On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

Paroxetine does not improve symptoms and impairs cognition in frontotemporal dementia: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

Rationale. Patients with frontal variant frontotemporal dementia (fvFTD) present with disinhibition, impulsiveness, apathy, altered appetite and stereotypic behaviors. A non-randomized clinical trial found improvement in these symptoms after treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Objectives. We aimed to subject a SSRI, paroxetine, to a more rigorous test of its efficacy using a double-blind, placebo-controlled experimental design. Methods. Ten subjects meeting the consensus criteria for FTD were entered into a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Doses of paroxetine were progressively increased to 40 mg daily. The same regimen was used for placebo capsules. Subjects were assessed with a battery of cognitive tests in the sixth week of paroxetine and placebo treatment. At each assessment, caregivers were interviewed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and asked to complete the Cambridge Behavioral Inventory. Results. There were no significant differences on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory or the Cambridge Behavioral Inventory. Paroxetine caused a decrease in accuracy on the paired associates learning task, reversal learning and a delayed pattern recognition task. There were no changes on the decision-making task, in spatial span, spatial recognition, spatial working memory, digit span and verbal fluency. Conclusions. This study finds no evidence for the efficacy of paroxetine in the treatment of fvFTD. The results suggest that a chronic course of paroxetine may selectively impair paired associates learning, reversal learning and delayed pattern recognition. This pattern of deficits closely resembles that seen after tryptophan depletion. Results are discussed with respect to current theories on serotonergic modulation of orbitofrontal/ventromedial prefrontal cortex

A methodology for national-scale flood risk assessment

Risk analysis provides a rational basis for flood management decision-making at a national scale, as well as regionally and locally. National-scale flood risk assessment can provide consistent information to support the development of flood management policy, allocation of resources and monitoring of the performance of flood mitigation activities. However, national-scale risk assessment presents particular challenges in terms of data acquisition and manipulation, numerical computation and presentation of results. A methodology that addresses these difficulties through appropriate approximations has been developed and applied in England and Wales. The methodology represents the processes of fluvial and coastal flooding over linear flood defence systems in sufficient detail to test alternative policy options for investment in flood management. Flood outlines and depths are generated, in the absence of a consistent national topographic and water level data set, using a rapid parametric inundation routine. Potential economic and social impacts of flooding are assessed using national databases of floodplain properties and demography. A case study of the river Parrett catchment and adjoining sea defences in Bridgwater Bay in England demonstrates the application of the method and presentation of results in a geographical information system

Predicting Corporate Failure in the UK: A Multidimensional Scaling Approach

Scaling techniques are proposed as a tool for the analysis and prediction of corporate failure. This approach, while keeping a strong theoretical basis, has the advantage of visualising the main features of the data in the form of statistical maps that lend themselves to intuitive interpretation. The maps contain directional statistics to help with interpretation. The methodology is demonstrated using a sample of UK industrial companies. A future-dated holdout sample is also employed to illustrate how the Multidimensional Scaling technique can aid practitioners when assessing the financial health of a company. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2004.

'Institutional Thickness': Local Governance and Economic Development in Birmingham, England

This article uses the concept of institutional thickness to describe key features of the local governance of economic development. For this purpose, a methodology for the empirical assessment of institutional thickness is developed and applied to the case of Birmingham, England. The results from this empirical analysis are threefold. First, they make it possible to draw some conclusions on the role that local governments can play to promote local economic development. Second, they suggest that institutional thickness is a useful organizing concept for analyses of the local governance of economic development. Finally, they demonstrate the value of a verifiable and replicable methodology for the detection and measurement of local institutional conditions and of governance arrangements. Copyright (c) 2007 The Authors. Journal Compilation (c) 2007 Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.