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The phytochemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oils of Diphasia klaineana at different developmental stages (pre-flowering and fruit set) were reported. The essential oils were extracted by continuous hydro distillation and their antibacterial activities were tested against Staphyloccocus aureus ATCC 25923. The yield of oil (w/w %) of stems in different stages was in the order: pre-flowering (0.21 %) > fruit set (0.07 %). GC and GC/MS were analyzed the essential oils composition. In total, 35 and 34 constituents were identified and quantified in the mentioned samples, respectively. Monoterpene hydrocarbons were the main group of compounds in the stems during preflowering (42.40 %) and fruit set (56.15 %). Major compounds at pre-flowering were β-elemol, sabinene, guaiol and terpinen-4-ol. The antibacterial effect of essential oils was estimated by the disk diffusion method using Müller–Hinton agar and the measurement of diameters of inhibition zones. The bioassay results showed some variations between the two tested oils in their inhibitory activity against the tested bacteria at 10 µL. The essential oils from Diphasia klaineana stems at pre-flowering exhibited potent antibacterial activity against Staphyloccocus aureus ATCC 25923, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 25 mg/mL, while the stems essential oil at fruit set had no activity.

WOS:000613461600006 PubMed ID: 32926494 Objectives To evaluate the maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnancies affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods This was a multinational retrospective cohort study including women with a singleton pregnancy and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, conducted in 72 centers in 22 different countries in Europe, the USA, South America, Asia and Australia, between 1 February 2020 and 30 April 2020. Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was defined as a positive result on real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay of nasopharyngeal swab specimens. The primary outcome was a composite measure of maternal mortality and morbidity, including admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), use of mechanical ventilation and death. Results In total, 388 women with a singleton pregnancy tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on RT-PCR of a nasopharyngeal swab and were included in the study. Composite adverse maternal outcome was observed in 47/388 (12.1%) women; 43 (11.1%) women were admitted to the ICU, 36 (9.3%) required mechanical ventilation and three (0.8%) died. Of the 388 women included in the study, 122 (31.4%) were still pregnant at the time of data analysis. Among the other 266 women, six (19.4% of the 31 women with first-trimester infection) had miscarriage, three (1.1%) had termination of pregnancy, six (2.3%) had stillbirth and 251 (94.4%) delivered a liveborn infant. The rate of preterm birth before 37 weeks' gestation was 26.3% (70/266). Of the 251 liveborn infants, 69/251(27.5%) were admitted to the neonatal ICU, and there were five (2.0%) neonatal deaths. The overall rate of perinatal death was 4.1% (11/266). Only one (1/251, 0.4%) infant, born to a mother who tested positive during the third trimester, was found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 on RT-PCR. Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women is associated with a 0.8% rate of maternal mortality, but an 11.1% rate of admission to the ICU. The risk of vertical transmission seems to be negligible. (C) 2020 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Applications of three-dimensional printing (3DP) to sand casting have been well-established in the last two decades. The preferred raw material is silica (quartz) sand, as it is the most readily available and cost effective sand. However, silica sand as a refractory material has some technical limitations, including high thermal linear expansion, low refractoriness, and thermal conductivity. Therefore, it is not suitable for all castings. Other refractory sand types are available, including chromite sand, which is abundantly available in South Africa. Analysis of the physical and chemical properties of in-laboratory coating of a locally available chromite sand was conducted through known metal foundry tests that provide an understanding of the quality and suitability of the use of chromite sand as a potential substitute for silica material for rapid sand-casting applications. The results of this study will inform the industry about the optimisation of parameters for the manufacturing of a resin-coated chromite sand and its use in additive manufacturing using a Voxeljet VX 1000 printer.

Purpose This study aims to synthesise the available literature on the phenomenon of infanticide within the context of postpartum psychosis from a novel perspective using critical interpretive synthesis (CIS). The study placed its focus on the environmental aspects involved in the phenomenon of postpartum psychosis where the outcome was infanticide, as well as the chosen method of inflicting death. Design/methodology/approach CIS is a reviewing method that synthesises existing literature into a coherent frame with the exploration of literature at its core. CIS results in a natural critique of the body of literature and was critical to the study and its findings. The study ultimately found five synthetic constructs related to environmental aspects and method of inflicting death. Findings These included prior psychiatric history and care, demographics of perpetrators, perceptions on motherhood, profile on victims such as age and the method of death and, finally, the presence of “warning behaviour”. Reflections on the current state of the literature formed an important part of the study and enabled the authors to make recommendations for future research. Research limitations/implications The age of the literature acts as a limitation to the study, there is a need for updated to research to inform our current historical context. In addition, most of the included studies was based in developed countries which may impact on generalisability. The aim of he study was not to include an exhaustive body of literature, thus other relevant literature may have not been included. Some included studies did not solely focus on the concept of infanticide within the context of postpartum psychosis. Although efforts were made to ensure rigour, it is accepted that different researchers may come to different conclusion in inherently qualitative means of enquiry such as CIS. These included prior psychiatric history and care, demographics of perpetrators, perceptions on motherhood, profile on victims such as age and the method of death and, finally, the presence of “warning behaviour”. Reflections on the current state of the literature formed an important part of the study and enabled the authors to make recommendations for future research. Originality/value The study has not been published previously and all sources are credited. This study made a contribution by indicating important misconceptions about motherhood and the demography associated with infanticide in postpartum psychosis. It also highlighted the need for updated empirical research that may have implications for policy and practice

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) of the family Steinernematidae are effective biological control agents against important pest insects. The in vitro liquid culture method of mass production is used to produce EPNs of high quantity, quality and with reduced cost by upscaling. The first step in liquid mass production is the use of shake flasks to obtain monoxenic infective juvenile (IJ) inoculum for optimisation purposes, followed by upscaling to a desktop fermenter. This study was undertaken to assess the impact of the addition of agar and glucose to the culture medium, as well as assessing the impact of bacterial cell density inoculum on IJ recovery and yield. Steinernema jeffreyense was cultured in 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks, with the mutualistic bacterium Xenorhabdus khoisanae. In this study the impact of four different agar and glucose concentrations showed negligible impact on nematode recovery and yield. Different initial bacterial inoculum densities inoculated to the culture medium showed a low inoculum density of 2 % (6 × 106 cells) of the bacteria culture to be the optimal inoculum concentration. A bacterial growth curve for X. khoisanae in tryptic soy broth, showed 40–44 h to be the optimum time for introduction of the initial nematode inoculum into the complex medium.

In August 2019, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) received reports from health care providers of several cases of lung injury in persons who reported use of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), or vaping, products (1,2). To describe the characteristics of medical care, potentially related conditions, and exposures among 83 patients in Utah, detailed medical abstractions were completed for 79 (95%) patients. Among patients receiving chart abstractions, 70 (89%) were hospitalized, 39 (49%) required breathing assistance, and many reported preexisting respiratory and mental health conditions. Interviews were conducted by telephone or in person with 53 (64%) patients or their proxies, and product samples from eight (15%) of the interviewed patients or proxies were tested. Among 53 interviewed patients, all of whom reported using e-cigarette, or vaping, products within 3 months of acute lung injury, 49 (92%) reported using any products containing tetrohydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive component of cannabis; 35 (66%) reported using any nicotine-containing products, and 32 (60%) reported using both. As reported in Wisconsin and Illinois (1), most THC-containing products were acquired from informal sources such as friends or illicit in-person and online dealers. THC-containing products were most commonly used one to five times per day, whereas nicotine-containing products were most commonly used >25 times per day. Product sample testing at the Utah Public Health Laboratory (UPHL) showed evidence of vitamin E acetate in 17 of 20 (89%) THC-containing cartridges, which were provided by six of 53 interviewed patients. The cause or causes of this outbreak is currently unknown (2); however, the predominant use among patients of e-cigarette, or vaping, products with prefilled THC-containing cartridges suggests that the substances in these products or the way in which they are heated and aerosolized play an important role in the outbreak. At present, persons should not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC. In addition, because the specific cause or causes of lung injury are not yet known and while the investigation continues, persons should consider refraining from use of all e-cigarette, or vaping, products.

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) of the families Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae are efficient biological control agents against important insect pests. In vitro liquid culture production technology is a key factor in the success of implementing EPNs as a biological control agent. One of the first steps of in vitro mass culture is to use shake flasks to obtain nematode inoculum for optimising and upscaling to desktop and industrial fermenters. This study was the first attempt on the in vitro liquid mass culture of a local South African isolate, Steinernema jeffreyense, in 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks, together with their mutualistic bacteria, Xenorhabdus khoisanae. After the successful in vitro production of S. jeffreyense-inoculum, different parameters for optimizing infective juvenile (IJ) recovery (developmental step when the IJ moult to initiate the life cycle) and yield, were investigated. This includes the effect of the volume of liquid medium in the flasks, two different orbital shakers setups and the initial IJ inoculum density. With 30 ml of liquid medium the mean percentage recovery of IJ after six days was 86%, with a yield of 121,833 IJ ml−1 after 14 days, in comparison to 75% and 99,875 IJs ml−1 respectively when 50 ml of liquid medium was used. No significant difference was found between IJ recovery and yield, using different orbital shakers setups. Among the three inoculum concentrations tested (1000, 2000 and 3000 IJ ml−1), the lowest concentration gave the highest IJ recovery and yield. Pathogenicity of IJs cultured in vitro was higher than those cultured in vivo.

This paper presents recent radio frequency (RF) engineering work performed for the Ghana Radio Telescope, specifically concerning receiver and electromagnetic component design and analysis. An upgraded so-called Mark II receiver, currently nearing the end of its development phase, improves the bandwidth by approximately 100% and 30% for the 5 and 6.7 GHz bands, respectively. A proposed new wideband orthomode transducer (OMT) design is presented to replace the existing Intermediate Circular Orbit (ICO) satellite system components, which are known to add extra noise. Also contributing to the system noise temperature is the antenna and spillover temperatures. Electromagnetic simulation data is used to determine these parameters, showing that the antenna can contribute up to 32 K to the system noise temperature near the horizon. The resulting predicted sensitivity of the telescope is presented and is in the range of 4.6 to 5 m2/K assuming a receiver temperature of 90 K and an aperture efficiency of 70%.

Early antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation reduces HIV-related morbidity and mortality, and contributes to HIV transmission prevention by rapidly suppressing HIV viral load [1–4]. It can also help to control the RNA reservoir when treatment is initiated during the acute HIV infection [5–7]. Since September 2015, the WHO has recommended ART for all adults and adolescents living with HIV, irrespective of WHO clinical stage and CD4+ cell count [8]. In July 2017, WHO updated its treatment guidelines by recommending rapid ART initiation – defined as commencing ART within 7 days of HIV diagnosis – for the above groups, including same-day initiation for people ready to start treatment [9,10]. A systematic review of seven randomized controlled trials in adults aged 18 years or older, showed that rapid ART initiation improved ART uptake, viral load suppression and retention in care at 12 months [11–18]. However, the authors concluded that pragmatic research is needed to validate the effects observed in trials when rapid ART initiation is implemented in health systems. In contrast to trials, recent observational studies in Southern Africa found that same-day ART initiation was associated with lower retention in care [19–21]. In West Africa, the HIV epidemic is concentrated in key populations – including MSM – which together with their sexual partners represented 69% of all new HIV infections in 2019 [22]. Unfortunately, access to and retention in HIV prevention and care services for West African MSM are particularly low [23,24], due in part to social and legal barriers (homophobia, stigmatization, discrimination, violence and criminalization of same-sex relationships) [25,26]. Therefore, studies on the effects of care strategies in this population are needed to improve their management by informing policy. In particular, data on rapid ART initiation and its effect on treatment outcomes are lacking. The CohMSM study was designed to assess the feasibility and benefit of implementing quarterly HIV prevention and care services for MSM in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and Togo. One of its features was to propose ART initiation to MSM as soon as possible after HIV diagnosis, irrespective of their clinical stage and CD4+ cell count. As the study began in June 2015, rapid ART initiation was not considered, as the latter practice was only recommended by the WHO in 2017. National guidelines in all four study countries adopted the universal treatment strategy in 2018–2019 but rapid ART initiation was included only in Mali's guidelines (the other countries did not specify a specific time for initiation) [27–30]. In the present analysis, we assessed the time from HIV diagnosis to ART initiation and the effect of rapid ART initiation on attrition and virologic and immunologic responses among MSM participating in CohMSM. In addition, we assessed the effect of same-day ART initiation on the same treatment outcomes.

A cycle to cycle closed-loop combustion controller for the management of engine load and NO x (Nitrogen Oxides) emission has been developed and tested for the light-duty FPT F1C Euro VI diesel engine. The closed loop controller exploits the feedback coming from a predictive combustion model used as a virtual sensor and calibrated on real test bench measurements. Thanks to the virtual sensor no direct in cylinder pressure measurement is required. The control system is composed by two separate loops implementing PI and lag regulators, one to control the engine load and the other the NO x . These two quantities are regulated through the correction of the main injected fuel quantity and the start of injection respectively. Nominal values for the two command actions are retrieved from steady state maps, so adding a feed-forward action. Each cylinder is controlled separately so that, in total for the 4 cylinders engine, 8 regulators are used. All the tests necessary to tune the regulators were carried out on the mono-dimensional simulation software GT-Power by Gamma Technologies that has proven to be very effective. The GT power model was also used for the assessment of the controllers: simulations show very encouraging results also in presence of high disturbances on the outputs.

Introduction. Obesity is a common comorbidity seen in the perioperative setting and is associated with many diseases including cardiovascular disease and obstructive sleep apnea. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the gold standard surgical treatment for patients whose weight is refractory to diet and exercise. Caring for these patients perioperatively presents unique challenges to anesthesiologists and is associated with an increased risk of adverse respiratory events. In our study, we hypothesize that a low-dose perioperative ketamine infusion will reduce opioid consumption and improve analgesia when compared to standard therapy. Methods. This is a single-center, prospective randomized controlled study enrolling 35 patients in total. Patients were randomized equally into the ketamine and control group. Preop, intraop, and postop management regimens were standardized. The ketamine group received a 0.3 mg/kg ideal body weight ketamine bolus after induction followed by a 0.2 mg/kg/hr ketamine infusion continued into the postop setting for up to 24 hours. Data collected included total perioperative opioids used converted to oral morphine equivalents (ME), pain scores, side effects, hospital length of stay, and patient satisfaction captured via postoperative questionnaires. Results. The use of perioperative opioid consumption was significantly lower in the ketamine group when compared with the control group (179.9 ME versus 248.7 ME, P = 0.03 ). There was no statistically significant difference in pain scores or hospital length of stay postoperatively between the two groups. There were also no reported adverse respiratory events, prolonged sedation, agitation, or other side effects reported in either group. The patient satisfaction questionnaires showed a significant difference with the ketamine group reporting lower maximum pain scores, a decrease in how pain limited activities of daily living once discharged, and increased hospital pain management satisfaction scores. Conclusions. Perioperative low-dose ketamine infusions significantly reduced opioid consumption in morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery.

The tightening of the diesel pollutant emission regulations has made the performances obtainable from steady-state map controls, commonly employed in Internal Combustion Engine management, unsatisfactory. To overcome these limitations a NonLinear Quadratic Regulator (NLQR) system for the High Pressure Exhaust Gas Recirculation (HP-EGR) loop of a turbocharged diesel engine has been developed to control the intake O 2 concentration and the Intake MAnifold Pressure (IMAP). This model-based control approach exploits the prediction of two dynamic Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) to compute the command actions for the HP-EGR valve and VGT (Variable Geometry Turbocharger) rack position. Engine speed, engine load, HP-EGR and VGT valves positions together with the intake O 2 concentration and IMAP feedbacks are the inputs used by the RNN to compute the predictions. In order to select the next HP-EGR and VGT control actions the effect of different command combinations, retrieved from a discretized action space, are evaluated through a quadratic objective function to be minimized. Two different transient profiles have been used to test the designed control system against the steady-state map approach. The developed control system has shown a satisfactory performance improvement over the map control. Therefore it is suitable for the subsequent assessment on the real engine.

Emission regulations are becoming more and more stringent, especially on NO x pollutants, making diesel engines with their embedded control systems more and more complex. To ensure a correct and clean engine functioning, all the control strategies related to aftertreatment, fuel injection and air-path have to exploit or target the intake manifold O 2 concentration. The O 2 concentration is strictly related to engine-out NO x emissions and an accurate model, to be implemented in emission control systems, is essential. The paper addresses the modeling of the intake O 2 concentration in a turbocharged diesel engine by means of a Recurrent Neural Network with simulation focus and fed with four inputs. The inputs are engine load, engine speed and the position of Exhaust Gas Recirculation and Variable Geometry Turbochargers valves. Training and validation data are generated using the engine simulation tool GT-Power implementing a detailed model of the engine while the training procedure is performed in MATLAB environment through NNSYSID toolbox. The performances of the obtained model are satisfactory in different tests and the model is able to account for the engine nonlinearities during transients.

Background Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare but potentially fatal disorder caused by ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13) deficiency. Prompt identification/exclusion of TTP can thus be facilitated by rapid ADAMTS13 testing. The most commonly utilized (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]-based) assay takes several hours to perform and so does not generally permit rapid testing. Objectives To evaluate the utility of a new automated test for ADAMTS13 activity, the HemosIL AcuStar ADAMTS13 Activity assay, based on chemiluminescence and able to be performed on an ACL AcuStar instrument within 33 minutes. Patients/methods This multicenter (n = 8) assessment included testing of more than 700 test samples, with similar numbers of prospective (n = 348) and retrospective (n = 385) samples. The main comparator was the Technozym ADAMTS13 Activity ELISA. We also assessed comparative performance for detection of ADAMTS13 inhibitors using a Bethesda assay. Results Overall, the chemiluminescent assay yielded similar results to the comparator ELISA, albeit with slight negative bias. ADAMTS13 inhibitor detection was also comparable, albeit with slight positive bias with the AcuStar assay. Assay precision was similar with both assays, and we also verified assay normal reference ranges. Conclusions The HemosIL AcuStar ADAMTS13 Activity assay provided results rapidly, which were largely comparable with the Technozym ADAMTS13 Activity ELISA assay, albeit lower on average. Conversely, inhibitor levels tended to be identified at a higher level on average. Thus, the HemosIL AcuStar ADAMTS13 Activity assay provides a fast and accurate means to quantitate plasma levels of ADAMTS13 for TTP/ADAMTS13 identification/exclusion, and potentially also for other applications.

The existence of the double grid frequency (100 Hz) ripple current in dc/ac dual active bridge (DAB) power converters can degrade their performance and as such these ripples need to be compensated. An active power decoupling method is proposed in this paper to attenuate the 100-Hz current ripple in single phase dc/ac DAB converters. Compared to other current ripple reduction methods for which additional switches are used, the proposed method does not require any additional switching components thus decreasing the system cost. In the proposed method, the existing switching devices of the primary side full bridge converter and an LLC circuit integrated to form a 100-Hz ripple current reduction circuit, which is controlled by regulating the duty cycle of the primary full bridge converter switching legs. The mathematical analysis and the circuit parameter design methods are proposed. In addition, a current sharing method is proposed to keep the currents of the inductors in the LLC circuit are balanced against any possible circuit parameter deviations. The effectiveness of the developed method is evaluated through the simulation and experimental tests.

Die leerstuk van grondwetlike oppergesag soos vervat in artikel 2 van die Suid-Afrikaanse Grondwet en die opvatting dat konstitusionele verandering slegs kan geskied nadat die streng wysigingsvoorwaardes ingevolge artikel 74 nagekom is, is geloofsversterkend dog ongegrond. Naas tekswysigings van die Grondwet, kan die konstitusie ingrypende veranderings ondergaan terwyl die teks onveranderd bly en die (wan)indruk van konstitusionele stabiliteit wek. Hierdie waarheid word aan die hand van die Suid-Afrikaanse konstitusionele gebeure van die afgelope twee dekades toegelig. Die Suid-Afrikaanse konstitusie het vanweë die uitwerking van politieke kragte talle ingrypende veranderinge ondergaan, sonder dat enige spoor op die teks gelaat is. Vier daarvan is hier ter sake. Die verandering van die kwasi-federale aard van die staat na 'n gesentraliseerde staatsopset; die migrasie van gesag vanuit die amptelike sentra van regerings-gesag na 'n verskeidenheid van nie-amptelike gesagsentra, wat meegebring het dat Suid-Afrika tot aan die einde van die Zuma-termyn 'n wanordelike hibriede regeringsopset geword het; die konstitusionele orde se versinking in 'n patronaatstaat vanweë sogenaamde kaderontplooiing; die staat se verlies aan die monopolie op wettige geweld gepaard met die gedeeltelike verburgerliking en privatisering van die verantwoordelikheid tot selfbeveiliging. Indien gepoog word om die aard van die Suid-Afrikaanse konstitusionele orde slegs met verwysing na die grondwetlike teks te peil, sou hierdie veranderinge verborge gebly het. Daarom is dit noodsaaklik om die bestudering van die konstitusie uit te brei tot die oorweging van politieke kragte, waardeur die eintlike stand van die konstitusie aan die lig kom.

The detection of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) delay power spectrum using a "foreground avoidance method" highly depends on the instrument chromaticity. The systematic effects induced by the radio-telescope spread the foreground signal in the delay domain, which contaminates the EoR window theoretically observable. Applied to the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA), this paper combines detailed electromagnetic and electrical simulations in order to model the chromatic effects of the instrument, and quantify its frequency and time responses. In particular, the effects of the analogue receiver, transmission cables, and mutual coupling are included. These simulations are able to accurately predict the intensity of the reflections occurring in the 150-m cable which links the antenna to the back-end. They also show that electromagnetic waves can propagate from one dish to another one through large sections of the array due to mutual coupling. The simulated system time response is attenuated by a factor $10^{4}$ after a characteristic delay which depends on the size of the array and on the antenna position. Ultimately, the system response is attenuated by a factor $10^{5}$ after 1400 ns because of the reflections in the cable, which corresponds to characterizable ${k_\parallel}$-modes above 0.7 $h\;\rm{Mpc}^{-1}$ at 150 MHz. Thus, this new study shows that the detection of the EoR signal with HERA Phase I will be more challenging than expected. On the other hand, it improves our understanding of the telescope, which is essential to mitigate the instrument chromaticity., Comment: 13 pages, 17 figures - Submitted to MNRAS - 2nd revision

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This essay recalls the immediate and longer-term responses of the US and its allies to the events of 9/11. It contends that the die for contemporary developments in transnational terrorism was cast in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 – in particular the launching of sustained ‘anti-terrorist’ military combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and more covert ‘kinetic’ operations elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa. The essay seeks specifically to expose the counter-productivity of using military operations as the primary antidote to transnational terrorism. Focusing on the African ‘laboratory’ and the spread of transnational terrorism and Islamic militancy, particularly in West and East Africa, the essay concludes that radical Islamists have mastered the ‘battle of the narrative’ and that the Western penchant for dispensing a kinetic brand of medication is feeding rather than fighting the virus of global terrorism.

Key Points Question What are the attitudes and decision making concerning invasive and noninvasive prenatal testing in women at high risk of fetal Down syndrome? Findings In a survey study of 2436 pregnant women in France participating in a randomized clinical trial, 4 clusters were identified with different attitudes toward risk taking and extent of information seeking. Decision making was in line with attitudes, and clinical and socioeconomic factors were likely associated with the attitudes identified. Meaning Aversion to ambiguity generated by incomplete information from noninvasive testing as well as aversion to risk of pregnancy loss due to invasive testing played a major role in shaping attitudes and decision making; therefore, pregnant women should receive extensive information on targeted abnormalities by both tests to aid informed decision making., This survey study examines the attitudes of pregnant women in France at high risk of fetal Down syndrome toward invasive and noninvasive prenatal testing., Importance Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) using cell-free DNA in maternal blood is increasingly common compared with invasive testing (IT) in routine antenatal detection of Down syndrome (DS). Objective To assess attitudes and decision making in pregnant women facing a risk of fetal DS greater than 1 in 250 as established by combined first trimester screening at 11 to 14 weeks of gestation. Design, Setting, and Participants Survey study in which data were collected from pregnant women at high risk of fetal DS participating in a randomized clinical trial. Data were collected from April 8, 2014, to April 7, 2016, in 57 prenatal diagnosis centers in France. Data were analyzed in 2018. Interventions Data on attitudes were collected prior to offering randomization between NIPT and IT, whereas data on decision making and test results were collected as part of the clinical trial. Main Outcome and Measures The primary outcome related to attitudes. A hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to identify clusters with contrasting attitudes. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with attitudes. Results All 2436 consecutive women to whom the study was proposed (mean [SD] age, 36.3 [5.0] years) answered the questionnaire: 515 (21.1%) expressed preference toward IT with complete karyotyping, whereas 1843 (75.7%) favored NIPT with almost certain but limited information. Hierarchical cluster analysis yielded 4 different clusters that mainly differed in attitudes toward risk taking and extent of information seeking. Factors likely associated with attitudes driven by risk aversion were mostly age and religious beliefs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.05; P = .03 and aOR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.29-2.04; P

O presente estudo almeja analisar aspectos da investigaA§A£o preliminar e da instruA§A£o processual no campo da chamada criminalidade econA´mico-financeira organizada, especialmente a partir do novo regramento introduzido pela Lei 12.850/13. Assim, questionar-se-Ai a existAancia de peculiaridades do Direito Processual Penal aplicado A criminalidade econA´mico-financeira organizada, nA£o sA³ nos planos dogmAitico , legislativo e normativo , como tambA©m na prA³pria dinA¢mica das prAiticas e procedimentos persecutA³rios adotados pelo sistema de administraA§A£o da justiA§a criminal.

Diesel powertrains will remain an indispensable energy carrier to meet the CO2 emission targets in the short-term for both light-duty and heavy-duty applications. As the legislation limits become more and more stringent, innovative solutions are developed in order to meet them. The recent advances in the performance of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and sensors made it possible to use model-based control strategies rather than the classical map-based approach. In this paper, two different closed loop controllers of the air-path of a heavy-duty diesel engine have been designed and compared through the Model-in-the-Loop (MiL) technique by using the GT-Power software as engine simulator. The design of the controllers was carried out by using a model-based approach. In particular, a detailed model of the engine, realized using the GT-Power 1D commercial code, was simplified and linearized at 5 selected engine points using the ARX black-box identification approach. These linearized models were then used to tune the developed controllers. The whole design has the goal of ensuring the correct engine functioning while affecting the formation of NOx emissions. The behavior of two control structures, PID and Eigenvalue placement, has been compared. The actuated variables are the positions of EGR and VGT actuators while the controlled ones are the oxygen concentration in the intake manifold and the boost pressure. The choice of the intake oxygen concentration as control variable is directly connected to its strict correlation with the pollutant emissions (in particular, with NOx emissions), in order to control them in a more effective way, especially in transient operation.

Summary Background Patients who are immunocompromised because of malignancy have an increased risk of herpes zoster and herpes zoster-related complications. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of an inactivated varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccine for herpes zoster prevention in patients with solid tumour or haematological malignancies. Methods This phase 3, two-arm, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial with an adaptive design was done in 329 centres across 40 countries. The trial included adult patients with solid tumour malignancies receiving chemotherapy and those with haematological malignancies, either receiving or not receiving chemotherapy. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive four doses of VZV vaccine inactivated by γ irradiation or placebo approximately 30 days apart. The patients, investigators, trial site staff, clinical adjudication committee, and sponsor's clinical and laboratory personnel were masked to the group assignment. The primary efficacy endpoint was herpes zoster incidence in patients with solid tumour malignancies receiving chemotherapy, which was assessed in the modified intention-to-treat population (defined as all randomly assigned patients who received at least one dose of inactivated VZV vaccine or placebo). The primary safety endpoint was serious adverse events up to 28 days after the fourth dose in patients with solid tumour malignancies receiving chemotherapy. Safety endpoints were assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of inactivated VZV vaccine or placebo and had follow-up data. This trial is registered ( NCT01254630 and EudraCT 2010-023156-89). Findings Between June 27, 2011, and April 11, 2017, 5286 patients were randomly assigned to receive VZV vaccine inactivated by γ irradiation (n=2637) or placebo (n=2649). The haematological malignancy arm was terminated early because of evidence of futility at a planned interim analysis; therefore, all prespecified haematological malignancy endpoints were deemed exploratory. In patients with solid tumour malignancies in the modified intention-to-treat population, confirmed herpes zoster occurred in 22 of 1328 (6·7 per 1000 person-years) VZV vaccine recipients and in 61 of 1350 (18·5 per 1000 person-years) placebo recipients. Estimated vaccine efficacy against herpes zoster in patients with solid tumour malignancies was 63·6% (97·5% CI 36·4 to 79·1), meeting the prespecified success criterion. In patients with solid tumour malignancies, serious adverse events were similar in frequency across treatment groups, occurring in 298 (22·5%) of 1322 patients who received the vaccine and in 283 (21·0%) of 1346 patients who received placebo (risk difference 1·5%, 95% CI −1·7 to 4·6). Vaccine-related serious adverse events were less than 1% in each treatment group. Vaccine-related injection-site reactions were more common in the vaccine group than in the placebo group. In the haematological malignancy group, VZV vaccine was well tolerated and estimated vaccine efficacy against herpes zoster was 16·8% (95% CI −17·8 to 41·3). Interpretation The inactivated VZV vaccine was well tolerated and efficacious for herpes zoster prevention in patients with solid tumour malignancies receiving chemotherapy, but was not efficacious for herpes zoster prevention in patients with haematological malignancies. Funding Merck & Co, Inc.

We present the confusion-limited 1.28 GHz MeerKAT DEEP2 image covering one $\approx 68'$ FWHM primary beam area with $7.6''$ FWHM resolution and $0.55 \pm 0.01$ $\mu$Jy/beam rms noise. Its J2000 center position $\alpha=04^h 13^m 26.4^s$, $\delta=-80^\circ 00' 00''$ was selected to minimize artifacts caused by bright sources. We introduce the new 64-element MeerKAT array and describe commissioning observations to measure the primary beam attenuation pattern, estimate telescope pointing errors, and pinpoint $(u,v)$ coordinate errors caused by offsets in frequency or time. We constructed a 1.4 GHz differential source count by combining a power-law count fit to the DEEP2 confusion $P(D)$ distribution from $0.25$ to $10$ $\mu$Jy with counts of individual DEEP2 sources between $10$ $\mu$Jy and $2.5$ mJy. Most sources fainter than $S \sim 100$ $\mu$Jy are distant star-forming galaxies obeying the FIR/radio correlation, and sources stronger than $0.25$ $\mu$Jy account for $\sim93\%$ of the radio background produced by star-forming galaxies. For the first time, the DEEP2 source count has reached the depth needed to reveal the majority of the star formation history of the universe. A pure luminosity evolution of the 1.4 GHz local luminosity function consistent with the Madau & Dickinson (2014) model for the evolution of star-forming galaxies based on UV and infrared data underpredicts our 1.4 GHz source count in the range $-5 \lesssim \log[S(\mathrm{Jy})] \lesssim -4$., Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Problem substance use makes a significant contribution to the burden of injuries and noncommunicable diseases in South Africa. In 2012, the Western Cape Department of Health funded a randomised controlled trial of substance use SBIRT in emergency centres (ECs). Based on the promising results, the programme was implemented in 2016 in three ECs, offering motivational interviewing-based counselling delivered at the acute EC visit by lay counsellors. This study utilised data from a novel EC SBIRT service (1 August 2016 – 31 July 2017) and compared the characteristics, process and substance use outcome data for injured and non-injured patients. A screening questionnaire was administered to less seriously ill or injured adult patients, and those scoring at moderate-high risk on the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) were eligible and received a motivational-interviewing-based session. Data collected included sociodemographics, presenting complaint, substance use days and the ASSIST. A three-month follow-up phone call was conducted to evaluate substance use in a small sample of service users. Process data was collected on the numbers of: patients screened, eligible patients, and sessions given. In total, 13 136 patients were screened. Over half were male, the mean age was 37 years and 43% presented with an injury. Of the non-injured patients, 23% met criteria for problem substance use, compared to 56% of injured patients. Of the eligible patients, 74% were male and 83% received a counselling session. At three-month follow-up there was a significant reduction in substance use days for all patients and injured patients’ alcohol use scores decreased by 6.4 points, compared to 4.7 in the non-injured patients. This EC SBIRT service delivered a substance use intervention to over 80% of eligible patients. Injured patients were more likely to report problem substance use, and showed a greater decrease in substance use scores.

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project [1] is an international effort to build the world's most sensitive radio telescope operating in the 50 MHz to 14 GHz frequency range. Construction of the SKA has been divided into phases, with the first phase (SKA1) accounting for the first 10% of the telescope's receiving capacity. During SKA1, an array of 197 mid-frequency parabolic-dish antennas, incorporating the 64 dishes of MeerKAT, will be constructed in South Africa (SKAl-mid).

A fully integrated system for transmitting atomic clock signals over optical fibre in a high branching ratio (64) directly to L-Band Digitiser units is demonstrated to achieve ultra low jitter, sub picosecond phasing and sub nanosecond timing. The Digitiser units are located on each MeerKatradio telescope antenna which is located 6 km to 12 km from the transmitter. A 1712 MHz sampling clock and a pulse per second signal are transmitted to the Digitisers by RF over Fibre techniques. The Digitisers demodulate the timing signals and use them internally to timestamp astrophysical signals which are sampled at a rate of 1712 MSPS. The integrated jitter of the sample clock transmitter is 70 fs and the RMS phase drift over 20 minutes is 140 fs RMS at the Digitiser units connected to short lengths of fibre. Sub sample period phase variation with a short term standard deviation of < 320 ps is demonstrated between the timing pulses and RF sample clock zero crossing cycles utilizing on board time interval counting on the Digitisers. An integrated time of flight measurement is also performed by the transmitter, to compensate for differential path delays between antennas, with an estimated uncertainty of

Item does not contain fulltext BACKGROUND: Many countries in the nutrition transition have high rates of iron deficiency (ID) and overweight (OW). ID is more common in OW children; this may be due to adiposity-related inflammation reducing iron absorption. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether weight status predicts response to oral iron supplementation in ID South African children. DESIGN: A placebo-controlled trial of oral iron supplementation (50 mg, 4 x weeks for 8.5 months) was done in ID 6- to 11-year-old children (n=321); 28% were OW or obese. BMI-for-age z-scores (BAZ), hepcidin (in a sub-sample), hemoglobin, serum ferritin (SF), transferrin receptor (TfR), zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured; body iron was calculated from the SF to TfR ratio. RESULTS: At baseline, BAZ correlated with CRP (r=0.201, P

In his Politica: Politics Methodically set Forth and Illustrated with Sacred and Profane Examples published in 1603 Johannes Althusius’ sets out his grand scheme of republican federalism. Soon, however, the final establishment of the territorial state and the paradigm of statism relegated grand federalism to the distant margins of constitutional theory.Statism as concisely enunciated in this article, recognises only two entities namely the state as a centralised power apparatus and the abstract individual on whom a statist identity in the image of the state is enforced. Statism dispenses with communities.Statism has been playing out on a continuum, with the statist-individualism on the one and statist-collectivism on the opposite extreme. Statist-individualism seeks to fend off the risks of supreme political power with strategies for the protection of individual rights. In contrast, statist-collectivism dispenses with the subtleties of statist-individualism and is distinctively more blatant in forging a homogeneous statist nation.In the face of the rise of claims of communities, the emergence of communitarian thinking and increased evidence of the receding territorial state, new - post statist - constitutional thinking is gathering strength. This has unleashed considerable interest in alternative thinking such as that of Althusius.Althusius’ grand federalism should be viewed, however, within the context of his broader constitutional thinking, which on close analysis, is constituted by four interlinked aspects namely: piety, justice and community; covenant (or contract); supremacy of the commonwealth and of the law; and political authority and public office. These tenets are the main focus of the present discussion.There is no room for a blanket transplantation of Althusian thinking into modern constitutional theory. However, it does provide a valuable source of communitarian theory for contemporary constitutional law. It brings to light that (individual) identity, morality, and a happy life and individual rights can only be conceived of within the framework of communities. Moreover, Althusius’ convictions on (shared) popular sovereignty, in contrast to undivided (statist) sovereignty and his views on public office provided the framework for constitutionalism and limited government which could arguably improve on that of contemporary statist constitutionalism.Keywords: Territorial state, statist paradigm, statist-individualism, statist-collectivism, post statist constitutional thinking, piety, justice, community, covenant, public office, communitarian theory.

The chemical composition of endemic Lippia multiflora Mold. essential oils was characterized in three regions in Ivory Coast. Different essential oils were obtained by hydro distillation using the methodology recommended by the European Pharmacopoeia, and were studied by GC-FID and GC-MS. The results showed that the essential oils from plants collected in the south (Abidjan) and center (Toumodi) of Ivory Coast were characterized by similar chemical compositions, dominated by geranial and neral, along with thymol and minor contents of carvacrol. On the other hand, the essential oils from plants harvested in the north-east of Ivory Coast (Bondoukou) contained high amounts of aromatic terpene constituents such as thymol, thymyl acetate and carvacrol. The other constituents, in particular sesquiterpenes, were similar in all samples.

A LLC circuit is developed in this paper to reduce the DC source 100Hz ripple current in a DC-AC dual active bridge (DAB) converter by regulating the duty cycle of the primary side full bridge converter without utilizing additional switches. However, heavy duty cycle changes with relatively small capacitor of LLC circuit will result in the grid current distortion. To address this issue, a repetitive control is proposed to improve the quality of the grid current and related THD. Modulation scheme and ZVS turn-on conditions for both the primary and secondary converters are presented. A control model and a decoupling control strategy in synchronous dq frame for the DC-AC DAB converter are proposed. The proposed methods are examined through simulation tests and the results are presented.

A new ripple current reduction method utilizing a LLC type ripple current steering circuit is proposed in this paper to significantly reduce 100Hz ripple current in an isolated DC-AC dual active bridge (DAB) converter. Unlike some of the proposed ripple reduction methods for which auxiliary circuit consists of additional switches is applied, this new method benefits from less switching components and cost while providing effective ripple current reduction performance. In this method, the existing full bridge switches on primary side are used and symmetrical phase shift modulation and duty cycle regulation for both legs are adopted. Control-oriented mathematical analysis and parameter design method for LLC circuit are presented. Due to possible variations in parameters of hardware circuit, current sharing (CS) control method is also provided in this paper to balance the current of the two inductors. Simulation and results are provided to validate the proposed method.

A bidirectional integrated bus voltage conditioner (IBVC) is proposed for isolated phase shifted full bridge (PSFB) DC-DC converter to improve the DC bus voltage stability in cascaded power converter system. In this method, the load converter is controlled tightly with high control bandwidth. Unlike those separate converter based DC bus voltage stabilization methods with auxiliary switches, multiplexing utilization of the existing full bridge switches on the primary side is adopted for the proposed method. In this strategy, phase shift control and duty cycle regulation have been applied for both legs of PSFB. Control-oriented analysis and IBVC parameter design method are also presented. The proposed method is examined through simulation tests and the results are presented.

We present a stabilized microwave-frequency transfer technique that is based on optical phase-sensing and optical phase-actuation. This technique shares several attributes with optical-frequency transfer and therefore exhibits several advantages over other microwave-frequency transfer techniques. We demonstrated stabilized transfer of an 8,000 MHz microwave-frequency signal over a 166 km metropolitan optical fiber network, achieving a fractional frequency stability of 6.8x10^-14 Hz/Hz at 1 s integration, and 5.0x10^-16 Hz/Hz at 1.6x10^4 s. This technique is being considered for use on the Square Kilometre Array SKA1-mid radio telescope., Comment: 4 pages, accepted by Optics Letters

When membership of the faith community gets separated from Biblical concepts for us Christians the church is gradually and slowly getting into trouble. This is especially true when membership and discipleship are separated. In the first article, I have mentioned that discipleship may have become unpopular because of mainly two reasons: the wrong association with confrontational evangelism and secondly for the inconvenience of the radical nature of discipleship, especially in a situation where churches are still monocultural and still prefer the ‘convenience’ of a culturally constituted and dominated church. In this article, the focus will be on the role of the church in seeking the ‘Kingdom and his righteousness’ (Mt 6:33) and on what seeking might entail, with special reference to continuing formation of the membership on this journey of following the Christ. The background to my research problem and question is that the ‘we’ can just not afford that people, because of the church, not being serious about herself, turn away from the church – but turn to God: ‘Everyday people are straying away from the church and going back to God’ (Lenny Bruce †1966). This is just not normal.

An optical fiber based laser radar time transfer system has been developed for the 64-dish MeerKAT radiointerferometer telescope project to provide accurate atomic time to the receivers of the telescope system. This time transfer system is called the Karoo Array Timing System (KATS). Calibration of the time transfer system is essential to ensure that time is accurately transferred to the digitisers that form part of the receivers. Frequency domain reflectometry via vector network analysers is also used to verify measurements taken using time interval counters. This paper details the progress that is made in the verification measurements of the system in order to ensure that time, accurate to within a few nanoseconds of the Universal Coordinated Time (UTC, is available at the point where radio signals from astronomical sources are received. This capability enables world class transient and timing studies with a compact radio interferometer, which has inherent advantages over large single dish radio-telescopes, in observing the transient sky.

The expression and stabilization of recombinant proteins is fundamental to basic and applied biology. Here we have engineered a thermostable protein nanoparticle (tES) to improve both expression and stabilization of recombinant proteins using this technology. tES provides steric accommodation and charge complementation to green fluorescent protein (GFPuv), horseradish peroxidase (HRPc), and Renilla luciferase (rLuc), improving the yields of functional in vitro folding by ~100-fold. Encapsulated enzymes retain the ability to metabolize small-molecule substrates, presumably via four 4.5-nm pores present in the tES shell. GFPuv exhibits no spectral shifts in fluorescence compared to a nonencapsulated control. Thermolabile proteins internalized by tES are resistant to thermal, organic, chaotropic, and proteolytic denaturation and can be released from the tES assembly with mild pH titration followed by proteolysis., Improving recombinant protein expression and stabilization remains a significant challenge. Here, the authors engineer Archaeoglobus fulgidus ferritin as a thermostable exoshell to provide steric accommodation and charge complementation for recombinant proteins, which can improve yields by 100 fold.

Active ripple current reduction method is proposed for isolated DC/AC dual active bridge (DAB) converter to reduce the double grid frequency ripple in the DC current. Unlike those active methods that require extra switches to construct separate ripple reduction circuit, in this method, one or two branches of LC ripple steering circuits are used along with existing full bridge switches in a multiplexing manner. For the purpose of the ripple elimination, unsymmetrical phase shift modulation and duty cycle regulation methods are proposed and applied to both legs of the converter on the primary side of DAB converter. Also a current sharing (CS) scheme is presented to balance the current on both LC ripple steering circuits.

Mobile devices such as smartphones have until now been protected by traditional authentication methods, including passwords or pattern locks. These authentication mechanisms are difficult to remember and are often disabled, leaving the device vulnerable if stolen. This paper investigates the possibility of unobtrusive, continuous authentication for smartphones based on biometric data collected using a touchscreen. The possibility of authenticating users on a smartphone was evaluated by conducting an experiment simulating real-world touch interaction. Touch data was collected from 30 participants during normal phone use. The touch features were analysed in terms of the information provided for authentication. It was found that features such as finger pressure, location of touch interaction and shape of the finger were important discriminators for authentication. The touch data was also analysed using two classification algorithms to measure the authentication accuracy. The results show that touch data is sufficiently distinct between users to be used in authentication without disrupting normal touch interaction. It is also shown that the raw touch data was more effective in authentication than the aggregated gesture data.

A frequency modulation scheme is proposed for a Capacitor-Inductor-Inductor-Capacitor (CLLC) Resonant Dual Active Bridge (RDAB) that relies on dynamic retuning of the resonant capacitors to the switching frequency as it is modulated. The proposed modulation scheme greatly reduces the circulating reactive currents in the High Frequency Link (HFL) by operating at a range of fixed discrete switching frequencies. A Triple Phase Shift (TPS) modulation scheme is used in between the discrete steps of switching frequencies and capacitances. In this paper, a mathematical analysis is presented of the RDAB and the proposed modulation scheme is compared to all of the existing modulation schemes. The CLLC RDAB is implemented in simulation and the simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed modulation scheme at decreasing the circulating reactive currents, and therefore, greatly decreasing the conduction losses of the converter at light load, while maintaining its soft switching capability.

Successful case studies of metal casting applications using sand moulds and cores produced by additive manufacturing (AM) processes have been widely reported in the literature. The layered-based manufacturing process has revolutionised traditional sand moulding methods. This is essentially due to the numerous advantages of AM, including the reduction of design lead time and the ability to manufacture objects with complex geometry in a rapid turnaround time. Locally-available AM processes that are capable of producing sand moulds and cores include laser sintering (LS) and three-dimensional printing (3DP), with the latter AM process growing in dominance over the former. However, a better understanding of the properties of parts produced by AM processes is required in order for the processes to be fully adopted by the foundry industry. Crucial characteristics of 3DP sand parts related to strength, dimensional accuracy, and hardness are not well-known in terms of their magnitude and in comparison with conventionally-moulded sand parts. In this investigation, the physical properties of test specimens produced under standard manufacturing conditions, using a Voxeljet VX1000 machine, were assessed for bend and tensile strength, hardness, friability, and surface finish. The physical properties of the 3DP test specimens were then compared with the properties of laboratory hand-rammed test specimens. The results of the investigation suggest that the properties of AM-fabricated sand parts are inferior to sand parts produced by conventional moulding processes. Gevallestudies van metaalgiettoepassings, wat van sand gietvorms en kerns gebruik maak wat met toevoegingsvervaardiging vervaardig word, is al volop gepubliseer. Die laag-gebaseerde vervaardigingsproses het die tradisionele sandgietvorm metodes totaal hervorm. Dit is hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die talryke voordele van toevoegings-vervaardiging. Dit sluit in die verkorting van die ontwerpleityd en die vermoë om ingewikkelde geometrieë in 'n vinnige omkeertyd te vervaardig. 'n Beter verstaan van die eienskappe van die onderdele, wat met toevoegings-vervaardigingtegnieke produseer word, is egter nodig voordat dit deur die gietbedryf aanvaar gaan word. Kritiese eienskappe van driedimensioneelgedrukte onderdele wat nie alombekend is nie is onder andere die sterkte, dimensionele akkuraatheid en hardheid. Die fisiese eienskappe van toetsmonsters is ondersoek vir buig- en treksterkte, hardheid, buigbaarheid, brosheid en oppervlak-afwerking. Die fisiese eienskappe van die toetsmonsters is vergelyk met die eienskappe van laboratorium, handgekompakteerde monsters. Die resultate toon dat die toevoegingsvervaardiging monsters se eienskappe slegter as die van konvensioneel gegiete monsters is.

The SALT Tracker was originally designed to carry a payload of approximately 1000 kg. The current loading exceeds 1300 kg and more instrumentation, for example, the Near-Infrared (NIR) arm of the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS), is being designed for the telescope. In general, provision also had to be made to expand the envelope of the tracker payload carrying capacity for future growth as some of the systems on SALT are currently running with small safety margins. It was therefore decided to upgrade the SALT Tracker to be able to carry a payload of 1875 kg. Before the project "Kick-Off" it became evident that neither SALT nor SAAO had the required standard of formal processes and procedures to execute a project of this nature. The Project Management, Mechanical Design and Review processes and procedures were adopted from the Aerospace Industry and tailored for our application. After training the project team in the application of these processes/procedures and gaining their commitment, the Tracker Upgrade Project was "Kicked-Off" in early May 2013. The application of these aerospace-derived processes and procedures, as used during the Tracker Upgrade Project, were very successful as is shown in this paper where the authors also highlight some of the details of the implemented processes and procedures as well as specific challenges that needed to be met while executing a project of this nature and technical complexity.

Within the Reformed tradition, ‘calling’ is a core concept. Often, this biblical verse is cited when a pastor is installed or a new candidate is ordained, ‘The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it’ (1 Th 5:24 NIV). It is also confessed within this tradition that all Christians are called to be faithful ministers of the graces of God in whatever profession they may serve. In some Presbyterian congregations, it is a practice to say at the baptism of a child, ‘This is your ordination to ministry’. This article focuses on what is meant by calling when we use it in so many ways and with so many meanings. The first part explores the use of the concept in church history by different scholars and leaders – like in the Reformation. The second part briefly explores the implications and impact of the calling of someone into full-time congregational ministry.

The architecture of a precise fibre optic time transfer system for the MeerKAT radio telescope is presented. Preliminary measurement results achieved, on the pre-production units of the timing interface for L-Band Digitisers, are shown. The time transfer system links the central telescope atomic clock ensemble and the L-Band Digitiser units which are located at each of the 64 MeerKAT dishes, separated by up to 10 km. Timing is encoded via radio frequency (RF) modulation of an optical carrier at the time transmitter. A portion of the light is reflected back at the Digitiser units and demodulated at the time transmitter. The Digitiser demodulates the timing signal which is sampled in parallel with astronomical signals at 1712 Megasamples per second (MSPS), thereby accurately timestamping astrophysical signals. Initial test results show that the interfacing system is capable of transferring time to the Digitiser units with

Charging or discharging of batteries connected to the grid usually requires bulky capacitors on the battery side to filter out the large double grid frequency current ripple. This paper proposes a novel single phase ac-dc bidirectional (BD) converter that improves the utilization of the filtering capacitor by actively steering the ripple into it and thereby cycling it through a large portion of its operating voltage range. This greatly reduces the overall capacitance required to filter the double grid frequency current ripple and results in a low cost solution with high power density.

Leading teams to bring about new technologies successfully during fast-changing times can be challenging. In the current era, people are more connected than before and able to access knowledge, networks, equipment and services themselves without corporate structures and management permission. Industrial age management practices appear inadequate for technology innovation in the innovation economy, while the literature reveals surprisingly little evidence of research into leader competencies across the technology innovation process. This paper reports the results of an exploratory mixed-methods study involving successful technology innovation leaders who were identified through peer-referenced snowball sampling. Qualitative research triangulated expert opinions, case materials, workshops results and the literature to identify leadership competencies. A measurement instrument was developed for the quantitative research, which involved eligible respondents rating the significance of identified leader behaviours. Statistically significant relationships were found in a hypothetical competency model through exploratory PLS-SEM analysis. The results reinforced some previously identified competencies, and contributed to understanding and identifying additional innovation leader competencies, including integrative leader competencies, to lead technology innovation into the future.