Weight loss in head and neck cancer patients little noticed in general practice

INTRODUCTION: In head and neck cancer patients, weight loss increases morbidity and mortality, and decreases treatment tolerance and quality of life. Early nutritional intervention has beneficial effects on these factors. AIM: We observed patients’ weight courses after specialists’ care and surveyed nutrition-related documentation by general practitioners (GPs). METHODS: From a Head and Neck Oncology Centre (HNOC) study, 68 patients were asked to participate in an extended general practice cohort. Twenty-six patients participated in the prospective three-monthly weight measurements during the year after HNOC care. We extracted nutritional information contained in referral letters (n=24) and medical records from the year before referral (n=45) and after HNOC care (n=26). An impaired nutritional status was assigned to weight loss =10% within six months or Body Mass Index (BMI

High Power Cyclotrons for the Neutrino Experiments DAEδALUS and IsoDAR

DAEδALUS (Decay At rest Experiment for δcp At a Laboratory for Underground Science) has been proposed to measure the value of the CP violating phase delta through the oscillation of low energy muon anti-neutrinos to electron antineutrinos. With a single large detector, three accelerators at different distances enable the oscillation to be measured with sufficient accuracy. We have proposed the superconducting multi-megawatt DAEδALUS Supercinducting Ring Cyclotron (DSRC) as the means of producing the 800 MeV 12 mA protons required, through the acceleration of H2+, ions with highly efficient stripping extraction. The DSRC comprises twin ion sources and injector cyclotrons, followed by a booster. The injector cyclotron can also be used for a separate experiment, IsoDAR (Isotope Decay At Rest) in which low energy protons produce Lithium 8, and thus a very pure electron antineutrino source which can be used to measure, or rule out, short range oscillation to a sterile neutrino. We describe recent developments in the designs of the injector and the booster, and the prospects for the two experiments

An integrated approach to modelling the fluid-structure interaction of a collapsible tube

The well known collapsible tube experiment was conducted to obtain flow, pressure and materials property data for steady state conditions. These were then used as the boundary conditions for a fully coupled fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model using a propriety computer code, LS-DYNA. The shape profiles for the tube were also recorded. In order to obtain similar collapse modes to the experiment, it was necessary to model the tube flat, and then inflate it into a circular profile, leaving residual stresses in the walls. The profile shape then agreed well with the experimental ones. Two departures from the physical properties were required to reduce computer time to an acceptable level. One of these was the lowering of the speed of sound by two orders of magnitude which, due to the low velocities involved, still left the mach number below 0.2. The other was to increase the thickness of the tube to prevent the numerical collapse of elements. A compensation for this was made by lowering the Young's modulus for the tube material. Overall the results are qualitatively good. They give an indication of the power of the current FSI algorithms and the need to combine experiment and computer models in order to maximise the information that can be extracted both in terms of quantity and quality

Systematic model behavior of adsorption on flat surfaces

A low density film on a flat surface is described by an expansion involving the first four virial coefficients. The first coefficient (alone) yields the Henry's law regime, while the next three correct for the effects of interactions. The results permit exploration of the idea of universal adsorption behavior, which is compared with experimental data for a number of systems

Elliptic curves of large rank and small conductor

For r=6,7,...,11 we find an elliptic curve E/Q of rank at least r and the smallest conductor known, improving on the previous records by factors ranging from 1.0136 (for r=6) to over 100 (for r=10 and r=11). We describe our search methods, and tabulate, for each r=5,6,...,11, the five curves of lowest conductor, and (except for r=11) also the five of lowest absolute discriminant, that we found.Comment: 16 pages, including tables and one .eps figure; to appear in the Proceedings of ANTS-6 (June 2004, Burlington, VT). Revised somewhat after comments by J.Silverman on the previous draft, and again to get the correct page break

Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Conceptual Design Report Volume 2: The Physics Program for DUNE at LBNF

The Physics Program for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) at the Fermilab Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) is described

Une technique simple pour mesurer l'épaisseur et l'indice de réfraction de couches transparentes sans les altérer

A simple non-destructive method of measuring the refractive index and thickness of transparent films on reflective substrates has been developed. The technique involves the use of a microscope equipped with a monochromatic filter and a stage that can be rotated so that the reflected light is observed at various angles. The technique can be used for the détermination of film thicknesses from several hundred angstroms up to several microns with accuracies of 0.2 % on films thicker than 2 μ, and tens of angstroms on thinner films.On expose une méthode non destructive et simple pour mesurer l'indice de réfraction et l'épaisseur de couches transparentes sur des supports réfléchissants. La technique nécessite l'emploi d'un microscope équipé d un filtre monochromatique et d un ensemble qui peut tourner de telle sorte que la lumière réfléchie soit observée suivant des angles différents. On peut utiliser cette technique dans la détermination de l'épaisseur de couches de quelques centaines d'angstrôms à plusieurs microns avec des précisions de 0,2 % par les épaisseurs supérieures à 2 μ et d'une dizaine d'angströms pour les plus faibles

On the evolution of the Hysteriaceae and Mytilinidiaceae (Pleosporomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota) using four nuclear genes

We present a molecular phylogenetic analysis for two families within the Pleosporomycetidae (Dothideomycetes), the Hysteriaceae, and the Mytilinidiaceae, using four nuclear genes, the ribosomal LSU and SSU, transcription elongation factor 1 α and the second largest RNA polymerase II subunit. Multigene phylogenies provide strong support for the monophyly of the Hysteriaceae and of the Mytilinidiaceae, both within the Pleosporomycetidae. However, sequence data also indicate that both families are not closely related within the subclass. Although core groups for many of the genera in the Hysteriaceae have been defined, Hysterium, Gloniopsis, and Hysterographium are polyphyletic, with affinities not premised on spore septation and pigmentation. Glonium is also polyphyletic, but along two highly divergent lines. The genus lies outside of the Hysteriaceae, and finds close affinities instead with the family Mytilinidiaceae, for which we propose Gloniaceae fam. nov. to accommodate the type, G. stellatum and related forms. The genus Psiloglonium is reinstated within the Hysteriaceae, with P. lineare, as type, to accommodate non-subiculate species, with apically obtuse didymospores. Farlowiella is removed from the Hysteriaceae, but remains within the Pleosporomycetidae. In contrast, despite divergent spore morphologies, the genera Mytilinidion and Lophium form a strongly supported clade, thus defining a highly monophyletic Mytilinidiaceae, adjacent to the Gloniaceae, for which we propose the Mytilinidiales ord. nov. The genus Ostreichnion, previously in the Mytilinidiaceae, is here transferred to the Hysteriaceae. It is concluded that the evolution of the hysterothecium occurred multiple times within the Pleosporomycetidae, and alone it is not a synapomorphic character state for the Hysteriaceae. © 2009 The British Mycological Society