EQUIPT: protocol of a comparative effectiveness research study evaluating cross-context transferability of economic evidence on tobacco control

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Tobacco smoking claims 700 000 lives every year in Europe and the cost of tobacco smoking in the EU is estimated between €98 and €130 billion annually; direct medical care costs and indirect costs such as workday losses each represent half of this amount. Policymakers all across Europe are in need of bespoke information on the economic and wider returns of investing in evidence-based tobacco control, including smoking cessation agendas. EQUIPT is designed to test the transferability of one such economic evidence base-the English Tobacco Return on Investment (ROI) tool-to other EU member states

Three dimensional rotational angiography imaging of double aortic arch vascular ring

Three dimensional (3D) rotational angiography is a technique used increasingly for imaging in congenital heart disease. Here the use of this technique for imaging of double aortic arch vascular ring is described and the advantages of this modality. are discussed. 3D rotational angiography is an excellent tool for imaging of various vascular anomalies. It provides high quality accurate images through a quick and safe procedure.peer-reviewe

Operation of EMEP ‘supersites’ in the United Kingdom. Annual report for 2008.

As part of its commitment to the UN-ECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution the United Kingdom operates two ‘supersites’ reporting data to the Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP). This report provides the annual summary for 2008, the second full calendar year of operation of the first EMEP ‘supersite’ to be established in the United Kingdom. Detailed operational reports have been submitted to Defra every 3 months, with unratified data. This annual report contains a summary of the ratified data for 2008. The EMEP ‘supersite’ is located in central southern Scotland at Auchencorth (3.2oW, 55.8oN), a remote rural moorland site ~20 km south-west of Edinburgh. Monitoring operations started formally on 1 June 2006. In addition to measurements made specifically under this contract, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology also acts as local site operator for measurements made under other UK monitoring networks: the Automated Urban and Rural Network (AURN), the UK Eutrophication and Acidification Network (UKEAP), the UK Hydrocarbons Network, and the UK Heavy Metals Rural Network. Some measurements were also made under the auspices of the ‘Air Pollution Deposition Processes’ contract. All these associated networks are funded by Defra. This report summarises the measurements made between January and December 2008, and presents summary statistics on average concentrations. The site is dominated by winds from the south-west, but wind direction data highlight potential sources of airborne pollutants (power stations, conurbations). The average diurnal patterns of gases and particles are consistent with those expected for a remote rural site. The frequency distributions are presented for data where there was good data capture throughout the whole period. Some components (e.g. black carbon) show log-normal frequency distributions, while other components (e.g. ozone) have more nearly normal frequency distributions. A case study is presented for a period in June 2008, showing the influence of regional air pollutants at this remote rural site. All the data reported under the contract are shown graphically in the Appendix

Bark Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Community Structure in Northeastern and Central Minnesota

Large-scale surveys of forest insects provide two distinct benefits: the detection of invasive and exotic species that cause millions of dollars of damage annually to forest and ornamental industries, and the addition of a wealth of species distribution and diversity information to the scientific community. We intensively surveyed the Northeast and East-central regions of Minnesota from 2006-2008 for invasive/exotic and native Scolytinae using Lindgren funnel traps baited with one of four lures (a/β-pinene, ultra-high-release ethanol [EtOH], EtOH+a-pinene, and Ips 3-part). We captured 16,841 scolytines (representing 25 genera) of which over 40% were Ips pini (Say) and Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff). We found two exotic Scolytinae, Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham) and Scolytus schevyrewi Semenov, both of which had previously been recorded in Minnesota. Two native species, Conophthorus coniperda (Schwarz) and Crypturgus pusillus (Gyllenhal), were reported for the first time in Minnesota. Non-metric multi- dimensional scaling and analysis of similarities indicate that lure types capture different Scolytinae communities, while year, weather pattern and region factors were not significant. We also report the seasonal phenology of the seven most abundantly captured species; Dendroctonus valens LeConte, Hylastes porculus Erichson, Hylurgops rugipennis pinifex (Fitch),I. grandicollis, I. pini, Orthotomicus caelatus (Eichhoff) and Pityophthorus spp. Eichhoff

Co-enrolment of participants into multiple cancer trials: benefits and challenges

Opportunities to enter patients into more than one clinical trial are not routinely considered in cancer research and experiences with co-enrolment are rarely reported. Potential benefits of allowing appropriate co-enrolment have been identified in other settings but there is a lack of evidence base or guidance to inform these decisions in oncology. Here, we discuss the benefits and challenges associated with co-enrolment based on experiences in the Add-Aspirin trial – a large, multicentre trial recruiting across a number of tumour types, where opportunities to co-enrol patients have been proactively explored and managed. The potential benefits of co-enrolment include: improving recruitment feasibility; increased opportunities for patients to participate in trials; and collection of robust data on combinations of interventions, which will ensure the ongoing relevance of individual trials and provide more cohesive evidence to guide the management of future patients. There are a number of perceived barriers to co-enrolment in terms of scientific, safety and ethical issues, which warrant consideration on a trial-by-trial basis. In many cases, any potential effect on the results of the trials will be negligible – limited by a number of factors, including the overlap in trial cohorts. Participant representatives stress the importance of autonomy to decide about trial enrolment, providing a compelling argument for offering co-enrolment where there are multiple trials that are relevant to a patient and no concerns regarding safety or the integrity of the trials. A number of measures are proposed for managing and monitoring co-enrolment. Ensuring acceptability to (potential) participants is paramount. Opportunities to enter patients into more than one cancer trial should be considered more routinely. Where planned and managed appropriately, co-enrolment can offer a number of benefits in terms of both scientific value and efficiency of study conduct, and will increase the opportunities for patients to participate in, and benefit from, clinical research

Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (FHR) Using British Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR) Refueling Technology and Decay Heat Removal Systems That Prevent Salt Freezing

The FHR uses graphite-matrix coated-particle fuel (same as high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs)) and a clean liquid salt coolant. It delivers heat to industry or the power cycle at temperatures between 600 and 700°C with higher average heat delivery temperatures than other reactors. The liquid- salt-coolant melting point is above 450°C. The high minimum temperatures present refueling challenges and require special features to control temperatures—avoiding excessively high temperatures and freezing of the coolant that could impact decay heat cooling systems. We describe herein a pre-conceptual FHR design that addresses many of these challenges by adopting features from the British AGR and alternative decay heat cooling systems. The basis for specific design choices are described. The AGRs are carbon-dioxide cooled and graphite-moderated reactors that use cylindrical fuel subassemblies with vertical refueling at 650°C—meeting FHR high-temperature refueling requirements. The 14 AGRs have operated for many decades. The AGR uses 8 cylindrical fuel sub-assemblies each a meter tall coupled axially together by a metal stringer to create a long fuel assembly. The stringer assemblies are in vertical channels in a graphite core that provides neutron moderation. This geometric core design is compatible with an FHR using graphite-matrix coated-particle fuel. The FHR uses a once- through fuel cycle. The design minimizes used nuclear fuel volumes relative to other FHR and HTGR designs. The primary system is inside a secondary liquid-salt-filled tank that (1) provides an added heat sink for decay heat, (2) helps ensure no freezing of primary system salt, and (3) helps ensure no major fuel failures in a beyond-design-basis accident. The refueling standpipes above each stringer fuel assembly in the AGR core with modifications can be used in an FHR for refueling and provide efficient heat transfer between the primary system and the secondary liquid-salt-filled tank. The passive decay heat removal system uses heat-pipes that turn on and off at a preset temperature to avoid overheating the core in a reactor accident and avoid freezing the salt coolant as decay heat decreases after reactor shutdown

Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) Feeding near Point Barrow, Alaska, During the 1985 Spring Migration

Examination of stomach contents and behavioral observations showed conclusively that bowhead whales were feeding in the Point Barrow area during the spring of 1985. All three bowheads harvested near the village of Barrow had over five litres of pelagic zooplankton (calanoid copepods and euphausiids) in their stomachs. Over 60 whales were observed during the period 26 May through 6 June diving repeatedly under the landfast ice and feeding in an area 11.2 km southwest of Point Barrow. Observers recorded times for dive, surfacing and respiration intervals for these whales. The recorded times were significantly different from those of bowhead whales migrating past Point Barrow in the spring and from bowheads, whose major activity was feeding, recorded in the Canadian Beaufort Sea during the summer and fall.Key words: Balaena mysticetus, Point Barrow, feeding, bowhead whale, behavior, copepod,  euphausiid, respiration, springUn examen du contenu stomacal de baleines franches et des observations de leur comportement ont montré sans aucun doute qu’elles se nourrissaient dans la zone de Point Barrow pendant le printemps de1985. Les trois baleines franches pêchées près du village de Barrow avaient toutes dans l’estomac plus de cinq litres de zooplancton pélagique (copépodes calanoïdes et euphausiacés). Pendant la période allant du 26 mai au 6 juin, on a observé plus de 60 baleines qui plongeaient de façon répétée sous la banquise côtière pour se nourrir dans une zone située à 11,2 km au sud-ouest de Point Barrow. Les observateurs ont noté le moment de la plongée et celui du retour à la surface, et l’intervalle entre les souffles des baleines. Les durées enregistrées étaient nettement différentes de celles mesurées pour des baleines franches qui passaient à Point Barrow pendant leur migration au printemps, et de celles enregistrées dans la mer de Beaufort canadienne en été et en automne pour des baleines franches dont l’activité principale était de se nourrir.Mots clés: Balaena mysticetus, Point Barrow, se nourrir, baleine franche, comportement, copépode, euphausiacé, respiration, printemp

Men and talk about legal abortion in South Africa: equality, support and rights discourses undermining reproductive ‘choice’

Discursive constructions of abortion are embedded in the social and gendered power relations of a particular socio-historical space. As part of research on public discourses concerning abortion in South Africa where there has been a radical liberalisation of abortion legislation, we collected data from male group discussions about a vignette concerning abortion, and newspaper articles written by men about abortion. Our analysis revealed how discourses of equality, support and rights may be used by men to subtly undermine women’s reproductive right to ‘choose’ an abortion. Within an Equal Partnership discourse, abortion, paired with the assumption of foetal personhood, was equated with violating an equal heterosexual partnership and a man’s patriarchal duty to protect a child. A New Man discourse, which positions men as supportive of women, was paired with the assumption of men as rational and women as irrational in decision-making, to allow for the possibility of men dissuading women from terminating a pregnancy. A Rights discourse was invoked to suggest that abortion violates men’s paternal rights

Drivers of long-term variability in CO2 net ecosystem exchange in a temperate peatland

Land–atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) in peatlands exhibits marked seasonal and inter-annual variability, which subsequently affects the carbon (C) sink strength of catchments across multiple temporal scales. Long-term studies are needed to fully capture the natural variability and therefore identify the key hydrometeorological drivers in the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2. Since 2002, NEE has been measured continuously by eddy-covariance at Auchencorth Moss, a temperate lowland peatland in central Scotland. Hence this is one of the longest peatland NEE studies to date. For 11 years, the site was a consistent, yet variable, atmospheric CO2 sink ranging from −5.2 to −135.9 g CO2-C m−2 yr−1 (mean of −64.1 ± 33.6 g CO2-C m−2 yr−1). Inter-annual variability in NEE was positively correlated to the length of the growing season. Mean winter air temperature explained 87% of the inter-annual variability in the sink strength of the following summer, indicating an effect of winter climate on local phenology. Ecosystem respiration (Reco) was enhanced by drought, which also depressed gross primary productivity (GPP). The CO2 uptake rate during the growing season was comparable to three other sites with long-term NEE records; however, the emission rate during the dormant season was significantly higher. To summarise, the NEE of the peatland studied is modulated by two dominant factors: - phenology of the plant community, which is driven by winter air temperature and impacts photosynthetic potential and net CO2 uptake during the growing season (colder winters are linked to lower summer NEE), - water table level, which enhanced soil respiration and decreased GPP during dry spells. Although summer dry spells were sporadic during the study period, the positive effects of the current climatic trend towards milder winters on the site's CO2 sink strength could be offset by changes in precipitation patterns especially during the growing season

Report of the GDR working group on the R-parity violation

This report summarizes the work of the "R-parity violation group" of the French Research Network (GDR) in Supersymmetry, concerning the physics of supersymmetric models without conservation of R-parity at HERA, LEP, Tevatron and LHC and limits on R-parity violating couplings from various processes. The report includes a discussion of the recent searches at the HERA experiment, prospects for new experiments, a review of the existing limits, and also theoretically motivated alternatives to R-parity and a brief discussion on the implications of R-parity violation on the neutrino masses.Comment: 60 pages, LaTeX, 22 figures, 2 table