Deconfinement from Action Restriction

The effect of restricting the plaquette to be greater than a certain cutoff value is studied. The action considered is the standard Wilson action with the addition of a plaquette restriction, which should not affect the continuum limit of the theory. In this investigation, the strong coupling limit is also taken. It is found that a deconfining phase transition occurs as the cutoff is increased, on all lattices studied (up to $20^4$). The critical cutoff on the infinite lattice appears to be around 0.55. For cutoffs above this, a fixed point behavior is observed in the normalized fourth cumulant of the Polyakov loop, suggesting the existence of a line of critical points corresponding to a massless gluon phase, not unlike the situation in compact U(1). The Polyakov loop susceptibility also appears to be diverging with lattice size at these cutoffs. A strong finite volume behavior is observed in the pseudo-specific heat. It is discussed whether these results could still be consistent with the standard crossover picture which precludes the existence of a deconfining phase transition on an infinite symmetric lattice.Comment: 4 pages latex, 6 ps figures, uses espcrc2.sty (included). Poster presented at LATTICE96(topology

Infrared spectroscopy of circumstellar dust: signs of differentiated materials?

Mid-infrared absorption spectra of powdered achondrites are compared with the astronomical spectra of dust around young, evolving stars, to find evidence (or not) of dust formed in collisional cascades of material from planetesimals

Dust from collisions: mid-infrared absorbance spectroscopy of Martian meteorites

Mid-infrared transmission/absorbance spectra of a representative range of martian meteorites are presented. The data is used for mineralogical bulk studies, but also for the comparison with astronomical dust spectra

The distribution of asteroids: evidence from Antarctic micrometeorites

The relative abundances of types amongst 550 AMMs are reported. These suggest that C-type asteroids vary from petrologic type 1 to 3.2 and that the majority of S-type asteroids are chondrule-rich

Infrared spectroscopy of extraterrestrial material: comparison with astronomical spectra of dust

Infrared spectra of components (CAI, matrix etc.) from type 3 carbonacous chondrites (Allende, Ornans, Vigarano) are compared with infrared spectra from astronomical objects (comets, zodiacal light, circumstellar disks and others)

Glucocorticoids for treating paediatric pulmonary hypertension: A novel use for a common medication

AbstractLaboratory investigations have shown the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension and improvement after anti-inflammatory drugs. Despite these observations, reports on the use of steroids to treat pulmonary hypertension in humans are absent from the literature. In this article, we report the use of glucocorticoids in the treatment of two children with pulmonary hypertension, demonstrating its potential utility.</jats:p

Leading community development for health improvement.

There has been increasing interest in participatory approaches to health promotion. However, there is a lack of consensus on key definitions and limited evidence of the effectiveness of community development in contributing to health and wellbeing. This study evaluates from the perspective of user participants involved in community development projects in a deprived metropolitan area, the impact of that participation on overall health and wellbeing. The study highlights the impact of stress, depression, social isolation and the abrasive effects of multiple deprivation on the lives of the user participants. The main findings showed that a robust Community Development Strategy had been agreed by the partner agencies and this aligned with individual community development projects to address social cohesion and health inequality. The user participants self-reported being healthier and happier as a consequence of their participation. Participation had a positive psycho-social impact on service users increasing confidence, competence and self-esteem and created a wider social network and a greater social cohesion. For some participants, the additional support offered by involvement promoted better individual functioning. Others adopted a more activist role looking beyond individual needs, taking action to identify and address community needs. The study recommends action at a national level to promote a co-ordinated response to address the social determinants of health and at a local level for Local Strategic Partnerships to promote sustainable funded community development to address health inequalities and multiple deprivation focused on the wider determinants of health