Pollination systems in Namaqualand : a response to a predictable winter rainfall regime

The low abundance and relatively low diversity of anthophilous insects in Namaqualand appears to have resulted in the extensive radiation in floral characters. The paucity of empirical data supporting the notion of pollen limitation, necessitates further research in the pollination ecology of the region. In particular, research should concentrate on finding evidence for a reduction in fruit set resulting from pollen limitation. By furthering our knowledge in this aspect of the ecological functioning of Namaqualand, we might be able to better understand and explain the observed pollination syndromes

Moving Detectors in Cavities

We consider two-level detectors, coupled to a quantum scalar field, moving inside cavities. We highlight some pathological resonant effects due to abrupt boundaries, and decide to describe the cavity by switching smoothly the interaction by a time-dependent gate-like function. Considering uniformly accelerated trajectories, we show that some specific choices of non-adiabatic switching have led to hazardous interpretations about the enhancement of the Unruh effect in cavities. More specifically, we show that the emission/absorption ratio takes arbitrary high values according to the emitted quanta properties and to the transients undergone at the entrance and the exit of the cavity, {\it independently of the acceleration}. An explicit example is provided where we show that inertial and uniformly accelerated world-lines can even lead to the same ``pseudo-temperature''.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, version accepted in Phys.Rev.

A detailed analysis of online pharmacy characteristics to inform safe usage by patients

Background: Evidence suggests that consumers potentially put themselves at risk when purchasing medicines on-line. Whilst logos provided by regulators may provide some level of reassurance there may be other indicators which could be used by consumers to identify those websites which may be safely used. Objectives: Identify characteristics of on-line pharmacies which are related to whether websites are regulated or non-regulated and those characteristics which could be used by patients to increase the likelihood of accessing regulated sites. Setting: Online pharmacies which supply diazepam, fluoxetine and simvastatin. Methods: Using piloted search terms via Google and Yahoo search engines, identified websites were screened for regulatory status, adherence to regulatory standards, administrative requirements, clinical assessment requirements and additional details deemed to be of relevance to a user. Characteristics of regulated and non-regulated (defined as those with an absence of a correctly linked regulatory logo) websites were compared to identify differences which could be used to improve patient safety. Main outcome measure: Regulatory status, adherence to regulatory standards, quality of information provision, barriers to medicines access. Results: 113 websites sold diazepam, fluoxetine and simvastatin; were identified within the first 100 results. Less than quarter were found to be regulated online pharmacies. 80 websites were willing to sell the medication without a prescription. The unregulated internet pharmacy websites (defined as those with an absence of a correctly linked regulatory logo) were found to adhere more closely to the clinical criteria, were less significantly likely to disclose a contact name and address, telephone number of the pharmacy or demand a prescription prior to sale (P\0.05, Fisher’s Exact). Conclusions: The three prescription-only medicines which are liable to abuse, have potentially serious interactions and require counselling to ensure patient safety are readily available via the internet. When purchasing medicines via this route UK consumers should be made aware of the importance of regulatory logos and additionally should ensure that the seller can be meaningfully contacted by the contact details provided. The provision of clinical information should not be used alone as an indication of the seller’s provenance

Merging several separate data acquisition systems at GANIL

International audienceThe Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions (GANIL) as a National User's facility must answer to the problems of synchronization for the coupling of resident and external acquisition systems. For this a solution made up of a C-size VXI electronics called CENTRUM and a software named MERGER was adopted. The technique used for synchronization is based on the distribution of a 32-bit event number or a 48-bit timestamp. The tagged events sent by the various acquisition systems on the network are assembled by MERGER in a single event and sent for the analysis and storag

Evaluation of the Building a Healthy Future Programme

At Mind, we define resilience as an individual’s ability to deal with and adapt to challenging circumstances, and stay mentally well. We’ve identified three elements we believe lie at the heart of resilience: wellbeing, social connections and having ways to cope with difficult events. It is well established that people with long-term physical health conditions (LTC) are at greater risk of developing mental health problems than the general population. Building on its work to increase the resilience of other at risk groups, Mind has developed a six-week course that aims to improve the wellbeing, resilience, and confidence to self-manage of people with heart conditions, diabetes, and arthritis. Funded by the Department of Health’s Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development fund (IESD), a pilot of the programme was delivered in two locations – Birmingham and Manchester – between September 2014 and March 2016. 248 participants completed all six session of the course and a further 220 attended at least one session but did not complete the whole course. Manchester Mind recruited almost double the number of participants of Birmingham Mind (340 and 128 respectively). However, a lower proportion of participants completed the course in Manchester (46%) than in Birmingham (72%)