Participant recruitment to FiCTION, a primary dental care trial – survey of facilitators and barriers

Objective To identify reasons behind a lower than expected participant recruitment rate within the FiCTION trial, a multi-centre paediatric primary dental care randomised controlled trial (RCT). Subjects (materials) and methods An online survey, based on a previously published tool, consisting of both quantitative and qualitative responses, completed by staff in dental practices recruiting to FiCTION. Ratings from quantitative responses were aggregated to give overall scores for factors related to participant recruitment. Qualitative responses were independently grouped into themes. Results Thirty-nine anonymous responses were received. Main facilitators related to the support received from the central research team and importance of the research question. The main barriers related to low child eligibility rates and the integration of trial processes within routine workloads. Conclusions These findings have directed strategies for enhancing participant recruitment at existing practices and informed recruitment of further practices. The results help provide a profile of the features required of practices to successfully screen and recruit participants. Future trials in this setting should consider the level of interest in the research question within practices, and ensure trial processes are as streamlined as possible. Research teams should actively support practices with participant recruitment and maintain enthusiasm among the entire practice team

A mathematical modelling study of an athlete's sprint time when towing a weighted sled

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12283-013-0114-2.This study used a mathematical model to examine the effects of the sled, the running surface, and the athlete on sprint time when towing a weighted sled. Simulations showed that ratio scaling is an appropriate method of normalising the weight of the sled for athletes of different body size. The relationship between sprint time and the weight of the sled was almost linear, as long as the sled was not excessively heavy. The athlete’s sprint time and rate of increase in sprint time were greater on running surfaces with a greater coefficient of friction, and on any given running surface an athlete with a greater power-to-weight ratio had a lower rate of increase in sprint time. The angle of the tow cord did not have a substantial effect on an athlete’s sprint time. This greater understanding should help coaches set the training intensity experienced by an athlete when performing a sled-towing exercise

Feasibility of Tomotherapy-Based Image-Guided Radiotherapy to Reduce Aspiration Risk in Patients with Non-Laryngeal and Non-Pharyngeal Head and Neck Cancer

PURPOSE: The study aims to assess the feasibility of Tomotherapy-based image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) to reduce the aspiration risk in patients with non-laryngeal and non-hypopharyngeal cancer. A retrospective review of 48 patients undergoing radiation for non-laryngeal and non-hypopharyngeal head and neck cancers was conducted. All patients had a modified barium swallow (MBS) prior to treatment, which was repeated one month following radiotherapy. Mean middle and inferior pharyngeal dose was recorded and correlated with the MBS results to determine aspiration risk. RESULTS: Mean pharyngeal dose was 23.2 Gy for the whole group. Two patients (4.2%) developed trace aspiration following radiotherapy which resolved with swallowing therapy. At a median follow-up of 19 months (1-48 months), all patients were able to resume normal oral feeding without aspiration. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: IGRT may reduce the aspiration risk by decreasing the mean pharyngeal dose in the presence of large cervical lymph nodes. Further prospective studies with IGRT should be performed in patients with non-laryngeal and non-hypopharyngeal head and neck cancers to verify this hypothesis

Evaluation of the ECOSSE model for simulating soil organic carbon under Miscanthus and short rotation coppice-willow crops in Britain

In this paper, we focus on the impact on soil organic carbon (SOC) of two dedicated energy crops: perennial grass Miscanthus x Giganteus (Miscanthus) and short rotation coppice (SRC)-willow. The amount of SOC sequestered in the soil is a function of site-specific factors including soil texture, management practices, initial SOC levels and climate; for these reasons, both losses and gains in SOC were observed in previous Miscanthus and SRC-willow studies. The ECOSSE model was developed to simulate soil C dynamics and greenhouse gas emissions in mineral and organic soils. The performance of ECOSSE has already been tested at site level to simulate the impacts of land-use change to short rotation forestry (SRF) on SOC. However, it has not been extensively evaluated under other bioenergy plantations, such as Miscanthus and SRC-willow. Twenty-nine locations in the United Kingdom, comprising 19 paired transitions to SRC-willow and 20 paired transitions to Miscanthus, were selected to evaluate the performance of ECOSSE in predicting SOC and SOC change from conventional systems (arable and grassland) to these selected bioenergy crops. The results of the present work revealed a strong correlation between modelled and measured SOC and SOC change after transition to Miscanthus and SRC-willow plantations, at two soil depths (0–30 and 0–100 cm), as well as the absence of significant bias in the model. Moreover, model error was within (i.e. not significantly larger than) the measurement error. The high degrees of association and coincidence with measured SOC under Miscanthus and SRC-willow plantations in the United Kingdom, provide confidence in using this process-based model for quantitatively predicting the impacts of future land use on SOC, at site level as well as at national level

Consistent quantum mechanics admits no mereotopology

It is standardly assumed in discussions of quantum theory that physical systems can be regarded as having well-defined Hilbert spaces. It is shown here that a Hilbert space can be consistently partitioned only if its components are assumed not to interact. The assumption that physical systems have well-defined Hilbert spaces is, therefore, physically unwarranted.Comment: 10 pages; to appear in Axiomathe

Evaluation of the ECOSSE model for simulating soilcarbon under short rotation forestry energy crops in Britain

Understanding and predicting the effects of land-use change to short rotation forestry (SRF) on soil carbon (C) is an important requirement for fully assessing the C mitigation potential of SRF as a bioenergy crop. There is little current knowledge of SRF in the UK and in particular a lack of consistent measured data sets on the direct impacts of land use change on soil C stocks. The ECOSSE model was developed to simulate soil C dynamics and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in mineral and organic soils. The ECOSSE model has already been applied spatially to simulate land-use change impacts on soil C and GHG emissions. However, it has not been extensively evaluated under SRF. Eleven sites comprising 29 transitions in Britain, representing land-use change from nonwoodland land uses to SRF, were selected to evaluate the performance of ECOSSE in predicting soil C and soil C change in SRF plantations. The modelled C under SRF showed a strong correlation with the soil C measurements at both 0–30 cm (R = 0.93) and 0–100 cm soil depth (R = 0.82). As for the SRF plots, the soil C at the reference sites have been accurately simulated by the model. The extremely high correlation for the reference fields (R ≥ 0.99) shows a good performance of the model spin-up. The statistical analysis of the model performance to simulate soil C and soil C changes after land-use change to SRF highlighted the absence of significant error between modelled and measured values as well as the absence of significant bias in the model. Overall, this evaluation reinforces previous studies on the ability of ECOSSE to simulate soil C and emphasize its accuracy to simulate soil C under SRF plantations

Treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis is predicted by the microbiome: a large observational study in UK DMARD-naïve patients.

OBJECTIVES: Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are first line treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Treatment response to DMARDs is patient-specific, dose efficacy is difficult to predict and long-term results variable. The gut microbiota are known to play a pivotal role in prodromal and early-disease RA, manifested by Prevotella spp. enrichment. The clinical response to therapy may be mediated by microbiota, and large-scale studies assessing the microbiome are few. This study assessed whether microbiome signals were associated with, and predictive of, patient response to DMARD-treatment. Accurate early identification of those who will respond poorly to DMARD therapy would allow selection of alternative treatment (e.g. biologic therapy), and potentially improve patient outcome. METHODS: A multicentre, longitudinal, observational study of stool- and saliva microbiome was performed in DMARD-naïve, newly diagnosed RA patients during introduction of DMARD treatment. Clinical data and samples were collected at baseline (n = 144) in DMARD-naïve patients and at six weeks (n = 117) and 12 weeks (n = 95) into DMARD-therapy. Samples collected (n = 365 stool, n = 365 saliva) underwent shotgun sequencing. Disease activity measures were collected at each timepoint and minimal clinically important improvement determined. RESULTS: In total, 26 stool microbes were found to decrease in those manifesting a minimal clinically important improvement. Prevotella spp. and Streptococcus spp. were the predominant taxa to decline following six weeks and 12 weeks of DMARDs, respectively. Furthermore, baseline microbiota of DMARD-naïve patients were indicative of future response. CONCLUSION: DMARDs appear to restore a perturbed microbiome to a eubiotic state. Moreover, microbiome status can be used to predict likelihood of patient response to DMARD

Exploring the canonical behaviour of long gamma-ray bursts with an intrinsic multiwavelength afterglow correlation

In this conference proceeding we examine a correlation between the afterglow luminosity (measured at restframe 200 s; logL200s) and average afterglow decay rate (measured from restframe 200 s onwards; α>200s) found in both the optical/UV and X-ray afterglows of long duration Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs). Examining the X-ray light curves, we find the correlation does not depend on the presence of specific light curve features. We explore how the parameters in the optical/UV and X-ray bands relate to each other and to the prompt emission phase. We also use a Monte Carlo simulation to explore whether these relationships are consistent with predictions of the standard afterglow model. We conclude that the correlations are consistent with a common underlying physical mechanism producing GRBs and their afterglows regardless of their detailed temporal behaviour. However, a basic afterglow model has difficulty explaining correlations involving α>200s. We therefore briefly discuss alternative more complex models

Imaging Oxygen Distribution in Marine Sediments. The Importance of Bioturbation and Sediment Heterogeneity

The influence of sediment oxygen heterogeneity, due to bioturbation, on diffusive oxygen flux was investigated. Laboratory experiments were carried out with 3 macrobenthic species presenting different bioturbation behaviour patterns:the polychaetes Nereis diversicolor and Nereis virens, both constructing ventilated galleries in the sediment column, and the gastropod Cyclope neritea, a burrowing species which does not build any structure. Oxygen two-dimensional distribution in sediments was quantified by means of the optical planar optode technique. Diffusive oxygen fluxes (mean and integrated) and a variability index were calculated on the captured oxygen images. All species increased sediment oxygen heterogeneity compared to the controls without animals. This was particularly noticeable with the polychaetes because of the construction of more or less complex burrows. Integrated diffusive oxygen flux increased with oxygen heterogeneity due to the production of interface available for solute exchanges between overlying water and sediments. This work shows that sediment heterogeneity is an important feature of the control of oxygen exchanges at the sediment–water interface