Massive relic neutrinos in the galactic halo and the knee in the cosmic ray spectrum

Despite many efforts to find a reasonable explanation, the origin of the "knee" in the cosmic ray spectrum at energy around 10**15.5 eV remains mysterious. In this letter we suggest that the "knee" may be due to a GZK-like effect of cosmic rays interacting with massive neutrinos in the galactic halo. Simple kinematics connects the location of the "knee" with the mass of the neutrinos, and, while the required interaction cross section is larger than that predicted by the Standard Model, it can be accommodated by a small neutrino magnetic dipole moment. The values for the neutrino parameters obtained from the analysis of existing experimental data are compatible with present laboratory bounds.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, uses RevTe

Training and orthotic effects related to functional electrical stimulation of the peroneal nerve in stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the evidence for a training effect on the lower limb of functional electrical stimulation. DESIGN: Cohort study. PATIENTS: A total of 133 patients >6 months post-stroke. METHODS: Training and orthotic effects were determined from walking speed over 10 m, associated minimal and substantial clinically important differences (i.e. >0.05 and >0.10 m/s), and Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), ranging from household walking to independent walking in the community. RESULTS: An overall significant (p < 0.01) training effect was found that was not a clinically important difference (0.02 m/s); however, "community" FAC (≥ 0.8 m/s) and "most limited community walkers" FAC (0.4-0.58 m/s), but not "household walkers" (< 0.4 m/s), benefitted from a clinically important difference. A highly significant (p< 0.001), substantial clinically important orthotic effect (0.10 m/s) was found. In terms of overall improvement of one or more FACs, 23% achieved this due to a training effect, compared with 43% due to an orthotic effect. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that functional electrical stimulation provides a training effect in those who are less impaired. Further work, which optimizes the use of the device for restoration of function, rather than as an orthotic device, will provide greater clarity on the effectiveness of functional electrical stimulation for eliciting a training effect

Quality of life and cost effectiveness following the use of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) of the peroneal nerve for people with multiple sclerosis

There is a large gap in quality of life for people with MS and the general population. FES is an effective intervention for dropped foot reducing falls by 72% (1), with a mean usage of 4.9 years (2). Improving health related quality of life and cost effectiveness are a priority for the national health system in the UK, who have set a cost effectiveness threshold of £20,000(€24,218) per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) under which interventions will be considered. Method: 45 people with multiple sclerosis (mean age 53, range 40-70) and foot drop completed the EQ-5D-5L (Euroqol) quality of life questionnaire before and after using FES for 20 weeks. Index values were calculated using the latest available value set and checked with the crosswalk value set (3). QALY gain was calculated by multiplying the utility value by the average length of time of FES use, discounted at 3.5% per year. The mean cost minus the expected cost saving due to falls prevention was divided by the QALY gain to give the mean net cost per QALY. Results: The mean index value before treatment (0.542) was highly significant compared to after treatment (0.656) (t=-4.68, p< 0.001), providing a utility value of 0.114 which works out to 0.542 when extrapolated to 4.9 years. The cost of providing FES for 4.9 years is £3095(€3,742)(1), giving a cost per QALY of £5,705(€6,901). However, it is estimated that the reduction of falls may result in a cost saving of £375(€454) per year, bringing the net cost to £1,256(€1,519) and cost per QALY to £2,316(€2,801). Conclusion: These preliminary results must be treated with caution as the data used was taken from three different studies. Nevertheless the analysis indicates that FES is associated with improved health related quality of life and is well within cost effectiveness thresholds

Ultra-micro indentation characterisation of mouthguard materials

Abstract no. 109published_or_final_versio

Inferring mixed-layer depth variability from Argo observations in the western Indian Ocean

The seasonal and spatial variability of mixed layer depth (MLD) was examined in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) (30E – 80E and 10S – 30N) for three consecutive years starting from June 2002 – May 2005 using Argo temperature and salinity (T/S) profiles. These were compared with MLD estimates from World Ocean Atlas 2001 (WOA01) T/S data. Temporal and spatial variability of MLD estimated from Argo T/S profiles were found to correspond well with the MLD obtained from WOA01 T/S data. However, slight deviations in the form of months of occurrence of minima and maxima MLDs were observed. MLD from WOA01 climatology is underestimated compared to MLD from Argo for almost the entire three years of study. It is also observed that MLD variability features as brought out by both the data sets followed the dynamics that govern the mixed layer variability in this region