Alterations in thoracolumbosacral movement when pain causing lameness has been improved by diagnostic analgesia

Lameness, thoracolumbosacral pain and reduced range of motion (ROM) often coexist; better understanding of their relationship is needed. The objectives were to determine if thoracolumbosacral movement of horses changes when pain causing lameness is improved by diagnostic analgesia. We hypothesised that reduction of lameness will increase ROM of the thoracolumbosacral region. Thirteen horses with different types of hind limb lameness were trotted in straight lines and lunged on a 10 m diameter circle on left and right reins before and after lameness was subjectively substantially improved by diagnostic analgesia. Inertial sensor data were collected from the withers, thirteenth (T13) and eighteenth thoracic (T18) vertebrae, third lumbar (13) vertebra, tubera sacrale (TS), left and right tubera coxae. ROM of flexion-extension, axial rotation, lateral bending, dorsoventral, lateral-lateral motion and vertical movement symmetry were quantified at each thoracolumbar site. Hiphike difference (HHD), maximum difference (MaxDiff) and minimum difference (MinDiff) for the pelvic sensors were measured. Percentage changes for before and after diagnostic analgesia were calculated; mean standard deviation (SD) or median [interquartile range] were determined. Associations between the change in pelvic versus thoracolumbar movement symmetry after each local analgesic technique were tested. After resolution of lameness, HHD decreased by 7% [68%] (P = 0.006). The MinDiff decreased significantly by 33%[61%] (P = 0.01), 45 +/- 13% (P = 0.005) and 52 +/- 23% (P = 0.04), for TS, L3 and T18, respectively. There was significantly increased ROM in flexion-extension at T13, in axial rotation at T13, T18, 13 and in lateral-lateral ROM at 13. Thoracolumbosacral asymmetry and reduced ROM associated with lameness were both altered immediately by improvement in lameness using diagnostic analgesia. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Asymptotic Level Spacing of the Laguerre Ensemble: A Coulomb Fluid Approach

We determine the asymptotic level spacing distribution for the Laguerre Ensemble in a single scaled interval, $(0,s)$, containing no levels, E_{\bt}(0,s), via Dyson's Coulomb Fluid approach. For the $\alpha=0$ Unitary-Laguerre Ensemble, we recover the exact spacing distribution found by both Edelman and Forrester, while for $\alpha\neq 0$, the leading terms of $E_{2}(0,s)$, found by Tracy and Widom, are reproduced without the use of the Bessel kernel and the associated Painlev\'e transcendent. In the same approximation, the next leading term, due to a ``finite temperature'' perturbation (\bt\neq 2), is found.Comment: 10pp, LaTe

Enhancing Energy Security in the European Union: Pathways to Reduce Europe?s Dependence on Russian Gas Imports

Should Russia escalate the Ukraine crisis, or threaten other states in post-Soviet space, the EU will need to be able to apply hard-hitting sanctions against Russian energy exports. However, the divergent dependence of European states on Russian gas imports will make it very difficult to achieve consensus on such sanctions. This article analyses the recent measures that the EU Commission has initiated to help reduce the dependence of European states on Russian gas. It explores the scope of EU competence to reduce Member-State dependence on Russian gas in three key areas: promoting the use of renewable and energy efficiency; completing the internal energy market and strengthening the EU?s position vis-à-vis external gas suppliers. The article?s conclusions examine the political factors which will hinder or enable the EU to promote greater gas supply security and highlight the importance of political communication in enhancing EU legal competence in energy security

Magnetic ionization fronts II: Jump conditions for oblique magnetization

We present the jump conditions for ionization fronts with oblique magnetic fields. The standard nomenclature of R- and D-type fronts can still be applied, but in the case of oblique magnetization there are fronts of each type about each of the fast- and slow-mode speeds. As an ionization front slows, it will drive first a fast- and then a slow-mode shock into the surrounding medium. Even for rather weak upstream magnetic fields, the effect of magnetization on ionization front evolution can be important. [Includes numerical MHD models and an application to observations of S106.]Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, Latex, to be published in MNRA

There’s just huge anxiety: ontological security, moral panic, and the decline in young people’s mental health and well-being in the UK

This study aims to critically discuss factors associated with a recent dramatic rise in recorded mental health issues amongst UK youth. It draws from interviews and focus groups undertaken with young people, parents and professionals. We offer valuable new insights into significant issues affecting young people’s mental health and well-being that are grounded in their lived experiences and in those who care for and work with them. By means of a thematic analysis of the data, we identified an increase in anxiety related to: future orientation, social media use, education, austerity, and normalization of mental distress and self-harm. We apply the notion of ontological security in our interpretation of how socio-cultural and political changes have increased anxiety amongst young people and consequent uncertainty about the self, the world and the future, leading to mental health problems. There are also problems conceptualizing and managing adolescent mental health, including increased awareness, increased acceptance of these problems, and stigmatisation. We relate this to the tendency for moral panic and widespread dissemination of problems in a risk society. In our conclusion, we highlight implications for future research, policy and practice

Thermospheric winds and temperatures above Mawson, Antarctica, observed with an all-sky imaging, Fabry-Perot spectrometer

A new all-sky imaging Fabry-Perot spectrometer has been installed at Mawson station (67°36' S, 62°52' E), Antarctica. This instrument is capable of recording independent spectra from many tens of locations across the sky simultaneously. Useful operation began in March 2007, with spectra recorded on a total of 186 nights. Initial analysis has focused on the large-scale daily and average behavior of winds and temperatures derived from observations of the 630.0 nm airglow line of atomic oxygen, originating from a broad layer centered around 240 km altitude, in the ionospheric F-region. <br><br> The 1993 Horizontal Wind Model (HWM93), NRLMSISE-00 atmospheric model, and the Coupled Thermosphere/Ionosphere Plasmasphere (CTIP) model were used for comparison. During the geomagnetically quiet period studied, observed winds and temperatures were generally well modelled, although temperatures were consistently higher than NRLMSISE-00 predicted, by up to 100 K. CTIP temperatures better matched our data, particularly later in the night, but predicted zonal winds which were offset from those observed by 70–180 ms<sup>−1</sup> westward. During periods of increased activity both winds and temperatures showed much greater variability over time-scales of less than an hour. For the active night presented here, a period of 45 min saw wind speeds decrease by around 180 ms<sup>−1</sup>, and temperatures increase by approximately 100 K. Active-period winds were poorly modelled by HWM93 and CTIP, although observed median temperatures were in better agreement with NRLMSISE-00 during such periods. <br><br> Average behavior was found to be generally consistent with previous studies of thermospheric winds above Mawson. The collected data set was representative of quiet geomagnetic and solar conditions. Geographic eastward winds in the afternoon/evening generally continued until around local midnight, when winds turned equatorward. Geographic meridional and zonal winds in the afternoon were approximately 50 ms<sup>−1</sup> weaker than expected from HWM93, as was the transition to equatorward flow around midnight. There was also a negligible geographic zonal component to the post-midnight wind where HWM93 predicted strong westward flow. Average temperatures between 19:00 and 04:00 local solar time were around 60 K higher than predicted by NRLMSISE-00

Pfaffian Expressions for Random Matrix Correlation Functions

It is well known that Pfaffian formulas for eigenvalue correlations are useful in the analysis of real and quaternion random matrices. Moreover the parametric correlations in the crossover to complex random matrices are evaluated in the forms of Pfaffians. In this article, we review the formulations and applications of Pfaffian formulas. For that purpose, we first present the general Pfaffian expressions in terms of the corresponding skew orthogonal polynomials. Then we clarify the relation to Eynard and Mehta's determinant formula for hermitian matrix models and explain how the evaluation is simplified in the cases related to the classical orthogonal polynomials. Applications of Pfaffian formulas to random matrix theory and other fields are also mentioned.Comment: 28 page

High Resolution CO and H2 Molecular Line Imaging of a Cometary Globule in the Helix Nebula

We report high resolution imaging of a prominent cometary globule in the Helix nebula in the CO J=1-0 (2.6 mm) and H2 v=1-0 S(1) (2.12 micron) lines. The observations confirm that globules consist of dense condensations of molecular gas embedded in the ionized nebula. The head of the globule is seen as a peak in the CO emission with an extremely narrow line width (0.5 km/s) and is outlined by a limb-brightened surface of H2 emission facing the central star and lying within the photo-ionized halo. The emission from both molecular species extends into the tail region. The presence of this extended molecular emission provides new constraints on the structure of the tails, and on the origin and evolution of the globules.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. To appear in The Astrophysical Journal Letter

Action research in physical education: focusing beyond myself through cooperative learning

This paper reports on the pedagogical changes that I experienced as a teacher engaged in an action research project in which I designed and implemented an indirect, developmentally appropriate and child‐centred approach to my teaching. There have been repeated calls to expunge – or at least rationalise – the use of traditional, teacher‐led practice in physical education. Yet despite the advocacy of many leading academics there is little evidence that such a change of approach is occurring. In my role as teacher‐as‐researcher I sought to implement a new pedagogical approach, in the form of cooperative learning, and bring about a positive change in the form of enhanced pupil learning. Data collection included a reflective journal, post‐teaching reflective analysis, pupil questionnaires, student interviews, document analysis, and non‐participant observations. The research team analysed the data using inductive analysis and constant comparison. Six themes emerged from the data: teaching and learning, reflections on cooperation, performance, time, teacher change, and social interaction. The paper argues that cooperative learning allowed me to place social and academic learning goals on an even footing, which in turn placed a focus on pupils’ understanding and improvement of skills in athletics alongside their interpersonal development

Integration over matrix spaces with unique invariant measures

We present a method to calculate integrals over monomials of matrix elements with invariant measures in terms of Wick contractions. The method gives exact results for monomials of low order. For higher--order monomials, it leads to an error of order 1/N^alpha where N is the dimension of the matrix and where alpha is independent of the degree of the monomial. We give a lower bound on the integer alpha and show how alpha can be increased systematically. The method is particularly suited for symbolic computer calculation. Explicit results are given for O(N), U(N) and for the circular orthogonal ensemble.Comment: 12 pages in revtex, no figure