Comments on "Cooling by Heating: Refrigerator Powered by Photons"

We comment that the model proposed in Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 120603 (2012) violates the dynamical version of the third law of thermodynamics. We discuses the different formulations of the third law of thermodynamics and suggest a possible reason for the violation

Transition into adult healthcare services in Scotland –findings from a study concerning service users at the Scottish Spina Bifida Association

Background and Aims: Literature on interventions that enable young people with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus to have smooth transition, into adult healthcare services, stress the need for the process to start early and to include all family members. The study reported here was set to quantify and articulate the experiences of service users who are or due to be going through the transition process in Scotland today. Methods and Results: Focus group sessions, in the North of Scotland and in the ‘Central Belt’, captured rich qualitative data. A survey, sent to eligible participants on the Spina Bifida National database, offered complimentary data source. Despite the fact that the number of returned questionnaires was low (n = 20), data analysis identified a number of core recurring themes. These include issues concerning Communications, Respect, Choice and Control. Findings suggest that there is a significant chasm between the political rhetoric and the reality faced by young people with spina bifida moving to adult healthcare services. Conclusion: A possible way to facilitate successful transition of young people is using personal healthcare information as the locus for needed change. More research is needed to ascertain whether a ‘Person-Centred Record’, which is set to empower young people on their transition pathway, is an appropriate transition tool

Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome: A Proposal for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome and ICD-11

Objective: For many medical professionals dealing with patients with persistent pain following spine surgery, the term Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) as a diagnostic label is inadequate, misleading, and potentially troublesome. It misrepresents causation. Alternative terms have been suggested, but none has replaced FBSS. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) published a revised classification of chronic pain, as part of the new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which has been accepted by the World Health Organization (WHO). This includes the term Chronic pain after spinal surgery (CPSS), which is suggested as a replacement for FBSS. Methods: This article provides arguments and rationale for a replacement definition. In order to propose a broadly applicable yet more precise and clinically informative term, an international group of experts was established. Results: 14 candidate replacement terms were considered and ranked. The application of agreed criteria reduced this to a shortlist of four. A preferred option-Persistent spinal pain syndrome-was selected by a structured workshop and Delphi process. We provide rationale for using Persistent spinal pain syndrome and a schema for its incorporation into ICD-11. We propose the adoption of this term would strengthen the new ICD-11 classification. Conclusions: This project is important to those in the fields of pain management, spine surgery, and neuromodulation, as well as patients labeled with FBSS. Through a shift in perspective, it could facilitate the application of the new ICD-11 classification and allow clearer discussion among medical professionals, industry, funding organizations, academia, and the legal profession. Keywords: Chronic Pain; Failed Back Surgery Syndrome; ICD-11; Pain Taxonomy; Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome; Pain Classification

The Dynamics of Child Sexual Abuse Prosecution: Two Florida Case Studies

Criminal justice scholars agree that the process cannot adequately be captured simply by reporting guilty pleas, jury acquittals and convictions. Rather, one must imagine a giant cornucopia, the large end representing the huge mass of unreported and uncleared crimes, the small end representing the small number of convicted felons sentenced to prison. Between these terminal points can be found all those criminals the police decide not to arrest or refer for prosecution, all those cases prosecutors decide not to prosecute, the cases prosecutors decide to dismiss (or nolle prosequi, often referred to as nol pros ) after they have been filed, prosecutions judges dismiss for lack of probable cause or because the prosecutor violated some legislatively or constitutionally required practice, and the negotiated guilty pleas prosecutors and defense counsel arrange (usually with accompanying sentences)

The Horror

Pages 54-5