Time trends in survival and readmission following coronary artery bypass grafting in Scotland, 1981-96: retrospective observational study

Improvements in coronary revascularisation techniques and an increase in the use of percutaneous interventions1 have led to a rise in the number of coronary artery bypass grafting operations in older patients with more severe cardiac disease and worse comorbidity and who have previously undergone revascularisation procedures. 2 3 Advances in surgical and anaesthetic techniques have prevented a worsening risk profile from being translated into an increase in perioperative deaths. 2 3 The aim of our study was to examine time trends in major outcomes up to two years after coronary artery bypass grafting

Geology of the Al Wathba 1:100 000 map sheet, 100-12, United Arab Emirates

This Sheet Description describes the Quaternary and bedrock geology of the Al Wathba 1:100 000 scale geological map. The district covers 2780 km2 southeast of Abu Dhabi island, and includes many of the suburbs of Abu Dhabi city, including the proposed Capital District, Madinat Khalifa A and B, Mussafah, Mohammed bin Zayed City, Mafraq, Bani Yas, Al Wathba, Al Falah, Al Shamka and Abu Dhabi International Airport. The sheet extends east as far as Al Khatim. The pre-Quaternary bedrock comprises Miocene evaporitic mudstone and siltstone of the Gachsaran Formation (Fars Group) overlain by the dolomitic conglomerates, sandstones and siltstones of the Barzaman Formation in the north. In the south and west, the Gachsaran Formation is overlain by the dolomites and limestones of the Dam Formation which forms an escarpment around the Al Dhafra Air Base. These are overlain by the sandstones of the Shuwaihat and Baynunah Formations. Borehole evidence suggests there is a gradation from interbedded siltstones and sandstones of the Baynunah Formation in the west of the district to coarse dolomitic conglomerates of the Barzaman Formation in the north. The Miocene rocks are locally overlain by fluvial sandstones and channel gravels of the Hili Formation which represent Quaternary outwash from the Hajar Mountains to the east. Much of the region is partially covered by pale carbonate aeolianites of the Ghayathi Formation, themselves often covered in a veneer of more recent aeolian sand. These are well exposed near the coast in spectacular zeugen and inland, they form a series of east-northeast trending linear ridges. Modern pale carbonate-dominated low dunes occur particularly in the west of the district. The coastal zone is dominated by a range of Late Pleistocene to Holocene littoral and marine deposits, which comprise the Abu Dhabi Formation. These include coastal spits and bars, algal mats, mangrove swamps and intertidal sediments. Sabkha is developed on the surface of these deposits. The region has seen major development over the past 30 years, which has radically changed the surface geology. Much of the coastal strip has been reclaimed or developed, with a variable amount of made ground, often composed of carbonate sand dredged from the neighbouring lagoons. Further inland, many areas have been extensively landscaped, with large areas of dunes levelled flat or quarried for fill. Much of the north-western part of the sheet is either developed or scheduled for development. Extensive areas of forestry occur along the line of the main Abu Dhabi – Al Ain highway and north of Abu Dhabi International Airport

Quantum dots coordinated with conjugated organic ligands: new nanomaterials with novel photophysics

CdSe quantum dots functionalized with oligo-(phenylene vinylene) (OPV) ligands (CdSe-OPV nanostructures) represent a new class of composite nanomaterials with significantly modified photophysics relative to bulk blends or isolated components. Single-molecule spectroscopy on these species have revealed novel photophysics such as enhanced energy transfer, spectral stability, and strongly modified excited state lifetimes and blinking statistics. Here, we review the role of ligands in quantum dot applications and summarize some of our recent efforts probing energy and charge transfer in hybrid CdSe-OPV composite nanostructures

Libertarian paternalism: Policy and everyday translations of the rational and the affective

Following the financial collapse in 2008 many commentators went onto pronounce the end of neoliberalism as a credible system for managing welfare state capitalism. The narrow economic belief in individuals as rational utility maximizers (the linchpin of neoliberal governance) was proved to be uncomfortably inaccurate. In light of these claims, British governments and think tanks have published various research and pol-icy documents promoting the use of soft forms of state power to ‘nudge’ citizens into behaving responsibly and rationally. Through an analysis of key policy documents and academic texts, I examine the repertoires and formulations informing this emerging governmental rationality (‘libertarian paternalism’) and draw together these perspectives to explore their effects in terms of framing policy understandings of the rational and the emotional. I conclude the article by utilizing a discursive psychology approach with the aim to problematize existing policy (mis)understandings of emotion as automated and unreflexive

Geology of the Sweihan and Remah 1:100 000 map sheet, 100-7, United Arab Emirates

This Sheet Description describes the geology of the Sweihan and Remah 1:100 000 scale geological map. The Sweihan and Remah district covers 2780 km2 east of Abu Dhabi. Over 700 observation points were made throughout the district. Pre-Quaternary bedrock comprises Miocene conglomerate of the Barzaman Formation which probably underlies the entire area. It is poorly exposed in roughly east-west trending inter-dune areas and in a number of excavations in the northwest and eastern parts of the area. Over almost the entire area, the Barzaman Formation is overlain by deposits of the Quaternary (Pleistocene) Hili Formation, which is up to at least 20 m thick in places. Three facies of the Hili Formation were mapped; coarse fluvial channel gravels, fluvial sands, and siltstones (overbank deposits). They represent a complex fluvial outwash system draining from the Hajar Mountains in the east. As such, they tend to fine distally to the southwest, where the majority of the fluvial sands and siltstone/mudstones occur. They locally contain intercalated aeolian sand beds which were blown in from the north-west. Quaternary carbonate-cemented aeolianites of the Ghayathi Formation are well-developed in the north western corner of the district. These represent fossil seif dune systems which locally form the cores to fields of modern pale carbonate-dominated low dunes. The Quaternary deposits are overlain by various modern dune sands (Rub al Khali Formation) with various morphologies, mapped as dune ridges, locally culminating in star dunes, and barchanoid low dune fields. Interdune areas, floored either by Miocene or Quaternary rocks typically have continental sabkha veneers and, adjacent to the dune fields, thin sand veneers

Geology of the Al Lisaili 1:100 000 map sheet, 100-6, United Arab Emirates

This Sheet Description describes the Quaternary and solid geology of the Al Lisaili 1:100 000 scale geological map. It includes the southern outskirts of Dubai, including part of Jebal Ali and the development around the new Al Maktoum International Airport. Apart from these urban areas, the region is largely undeveloped desert. Much of the map area is covered by dune forms, mostly either low dunes or dune ridges, with large interdunes underlain either by variably dolomitised sandstone, siltstone and conglomerate of the Miocene Barzaman Formation or the Quaternary fluvial sandstones, conglomerates and calcretes of the Hili Formation. The Barzaman Formation forms the rock-head across most of the district and is locally well exposed in interdunes. Quaternary carbonate-dominated aeolianites (Ghayathi Formation) form distinctive palaeodune ridges that trend southwest-northeast-across the district, particularly to the west and northwest of the district. Marine deposits of the Abu Dhabi Formation are present around Jebal Ali, mostly forming areas of coastal sabkha. Although the majority of sheet 100-6 is desert, significant parts of the onshore landscape and the short stretch of coast has been strongly influenced by anthropogenic activity. The rapid growth of Dubai since the 1970s has led to extensive areas being landscaped or reclaimed for development or forestry. Major residential, commercial and industrial developments exist or are proposed around Jebal Ali, and around the Al Maktoum International Airport, whilst forestry and farming projects occur in the south and west. Many of the excavations in the development sites around Dubai and Jebal Ali, such as for example, the trial excavations for the proposed Arabian Canal scheme, provided excellent exposures of the underlying geology. Details of some of these sections are provided in this report. Over much of the area, ‘Made Ground’ that includes engineered fill is widespread