3D Monte Carlo radiation transfer modelling of photodynamic therapy

We acknowledge the support of the UK Engineering and Physics Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding through a studentship for C L Campbell as well as the Alfred Stewart Trust.The effects of ageing and skin type on Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for different treatment methods have been theoretically investigated. A multilayered Monte Carlo Radiation Transfer model is presented where both daylight activated PDT and conventional PDT are compared. It was found that light penetrates deeper through older skin with a lighter complexion, which translates into a deeper effective treatment depth. The effect of ageing was found to be larger for darker skin types. The investigation further strengthens the usage of daylight as a potential light source for PDT where effective treatment depths of about 2 mm can be achieved.Publisher PD

q-Weibull distributions describing commercial service routes

We present an investigation of the mode of road transport in Brazil combining tools of complex networks and real-data. Our analysis involves a data-set based on the service routes inscribed on the Brazilian Transport Agency database. Although connectivity distributions of road networks worldwide are usually claimed as described by a power-law fashion, we report a better fit for the Brazilian case offered by the q-Weibull distribution. In our approach nodes assume the role of localities, whereas links represent service routes among them. Interestingly, a rapid drop takes place on the tail of the data distribution for a particular range of the number of outgoing connections. The mechanism responsible for driving this drop is revealed by investigating the spectral centrality of the network and different patterns of disassortative mixture, for both incoming and outgoing distributions. Besides a discussion about a power law description, we report a contrast with two different distributions. They are interpolated by the q-Weibull one: the Weibull and the q-exponential distributions. Moreover, we study the reciprocity of this network, which reflects the influence of mutual links over dynamical processes. This kind of analysis is indispensable for studies on human mobility, shipping, and a multi-modal perspective.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Improved Standpipe Entrance for Stable High-Flux Flow

Cold model tests were used to show the causes of instabilities in the operation of the standpipe entrance (“sore thumb”) in industrial scale fluid cokers. New geometries were tested which might provide higher flows and prevent operating problems such as flow reversals and flooding, while also minimizing the adverse effects of fouling. The tests were conducted using FCC particles in a geometrically and dynamically scaled half-column of approximately 1/9th scale which had previously been used to show the effects of baffles on fluid coker strippers. The addition of sloping surfaces to increase the surface area for ingress of particles was helpful to an extent, but excessive overhang resulted in bubbles being drawn in. A perforated top surface was found to be instrumental in the degassing of the solids, whereas porous side area was essential for solids entry. Aeration of the standpipe reduced stick-slip flow, but excessive aeration made degassing more difficult and therefore promoted flow reversal. Loss of area at the top, and to a lesser extent, at the sides was found to be detrimental to the performance of the standpipe entrance. Several new geometries were tested, leading to one that provided better flow stability, improved flow control, excellent pressure build-up in the standpipe, more tolerance to fouling, and enhanced circulation capacity

The impact of personalised risk information compared to a positive/negative result on informed choice and intention to undergo colonoscopy following colorectal Cancer screening in Scotland (PERICCS) - a randomised controlled trial:study protocol

Background In Scotland a new, easier to complete bowel screening test, the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), has been introduced. This test gives more accurate information about an individual’s risk of having colorectal cancer (CRC), based on their age and gender, and could lead to fewer missed cancers compared to the current screening test. However, there is no evidence of the effect on colonoscopy uptake of providing individuals with personalised risk information following a positive FIT test. The objectives of the study are: 1) To develop novel methods of presenting personalised risk information in an easy-to-understand format using infographics with involvement of members of the public 2) To assess the impact of different presentations of risk information on informed choice and intention to take up an offer of colonoscopy after FIT 3) To assess participants’ responses to receiving personal risk information (knowledge, attitudes to screening/risk, emotional responses including anxiety). Methods Adults (age range 50–74) registered on the Scottish Bowel Screening database will be invited by letter to take part. Consenting participants will be randomised to one of three groups to receive hypothetical information about their risk of cancer, based on age, gender and faecal haemoglobin concentration: 1) personalised risk information in numeric form (e.g. 1 in 100) with use of infographics, 2) personalised information described as ‘highest’, ‘moderate’ or ‘lowest’ risk with use of infographics, and 3) as a ‘positive’ test result, as is current practice. Groups will be compared on informed choice, intention to have a colonoscopy, and satisfaction with their decision. Follow-up semi-structured qualitative interviews will be conducted, by telephone, with a small number of consenting participants (n = 10 per group) to explore the acceptability/readability and any potential negative impact of the risk information, participants’ understanding of risk factors, attitudes to the different scenarios, and reasons for reported intentions. Discussion Proving personalised risk information and allowing patient choice could lead to improved detection of CRC and increase patient satisfaction by facilitating informed choice over when/whether to undergo further invasive screening. However, we need to determine whether/how informed choice can be achieved and assess the potential impact on the colonoscopy service

The impact of hypothetical PErsonalised Risk Information on informed choice and intention to undergo Colorectal Cancer screening colonoscopy in Scotland (PERICCS)—a randomised controlled trial

Background There is currently no existing evidence on the effects of personalised risk information on uptake of colonoscopy following first line screening for colorectal cancer. This study aimed to measure the impact of providing risk information based on faecal haemoglobin concentration to allow a fully informed choice around whether or not to undergo colonoscopy. Methods Two thousand seven hundred sixty-seven participants from the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme (SBoSP) database, who had not recently been invited for screening, were randomised to receive one of three types of hypothetical risk information materials: (1) numerical risk information (risk categories of one in 40, one in 1600 and one in 3500), (2) categorical risk information (highest, moderate and lowest risk), or (3) positive screening result letter (control group). The primary outcome was the impact of the risk materials on intention to undergo colonoscopy, to allow comparison with the current colonoscopy uptake of 77% for those with a positive screening result in the SBoSP. Secondary outcomes were knowledge, attitudes and emotional responses to the materials. Results Four hundred thirty-four (15.7%) agreed to participate with 100 from the numerical risk group (69.0%), 104 from the categorical risk group (72.2%) and 104 from the control group (71.7%) returning completed materials. Intention to undergo colonoscopy was highest in the highest risk groups for the numerical and categorical study arms (96.8% and 95.3%, respectively), but even in the lowest risk groups was > 50% (58.1% and 60.7%, respectively). Adequate knowledge of colorectal screening and the risks and benefits of colonoscopy was found in ≥ 98% of participants in all three arms. All participants reported that they found the information easy-to-understand. 19.1%, 24.0% and 29.6% of those in the numerical, categorical and control group, respectively, reported that they found the information distressing (p > 0.05). Conclusions Applying the risk categories to existing SBoSP data shows that if all participants were offered an informed choice to have colonoscopy, over two thirds of participants would intend to have the test. Equating to an increase in the number of screening colonoscopies from approx. 14,000 to 400,000 per annum, this would place an unmanageable demand on colonoscopy services, with a very small proportion of cancers and pre-cancers detected. However, the response to the materials were very positive, suggesting that providing risk information to those in lowest and moderate risk groups along with advice that colonoscopy is not currently recommended may be an option. Future research would be required to examine actual uptake

CrY2H-seq: a massively multiplexed assay for deep-coverage interactome mapping.

Broad-scale protein-protein interaction mapping is a major challenge given the cost, time, and sensitivity constraints of existing technologies. Here, we present a massively multiplexed yeast two-hybrid method, CrY2H-seq, which uses a Cre recombinase interaction reporter to intracellularly fuse the coding sequences of two interacting proteins and next-generation DNA sequencing to identify these interactions en masse. We applied CrY2H-seq to investigate sparsely annotated Arabidopsis thaliana transcription factors interactions. By performing ten independent screens testing a total of 36 million binary interaction combinations, and uncovering a network of 8,577 interactions among 1,453 transcription factors, we demonstrate CrY2H-seq's improved screening capacity, efficiency, and sensitivity over those of existing technologies. The deep-coverage network resource we call AtTFIN-1 recapitulates one-third of previously reported interactions derived from diverse methods, expands the number of known plant transcription factor interactions by three-fold, and reveals previously unknown family-specific interaction module associations with plant reproductive development, root architecture, and circadian coordination

Ethical perspectives on surgical video recording for patients, surgeons and society: systematic review

Background Operating-room audiovisual recording is increasingly proposed, although its ethical implications need elucidation. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the published literature on ethical aspects regarding operating-room recording. Methods MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched for articles describing ethical aspects regarding surgical (both intracorporeal and operating room) recording from database inception to the present (the last search was undertaken in July 2022). Medical subject headings used in the search included ‘operating room’, ‘surgery’, ‘video recording’, ‘black box’, ‘ethics’, ‘consent’, ‘confidentiality’, ‘privacy’, and more. Title, abstract, and full-text screening determined relevance. The quality of studies was assessed using Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine grading and no formal assessment of risk of bias was attempted given the theoretical nature of the data collected. Results From 1048 citations, 22 publications met the inclusion criteria, with three more added from their references. There was evident geographical (21 were from North America/Europe) and recency (all published since 2010) bias and an exclusive patient/clinician perspective (25 of 25). The varied methodology (including ten descriptive reviews, seven opinion pieces, five surveys, two case reports, and one RCT) and evidence level (14 level V and 10 level III/IV) prevented meaningful systematic grading/meta-analysis. Publications were narratively analysed for ethical thematic content (mainly education, performance, privacy, consent, and ownership) that was then grouped by the four principles of biomedical ethics of Beauchamp and Childress, accounting for 63 distinct considerations concerning beneficence (22 of 63; 35 per cent), non-maleficence (17 of 63; 27 per cent), justice (14 of 63; 22 per cent), and autonomy (10 of 63; 16 per cent). From this, a set of proposed guidelines on the use of operative data is presented. Conclusion For a surgical video to be a truly valuable resource, its potential benefits must be more fully weighed against its potential disadvantages, so that any derived instruments have a solid ethical foundation. Universal, ethical, best-practice guidelines are needed to protect clinicians, patients, and society

The role of health and social factors in education outcome: A record-linked electronic birth cohort analysis

Background and objectiveHealth status in childhood is correlated with educational outcomes. Emergency hospital admissions during childhood are common but it is not known how these unplanned breaks from schooling impact on education outcomes. We hypothesised that children who had emergency hospital admissions had an increased risk of lower educational attainment, in addition to the increased risks associated with other health, social and school factors.MethodsThis record-linked electronic birth cohort, included children born in Wales between 1 January 1998 and 31 August 2001. We fitted multilevel logistic regression models grouped by schools, to determine whether emergency hospital inpatient admission before age 7 years was associated with the educational outcome of not attaining the expected level in a teacher-based assessment at age 7 years (KS1). We adjusted for pregnancy, perinatal, socio-economic, neighbourhood, pupil mobility and school-level factors.ResultsThe cohort comprised 64 934 children. Overall, 4680 (7.2%) did not attain the expected educational level. Emergency admission to hospital was associated with poor educational attainment (OR 1.12 95% Credible Interval (CI) 1.05, 1.20 for all causes during childhood, OR 1.19 95%CI 1.07, 1.32 for injuries and external causes and OR 1.31 95%CI 1.04, 1.22 for admissions during infancy), after adjusting for known determinants of education outcomes such as extreme prematurity, being small for gestational age and socio-economic indicators, such as eligibility for free school meals.ConclusionEmergency inpatient hospital admission during childhood, particularly during infancy or for injuries and external causes was associated with an increased risk of lower education attainment at age 7 years, in addition to the effects of pregnancy factors (gestational age, birthweight) and social deprivation. These findings support the need for injury prevention measures and additional support in school for affected children to help them to achieve their potential

Toward High Precision Higgs-Boson Measurements at the International Linear e+e- Collider

This report reviews the properties of Higgs bosons in the Standard Model (SM) and its various extensions. We give an extensive overview about the potential of the ILC operated at centre-of-mass energies up to 1 TeV (including the gamma gamma option) for the determination of the Higgs boson properties. This comprises the measurement of the Higgs boson mass, its couplings to SM fermions and gauge bosons, and the determination of the spin and the CP quantum numbers of the Higgs. The extensions of the SM that are analyzed in more detail are heavy SM-like Higgs bosons, heavy Higgs bosons in the framework of Supersymmetry (SUSY) and further exotic scenarios. We review recent theoretical developments in the field of Higgs boson physics. The important question what the ILC can contribute to Higgs boson physics after the LHC, the LHC/ILC interplay and synergy is discussed. The impact of Higgs boson physics on cosmology in several SUSY frameworks is analyzed. The impact of the accelerator and dector performance on the precision of measurements are discussed in detail. We propose a strategy to optimize future analyses. Open questions arising for the various topics are listed, further topics of study and corresponding roadmaps are suggested.Comment: 128 pages, lots of figures. One subsection added and other minor modification