The risk of solar proton events to space missions

The total dose in rads-tissue from solar protons was tabulated for weekly time intervals, and the number of weeks which gave a dose above 25 rads behind 10 g/sq cm of aluminum for the active 6 years of the 19th cycle were called dangerous or large event weeks. The number of such event weeks was found to be only 3 weeks for the past 20 years. Even though the chance for smaller events is examined, it was found that for any reasonable, high confidence level (95%), the smaller events could be ignored. Consequently, the total particle flux for the 19th cycle was divided by a factor of 3 and determined a single large event week. Using this spectrum, the tissue dose in rads is calculated at the center of an aluminum spherical shell

Orbital calculations and trapped radiation mapping

Flux and energy spectra code for orbital calculations and trapped radiation mappin

A preliminary report on energetic space radiation and dose rate analysis

Energetic space radiation and dose rate analysi

Charged particle radiation environment for the LST

Preliminary charged particle dose rates are presented for the LST orbit. The trapped proton component appears to dominate the total dose for the expected shielding available. Typical dose rates should range from 400 to 800 millirads/day

Draft Genome Sequence of a Mycobacterium avium Complex Isolate from a Broadbill Bird

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) organisms cause opportunistic infections in humans, yet their epidemiology remains poorly understood. They are slowly growing environmental and animal-associated mycobacteria that have little notoriety except for the strains that cause disseminated infections in HIV- infected humans (1). Most MAC organisms are classified taxonomically as a single species, M. avium, which is divided into at least four subspecies, M. avium subsp. avium, M. avium subsp. hominissuis, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis, and M. avium subsp. silvaticum (2). The only other species in this group is M. intracellulare. Genotyping of this diverse bacterial group has been achieved using intergenic spacers (3) and rpoB sequence analysis (4, 5)

Surgical management of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast: A large retrospective study from a single institution

Background: Management of breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has various approaches with distinct institutional specific practice. Here, we review DCIS management in a single institution with emphasise on re-operation rates and outcome. Methods: DCIS cases diagnosed at the Nottingham Breast Institute between 1987 and 2017 were identified (n=1,249). Clinicopathological data was collected. Cases were histologically reviewed, and different factors associated with primary operation selection, re-excision, presence of residual tumour in the re-excision specimens, use of radiotherapy and ipsilateral recurrences were analysed. Results: 34% of DCIS patients were initially treated by mastectomy and were more frequently symptomatic, of high nuclear tumour grade, size >40mm, and associated with comedo necrosis and Paget’s disease of the nipple. Further surgery was due to involved or narrow surgical margins. Residual tumour tissue was detected in 53% of the re-excision specimens. Re-excision rates of patients treated with breast conserving surgery (BCS) were reduced from approximately 70% to 23% and the final mastectomy rates decreased from 60% to 20%. Changes in surgical practice with acceptance of smaller excision margins and more frequent use of local radiotherapy have led to a significant decrease not only in the re-excision rate but also in the final mastectomy rate together with non-significant reduction in 5- and 10-year local recurrence rates. Conclusion: Although BCS is increasingly the preferred primary surgical option for DCIS management, a proportion of low-risk DCIS patients continue to undergo re-excision surgery or completion mastectomy. Despite acceptance of smaller margins, recurrence rate is decreasing

Winter peaks in heart failure: An inevitable or preventable consequence of seasonal vulnerability?

Climate change is a major contributor to annual winter peaks in cardiovascular events across the globe. However, given the paradoxical observation that cardiovascular seasonality is observed in relatively mild as well as cold climates, global warming may not be as positive for the syndrome of heart failure (HF) as some predict. In this article, we present our Model of Seasonal Flexibility to explain the spectrum of individual responses to climatic conditions. We have identified distinctive phenotypes of resilience and vulnerability to explain why winter peaks in HF occur. Moreover, we identify how better identification of climatic vulnerability and the use of multifaceted interventions focusing on modifiable bio-behavioural factors may improve HF outcomes

Detecting h-index manipulation through self-citation analysis

The h-index has received an enormous attention for being an indicator that measures the quality of researchers and organizations. We investigate to what degree authors can inflate their h-index through strategic self-citations with the help of a simulation. We extended Burrell’s publication model with a procedure for placing self-citations, following three different strategies: random self-citation, recent self-citations and h-manipulating self-citations. The results show that authors can considerably inflate their h-index through self-citations. We propose the q-index as an indicator for how strategically an author has placed self-citations, and which serves as a tool to detect possible manipulation of the h-index. The results also show that the best strategy for an high h-index is publishing papers that are highly cited by others. The productivity has also a positive effect on the h-index