Inelastic interaction mean free path of negative pions in tungsten

The inelastic interaction mean free paths lambda of 5, 10, and 15 GeV/c pions were measured by determining the distribution of first interaction locations in a modular tungsten-scintillator ionization spectrometer. In addition to commonly used interaction signatures of a few (2-5) particles in two or three consecutive modules, a chi2 distribution is used to calculate the probability that the first interaction occurred at a specific depth in the spectrometer. This latter technique seems to be more reliable than use of the simpler criteria. No significant dependence of lambda on energy was observed. In tungsten, lambda for pions is 206 plus or minus 6 g/sq cm

To what extent does a regional dialect and accent impact on the development of reading and writing skills?

The issue of whether a regional accent and/or dialect impact(s) on the development of literacy skills remains current in the UK. For decades the issue has dogged debate about education outcomes, portable skills and employability. The article summarizes research on the topic using systematic review methodology. A scoping review was undertaken with the research question ‘To what extent does a regional dialect and accent impact on the development of reading and writing skills?’. The review covers research relevant to the teaching of 5-16 year olds in England, but also draws on research within Europe, the USA, Australia and the Caribbean. The results suggest that curricula have marginalized language variation; that the impact of regional accent and dialect on writing is relatively minor; that young people are adept at style-shifting between standard and non-standard forms; and that inappropriate pedagogical responses to regional variation can have detrimental effects on children’s educational achievement

Combined sterno-clavicular approach as an alternative technique in hybrid exclusion of aortic arch aneurysm

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We describe a modified access technique for the proximal (open) part of single stage hybrid exclusion of aneurysm of the aortic arch.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>3 patients had a bifurcated Dacron graft for the innominate and left subclavian arteries and an additional end-to-side anastomosis of the left common carotid artery on the limb to the left subclavian artery. With our modification, access to the left subclavian artery is by left subclavicular incision and creation of an anterior tunnel via the left thoracic outlet from the origin of the left subclavian artery along its anatomical course to the subclavicular plane.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Advantages and disadvantages of this technique in relation to anatomy and pathology.</p

The Family Name as Socio-Cultural Feature and Genetic Metaphor: From Concepts to Methods

A recent workshop entitled The Family Name as Socio-Cultural Feature and Genetic Metaphor: From Concepts to Methods was held in Paris in December 2010, sponsored by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and by the journal Human Biology. This workshop was intended to foster a debate on questions related to the family names and to compare different multidisciplinary approaches involving geneticists, historians, geographers, sociologists and social anthropologists. This collective paper presents a collection of selected communications

'Worlds of justification’ in the politics and practices of urban regeneration

A considerable body of research has developed on processes of neoliberal urban regeneration and gentrifi cation. On the one hand, there are many political economy accounts emphasising the role of economic capital in processes of urban change and gentrifi cation. On the other hand, there is a wealth of governmentality studies on the art of government that fail to explain how ungovernable subjects develop. Similarly, within gentrifi cation studies there are many accounts on the role of changing consumer lifestyles and defi ning gentrifi cation, but less concern with the governance processes between actors in urban regeneration and gentrifi cation. Yet such issues are of considerable importance given the role of the state in urban regeneration and dependence on private capital. This paper utilises the French Pragmatist approach of Boltanski and Thévenot to examine a case study state-led gentrifi cation project. Boltanski and Thévenot argue that social coordination occurs by way of actors working through broader value-laden ‘worlds of justifi cation’ that underpin processes of argumentation and coordination. The examined case study is a deprived area within an English city where a major state-led gentrification programme has been introduced. The rationale for the programme is based on the assumption that reducing deprivation relies upon substantially increasing the number of higher income earners. The paper concludes that market values have overridden broader civic values in the negotiation process, with this intensifying as the state internalised market crisis tendencies within the project. More broadly, there is a need for French Pragmatism to be more sensitive to the spatial processes of social coordination, which can be achieved through critical engagement with recent concepts of ‘assemblages’

Cardiovascular risk in chronic myeloid leukaemia: A multidisciplinary consensus on screening and management

INTRODUCTION: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have become the mainstay of treatment for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), but cardiovascular (CV) risk and exacerbation of underlying risk factors associated with TKIs have become widely debated. Real-world evidence reveals little application of CV risk factor screening or continued monitoring within UK CML management. This consensus paper presents practical recommendations to assist healthcare professionals in conducting CV screening/comorbidity management for patients receiving TKIs. METHODS: We conducted a multidisciplinary panel meeting and two iterative surveys involving 10 CML specialists: five haematologists, two cardio-oncologists, one vascular surgeon, one haemato-oncology pharmacist and one specialist nurse practitioner. RESULTS: The panel recommended that patients commencing second-/third-generation TKIs undergo formal CV risk assessment at baseline, with additional investigations and involvement of cardiologists/vascular surgeons for those with high CV risk. During treatment, patients should undergo CV monitoring, with the nature and frequency of testing dependent on TKI and baseline CV risk. For patients who develop CV adverse events, decision-making around TKI interruption, cessation or change should be multidisciplinary and balance CV and haematological risk. CONCLUSION: The panel anticipates these recommendations will support healthcare professionals in implementing CV risk screening and monitoring, broadly and consistently, and thereby help optimise TKI treatment for CML

Looking backward, looking forward: the city region of the mid-21st century

Emerging as a serious tool of analysis in the United States around 1950, the city region concept was increasingly applied in a European context after 1980. Since 2000, it has evolved further with recognition of the polycentric mega-city region, first recognised in Eastern Asia but now seen as an emerging urban form both in Europe and the United States. The paper speculates on the main changes that may impact on the growth and development of such complex urban regions in the first half of the 21st century, concluding that achieving the goal of polycentric urban development may prove more complex than at first it may seem

Assumptions behind grammatical approaches to code-switching: when the blueprint is a red herring

Many of the so-called ‘grammars’ of code-switching are based on various underlying assumptions, e.g. that informal speech can be adequately or appropriately described in terms of ‘‘grammar’’; that deep, rather than surface, structures are involved in code-switching; that one ‘language’ is the ‘base’ or ‘matrix’; and that constraints derived from existing data are universal and predictive. We question these assumptions on several grounds. First, ‘grammar’ is arguably distinct from the processes driving speech production. Second, the role of grammar is mediated by the variable, poly-idiolectal repertoires of bilingual speakers. Third, in many instances of CS the notion of a ‘base’ system is either irrelevant, or fails to explain the facts. Fourth, sociolinguistic factors frequently override ‘grammatical’ factors, as evidence from the same language pairs in different settings has shown. No principles proposed to date account for all the facts, and it seems unlikely that ‘grammar’, as conventionally conceived, can provide definitive answers. We conclude that rather than seeking universal, predictive grammatical rules, research on CS should focus on the variability of bilingual grammars