Detailed design specification for the ALT Shuttle Information Extraction Subsystem (SIES)

The approach and landing test (ALT) shuttle information extraction system (SIES) is described in terms of general requirements and system characteristics output products and processing options, output products and data sources, and system data flow. The ALT SIES is a data reduction system designed to satisfy certain data processing requirements for the ALT phase of the space shuttle program. The specific ALT SIES data processing requirements are stated in the data reduction complex approach and landing test data processing requirements. In general, ALT SIES must produce time correlated data products as a result of standardized data reduction or special purpose analytical processes. The main characteristics of ALT SIES are: (1) the system operates in a batch (non-interactive) mode; (2) the processing is table driven; (3) it is data base oriented; (4) it has simple operating procedures; and (5) it requires a minimum of run time information

A note on bounds for the cop number using tree decompositions

In this short note, we supply a new upper bound on the cop number in terms of tree decompositions. Our results in some cases extend a previously derived bound on the cop number using treewidth

The impact of private sector provision on equitable provision of coronary revascularisation

Objective: To investigate the impact of including private sector data on assessments of equity of coronary revascularisation provision using NHS data only. Design: Analyses of Hospital Episodes Statistics and private sector data by age, sex, and PCT of residence. For each PCT, the share of London's total population and revascularisations (all admissions, NHS-funded, and privately-funded admissions) were calculated. GINI coefficients were derived to provide an index of inequality across sub-populations, with parametric bootstrapping to estimate confidence intervals. Setting: London Participants London residents undergoing coronary revascularisation April 2001 - December 2003. Intervention Coronary artery bypass graft or angioplasty Main outcome measures: Directly-standardised revascularisation rates, GINI coefficients. Results: NHS-funded age-standardised revascularisation rates varied from 95.2 to 193.9 per 100,000 and privately funded procedures from 7.6 to 57.6. Although the age distribution did not vary by funding, the proportion of revascularisations among women that were privately funded (11.0%) was lower than among men (17.0%). Privately funded rates were highest in PCTs with the lowest death rates (p=0.053). NHS-funded admission rates were not related to deprivation nor age-standardised deaths rates from coronary heart disease. Privately-funded admission rates were lower in more deprived PCTs. NHS provision was significantly more egalitarian (Gini coefficient 0.12) than the private sector (0.35). Including all procedures was significantly less equal (0.13) than NHS funded care alone. Conclusion: Private provision exacerbates geographical inequalities. Those responsible for commissioning care for defined populations must have access to consistent data on provision of treatment wherever it takes place

Lessons from crossing symmetry at large N

20 pages, v2: Assumptions stated more clearly, version published in JHEPWe consider the four-point correlator of the stress tensor multiplet in N=4 SYM. We construct all solutions consistent with crossing symmetry in the limit of large central charge c ~ N^2 and large g^2 N. While we find an infinite tower of solutions, we argue most of them are suppressed by an extra scale \Delta_{gap} and are consistent with the upper bounds for the scaling dimension of unprotected operators observed in the numerical superconformal bootstrap at large central charge. These solutions organize as a double expansion in 1/c and 1/\Delta_{gap}. Our solutions are valid to leading order in 1/c and to all orders in 1/\Delta_{gap} and reproduce, in particular, instanton corrections previously found. Furthermore, we find a connection between such upper bounds and positivity constraints arising from causality in flat space. Finally, we show that certain relations derived from causality constraints for scattering in AdS follow from crossing symmetry.Peer reviewe

Relaxing to a three dimensional brane junction

We suggest a mechanism which leads to 3+1 space-time dimensions. The Universe assumed to have nine spatial dimensions is regarded as a special nonlinear oscillatory system -- a kind of Einstein solid. There are p-brane solutions which manifest as phase oscillations separating different phase states. The presence of interactions allows for bifurcations of higher dimensional spaces to lower dimensional ones in the form of brane junctions. We argue this is a natural way to select lower dimensions.Comment: RevTex, 5 pages; version to appear in Europhys. Let

Chromosome 9p deletion in clear cell renal cell carcinoma predicts recurrence and survival following surgery

BACKGROUND: Wider clinical applications of 9p status in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are limited owing to the lack of validation and consensus for interphase fluorescent in situ hybridisation (I-FISH) scoring technique. The aim of this study was to analytically validate the applicability of I-FISH in assessing 9p deletion in ccRCC and to clinically assess its long-term prognostic impact following surgical excision of ccRCC. METHODS: Tissue microarrays were constructed from 108 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumour paraffin blocks. Interphase fluorescent in situ hybridisation analysis was undertaken based on preset criteria by two independent observers to assess interobserver variability. 9p status in ccRCC tumours was determined and correlated to clinicopathological variables, recurrence-free survival and disease-specific survival. RESULTS: There were 80 ccRCCs with valid 9p scoring and a median follow-up of 95 months. Kappa statistic for interobserver variability was 0.71 (good agreement). 9p deletion was detected in 44% of ccRCCs. 9p loss was associated with higher stage, larger tumours, necrosis, microvascular and renal vein invasion, and higher SSIGN (stage, size, grade and necrosis) score. Patients with 9p-deleted ccRCC were at a higher risk of recurrence (P=0.008) and RCC-specific mortality (P=0.001). On multivariate analysis, 9p deletion was an independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio 4.323; P=0.021) and RCC-specific mortality (hazard ratio 4.603; P=0.007). The predictive accuracy of SSIGN score improved from 87.7% to 93.1% by integrating 9p status to the model (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Loss of 9p is associated with aggressive ccRCC and worse prognosis in patients following surgery. Our findings independently confirm the findings of previous reports relying on I-FISH to detect 9p (CDKN2A) deletion

Assessing time knowledge in children aged 10 to 11 years

The acquisition of time knowledge involves learning how to read clocks, estimate time, read dates and learn about temporal sequences. Evidence suggests that many of these competencies are acquired by 10 years of age although not all children may follow this developmental path. The main purpose of this study was to collect normative data for a screening tool that assesses time knowledge. These data identify the prevalence and pattern of difficulties with time knowledge among a UK sample of Year 6 pupils (aged 10 to 11 years). The Time Screening Assessment tool (Doran, Dutt & Pembery, 2015), designed to assess time knowledge, was administered individually to a sample of 79 children. Findings revealed a median overall score of 32 out of a maximum score of 36. 25% of children performed at or close to ceiling, however seven children scored more than -1.5 standard deviations below the mean. The value of these findings to practitioners working with children in schools is discussed

Variable Interstellar Absorption toward the Halo Star HD 219188 - Implications for Small-Scale Interstellar Structure

Within the last 10 years, strong, narrow Na I absorption has appeared at v_sun ~ -38 km/s toward the halo star HD 219188; that absorption has continued to strengthen, by a factor 2-3, over the past three years. The line of sight appears to be moving into/through a relatively cold, quiescent intermediate velocity (IV) cloud, due to the 13 mas/yr proper motion of HD 219188; the variations in Na I probe length scales of 2-38 AU/yr. UV spectra obtained with the HST GHRS in 1994-1995 suggest N(H_tot) ~ 4.8 X 10^{17} cm^{-2}, ``halo cloud'' depletions, n_H ~ 25 cm^{-3}, and n_e ~ 0.85-6.2 cm^{-3} (if T ~ 100 K) for the portion of the IV cloud sampled at that time. The relatively high fractional ionization, n_e/n_H >~ 0.034, implies that hydrogen must be partially ionized. The N(Na I)/N(H_tot) ratio is very high; in this case, the variations in Na I do not imply large local pressures or densities.Comment: 12 pages; aastex; to appear in ApJ