Let C be a closed, bounded, convex subset of a uniformly convex Banach space, and let $\{T_s\}$ be an asymptotic nonexpansive semigroup of nonlinear mappings acting within C. Consider the implicit iteration process defined by the sequence of equations:

$$ \begin{align*} x_{k+1} = c_k T_{s_{k+1}}(x_{k+1}) + (1 - c_k) x_k,\end{align*} $$

where each $c_k \in (0,1)$ and the initial point $x_0 \in C$ is arbitrarily chosen. In this context, we investigate the conditions under which the sequence $\{x_k\}$ converges, either weakly or strongly, to a common fixed point of the semigroup $\{T_s\}$. We also touch upon the question of the stability of such processes.

Complexity of interpretation of the archaeological evidence about early human migrations here concerns both the exclusively African origin of the earliest ancestors of the species Homo, and the African or polycentric genesis of Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH). Through the medium of tool production remains - blade technologies in particular - Kozlowski traces the chronology of early extra-African migrations to re-examine their causes, including environmental change. Technological innovations prove to be a means by which the population movements of North Africa and Southern Europe can be tracked: from the archaic Homo sapiens to AMH (600,000 to 200/150,000 years BP); and the subsequent spread of AMH (50,000 to 30,000 BP).

There is no direct, constant relationship between the anthropological and cultural aspects of modernity. Anthropologically modern peoples display a certain heterogeneity that is not unconnected with earlier peoples, and the culture produced by modern humans, which is also heterogeneous, is differentiated diachronically and according to territory. Though paleogenetic research seems to point us to a single, African source for modern peoples, who had replaced the pre-sapiens populations in Eurasia, this view is not completely proven or accepted. On the other hand, paleo-genetic research has contributed to our relinquishing the hypothesis of a multiregional ‘total continuity’ of local pre-modern populations in the Old World. Indeed the theory of a partial replacement, by a migration ‘out of Africa’, appears to be getting increasingly plausible. This article deals with the problems of the origins of modern man from the points of view of anthropological, paleogenetic, paleoenvironmental and cultural approaches.

A version of thermoporometry dedicated to analyzing the pore network of expanding clays is proposed here. The blurred, wide Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) peak obtained upon the melting of a frozen clay sample is processed by means of a deconvolution analysis based on searching for such a temperature distribution of “pulse-like heat events” which, convolved with the apparatus function, gives a minimal deviation from the observed heat flux function, i.e. the calorimetric signal. As a result, a sharp thermogram was obtained which can be transformed easily into the pore-size distribution curve. Results obtained for samples of two Clay Minerals Society Source Clays (montmorillonites SWy-2 from Wyoming and STx-1b from Texas) at different water contents indicate a greater resolution and sensitivity than that achieved by classical thermoporometry using the unprocessed DSC signal. Phenomena corresponding to the evolution of the pore network as a function of the water content have been detected in samples with large water contents subjected to free drying prior to the experiments.

The article presents evidence for a direct, both formal and contentual, dependence of Jesus’ triple accusation in Luke 23.2 upon Socrates’ triple accusation in Plato's Apol. 24b–c.

Celebrating 100 years of the Banach contraction principle, we prove some fixed point theorems having all ingredients of the principle, but dealing with common fixed points of a contractive semigroup of nonlinear mappings acting in a modulated topological vector space. This research follows the ideas of the author’s recent papers [‘On modulated topological vector spaces and applications’, Bull. Aust. Math. Soc. 101 (2020), 325–332, and ‘Normal structure in modulated topological vector spaces’, Comment. Math. 60 (2020), 1–11]. Modulated topological vector spaces generalise, among others, Banach spaces and modular function spaces. The interest in modulars reflects the fact that the notions of ‘norm like’ but ‘noneuclidean’ (and not even necessarily convex) constructs to measure a level of proximity between complex objects are frequently used in science and technology. To prove our fixed point results in this setting, we introduce a new concept of Opial sets using analogies with the norm-weak and modular versions of the Opial property. As an example, the results of this work can be applied to spaces like $L^p$ for $p> 0 $, variable Lebesgue spaces $L^{p(\cdot )}$ where $1 \leq p(t) < + \infty $, Orlicz and Musielak–Orlicz spaces.

Trees have a crucial importance in the functioning of ecosystems on Earth. They are among the largest and longest-living taxa and provide habitat and shelter to numerous species belonging to diverse groups of organisms. Relict trees are of particular interest through their history of survival and adaptation, and because they potentially shelter rare or threatened organisms today. We investigated for the first time the diversity and distribution of epiphytic lichens and bryophytes found on the Cretan (Greek) endemic and relict phorophyte Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae). Our results showed that Z. abelicea hosts a high number of epiphytes. The Levka Ori mountain range in western Crete seems to be a hot spot for epiphytic lichens on Z. abelicea. Bryophytes had the highest diversity on Mt Kedros in central Crete but were absent from several other sites. Moreover, 17% of the studied lichens were recorded for the first time for Crete and 5% have never been recorded for Greece. Geographical position and browsing intensity seem to be important factors influencing the epiphytic community encountered. Tree morphology (dwarfed or arborescent) was also significant in influencing community composition although it was not possible to dissociate this factor from the effect of topography. Dwarfed individuals were found to have as much epiphytic diversity as arborescent trees. Ecological indicator values showed that high epiphytic diversity was found in some sites despite signs of eutrophication and disturbance due to pastoral activities and suggest the co-occurrence of both disturbance tolerant and sensitive species. Our results show how little is known about the biodiversity of Cretan phorophytes and highlights the need for further research on the topic.

The late Pleistocene to early Holocene Champlain Sea provides a unique opportunity to study the development of marine ecosystems in a context of global climatic change. This study presents radiocarbon (14C) dates and stable isotope analyses on 15 vertebrate specimens from Champlain Sea sediments, including the Charlotte Whale, which is Vermont’s State marine fossil. Data are used in an attempt to investigate the timing of colonization and ecological dynamics in this newly formed sea. Using the average marine correction, 14C dates on four specimens likely calibrate prior to or possibly synchronous with the accepted origination date for the Champlain Sea, implying larger marine reservoir effects than the average marine correction in the vertebrate tissues. Without knowing the specific marine reservoir offsets, it is not possible to calculate the timing of colonization or its relation to concurrent climatic change. Observed lower δ13C and δ15N values in walruses, a fin whale, and a right whale support consumption of prey from lower trophic levels such as bivalve mollusks, krill, and copepods. Higher isotopic values in beluga whales and a bird, the thick-billed murre, support consuming fish, such as cod and capelin. These isotopic data show comparable values and relationships as observed in modern arctic marine ecosystems.

Scholars have long noticed a similarity of motifs between Catullus’ Carmen 63 and the fifth book of the Odyssey, where the story of Odysseus’ captivity on Ogygia is narrated. A detailed analysis of the poems shows that Catullus wanted the reader to see in this Homeric episode a kind of matrix for the interpretation of Attis’ sojourn at Cybele. The discovery of this dependence casts a light on some of the hitherto proposed interpretations of Carmen 63.

We introduce a notion of modulated topological vector spaces, that generalises, among others, Banach and modular function spaces. As applications, we prove some results which extend Kirk’s and Browder’s fixed point theorems. The theory of modulated topological vector spaces provides a very minimalist framework, where powerful fixed point theorems are valid under a bare minimum of assumptions.

The paper is related to an adaptive satellite communication system for data transmission from small, low cost, low Earth orbit satellites. Tests run in a set-up consisting of a number of software-defined radio (SDR) modules operating as a satellite, a ground station, and a satellite channel simulator, have shown that by changing modulation scheme and code rate one can obtain increase of amount of data which can be downloaded from a satellite during a single pass over a ground station approximately by a factor of 2. To determine data rates obtainable in an SDR system using a common personal computer as a digital signal processing device, execution times of particular processing steps involved in the reception process were measured.

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The objective of this research was to assess the clinical impact of simulation-based team leadership training on team leadership effectiveness and patient care during actual trauma resuscitations. This translational work addresses an important gap in simulation research and medical education research. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Eligible trauma team leaders were randomized to the intervention (4-hour simulation-based leadership training) or control (standard training) condition. Subject-led actual trauma patient resuscitations were video recorded and coded for leadership behaviors (primary outcome) and patient care (secondary outcome) using novel leadership and trauma patient care metrics. Patient outcomes for trauma resuscitations were obtained through the Harborview Medical Center Trauma Registry and analyzed descriptively. A one-way ANCOVA analysis was conducted to test the effectiveness of our training intervention versus a control group for each outcome (leadership effectiveness and patient care) while accounting for pre-training performance, injury severity score, postgraduate training year, and days since training occurred. Association between leadership effectiveness and patient care was evaluated using random coefficient modeling. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Sixty team leaders, 30 in each condition, completed the study. There was a significant difference in post-training leadership effectiveness [F(1,54)=30.19, p<.001, η2=.36] between the experimental and control conditions. There was no direct impact of training on patient care [F(1,54)=1.0, p=0.33, η2=.02]; however, leadership effectiveness mediated an indirect effect of training on patient care. Across all trauma resuscitations team leader effectiveness correlated with patient care (p<0.05) as predicted by team leadership conceptual models. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This work represents a critical step in advancing translational simulation-based research (TSR). While there are several examples of high quality translational research programs, they primarily focus on procedural tasks and do not evaluate highly complex skills such as leadership. Complex skills present significant measurement challenges because individuals and processes are interrelated, with multiple components and emergent nature of tasks and related behaviors. We provide evidence that simulation-based training of a complex skill (team leadership behavior) transfers to a complex clinical setting (emergency department) with highly variable clinical tasks (trauma resuscitations). Our novel team leadership training significantly improved overall leadership performance and partially mediated the positive effect between leadership and patient care. This represents the first rigorous, randomized, controlled trial of a leadership or teamwork-focused training that systematically evaluates the impact on process (leadership) and performance (patient care).

This paper describes a model of electron energization and cyclotron-maser emission applicable to astrophysical magnetized collisionless shocks. It is motivated by the work of Begelman, Ergun and Rees [Astrophys. J. 625, 51 (2005)] who argued that the cyclotron-maser instability occurs in localized magnetized collisionless shocks such as those expected in blazar jets. We report on recent research carried out to investigate electron acceleration at collisionless shocks and maser radiation associated with the accelerated electrons. We describe how electrons accelerated by lower-hybrid waves at collisionless shocks generate cyclotron-maser radiation when the accelerated electrons move into regions of stronger magnetic fields. The electrons are accelerated along the magnetic field and magnetically compressed leading to the formation of an electron velocity distribution having a horseshoe shape due to conservation of the electron magnetic moment. Under certain conditions the horseshoe electron velocity distribution function is unstable to the cyclotron-maser instability [Bingham and Cairns, Phys. Plasmas 7, 3089 (2000); Melrose, Rev. Mod. Plasma Phys. 1, 5 (2017)].

This study evaluated the effects of three different thermostable phytase variants, based on the AppA gene from E. coli (AppAT1, AppAT2 and AppAT3) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and bone mineralisation in broiler chickens at inclusion levels of 250 and 500 FTU/kg. The eight treatment groups included a positive control (PC) which was sufficient in Ca and P, a negative control (NC, the same basal formulation as the PC, but reduced in Ca and P), and NC supplemented with AppAT1 at 250 and 500 FTU/kg (AppAT1-250 and AppAT1-500), AppAT2 at 250 and 500 FTU/kg (AppAT2-250 and AppAT2-500) and with AppAT3 at 250 and 500 FTU/kg (AppAT3-250 and AppAT3-500). Over the entire feeding period, body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) were significantly higher in the PC group, with all phytase supplemented groups being statistically the same, compared to the NC group. Feed conversion (FCR) for the PC-fed birds (1.479) was significantly (P<0.05) better compared to the NC birds (1.582) and those fed the AppAT3-250 diet (1.523). Reduced levels of Ca and P in the NC group led to significantly (P<0.05) lower tibia ash (40.9%) compared to the PC group (47.4%). Birds fed the phytase diets had significantly higher tibia ash compared to the NC birds, with those from the AppAT2-500 and AppAT3-500 groups being statistically the same as the PC group. Diets AppAT1-500, AppAT2-250, AppAT2-500 and AppAT3-500 significantly increased Ca digestibility compared to the NC. Apparent total track digestibility (ATTD) of P was improved for AppAT1-500 and AppAT2-250. The ATTD of Ca and P for all of the phytase supplemented groups reached the same level of the PC and AppAT1-500 group. It was concluded that adding any of the phytases tested, especially when included at 500 FTU/kg to a feed reduced in Ca and P, led to improved performance and bone mineralisation back to the same levels as seen for the Ca and P sufficient diet.