Comment on "Large Difference in the Elastic Properties of fcc and hcp Hard-Sphere Crystals"

As is well known, hard-sphere crystals of the fcc and hcp type differ very little in their thermodynamic properties. Nonetheless, recent computer simulations by Pronk and Frenkel indicate that the elastic response to mechanical deformation of the two types of crystal should be quite different. By invoking a geometrical argument put forward by R. Martin some time ago, we suggest that this is largely due to the different symmetries of the fcc and hcp crystal structures. Indeed, we find that elastic constants obtained by means of computer simulations for the fcc hard-sphere crystal can be mapped onto the equivalent ones of the hcp crystal to very high accuracy. The same procedure applied to density functional theoretical predictions for the elastic properties of the fcc hard-sphere crystal also produces remarkably accurate predictions for those of the hcp hard-sphere crystal.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Lagrange Model for the Chiral Optical Properties of Stereometamaterials

We employ a general Lagrange model to describe the chiral optical properties of stereometamaterials. We derive the elliptical eigenstates of a twisted stacked split-ring resonator, taking phase retardation into account. Through this approach, we obtain a powerful Jones matrix formalism which can be used to calculate the polarization rotation, ellipticity, and circular dichroism of transmitted waves through stereometamaterials at any incident polarization. Our experimental measurements agree well with our model.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, Theory and experimen

A Preliminary Study on Using the “Little Box of Big Questions (2012)” for Children With Social, Emotional, Behavioural and Moderate Learning Needs

Listening to children is comprehensively acclaimed and embedded in Educational Psychology practice and moral, pragmatic and legal perspectives, and professional guidance exist to enforce this practice. Whilst a variety of tools have been explored for listening to children using various techniques, research is yet to focus on using philosophical/spiritual listening approaches with children with special educational needs. This paper targets this specific area by exploring the experiences and impact of using a spiritual listening tool, The Little Box of Big Questions (2012), and follow-up questions to enable reflection opportunities. Data was collected over four sessions with four children aged 13 to 14 with social, emotional, behavioural and moderate learning needs who attended a specialist school for moderate learning needs. Semi-structured interviews, alongside a teacher focus group, informed the thematic analysis, with findings suggesting that relationships, education and feelings about themselves and others not only play a role in students’ lives but are also areas of perceived improvements following the sessions. Implications for educational psychologists were discussed, including a greater understanding of the use and impact of The Little Box of Big Questions with children with special educational needs to elicit aspirations, enable goal setting and motivate change

Theology and the personal : inaugural lecture delivered at Rhodes University

Inaugural lecture delivered at Rhodes UniversityRhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

Quench Dynamics in a Model with Tuneable Integrability Breaking

We consider quantum quenches in an integrable quantum chain with tuneable-integrability-breaking interactions. In the case where these interactions are weak, we demonstrate that at intermediate times after the quench local observables relax to a prethermalized regime, which can be described by a density matrix that can be viewed as a deformation of a generalized Gibbs ensemble. We present explicit expressions for the approximately conserved charges characterizing this ensemble. We do not find evidence for a crossover from the prethermalized to a thermalized regime on the time scales accessible to us. Increasing the integrability-breaking interactions leads to a behaviour that is compatible with eventual thermalization.Comment: 22 pages, 35 figures, minor updates to manuscrip

Age and Dust Degeneracy for Starburst Galaxies Solved?

A spectral evolution model of galaxies that includes both stellar and dust effects is newly built. xApplying the model to 22 nearby starburst galaxies, we have shown that far infrared luminosity of galaxies helps to break the age-dustiness degeneracy. We have derived a unique solution of age and the dustiness for each starburst galaxy. The resulting starburst ages and optical depths are in the range $10 \le t (Myr) \le 500$ and $0.5 \le \tau_{V} \le 5.0$, respectively. The result is robust and is almost independent of model assumptions such as dust distributions, extinction curves, and burst strengths. With the rapidly growing sensitivity of submillimeter detectors, it should become possible in the near future to determine the age and $\tau_{V}$ of star-forming galaxies at redshifts $z \simeq 3$ and beyond. Accurate estimates of $\tau_{V}$ for Lyman-break galaxies and high-z galaxies might require a substantial revision of the previously claimed picture of star formation history over the Hubble time.Comment: Latex (aas2pp4) 15 pages, 1 table, 6 figures. Accepted for Ap

Completeness of case ascertainment and survival time error in English cancer registries: impact on 1-year survival estimates.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that cancer registries in England are too dependent on processing of information from death certificates, and consequently that cancer survival statistics reported for England are systematically biased and too low. METHODS: We have linked routine cancer registration records for colorectal, lung, and breast cancer patients with information from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database for the period 2001-2007. Based on record linkage with the HES database, records missing in the cancer register were identified, and dates of diagnosis were revised. The effects of those revisions on the estimated survival time and proportion of patients surviving for 1 year or more were studied. Cases that were absent in the cancer register and present in the HES data with a relevant diagnosis code and a relevant surgery code were used to estimate (a) the completeness of the cancer register. Differences in survival times calculated from the two data sources were used to estimate (b) the possible extent of error in the recorded survival time in the cancer register. Finally, we combined (a) and (b) to estimate (c) the resulting differences in 1-year cumulative survival estimates. RESULTS: Completeness of case ascertainment in English cancer registries is high, around 98-99%. Using HES data added 1.9%, 0.4% and 2.0% to the number of colorectal, lung, and breast cancer registrations, respectively. Around 5-6% of rapidly fatal cancer registrations had survival time extended by more than a month, and almost 3% of rapidly fatal breast cancer records were extended by more than a year. The resulting impact on estimates of 1-year survival was small, amounting to 1.0, 0.8, and 0.4 percentage points for colorectal, lung, and breast cancer, respectively. INTERPRETATION: English cancer registration data cannot be dismissed as unfit for the purpose of cancer survival analysis. However, investigators should retain a critical attitude to data quality and sources of error in international cancer survival studies

Object orientation without extending Z

The good news of this paper is that without extending Z, we can elegantly specify object-oriented systems, including encapsulation, inheritance and subtype polymorphism (dynamic dispatch). The bad news is that this specification style is rather different to normal Z specifications, more abstract and axiomatic, which means that it is not so well supported by current Z tools such as animators. It also enforces behavioural subtyping, unlike most object-oriented programming languages. This paper explains the proposed style, with examples, and discusses its advantages and disadvantages

Advancing Practice: Facilitating group antenatal care: a new way of working

This article outlines the principles and evidence behind group antenatal care and explores how developing group facilitation skills can enhance midwifery practice. The authors discuss the impact of different training models developed by the REACH Pregnancy Programme to support the implementation of ‘Pregnancy Circles’ as part of a randomised controlled trial of group antenatal care within an NHS context