Mortality post inpatient alcohol detoxification: a descriptive case series

<br>Background: Individuals with alcohol dependence often die prematurely. Scotland in particular has high rates of alcohol misuse compared to the rest of the UK and Europe. Although there is some evidence that rates of alcoholrelated harm and alcohol-related deaths are reducing in Europe, there is little evidence of this trend occurring in Scotland. Inpatient detoxification is an important, but expensive, option in the management of alcohol dependence. Little work has been done with regard possible clinical characteristics associated with mortality post discharge in this cohort of patients.</br> <br>Methods: Retrospective electronic records were used to identify patients admitted electively for alcohol detoxification into a psychiatric ward in a district general hospital under the care of a single consultant addiction psychiatrist between 1/1/05 and 31/12/07 inclusively. Demographic and clinical factors were recorded. 5-year mortality data was obtained by linkage to the National Records of Scotland.</br> <br>Results: 25.2% of patients admitted for elective alcohol detoxification died during the 5-year follow up period. 42.9% of deaths (n=12) were due to alcoholic liver disease, one death (3.6%) was of undetermined intent. A higher proportion of the deceased cohort was likely to have continued disulfiram (93% vs. 80%) and acamprosate (81% vs. 60%) than those surviving. There was no statistically significant difference in survival between individuals on medication and those not on medications in our cohort. The average consumption of units of alcohol per week in the deceased cohort was significantly higher than that calculated for the surviving cohort (298.8 units vs. 233.3 units p=0.0137).</br> <br>Conclusion: Inpatient detoxification was associated with significant mortality at 5-year follow up post- discharge. The majority of deaths were due to liver disease while deaths due to accidents and of undetermined intent were relatively infrequent. Increased education and practical strategies such as “space and pace” aimed both at an individual and societal level to reduce alcohol consumption may help to reduce mortality associated with alcohol dependence post inpatient detoxification.</br&gt

Lutz-Kelker bias in pulsar parallax measurements

Lutz & Kelker showed that parallax measurements are systematically overestimated because they do not properly account for the larger volume of space that is sampled at smaller parallax values. We apply their analysis to neutron stars, incorporating the bias introduced by the intrinsic radio luminosity function and a realistic Galactic population model for neutron stars. We estimate the bias for all published neutron star parallax measurements and find that measurements with less than ~95% certainty, are likely to be significantly biased. Through inspection of historic parallax measurements, we confirm the described effects in optical and radio measurements, as well as in distance estimates based on interstellar dispersion measures. The potential impact on future tests of relativistic gravity through pulsar timing and on X-ray--based estimates of neutron star radii is briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 3 tables, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Induced antiferromagnetism and large magnetoresistances in RuSr2(Nd,Y,Ce)2Cu2O10-d ruthenocuprates

RuSr2(Nd,Y,Ce)2Cu2O10-d ruthenocuprates have been studied by neutron diffraction, magnetotransport and magnetisation measurements and the electronic phase diagram is reported. Separate Ru and Cu spin ordering transitions are observed, with spontaneous Cu antiferromagnetic order for low hole doping levels p, and a distinct, induced-antiferromagnetic Cu spin phase in the 0.02 < p < 0.06 pseudogap region. This ordering gives rise to large negative magnetoresistances which vary systematically with p in the RuSr2Nd1.8-xY0.2CexCu2O10-d series. A collapse of the magnetoresistance (MR) and magnetisation in the pre-superconducting region may signify the onset of superconducting fluctuations.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure

Dual sector education : Tafe and higher education collaborate in construction management

Curriculum collaboration between TAFE (vocational college) and universities in Australia has had a chequered history. Attempts to collaborate on curriculum development and delivery have mostly been at the margins of articulation and educational pathways. This study examines a pilot project in dual sector construction management education conducted at RMIT University over a two year period. The study demonstrates the challenges with mutual curriculum development between TAFE and higher education in Australia, and demonstrates the methods utilised to overcome these challenges. The results of the projects reveal that the benefits to students in hands-on experiences, theoretical knowledge gained and practical demonstrations were invaluable and worthy of ongoing research and development. The paper also raises critical questions about flexibility and mobility in educational institutions in Australia.<br /

THE EMERGING FOOD STORE DELICATESSEN: SOME PRELIMINARY ECONOMICS

Agribusiness,

The Evolution of PSR J0737-3039B and a Model for Relativistic Spin Precession

We present the evolution of the radio emission from the 2.8-s pulsar of the double pulsar system PSR J0737-3039A/B. We provide an update on the Burgay et al. (2005) analysis by describing the changes in the pulse profile and flux density over five years of observations, culminating in the B pulsar's radio disappearance in 2008 March. Over this time, the flux density decreases by 0.177 mJy/yr at the brightest orbital phases and the pulse profile evolves from a single to a double peak, with a separation rate of 2.6 deg/yr. The pulse profile changes are most likely caused by relativistic spin precession, but can not be easily explained with a circular hollow-cone beam as in the model of Clifton & Weisberg (2008). Relativistic spin precession, coupled with an elliptical beam, can model the pulse profile evolution well. This particular beam shape predicts geometrical parameters for the two bright orbital phases which are consistent and similar to those derived by Breton et al. (2008). However, the observed decrease in flux over time and B's eventual disappearance cannot be easily explained by the model and may be due to the changing influence of A on B.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, Accepted by ApJ on 2 August 201

PSR J0737-3039B: A probe of radio pulsar emission heights

In the double pulsar system PSR J0737-3039A/B the strong wind produced by pulsar A distorts the magnetosphere of pulsar B. The influence of these distortions on the orbital-dependent emission properties of pulsar B can be used to determine the location of the coherent radio emission generation region in the pulsar magnetosphere. Using a model of the wind-distorted magnetosphere of pulsar B and the well defined geometrical parameters of the system, we determine the minimum emission height to be ~ 20 neutron star radii in the two bright orbital longitude regions. We can determine the maximum emission height by accounting for the amount of deflection of the polar field line with respect to the magnetic axis using the analytical magnetic reconnection model of Dungey and the semi-empirical numerical model of Tsyganenko. Both of these models estimate the maximum emission height to be ~ 2500 neutron star radii. The minimum and maximum emission heights we calculate are consistent with those estimated for normal isolated pulsars.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures, Accepted by ApJ on 3 March 201