SS433's jet trace from ALMA imaging and Global Jet Watch spectroscopy: evidence for post-launch particle acceleration

We present a comparison of Doppler-shifted H-alpha line emission observed by the Global Jet Watch from freshly-launched jet ejecta at the nucleus of the Galactic microquasar SS433 with subsequent ALMA imaging at mm-wavelengths of the same jet ejecta. There is a remarkable similarity between the transversely-resolved synchrotron emission and the prediction of the jet trace from optical spectroscopy: this is an a priori prediction not an a posteriori fit, confirming the ballistic nature of the jet propagation. The mm-wavelength of the ALMA polarimetry is sufficiently short that the Faraday rotation is negligible and therefore that the observed E-vector directions are accurately orthogonal to the projected local magnetic field. Close to the nucleus the B-field vectors are perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Further out from the nucleus, the B-field vectors that are coincident with the jet instead become parallel to the ridge line; this occurs at a distance where the jet bolides are expected to expand into one another. X-ray variability has also been observed at this location; this has a natural explanation if shocks from the expanding and colliding bolides cause particle acceleration. In regions distinctly separate from the jet ridge line, the fractional polarisation approaches the theoretical maximum for synchrotron emission.Comment: To appear in ApJ Letter

Listening to alternative perspectives on rural crime and criminality: a report on the pilot study.

This summary reports on the pilot phase of an ongoing study, funded by SIPR, into the changing nature of rural crime and what constitutes rural criminality. We set out to listen to alternative perspectives on rural crime and criminality and to speak to employees of agencies other than the police involved in policing rural criminality. We initially believed that such activities might be hampered by a lack of definitional clarity as to what constitutes rural policing and by the focus of the literature on policing per se. However, what the pilot study showed was that much of the criminality which was discussed transcends the artificial boundaries of rurality and urbanity in that it was primarily food crime or food fraud. This has implications for future research into rural crime

The effect of rhythmic pattern instruction on the sight-reading achievement of wind instrumentalists

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on November 29, 2007)Vita.Thesis (Ph. D.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.This study investigated the effects of rhythm pattern instruction on the sight-reading achievement of woodwind and brass instrumentalists. Subjects were members of the University Band concert ensemble (N = 50) at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Participants in this study volunteered to participate in a six-week treatment that included four weeks of rhythm pattern instruction. Assessment took place at the individual and ensemble levels. Three musical aspects of the ensemble's performance were evaluated: facility, ensemble, and flow. The results of the statistical analyses revealed no significant differences between experimental and control groups. There were, however, statistically significant differences between pretest and posttest scores, with improvement in all aspects from pretest to posttest. There were no statistically significant interactions. The ensemble assessments showed a similar pattern. There was significant improvement in all three areas (facility, ensemble, and flow) from pretest to posttest, but there were no statistically significant interactions between testing (pretest-posttest) and condition. Results of this study suggest that students' sight-reading of rhythmic patterns might improve through the ensemble experience alone. There was no evidence that teaching isolated rhythmic patterns over a brief period of time affected the students' sight-reading achievement. Further research should employ the approaches used in this study in more extensive time frames and with a larger number of participants.Includes bibliographical reference

Trends in missed presentations and late HIV diagnosis in a UK teaching hospital: a retrospective comparative cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Late diagnosis is an important cause of HIV-related morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs in the UK and undiagnosed infection limits efforts to reduce transmission. National guidelines provide recommendations to increase HIV testing in all healthcare settings. We evaluated progress towards these recommendations by comparing missed opportunities for HIV testing and late diagnosis in two six year cohorts from North East Scotland.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We reviewed diagnostic pathways of all patients newly diagnosed with HIV referred to infectious diseases and genito-urinary medicine services between 1995 and 2000 (n = 48) and 2004 to 2009 (n = 117). Missed presentations (failure to diagnose ≤ 1 month of a clinical or non-clinical indicator for testing), late diagnosis (CD4 < 350 cells/mm³), and time to diagnosis (months from first presentation to diagnosis) were compared between cohorts using <it>χ</it>²and log-rank tests. Determinants of missed presentation were explored by multivariate logistic regression. Breslow-Day tests assessed change in diagnostic performance by patient subgroup.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were significant decreases in missed presentations (33% to 17%; <it>P </it>= 0.02) and time to diagnosis (mean 17 months to 4 months; <it>P </it>= 0.005) but not in late diagnosis (56% vs. 60%; <it>P </it>= 0.57) between earlier and later cohorts. In the later cohort patients were significantly more likely to have acquired HIV abroad and presented with early HIV disease, and testing was more likely to be indicated by transmission risk or contact with GUM services than by clinical presentation. Missed presentation remained significantly less likely in the later cohort (OR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.72; <it>P </it>= 0.008) after adjustment for age, transmission risks and number of clinical indicators. Reductions in missed presentation were greater in patients < 40 years, of non-UK origin, living in least deprived neighbourhoods and with early disease at presentation (<it>P </it>< 0.05). 27% of missed presentations occurred in primary care and 46% in general secondary care.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While early diagnosis has improved in epidemiological risk groups, clinical indications for HIV testing continue to be missed, particularly in patients who are older, of UK origin and from more deprived communities. Increasing testing in non-specialist services is a priority.</p

Management of infection in primary care : a case-based approach

Resistance is a recognised problem that is affecting management of infection worldwide. It is a very complex problem that is potentially caused by numerous factors including use of inappropriate strengths and routes of antimicrobials, needless use of antimicrobials when managing viral infections, inappropriate use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, use of poor generics and lack of development of newer antimicrobials with novel modes of actions. Antimicrobials are probably the only drug class where misuse can have a community effect.peer-reviewe

Some Effects of X-Irradiaion on the Adrenal Response to Hypothalamic Stimulation in Rats

Exactly where in the hypothalamus is the adrenal-pituitary response to X-irradiation "triggered" or initiated? Moreover, does ionizing radiation act directly on specific centers in the brain or does it act indirectly via the production of some humoral agents? Finally, what role does the hypothalamus play in the radiation-syndrome? The purpose of the present study was to attempt to answer these questions by determining the effects of two stressor agents, X-irradiation and electrical stimulation applied either singly or together, on the activity of the adrenal-pituitary axis. The parameters measured were changes in plasma corticosterone, in circulating eosinopihils, and in adrenal gland weight

Policing rural crime.

Between 2000 and 2012, over 1,000 police stations were closed in the UK and many more have been placed on reduced opening hours. A similar situation is unfolding in Northern Ireland and Eire. This may be viewed as a strategic and operational withdrawal from the current concept of rural policing. This closure trend has significantly altered the landscape of rural policing in the UK. In the same period, the landscapes of rural crime and criminality have also changed, in that there has been a noticeable increase in the levels of the organisation of serious and organised crime groups - both indigenous and international - involved in committing rural crimes. In short, crime is becoming more entrepreneurial. The increase of rural crimes - such as the theft of farm machinery, tools and livestock, and unregulated butchery practices - evidences the danger that serious and organised crime groups pose to rural areas, as they expand their criminal activities in the current economic recession. It does appear that Eastern European organised crime groups are targeting the UK by stealing tractors and other items of heavy plant for resale in Europe and on the African subcontinent. There is evidence that British-based organised crime groups are also becoming more organised at exploiting criminal opportunities in rural areas

CNT microtubes with entrapped Fe3O4 nanoparticles remove micropollutants through a heterogeneous electro-fenton process at neutral pH

Catalyst-coated carbon electrodes require two preparation stages: electrode assembly using carbon and polymeric binders and subsequent catalyst immobilization on the porous carbons electrode. Such conventional coating methods require several steps, which is time-, chemical-, and energy-consuming. Also, polymeric binders can impair the porosity and block catalytic sites of final electrodes. This study introduces a novel one-pot synthesis method in which Fe3O4 nanoparticles are entrapped within a multi-walled carbon nanotube network, the latter being templated with microtubular geometry. Such carbon microtubes (CMT) represent a standalone geometry, serving as a binder-free electrode for an energy-efficient heterogeneous electro-Fenton (HEF) process. Fe3O4-containing CMTs remove carbamazepine (CBZ), a frequently detected pharmaceutical micropollutant in water bodies. While almost all literature reports degradation at acidic conditions requiring the use of acid, this material system functions at pH 7 +/- 0.3 with lengthy reusability. The remarkable mineralization of the total oxidized CBZ emerges from the confinement of oxidation by-products in CMTs' 3D framework, where unselective radicals are formed once the electro-generated H2O2 reacts with embedded Fe3O4. Additionally, the 3D network prevents the entrapped catalysts from leaching in acidic environments because of the increased local pH during electrolysis