Reentrant phenomenon in the exactly solvable mixed spin-1/2 and spin-1 Ising-Heisenberg model on diamond-like decorated planar lattices

Ground-state and finite-temperature behaviour of the mixed spin-1/2 and spin-1 Ising-Heisenberg model on decorated planar lattices consisting of inter-connected diamonds is investigated by means of the generalised decoration-iteration mapping transformation. The obtained exact results clearly point out that this model has a rather complex ground state composed of two unusual quantum phases, which is valid regardless of the lattice topology as well as the spatial dimensionality of the investigated system. It is shown that the diamond-like decorated planar lattices with a sufficiently high coordination number may exhibit a striking critical behaviour including reentrant phase transitions with two or three consecutive critical points.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Physica Status Solidi

Conditional Allocation of Control Rights in Venture Capital Finance

When a young entrepreneurial firm matures, it is often necessary to replace the founding entrepreneur by a professional manager. This replacement decision can be affected by the private benefits of control enjoyed by the entrepreneur which gives rise to a conflict of interest between the entrepreneur and the venture capitalist. We show that a combination of convertible securities and contingent control rights can be used to resolve this conflict efficiently. This contractual arrangement is frequently observed in venture capital finance

Evaluation of Ambulance Based Troponin Measurements : A Feasibility and Impact Pilot Study of the Utility of pre-Hospital POC Testing of Cardiac Biomarkers on Patients Presenting with Acute Chest Pain

This final report is a Summary of a Phase 1 Program to determine the feasibility and logistics of performing Cardiac Biomarker measurements in the ambulance setting with paramedics. Specifically the report presents the findings and a list of recommendations relative to the measurement of cardiac TnI (cTnI) from patients presenting with chest pain prior to and during transit to a primary care hospital (Borders General Hospital-BGH) via the Scottish Ambulance Service. (SAS). The immunoassay system used to quantitatively determine cTnI was the Samsung LABGEOIB10 (BCA-IB10). While patients presenting with chest pain suggestive of myocardial infarction (MI) can be diagnosed by paramedics almost immediately via 12 lead ECG telemetry, that subset of patients with no significant and persistent ST segment elevation (NSTEMI) or normal ECG are not eligible for administration of thrombolytic agents and are routinely dispatched according to the current chest pain pathway to the Borders General Hospital in Melrose. STEMI patients are immediately rerouted to a secondary or tertiary hospital with interventional cardiology capability to perform angiography, PCI or more complicated procedures to identify and resolve cardiac ischemia (Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh). Patients with NSTEMI or acute coronary syndrome (ACS) require, as part of their differential diagnosis, at least 1 elevated concentration of cTnI which may include serial measurements if the initial concentration is near or just below the designated cut –off, usually defined as the 99th percentile concentration of an apparently healthy reference population. Every cTnI assay establishes it’s own cut point and they may vary significantly. Elevated cTnI levels correlate with the risk of mortality, MI or increased probability of ischemic events, requiring urgent revascularization. The recently published Third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction approved by an International Task Force endorsed by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), American College of Cardiology Federation (ACCF), World Heart Federation (WHF) and the American Heart Association (AHA) requires at least one elevation of cTnI above the 99 percentile of a reference population (Table 1) with 2-3 samples taken over a period up to 12 h. Several previous studies using quantitative point of care devices (POC) in the Emergency Department have demonstrated total turn around times (TAT) of 30 minutes or less compared to cTnI report times from the central lab of > 1 h.2 One such study found a TAT reduction of 50-60% in both urban and community based hospitals for reporting ED cardiac marker test results compared to cTnI results reported submitted to the laboratory. A more recent report from a randomized study comprising 6 ED departments in the UK ,with approximately 1130 patients in each arm (ED cardiac marker testing compared to standard laboratory based reporting), was undertaken to assess the possibility of earlier dismissal from the hospital compared to the current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines of 10-12 h3 The RATPAC (Randomized Assessment of Treatment using a Panel Assay of Cardiac Markers) protocol was based on POC testing at presentation and a second test 90 minutes later. Main outcome measures for RATPAC were: * Successful discharge by 4 hr after attendance -32% vs 13% (rapid rule out); * Reduced median length of initial hospital stay; * Greater use of coronary care uni

Design and Status of the Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII): An Interferometer at the Edge of Space

The Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII) is an 8-meter baseline far-infraredinterferometer designed to fly on a high altitude balloon. BETTII uses a double-Fourier Michelson interferometer tosimultaneously obtain spatial and spectral information on science targets; the long baseline permits subarcsecond angular resolution, a capability unmatched by other far-infrared facilities. Here, we present key aspects of the overall design of the mission and provide an overview of the current status of the project. We also discuss briefly the implications of this experiment for future space-based far-infrared interferometers

Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment: the challenge ahead.

Lifestyle factors are responsible for a considerable portion of cancer incidence worldwide, but credible estimates from the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) suggest that the fraction of cancers attributable to toxic environmental exposures is between 7% and 19%. To explore the hypothesis that low-dose exposures to mixtures of chemicals in the environment may be combining to contribute to environmental carcinogenesis, we reviewed 11 hallmark phenotypes of cancer, multiple priority target sites for disruption in each area and prototypical chemical disruptors for all targets, this included dose-response characterizations, evidence of low-dose effects and cross-hallmark effects for all targets and chemicals. In total, 85 examples of chemicals were reviewed for actions on key pathways/mechanisms related to carcinogenesis. Only 15% (13/85) were found to have evidence of a dose-response threshold, whereas 59% (50/85) exerted low-dose effects. No dose-response information was found for the remaining 26% (22/85). Our analysis suggests that the cumulative effects of individual (non-carcinogenic) chemicals acting on different pathways, and a variety of related systems, organs, tissues and cells could plausibly conspire to produce carcinogenic synergies. Additional basic research on carcinogenesis and research focused on low-dose effects of chemical mixtures needs to be rigorously pursued before the merits of this hypothesis can be further advanced. However, the structure of the World Health Organization International Programme on Chemical Safety 'Mode of Action' framework should be revisited as it has inherent weaknesses that are not fully aligned with our current understanding of cancer biology

Campaign 9 of the K2 mission: Observational parameters, scientific drivers, and community involvement for a simultaneous space-and ground-based microlensing survey

K2ʼs Campaign 9 (K2C9) will conduct a ∼3.7 deg2 survey toward the Galactic bulge from 2016 April 22 through July 2 that will leverage the spatial separation between K2 and the Earth to facilitate measurement of the microlens parallax πE for ≳170 microlensing events. These will include several that are planetary in nature as well as many short-timescale microlensing events, which are potentially indicative of free-floating planets (FFPs). These satellite parallax measurements will in turn allow for the direct measurement of the masses of and distances to the lensing systems. In this article we provide an overview of the K2C9 space- and ground-based microlensing survey. Specifically, we detail the demographic questions that can be addressed by this program, including the frequency of FFPs and the Galactic distribution of exoplanets, the observational parameters of K2C9, and the array of resources dedicated to concurrent observations. Finally, we outline the avenues through which the larger community can become involved, and generally encourage participation in K2C9, which constitutes an important pathfinding mission and community exercise in anticipation of WFIRST

Middle Neolithic pits and a burial at West Amesbury, Wiltshire

Excavations on the south-eastern slopes of King Barrow Ridge, 1.5 km east of Stonehenge, revealed five pits, a grave and other features of Middle Neolithic date. Analysis of the pit assemblages and the partial inhumation interred in the grave has provided insights into lifeways in this landscape in the late fourth millennium cal BC. Evidence suggests that the area was visited by a pastoralist, mobile community on a semi-regular basis for a significant period, in late autumn or winter. Selected remnants of craft-working and consumption were deposited in pits, before deliberate infilling. These depositions repeatedly memorialised activity on the hillside at a time of contemporary activity elsewhere on King Barrow Ridge and at the future site of Stonehenge. Middle Neolithic pits are present in significant numbers across King Barrow Ridge, and alongside pits in the Durrington area, form one of the densest concentrations of such activity in the region. Long distance mobility is suggested by the possible Irish origins of the inhumation, the first Middle Neolithic individual excavated in the environs of Stonehenge. Whilst of significance for understanding the Middle Neolithic in the WHS and the region, this research also hints at the roots of Late Neolithic monumentalisation of this landscape

Stereoselective handling of perhexiline:Implications regarding accumulation within the human myocardium

Purpose: Perhexiline is a prophylactic anti-ischaemic agent with weak calcium antagonist effect which has been increasingly utilised in the management of refractory angina. The metabolic clearance of perhexiline is modulated by CYP2D6 metaboliser status and stereoselectivity. The current study sought to (1) determine whether the acute accumulation of perhexiline in the myocardium is stereoselective and (2) investigate the relationship between duration of short-term therapy and the potential stereoselective effects of perhexiline within myocardium. Method: Patients (n = 129) from the active arm of a randomised controlled trial of preoperative perhexiline in cardiac surgery were treated with oral perhexiline for a median of 9 days. Correlates of atrial and ventricular concentrations of enantiomers were sought via univariate followed by multivariate analyses. Results: Myocardial uptake of both (+) and (−) perhexiline was greater in ventricles than in atria, and there was more rapid clearance of (−) than (+) perhexiline. The main determinants of atrial uptake of both (+) and (−) perhexiline were the plasma concentrations [(+) perhexiline: β = −0.256, p = 0.015; (−) perhexiline: β = −0.347, p = 0.001] and patients’ age [(+) perhexiline: β = 0.300, p = 0.004; (−) perhexiline: β = 0.288, p = 0.005]. Atrial uptake of (+) enantiomer also varied directly with duration of therapy (β = 0.228, p = 0.025), while atrial uptake of (−) perhexiline varied inversely with simultaneous heart rate (β = −0.240, p = 0.015). Conclusion: (1) Uptake of both perhexiline enantiomers into atrium is greater with advanced age and displays evidence of both saturability and minor stereoselectivity. (2) Atrial uptake of (−) perhexiline may selectively modulate heart rate reduction