Development of a novel metastable composite material

The development of a new family of mouldable metastable composite materials has been demonstrated. Their special quality is derived from the ability to maintain the matrix as a supercooled liquid or gel whose solidification can be triggered mechanically, as desired, by a user. This article describes some aspects of the development work. In particular, the following are explained: the choice of matrix material; the use of additives to enhance the properties of the matrix; and the selection of reinforcement fibre. As part of the work, some mechanical testing was performed on several variations of a matrix-fibre pair and, to demonstrate the potential of such materials, some comparisons were made with a possible competitor material, a glass-reinforced urethane. It was shown that the metastable material could be formulated to provide mechanical properties that would make it suitable for applications such as orthopaedic casting, splinting and body armour, and in items of sports equipment, these being areas where its mouldability could be particularly desirable

Morell Mackenzie’s contribution to the description of spasmodic dysphonia

Objectives: Since the middle of the 20th century most discussions of Spasmodic Dysphonia reference a paper by Ludwig Traube published in1871 as the first historical citation, crediting him with priority for this clinical syndrome. However, our recent research has determined that the original observation by Traube was published in 1864 and does not in fact describe what is currently recognized as SD. It appears that many clinics throughout Europe and North America were investigating and publishing observations on a range of voice disorders.. Methods: The wider context of work on laryngeal disorders in the 1860s-1870s is considered. One of Traube’s contemporaries, Morell Mackenzie made significant contributions to the understanding of laryngeal movement disorder and its consequences for the voice. These will be examined to gain a clearer focus on the characterization of this disorder. Results: The clinical descriptions published by Morrell Mackenzie in the 1860s provide details which conform quite closely to our current day understanding of SD. Conclusions: The citation of Traube’s “hysterical” patient links to mid-20th century views of the functional nature of SD and the utility of psychiatric treatment. The description presented by Mackenzie is consistent with current views of SD as a movement disorder

Problems With Complex Actions

We consider Euclidean functional integrals involving actions which are not exclusively real. This situation arises, for example, when there are $t$-odd terms in the the Minkowski action. Writing the action in terms of only real fields (which is always possible), such terms appear as explicitly imaginary terms in the Euclidean action. The usual quanization procedure which involves finding the critical points of the action and then quantizing the spectrum of fluctuations about these critical points fails. In the case of complex actions, there do not exist, in general, any critical points of the action on the space of real fields, the critical points are in general complex. The proper definition of the function integral then requires the analytic continuation of the functional integration into the space of complex fields so as to pass through the complex critical points according to the method of steepest descent. We show a simple example where this procedure can be carried out explicitly. The procedure of finding the critical points of the real part of the action and quantizing the corresponding fluctuations, treating the (exponential of the) complex part of the action as a bounded integrable function is shown to fail in our explicit example, at least perturbatively.Comment: 6+epsilon pages, no figures, presented at Theory CANADA

Equivariant cohomology over Lie groupoids and Lie-Rinehart algebras

Using the language and terminology of relative homological algebra, in particular that of derived functors, we introduce equivariant cohomology over a general Lie-Rinehart algebra and equivariant de Rham cohomology over a locally trivial Lie groupoid in terms of suitably defined monads (also known as triples) and the associated standard constructions. This extends a characterization of equivariant de Rham cohomology in terms of derived functors developed earlier for the special case where the Lie groupoid is an ordinary Lie group, viewed as a Lie groupoid with a single object; in that theory over a Lie group, the ordinary Bott-Dupont-Shulman-Stasheff complex arises as an a posteriori object. We prove that, given a locally trivial Lie groupoid G and a smooth G-manifold f over the space B of objects of G, the resulting G-equivariant de Rham theory of f boils down to the ordinary equivariant de Rham theory of a vertex manifold relative to the corresponding vertex group, for any vertex in the space B of objects of G; this implies that the equivariant de Rham cohomology introduced here coincides with the stack de Rham cohomology of the associated transformation groupoid whence this stack de Rham cohomology can be characterized as a relative derived functor. We introduce a notion of cone on a Lie-Rinehart algebra and in particular that of cone on a Lie algebroid. This cone is an indispensable tool for the description of the requisite monads.Comment: 47 page

Orthopedic management of the extremities in patients with Morquio A syndrome.

BackgroundMusculoskeletal involvement in Morquio A syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis IVA; MPS IVA) contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality. While the spinal manifestations of the disorder have received considerable attention in the literature, there have been few reported studies to date to guide the management of the orthopedic problems associated with the lower and upper extremities.PurposeThe objective was to develop recommendations for the management of the extremities in patients with Morquio A syndrome.MethodsA group of specialists in orthopedics, pediatrics and genetics with experience in the management of Morquio A patients convened to review and discuss current clinical practices and to develop preliminary recommendations. Evidence from the literature was retrieved. Recommendations were further refined until consensus was reached.Results and conclusionsThis present article provides a detailed review and discussion of the lower and upper extremity deformities in Morquio A syndrome and presents recommendations for the assessment and treatment of these complications. Key issues, including the importance of early diagnosis and the implications of medical therapy, are also addressed. The recommendations herein represent an attempt to develop a uniform and practical approach to managing patients with Morquio A syndrome and improving their outcomes

f_K/f_pi in Full QCD with Domain Wall Valence Quarks

We compute the ratio of pseudoscalar decay constants f_K/f_pi using domain-wall valence quarks and rooted improved Kogut-Susskind sea quarks. By employing continuum chiral perturbation theory, we extract the Gasser-Leutwyler low-energy constant L_5, and extrapolate f_K/f_pi to the physical point. We find: f_K/f_pi = 1.218 (+- 0.002) (+0.011 -0.024) where the first error is statistical and the second error is an estimate of the systematic due to chiral extrapolation and fitting procedures. This value agrees within the uncertainties with the determination by the MILC collaboration, calculated using Kogut-Susskind valence quarks, indicating that systematic errors arising from the choice of lattice valence quark are small.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Probing the AGN Unification Model at redshift z ∼\sim 3 with MUSE observations of giant Lyα\alpha nebulae

A prediction of the classic active galactic nuclei (AGN) unification model is the presence of ionisation cones with different orientations depending on the AGN type. Confirmations of this model exist for present times, but it is less clear in the early Universe. Here, we use the morphology of giant Ly$\alpha$ nebulae around AGNs at redshift z$\sim$3 to probe AGN emission and therefore the validity of the AGN unification model at this redshift. We compare the spatial morphology of 19 nebulae previously found around type I AGNs with a new sample of 4 Ly$\alpha$ nebulae detected around type II AGNs. Using two independent techniques, we find that nebulae around type II AGNs are more asymmetric than around type I, at least at radial distances $r>30$~physical kpc (pkpc) from the ionizing source. We conclude that the type I and type II AGNs in our sample show evidence of different surrounding ionising geometries. This suggests that the classical AGN unification model is also valid for high-redshift sources. Finally, we discuss how the lack of asymmetry in the inner parts (r$\lesssim$30 pkpc) and the associated high values of the HeII to Ly$\alpha$ ratios in these regions could indicate additional sources of (hard) ionizing radiation originating within or in proximity of the AGN host galaxies. This work demonstrates that the morphologies of giant Ly$\alpha$ nebulae can be used to understand and study the geometry of high redshift AGNs on circum-nuclear scales and it lays the foundation for future studies using much larger statistical samples.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA