The twilight world of British business politics: the Spring Sunningdale conferences since the 1960s

This article explores a previously unknown form of interaction, known as Spring Sunningdale, between the British business elite and its civil servant equivalent in Whitehall. These began in 1963 and were still continuing only a few years ago. The continuity and stability of these meetings stands in contrast to wider changes in the nature of business–government relations in Britain during this period, particularly since the election of the Thatcher government in 1979. The article analyses why there was such continuity and what the senior civil servants and the captains of industry who attended these annual meetings gained from them

40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb mineral ages from the Brookville Gneiss: implications for terrane analysis and evolution of Avalonian "basement" in southern New Brunswick

New 40Ar/39Ar hornblende and U-Pb zircon data from units previously thought to represent basement to the Avalon composite terrane in southern New Brunswick yield latest Precambrian or early Cambrian metamorphic cooling ages and a late Precambrian protolith age. Hornblendes from the Brookville Gneiss and from an intrusive amphibolite body within the gneiss yield 40Ar/39Ar isotope correlation ages of 542 ± 4 and 338 ± 2 Ma, respectively. These ages are interpreted to date post-amphibolite facies metamorphic cooling. Euhedral zircons from the Point Pleasant orthogneiss, a quartz dioritic gneiss previously interpreted to be the oldest component of the Brookville Gneiss, show slight inheritance and yield 247Pb/206Pb ages ranging from 603 to 631 Ma. The youngest of these is interpreted to be a maximum age for the orthogneiss protolith. These results, together with other recent U-Pb age data, conflict with previous interpretations of the Brookville Gneiss and the metasedimentary Green Head Group with which it is associated, as a mobilized Proterozoic basement-cover succession upon which an Avalonian ensialic arc developed at c. 600-633 Ma. Instead, the age of the orthogneiss matches that of the arc, and the orthogneiss protolith is likely to have been originally intrusive into the Green Head Group. Although the arc succession is unaffected by high-grade metamorphism, the metamorphic cooling age recorded in the "basement" closely follows evidence of within-arc extension at c. 330 Ma. Hence, the arc/"basement" contrasts in tectonothermal regime could be those of varying structural level within the Avalonian arc rather than requiring the proposed existence of entirely separate terranes. RÉSUMÉ De nouvelles données 40Ar/39Ar sur hornblendes et U-Pb sur zircons, issues d'unités considérées jadis comme représentant le socle de la Lanière composite d'Avalon au Nouveau-Brunswick meridional, ont livré des âges de refroidissement métamorphique finiprécambriens ou éocambriens ainsi qu'un âge de protolithe tardipréambrien. Des hornblendes extraites du Gneiss de Brookville ont livré un âge de corrélation isotopique par 40Ar/39Ar de 542 ± 4 Ma; d'autres, provenant d'un bâti amphibolitique intrusif au sein du gneiss, ont livré un âge de 538 ± 2 Ma. On interprète ces âges comme datant le refroidissement métamorphique au-delâ du faciès à amphibolites. Des zircons idiomorphes provenant de l'orthogneiss de Point Pleasant, un gneiss quartzodioritique interprèt auparavant comme le plus ancient constituant du Gneiss de Brookville, montrent un 1éger remaniement et livrent des âges 247Pb/206Pb s'étalant de 603 à 631 Ma. On interprèté le plus jeune de ces âges comme l'âge maximal du protolithe de l'orthogneiss. Ces résultats, tout comme d'autres données U-Pbrecentes, contredisent les interprètations antérieures considéranl le Gneiss de Brookville et le Groupe métasédimentaire de Green Head, auquel il s'associe, comme une succession socle-couverture mobilisée protérozoique sur laquelle un arc sialique avalonien s'est développé il y a en v. 600 à 635 Ma. L'âge de l'orthogneiss correspond plutôt â celui de l'arc et il est probable que le protolithe de l'orthogneiss faisait à l'origine intrusion au sein du Groupe de Green Head. Bien que la succession d'arc n'ait subi aucun métamorphisme de degré é1evé l'âge de refroidissement métamorphique enregistré dans le "socle" Concorde étroitement avec la manifestation d 'une extension intra-arc vers 550 Ma. Par consequent, les contrastes de régime tectonothermique arc/"socle" pourraient reflèter les variations du niveau structural au sein de l'arc avalonien plutôt que necessiter l'existence proposée de lanières tout a fait distinctes. [Traduit par le journal

Aerodynamics of an Aerofoil in Transonic Ground Effect: Numerical Study at Full-scale Reynolds Numbers

The potential positive effects of ground proximity on the aerodynamic performance of a wing or aerofoil have long been established, but at transonic speeds the formation of shock waves between the body and the ground plane would have significant consequences. A numerical study of the aerodynamics of an RAE2822 aerofoil section in ground effect flight was conducted at freestream Mach numbers from 0·5 to 0·9, at a range of ground clearances and angles of incidence. It was found that in general the aerofoil\u27s lifting capability was still improved with decreasing ground clearance up until the point at which a lower surface shock wave formed (most commonly at the lowest clearances). The critical Mach number for the section was reached considerably earlier in ground effect than it would be in freest ream, and the buffet boundary was therefore also reached at an earlier stage. The flowfields observed were relatively sensitive to changes in any given variable, and the lower surface shock had a destabilizing effect on the pitching characteristics of the wing, indicating that sudden changes in both altii11de and attitude would be experienced during sustained transonic flight close to the ground plane. Since ground proximity hastens the lower surface shock formation, no gain in aerodynamic efficiency can be gained by flying in ground effect once that shock is present

Competition between Diffusion and Fragmentation: An Important Evolutionary Process of Nature

We investigate systems of nature where the common physical processes diffusion and fragmentation compete. We derive a rate equation for the size distribution of fragments. The equation leads to a third order differential equation which we solve exactly in terms of Bessel functions. The stationary state is a universal Bessel distribution described by one parameter, which fits perfectly experimental data from two very different system of nature, namely, the distribution of ice crystal sizes from the Greenland ice sheet and the length distribution of alpha-helices in proteins.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, (minor changes

Coexpression analysis of large cancer datasets provides insight into the cellular phenotypes of the tumour microenvironment

Background: Biopsies taken from individual tumours exhibit extensive differences in their cellular composition due to the inherent heterogeneity of cancers and vagaries of sample collection. As a result genes expressed in specific cell types, or associated with certain biological processes are detected at widely variable levels across samples in transcriptomic analyses. This heterogeneity also means that the level of expression of genes expressed specifically in a given cell type or process, will vary in line with the number of those cells within samples or activity of the pathway, and will therefore be correlated in their expression.Results: Using a novel 3D network-based approach we have analysed six large human cancer microarray datasets derived from more than 1,000 individuals. Based upon this analysis, and without needing to isolate the individual cells, we have defined a broad spectrum of cell-type and pathway-specific gene signatures present in cancer expression data which were also found to be largely conserved in a number of independent datasets.Conclusions: The conserved signature of the tumour-associated macrophage is shown to be largely-independent of tumour cell type. All stromal cell signatures have some degree of correlation with each other, since they must all be inversely correlated with the tumour component. However, viewed in the context of established tumours, the interactions between stromal components appear to be multifactorial given the level of one component e.g. vasculature, does not correlate tightly with another, such as the macrophage

Clinical, Imaging and Neurogenetic Features of Patients with Gliomatosis Cerebri Referred to a Tertiary Neuro-Oncology Centre

Introduction: Gliomatosis cerebri describes a rare growth pattern of diffusely infiltrating glioma. The treatment options are limited and clinical outcomes remain poor. To characterise this population of patients, we examined referrals to a specialist brain tumour centre. Methods: We analysed demographic data, presenting symptoms, imaging, histology and genetics, and survival in individuals referred to a multidisciplinary team meeting over a 10-year period. Results: In total, 29 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria with a median age of 64 years. The most common presenting symptoms were neuropsychiatric (31%), seizure (24%) or headache (21%). Of 20 patients with molecular data, 15 had IDH wild-type glioblastoma, with an IDH1 mutation most common in the remainder (5/20). The median length of survival from MDT referral to death was 48 weeks (IQR 23 to 70 weeks). Contrast enhancement patterns varied between and within tumours. In eight patients who had DSC perfusion studies, five (63%) had a measurable region of increased tumour perfusion with rCBV values ranging from 2.8 to 5.7. A minority of patients underwent MR spectroscopy with 2/3 (66.6%) false-negative results. Conclusions: Gliomatosis imaging, histological and genetic findings are heterogeneous. Advanced imaging, including MR perfusion, could identify biopsy targets. Negative MR spectroscopy does not exclude the diagnosis of glioma

Incidence, impact, and predictors of cranial nerve palsy and haematoma following carotid endarterectomy in the international carotid stenting study.

OBJECTIVE: Cranial nerve palsy (CNP) and neck haematoma are complications of carotid endarterectomy (CEA). The effects of patient factors and surgical technique were analysed on the risk, and impact on disability, of CNP or haematoma in the surgical arm of the International Carotid Stenting Study (ICSS), a randomized controlled clinical trial of stenting versus CEA in patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A per-protocol analysis of early outcome in patients receiving CEA in ICSS is reported. Haematoma was defined by the surgeon. CNP was confirmed by an independent neurologist. Factors associated with the risk of CNP and haematoma were investigated in a binomial regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the patients undergoing CEA, 45/821 (5.5%) developed CNP, one of which was disabling (modified Rankin score = 3 at 1 month). Twenty-eight (3.4%) developed severe haematoma. Twelve patients with haematoma also had CNP, a significant association (p 14 days (RR 3.33, 95% CI 1.05 to 10.57). The risk of haematoma was increased in women, by the prescription of anticoagulant drugs pre-procedure and in patients with atrial fibrillation, and was decreased in patients in whom a shunt was used and in those with a higher baseline cholesterol level. CONCLUSIONS: CNP remains relatively common after CEA, but is rarely disabling. Women should be warned about an increased risk. Attention to haemostasis might reduce the incidence of CNP. ICSS is a registered clinical trial: ISRCTN 25337470