n ∈ ℕ. We also study the equation G(p + 1) = F(p − 1) + D and we prove some results concerning it.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) removal from the atmospheric will be essential if we are to achieve net-zero emissions targets. Direct air capture (DAC) is a CO2 removal method with the potential for large-scale deployment. However, DAC operational costs, and thus deployment potential, is dependent on performance, which can vary under different climate conditions. Here, to further develop our understanding of the impact of regional climate variation on DAC performance, we use high-resolution hourly based global weather profiles between 2016 and 2020 and weighted average capital costs to obtain DAC regional performance and levelized cost of DAC (LCOD). We found that relatively cold and drier regions have favorable DAC performance. Moreover, approximately 25% of the world’s land is potentially unsuitable due to very cold ambient temperatures for a substantial part of the year. For the remaining regions, the estimated LCOD is $320–$540 per tCO2 at an electricity cost of $50 MWh−1. Our results improve the understanding of regional DAC performance, which can provide valuable insights for sustainable DAC deployment and effective climate action.

The aviation industry is responsible for 2.1% of global CO2 emissions and represents 12% of CO2 emissions from all transport sources. Aviation is a particularly difficult sector to decarbonise because alternative fuels are relatively expensive, produce highly distributed greenhouse gas emissions in their production and combustion, and should preferably be compatible with existing aviation infrastructure. Emissions from aviation also include nitrogen oxides (NOx), water vapour, particulates, carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and sulfur oxides (SOx). These have a 2-3 times greater climate change impact than CO2 alone. The non-CO2 emissions of alternative low-carbon aviation fuels can differ significantly from those of kerosene and have not been fully evaluated. Biofuels • Bio-jet fuels are currently the most technologically mature option for low-carbon aviation fuels because some of these feedstocks and processes are already deployed at scale for other uses. • Bio-jet fuels must be blended with kerosene to achieve certification and can then be used with existing aviation infrastructure. This blending proportionally decreases any potential CO2 emission saving. • Bio-jet fuels can be made from a range of feedstocks, which are restricted in the UK to waste materials. UK biofuel feedstock availability is sufficient for only a small proportion of UK aviation fuel demand (

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is caused by hypermethylation of the FMR1 promoter due to the full mutation expansion (full mutation [FM]: CGG ≥ 200 repeats) and silencing of FMR1. Assessment of mosaicism for active-unmethylated alleles has prognostic utility. This study examined relationships between FMR1 methylation in different tissues with FMR1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and intellectual functioning in 87 males with FXS (1.89–43.17 years of age). Methylation sensitive Southern blot (mSB) and Methylation Specific-Quantitative Melt Aanalysis (MS-QMA) were used to examine FMR1 methylation. FMR1 mRNA levels in blood showed strong relationships with FMR1 methylation assessed using MS-QMA in blood (n = 68; R2 = 0.597; p = 1.4 × 10−10) and buccal epithelial cells (BEC) (n = 62; R2 = 0.24; p = 0.003), with these measures also showing relationships with intellectual functioning scores (p < 0.01). However, these relationships were not as strong for mSB, with ~40% of males with only FM alleles that were 100% methylated and non-mosaic by mSB, showing methylation mosaicism by MS-QMA. This was confirmed through presence of detectable levels of FMR1 mRNA in blood. In summary, FMR1 methylation levels in blood and BEC examined by MS-QMA were significantly associated with FMR1 mRNA levels and intellectual functioning in males with FXS. These relationships were not as strong for mSB, which underestimated prevalence of mosaicism.

Background: The total number of (road) traffic accidents in Vietnam remains high and the death toll caused by these accidents also ranks second in Southeast Asia. Many studies elsewhere have shown a positive correlation between the traffic risk perception and the traffic risky behavior (henceforth, referred to as TRP and TRB, respectively, for short) However, this relationship has been relatively under-researched in the context of Vietnam. This study aimed to fulfill the above research gap by investigating the present status of TRP and TRB among Vietnamese people who used motorbikes and/or electric motorbikes for their daily travel as well as the association between these two variables. Methods: This was a cross-sectional quantitative study. Data were collected from a convenient sample of 373 people using motorbikes and electric motorbikes (102 males, 271 females; M age = 25.8) by means of an online questionnaire survey. This questionnaire survey was constructed based on the Risk Perception Scale on traffic risk developed by Ram et al. (2016) as well as an additional question that was to explore the risk behaviors of research participants during their traffic involvement for the last thirty days. Results: TRP indices were found to be higher for women than for men. Young males with extroverted characteristics had higher TRB than old females with introverted characteristics. However, no relationship existed between these two factors in the present study. Conclusion: As the finding of this study turned out to be inconsistent with those of previous research, more empirical studies are still welcome in this area.

The efficient removal of organic refractory pollutants such as dyes and antibiotics in wastewater is crucial for protecting the environment and human health. In this work, a NiCo-layered double hydroxide (NiCo-LDH) with a uniform microspherical, hierarchical structure and a high surface area was successfully synthesized as an effective peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator for the degradation of various organic dyes and antibiotics. The influence of various parameters on the catalytic activity of the NiCo-LDH was determined. Radical scavenger studies unveiled the major reactive oxygen species (ROSs) generated in the NiCo-LDH/PSM system to be

This paper provides a brief overview of the Pile Soil Analysis (PISA) project, recently completed in the UK. The research was aimed at developing new design methods for laterally loaded monopile foundations, such as those supporting offshore wind turbine structures. The paper first describes the background to the project and briefly outlines the key research elements completed. The paper concludes with a brief description of the anticipated impact of the work and describes initiatives that have followed since.

Hot electrons cooling by phonons in GaAs/AlAs cylindrical quantum wire (CQW), under the influence of an intense electromagnetic wave (EMW), is studied theoretically. Analytic expression for the electron cooling power (CP) is derived from the quantum transport equation for phonons, using the Hamiltonian of interacting electron–optical phonon system. Both photon absorption and emission processes are considered. Numerical results show that the CP reaches maximum when the energy difference between electronic subbands equals the energy of an optical phonon plus the photon energy. Under the influence of the EMW, the negative CP is observed showing that electrons gain energy from phonon and photon instead of losing their energy. Also, the CP increases with increasing the EMW amplitude. Our results theoretically clarify the mechanism of the electron cooling process by phonons in the GaAs/AlAs CQW under the EMW, which is of significance for designing and fabricating high-speed nanoelectronic devices based on this material.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is broadly recognised as having the potential to play a key role in meeting climate change targets, delivering low carbon heat and power, decarbonising industry and, more recently, its ability to facilitate the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. However, despite this broad consensus and its technical maturity, CCS has not yet been deployed on a scale commensurate with the ambitions articulated a decade ago. Thus, in this paper we review the current state-of-the-art of CO2 capture, transport, utilisation and storage from a multi-scale perspective, moving from the global to molecular scales. In light of the COP21 commitments to limit warming to less than 2 °C, we extend the remit of this study to include the key negative emissions technologies (NETs) of bioenergy with CCS (BECCS), and direct air capture (DAC). Cognisant of the non-technical barriers to deploying CCS, we reflect on recent experience from the UK's CCS commercialisation programme and consider the commercial and political barriers to the large-scale deployment of CCS. In all areas, we focus on identifying and clearly articulating the key research challenges that could usefully be addressed in the coming decade.

Large flat clathrin plaques are stable features of the plasma membrane associated with sites of strong adhesion suggesting that they could also play a role in force transduction. Here, we analyzed how clathrin plaques interact with the cytoskeleton and how they respond to mechanical cues in skeletal muscle myotubes. We show that branched actin networks surrounding clathrin plaques are directly regulated by dynamin 2, anchor intermediate filaments and sequester YAP at the plasma membrane. Dynamin 2, clathrin and desmin intermediate filaments are all required for basal YAP nucleocytoplasmic distribution and efficient nuclear translocation in response to mechanical stimuli. Dynamin 2 mutations that are responsible for centronuclear myopathy in humans disorganize the desmin network and deregulate YAP signaling both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, clathrin plaques and associated dynamin 2 are defined here as a new sensor conveying mechanical cues and integrate cell signaling with cytoskeletal regulation.

© 2018 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is broadly recognised as having the potential to play a key role in meeting climate change targets, delivering low carbon heat and power, decarbonising industry and, more recently, its ability to facilitate the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. However, despite this broad consensus and its technical maturity, CCS has not yet been deployed on a scale commensurate with the ambitions articulated a decade ago. Thus, in this paper we review the current state-of-the-art of CO2 capture, transport, utilisation and storage from a multi-scale perspective, moving from the global to molecular scales. In light of the COP21 commitments to limit warming to less than 2 °C, we extend the remit of this study to include the key negative emissions technologies (NETs) of bioenergy with CCS (BECCS), and direct air capture (DAC). Cognisant of the non-technical barriers to deploying CCS, we reflect on recent experience from the UK's CCS commercialisation programme and consider the commercial and political barriers to the large-scale deployment of CCS. In all areas, we focus on identifying and clearly articulating the key research challenges that could usefully be addressed in the coming decade.

Scene coordinate regression has become an essential part of current camera re-localization methods. Different versions, such as regression forests and deep learning methods, have been successfully applied to estimate the corresponding camera pose given a single input image. In this work, we propose to regress the scene coordinates pixel-wise for a given RGB image by using deep learning. Compared to the recent methods, which usually employ RANSAC to obtain a robust pose estimate from the established point correspondences, we propose to regress confidences of these correspondences, which allows us to immediately discard erroneous predictions and improve the initial pose estimates. Finally, the resulting confidences can be used to score initial pose hypothesis and aid in pose refinement, offering a generalized solution to solve this task.

In this work, we propose a method for object recognition and pose estimation using convolutional neural networks for robust feature descriptor learning from depth images. Compared to the previous methods solving this problem, which use nearest neighbor search on an estimated descriptor space, we create an efficient multi-task learning framework with direct pose regression. By combining the strengths of manifold learning using triplet loss and regression, we take a step in estimating the pose directly as opposed to relying on nearest neighbor search methods, the complexity of which grows linearly with respect to the number of objects. Furthermore, we conduct a detailed analysis of nearest neighbor search on feature descriptors and regression and show how both components are beneficial to each other. By leveraging the advantages of both manifold learning and regression tasks, we are able to improve the current state-of-the-art for object recognition and pose retrieval.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the differences across occupational groups related to their end-of-life care-specific educational needs and reported intensity of interprofessional collaboration in long-term care (LTC) homes.METHODS: A cross-sectional survey, based on two questionnaires, was administered at four LTC homes in Ontario, Canada using a modified Dilman's approach. The first questionnaire, End of Life Professional Caregiver Survey, included three domains: patients and family-centered communication, cultural and ethical values, effective care delivery. The Intensity of Interprofessional Collaboration Scale included two subscales: care sharing activities, and interprofessional coordination. In total, 697 LTC staff were given surveys, including personal support workers, support staff (housekeeping, kitchen, recreation, laundry, dietician aids, office staff), and registered staff (licensed nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, pharmacists, physicians).RESULTS: A total of 317 participants completed the survey (126 personal support workers, 109 support staff, 82 registered staff) for a response rate of 45%. Significant differences emerged among occupational groups across all scales and subscales. Specifically, support staff rated their comfort of working with dying patients significantly lower than both nurses and PSWs. Support staff also reported significantly lower ratings of care sharing activities and interprofessional coordination compared to both registered staff and personal support workers.CONCLUSIONS: These study findings suggest there are differing educational needs and sense of interprofessional collaboration among LTC staff, specific to discipline group. Both the personal support workers and support staff groups appeared to have higher needs for education; support staff also reported higher needs related to integration on the interdisciplinary team. Efforts to build capacity within support staff related to working with dying residents and their families are needed. Optimal palliative care may require resources to increase the availability of support for all staff involved in the care of patients.

Genetic variations, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in microRNAs (miRNA) or in the miRNA binding sites may affect the miRNA dependent gene expression regulation, which has been implicated in various cancers, including breast cancer, and may alter individual susceptibility to cancer. We investigated associations between miRNA related SNPs and breast cancer risk. First we evaluated 2,196 SNPs in a case-control study combining nine genome wide association studies (GWAS). Second, we further investigated 42 SNPs with suggestive evidence for association using 41,785 cases and 41,880 controls from 41 studies included in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). Combining the GWAS and BCAC data within a meta-analysis, we estimated main effects on breast cancer risk as well as risks for estrogen receptor (ER) and age defined subgroups. Five miRNA binding site SNPs associated significantly with breast cancer risk: rs1045494 (odds ratio (OR) 0.92; 95 confidence interval (CI): 0.88-0.96), rs1052532 (OR 0.97; 95 CI: 0.95-0.99), rs10719 (OR 0.97; 95 Cl: 0.94-0.99), rs4687554 (OR 0.97; 95 CI: 0.95-0.99, and rs3134615 (OR 1.03; 95 CI: 1.01 -1.05) located in the 3' UTR of CASP8, HDDC3, DROSHA, MUSTN1, and MYCL1, respectively. DROSHA belongs to miRNA machinery genes and has a central role in initial miRNA processing. The remaining genes are involved in different molecular functions, including apoptosis and gene expression regulation. Further studies are warranted to elucidate whether the miRNA binding site SNPs are the causative variants for the observed risk effects. This is an open-access article free of all copyright.

The development of integrated solutions made of systems based on different technologies, adopting different implementation approaches and different versions is a complex challenge. The lack of standards or differences in implementations when they exist, are important obstacles to the construction of integrated, flexible and agile solutions. The incorporation of systems from different vendors and systems that evolve to answer innovation processes, suggests the advantage for a multi-technology systems strategy. This paper discusses the ITSIBus approach based on, a multi-technology service oriented infrastructure where specialized pluggable systems run services following a peer to peer architecture. The multi-technology approach is based on the discussed System Broker concept. The agility required by a crescent number of collaborative business process requires an advanced flexibility from the ICT technological infrastructure. The ITSIBus approach is also discussed as a grounding platform to support enterprise collaborative networks considering that services in different companies are based on different technologies.

Both business and consumer applications increasingly depend on cloud solutions. Yet, many are still reluctant to move to cloud-based solutions, mainly due to concerns of service quality and reliability. Since cloud platforms depend both on IT resources (located in data centers, DCs) and network infrastructure connecting to it, both QoS and resilience should be offered with end-to-end guarantees up to and including the server resources. The latter currently is largely impeded by the fact that the network and cloud DC domains are typically operated by disjoint entities. Network virtualization, together with combined control of network and IT resources can solve that problem. Here, we formally state the combined network and IT provisioning problem for a set of virtual networks, incorporating resilience as well as QoS in physical and virtual layers. We provide a scalable column generation model, to address real world network sizes. We analyze the latter in extensive case studies, to answer the question at which layer to provision QoS and resilience in virtual networks for cloud services.

Adsorption is a reliable process technology that has been in use since the 1960s for gas separation applications. Since the mid 90s, interest has grown around CO2 emissions abatement with adsorption being one of the first technologies considered. There has since been significant research and development on both the materials science, and engineering aspects of adsorption for CO2 capture. Adsorbents with extensive histories such as zeolites, activated carbons, and layered double hydroxides have experienced resurgences, and novel adsorbents such as metal–organic frameworks and microporous organic polymers were conceived. Adsorption-based separations are cyclic processes, and methods to improve the attainable purity and recovery of the CO2 have also been investigated; this work has shown that 90%mol recovery and 95%mol purity are possible for post-combustion capture. Work is also underway to improve the throughput of gas–solid contacting devices as a form of process intensification, which is required for high volumetric flow rate applications. Although there are still some concerns around the stability of some adsorbents to impurities, there have been meaningful and significant advancements over the last 20–25 years. These have made adsorption a viable technology for carbon capture applications.