A review of the relationship between eggshell colour and water vapour conductance

This review brings together the available literature that examines the effect of variations in pigmentation on the gas conductance of avian eggshells. Pheasant and Houbara bustard eggs provide some evidence that shell abnormalities can impact upon colour and conductance. By contrast, data from wild birds suggest that neither the degree of maculation or intensity of ground colour impact upon gas conductance. Those studies that purport to show variation in rates of water loss in eggs with different degrees of pigmentation may have been confounded by variation in nest humidity. This emerging field of research remains very much in its infancy

Pairing correlations in N~Z pf-shell nuclei

We perform Shell Model Monte Carlo calculations to study pair correlations in the ground states of $N=Z$ nuclei with masses A=48-60. We find that $T=1$, $J^{\pi}=0^+$ proton-neutron correlations play an important, and even dominant role, in the ground states of odd-odd $N=Z$ nuclei, in agreement with experiment. By studying pairing in the ground states of $^{52-58}$Fe, we observe that the isovector proton-neutron correlations decrease rapidly with increasing neutron excess. In contrast, both the proton, and trivially the neutron correlations increase as neutrons are added. We also study the thermal properties and the temperature dependence of pair correlations for $^{50}$Mn and $^{52}$Fe as exemplars of odd-odd and even-even $N=Z$ nuclei. While for $^{52}$Fe results are similar to those obtained for other even-even nuclei in this mass range, the properties of $^{50}$Mn at low temperatures are strongly influenced by isovector neutron-proton pairing. In coexistence with these isovector pair correlations, our calculations also indicate an excess of isoscalar proton-neutron pairing over the mean-field values. The isovector neutron-proton correlations rapidly decrease with temperatures and vanish for temperatures above $T=700$ keV, while the isovector correlations among like nucleons persist to higher temperatures. Related to the quenching of the isovector proton-neutron correlations, the average isospin decreases from 1, appropriate for the ground state, to 0 as the temperature increases

Improving adherence to acute low back pain guideline recommendations with chiropractors and physiotherapists: the ALIGN cluster randomised controlled trial

Background Acute low back pain is a common condition, has high burden, and there are evidence-to-practice gaps in the chiropractic and physiotherapy setting for imaging and giving advice to stay active. The aim of this cluster randomised trial was to estimate the effects of a theory- and evidence-based implementation intervention to increase chiropractors’ and physiotherapists’ adherence to a guideline for acute low back pain compared with the comparator (passive dissemination of the guideline). In particular, the primary aim of the intervention was to reduce inappropriate imaging referral and improve patient low back pain outcomes, and to determine whether this intervention was cost-effective. Methods Physiotherapy and chiropractic practices in the state of Victoria, Australia, comprising at least one practising clinician who provided care to patients with acute low back pain, were invited to participate. Patients attending these practices were included if they had acute non-specific low back pain (duration less than 3 months), were 18 years of age or older, and were able to understand and read English. Practices were randomly assigned either to a tailored, multi-faceted intervention based on the guideline (interactive educational symposium plus academic detailing) or passive dissemination of the guideline (comparator). A statistician independent of the study team undertook stratified randomisation using computer-generated random numbers; four strata were defined by professional group and the rural or metropolitan location of the practice. Investigators not involved in intervention delivery were blinded to allocation. Primary outcomes were X-ray referral self-reported by clinicians using a checklist and patient low back pain-specific disability (at 3 months). Results A total of 104 practices (43 chiropractors, 85 physiotherapists; 755 patients) were assigned to the intervention and 106 practices (45 chiropractors, 97 physiotherapists; 603 patients) to the comparator; 449 patients were available for the patient-level primary outcome. There was no important difference in the odds of patients being referred for X-ray (adjusted (Adj) OR: 1.40; 95% CI 0.51, 3.87; Adj risk difference (RD): 0.01; 95% CI − 0.02, 0.04) or patient low back pain-specific disability (Adj mean difference: 0.37; 95% CI − 0.48, 1.21, scale 0–24). The intervention did lead to improvement for some key secondary outcomes, including giving advice to stay active (Adj OR: 1.96; 95% CI 1.20, 3.22; Adj RD: 0.10; 95% CI 0.01, 0.19) and intending to adhere to the guideline recommendations (e.g. intention to refer for X-ray: Adj OR: 0.27; 95% CI 0.17, 0.44; intention to give advice to stay active: Adj OR: 2.37; 95% CI 1.51, 3.74). Conclusions Intervention group clinicians were more likely to give advice to stay active and to intend to adhere to the guideline recommendations about X-ray referral. The intervention did not change the primary study outcomes, with no important differences in X-ray referral and patient disability between groups, implying that hypothesised reductions in health service utilisation and/or productivity gains are unlikely to offset the direct costs of the intervention. We report these results with the caveat that we enrolled less patients into the trial than our determined sample size. We cannot recommend this intervention as a cost-effective use of resources

Full 0ℏω0\hbar\omega shell model calculation of the binding energies of the 1f7/21f_{7/2} nuclei

Binding energies and other global properties of nuclei in the middle of the $pf$ shell, such as M1, E2 and Gamow-Teller sum rules, have been obtained using a new Shell Model code (NATHAN) written in quasi-spin formalism and using a $j-j$-coupled basis. An extensive comparison is made with the recently available Shell Model Monte Carlo results using the effective interaction KB3. The binding energies for -nearly- all the $1f_{7/2}$ nuclei are compared with the measured (and extrapolated) results.Comment: 7 page

Theory of parity violation in compound nuclear states; one particle aspects

In this work we formulate the reaction theory of parity violation in compound nuclear states using Feshbach's projection operator formalism. We derive in this framework a complete set of terms that contribute to the longitudinal asymmetry measured in experiments with polarized epithermal neutrons. We also discuss the parity violating spreading width resulting from this formalism. We then use the above formalism to derive expressions which hold in the case when the doorway state approximation is introduced. In applying the theory we limit ourselves in this work to the case when the parity violating potential and the strong interaction are one-body. In this approximation, using as the doorway the giant spin-dipole resonance and employing well known optical potentials and a time-reversal even, parity odd one-body interaction we calculate or estimate the terms we derived. In our calculations we explicitly orthogonalize the continuum and bound wave functions. We find the effects of orthogonalization to be very important. Our conclusion is that the present one-body theory cannot explain the average longitudinal asymmetry found in the recent polarized neutron experiments. We also confirm the discrepancy, first pointed out by Auerbach and Bowman, that emerges, between the calculated average asymmetry and the parity violating spreading width, when distant doorways are used in the theory.Comment: 37 pages, REVTEX, 5 figures not included (Postscript, available from the authors

Induced Parity Nonconserving Interaction and Enhancement of Two-Nucleon Parity Nonconserving Forces

Two-nucleon parity nonconserving (PNC) interaction induced by the single-particle PNC weak potential and the two-nucleon residual strong interaction is considered. An approximate analytical formula for this Induced PNC Interaction (IPNCI) between proton and neutron is derived ($Q({\bf r} {\bf \sigma}_{p} \times {\bf \sigma}_{n}) \delta({\bf r}_{p}-{\bf r}_{n})$), and the interaction constant is estimated. As a result of coherent contributions from the nucleons to the PNC potential, IPNCI is an order of magnitude stronger ($\sim A^{1/3}$) than the residual weak two-nucleon interaction and has a different coordinate and isotopic structure (e.g., the strongest part of IPNCI does not contribute to the PNC mean field). IPNCI plays an important role in the formation of PNC effects, e.g., in neutron-nucleus reactions. In that case, it is a technical way to take into account the contribution of the distant (small) components of a compound state which dominates the result. The absence of such enhancement ($\sim A^{1/3}$) in the case of T- and P-odd interaction completes the picture.Comment: Phys. Rev. C, to appear; 17 pages, revtex 3, no figure

The institutional shaping of management: in the tracks of English individualism

Globalisation raises important questions about the shaping of economic action by cultural factors. This article explores the formation of what is seen by some as a prime influence on the formation of British management: individualism. Drawing on a range of historical sources, it argues for a comparative approach. In this case, the primary comparison drawn is between England and Scotland. The contention is that there is a systemic approach to authority in Scotland that can be contrasted to a personal approach in England. An examination of the careers of a number of Scottish pioneers of management suggests the roots of this systemic approach in practices of church governance. Ultimately this systemic approach was to take a secondary role to the personal approach engendered by institutions like the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but it found more success in the different institutional context of the USA. The complexities of dealing with historical evidence are stressed, as is the value of taking a comparative approach. In this case this indicates a need to take religious practice as seriously as religious belief as a source of transferable practice. The article suggests that management should not be seen as a simple response to economic imperatives, but as shaped by the social and cultural context from which it emerges

Differential effects of Foxp2 disruption in distinct motor circuits

Disruptions of the _FOXP2_ gene cause a speech and language disorder involving difficulties in sequencing orofacial movements. FOXP2 is expressed in cortico-striatal and cortico-cerebellar circuits important for fine motor skills, and affected individuals show abnormalities in these brain regions. We selectively disrupted _Foxp2_ in the cerebellar Purkinje cells, striatum or cortex of mice and assessed the effects on skilled motor behaviour using an operant lever-pressing task. Foxp2 loss in each region impacted behaviour differently, with striatal and Purkinje cell disruptions affecting the variability and the speed of lever-press sequences, respectively. Mice lacking Foxp2 in Purkinje cells showed a prominent phenotype involving slowed lever pressing as well as deficits in skilled locomotion. In vivo recordings from Purkinje cells uncovered an increased simple spike firing rate and decreased modulation of firing during limb movements. This was caused by increased intrinsic excitability rather than changes in excitatory or inhibitory inputs. Our findings show that Foxp2 can modulate different aspects of motor behaviour in distinct brain regions, and uncover an unknown role for Foxp2 in the modulation of Purkinje cel

Antipsychotic drugs versus cognitive behavioural therapy versus a combination of both in people with psychosis:a randomised controlled pilot and feasibility study

Summary Background Little evidence is available for head-to-head comparisons of psychosocial interventions and pharmacological interventions in psychosis. We aimed to establish whether a randomised controlled trial of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) versus antipsychotic drugs versus a combination of both would be feasible in people with psychosis. Methods We did a single-site, single-blind pilot randomised controlled trial in people with psychosis who used services in National Health Service trusts across Greater Manchester, UK. Eligible participants were aged 16 years or older; met ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or delusional disorder, or met the entry criteria for an early intervention for psychosis service; were in contact with mental health services, under the care of a consultant psychiatrist; scored at least 4 on delusions or hallucinations items, or at least 5 on suspiciousness, persecution, or grandiosity items on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS); had capacity to consent; and were help-seeking. Participants were assigned (1:1:1) to antipsychotics, CBT, or antipsychotics plus CBT. Randomisation was done via a secure web-based randomisation system (Sealed Envelope), with randomised permuted blocks of 4 and 6, stratified by gender and first episode status. CBT incorporated up to 26 sessions over 6 months plus up to four booster sessions. Choice and dose of antipsychotic were at the discretion of the treating consultant. Participants were followed up for 1 year. The primary outcome was feasibility (ie, data about recruitment, retention, and acceptability), and the primary efficacy outcome was the PANSS total score (assessed at baseline, 6, 12, 24, and 52 weeks). Non-neurological side-effects were assessed systemically with the Antipsychotic Non-neurological Side Effects Rating Scale. Primary analyses were done by intention to treat; safety analyses were done on an as-treated basis. The study was prospectively registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN06022197. Findings Of 138 patients referred to the study, 75 were recruited and randomly assigned—26 to CBT, 24 to antipsychotics, and 25 to antipsychotics plus CBT. Attrition was low, and retention high, with only four withdrawals across all groups. 40 (78%) of 51 participants allocated to CBT attended six or more sessions. Of the 49 participants randomised to antipsychotics, 11 (22%) were not prescribed a regular antipsychotic. Median duration of total antipsychotic treatment was 44·5 weeks (IQR 26–51). PANSS total score was significantly reduced in the combined intervention group compared with the CBT group (–5·65 [95% CI −10·37 to −0·93]; p=0·019). PANSS total scores did not differ significantly between the combined group and the antipsychotics group (–4·52 [95% CI −9·30 to 0·26]; p=0·064) or between the antipsychotics and CBT groups (–1·13 [95% CI −5·81 to 3·55]; p=0·637). Significantly fewer side-effects, as measured with the Antipsychotic Non-neurological Side Effects Rating Scale, were noted in the CBT group than in the antipsychotics (3·22 [95% CI 0·58 to 5·87]; p=0·017) or antipsychotics plus CBT (3·99 [95% CI 1·36 to 6·64]; p=0·003) groups. Only one serious adverse event was thought to be related to the trial (an overdose of three paracetamol tablets in the CBT group). Interpretation A head-to-head clinical trial of CBT versus antipsychotics versus the combination of the two is feasible and safe in people with first-episode psychosis