Constraining WIMP magnetic moment from CDMS II experiment

We consider a degenerate or a nearly degenerate dark matter sector where a sizable magnetic moment of an almost Dirac type neutral dark matter candidate N is anticipated. Then, due to soft photon exchange, the cross-section in direct detection of N can be enhanced at low Q^2 region. We discuss the implication of this type of models in view of the recent CDMS II report.Comment: 7 pages with 5 figures. The definition of old F2 is related to the conventional F2 and two more nuclei are added in Table

Protocol for the effective feedback to improve primary care prescribing safety (EFIPPS) study : a cluster randomised controlled trial using ePrescribing data

High-risk prescribing in primary care is common and causes considerable harm. Feedback interventions to improve care are attractive because they are relatively cheap to widely implement. There is good evidence that feedback has small to moderate effects, but the most recent Cochrane review called for more high-quality, large trials that explicitly test different forms of feedback. The study is a three-arm cluster-randomised trial with general practices being randomised and outcomes measured at patient level. 262 practices in three Scottish Health Board areas have been randomised (94% of all possible practices). The two active arms receive different forms of prescribing safety data feedback, with rates of high-risk prescribing compared with a ‘usual care’ arm. Sample size estimation used baseline data from participating practices. With 85 practices randomised to each arm, then there is 93% power to detect a 25% difference in the percentage of high-risk prescribing (from 6.1% to 4.5%) between the usual care arm and each intervention arm. The primary outcome is a composite of six high-risk prescribing measures (antipsychotic prescribing to people aged ≥75 years; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prescribing to people aged ≥75 without gastroprotection; NSAID prescribing to people prescribed aspirin/clopidogrel without gastroprotection; NSAID prescribing to people prescribed an ACE inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker and a diuretic; NSAID prescription to people prescribed an oral anticoagulant without gastroprotection; aspirin/clopidogrel prescription to people prescribed an oral anticoagulant without gastroprotection). The primary analysis will use multilevel modelling to account for repeated measurement of outcomes in patients clustered within practices. The study was reviewed and approved by the NHS Tayside Committee on Medical Research Ethics B (11/ES/0001). The study will be disseminated via a final report to the funder with a publicly available research summary, and peer reviewed publications

Isolating LCDs at end-of-life using active disassembly technology: A feasibility study

The European Union draft Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive calls for the removal and separate treatment of liquid crystal displays (LCD). This aspect of the legislation will potentially have an important impact upon the future `End of Life' (EoL) processing of much WEEE. Active Disassembly using Smart Materials (ADSM) has been proven to have applicability in self-dismantling, nondestructive and rapid disassembly of small electronic products. This paper investigates the technical feasibility of removing LCD screens from IT communication products using ASDM technology. In this paper an option is suggested to cleanly separate LCD screens from printed circuit boards, utilizing an LCD bracket made from `shape memory polymer'. The case study products employed are Nokia Japanese J-Phones. Demonstration experiments with initial results are presented, and future developments discussed. SMB glass transformation temperatures (Tg) and time efficiency in disassembly are considered

The impact of the ‘Better Care Better Value’ prescribing policy on the utilisation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers for treating hypertension in the UK primary care setting: longitudinal quasi-experimental design

In April/2009, the UK National Health Service initiated four Better Care Better Value (BCBV) prescribing indicators, one of which encouraged the prescribing of cheaper angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) instead of expensive angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), with 80 % ACEIs/20 % ARBs as a proposed, and achievable target. The policy was intended to save costs without affecting patient outcomes. However, little is known about the actual impact of the BCBV indicator on ACEIs/ARBs utilisation and cost-savings. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of BCBV policy on ACEIs/ARBs utilisation and cost-savings, including exploration of regional variations of the policy’s impact

Measuring performances through multiplicative functions by modifying the MEREC method: MEREC-G and MEREC-H

Purpose – This study aims to apply new modifications by changing the nonlinear logarithmic calculation steps in the method based on the removal effects of criteria (MEREC) method. Geometric and harmonic mean from multiplicative functions is used for the modifications made while extracting the effects of the criteria on the overall performance one by one. Instead of the nonlinear logarithmic measure used in the MEREC method, it is desired to obtain results that are closer to the mean and have a lower standard deviation. Design/methodology/approach – The MEREC method is based on the removal effects of the criteria on the overall performance. The method uses a logarithmic measure with a nonlinear function. MEREC-G using geometric mean and MEREC-H using harmonic mean are introduced in this study. The authors compared the MEREC method, its modifications and some other objective weight determination methods. Findings – MEREC-G and MEREC-H variants, which are modifications of the MEREC method, are shown to be effective in determining the objective weights of the criteria. Findings of the MEREC-G and MEREC-H variants are more convenient, simpler, more reasonable, closer to the mean and have fewer deviations. It was determined that the MEREC-G variant gave more compatible findings with the entropy method. Practical implications – Decision-making can occur at any time in any area of life. There are various criteria and alternatives for decision-making. In multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) models, it is a very important distinction to determine the criteria weights for the selection/ranking of the alternatives. The MEREC method can be used to find more reasonable or average results than other weight determination methods such as entropy. It can be expected that the MEREC method will be more used in daily life problems and various areas. Originality/value – Objective weight determination methods evaluate the weights of the criteria according to the scores of the determined alternatives. In this study, the MEREC method, which is an objective weight determination method, has been expanded. Although a nonlinear measurement model is used in the literature, the contribution was made in this study by using multiplicative functions. As an important originality, the authors demonstrated the effect of removing criteria in the MEREC method in a sensitivity analysis by actually removing the alternatives one by one from the model

Una caracterización directa del control óptimo en problemas de control estocástico

El método clásico de resolución de problemas de control óptimo estocástico en tiempo continuo está basado en la ecuación de Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman, que caracteriza a la función valor óptimo. En este trabajo probamos que, en problemas en los que el parámetro de difusión es independiente de las variables de control, éstas quedan caracterizadas de forma directa por un sistema semilineal de ecuaciones en derivadas parciales. Mediante este nuevo enfoque resolvemos explícitamente el problema homogéneo unidimensional y aplicamos los resultados obtenidos al estudio de un problema de gestión óptima de un recurso natural no renovable en ambiente de incertidumbre