CLEARER: a new tool for the analysis of X-ray fibre diffraction patterns and diffraction simulation from atomic structural models

Fibre diffraction can provide structural information about polymers and biopolymers that is unobtainable using other methods. This method has been used to elucidate the structures of many polymers, biopolymers and protein assemblies. Extracting structural information from fibre diffraction patterns is a major challenge. A computer program called CLEARER has been developed that aids the detailed analysis of polycrystalline fibre diffraction patterns. It offers an easy-to-use interface that enables diffraction data processing, analysis and simulation of diffraction patterns. It is likely to be applicable to structural determination for a wide range of polymeric fibrous materials. CLEARER simplifies and speeds up the data analysis process and helps to utilize all of the structural information present in the analysed X-ray and electron diffraction patterns

The Method of Moral Hypothesis

Moral philosophy has become interested again in particular, substantive questions of right and wrong. In an effort to divine answers to such questions, philosophers often employ the following method: general rules are floated as potential principles of morality; the principles are regarded as confirmed insofar as they match our pre-theoretical intuitions about particular cases; and otherwise infirmed. Such principles, if sufficiently confirmed, are then used to overturn other, ‘aberrant’ moral intuitions that do not square with the rule. The aim of this work is to indict this ‘method of moral hypothesis’, and with it the moral theory project which relies on it. I argue that the method trades on an unsustainable picture of moral epistemology; that the motivations for engaging in it are without merit; and that its attractions as a systematizing tool are illusory. In chapter one, I examine some recent ‘etiological’ skeptical challenges to moral knowledge; and argue that such challenges succeed only against a particular sort of moral epistemology—the kind to which the moral theory project is wedded. I conclude that we should reject this epistemology, and the project with it. Chapter two aims to vindicate the charges of Pessimists about moral testimony—those who claim that testimony cannot transmit moral knowledge. I argue that one barrier to moral-knowledge transmission by testimony is its inability to transfer moral-conceptual ‘know-how’; more generally that the ‘Humean reasons’ which support testimony are insufficient to support moral knowledge; and that, for parallel reasons, the theory project cannot produce moral knowledge. Chapter three attacks a picture of justification which makes the theory project seem pressing. In its place, I argue for an alternative picture, on which justification is infected with certain pragmatic, contextual factors. This alternative undermines one of the motivations for the theory project: finding an ultimate justification for our moral beliefs. In chapter four, I unify these arguments; and argue that, in general, we are correct to reject any summarizing principle which conflicts with a strongly held, pre-theoretical moral verdict. This negates one of the central ambitions of the theory project. Its other motivations are, I argue, equally misplaced

C. Comer Makin to Governor Ross Barnett, 29 September 1962

Makin, a veteran, asks Barnett about the staging area and states he can assemble a squad.https://egrove.olemiss.edu/west_union_gov/1094/thumbnail.jp

Survey of education of Aboriginal children in selected Western Australian schools : (preliminary survey)

Information was sought late in 1972 about problems encountered by teachers in schools with a fairly high proportion of Aboriginal children. For this purpose a questionnaire was designed to elicit information about the school situation, the surrounding community, enrolment, age and experience of the teaching staff and actual pedagogical problems encountered and methods of dealing with them. Another principle aim was to ascertain the extent to which the curiculum had been adapted to local situations and to determine what implications this might have for pre-service and in-service training

A pilot comparative study of fissurectomy/diltiazem and fissurectomy/botulinum toxin in the treatment of chronic anal fissure

Background: Treatment of chronic anal fissure (CAF) by fissurectomy with botulinum toxin A (BTA) injection results in a healing rate of greater than 90%. BTA injection, however, can cause incontinence and perianal sepsis. The decrease in sphincter pressure following topical treatment with 2% diltiazem cream (DTC) is comparable to that following BTA injection but with potentially fewer complications and at less cost. We report the shortterm results of a pilot study comparing fissurectomy with BTA and fissurectomy followed by DTC for the treatment of CAF. Methods: The recorded outcomes of CAF following treatment with the two methods were analysed retrospectively. Patients underwent either fissurectomy followed by injection of 40 U BTA into the internal sphincter (group A) or fissurectomy followed by the perianal application of DTC twice daily for 8 weeks (group B). Symptom resolution and treatment side effects at the initial follow-up were compared. Results: Demographics, fissure characteristics and the number of multiparous women between the two groups were comparable. At a median follow-up of 12 weeks (range 8-20 weeks), the two groups had similar rates of complete symptom resolution (group A, 25/28, 89.3%; group B, 19/23, 82.6%; p=0.7739), with minor side effects. Conclusions: In this small pilot study fissurectomy combined with chemical sphincterotomy resulted in high short-term fissure healing rates. The study also suggested that fissurectomy followed by 8 weeks of topical DTC may be as good as fissurectomy with BTA injection in the treatment of CAF. A prospective study, adequately powered to determine the significance of differences is neede

Analytic solutions of the 1D finite coupling delta function Bose gas

An intensive study for both the weak coupling and strong coupling limits of the ground state properties of this classic system is presented. Detailed results for specific values of finite $N$ are given and from them results for general $N$ are determined. We focus on the density matrix and concomitantly its Fourier transform, the occupation numbers, along with the pair correlation function and concomitantly its Fourier transform, the structure factor. These are the signature quantities of the Bose gas. One specific result is that for weak coupling a rational polynomial structure holds despite the transcendental nature of the Bethe equations. All these new results are predicated on the Bethe ansatz and are built upon the seminal works of the past.Comment: 23 pages, 0 figures, uses rotate.sty. A few lines added. Accepted by Phys. Rev.

Quantum phase transitions in photonic cavities with two-level systems

Systems of coupled photonic cavities have been predicted to exhibit quantum phase transitions by analogy with the Hubbard model. To this end, we have studied topologies of few (up to six) photonic cavities each containing a single two-level system. Quantum phase space diagrams are produced for these systems, and compared to mean-field results. We also consider finite effective temperature, and compare this to the notion of disorder. We find the extent of the Mott lobes shrink analogously to the conventional Bose-Hubbard model.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, updated typo

Automatic Spatial Estimation of White Matter Hyperintensities Evolution in Brain MRI using Disease Evolution Predictor Deep Neural Networks

Funds from the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), Ministry of Finance, Republic of Indonesia (MFR); Row Fogo Charitable Trust (Grant No. BRO-D.FID3668413)(MCVH); Wellcome Trust (patient recruitment, scanning, primary study Ref No. WT088134/Z/09/A); Fondation Leducq (Perivascular Spaces Transatlantic Network of Excellence); EU Horizon 2020 (SVDs@Target); and the MRC UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh (Wardlaw programme) are gratefully acknowledged. The Titan Xp used for this research was donated by the NVIDIA Corporation.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Topotecan-vincristine-doxorubicin in stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma patients failing to achieve a complete metastatic response to rapid COJEC : a SIOPEN study

Purpose : Metastatic response to induction therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma is a prognostic factor. In the International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma (SIOPEN) HR-NBL-1 protocol, only patients with metastatic complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) with <= three abnormal skeletal areas on iodine 123-metaiodobenzylguanidine ([I-123] mIBG) scintigraphy and no bone marrow disease proceed to high dose therapy (HDT). In this study, topotecan-vincristine-doxorubicin (TVD) was evaluated in patients failing to achieve these criteria, with the aim of improving the metastatic response rate. Materials and Methods : Patients with metastatic high-risk neuroblastoma who had not achieved the SIOPEN criteria for HDT after induction received two courses of topotecan 1.5 mg/m(2)/day for 5 days, followed by a 48-hour infusion of vincristine, 2 mg/m(2), and doxorubicin, 45 mg/m(2). Results : Sixty-three patients were eligible and evaluable. Following two courses of TVD, four (6.4%) patients had an overall CR, while 28 (44.4%) had a PR with a combined response rate of 50.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 37.9 to 63.6). Of these, 23 patients achieved a metastatic CR or a PR with <= 3 mIBG skeletal areas and no bone marrow disease (36.5%; 95% CI, 24.7 to 49.6) and were eligible to receive HDT. Toxicity was mostly haematological, affecting 106 of the 126 courses (84.1%; 95% CI, 76.5 to 90.0), and dose reduction was necessary in six patients. Stomatitis was the second most common nonhematological toxicity, occurring in 20 patients (31.7%). Conclusion : TVD was effective in improving the response rate of high-risk neuroblastoma patients after induction with COJEC enabling them to proceed to HDT. However, the long-term benefits of TVD needs to be determined in randomized clinical trials