The Maslov Gerbe

Let Lag(E) be the grassmannian of lagrangian subspaces of a complex symplectic vector space E. We construct a Maslov class which generates the second integral cohomology of Lag(E), and we show that its mod 2 reduction is the characteristic class of a flat gerbe with structure group Z_2. We explain the relation of this gerbe to the well-known flat Maslov line bundle with structure group Z_4 over the real lagrangian grassmannian, whose characteristic class is the mod 4 reduction of the real Maslov class.Comment: 8 page

Destructive Hostility: The Jeffrey Dahmer Case: A Psychiatric and Forensic Study of a Serial Killer

We were involved as forensic experts in the case of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. We discuss the scene and victim autopsy findings, with a brief consideration of the basic emotion of hostility. These findings support the thesis that at the basis of this serial killer\u27s behavior were primary unconscious feelings of hate that he had channeled into a sadistic programmed destruction of 17 young men. The interview of the serial killer, the photographic scene documentation, and the autopsy findings stress the ambivalent homosexuality of the killer, his sexual sadism, his obsessive fetishism, and his possible cannibalism and necrophilia

The role of atmospheric CO2 in controlling sea surface temperature change during the Pliocene,

We present the role of CO2 forcing in controlling Late Pliocene sea surface temperature (SST) change using six models from Phase 2 of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP2) and palaeoclimate proxy data from the PlioVAR working group. At a global scale, SST change in the Late Pliocene relative to the pre-industrial is predominantly driven by CO2 forcing in the low and mid-latitudes and non-CO2 forcing in the high latitudes. We find that CO2 is the dominant driver of SST change at the vast majority of proxy data sites assessed (17 out of 19), but the relative dominance of this forcing varies between all proxy sites, with CO2 forcing accounting for between 27 % and 82 % of the total change seen. The dearth of proxy data sites in the high latitudes means that only two sites assessed here are predominantly forced by non-CO2 forcing (such as changes to ice sheets and orography), both of which are in the North Atlantic Ocean.We extend the analysis to show the seasonal patterns of SST change and its drivers at a global scale and at a site-specific level for three chosen proxy data sites. We also present a new estimate of Late Pliocene climate sensitivity using site-specific proxy data values. This is the first assessment of site-specific drivers of SST change in the Late Pliocene and highlights the strengths of using palaeoclimate proxy data alongside model outputs to further develop our understanding of the Late Pliocene. We use the best available proxy and model data, but the sample sizes remain limited, and the confidence in our results would be improved with greater data availability

Locally Advanced and Unresectable Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Outcomes of Concurrent Cetuximab and Radiotherapy

Background. Advanced age and immune dysfunction are risk factors for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and often render patients with locally-advanced disease medically inoperable or surgically unresectable, but potentially curable with radiotherapy. Concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy may not be well tolerated in this population, but another systemic therapy may improve disease control. Objective. Determine the tolerance and efficacy of concurrent cetuximab and radiotherapy (CRT) for patients with locally advanced and unresectable cSCC. Methods. Retrospective analysis of 12 patients treated with CRT for locally advanced and unresectable cSCC. Results. Patients were elderly and 75% had moderate-to-severe comorbidities, while 42% had immune dysfunction. Grades 3-4 adverse events were noted in 83% of patients; 67% required hospital admission for adverse events. Complete and partial response was noted in 36% and 27% (response rate, 64%). Stable and progressive disease was noted in 3 and 1 patients, respectively (disease control rate, 91%). Median progression-free and overall survival were 6.4 and 8.0 months, respectively. Limitations. Retrospective small-cohort, single-institution analysis. Conclusion. Patients selected for CRT were elderly, with comorbidities and immune dysfunction, but treatment responses were observed. Patients selected for this treatment approach have a poor prognosis with limited capacity for therapy; more effective treatment is needed

Patterns of periodic holes created by increased cell motility

The reaction and diffusion of morphogens is a mechanism widely used to explain many spatial patterns in physics, chemistry and developmental biology. However, because experimental control is limited in most biological systems, it is often unclear what mechanisms account for the biological patterns that arise. Here, we study a biological model of cultured vascular mesenchymal cells (VMCs), which normally self-organize into aggregates that form into labyrinthine configurations. We use an experimental control and a mathematical model that includes reacting and diffusing morphogens and a third variable reflecting local cell density. With direct measurements showing that cell motility was increased ninefold and threefold by inhibiting either Rho kinase or non-muscle myosin-II, respectively, our experimental results and mathematical modelling demonstrate that increased motility alters the multicellular pattern of the VMC cultures, from labyrinthine to a pattern of periodic holes. These results suggest implications for the tissue engineering of functional replacements for trabecular or spongy tissue such as endocardium and bone

Forty-Year Analysis of Colonoscopic Surveillance Program for Neoplasia in Ulcerative Colitis: An Updated Overview

C.R.C. was funded by the Derek Willoughby Fund for Inflammatory Research. A.L.H. and T.A.G. were funded by Higher Education Funding Council of England

Highly soluble energy relay dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells

High solubility is a requirement for energy relay dyes (ERDs) to absorb a large portion of incident light and significantly improve the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Two benzonitrile-soluble ERDs, BL302 and BL315, were synthesized, characterized, and resulted in a 65% increase in the efficiency of TT1-sensitized DSSCs. The high solubility (180 mM) of these ERDs allows for absorption of over 95% of incident light at their peak wavelength. The overall power conversion efficiency of DSSCs with BL302 and BL315 was found to be limited by their energy transfer efficiency of approximately 70%. Losses due to large pore size, dynamic collisional quenching of the ERD, energy transfer to desorbed sensitizing dyes and static quenching by complex formation were investigated and it was found that a majority of the losses are caused by the formation of statically quenched ERDs in solution

SuperWASP Observations of the 2007 Outburst of Comet 17P/Holmes

We present wide-field imaging of the 2007 outburst of Comet 17P/Holmes obtained serendipitously by SuperWASP-North on 17 nights over a 42-night period beginning on the night (2007 October 22-23) immediately prior to the outburst. Photometry of 17P's unresolved coma in SuperWASP data taken on the first night of the outburst is consistent with exponential brightening, suggesting that the rapid increase in the scattering cross-section of the coma could be largely due to the progressive fragmentation of ejected material produced on a very short timescale at the time of the initial outburst, with fragmentation timescales decreasing from t(frag)~2x10^3 s to t(frag)~1x10^3 s over our observing period. Analysis of the expansion of 17P's coma reveals a velocity gradient suggesting that the outer coma was dominated by material ejected in an instantaneous, explosive manner. We find an expansion velocity at the edge of the dust coma of v(exp) = 0.55+/-0.02 km/s and a likely outburst date of t_0=2007 October 23.3+/-0.3, consistent with our finding that the comet remained below SuperWASP's detection limit of m(V)~15 mag until at least 2007 October 23.3. Modelling of 17P's gas coma indicates that its outer edge, which was observed to extend past the outer dust coma, is best explained with a single pulse of gas production, consistent with our conclusions concerning the production of the outer dust coma.Comment: 36 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA