Sub-optimal pain control in patients with rheumatic disease.

The visual analog scale (VAS) of pain is a ubiquitous clinical and research tool with widespread application in the rheumatic diseases. The objectives of this study were to assess if patients report pain differently to doctors or nurses, to determine reproducibility of this test for diagnosis, age, gender, and treatment, and to ascertain the level of pain in patients attending general rheumatology clinics. Using a standardized line of exactly 100 mm and instructions with identical wording, consecutive patients attending general rheumatology clinics were asked to score their perceived level of pain in the preceding week. Two assessments were carried out, one before and one after the clinic visit, and each patient was questioned by both a doctor and a nurse. Differences between the first and second VAS scores (VAS1 and VAS2) were recorded. One hundred and eight patients completed the study (69 female). VAS1 and VAS2 scores were administered by a similar number of doctors and nurses. There was no significant difference between mean VAS1 and VAS2 scores (41.1 vs. 41.4 mm, p = 0.78). VAS1 and VAS2 differed by \u3c4 mm in\u3e59% of patients. Age, gender, or diagnosis did not influence VAS1 or VAS2. Differences in scores were independent of which health professional administered the scale (p = 0.19). Patients taking painkillers had higher mean VAS scores (49 mm) compared with those not on analgesia (27 mm; p \u3c 0.001). Anti-rheumatic treatment did not influence pain scores (p = 0.13). The VAS is a reliable and effective method of pain assessment. Results are independent of which health professional administers the scale. Patients with rheumatic disease report their pain similarly regardless of diagnosis. However, pain control is sub-optimal in patients taking analgesia. Specific assessment of pain is, thus, important in patients attending rheumatology clinics

Eliminating stray radiation inside large area imaging arrays

With increasing array size, it is increasingly important to control stray radiation inside the detector chips themselves. We demonstrate this effect with focal plane arrays of absorber coupled Lumped Element microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (LEKIDs) and lens-antenna coupled distributed quarter wavelength Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs). In these arrays the response from a point source at the pixel position is at a similar level to the stray response integrated over the entire chip area. For the antenna coupled arrays, we show that this effect can be suppressed by incorporating an on-chip stray light absorber. A similar method should be possible with the LEKID array, especially when they are lens coupled.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1707.0214

An inside story: tracking experiences, challenges and successes in a joint specialist performing arts college

In England the government’s specialist schools initiative is transforming the nature of secondary education. A three-year longitudinal case study tracked the effects of specialist performing arts college status on two schools. The sites were a mainstream school drawing pupils from an area of high social deprivation and disadvantage, and a special school catering for pupils with profound and \ud multiple learning difficulties, which were awarded joint performing arts college status. The government’s \ud preferred criterion for judging the success of specialist schools is improvement in whole-school examination results. The authors argue that this is a crude and inappropriate measure for these case study schools and probably others. Using questionnaires, interviews and documentation they tell an ‘inside story’ of experiences, challenges and achievements, from the perspectives of the schools’ mangers, staff and pupils. Alternative ‘value-added’ features emerged that were positive indicators of enrichment and success in both schools

Design and performance of the antenna coupled lumped-element kinetic inductance detector

Focal plane arrays consisting of low-noise, polarisation-sensitive detectors have made possible the pioneering advances in the study of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). To make further progress, the next generation of CMB experiments (e.g. CMB-S4) will require a substantial increase in the number of detectors compared to the current stage 3 instruments. Arrays of kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) provide a possible path to realising such large format arrays owing to their intrinsic multiplexing advantage and relative cryogenic simplicity. In this proceedings, we report on the design of a novel variant of the traditional KID design; the antenna-coupled lumped-element KID. A polarisation sensitive twin-slot antenna placed behind an optimised hemispherical lens couples power onto a thin-film superconducting microstrip line. The power is then guided into the inductive section of an aluminium KID where it is absorbed and modifies both the resonant frequency and quality factor of the KID. We present the various aspects of the design and preliminary results from the first set of seven-element prototype arrays and compare to the expected modelled performance

Status of SuperSpec: A Broadband, On-Chip Millimeter-Wave Spectrometer

SuperSpec is a novel on-chip spectrometer we are developing for multi-object, moderate resolution (R = 100 - 500), large bandwidth (~1.65:1) submillimeter and millimeter survey spectroscopy of high-redshift galaxies. The spectrometer employs a filter bank architecture, and consists of a series of half-wave resonators formed by lithographically-patterned superconducting transmission lines. The signal power admitted by each resonator is detected by a lumped element titanium nitride (TiN) kinetic inductance detector (KID) operating at 100-200 MHz. We have tested a new prototype device that is more sensitive than previous devices, and easier to fabricate. We present a characterization of a representative R=282 channel at f = 236 GHz, including measurements of the spectrometer detection efficiency, the detector responsivity over a large range of optical loading, and the full system optical efficiency. We outline future improvements to the current system that we expect will enable construction of a photon-noise-limited R=100 filter bank, appropriate for a line intensity mapping experiment targeting the [CII] 158 micron transition during the Epoch of ReionizationComment: 16 pages, 10 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2014 Conference, Vol 9153, Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VI

MKID development for SuperSpec: an on-chip, mm-wave, filter-bank spectrometer

SuperSpec is an ultra-compact spectrometer-on-a-chip for millimeter and submillimeter wavelength astronomy. Its very small size, wide spectral bandwidth, and highly multiplexed readout will enable construction of powerful multibeam spectrometers for high-redshift observations. The spectrometer consists of a horn-coupled microstrip feedline, a bank of narrow-band superconducting resonator filters that provide spectral selectivity, and Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) that detect the power admitted by each filter resonator. The design is realized using thin-film lithographic structures on a silicon wafer. The mm-wave microstrip feedline and spectral filters of the first prototype are designed to operate in the band from 195-310 GHz and are fabricated from niobium with at Tc of 9.2K. The KIDs are designed to operate at hundreds of MHz and are fabricated from titanium nitride with a Tc of 2K. Radiation incident on the horn travels along the mm-wave microstrip, passes through the frequency-selective filter, and is finally absorbed by the corresponding KID where it causes a measurable shift in the resonant frequency. In this proceedings, we present the design of the KIDs employed in SuperSpec and the results of initial laboratory testing of a prototype device. We will also briefly describe the ongoing development of a demonstration instrument that will consist of two 500-channel, R=700 spectrometers, one operating in the 1-mm atmospheric window and the other covering the 650 and 850 micron bands.Comment: As submitted, except that "in prep" references have been update

The simulation and design of an on-chip superconducting millimetre filter-bank spectrometer

Superconducting on-chip filter banks provide a scalable, space saving solution to create imaging spectrometers at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths. We present an easy to realise, lithographed superconducting filter design with a high tolerance to fabrication error. Using a capacitively coupled λ/2 microstrip resonator to define a narrow (λ/Δλ=300) spectral pass band, the filtered output of a given spectrometer channel directly connects to a lumped-element kinetic inductance detector. We show the tolerance analysis of our design, demonstrating <11% change in filter quality factor to any one realistic fabrication error and a full filter-bank efficiency forecast to be 50% after accounting for fabrication errors and dielectric loss tangent

Temperature and precipitation at migratory grounds influence demographic trends of an Arctic‐breeding bird

Anthropogenic climate disruption, including temperature and precipitation regime shifts, has been linked to animal population declines since the mid‐20th century. However, some species, such as Arctic‐breeding geese, have thrived during this period. An increased understanding of how climate disruption might link to demographic rates in thriving species is an important perspective in quantifying the impact of anthropogenic climate disruption on the global state of nature. The Greenland barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) population has increased tenfold in abundance since the mid‐20th century. A concurrent weather regime shift towards warmer, wetter conditions occurred throughout its range in Greenland (breeding), Ireland and Scotland (wintering) and Iceland (spring and autumn staging). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between weather and demographic rates of Greenland barnacle geese to discern the role of climate shifts in the population trend. We quantified the relationship between temperature and precipitation and Greenland barnacle goose survival and productivity over a 50 year period from 1968 to 2018. We detected significant positive relationships between warmer, wetter conditions on the Icelandic spring staging grounds and survival. We also detected contrasting relationships between warmer, wetter conditions during autumn staging and survival and productivity, with warm, dry conditions being the most favourable for productivity. Survival increased in the latter part of the study period, supporting the possibility that spring weather regime shifts contributed to the increasing population trend. This may be related to improved forage resources, as warming air temperatures have been shown to improve survival rates in several other Arctic and northern terrestrial herbivorous species through indirect bottom‐up effects on forage availability

Moulting season corticosterone correlates with winter season bodyweight in an Arctic migrant bird

In vertebrates, the endocrine system translates environmental changes into physiological responses on which natural selection can act to regulate individual fitness and, ultimately, population dynamics. Corticosterone (CORT) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are important regulators of the avian endocrine system but relatively few studies have investigated their downstream effects on key morphological fitness‐related traits in free‐living populations. This study quantified endocrine–morphology relationships in free‐living Greenland Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis that breed in the high Arctic. CORT and DHEA were extracted from feather and blood samples and tested for relationships with three morphological traits associated with survival and reproduction: bodyweight, body size and facial plumage coloration. We expected CORT concentration to be higher in birds with less favourable morphological traits (i.e. lighter, smaller and less attractive) and DHEA to be higher in birds with more favourable traits (i.e. heavier, bigger and more attractive). As expected, individuals with higher CORT during the post‐breeding moult (July/August) had significantly lower bodyweight during the following winter (November–April). In contrast, we found no robust DHEA–morphology relationships and no statistically significant relationship between CORT and body size or facial plumage. Overall, this study provides evidence of a negative relationship between CORT and bodyweight extending across different seasons of the annual cycle in a long‐distance migrant. This is of particular interest because bodyweight fluctuates rapidly in response to environmental resources and is closely linked to both survival and reproductive success in this species. Understanding the relationship between CORT and key morphological traits is important because endocrine‐disrupting contaminants in the Arctic increasingly interfere with CORT function in birds, including Barnacle Geese, and based on the results of this study may have consequences for bodyweight regulation