Localised anti-branes in non-compact throats at zero and finite T

We investigate the 3-form singularities that are typical to anti-brane solutions in supergravity and check whether they can be cloaked by a finite temperature horizon. For anti-D3-branes in the Klebanov-Strassler background, this was already shown numerically to be impossible when the branes are partially smeared. In this paper, we present analytic arguments that also localised branes remain with singular 3-form fluxes at both zero and finite temperature. These results may have important, possibly fatal, consequences for constructions of meta-stable de Sitter vacua through uplifting.Comment: 18 + 9 page

Modelling the lung in vitro

Relevant human in vitro culture models can contribute to a reduction in animal use for respiratory research and generate data that can be better translated to patients. In this thesis various improvements of different current human lung in vitro models were explored. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) were used to generate alveolar type 2 (AEC2)-like cells, that were subsequently cultured at the air-liquid interface (ALI) to create a model of alveolar wound healing at the ALI. Furthermore, a method to utilize organoids was developed for expansion of cells from human lungs to obtain sufficient numbers to reliably establish epithelial cultures. This was done for AEC2 isolated from resected lung tissue, as well as for cell populations from broncho-alveolar lavage fluid from adults and tracheal aspirates from preterm new-borns. Finally, the cellular complexity of the in vitro cultures was expanded by introducing polarized macrophages to the airway ALI cultures. Using these cultures, the cross-talk between macrophages and airway was studied in relation to wound repair. Collectively, the methods that have been developed are expected to contribute to contribute to the use of patient- and disease relevant models in respiratory research. </p

Adsorption induced reconstruction of the Cu(110) surface

The formation of the O/Cu(110)-(2 × 1) and H/Cu(110)-(1 × 2) superstructures has been investigated by a LEED beam profile analysis. The oxygen induced reconstruction proceeds at later stages by creation of holes on flat terraces. This could not be observed at the hydrogen induced missing row reconstruction. The formation of the missing row structure proceeds most probably via nucleation at steps and subsequent growth of (1 × 2) islands. The influence of different distributions of steps and islands on beam profiles is discussed

Nurse telephone triage in out-of-hours GP practice: determinants of independent advice and return consultation

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, nurses play a central role in telephone triage in Dutch out-of-hours primary care. The percentage of calls that is handled through nurse telephone advice alone (NTAA) appears to vary substantially between GP cooperatives. This study aims to explore which determinants are associated with NTAA and with subsequent return consultations to the GP. METHODS: For the ten most frequently presented problems, a two-week follow-up cohort study took place in one cooperative run by 25 GPs and 8 nurses, serving a population of 62,291 people. Random effects logistic regression analysis was used to study the determinants of NTAA and return consultation rates. The effect of NTAA on hospital referral rates was also studied as a proxy for severity of illness. RESULTS: The mean NTAA rate was 27.5% – ranging from 15.5% to 39.4% for the eight nurses. It was higher during the night (RR 1.63, CI 1.48–1.76) and lower with increasing age (RR 0.96, CI 0.93–0.99, per ten years) or when the patient presented >2 problems (RR 0.65; CI 0.51–0.83). Using cough as reference category, NTAA was highest for earache (RR 1.49; CI 1.18–1.78) and lowest for chest pain (RR 0.18; CI 0.06–0.47). After correction for differences in case mix, significant variation in NTAA between nurses remained (p < 0.001). Return consultations after NTAA were higher after nightly calls (RR 1.23; CI 1.04–1.40). During first return consultations, the hospital referral rate after NTAA was 1.5% versus 3.8% for non-NTAA (difference -2.2%; CI -4.0 to -0.5). CONCLUSION: Important inter-nurse variability may indicate differences in perception on tasks and/or differences in skill to handle telephone calls alone. Future research should focus more on modifiable determinants of NTAA rates

European Paediatric Formulation Initiative workshop report: Improving the administration of oral liquid medicines in paediatrics using dosing syringes and enteral accessories

Accurate dosing of the right medicine to the right patient is a key element of safe and efficacious pharmacotherapy, yet prone to technical challenges and human error when dosing involves the administration of small volumes of liquid medicines. For this reason, the topic has gained increased attention over the last decade from multiple stakeholder parties e.g. academia, hospital pharmacy, the medical device and pharmaceutical industry, and regulatory agencies. It is now well acknowledged that spoons and cups are not suitable for the measurement of small volumes of oral liquid medicines and that syringes are a better alternative, but syringes for parenteral use should not be used for oral dosing in order to avoid accidental parenteral delivery of oral products. However, dosing accuracy of very small volumes of liquid medicines to young children, and especially pre-term neonates, is still not sufficiently ensured. A workshop was organised in 2018 by the European Paediatric Formulation Initiative to reflect on current status and challenges (first part) and possible strategies to improve the present situation (second part). A voting system (n = 24) was used to consider the most favourable solutions. The harmonisation and/or standardisation of the technical design of oral syringes (including e.g. female/male connection) was considered a key priority

Dynamics of Generalized Assisted Inflation

We study the dynamics of multiple scalar fields and a barotropic fluid in an FLRW-universe. The scalar potential is a sum of exponentials. All critical points are constructed and these include scaling and de Sitter solutions. A stability analysis of the critical points is performed for generalized assisted inflation, which is an extension of assisted inflation where the fields mutually interact. Effects in generalized assisted inflation which differ from assisted inflation are emphasized. One such a difference is that an (inflationary) attractor can exist if some of the exponential terms in the potential are negative.Comment: 27 page

(Anti-)Brane backreaction beyond perturbation theory

We improve on the understanding of the backreaction of anti-D6-branes in a flux background that is mutually BPS with D6-branes. This setup is analogous to the study of the backreaction of anti-D3-branes inserted in the KS throat, but does not require us to smear the anti-branes or do a perturbative analysis around the BPS background. We solve the full equations of motion near the anti-D6-branes and show that only two boundary conditions are consistent with the equations of motion. Upon invoking a topological argument we eliminate the boundary condition with regular H flux since it cannot lead to a solution that approaches the right kind of flux away from the anti-D6-brane. This leaves us with a boundary condition which has singular, but integrable, H flux energy density.Comment: 12 pages + appendices, 1 figure; v2: minor changes, version published in JHE

Role of Adiposity and Lifestyle in the Relationship Between Family History of Diabetes and 20-Year Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in U.S. Women

OBJECTIVE - To evaluate to what extent the association between family history of diabetes and risk of type 2 diabetes can be explained by excess adiposity and lifestyle risk factors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - We analyzed data from 73,227 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study cohort. A family history of diabetes was defined as having at least one first-degree family member with diabetes. Lifestyle factors, weight, and height were assessed by using validated questionnaires, and BMI was calculated. The relative risk of type 2 diabetes was estimated using Cox proportional hazards analysis. RESULTS - We documented 5,101 cases of type 2 diabetes during 20 years of follow-up. The age-adjusted relative risk of type 2 diabetes in participants with a family history was 2.27 (95% CI 2.14-2.40) compared with the risk in those without a family history of diabetes. Participants with a family history of diabetes had a higher BMI and were more likely to have a parental history of obesity. BMI explained 21.1% (19.4-22.9) of the association between family history of diabetes and risk of type 2 diabetes. Intakes of red meat, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages explained 1.1% (0.8-1.3), 4.8% (4.3-5.3), and 2.8% (2.4-3.2) of this association, respectively. CONCLUSIONS - These results suggest that excess adiposity and, to a lesser extent, specific dietary habits can explain a substantial part of the association between having a family history of diabetes and risk of type 2 diabetes. © 2010 by the American Diabetes Association