Patients as researchers - innovative experiences in UK National Health Service research

Consumer involvement is an established priority in UK health and social care service development and research. To date, little has been published describing the process of consumer involvement and assessing ‘consumers’ contributions to research. This paper provides a practical account of the effective incorporation of consumers into a research team, and outlines the extent to which they can enhance the research cycle; from project development and conduct, through data analysis and interpretation, to dissemination. Salient points are illustrated using the example of their collaboration in a research project. Of particular note were consumers’ contributions to the development of an ethically enhanced, more robust project design, and enriched data interpretation, which may not have resulted had consumers not been an integral part of the research team

Critical properties of the half-filled Hubbard model in three dimensions

By means of the dynamical vertex approximation (D$\Gamma$A) we include spatial correlations on all length scales beyond the dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) for the half-filled Hubbard model in three dimensions. The most relevant changes due to non-local fluctuations are: (i) a deviation from the mean-field critical behavior with the same critical exponents as for the three dimensional Heisenberg (anti)-ferromagnet and (ii) a sizable reduction of the N\'eel temperature ($T_N$) by $\sim 30$ for the onset of antiferromagnetic order. Finally, we give a quantitative estimate of the deviation of the spectra between D$\Gamma$A and DMFT in different regions of the phase-diagram.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Variants within the MMP3 gene are associated with achilles tendinopathy: possible interaction with the COL5A1 gene

Objectives: Sequence variation within the COL5A1 and TNC genes are known to associate with Achilles tendinopathy. The primary aim of this case-control genetic association study was to investigate whether variants within the matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3) gene also contributed to both Achilles tendinopathy and Achilles tendon rupture in a Caucasian population. A secondary aim was to establish whether variants within the MMP3 gene interacted with the COL5A1 rs12722 variant to raise risk of these pathologies. Methods: 114 subjects with symptoms of Achilles tendon pathology and 98 healthy controls were genotyped for MMP3 variants rs679620, rs591058 and rs650108. Results: As single markers, significant associations were found between the GG genotype of rs679620 (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.2 to 4.90, p = 0.010), the CC genotype of rs591058 (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.50, p = 0.023) and the AA genotype of rs650108 (OR = 4.9, 95% CI 1.0 to 24.1, p = 0.043) and risk of Achilles tendinopathy. The ATG haplotype (rs679620, rs591058, and rs650108) was under-represented in the tendinopathy group when compared to the control group (41% vs 53%, p = 0.038). Finally, the G allele of rs679620 and the T allele of COL5A1 rs12722 significantly interacted to raise risk of AT (p = 0.006). No associations were found between any of the MMP3 markers and Achilles tendon rupture. Conclusion: Variants within the MMP3 gene are associated with Achilles tendinopathy. Furthermore, the MMP3 gene variant rs679620 and the COL5A1 marker rs12722 interact to modify the risk of tendinopathy. These data further support a genetic contribution to a common sports related injur

The Randall-Sundrum Scenario with an Extra Warped Dimension

We investigate a scenario with two four-branes embedded in six dimensions. When the metric is periodic and compact in one of the dimensions parallel to the branes, the value of the effective cosmological constant for the remaining five dimensions can assume a variety of values, determined by the dependence of the metric on the sixth dimension. The picture that emerges resembles the Randall-Sundrum model but with an extra warped dimension that allows the usual brane-bulk fine tuning to be satisfied without finely tuning any of the parameters in the underlying six dimensional theory. Although the action contains terms with four derivatives of the metric, we show that when the branes have a finite, natural thickness, such terms have only a small effect on the Randall-Sundrum structure. The presence of these four derivative terms also allows a configuration that resembles that produced by a domain wall but which results from gravity alone.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, requires harvmac and picte

The Guardians of Knowledge in the Modern State: Post’s Republic and the First Amendment

Collins and Skover’s essay examines Yale Law School Dean Robert Post’s recent book, Democracy, Expertise, and Academic Freedom: A First Amendment Jurisprudence for the Modern State (Yale, 2012). Collins and Skover describe and examine Dean Post’s dichotomy between the realm of “democratic legitimation,” where the First Amendment should offer its strongest protections, and the realm of “democratic competence,” where the First Amendment should yield to the findings of knowledgeable experts. Questioning the theoretical premises of Dean Post’s book, they argue that a “harm principle” may better explain much of the First Amendment doctrine that Post attempts to reconcile with his dichotomy. Moreover, they challenge Post’s thesis at a more operational level: if his theory is to have any meaningful staying power, it cannot be oblivious to the obvious – that the academic centers of knowledge are increasingly commercialized. Colleges and universities, once seen as bastions of learning serving the common good, have increasingly transformed into citadels of industry serving the cause of private profit. In this commercialized environment, medical schools produce bio-medical studies unduly influenced by industry; brilliant researchers earn lucrative consulting fees; and distinguished professors take title to industry-endowed chairs. In the face of this, ironically Robert Post’s First Amendment theory may unwittingly protect the research produced by for-profit experts, even though pecuniary influences corrupt the integrity of the centers of knowledge

The Guardians of Knowledge in the Modern State: Post’s Republic and the First Amendment

Collins and Skover’s essay examines Yale Law School Dean Robert Post’s recent book, Democracy, Expertise, and Academic Freedom: A First Amendment Jurisprudence for the Modern State (Yale, 2012). Collins and Skover describe and examine Dean Post’s dichotomy between the realm of “democratic legitimation,” where the First Amendment should offer its strongest protections, and the realm of “democratic competence,” where the First Amendment should yield to the findings of knowledgeable experts. Questioning the theoretical premises of Dean Post’s book, they argue that a “harm principle” may better explain much of the First Amendment doctrine that Post attempts to reconcile with his dichotomy. Moreover, they challenge Post’s thesis at a more operational level: if his theory is to have any meaningful staying power, it cannot be oblivious to the obvious – that the academic centers of knowledge are increasingly commercialized. Colleges and universities, once seen as bastions of learning serving the common good, have increasingly transformed into citadels of industry serving the cause of private profit. In this commercialized environment, medical schools produce bio-medical studies unduly influenced by industry; brilliant researchers earn lucrative consulting fees; and distinguished professors take title to industry-endowed chairs. In the face of this, ironically Robert Post’s First Amendment theory may unwittingly protect the research produced by for-profit experts, even though pecuniary influences corrupt the integrity of the centers of knowledge

The Senator and the Constitution: An Interview with Orrin G. Hatch

Modern constitutional scholarship tends to focus exclusively on the role of the judiciary in the development of constitutional law. Recognizing that this court-positivist outlook leaves substantial gaps in constitutional literature, the authors turn their scholarly attention to legislative and executive contributions to the field. The subject of their inquiry is U.S. Senator Orrin G. Hatch, who has chaired the Constitutional Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and who is one of the Senate\u27s most recognized constitutional commentators. The authors interviewed Senator Hatch about his positions on various issues in constitutional law and theory, and annotated the interview extensively to analyze the Senator\u27s published and unpublished statements on the same subjects. The result is a fascinating portrait of the Senator who has been called Mr. Constitution in the Senate, and a significant step toward a new body of constitutional scholarship that will truly recognize the tripartite nature of our federal constitutional system

Aerodynamic characteristic of a swept-wing cruise missile at Mach numbers from 0.50 to 2.86

An investigation has been made in the Mach number range from 0.50 to 2.86 to determine the longitudinal and lateral aerodynamic characteristics of a cruise missile having a 58 deg swept wing and conventional aft tails. Such a vehicle might be applicable to missions such as surface- or air-launched tactical or strategic missiles, unmanned reconnaissance, or countermeasure decoys

Interference Fragmentation Functions and the Nucleon's Transversity

We introduce twist-two quark interference fragmentation functions in helicity density matrix formalism and study their physical implications. We show how the nucleon's transversity distribution can be probed through the final state interaction between two mesons ($\pi^+\pi^-$, $K\bar K$, or $\pi K$) produced in the current fragmentation region in deep inelastic scattering on a transversely polarized nucleon.Comment: Final version to be published in Phys. Rev. Let