Spontaneous wave generation at strongly strained density fronts

AbstractA simple analytical model is presented describing the spontaneous generation of inertia–gravity waves at density fronts subjected to strong horizontal strain rates. The model considers fronts of arbitrary horizontal and vertical structure in a semi-infinite domain, with a single boundary at the ocean surface. Waves are generated because of the acceleration of the steady uniform strain flow around the density front, analogous to the generation of lee waves via flow over a topographic ridge. Significant wave generation only occurs for sufficiently strong strain rates α > 0.2f and sharp fronts H/L > 0.5f/N, where f is the Coriolis parameter, N is the stratification, and H and L are the height and width scales of the front, respectively. The frequencies of the generated waves are entirely determined by the strain rate. The lowest-frequency wave predicted to be generated via this mechanism has a Lagrangian frequency ω = 1.93f as measured in a reference frame moving with the background strain flow. The model is intended as a first-order description of wave generation at submesoscale (1 to 10 km wide) fronts where large strain rates are commonplace. The analytical model compares well with fully nonlinear numerical simulations of the submesoscale regime.CJS was supported by a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. JRT was supported by a grant from the Natural Environment Research Council, Award NE/J010472/1.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Meteorological Society via http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-15-0043.

Physiological phenotyping of dementias using emotional sounds.

INTRODUCTION: Emotional behavioral disturbances are hallmarks of many dementias but their pathophysiology is poorly understood. Here we addressed this issue using the paradigm of emotionally salient sounds. METHODS: Pupil responses and affective valence ratings for nonverbal sounds of varying emotional salience were assessed in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) (n = 14), semantic dementia (SD) (n = 10), progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) (n = 12), and AD (n = 10) versus healthy age-matched individuals (n = 26). RESULTS: Referenced to healthy individuals, overall autonomic reactivity to sound was normal in Alzheimer's disease (AD) but reduced in other syndromes. Patients with bvFTD, SD, and AD showed altered coupling between pupillary and affective behavioral responses to emotionally salient sounds. DISCUSSION: Emotional sounds are a useful model system for analyzing how dementias affect the processing of salient environmental signals, with implications for defining pathophysiological mechanisms and novel biomarker development

Bad faith in All’s Well That Ends Well

All’s Well That Ends Well is a complicated and disturbing play that has a comic ending, but which seems anything but a comedy with a forced marriage based on bed-trickery between the reluctant Bertram and the feisty and witty Helena. Unsurprisingly, audiences have tended to side with Helena and the play has been classified as a “problem comedy” ever since William Lawrence identified this particular group of Shakespeare plays nearly a century ago. I want to argue in this essay that the play might better be classified as an “equivocation” play alongside Macbeth, Othello, and Troilus and Cressida and that the anxieties about fidelity, honesty and truthfulness in marriage need to be read in terms of the fear of religious tolerance/intolerance which dominated religious politics in the early years of James’s reign before the passing of the Oath of Allegiance (1606). The play is notable for its interest in chop logic, which the clown in particular displays throughout the play, a counterpoint to the arguments of Bertram and Helena who want very different things, but who are bound together as future husband and wife. Although the language of treason and treachery is used throughout, the play is less interested in answering the question of how far one can trust a stranger within than the issue of how far one can accommodate the needs of others. This article is published as part of a collection to commemorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death

Insider and Outsider Perspectives: Reflections on Researcher Identities in Research with Lesbian and Bisexual Women

© Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. In this article, we reflect on the concept of the insider and the outsider in qualitative research. We draw on our different experiences of conducting research with lesbian and bisexual women, using our PhD research projects as case studies to consider our similarities to and differences from our research participants. We highlight the impact that insider/outsider status can have at each stage of the research process, from deciding on a research topic, the design of materials, communicating with and recruiting participants through to data collection and analysis. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both insider and outsider positions and reflect on our own experiences. We conclude that, in reality, insider/outsider boundaries may be more blurred than the terms imply and highlight some of the ethical considerations that need to be taken into consideration during qualitative research

A modified Inflammatory Bowel Disease questionnaire and the Vaizey Incontinence questionnaire are simple ways to identify patients with significant gastrointestinal symptoms after pelvic radiotherapy

After radiotherapy for pelvic cancer, chronic gastrointestinal problems may affect quality of life (QOL) in 6–78% of patients. This variation may be due to true differences in outcome in different diseases, and may also represent the inadequacy of the scales used to measure radiotherapy-induced gastrointestinal side effects. The aim of this study was to assess whether outcome measures used for nonmalignant gastrointestinal disease are useful to detect gastrointestinal morbidity after radiotherapy. Results obtained from a Vaizey Incontinence questionnaire and a modified Inflammatory Bowel Disease questionnaire (IBDQ) – both patient completed – were compared to those from a staff administered Late Effects on Normal Tissue (LENT) – Subjective, Objective, Management and Analytic (SOMA) questionnaire in patients who had completed radiotherapy for a pelvic tumour at least 3 months previously. In all, 142 consecutive patients were recruited, 72 male and 70 female, median age 66 years (range 26–90 years), a median of 27 (range 3–258) months after radiotherapy. In total, 62 had been treated for a gynaecological, 58, a urological and 22, a gastrointestinal tract tumour. Of these, 21 had undergone previous gastrointestinal surgery and seven suffered chronic gastrointestinal disorders preceding their diagnosis of cancer. The Vaizey questionnaire suggested that 27% patients were incontinent for solid stools, 35% for liquid stools and 37% could not defer defaecation for 15 min. The IBDQ suggested that 89% had developed a chronic change in bowel habit and this change significantly affected 49% patients: 44% had more frequent or looser bowel movements, 30% were troubled by abdominal pain, 30% were troubled by bloating, 28% complained of tenesmus, 27% were troubled by their accidental soiling and 20% had rectal bleeding. At least 34% suffered emotional distress and 22% impairment of social function because of their bowels. The small intestine/colon SOMA median score was 0.1538 (range 0–1) and the rectal SOMA median score was 0.1428 (range 0–1). Pearson's correlations for the IBDQ score and small intestine/colon SOMA score was −0.630 (P<0.001), IBDQ and rectum SOMA −0.616 (P<0.001), IBDQ and Vaizey scores −0.599 (P<0.001), Vaizey and small intestine/colon SOMA 0.452 (P<0.001) and Vaizey and rectum SOMA 0.760 (P<0.001). After radiotherapy for a tumour in the pelvis, half of all patients develop gastrointestinal morbidity, which affects their QOL. A modified IBDQ and Vaizey questionnaire are reliable in assessing new gastrointestinal symptoms as well as overall QOL and are much easier to use than LENT SOMA

Multidimensional individualised Physical ACTivity (Mi-PACT) - a technology-enabled intervention to promote physical activity in primary care: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

© 2015 Peacock et al. Background: Low physical activity is a major public health problem. New cost-effective approaches that stimulate meaningful long-term changes in physical activity are required, especially within primary care settings. It is becoming clear that there are various dimensions to physical activity with independent health benefits. Advances in technology mean that it is now possible to generate multidimensional physical activity 'profiles' that provide a more complete representation of physical activity and offer a variety of options that can be tailored to the individual. Mi-PACT is a randomised controlled trial designed to examine whether personalised multidimensional physical activity feedback and self-monitoring alongside trainer-supportive sessions increases physical activity and improves health outcomes in at-risk men and women. Methods/Design: We aim to recruit 216 patients from within primary care aged 40 to 70years and at medium or high risk of cardiovascular disease and/or type II diabetes mellitus. Adopting an unequal allocation ratio (intervention: control) of 2:1, participants will be randomised to one of two groups, usual care or the intervention. The control group will receive usual care from their general practitioner (GP) and standardised messages about physical activity for health. The intervention group will receive physical activity monitors and access to a web-based platform for a 3-month period to enable self-monitoring and the provision of personalised feedback regarding the multidimensional nature of physical activity. In addition, this technology-enabled feedback will be discussed with participants on 5 occasions during supportive one-to-one coaching sessions across the 3-month intervention. The primary outcome measure is physical activity, which will be directly assessed using activity monitors for a 7-day period at baseline, post intervention and at 12months. Secondary measures (at these time-points) include weight loss, fat mass, and markers of metabolic control, motivation and well-being. Discussion: Results from this study will provide insight into the effects of integrated physical activity profiling and self-monitoring combined with in-person support on physical activity and health outcomes in patients at risk of future chronic disease. Trial registration:ISRCTN18008011Trial registration date: 31 July 201

As it was, is, or will be played: title-pages and the theatre industry to 1610

As it was, is, or will be played: title-pages and the theatre industry to 161