An experimental synthetic aperture SONAR

Aperture synthesis is a mature technique that has been used with success in a number of remote sensing fields. Sonars can also potentially benefit from the technique, though to date the limitations of slow acoustic propagation and difficulty in maintaining a stable platform has hindered investigation. This thesis investigates aperture synthesis for high resolution underwater imaging. A prototype sonar is designed and fabricated for the study. The performance of the sonar is assessed in both tank and sea trials and the results presented in this thesis

Resection and resolution of bone marrow lesions associated with an improvement of pain after total knee replacement: a novel case study using a 3-Tesla metal artefact reduction MRI sequence

We present our case report using a novel metal artefact reduction magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence to observe resolution of subchondral bone marrow lesions (BMLs), which are strongly associated with pain, in a patient after total knee replacement surgery. Large BMLs were seen preoperatively on the 3-Tesla MRI scans in a patient with severe end stage OA awaiting total knee replacement surgery. Twelve months after surgery, using a novel metal artefact reduction MRI sequence, we were able to visualize the bone-prosthesis interface and found complete resection and resolution of these BMLs. This is the first reported study in the UK to use this metal artefact reduction MRI sequence at 3-Tesla showing that resection and resolution of BMLs in this patient were associated with an improvement of pain and function after total knee replacement surgery. In this case it was associated with a clinically significant improvement of pain and function after surgery. Failure to eradicate these lesions may be a cause of persistent postoperative pain that is seen in up to 20% of patients following TKR surgery

The Artistic Talent of Msgr. Adam Muchtin

Adam Muchtin poznat je kao svećenik Riječke nadbiskupije, župnik i graditelj crkve na Donjoj Vežici, no u ovom radu analizira se njegovo manje poznato stvaralaštvo, ono likovno i to kroz likovni rad i teoriju koju je sam zapisao. Prvi dio članka posvećen je njegovom likovnom radu, točnije crtežu, slici i kiparstvu. Crtežu pristupa vrlo studiozno i kao pripremi za slike od kojih su najkvalitetniji prikazi Bogorodice i sv. Josipa. One se nalaze u crkvi sv. Terezije od Djeteta Isusa na Vežici i najbolje su njegovo likovno postignuće. Osim likovnog, estetskog segmenta njegovog rada, na radovima je vrlo očit i upečatljiv razlog stvaranja njegovih radova, a to je služba sakralne umjetnosti – slavljenje i veličanje Boga. U njegovim se radovima iščitava duboka vjera u Boga, ali i dobro poznavanje teorije umjetnosti, sakralnog prostora i liturgije. Stoga se drugi dio rada bavi analizom četiriju skripti (Kritika umjetnosti, Povijesni pregled razvoja kršćanske umjetnosti, Oprema crkve i Vrste i svojstva kamena, drva, kovina i boja) kojima se Muchtin služio za predavanja na Visokoj bogoslovskoj školi u Rijeci. Njima daje doprinos ovoj tematici na tragu Drugog vatikanskog koncila, a vrlo su aktualne i u današnjem vremenu, posebno skripta Oprema crkve.Adam Muchtin is known as a priest of the Archdiocese of Rijeka, pastor and builder of the church in Donja Vežica, but this paper analyses his lesser-known activity – in fine arts – through his own artistic creations and writings. The first part of the article is dedicated to his art work, more precisely to drawing, painting and sculpture. He approaches drawing very studiously and uses it as preparation for paintings, the best of which are the depictions of St. Mary and St. Joseph, considered his best artistic achievements and located in the church of St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Vežica. Apart from the artistic, aesthetic segment, his work manifests clearly the reason for his artistic creations, and that is the purpose of art – especially sacred art: the glorification and exaltation of God. In his works we read his deep faith in God, but also his good knowledge of art theory, sacral space and liturgy. Thus, the second part of the paper deals with the analysis of four scripts (“Art Critique”, “Historical Development of Christian Art”, “Church Equipment” and “Types and Properties of Stone, Wood, Metal and Colour”) used by Muchtin for lectures at the Theological School in Rijeka. They give large contribution to this subject, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, and are very useful even today, especially the script “Church Equipment”

How stakeholder participation can contribute to systematic reviews of complex interventions

Although patient and public involvement in research is a requirement for research funding in many countries, the knowledge base for how to effectively involve people—and evidence of the effectiveness of involvement—is weak. This article describes how methods used in participatory health research were used to involve patients, clients, providers and community health workers across all stages of a realist review. Sustained involvement enabled better identification of the components of the complex intervention of community-based peer support. It also challenged assumptions of how peer support is constructed, leading the review team to question whether the process of designing and implementing interventions has more influence on effectiveness than previously recognised in empirical studies. We conclude with a discussion on when sustained involvement should be used, and the challenges of incorporating it into the traditional researcher-led approach to systematic reviews

Hepatitis E virus in blood components: a prevalence and transmission study in southeast England

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 infections in the English population (including blood donors) is unknown, but is probably widespread, and the virus has been detected in pooled plasma products. HEV-infected donors have been retrospectively identifi ed through investigation of reported cases of possible transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E. The frequency of HEV transmission by transfusion and its outcome remains unknown. We report the prevalence of HEV RNA in blood donations, the transmission of the virus through a range of blood components, and describe the resulting morbidity in the recipients. METHODS: From Oct 8, 2012, to Sept 30, 2013, 225 000 blood donations that were collected in southeast England were screened retrospectively for HEV RNA. Donations containing HEV were characterised by use of serology and genomic phylogeny. Recipients, who received any blood components from these donations, were identifi ed and the outcome of exposure was ascertained. FINDINGS: 79 donors were viraemic with genotype 3 HEV, giving an RNA prevalence of one in 2848. Most viraemic donors were seronegative at the time of donation. The 79 donations had been used to prepare 129 blood components, 62 of which had been transfused before identifi cation of the infected donation. Follow-up of 43 recipients showed 18 (42%) had evidence of infection. Absence of detectable antibody and high viral load in the donation rendered infection more likely. Recipient immunosuppression delayed or prevented seroconversion and extended the duration of viraemia. Three recipients cleared longstanding infection after intervention with ribavirin or alteration in immunosuppressive therapy. Ten recipients developed prolonged or persistent infection. Transaminitis was common, but short-term morbidity was rare; only one recipient developed apparent but clinically mild post-transfusion hepatitis. INTERPRETATION: Our fi ndings suggest that HEV genotype 3 infections are widespread in the English population and in blood donors. Transfusion-transmitted infections rarely caused acute morbidity, but in some immunosuppressed patients became persistent. Although at present blood donations are not screened, an agreed policy is needed for the identifi cation of patients with persistent HEV infection, irrespective of origin, so that they can be off ered antiviral therapy

Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1. The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG + Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version published in European Physical Journal

Measurement of the polarisation of W bosons produced with large transverse momentum in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

This paper describes an analysis of the angular distribution of W->enu and W->munu decays, using data from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2010, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 35 pb^-1. Using the decay lepton transverse momentum and the missing transverse energy, the W decay angular distribution projected onto the transverse plane is obtained and analysed in terms of helicity fractions f0, fL and fR over two ranges of W transverse momentum (ptw): 35 < ptw < 50 GeV and ptw > 50 GeV. Good agreement is found with theoretical predictions. For ptw > 50 GeV, the values of f0 and fL-fR, averaged over charge and lepton flavour, are measured to be : f0 = 0.127 +/- 0.030 +/- 0.108 and fL-fR = 0.252 +/- 0.017 +/- 0.030, where the first uncertainties are statistical, and the second include all systematic effects.Comment: 19 pages plus author list (34 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, revised author list, matches European Journal of Physics C versio

Observation of a new chi_b state in radiative transitions to Upsilon(1S) and Upsilon(2S) at ATLAS

The chi_b(nP) quarkonium states are produced in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb^-1, these states are reconstructed through their radiative decays to Upsilon(1S,2S) with Upsilon->mu+mu-. In addition to the mass peaks corresponding to the decay modes chi_b(1P,2P)->Upsilon(1S)gamma, a new structure centered at a mass of 10.530+/-0.005 (stat.)+/-0.009 (syst.) GeV is also observed, in both the Upsilon(1S)gamma and Upsilon(2S)gamma decay modes. This is interpreted as the chi_b(3P) system.Comment: 5 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 1 table, corrected author list, matches final version in Physical Review Letter

Search for displaced vertices arising from decays of new heavy particles in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

We present the results of a search for new, heavy particles that decay at a significant distance from their production point into a final state containing charged hadrons in association with a high-momentum muon. The search is conducted in a pp-collision data sample with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 33 pb^-1 collected in 2010 by the ATLAS detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Production of such particles is expected in various scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. We observe no signal and place limits on the production cross-section of supersymmetric particles in an R-parity-violating scenario as a function of the neutralino lifetime. Limits are presented for different squark and neutralino masses, enabling extension of the limits to a variety of other models.Comment: 8 pages plus author list (20 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version to appear in Physics Letters