A casemix analysis of hospital admissions in six specialties for Barking & Havering Health Authority.

To examine admission rates for Barking & Havering residents to six surgical specialties by first looking at elective, emergency and total workloads, then at the casemix of elective work using Healthcare Resource Groups. To compare findings to other London areas

SU(2)xSU(2) nonlocal quark model with confinement

The nonlocal version of the SU(2)xSU(2) symmetric four-quark interaction of the NJL type is considered. Each of the quark lines contains the form factors. These form factors remove the ultraviolet divergences in quark loops. The additional condition on quark mass function m(p) ensures the absence of the poles in the quark propagator(quark confinement). The constituent quark mass m(0) is expressed thought the cut-off parameter Lambda, m(0)=Lambda=340 MeV in the chiral limit. These parameters are fixed by the experimental value of the weak pion decay and allow us to describe the mass of the light scalar meson, strong decay rho -> pi pi and D/S ratio in the decay a_1 -> rho pi in satisfactory agreement with experimental data.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure

The truncated and evolving inner accretion disc of the black hole GX 339-4

The nature of accretion onto stellar mass black holes in the low/hard state remains unresolved, with some evidence suggesting that the inner accretion disc is truncated and replaced by a hot flow. However, the detection of relativistic broadened Fe emission lines, even at relatively low luminosities, seems to require an accretion disc extending fully to its innermost stable circular orbit. Modelling such features is however highly susceptible to degeneracies, which could easily bias any interpretation. We present the first systematic study of the Fe line region to track how the inner accretion disc evolves in the low/hard state of the black hole GX 339$-$4. Our four observations display increased broadening of the Fe line over two magnitudes in luminosity, which we use to track any variation of the disc inner radius. We find that the disc extends closer to the black hole at higher luminosities, but is consistent with being truncated throughout the entire low/hard state, a result which renders black hole spin estimates inaccurate at these stages of the outburst. Furthermore, we show that the evolution of our spectral inner disc radius estimates corresponds very closely to the trend of the break frequency in Fourier power spectra, supporting the interpretation of a truncated and evolving disc in the hard state.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. Some typos corrected from version

Revealing accretion onto black holes: X-ray reflection throughout three outbursts of GX 339-4

Understanding the dynamics behind black hole state transitions and the changes they reflect in outbursts has become long-standing problem. The X-ray reflection spectrum describes the interaction between the hard X-ray source (the power-law continuum) and the cool accretion disc it illuminates, and thus permits an indirect view of how the two evolve. We present a systematic analysis of the reflection spectrum throughout three outbursts (500+ observations) of the black hole binary GX 339-4, representing the largest study applying a self-consistent treatment of reflection to date. Particular attention is payed to the coincident evolution of the power-law and reflection, which can be used to determine the accretion geometry. The hard state is found to be distinctly reflection weak, however the ratio of reflection to power-law gradually increases as the source luminosity rises. In contrast the reflection is found dominate the power-law throughout most of the soft state, with increasing supremacy as the source decays. We discuss potential dynamics driving this, favouring inner disc truncation and decreasing coronal height for the hard and soft states respectively. Evolution of the ionisation parameter, power-law slope and high-energy cut-off also agree with this interpretation.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

A CASE FOR THEATRE-BASED PROGRAMMING IN EARLY-CHILDHOOD AND ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

This paper seeks to answer the question, How can I use my professional experience developing a theatre-based curriculum for early-childhood and elementary students as a platform to advocate for the importance of theatre-based curricula in early and elementary education? The subject of this research project is a Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth Grade theatre-based education program founded by the author. The program was developed over the past 20 years at the Bertschi School, an independent PK-Fifth elementary school located in Seattle, Washington. For the purposes of this paper, the program itself will serve as a proving ground to explore and define primary lasting outcomes experienced by program participants. Using a Theory of Change data-science process, the author will identify, define and seek evidence of three possible primary long-term outcomes, or Anchor Changes, resulting from participation in the program. Quantitative data will be collected by surveying program alumni and their families for the purpose of evaluating evidence of ongoing behaviors and practices associated with the projected Anchor Changes. This research is being done as an act of advocacy in an effort to generate interest and discussion about possible effects resulting from early and consistent participation in theatre-based programing as part of an early-childhood and elementary education. This research is being conducted to gather evidence in support of the many ways theatre-based instruction can be developed to serve the individual child, the entire class, and the community beyond the walls of the classroom. It is my hope that the data collected will provide compelling evidence in support of theatre-based curriculum with early-childhood and elementary-aged children

Stochastic parameterization: uncertainties from convection

In 2005, the ECMWF held a workshop on stochastic parameterisation, at which the convection was seen as being a key issue. That much is clear from the working group reports and particularly the statement from working group 1 that “it is clear that a stochastic convection scheme is desirable”. The present note aims to consider our current status in comparison with some of the issues raised and hopes expressed in that working group report

Nonlocal quark model beyond mean field and QCD phase transition

A nonlocal chiral quark model is consistently extended beyond mean field using a strict 1/Nc expansion scheme. The parameters of the nonlocal model are refitted to the physical values of the pion mass and the weak pion decay constant. The size of the 1/Nc correction to the quark condensate is carefully studied in the nonlocal and the usual local Nambu-Jona-Lasinio models. It is found that even the sign of the corrections can be different. This can be attributed to the mesonic cut-off of the local model. It is also found that the 1/Nc corrections lead to a lowering of the temperature of the chiral phase transition in comparison with the mean-field result. On the other hand, near the phase transition the 1/Nc expansion breaks down and a non-perturbative scheme for the inclusion of mesonic correlations is needed in order to describe the phase transition point.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, talk at the 3rd Joint International Hadron Structure'09 Conference, Tatranska Strba (Slovak Republic), Aug. 30-Sept. 3, 200

Alternative translation initiation in rat brain yields K2P2.1 potassium channels permeable to sodium.

K(2P) channels mediate potassium background currents essential to central nervous system function, controlling excitability by stabilizing membrane potential below firing threshold and expediting repolarization. Here, we show that alternative translation initiation (ATI) regulates function of K(2P)2.1 (TREK-1) via an unexpected strategy. Full-length K(2P)2.1 and an isoform lacking the first 56 residues of the intracellular N terminus (K(2P)2.1Delta1-56) are produced differentially in a regional and developmental manner in the rat central nervous system, the latter passing sodium under physiological conditions leading to membrane depolarization. Control of ion selectivity via ATI is proposed to be a natural, epigenetic mechanism for spatial and temporal regulation of neuronal excitability

Stem Cell Therapies for Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Cervical-level injuries account for the majority of presented spinal cord injuries (SCIs), yet there are few therapies that successfully improve the overall quality of life for patients. Regenerative therapies aimed at ameliorating deficits in respiratory and motor function are urgently needed. Cellular transplantation strategies are a promising therapeutic avenue. These strategies seek to overcome the inhibitory environment of the injury site, increase native regenerative capacities, provide scaffolding to bridge the lesion, or replace injury-lost neurons and glia