Effect of the Haar measure on the finite temperature effective potential of SU(2)SU(2) Yang-Mills theory

Including the Haar measure we show that the effective potential of the regularized SU(2) Yang-Mills theory has a minimum at vanishing Wilson-line $W=0$ for strong coupling, whereas it develops two degenerate minima close to $W=\pm 1$ for weak coupling. This suggests that the non-abelian character of $SU(2)$ as contained in the Haar measure might be responsible for confinement.Comment: 3 pages, LATEX, 1 figure, figure available upon reques

Finite element modelling of heat transfer in ground source energy systems with heat exchanger pipes

Ground source energy systems (GSES) utilise low enthalpy geothermal energy and have been recognised as an efficient means of providing low carbon space heating and cooling. This study focuses on GSES where the exchange of heat between the ground and the building is achieved by circulating a fluid through heat exchanger pipes. Although numerical analysis is a powerful tool for exploring the performance of such systems, simulating the highly advective flows inside the heat exchanger pipes can be problematic. This paper presents an efficient approach for modelling these systems using the finite element method (FEM). The pipes are discretised with line elements and the conductive-advective heat flux along them is solved using the Petrov-Galerkin FEM instead of the conventional Galerkin FEM. Following extensive numerical studies, a modelling approach for simulating heat exchanger pipes, which employs line elements and a special material with enhanced thermal properties, is developed. The modelling approach is then adopted in three-dimensional simulations of two thermal response tests, with an excellent match between the computed and measured temperatures being obtained

Winter 1973

Field Evaluation of Insecticides for Controlling Mole Crickets in Turf (page 3) Calculations for Turfgrass Culture II: Pesticides (6) Progress in the Control of Turfgrass Weevil, a Species of Hyperodes (9) A Look at USDA\u27s Biological Control of Insect Pests: 1888 to Present (14) Turf Bulletin Index 1970-1973 (23

Development of a chlamydia infection model for evaluating costs and outcomes of health interventions

Introduction: Chlamydia is a very common bacterial sexual transmitted infection (STI) among young adults. High numbers of asymptomatic cases hamper a timely treatment start, whereas the treatment itself is efficient and cheap. Proactive screening can decrease this mismatch. There are many models which are able to evaluate and simulate different screening options. Most of them though are based on old or insufficient data, are not accessible for everybody, or are not designed in a user-friendly way. Aim: We want to determine the feasibility of developing an easy-to-use chlamydia infection model, which can be easily updated to reflect changes in medical knowledge. Methods: Starting with a literature review, we have set up a chlamydia infection model. This model was refined with the help of STI experts. The model was implemented by using the programming language Java (version 1.6). We validated the model using internal and external validation methods. Results: The implementation of the model allows users to edit all parameters. The model consists of two separate sub-models. One sub-model simulates health effects of chlamydia for individuals, including the different outcomes in males and females. The other sub-model tracks the spreading of chlamydia within the computed cohort and regards heterosexual as well as homosexual partnerships. Both sub-models are independent of each other and therefore easily exchangeable. The overall model can be kept up to date by either updating single parameters of the model or exchanging a sub-model. The model can be operated by graphical user interfaces to enable non-health economists and non-modelling experts to work with this disease model. Discussion: We showed the feasibility of implementing an easy-to-use chlamydia model. This study can be regarded as a step towards developing more user-friendly decision support tools in health economics to assist decision makers in medicine

Detecting subgroups in social participation among individuals living with spinal cord injury:a longitudinal analysis of community survey data

STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal community survey. OBJECTIVES: To determine subgroups in social participation of individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: Community. METHODS: Data were collected in 2012 and 2017 as part of the community survey of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury cohort. Participation was assessed using the 33-item Utrecht Scale of Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation evaluating frequency of, restrictions in and satisfaction with productive, leisure, and social activities. Linear mixed-effects model trees were used to distinguish subgroups in participation associated with sociodemographic and lesion characteristics. RESULTS: In all, 3079 observations were used for the analysis, of which 1549 originated from Survey 2012, 1530 from Survey 2017, and 761 from both surveys. Participants were mostly male (2012: 71.5%; 2017: 71.2%), aged on average 50 years (2012: 52.3; 2017: 56.5), with an incomplete paraplegia (2012: 37.5%; 2017: 41.8%) of traumatic origin (2012: 84.7%; 2017: 79.3%). There was limited within-person variation in participation over the 5-year period. Participation varied with age, SCI severity, education, financial strain, number of self-reported health conditions (SHCs), and disability pension level. Among modifiable parameters, the number of SHCs and disability pension level emerged as the most frequent partitioning variables, while education was most informative for participation in productive, leisure, and social activities. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term rehabilitation management and clinical practice should target people most prone to decreased participation in major life domains. Our study indicates that the alleviation of SHCs, engagement in further education, or adjusting disability pension level are promising areas to improve participation of persons living with SCI

Internal consistency and convergent validity of the International Spinal Cord Injury Quality of Life Basic Data Set at discharge from first rehabilitation

Study design This study is a cross-sectional analysis using data from the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study. Objectives To examine internal consistency and convergent validity of the International Spinal Cord Injury Quality of Life Basic Data Set (QoL-BDS) at discharge from first inpatient rehabilitation. Setting The study was performed at four rehabilitation centers in Switzerland. Methods Participants were Swiss residents aged over 16 years newly diagnosed with traumatic or non-traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Measures included the QoL-BDS, World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) items, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM). Results A total of 495 participants were included. In all, 57% had a traumatic SCI, 71.1% a motor complete SCI, and 33.3% had tetraplegia. Mean age was 53 (SD = 16.4) years and 68% were male. No floor or ceiling effects were found. Inter-correlations were strong (0.73-0.80) and Cronbach's alpha was good (0.88). QoL-BDS mean scores were 6.4 (SD = 2.2) for life satisfaction, 5.8 (SD = 2.4) for physical health, 6.9 (SD = 2.4) for psychological health, and 6.4 (SD = 2.1) for total QoL. Correlations with reference measures were strongest for QoL-BDS total and WHOQOL general quality of life (r = 0.67), QoL-BDS physical health and WHOQOL health and daily activities (r = 0.64 and 0.53), and QoL-BDS psychological health and HADS depression and anxiety (r = -0.64 and -0.69). SCIM correlated weakly with all QoL-BDS items. Conclusions The QoL-BDS revealed no floor or ceiling effects and demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent validity in individuals with SCI assessed at discharge from first rehabilitation. This study supports the clinical routine use of the QoL-BDS