Measuring Cosmic Defect Correlations in Liquid Crystals

From the theory of topological defect formation proposed for the early universe, the so called Kibble mechanism, it follows that the density correlation functions of defects and anti-defects in a given system should be completely determined in terms of a single length scale $\xi$, the relevant domain size. Thus, when lengths are expressed in units of $\xi$, these distributions should show universal behavior, depending only on the symmetry of the order parameter, and space dimensions. We have verified this prediction by analyzing the distributions of defects/anti-defects formed in the isotropic-nematic phase transition in a thin layer of nematic liquid crystals. Our experimental results confirm this prediction and are in reasonable agreement with the results of numerical simulations.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, minor changes, few new references adde

Prospective Pilot study of Quality of Life in patients with severe late-radiation-toxicity treated by Low hyperbaric-oxigen-therapy

Background/purpose: The aim of this study is to assess for the first time the immediate and long term impact on quality-of-life of HBO treatments(HBOT) at 1.45 ATA (Absolute Atmospheric Pressure) Medical Hyperbaric chamber. Methods: Patients over 18 years-old, suffering of grade 3 Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) 4.0 radiation induced late toxicity and progressing to standard support therapy were included in this prospective study. HBOT was given daily, sixty minutes per session by a Medical Hyperbaric Chamber Biobarica System at 1.45 ATA at 100% O2. Forty sessions were prescribed for all patients given in 8 weeks. Patients reported outcomes (PROs) was assessed by the QLQ-C30 questionnaire, before starting, in the last week of the treatment, as well as during follow up. Results: Between February-2018/June-2021, 48 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A total of 37 patients (77%) completed the treatment prescribed HBOT sessions. Patients with anal fibrosis (9/37) and brain necrosis (7/37) were the most frequently treated. The most common symptoms were pain (65%) and bleeding (54%). In addition, thirty out of the 37 patients who completed the pre- and post-treatment Patients Reported Outcomes (PROs) assessment also completed the follow up European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC-QLQ-C30), and were evaluated in the present study. Mean follow up was 22,10 (6–39) months.The Median score of the EORTC-QLQ-C30, at the end of HBOT and during follow-up, was improved in all assessed domains, except in the cognitive aspect (p = 0.106). Conclusions: HBOT at 1.45 ATA is a feasible and well tolerated treatment, improving long term quality of life in terms of physical function, daily activities and general health subjective state of patients suffering severe late radiation-induced toxicity

Policy concertation in Europe: explaining government’s choice

This article focuses on the European governments' decision to involve unions and employers in the design and implementation of public policy. Based on new measures of the phenomenon, the authors argue that between 1974 and 2003, no convergence on a pluralist model of policy formation is visible. They then use these measures to identify and analyze the clearest cases of adoption or demise of concertation, namely, the contrasting responses of the British and Irish governments to wage policy and of the Austrian and Italian governments to pension reform. They argue that governments are willing to share their policy-making prerogatives when they are politically weak and when unions, while still representing a credible threat to policy implementation, have been declining in the recent past. A combination of partisanship and policy learning reinforces the push for change