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La inconstancia de la suerte (Biblioteca Nacional de España, mss. 16216) is a manuscript that has never been studied before, and its author and composition date remain unknown. It is a historical play that includes one of the most represented topics by dramatists during the Spanish Golden Age, that of Fortuna bifrons. Intending to teach a moral lesson, the author of this comedy intermingled his characters, both historical and imaginary, framing their life trajectories around having experienced prosperous then adverse fortune, and vice versa. This bilogy was generated from a well-known paradigm in our literature, first found in The Histories by Herodotus, namely the war between the king of Persia, Cyrus, and the king of Lydia, Croesus, and the famous dialogue between Solon, one of the seven sages of Greece, and the Lydian monarch on happiness and variability of luck. This study aims to shed light on this codex and its author, likely Antonio Valladares de Sotomayor (1737-1820), through a multidisciplinary perspective that encompasses ecdotic, historical, narrative and linguistic aspects in order to clarify its origin and place it correctly in the history of Spanish literature.

ObjectiveImmature teratomas are rare malignant ovarian germ cell tumours, typically diagnosed in young women, where fertility-sparing surgery is the treatment of choice. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage I disease remains controversial. We evaluated the impact of surveillance versus chemotherapy on the recurrence rate in stage I immature teratomas.MethodsWe collected a single centre retrospective series of patients with stage I immature teratomas treated with fertility-sparing surgery at San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy, between 1980 and 2019. Potential risk factors for recurrence were investigated by multivariate logistic regression.ResultsOf the 74 patients included, 12% (9/74) received chemotherapy, while 88% (65/74) underwent surveillance. Median follow-up was 188 months. No difference in recurrence was found in stage IA/IB and IC immature teratomas [10% (6/60) vs. 28.6% (4/14) (P=0.087)], grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 [7.1% (2/28) vs. 14.3% (4/28) vs. 22.2% (4/18) (p=0.39)], and surveillance versus chemotherapy groups [13.9% (9/65) vs. 11.1% (1/9)) (p = 1.00)]. In univariate analysis, the postoperative approach had no impact on recurrence. The 5-year disease-free survival was 87% and 90% in the surveillance and chemotherapy groups, respectively; the overall survival was 100% in both cohorts.ConclusionsOur results support the feasibility of surveillance in stage I immature teratomas. Adjuvant chemotherapy may be reserved for relapses. However, the potential benefit of chemotherapy should be discussed, especially for high-risk tumours. Prospective series are warranted to confirm our findings.What is already known on this topicTo date, no consensus has been reached regarding the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage I immature teratomas of the ovary. Some studies suggest that only surveillance is an acceptable choice. However, guidelines are not conclusive on this topic.What this study addsNo difference in terms of recurrence was observed between the surveillance and the adjuvant chemotherapy group. All patients who relapsed were successfully cured with no disease-related deaths.How this study might affect research, practice or policyAdjuvant chemotherapy should be appropriately discussed with patients. However, it may be reserved for relapse according to our data.

Entre los sistemas criptográficos europeos de la Edad Moderna, la Cifra nova Indiae Orientalis (1601), manuscrito rescatado en la Real Academia de la Historia de Madrid, compuesto por el secretario de la Compañía de Jesús Bernardo de Angelis, es la última clave de cifra que los superiores jesuitas utilizaron en los años de su expulsión de Japón. La presente investigación analiza la evolución de la pasigrafía asiática en los siglos XVI y XVII, y trata de examinar determinadas circunstancias históricas en las que la Cifra nova, códice hasta ahora inédito, se utilizó en la correspondencia de los jesuitas.

El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar la última sección de la Historia de Japam de Luís Fróis y poner de relieve la visión que, como observador privilegiado, este autor tuvo de un acontecimiento histórico de gran importancia: la Imjin waeran («invasiones japonesas de Corea»). Es decir, se trata de valorar los informes elaborados por el jesuita portugués, los cuales siguen siendo unos grandes desconocidos por los académicos generalistas y, de esta forma, completar los numerosos vacíos de información que aún hoy siguen existiendo. El papel fundamental que desempeñan estas crónicas, tanto en el contexto de los estudios históricos del enfrentamiento Imjin como en la comprensión de las complicadas situaciones que la guerra generó, merece ser examinado para proporcionar un punto de vista cercano, europeo e, incluso, distinto sobre este hecho. Fróis proporciona al lector occidental una visión no estrictamente empírica, sino analógica y simbólica, basada en los datos y parecer que le proporcionaron sus fuentes nativas. Además, aporta otro punto de vista más personal con el que contrapone su escepticismo hacia el caudillo Hideyoshi y el encomio de la heroica figura del daimio Konishi Yukinaga.

Thermal cyclers are used to perform polymerase chain reaction runs (PCR runs) and Peltier modules are the key components in these instruments. The demand for thermal cyclers has strongly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the fact that they are important tools used in the research, identification, and diagnosis of the virus. Even though Peltier modules are quite durable, their failure poses a serious threat to the integrity of the instrument, which can lead to plant shutdowns and sample loss. Therefore, it is highly desirable to be able to predict the state of health of Peltier modules and thus reduce downtime. In this paper methods from three sub-categories of supervised machine learning, namely classical methods, ensemble methods and convolutional neural networks, were compared with respect to their ability to detect the state of health of Peltier modules integrated in thermal cyclers. Device-specific data from on-deck thermal cyclers (ODTC®) supplied by INHECO Industrial Heating & Cooling GmbH (Fig 1), Martinsried, Germany were used as a database for training the models. The purpose of this study was to investigate methods for data-driven condition monitoring with the aim of integrating predictive analytics into future product platforms. The results show that information about the state of health can be extracted from operational data - most importantly current readings - and that convolutional neural networks were the best at producing a generalized model for fault classification.

BACKGROUND: Bowel-related disorders are common conditions associated with pregnancy and are a cause of significant distress and healthcare burden. However, there is a lack of data in the literature about these disorders. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate bowel dysfunctions during the third trimester of pregnancy in a large cohort of women using the validated bowel domain of the Italian version of the Pelvic Floor Questionnaire for Pregnant and Postpartum Women. STUDY DESIGN: This was a secondary analysis of a multicenter cross-sectional study conducted in hospitals in Italy and Italian-speaking Switzerland. Women in the third trimester of pregnancy were asked to complete the Italian Pelvic Floor Questionnaire for Pregnant and Postpartum Women. RESULTS: During the study period, 927 pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy responded to the questionnaire and were included in the analysis. Overall bowel dysfunctions were reported by 29.6% of patients. Constipation was reported by 66.6% of pregnant women, whereas symptoms of obstructed defecation were reported by 49.9% of patients. In contrast, urgency was reported by 41.1% of patients. Incontinence to flatus and incontinence to stool were reported by 45.1% and 2.8% of patients, respectively. Moreover, age >35 years, familiarity with pelvic floor disorders, nicotine abuse, and pelvic floor contraction inability were identified as independent risk factors for at least 1 bowel symptom. CONCLUSION: Bowel symptoms are extremely common in the third trimester of pregnancy and can greatly affect a patient's quality of life; therefore, bowel symptoms deserve to be investigated and managed properly. The use of validated questionnaires represents a precious tool to investigate functional symptoms that could be very frequent and disabling in this particular period of life for women.

Kepler-51 is a ≲1 Gyr old Sun-like star hosting three transiting planets with radii ≈6–9 R _⊕ and orbital periods ≈45–130 days. Transit timing variations (TTVs) measured with past Kepler and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations have been successfully modeled by considering gravitational interactions between the three transiting planets, yielding low masses and low mean densities (≲0.1 g cm ^−3 ) for all three planets. However, the transit time of the outermost transiting planet Kepler-51d recently measured by the James Webb Space Telescope 10 yr after the Kepler observations is significantly discrepant from the prediction made by the three-planet TTV model, which we confirmed with ground-based and follow-up HST observations. We show that the departure from the three-planet model is explained by including a fourth outer planet, Kepler-51e, in the TTV model. A wide range of masses (≲ M _Jup ) and orbital periods (≲10 yr) are possible for Kepler-51e. Nevertheless, all the coplanar solutions found from our brute-force search imply masses ≲10 M _⊕ for the inner transiting planets. Thus, their densities remain low, though with larger uncertainties than previously estimated. Unlike other possible solutions, the one in which Kepler-51e is around the 2:1 mean motion resonance with Kepler-51d implies low orbital eccentricities (≲0.05) and comparable masses (∼5 M _⊕ ) for all four planets, as is seen in other compact multiplanet systems. This work demonstrates the importance of long-term follow-up of TTV systems for probing longer-period planets in a system.

The effect of stellar multiplicity on planetary architecture and orbital dynamics provides an important context for exoplanet demographics. We present a volume-limited catalog of up to 300 pc of 66 stars hosting planets and planet candidates from Kepler, K2, and TESS with significant Hipparcos-Gaia proper motion anomalies, which indicates the presence of companions. We assess the reliability of each transiting planet candidate using ground-based follow-up observations, and find that the TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs) with significant proper anomalies show nearly four times more false positives due to eclipsing binaries compared to TOIs with marginal proper anomalies. In addition, we find tentative evidence that orbital periods of planets orbiting TOIs with significant proper anomalies are shorter than those orbiting TOIs without significant proper anomalies, consistent with the scenario that stellar companions can truncate planet-forming disks. Furthermore, TOIs with significant proper anomalies exhibit lower Gaia differential velocities in comparison to field stars with significant proper anomalies, suggesting that planets are more likely to form in binary systems with low-mass substellar companions or stellar companions at wider separation. Finally, we characterize the three-dimensional architecture of LTT 1445 ABC using radial velocities, absolute astrometry from Gaia and Hipparcos, and relative astrometry from imaging. Our analysis reveals that LTT 1445 is a nearly flat system, with a mutual inclination of ∼2.°88 between the orbit of BC around A and that of C around B. This coplanarity may explain why multiple planets around LTT 1445 A survive in the dynamically hostile environments of this system.

Edición y primera traducción al español de Advertimentos e Avisos dos costumes e catangues de Japão (Advertencias y avisos acerca de las costumbres y katagi de Japón) del año 1581, obra del jesuita italiano Alessandro Valignano (1539-1606). El estudio preliminar aborda la trayectoria del autor como misionero y la problemática cultural de la evangelización del Japón.

Las negociaciones de paz que los embajadores de la China Ming y los representantes del caudillo japonés Toyotomi Hideyoshi llevaron a cabo en el siglo xvi constituyen la fase más convulsa y compleja de la mayor guerra que acaeció a nivel mundial en dicho siglo. El objetivo primordial del presente artículo es analizar la actividad diplomática desarrollada en el marco del conflicto bélico denominado Imjin waeran (1592-1598), y hacerlo a partir de los textos elaborados por los religiosos europeos que se encontraban desarrollando su labor proselitista en el Lejano Oriente. En concreto, centraremos la atención en un manuscrito inédito que lleva por título De cómo vio Taico los embajadores de la China (1596). En este escrito se recoge un conjunto de datos inéditos que complementan y, en buena medida, refutan las informaciones aportadas por las fuentes asiáticas, lo que permite configurar una imagen más completa de estos conciertos de paz. Patrocinios Este estudio ha recibido financiación del programa de investigación e innovación Horizon 2020 de la Unión Europea en el marco del acuerdo de subvención Marie Sklodowska-Curie nº 892029 (EURO-IMJIN) y por el European Research Council (ERC) bajo el programa de investigación de la Unión Europea nº 758347 (AFTERMATH).

Abstract This paper is devoted to finding out some realization of the concept of b-metric like space. First, we attain a fixed point for two fuzzy mappings satisfying a suitable requirement of contractiveness. Subsequently, we apply such a result to graphic contractions. Also, we attain a unique solution for a system of integral equations, and lastly we give an application to ensure that there exists a common bounded solution of a suitable functional equation in dynamic programming.

In this paper, we establish some fixed point results for α-dominated mappings fulfilling new generalized locally Ćirić type rational contraction conditions in complete rectangular b-metric space. As an application, we establish the existence of fixed point of $\preceq $-dominated mappings in an ordered complete rectangular b-metric space. The notion of graph dominated mappings is introduced. Fixed point results with graphic contractions for such mappings are established.

High-permittivity III-V semiconductor nanocavities have shown huge potential for enhanced nonlinear light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. In particular, Second Harmonic (SH) generation in AlGaAs nanoantennas can be extremely efficient; however, vertical emission is difficult to achieve, due to the zincblende χ(2) tensor and epitaxially growth on (100) substrates. Here, we demonstrate that we can shape the second harmonic radiation pattern from a single AlGaAs nanostructure by exploiting a geometrical symmetry breaking optimization approach. The optimized design allows to redirect the SH signal toward the normal direction and to increase the SH power collection efficiency by 2 orders of magnitude in a small numerical aperture of 0.1 with respect to the symmetrical counterpart structure.

Background: Flat Magnetic Stimulation (FMS) is characterized by a stimulation generated by electromagnetic fields with a homogenous profile. One possible application is the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We aimed to compare the objective, subjective, quality of life, and instrumental outcomes in women with SUI not eligible for surgery undergoing either FMS or pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT). Methods: This was a prospective interventional study. After proper counseling, patients with isolated SUI were divided according to their treatment of choice into FMS and PFMT groups. At baseline and after treatment, patients completed the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form, the Female Sexual Function Index, and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire, and volumetric measurement of the urethral rhabdosphincter (RS) was performed. The Patient Global Impression of Improvement questionnaire and stress test defined subjective and objective cure rates, respectively. Results: We observed improvements in urinary-related quality of life scores and an increase in RS volume after FMS compared to baseline. All these outcomes were significantly better compared to women who underwent PFMT. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that FMS is a safe and effective conservative option for SUI management in terms of objective and subjective cure rates.

Videocapillaroscopy allows the study of both the morphological and architectural structure of the microcirculation and its hemodynamic conditions; these parameters are directly involved in autoimmune and/or inflammatory pathologies. The purpose of this research, based on capillaroscopy, is to establish whether a patient who receives an anti-COVID 19 vaccine has any changes in their oral microcirculation. A complete capillaroscopic mapping of the oral cavity of the subjects examined was made; the investigated mucosa sites were the following: cheek, labial, chewing-gingival and back of the tongue. This study showed an increase in capillary density from the comparison between the mean labial capillary density of vaccinated patients and the reference mean capillary density value of the literature. The increase in capillary density is a sign that can be attributed to an increase in angiogenic activity. The EMA, GACVS and MHRA have reviewed the risk of thrombosis after vaccination, agreeing that the benefits outweigh the risks.

The transient optical response of multiresonant all‐dielectric nanoantennas via a combination of broadband ultrafast reflectivity experiments and nonlinear optics nanoscale modeling is studied. Ultrafast all‐optical control of the reflectivity is demonstrated in variably sized Al.18Ga.82As nanoantennas over four distinct Mie resonances (including Fano‐like resonances), spanning a broad spectral range, from the red to the near‐infrared. A spatially inhomogeneous dynamical model, which accounts for diffusion of the photogenerated carriers inside the semiconductor, is introduced and exploited to isolate the physical phenomena leading to the overall transient response, namely, Drude plasma formation and Pauli blocking following band filling and thermo‐optical effect. The results pave the way to the development of multiwavelength all‐optically reconfigurable filters for next‐generation ultrafast add/drop multiplexing.

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to study the solution of two systems of nonlinear integral equations via fixed point results in a complete dislocated b-metric space. Also the notion of graphic contractions on a closed set for two families of graph dominated multivalued mappings is introduced. Our results generalize some previous results in the existing literature.

Background and Objectives: Posterior compartment prolapse is associated with constipation and obstructed defecation syndrome. However, there is still a lack of consensus on the optimal treatment for this condition. We aim to investigate functional, anatomical, and quality-of-life outcomes of native tissue transvaginal repair of isolated symptomatic rectocele. Materials and Methods: We retrospective analyzed patients who underwent transvaginal native tissue repair for stage ≥ II and symptomatic posterior vaginal wall prolapse between January 2018 and June 2021. Anatomical and functional outcomes were evaluated. Wexner constipation score was used to assess bowel symptoms, while the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) score was used to evaluate subjective satisfaction after surgery. Results: Twenty-eight patients were included in the analysis. The median age was 64.5 years, and half of them underwent a previous hysterectomy for benign reasons. The median follow-up time was 33.5 months. A significant anatomical improvement in the posterior compartment was noticed compared with preoperative assessment (p < 0.001 for Ap and Bp), with only two (7.1%) anatomical recurrences. Additionally, obstructed defecation symptoms decreased significantly compared to baseline (p < 0.001), as well as vaginal bulging, with no new-onset cases of fecal incontinence or de novo dyspareunia. PGI-I resulted in 89.2% of patients being satisfied (PGI-I ≥ 2), with a median score of 1.5. Conclusions: Transvaginal native tissue repair for isolated posterior prolapse is safe and effective in managing bowel symptoms, with excellent anatomical and functional outcomes and satisfactory improvement in patients’ quality of life.

Background and Objectives: Urodynamics is considered the gold standard for lower urinary tract functional assessment. However, it requires very specific skills and training, which are currently difficult to master due to its reduced use. Moreover, no studies or data are available to define the workload and the learning curve of this diagnostic tool. As a consequence, we aimed to evaluate the learning curve of residents with no previous experience to correctly perform and interpret urodynamics, and properly address and manage patients with pelvic floor disorders based on urodynamics findings. Materials and Methods: This prospective study analyzed a series of proficiency parameters in residents performing urodynamics under consultant supervision, including the following: duration of procedure, perceived difficulty, need for consultant intervention, accuracy of interpretation, and therapeutic proposal. The number of procedures performed was then divided into groups of five to evaluate the progressive grade of autonomy (technical and full management autonomy) reached by each resident. Results: In total, 69 patients underwent urodynamics performed by three residents, with every resident performing at least 20 exams. Duration of procedure, perceived difficulty, need for consultant intervention, accuracy of interpretation, and the appropriateness of the hypothetical proposal of management/treatment based on their interpretation of clinical data and urodynamic findings was shown to be directly related to the number of exams performed. Technical autonomy in the execution of uroflowmetry was reached in the group performing 6–10 procedures, while technical autonomy in the execution of cystomanometry with pressure/flow study was obtained in the group of 16–20 procedures. The latter corresponded also to the gain of full autonomy which also included an optimal therapeutic proposal. Conclusion: We found that there is a tangible learning curve for urodynamics in terms of several proficiency parameters. A workload of 5 uroflowmetries and 15 cystomanometries with pressure/flow studies may be adequate to complete the learning curve.

Background: Dielectric nanoantennas have recently emerged as an alternative solution to plasmonics for nonlinear light manipulation at the nanoscale, thanks to the magnetic and electric resonances, the strong nonlinearities, and the low ohmic losses characterizing high refractive-index materials in the visible/near-infrared (NIR) region of the spectrum. In this frame, AlGaAs nanoantennas demonstrated to be extremely efficient sources of second harmonic radiation. In particular, the nonlinear polarization of an optical system pumped at the anapole mode can be potentially boosted, due to both the strong dip in the scattering spectrum and the near-field enhancement, which are characteristic of this mode. Plasmonic nanostructures, on the other hand, remain the most promising solution to achieve strong local field confinement, especially in the NIR, where metals such as gold display relatively low losses.Results: We present a nonlinear hybrid antenna based on an AlGaAs nanopillar surrounded by a gold ring, which merges in a single platform the strong field confinement typically produced by plasmonic antennas with the high nonlinearity and low loss characteristics of dielectric nanoantennas. This platform allows enhancing the coupling of light to the nanopillar at coincidence with the anapole mode, hence boosting both second- and third-harmonic generation conversion efficiencies. More than one order of magnitude enhancement factors are measured for both processes with respect to the isolated structure.Conclusion: The present results reveal the possibility to achieve tuneable metamixers and higher resolution in nonlinear sensing and spectroscopy, by means of improved both pump coupling and emission efficiency due to the excitation of the anapole mode enhanced by the plasmonic nanoantenna.

Carbon dioxide capture from cement plant flue gas can play an important role in mitigating CO2 emission that lead to climate change. Among all the technologies evaluated, membranes have potential to be one of the most energy-efficient and low-cost CO2 capture option. In this work, a novel membrane technology, Facilitated Transport Membranes (FTMs), is assessed to further reduce energy demand and cost for CO2 capture in a cement plant. A new process that employs FTMs is simulated and applied to a real clinker production plant in Italy (Colacem, Gubbio). The process is then compared with other carbon capture technologies. Results show that the FTM technology can be competitive with other technologies despite the need of steam to operate the membrane. Despite the benefit in terms of specific emission compared to more established absorption with liquid amines process, further improvements on membrane performances are needed to gain also an economic advantage for carbon capture in the cement industry.

Metal-less nanophotonics offers new opportunities for non-linear optics with respect to optical waveguides and microresonators, taking advantage of the progress within nanofabrication to boost the development of subwavelength Mie-type structures. Here, we review recent results on second harmonic generation with semiconductor nanoresonators, focusing on their scattering features in terms of efficiency and control over radiation patterns. First, two theoretical models are comparatively discussed with a view to possible improvements in analysis and design. Then, some relevant experiments are reported, and the origin of the χ(2) generation is discussed, outlining the main open topics to investigate in the near future and the advantages offered by these nanostructures to the development of novel photonic devices.

F-contractions have inspired a branch of metric fixed point theory committed to the generalization of the classical Banach contraction principle. The study of these contractions and α-fuzzy mappings in b-metric spaces was attempted timidly and was not successful. In this article, the main objective is to obtain common α-fuzzy fixed point results for F-contractions in b-metric spaces. Some multivalued fixed point results in the literature are derived as consequences of our main results. We also provide a non-trivial example to show the validity of our results. As applications, we investigate the solution for fuzzy initial value problems in the context of a generalized Hukuhara derivative. Our results generalize, improve and complement several developments from the existing literature.

Esta investigación tiene como propósito principal plantear un itinerario desconocido sobre los últimos años de vida de uno de los jesuitas más determinantes en la misión de Japón del siglo xvi. El logroñés Gil de la Mata fue uno de los primeros religiosos que más continentes recorrió durante toda su actividad ecuménica y catequizadora. A raíz de su elección como procurador de la misión durante la Congregación Provincial de Nagasaki en 1592, el jurista y teólogo español volvió a Europa decidido a solucionar algunos asuntos de carácter moral, tanto en la corte de Felipe II como en la Santa Sede. En el presente estudio se presentan las últimas cuatro misivas inéditas que el religioso envió desde Lisboa y Nagasaki entre 1596-1599. Dentro de las cuestiones discurridas se halla la resolución del rey en lo tocante al colegio de Macao, la necesidad de pobreza, la distribución de las naves y otros asuntos «graves» que dirigió tanto al padre General Claudio Aquaviva como al asistente de Portugal João Álvarez.

El presente ensayo tiene como finalidad dar a conocer el tratado, casi desconocido hasta el presente, En defensa de nuestros Mártires de Japón (1628) y a su autor, el jesuita vizcaíno, Juan Bautista Poza. El códice es un escrito crítico, como es típico de las obras del polígrafo, que brinda abundante información y citas de teólogos y moralistas. En él se analiza, principalmente, la problemática sobre la actitud que había que tener ante las persecuciones en la evangelización de Japón a finales del siglo XVI. En concreto, el tratado es una propuesta para que la Santa Sede reconozca la beatificación de los mártires de Japón, y nace a partir de las disposiciones manifestadas por los misioneros. Algunos se expusieron audazmente a la muerte; otros decidieron esconderse con el fin de seguir evangelizando y cristianizando a los gentiles nipones. Poza exhorta a las autoridades eclesiásticas para que admitan una correcta y minuciosa evaluación de cada mártir europeo que dejó su vida a favor de la fe y de la cristianización en la Tierra del Sol Naciente.

Abstract In this paper, inspired by Hussain et al. (Fixed Point Theory Appl. 2015:17, 2015), we study a modified Mann method to approximate strongly fixed points of strict pseudo-contractive mappings. In (Hussain et al. in Fixed Point Theory Appl. 2015:17, 2015) it is shown that the same algorithm converges strongly to a fixed point of a nonexpansive mapping under suitable hypotheses on the coefficients. Here the assumptions on the coefficients are different, as well as the techniques of the proof.

The purpose of this paper is to define generalized ( α β - ψ ) -contraction in the context of F -metric space and obtain some new fixed point results. As applications, we solve a nonlinear neutral differential equation with an unbounded delay ϑ / ( ι ) = − ρ 1 ( ι ) ϑ ( ι ) + ρ 2 ( ι ) L ( ϑ ( ι − ς ( ι ) ) ) + ρ 3 ( ι ) ϑ / ( ι − ς ( ι ) ) , where ρ 1 ( ι ) , ρ 2 ( ι ) are continuous, ρ 3 ( ι ) is continuously differentiable and ς ( ι ) > 0 , for all ι ∈ R and is twice continuously differentiable.

Alessandro Valignano es la clave para comprender la entrada de los jesuitas Michele Ruggieri y Matteo Ricci en el Imperio Ming. Gracias a su intuición y a la experiencia adquirida en la misión de Japón, Valignano tomó consciencia de lo importante que era aprender chino como condición sine qua non para acceder al interior del territorio oriental. El Visitador de la India, como así se conocía a Alessandro Valignano, fue la primera autoridad de la misión de China y el verdadero fundador de esta empresa. Sin embargo, la relación de este con la tierra de Confucio fue considerada simplemente desde un punto de vista general o, al contrario, tan específicamente que dicha concomitancia se redujo a unas pocas anécdotas históricas. Este artículo tiene como objetivo localizar y considerar algunas fuentes europeas desconocidas hasta ahora sobre el padre Visitador de los jesuitas, así como sus opiniones y su organización de la misión de China durante los siglos XVI y XVII. Además, el estudio analiza las fuentes primarias, que van desde el primer contacto de Valignano con China hasta su gran objetivo de solicitar una embajada romana para el emperador chino (1588-1603), y su relación con Matteo Ricci.

This article aims to provide two unpublished manuscripts by Jesuit Gil de la Mata, dating back to the first contact of Christianity in Japan from century XVI, and includes historical contributions about the Martyr Damian Yamaguchi. These documents, also translated into Portuguese by Luís Fróis in his History of Japam, narrate interesting anecdotes about the life of this character in his murdered years before. His ability to preach and to convert his countrymen, including his singular craft of unknown exorcist came to impact many authors who narrated some events of this unusual man. This essay offers another vision of Brother Damian, blind catechist for a long period, who had to replace the Jesuits expelled upon precept daimyo Hideyoshi.

Recently, George et al. (in Georgea, R.; Radenovicb, S.; Reshmac, K.P.; Shuklad, S. Rectangular b-metric space and contraction principles. J. Nonlinear Sci. Appl. 2015, 8, 1005–1013) furnished the notion of rectangular b-metric pace (RBMS) by taking the place of the binary sum of triangular inequality in the definition of a b-metric space ternary sum and proved some results for Banach and Kannan contractions in such space. In this paper, we achieved fixed-point results for a pair of F-dominated mappings fulfilling a generalized rational F-dominated contractive condition in the better framework of complete rectangular b-metric spaces complete rectangular b-metric spaces. Some new fixed-point results with graphic contractions for a pair of graph-dominated mappings on rectangular b-metric space have been obtained. Some examples are given to illustrate our conclusions. New results in ordered spaces, partial b-metric space, dislocated metric space, dislocated b-metric space, partial metric space, b-metric space, rectangular metric spaces, and metric space can be obtained as corollaries of our results.

In this paper, we introduce a Halpern’s type method to approximate common fixed points of a nonexpansive mapping T and a strongly quasi-nonexpansive mappings S, defined in a Hilbert space, such that I − S is demiclosed at 0. The result shows as the same algorithm converges to different points, depending on the assumptions of the coefficients. Moreover, a numerical example of our iterative scheme is given.

In the setting of Hilbert spaces, we study Mann’s type method to approximate strong solutions of variational inequalities. We show that these solutions are fixed points of a nonexpansive mapping and/or a strongly quasinonexpansive mapping, depending on the coefficients involved in the algorithm.

In the setting of Hilbert spaces, inspired by Iemoto and Takahashi (2009), we study a Mann’s method with viscosity to approximate strongly (common) fixed points of a nonexpansive mapping and a nonspreading mapping. A crucial tool in our results is the nonspreading-average type mapping.

The multiple-set split feasibility problem requires finding a point closest to a family of closed convex sets in one space such that its image under a linear transformation will be closest to another family of closed convex sets in the image space. It can be a model for many inverse problems where constraints are imposed on the solutions in the domain of a linear operator as well as in the operator’s range. It generalizes the convex feasibility problem as well as the two-set split feasibility problem. In this paper, we will review and report some recent results on iterative approaches to the multiple-set split feasibility problem.

We prove the equivalence and the strong convergence of (1) the modified Mann iterative process and (2) the modified Ishikawa iterative process for asymptotically ϕ-strongly pseudocontractive mappings in a uniformly smooth Banach space.

We introduce a new iterative method for finding a common element of the set of solutions of a generalized equilibrium problem with a relaxed monotone mapping and the set of common fixed points of a countable family of nonexpansive mappings in a Hilbert space and then prove that the sequence converges strongly to a common element of the two sets. Using this result, we prove several new strong convergence theorems in fixed point problems, variational inequalities, and equilibrium problems.

We propose a modified hybrid projection algorithm to approximate a common fixed point of a k-strict pseudocontraction and of two sequences of nonexpansive mappings. We prove a strong convergence theorem of the proposed method and we obtain, as a particular case, approximation of solutions of systems of two equilibrium problems.

We introduce two iterative algorithms for nonexpansive mappings in Hilbert spaces. We prove that the proposed algorithms strongly converge to a fixed point of a nonexpansive mapping T.

A common method in solving ill-posed problems is to substitute the original problem by a family of well-posed (i.e., with a unique solution) regularized problems. We will use this idea to define and study a two-step algorithm to solve hierarchical fixed point problems under different conditions on involved parameters.