The Synthesis of the Macrolide Antibiotic (+/-)-Pyrenophorin

The synthesis of the macrolide antibiotic (+/-)-pyrenophorin (1) is described. The molecular sieve promoted cyclisation of the hydroxy methyl ester (135) failed in our hands but the hydroxy-acid (190) was successfully converted to the dithioacetal of (1) using N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole (207) and 1,5-diazabicyclo(4,3,0)-non-5-ene (147). A novel method of removing p-toluenesulphonylethyl esters (166) is reported as is a new simple technique of hydroxyl alkyl-ation involving molecular sieves and sodium hydrogen carbonate

A study for comparative costs of flat, short span, concrete steel highway bridges

The importance of steel in the construction of long span highway bridges is well understood, but it\u27s cost and the constant heavy maintenance charges, or it\u27s rapid deterioration, if not properly maintained, have caused builders of bridges to seek some other material, which is low is first cost and which will not require constant painting. Se we consider concrete and concrete steel --page 2

Frequency modulated self-oscillation and phase inertia in a synchronized nanowire mechanical resonator

Synchronization has been reported for a wide range of self-oscillating systems. However, even though it has been predicted theoretically for several decades, the experimental realization of phase self-oscillation, sometimes called phase trapping, in the high driving regime has been studied only recently. We explored in detail the phase dynamics in a synchronized field emission SiC nanoelectromechanical system with intrinsic feedback. A richer variety of phase behavior has been unambiguously identified, implying phase modulation and inertia. This synchronization regime is expected to have implications for the comprehension of the dynamics of interacting self-oscillating networks and for the generation of frequency modulated signals at the nanoscal

Role of fluctuations and nonlinearities on field emission nanomechanical self-oscillators

A theoretical and experimental description of the threshold, amplitude, and stability of a self-oscillating nanowire in a field emission configuration is presented. Two thresholds for the onset of self-oscillation are identified, one induced by fluctuations of the electromagnetic environment and a second revealed by these fluctuations by measuring the probability density function of the current. The ac and dc components of the current and the phase stability are quantified. An ac to dc ratio above 100% and an Allan deviation of 1.3x10-5 at room temperature can be attained. Finally, it is shown that a simple nonlinear model cannot describe the equilibrium effective potential in the self-oscillating regime due to the high amplitude of oscillations

The Kirklees Prevent Young Peoples’ Engagement Team: Insights and lessons from its first year

The 2015 Counter-Terrorism Act placed a legal duty on all ‘specified’ English public bodies, including local authorities, to take due regard to prevent terrorism and extremism. Kirklees local authority in West Yorkshire responded by creating, with their own resources, a ‘Prevent Engagement Team’ that aimed to engage young people, both in schools and in the wider Kirklees community, in preventative anti-extremism work. This report provides analysis of the first year of the team’s operation, based on qualitative research with the Prevent Engagement team and wider stakeholders carried out by the University of Huddersfield research team; the University team also devised and delivered a bespoke training course for the Prevent team and a wider group of colleagues engaged in Prevent work

Determination of intercontinental baselines and Earth orientation using VLBI

A series of experiments was conducted during the last decade to explore the capability of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) to measure the crustal and rotational motions of the Earth with accuracies at the centimeter level. The observing stations are those of NASA's Deep Space Network in California, Spain and Australia. A multiparameter fit to the observed values of delay and delay rate yields radio source positions, polar motion, universal time, the precession constant, baseline vectors, and solid Earth tides. Source positions are obtained with formal errors of the order of 0''.01. UT1-UTC and polar motion are determined at 49 epochs, with formal error estimates for the more recent data of 0.5 msec for UT1-UTC and 2 to 6 mas for polar motion. Intercontinental baseline lengths are determined with formal errors of 5 to 10 cm. The Love numbers and Earth tide phase lag agree with the commonly accepted values

Leukocytosis as a Predictor of Severe Injury in Blunt Trauma

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if the white blood cell count can predict severity of injury in blunt trauma victims.Methods: This was a retrospective study comparing two groups of blunt trauma victims by severity of injury, one with significant injury and one without significant injury, and comparing their initial WBC in the emergency department (ED). We also examined if WBC correlates with degree of injury using Injury Severity Score (ISS) in both groups combined. Further, we examined the WBC as a predictor of serious injury.Results: Our study showed a difference in mean WBC between the two groups that was statistically significant (p<0.001). A positive relationship between ISS and WBC was found, although the association was weak (correlation coefficient = 0.369). While the WBC had moderate discriminatory capability for serious injury, it could not, in isolation, reliably rule in or out serious injury. Nevertheless, this study supports using WBC on presentation to the ED as an adjunct for making disposition decisions.Conclusion: A significant elevation in WBC in a blunt trauma patient, even with minimal initial signs of severe injury, should heighten suspicion for occult injury

Adaptation of Predictive Models to PDA Hand-Held Devices

Prediction models using multiple logistic regression are appearing with increasing frequency in the medical literature. Problems associated with these models include the complexity of computations when applied in their pure form, and lack of availability at the bedside. Personal digital assistant (PDA) hand-held devices equipped with spreadsheet software offer the clinician a readily available and easily applied means of applying predictive models at the bedside. The purposes of this article are to briefly review regression as a means of creating predictive models and to describe a method of choosing and adapting logistic regression models to emergency department (ED) clinical practice