How has the NHS been able to vaccinate Britons so quickly?

The UK’s vaccination programme has been a rare success during the pandemic. Lucy Thompson, Rebecca Forman and Elias Mossialos (LSE) explain why the NHS has been able to deliver jabs faster than any other European country

The Effects of 5G Implementation on the Aspects of Sustainability In The Air Transportation Industry

The concern of 5G C-band frequency interference with global aviation operations was founded on the criticality of a single-point failure with the radio altimeter operations. The research in this report intends to highlight the severe impact of 5G C-band implementation on the air transportation industry. It focuses on one airport in the United States, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), one of the busiest airports in the country, flying both domestically and internationally. The results show that Boeing aircraft are affected more than Airbus for 5G interference. Further, the findings show that the United States should align its 5G implementation with other countries, such as Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom

Cognitive correlates of abnormal myelination in psychosis

Psychotic illness has consistently been associated with deficits in cognitive function and reduced white matter integrity in the brain. However, the link between white matter disruptions and deficits in cognitive domains remains poorly understood. We assessed cognitive performance and white matter myelin water fraction (MWF) using multicomponent driven equilibrium single pulse observation of T1 and T2 (mcDESPOT) in recent-onset psychosis patients and age-matched healthy controls (HC). Psychosis patients showed deficits in working memory, phonological and semantic fluency, general intelligence quotient and reduced MWF in the left temporal white matter compared to HC. MWF in the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and inferior longitudinal fasciculus was positively associated with intelligence quotient and verbal fluency in patients, and fully mediated group differences in performance in both phonological and semantic verbal fluency. There was no association between working memory and MWF in the left temporal white matter. Negative symptoms demonstrated a negative association with MWF within the left inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculi. These findings indicate that psychosis-related deficits in distinct cognitive domains, such as verbal fluency and working memory, are not underpinned by a single common dysfunction in white matter connectivity

Neuroimaging oxytocin modulation of social reward learning in schizophrenia.

Conventional pharmacological approaches have limited effectiveness for schizophrenia. There is interest in the application of oxytocin, which is involved in social cognition. Clinical trials have yielded mixed results, with a gap in understanding neural mechanisms. To evaluate the behavioural impact of oxytocin administration on a social learning task in individuals with schizophrenia, and elucidate any differential neural activity produced. We recruited 20 clinically stable right-handed men diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. In a double-blind cross-over randomised controlled study, 40 IU of oxytocin or placebo were administered before functional magnetic resonance imaging of participants playing a multi-round economic exchange game of trust. Participants had the role of investors (investment trials) receiving repayment on their investments (repayment trials), playing one session against a computer and a second against a player believed to be human. During investment trials, oxytocin increased neural signalling in the right lateral parietal cortex for both human and computer player trials, and attenuated signalling in the right insula for human player trials. For repayment trials, oxytocin elicited signal increases in left insula and left ventral caudate, and a signal decrease in right amygdala during the human player trials; conversely it resulted in right dorsal caudate activation during the computer player trials. We did not find a significant change in behavioural performance associated with oxytocin administration, or any associations with symptoms. During a social learning task oxytocin modulates cortical and limbic substrates of the reward-processing network. These perturbations can be putatively linked to the pathoaetiology of schizophrenia

UTIIZAÇÃO DE IMAGENS GOOGLE EARTH PARA MAPEAMENTO DO USO E COBERTURA DA TERRA DA BACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DO CÓRREGO INDAIÁ, MS

A grande limitação atual em relação ao amplo emprego das imagens de alta resoluçãoespacial se deve principalmente aos elevados custos. Entretanto, após a disponibilização de imagensde alta resolução espacial no Google Earth e do software Stitch Map surge uma nova tendência paramapeamentos temáticos. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo elaborar um mapeamento do uso ecobertura da terra da Bacia Hidrográfica do Córrego Indaiá, MS, a partir de imagens capturadas dosítio Google Earth. Os procedimentos metodológicos fundamentaram-se nas propostas de Moreira(2011) e Novo (2008). Os resultados mostraram uma chave de interpretação elaborada para área comimagens de alta resolução espacial e o mapeamento de cinco classes temáticas que evidenciam umpredomínio da atividade pecuária (62,2%)

La administración del efectivo en las empresas

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo conocer los principales criterios que las empresas emplean para la administración del efectivo. Para las organizaciones, es de gran importancia mantener un nivel de liquidez adecuado para cumplir con sus obligaciones de pago, así como para evaluar proyectos de inversión. Se recurrió a diversas fuentes de información, mientras se tomaron en cuenta los temas más relevantes que puedan ayudar a resolver la pregunta en cuestión. Se considera importante profundizar acerca de las características de las empresas para entender la principal casuística. Lo primero es la finalidad del efectivo, saber en qué se va a utilizar el efectivo reservado, las principales opciones son: compra de activos, corrupción, giro del negocio y crisis. Por otro lado, se analizan las fuentes de efectivo, los medios necesarios para obtener liquidez: recursos propios, instrumentos financieros, instituciones financieras y financiamiento externo. Por último, se consideran las políticas empresariales que emplean las empresas: política corporativa, políticas de pagos y cobros, nivel de experiencia de los Chief Executive Officer (CEO) y mujeres directoras. Como se puede demostrar, existen diversos motivos por los cuales una empresa debe contar con cierta cantidad de efectivo y muchas razones que los justifiquen. El flujo de efectivo es un pilar importante para la administración de cualquier empresa y esta investigación ayudará a comprenderlo mejor.This work aims to know the main criteria that companies use for the management of cash. It is of great importance for organizations to maintain an adequate level of liquidity, this to meet their payment obligations, as well as to evaluate investment projects. Various sources of information were used, taking into account the most relevant topics that could help answer the question proposed. We consider it important to delve into the characteristics of companies to understand our main case. The first was the purpose of cash: buy of assets, corruption, business turnover and crisis. On the other hand, cash sources were analyzed, as they are: own resources, financial instruments, financial institutions and external financing. Finally, we mention the policies that companies employ; corporate policy, payment and collection policies, level of experience, CEO and female directors. As can be demonstrated, there are a number of reasons why a company must have a certain amount of cash and many reasons to justify it. Cash flow is an important pillar for the management of any company and this research will help us understand it better.Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesiona

Neural correlates of positive and negative symptoms through the illness course: an fMRI study in early psychosis and chronic schizophrenia

Psychotic illness is associated with cognitive control deficits and abnormal recruitment of neural circuits subserving cognitive control. It is unclear to what extent this dysfunction underlies the development and/or maintenance of positive and negative symptoms typically observed in schizophrenia. In this study we compared fMRI activation on a standard Stroop task and its relationship with positive and negative symptoms in early psychosis (EP, N = 88) and chronic schizophrenia (CHR-SZ, N = 38) patients. CHR-SZ patients showed reduced frontal, striatal, and parietal activation across incongruent and congruent trials compared to EP patients. Higher positive symptom severity was associated with reduced activation across both trial types in supplementary motor area (SMA), middle temporal gyrus and cerebellum in EP, but not CHR-SZ patients. Higher negative symptom severity was associated with reduced cerebellar activation in EP, but not in CHR-SZ patients. A negative correlation between negative symptoms and activation in SMA and precentral gyrus was observed in EP patients and in CHR-SZ patients. The results suggest that the neural substrate of positive symptoms changes with illness chronicity, and that cognitive control related neural circuits may be most relevant in the initial development phase of positive symptoms. These findings also highlight a changing role for the cerebellum in the development and later maintenance of both positive and negative symptoms

Abundance stratification in Type Ia supernovae - III. The normal SN 2003du

The element abundance distributions in the ejecta of Type Ia supernova (SN) is studied by modelling a time series of optical spectra of SN 2003du until ~1 year after the explosion. Since SN 2003du is a very normal Type Ia SN both photometrically and spectroscopically, the abundance distribution derived for it can be considered as representative of normal Type Ia SNe. We find that the innermost layers are dominated by stable Fe-group elements, with a total mass of ~ 0.2 Msun, which are synthesized through electron capture. Above the core of stable elements there are thick 56Ni-rich layers. The total mass of 56Ni is 0.65 Msun. The Si- and S-rich layers are located above the 56Ni-rich layers. The dominant element in the outermost layers (M_r > 1.1 Msun, v > 13000 km/s) is O, with a small amount of Si. Little unburned C remains, with an upper limit of 0.016 Msun. The element distributions in the ejecta are moderately mixed, but not fully mixed as seen in three-dimensional deflagration models.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA

The Outermost Ejecta of Type Ia Supernovae

The properties of the highest velocity ejecta of normal Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are studied via models of very early optical spectra of 6 SNe. At epochs earlier than 1 week before maximum, SNe with a rapidly evolving Si II 6355 line velocity (HVG) have a larger photospheric velocity than SNe with a slowly evolving Si II 6355 line velocity (LVG). Since the two groups have comparable luminosities, the temperature at the photosphere is higher in LVG SNe. This explains the different overall spectral appearance of HVG and LVG SNe. However, the variation of the Ca II and Si II absorptions at the highest velocities (v >~ 20,000 km/s) suggests that additional factors, such as asphericity or different abundances in the progenitor white dwarf, affect the outermost layers. The C II 6578 line is marginally detected in 3 LVG SNe, suggesting that LVG undergo less intense burning. The carbon mass fraction is small, only less than 0.01 near the photosphere, so that he mass of unburned C is only <~ 0.01 Msun. Radioactive 56Ni and stable Fe are detected in both LVG and HVG SNe. Different Fe-group abundances in the outer layers may be one of the reasons for spectral diversity among SNe Ia at the earliest times. The diversity among SNe Ia at the earliest phases could also indicate an intrinsic dispersion in the width-luminosity relation of the light curve.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Constraining the physical properties of Type II-P supernovae using nebular phase spectra

We present a study of the nebular phase spectra of a sample of Type II-Plateau supernovae with identified progenitors or restrictive limits. The evolution of line fluxes, shapes, and velocities are compared within the sample, and interpreted by the use of a spectral synthesis code. The small diversity within the dataset can be explained by strong mixing occurring during the explosion, and by recognising that most lines have significant contributions from primordial metals in the H envelope, which dominates the total ejecta mass in these type of objects. In particular, when using the [O I] 6300, 6364 Angstrom doublet for estimating the core mass of the star, care has to be taken to account for emission from primordial O in the envelope. Finally, a correlation between the H-alpha line width and the mass of 56Ni is presented, suggesting that higher energy explosions are associated with higher 56Ni production.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA