Quantum discrete Dubrovin equations

The discrete equations of motion for the quantum mappings of KdV type are given in terms of the Sklyanin variables (which are also known as quantum separated variables). Both temporal (discrete-time) evolutions and spatial (along the lattice at a constant time-level) evolutions are considered. In the classical limit, the temporal equations reduce to the (classical) discrete Dubrovin equations as given in a previous publication. The reconstruction of the original dynamical variables in terms of the Sklyanin variables is also achieved.Comment: 25 page

РАЗРАБОТКА КОМПЛЕКСА МАСС-СПЕКТРОМЕТРИЧЕСКИХ С ИНДУКТИВНО СВЯЗАННОЙ ПЛАЗМОЙ МЕТОДИК ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЯ СОДЕРЖАНИЯ ИЗОТОПА ТЕХНЕЦИЙ-99 В УРАНОВЫХ МАТЕРИАЛАХ

The methods for the quantitative determination of technetium isotope (99Tc) in uranium materials based on inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry are described. The results of the investigation of uranium matrix effect on the analytical signal of 99Tc for two mass-spectrometer models are presented. Different approaches for the quantification of 99Tc in uranium materials are investigated including direct analysis and analysis with preliminary uranium separation. The methods for the quantification of 99Tc consisting of chromatographic separation of uranium and 99Tc using UTEVA and TEVA resins with consequent ICP-MS detection were developed. The detection limits of the developed methods are within the range of 0.0006 to 0.02 ng/g U. The choice of optimum conditions for quantitative determination of 99Tc by direct ICP-MS analysis allowed avoiding «tough» ICP-MS operating conditions which consist in high forward power equal to 1600 W. The developed methods require much less time and effort compared to radiometry methods. The introduction of the developed methods allow improving the existing standards for the quality control of the uranium materials in nuclear industry.Keywords: Inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry, technetium isotope, uranium fluorides, uranium oxides, chromatographic separation(Russian)DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2013.17.4.005S.L. Ivanov1, N.V. Kuzmina1, A.Yu. Leykin2, A.V. Prosviryakova1, A.V. Saprygin1,3 1Open Joint Stock Company «Ural Electochemical Integrated Plant (JSC «UEIP»), Novouralsk, Russian Federation2Moscow representative office INTERTECH Corporation, Moscow, Russian Federation3FSAEI HPE «Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin», Ekaterinburg, Russian FederationОписан комплекс методик определения содержания изотопа технеций-99 (99Тс) в урановых материалах, основанный на методе масс-спектрометрии с индуктивно связанной плазмой. Приведены результаты исследования матричного влияния урана на аналитический сигнал 99Тс для двух моделей масс-спектрометров. Исследованы возможности метода для определения содержания 99Тс в различных вариантах: с предварительным отделением урана и прямого анализа. Разработанные масс-спектрометрические методики, основанные на экстракционно-хроматографическом разделении урана и 99Тс на смолах UTEVA и TEVA (Eichrom Technologies), отличаются низкими пределами обнаружения (0.0006-0.02 нг/г). Предлагаемые условия прямого масс-спектрометрического определения содержания 99Тс позволяют отказаться от «жестких» условий работы масс-спектрометров, требующих установления высокой мощности высокочастотного генератора (1600 Вт). Основными достоинствами разработанного комплекса являются значительное сокращение длительности и трудоемкости выполнения анализа по сравнению с радиометрическими методиками. Внедрение разработанных методик позволит усовершенствовать комплекс методик, используемых в системе контроля качества урановых материалов, действующих на предприятиях атомной отрасли.Ключевые слова:масс-спектрометрия с индуктивно связанной плазмой, изотоп технеций-99, фториды урана, оксиды урана, экстракционно-хроматографическое разделениеDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2013.17.4.00

Motivational Interviewing Versus Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy in the Treatment of Problem and Pathological Gambling: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Pathological gambling is a widespread problem with major implications for society and the individual. There are effective treatments, but little is known about the relative effectiveness of different treatments. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral group therapy, and a no-treatment control (wait-list) in the treatment of pathological gambling. This was done in a randomized controlled trial at an outpatient dependency clinic at Karolinska Institute (Stockholm, Sweden). A total of 150 primarily self-recruited patients with current gambling problems or pathological gambling according to an NORC DSM-IV screen for gambling problems were randomized to four individual sessions of motivational interviewing (MI), eight sessions of cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT), or a no-treatment wait-list control. Gambling-related measures derived from timeline follow-back as well as general levels of anxiety and depression were administered at baseline, termination, and 6 and 12 months posttermination. Treatment showed superiority in some areas over the no-treatment control in the short term, including the primary outcome measure. No differences were found between MI and CBGT at any point in time. Instead, both MI and CBGT produced significant within-group decreases on most outcome measures up to the 12-month follow-up. Both forms of intervention are promising treatments, but there is room for improvement in terms of both outcome and compliance

A real-time electronic symptom monitoring system for patients after discharge following surgery: a pilot study in cancer-related surgery

Background: Advances in peri-operative care of surgical oncology patients result in shorter hospital stays. Earlier discharge may bring benefits, but complications can occur while patients are recovering at home. Electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) systems may enhance remote, real-time symptom monitoring and detection of complications after hospital discharge, thereby improving patient safety and outcomes. Evidence of the effectiveness of ePRO systems in surgical oncology is lacking. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of a real-time electronic symptom monitoring system for patients after discharge following cancer-related upper gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: A pilot study in two UK hospitals included patients who had undergone cancer-related upper gastrointestinal surgery. Participants completed the ePRO symptom-report at discharge, twice in the first week and weekly post-discharge. Symptom-report completeness, system actions, barriers to using the ePRO system and technical performance were examined. The ePRO surgery system is an online symptom-report that allows clinicians to view patient symptom-reports within hospital electronic health records and was developed as part of the eRAPID project. Clinically derived algorithms provide patients with tailored self-management advice, prompts to contact a clinician or automated clinician alerts depending on symptom severity. Interviews with participants and clinicians determined the acceptability of the ePRO system to support patients and their clinical management during recovery. Results: Ninety-one patients were approached, of which 40 consented to participate (27 male, mean age 64 years). Symptom-report response rates were high (range 63–100%). Of 197 ePRO completions analysed, 76 (39%) triggered self-management advice, 72 (36%) trigged advice to contact a clinician, 9 (5%) triggered a clinician alert and 40 (20%) did not require advice. Participants found the ePRO system reassuring, providing timely information and advice relevant to supporting their recovery. Clinicians regarded the system as a useful adjunct to usual care, by signposting patients to seek appropriate help and enhancing their understanding of patients’ experiences during recovery. Conclusion: Use of the ePRO system for the real-time, remote monitoring of symptoms in patients recovering from cancer-related upper gastrointestinal surgery is feasible and acceptable. A definitive randomised controlled trial is needed to evaluate the impact of the system on patients’ wellbeing after hospital discharge

Numeric and Certified Isolation of the Singularities of the Projection of a Smooth Space Curve

International audienceLet CP ∩Q be a smooth real analytic curve embedded in R 3 , defined as the solutions of real analytic equations of the form P (x, y, z) = Q(x, y, z) = 0 or P (x, y, z) = ∂P ∂z = 0. Our main objective is to describe its projection C onto the (x, y)-plane. In general, the curve C is not a regular submanifold of R 2 and describing it requires to isolate the points of its singularity locus Σ. After describing the types of singularities that can arise under some assumptions on P and Q, we present a new method to isolate the points of Σ. We experimented our method on pairs of independent random polynomials (P, Q) and on pairs of random polynomials of the form (P, ∂P ∂z) and got promising results

How patients understand depression associated with chronic physical disease - A systematic review

Background: Clinicians are encouraged to screen people with chronic physical illness for depression. Screening alone may not improve outcomes, especially if the process is incompatible with patient beliefs. The aim of this research is to understand peoples beliefs about depression, particularly in the presence of chronic physical disease. Methods: A mixed method systematic review involving a thematic analysis of qualitative studies and quantitative studies of beliefs held by people with current depressive symptoms. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PSYCHINFO, CINAHL, BIOSIS, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, UKCRN portfolio, National Research Register Archive, Clinicaltrials.gov and OpenSIGLE were searched from database inception to 31st December 2010. A narrative synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data, based initially upon illness representations and extended to include other themes not compatible with that framework. Results: A range of clinically relevant beliefs was identified from 65 studies including the difficulty in labeling depression, complex causal factors instead of the biological model, the roles of different treatments and negative views about the consequences of depression. We found other important themes less related to ideas about illness: the existence of a self-sustaining depression spiral; depression as an existential state; the ambiguous status of suicidal thinking; and the role of stigma and blame in depression. Conclusions: Approaches to detection of depression in physical illness need to be receptive to the range of beliefs held by patients. Patient beliefs have implications for engagement with depression screening

Epidemiology, practice of ventilation and outcome for patients at increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications

BACKGROUND Limited information exists about the epidemiology and outcome of surgical patients at increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs), and how intraoperative ventilation was managed in these patients. OBJECTIVES To determine the incidence of surgical patients at increased risk of PPCs, and to compare the intraoperative ventilation management and postoperative outcomes with patients at low risk of PPCs. DESIGN This was a prospective international 1-week observational study using the ‘Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia risk score’ (ARISCAT score) for PPC for risk stratification. PATIENTS AND SETTING Adult patients requiring intraoperative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals across 29 countries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was the incidence of patients at increased risk of PPCs based on the ARISCAT score. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative ventilatory management and clinical outcomes. RESULTS A total of 9864 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The incidence of patients at increased risk was 28.4%. The most frequently chosen tidal volume (VT) size was 500 ml, or 7 to 9 ml kg1 predicted body weight, slightly lower in patients at increased risk of PPCs. Levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) were slightly higher in patients at increased risk of PPCs, with 14.3% receiving more than 5 cmH2O PEEP compared with 7.6% in patients at low risk of PPCs (P < 0.001). Patients with a predicted preoperative increased risk of PPCs developed PPCs more frequently: 19 versus 7%, relative risk (RR) 3.16 (95% confidence interval 2.76 to 3.61), P < 0.001) and had longer hospital stays. The only ventilatory factor associated with the occurrence of PPCs was the peak pressure. CONCLUSION The incidence of patients with a predicted increased risk of PPCs is high. A large proportion of patients receive high VT and low PEEP levels. PPCs occur frequently in patients at increased risk, with worse clinical outcome

Theories of schizophrenia: a genetic-inflammatory-vascular synthesis

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia, a relatively common psychiatric syndrome, affects virtually all brain functions yet has eluded explanation for more than 100 years. Whether by developmental and/or degenerative processes, abnormalities of neurons and their synaptic connections have been the recent focus of attention. However, our inability to fathom the pathophysiology of schizophrenia forces us to challenge our theoretical models and beliefs. A search for a more satisfying model to explain aspects of schizophrenia uncovers clues pointing to genetically mediated CNS microvascular inflammatory disease. DISCUSSION: A vascular component to a theory of schizophrenia posits that the physiologic abnormalities leading to illness involve disruption of the exquisitely precise regulation of the delivery of energy and oxygen required for normal brain function. The theory further proposes that abnormalities of CNS metabolism arise because genetically modulated inflammatory reactions damage the microvascular system of the brain in reaction to environmental agents, including infections, hypoxia, and physical trauma. Damage may accumulate with repeated exposure to triggering agents resulting in exacerbation and deterioration, or healing with their removal. There are clear examples of genetic polymorphisms in inflammatory regulators leading to exaggerated inflammatory responses. There is also ample evidence that inflammatory vascular disease of the brain can lead to psychosis, often waxing and waning, and exhibiting a fluctuating course, as seen in schizophrenia. Disturbances of CNS blood flow have repeatedly been observed in people with schizophrenia using old and new technologies. To account for the myriad of behavioral and other curious findings in schizophrenia such as minor physical anomalies, or reported decreased rates of rheumatoid arthritis and highly visible nail fold capillaries, we would have to evoke a process that is systemic such as the vascular and immune/inflammatory systems. SUMMARY: A vascular-inflammatory theory of schizophrenia brings together environmental and genetic factors in a way that can explain the diversity of symptoms and outcomes observed. If these ideas are confirmed, they would lead in new directions for treatments or preventions by avoiding inducers of inflammation or by way of inflammatory modulating agents, thus preventing exaggerated inflammation and consequent triggering of a psychotic episode in genetically predisposed persons

Epidemiology, practice of ventilation and outcome for patients at increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications: LAS VEGAS - An observational study in 29 countries

BACKGROUND Limited information exists about the epidemiology and outcome of surgical patients at increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs), and how intraoperative ventilation was managed in these patients. OBJECTIVES To determine the incidence of surgical patients at increased risk of PPCs, and to compare the intraoperative ventilation management and postoperative outcomes with patients at low risk of PPCs. DESIGN This was a prospective international 1-week observational study using the ‘Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia risk score’ (ARISCAT score) for PPC for risk stratification. PATIENTS AND SETTING Adult patients requiring intraoperative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals across 29 countries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was the incidence of patients at increased risk of PPCs based on the ARISCAT score. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative ventilatory management and clinical outcomes. RESULTS A total of 9864 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The incidence of patients at increased risk was 28.4%. The most frequently chosen tidal volume (V T) size was 500 ml, or 7 to 9 ml kg−1 predicted body weight, slightly lower in patients at increased risk of PPCs. Levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) were slightly higher in patients at increased risk of PPCs, with 14.3% receiving more than 5 cmH2O PEEP compared with 7.6% in patients at low risk of PPCs (P ˂ 0.001). Patients with a predicted preoperative increased risk of PPCs developed PPCs more frequently: 19 versus 7%, relative risk (RR) 3.16 (95% confidence interval 2.76 to 3.61), P ˂ 0.001) and had longer hospital stays. The only ventilatory factor associated with the occurrence of PPCs was the peak pressure. CONCLUSION The incidence of patients with a predicted increased risk of PPCs is high. A large proportion of patients receive high V T and low PEEP levels. PPCs occur frequently in patients at increased risk, with worse clinical outcome.</p