Higher Spin Gravitational Couplings and the Yang--Mills Detour Complex

Gravitational interactions of higher spin fields are generically plagued by inconsistencies. We present a simple framework that couples higher spins to a broad class of gravitational backgrounds (including Ricci flat and Einstein) consistently at the classical level. The model is the simplest example of a Yang--Mills detour complex, which recently has been applied in the mathematical setting of conformal geometry. An analysis of asymptotic scattering states about the trivial field theory vacuum in the simplest version of the theory yields a rich spectrum marred by negative norm excitations. The result is a theory of a physical massless graviton, scalar field, and massive vector along with a degenerate pair of zero norm photon excitations. Coherent states of the unstable sector of the model do have positive norms, but their evolution is no longer unitary and their amplitudes grow with time. The model is of considerable interest for braneworld scenarios and ghost condensation models, and invariant theory.Comment: 19 pages LaTe

Transabdominal ultrasonographic measurement of caudal vena cava to aorta derived ratios in clinically healthy neonatal foals

Background: Ultrasonographic measurement of the vena cava and aorta (Ao) diameters and their ratios have been suggested to be a reliable way of quantifying hypovolemia. Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of an ultrasonographic technique for measurement of Ao and caudal vena cava (CVC) and derived ratios using three different acoustic windows in a population of healthy neonatal foals. Correlation between Ao and CVC measurements and ratios and foals' age or bodyweight were also investigated. Methods: In 14 healthy foals aged less than 7 days, the diameters of the Ao and of the CVC in long and short axis were measured by two observers from images obtained using three different ultrasonographic imaging planes (left dorsal, left ventral and right views). The Ao and CVC cross-sectional area and the CVC/Ao diameter and area ratios were calculated. Image quality was subjectively assessed. Intraobserver and interobserver reliabilities for image quality scores and measurements were evaluated between the two observers. Simple linear regression models were used to identify correlations between the CVC/Ao measurements and ratios and the age and bodyweight of the foals. Results: The left ventral view showed the highest reliability. A correlation between bodyweight and the short axis measurement of the CVC was found (R2 = 0.385; p = 0.018). Age was positively correlated with the long axis of measurement of the CVC (R2 = 0.426; p = 0.011) and CVC/Ao diameter ratio (R2 = 0.625; p = 0.001). Conclusions: The left ventral view allows the Ao and CVC cross sections to be easily visualized and measured in neonatal foals in right lateral recumbency

Systematics of 2+ states in C isotopes from the ab initio no-core shell model

We study low-lying states of even carbon isotopes in the range A = 10 - 20 within the large- scale no-core shell model (NCSM). Using several accurate nucleon-nucleon (NN) as well as NN plus three-nucleon (NNN) interactions, we calculate excitation energies of the lowest 2+ state, the electromagnetic B(E2; 2+1 -> 0+1) transition rates, the 2+1 quadrupole moments as well as se- lected electromagnetic transitions among other states. Recent experimental campaigns to measure 2+-state lifetimes indicate an interesting evolution of nuclear structure that pose a challenge to reproduce theoretically from first principles. Our calculations do not include any effective charges or other fitting parameters. However, calculated results extrapolated to infinite model spaces are also presented. The model-dependence of those results is discussed. Overall, we find a good agree- ment with the experimentally observed trends, although our extrapolated B(E2; 2+1 -> 0+1) value for 16C is lower compared to the most recent measurements. Relative transition strengths from higher excited states are investigated and the influence of NNN forces is discussed. In particular for 16C we find a remarkable sensitivity of the transition rates from higher excited states to the details of the nuclear interactions.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, preprint version. Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physic

Women's need for information before attending genetic counselling for familial breast or ovarian cancer: a questionnaire, interview, and observational study

OBJECTIVES: To describe women's information needs prior to genetic counselling for familial breast or ovarian cancer. DESIGN: Prospective study including semistructured telephone interviews before genetic counselling, observations of consultations, completion of postal questionnaires, and face-to face interviews within two months of counselling. SUBJECTS: 46 women attending genetic counselling for familial breast or ovarian cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjects' understanding of process and content of genetic counselling before attending and attitudes about their preparation for the counselling session. RESULTS: Although all women interviewed before the clinic expected to discuss their risk of developing cancer and risk management options, there was evidence of a lack of knowledge about the process and content of genetic counselling, 17 (37%) women said they did not know what else would happen. Most women interviewed after counselling viewed it positively, but 26 (65%) felt they had been inadequately prepared and 11 (28%) felt that their lack of preparation meant that they could not be given an accurate estimation of their risk of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Some women felt that they did not obtain optimum benefit from genetic counselling because they were inadequately prepared for it. We suggest that cancer family history clinics should provide women with written information about the process and content of genetic counselling before their clinic attendance

Detours and Paths: BRST Complexes and Worldline Formalism

We construct detour complexes from the BRST quantization of worldline diffeomorphism invariant systems. This yields a method to efficiently extract physical quantum field theories from particle models with first class constraint algebras. As an example, we show how to obtain the Maxwell detour complex by gauging N=2 supersymmetric quantum mechanics in curved space. Then we concentrate on first class algebras belonging to a class of recently introduced orthosymplectic quantum mechanical models and give generating functions for detour complexes describing higher spins of arbitrary symmetry types. The first quantized approach facilitates quantum calculations and we employ it to compute the number of physical degrees of freedom associated to the second quantized, field theoretical actions.Comment: 1+35 pages, 1 figure; typos corrected and references added, published versio

A comparison of errorless and errorful therapies for dysgraphia after stroke.

Despite the increasing significance of written communication, there is limited research into spelling therapy for adults with acquired dysgraphia. Existing studies have typically measured spelling accuracy as an outcome, although speed may also be important for functional writing. As spelling is relatively slow, effortful and prone to errors in people with dysgraphia, minimising errors within therapy could be a factor in therapy success. This within-participant case-series study investigated whether errorless and errorful therapies would differ in their effects on spelling speed and accuracy for four participants with acquired dysgraphia. Matched sets of words were treated with errorless or errorful therapy or left untreated. Results were collated one week and five weeks after therapy. Both therapy approaches were successful in improving spelling accuracy. For three participants, equivalent gains were demonstrated following errorless and errorful therapy. One participant made significantly greater improvements in spelling accuracy following errorless therapy. The effects were maintained five weeks later. There was no significant difference in post-therapy spelling speed between the two therapy conditions. The results of this study suggest that both errorful and errorless therapies can be effective methods with which to treat spelling in adults with acquired dysgraphia