Combining the Hybrid Functional Method with Dynamical Mean-Field Theory

We present a new method to compute the electronic structure of correlated materials combining the hybrid functional method with the dynamical mean-field theory. As a test example of the method we study cerium sesquioxide, a strongly correlated Mott-band insulator. The hybrid functional part improves the magnitude of the pd-band gap which is underestimated in the standard approximations to density functional theory while the dynamical mean-field theory part splits the 4f-electron spectra into a lower and an upper Hubbard band.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, replaced with revised version, published in Europhys. Let

The preventative role of exogenous melatonin administration to patients with advanced cancer who are at risk of delirium: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is a very common and distressing neuropsychiatric syndrome in palliative care. Increasing age, the presence of dementia and advanced cancer are well-known predisposing risk factors for delirium development. Sleep-wake cycle disturbance is frequently seen during delirium and melatonin has a pivotal role in the regulation of circadian rhythms. Current evidence across various settings suggests a potential preventative role for melatonin in patients at risk of delirium, but no studies are currently reported in patients with advanced cancer. The aim of this article is to describe the design of a feasibility study that is being conducted to inform a larger randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial (RCT) to evaluate the role of exogenously administered melatonin in preventing delirium in patients with advanced cancer. METHODS/DESIGN: Adult patients with a cancer diagnosis who are admitted to the palliative care unit will be randomized into a treatment or placebo group. The pharmacological intervention consists of a single daily dose of immediate-release melatonin (3 mg) at 21:00 ± 1 h, from day 1 to day 28 of admission. The primary objective of this initial study is to assess the feasibility of conducting the proposed RCT by testing recruitment and retention rates, appropriateness of study outcome measures, acceptability of study procedures and effectiveness of the blinding process. The primary outcome measure of the proposed larger RCT is time to first inpatient incident episode of delirium. We also plan to collect data on incident rates of delirium and patient-days of delirium, adjusting for length of admission. DISCUSSION: The outcomes of this feasibility study will provide information on recruitment and retention rates, protocol violation frequency, effectiveness of the blinding process, acceptability of the study procedures, and safety of the proposed intervention. This will inform the design of a fully powered randomized controlled trial to evaluate the preventative role of melatonin administration in patients with advanced cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02200172 Registered on 21 July 2014. Health Canada protocol number: BRI-MELAT-2013 (Final approved protocol version (Version 3): 18 June 2014) (Notice of Amended Authorization (NOA) received 14 November 2014)

On the shopfloor: exploring the impact of teacher trade unions on school-based industrial relations

Teachers are highly unionised workers and their trade unions exert an important influence on the shaping and implementation of educational policy. Despite this importance there is relatively little analysis of the impact of teacher trade unions in educational management literature. Very little empirical research has sought to establish the impact of teacher unions at school level. In an era of devolved management and quasi-markets this omission is significant. New personnel issues continue to emerge at school level and this may well generate increased trade union activity at the workplace. This article explores the extent to which devolved management is drawing school-based union representation into a more prominent role. It argues that whilst there can be significant differences between individual schools, increased school autonomy is raising the profile of trade union activity in the workplace, and this needs to be better reflected in educational management research

Melatonin to prevent delirium in patients with advanced cancer: a double blind, parallel, randomized, controlled, feasibility trial.

BACKGROUND:Delirium is highly problematic in palliative care (PC). Preliminary data indicate a potential role for melatonin to prevent delirium, but no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are reported in PC. METHODS:Patients aged ≥18 years, with advanced cancer, admitted to an inpatient Palliative Care Unit (PCU), having a Palliative Performance Scale rating ≥ 30%, and for whom consent was obtained, were included in the study. Patients with delirium on admission were excluded. The main study objectives were to assess the feasibility issues of conducting a double-blind RCT of exogenous melatonin to prevent delirium in PC: recruitment, retention, procedural acceptability, appropriateness of outcome measures, and preliminary efficacy and safety data. Study participants were randomized in a double-blind, parallel designed study to receive daily melatonin 3 mg or placebo orally at 21:00 over 28 days or less if incident delirium, death, discharge or withdrawal occurred earlier. Delirium was diagnosed using the Confusion Assessment Method. Efficacy endpoints in the melatonin and placebo groups were compared using time-to-event analysis: days from study entry to onset of incident delirium. RESULTS:Over 16 months, 60/616 (9.7%; 95% CI: 7.5-12.4%) screened subjects were enrolled. The respective melatonin (n = 30) vs placebo (n = 30) outcomes were: incident delirium in 11/30 (36.7%; 95%CI: 19.9-56.1%) vs 10/30 (33%; 95% CI: 17.3-52.8%); early discharge (6 vs 5); withdrawal (6 vs 3); death (0 vs 1); and 7 (23%) vs 11 (37%) reached the 28-day end point. The 25th percentile time-to-event were 9 and 18 days (log rank, χ2 = 0.62, p = 0.43) in melatonin and placebo groups, respectively. No serious trial medication-related adverse effects occurred and the core study procedures were acceptable. Compared to those who remained delirium-free during their study participation, those who developed delirium (n = 21) had poorer functional (p = 0.036) and cognitive performance (p = 0.013), and in particular, poorer attentional capacity (p = 0.003) at study entry. CONCLUSIONS:A larger double-blind RCT is feasible, but both subject accrual and withdrawal rates signal a need for multisite collaboration. The apparent trend for shorter time to incident delirium in the melatonin group bodes for careful monitoring in a larger trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Registered on July 21st 2014 with ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT02200172

Taxonomy and chemical characterization of new antibiotics produced by Saccharothrix SA198 isolated from a Saharan soil

Actinomycete strain SA198, isolated from a Saharan soil sample of Algeria, exhibited antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and phytopathogenic and toxinogenic fungi. The morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics of the strain were consistent with those of the genus Saccharothrix. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain SA198 showed a similarity level ranging between 97.2 and 98.8% within Saccharothrix species, S. australiensis being the most closely related. Two new active products were isolated by reverse HPLC using a C18 column. The ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS), infrared (IR), mass, and 1Hand 14C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra showed that these products were new bioactive compounds. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of these antibiotics showed a strong activity against fungi and moderate activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria

Critical Review of Theoretical Models for Anomalous Effects (Cold Fusion) in Deuterated Metals

We briefly summarize the reported anomalous effects in deuterated metals at ambient temperature, commonly known as "Cold Fusion" (CF), with an emphasis on important experiments as well as the theoretical basis for the opposition to interpreting them as cold fusion. Then we critically examine more than 25 theoretical models for CF, including unusual nuclear and exotic chemical hypotheses. We conclude that they do not explain the data.Comment: 51 pages, 4 Figure

Measurement of Angular Distributions of Drell-Yan Dimuons in p+pp + p Interactions at 800 GeV/c

We report a measurement of the angular distributions of Drell-Yan dimuons produced using an 800 GeV/c proton beam on a hydrogen target. The polar and azimuthal angular distribution parameters have been extracted over the kinematic range $4.5 < m_{\mu \mu} < 15$ GeV/c$^2$ (excluding the $\Upsilon$ resonance region), $0 < p_T < 4$ GeV/c, and $0 < x_F < 0.8$. The $p+p$ angular distributions are similar to those of $p+d$, and both data sets are compared with models which attribute the $\cos 2 \phi$ distribution either to the presence of the transverse-momentum-dependent Boer-Mulders structure function $h_1^\perp$ or to QCD effects. The data indicate the presence of both mechanisms. The validity of the Lam-Tung relation in $p+p$ Drell-Yan is also tested.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure