Study protocol: Delayed intervention randomised controlled trial within the Medical Research Council (MRC) Framework to assess the effectiveness of a new palliative care service

Background: Palliative care has been proposed to help meet the needs of patients who suffer progressive non-cancer conditions but there have been few evaluations of service development initiatives. We report here a novel protocol for the evaluation of a new palliative care service in this context. Methods/Design: Using the MRC Framework for the Evaluation of Complex Interventions we modelled a new palliative care and neurology service for patients severely affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We conducted qualitative interviews with patients, families and staff, plus a literature review to model and pilot the service. Then we designed a delayed intervention randomised controlled trial to test its effectiveness as part of phase II of the MRC framework. Inclusion criteria for the trial were patients identified by referring clinicians as having unresolved symptoms or psychological concerns. Referrers were advised to use a score of greater than 8 on the Expanded Disability Scale was a benchmark. Consenting patients newly referred to the new service were randomised to either receive the palliative care service immediately (fast-track) or after a 12-week wait (standard best practice). Face to face interviews were conducted at baseline (before intervention), and at 4–6, 10–12 (before intervention for the standard-practice group), 16– 18 and 22–24 weeks with patients and their carers using standard questionnaires to assess symptoms, palliative care outcomes, function, service use and open comments. Ethics committee approval was granted separately for the qualitative phase and then for the trial. Discussion: We publish the protocol trial here, to allow methods to be reviewed in advance of publication of the results. The MRC Framework for the Evaluation of Complex Interventions was helpful in both the design of the service, methods for evaluation in convincing staff and the ethics committee to accept the trial. The research will provide valuable information on the effects of palliative care among non-cancer patients and a method to evaluate palliative care in this context

Reorientation Transition in Single-Domain (Ga,Mn)As

We demonstrate that the interplay of in-plane biaxial and uniaxial anisotropy fields in (Ga,Mn)As results in a magnetization reorientation transition and an anisotropic AC susceptibility which is fully consistent with a simple single domain model. The uniaxial and biaxial anisotropy constants vary respectively as the square and fourth power of the spontaneous magnetization across the whole temperature range up to T_C. The weakening of the anisotropy at the transition may be of technological importance for applications involving thermally-assisted magnetization switching.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

DC-transport properties of ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As semiconductors

We study the dc transport properties of (Ga,Mn)As diluted magnetic semiconductors with Mn concentration varying from 1.5% to 8%. Both diagonal and Hall components of the conductivity tensor are strongly sensitive to the magnetic state of these semiconductors. Transport data obtained at low temperatures are discussed theoretically within a model of band-hole quasiparticles with a finite spectral width due to elastic scattering from Mn and compensating defects. The theoretical results are in good agreement with measured anomalous Hall effect and anisotropic longitudinal magnetoresistance data. This quantitative understanding of dc magneto-transport effects in (Ga,Mn)As is unparalleled in itinerant ferromagnetic systems.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Semi-relativistic description of quasielastic neutrino reactions and superscaling in a continuum shell model

The so-called semi-relativistic expansion of the weak charged current in powers of the initial nucleon momentum is performed to describe charge-changing, quasielastic neutrino reactions $(\nu_\mu,\mu^-)$ at intermediate energies. The quality of the expansion is tested by comparing with the relativistic Fermi gas model using several choices of kinematics of interest for ongoing neutrino oscillation experiments. The new current is then implemented in a continuum shell model together with relativistic kinematics to investigate the scaling properties of $(e,e')$ and $(\nu_\mu,\mu^-)$ cross sections.Comment: 33 pages, 10 figures, to appear in PR

Search For Hole Mediated Ferromagnetism In Cubic (Ga,Mn)N

Results of magnetisation measurements on p-type zincblende-(Ga,Mn)N are reported. In addition to a small high temperature ferromagnetic signal, we detect ferromagnetic correlation among the remaining Mn ions, which we assign to the onset of hole-mediated ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)N.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, proc. ICPS 27, Flagstaff '0