A selected ion flow tube study of the ion-molecule reactions of monochloroethene, trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene

Data for the rate coefficients and product cations of the reactions of a large number of atomic and small molecular cations with monochloroethene, trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene in a selected ion flow tube at 298 K are reported. The recombination energy of the ions range from 6.27 eV (H$_3$O$^+$) through to 21.56 eV (Ne$^+$). Collisional rate coefficients are calculated by modified average dipole orientation theory and compared with experimental values. Thermochemistry and mass balance predict the most feasible neutral products. Together with previously reported results for the three isomers of dichloroethene (J. Phys. Chem. A., 2006, 110, 5760), the fragment ion branching ratios have been compared with those from threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy over the photon energy range 9-22 eV to determine the importance or otherwise of long-range charge transfer. For ions with recombination energy in excess of the ionisation energy of the chloroethene, charge transfer is energetically allowed. The similarity of the branching ratios from the two experiments suggest that long-range charge transfer is dominant. For ions with recombination energy less than the ionisation energy, charge transfer is not allowed; chemical reaction can only occur following formation of an ion-molecule complex, where steric effects are more significant. The products that are now formed and their percentage yield is a complex interplay between the number and position of the chlorine atoms with respect to the C=C bond, where inductive and conjugation effects can be important

Focused Local Search for Random 3-Satisfiability

A local search algorithm solving an NP-complete optimisation problem can be viewed as a stochastic process moving in an 'energy landscape' towards eventually finding an optimal solution. For the random 3-satisfiability problem, the heuristic of focusing the local moves on the presently unsatisfiedclauses is known to be very effective: the time to solution has been observed to grow only linearly in the number of variables, for a given clauses-to-variables ratio $\alpha$ sufficiently far below the critical satisfiability threshold $\alpha_c \approx 4.27$. We present numerical results on the behaviour of three focused local search algorithms for this problem, considering in particular the characteristics of a focused variant of the simple Metropolis dynamics. We estimate the optimal value for the ``temperature'' parameter $\eta$ for this algorithm, such that its linear-time regime extends as close to $\alpha_c$ as possible. Similar parameter optimisation is performed also for the well-known WalkSAT algorithm and for the less studied, but very well performing Focused Record-to-Record Travel method. We observe that with an appropriate choice of parameters, the linear time regime for each of these algorithms seems to extend well into ratios $\alpha > 4.2$ -- much further than has so far been generally assumed. We discuss the statistics of solution times for the algorithms, relate their performance to the process of ``whitening'', and present some conjectures on the shape of their computational phase diagrams.Comment: 20 pages, lots of figure

"Sometimes, it just stops me from doing anything": A qualitative exploration of epilepsy management in people with intellectual disabilities and their carers

$\textit{Purpose}$: Epilepsy affects 1 in 5 people with an intellectual disability (ID), but little is known about their experiences of living with epilepsy. A qualitative study was conducted to investigate the impact and management of epilepsy in people with ID. $\textit{Materials and methods:}$ People with epilepsy and ID and their carers were invited to take part in semi-structured interviews. Eleven participants with ID and their carers were interviewed together, one participant with ID and their carer were interviewed separately, two interviews took place with the participant with ID only, and one interview took place with the carer only. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed thematically (dual independent coding for 30% of the transcripts). $\textit{Results:}$ Three themes emerged (participant characteristics, living with epilepsy, epilepsy management and information needs) which indicated the following: 1) diversity regarding health profiles, communication abilities, severity of epilepsy, perceived control of epilepsy, and support needs; 2) a reduction in severity and frequency of seizures for a sizeable proportion of participants through antiepileptic drugs; 3) the lifelong impact of epilepsy and related seizures on participants' activities and quality of life; 4) the perceived burden of epilepsy and difficulty managing the condition for a large proportion of participants; 5) high levels of satisfaction with epilepsy-related services and care; and 6) an overall lack of written accessible information about epilepsy. $\textit{Conclusions:}$ This study has highlighted a significant impact of epilepsy and related seizures on the daily lives and quality of life of people with ID. Although a sizeable proportion of participants and their carers considered their epilepsy to be well controlled, the majority reported difficulties managing epilepsy and minimizing its impact on their wellbeing. Excluding care staff and the support provided by epilepsy clinics, the participants had not accessed any adapted self-management or information resources about epilepsy

Measurement of the W-pair Production Cross-section and W Branching Ratios at s\sqrt{s}=205 and 207 GeV

The cross-section for the process e+e-->W+W- was measured with the data sample collected by DELPHI at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV and corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of about 209 pb^-1. The branching ratios of the W decay were also measured; from them the value of |Vcs| was extracted. The results are compared with the most recent calculations in the frame of the Standard Model

Report of the Working Group on `W Mass and QCD' (Phenomenology Workshop on LEP2 Physics, Oxford, April 1997)

The W Mass and QCD Working Group discussed a wide variety of topics relating to present and future measurements of M(W) at LEP2, including QCD backgrounds to W+W- production. Particular attention was focused on experimental issues concerning the direct reconstruction and threshold mass measurements, and on theoretical and experimental issues concerning the four jet final state. This report summarises the main conclusions.Comment: 43 pages LaTeX and 15 encapsulated postscript figures. Uses epsfig and ioplppt macros. Full Proceedings to be published in Journal of Physics

Two-loop effective potential for a general renormalizable theory and softly broken supersymmetry

I compute the two-loop effective potential in the Landau gauge for a general renormalizable field theory in four dimensions. Results are presented for the \bar{MS} renormalization scheme based on dimensional regularization, and for the \bar{DR} and \bar{DR}' schemes based on regularization by dimensional reduction. The last of these is appropriate for models with softly broken supersymmetry, such as the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. I find the parameter redefinition which relates the \bar{DR} and \bar{DR}' schemes at two-loop order. I also discuss the renormalization group invariance of the two-loop effective potential, and compute the anomalous dimensions for scalars and the beta function for the vacuum energy at two-loop order in softly broken supersymmetry. Several illustrative examples and consistency checks are included.Comment: 38 pages. Typos in equations (3.5), (3.11), and (6.3) are fixed. Explicit claim of renormalization group invariance in the general case of softly-broken supersymmetry is added. Additional discussion of cases of multiple simple or U(1) groups. Equations in Appendix B rewritten in a more useful for

Ambiguous loss and incomplete abduction narratives in Kosovo

Ten mothers of men and boys who were abducted and listed as missing during the war in Kosovo in 1998/1999 were interviewed in Kosovo in the spring of 2012. Although the missing are presumed dead by the authorities, the mothers continue to live in a state of emotional ambiguity where a presumption of death is balanced with the hope of being reunited. In the absence of absolute proof, finding the remains of their loved ones becomes a major preoccupation. Using a social phenomenological approach, this study explored the social and political complexities existing within the life-world of these women. The findings suggest that they live in a continual state of psychological distress, and even when remains are returned, the unknown elements of the narrative of their abduction and murder only add to their distress and force many into self-imposed emotional exile away from community and close family

A Feasibility Study of Quantifying Longitudinal Brain Changes in Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Encephalitis Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Stereology.

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether it is feasible to quantify acute change in temporal lobe volume and total oedema volumes in herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis as a preliminary to a trial of corticosteroid therapy. METHODS: The study analysed serially acquired magnetic resonance images (MRI), of patients with acute HSV encephalitis who had neuroimaging repeated within four weeks of the first scan. We performed volumetric measurements of the left and right temporal lobes and of cerebral oedema visible on T2 weighted Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) images using stereology in conjunction with point counting. RESULTS: Temporal lobe volumes increased on average by 1.6% (standard deviation (SD 11%) in five patients who had not received corticosteroid therapy and decreased in two patients who had received corticosteroids by 8.5%. FLAIR hyperintensity volumes increased by 9% in patients not receiving treatment with corticosteroids and decreased by 29% in the two patients that had received corticosteroids. CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown it is feasible to quantify acute change in temporal lobe and total oedema volumes in HSV encephalitis and suggests a potential resolution of swelling in response to corticosteroid therapy. These techniques could be used as part of a randomized control trial to investigate the efficacy of corticosteroids for treating HSV encephalitis in conjunction with assessing clinical outcomes and could be of potential value in helping to predict the clinical outcomes of patients with HSV encephalitis