Time trends in survival and readmission following coronary artery bypass grafting in Scotland, 1981-96: retrospective observational study

Improvements in coronary revascularisation techniques and an increase in the use of percutaneous interventions1 have led to a rise in the number of coronary artery bypass grafting operations in older patients with more severe cardiac disease and worse comorbidity and who have previously undergone revascularisation procedures. 2 3 Advances in surgical and anaesthetic techniques have prevented a worsening risk profile from being translated into an increase in perioperative deaths. 2 3 The aim of our study was to examine time trends in major outcomes up to two years after coronary artery bypass grafting

Submicrosecond pulsed atmospheric glow discharges sustained without dielectric barriers at kilohertz frequencies

In this letter, the authors report the experimental observation of a large-volume atmospheric glow discharge sustained without dielectric barriers at 1 kHz. This barrier-free mode of operation is made possible with a submicrosecond pulsed excitation instead of the usual sinusoidal excitation. Its current-voltage characteristics are shown to be very different from conventional atmospheric dielectric barrier discharges, and its generation mechanism is studied with nanosecond resolved optical emission spectroscopy. The pulsed barrier-free atmospheric plasma is shown to produce very intense atomic oxygen emission line at 777 nm, up to one magnitude more intensive than that of a comparable atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge

Contrasting characteristics of pulsed and sinusoidal cold atmospheric plasma jets

Pulsed excitation of cold atmospheric plasmas is commonly believed to offer valuable benefits compared to the mainstream sinusoidal excitation. However, direct comparison of pulsed and sinusoidal atmospheric plasmas remains few, if any, thus casting an uncertainty of whether pulsed excitation facilitates any significant advantage. In this letter, we report a comparison study of pulsed and sinusoidal cold atmospheric plasma jets through electrical characterization, gas temperature measurement, and optical detection of reactive plasma species. An example of pulsed excitation is shown to reduce the electrical energy consumption by a factor of 12 for producing the same amount of oxygen atoms

A Study of Labour Force Flows 1961-80. Quarterly Economic Commentary Special Article, May 1982

A Study of Labour Force Flows

Genetic Variants of Milk Proteins - Relevance to Milk Composition and Cheese Production.

End of Project ReportObjectives: (i) to develop rapid screening procedures for the determination of milk protein polymorphism (genetic variants) (ii) to determine the frequency distribution of milk protein genetic variants in a large population of Irish Holstein-Friesians and to determine if there was an association between κ-casein variant and milk yield and composition in this group of animals, and (iii) to make Cheddar and low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella cheese from different κ-casein genetic variant milks and to assess any effect on cheese yield, composition and functional characteristics. Conclusions:Analysis of 6,007 individual Irish Holstein-Friesian milks showed that the phenotype distribution of the κ-casein BB variant was very low at 1.98% compared to 53.07% for κ-casein AA and 44.95% for κ-casein AB. While no statistically significant associations were observed between κ-casein variant and milk yield and composition, κ-casein BB variant milks had superior rennet coagulation properties to that of the AA or AB variants. Generally, κ-casein variant had little effect on compositional attributes of cheese apart from FDM (fat in dry matter) which was significantly higher in cheeses from κ-casein BB milk than in those from κ-casein AA milk. Generally, κ-casein variant had no significant effects on either primary or secondary proteolysis, or on the sensory and/or textural characteristics of Cheddar or Mozzarella cheese throughout ripening; or on the functional characteristics (e.g. flow and stretch) of baked Mozzarella on storage for 90 days at 4°C. However, κ-casein BB variant milk gave significantly higher actual, and moisture adjusted yields of Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese than either κ-casein AB or AA variant milks. For example, the moisture adjusted Cheddar yield from κ-casein BB milk was 8.2% higher than from κ-casein AA milk. In the case of Mozzarella, the moisture adjusted yield was 12% higher. Based on the results, it is estimated that the actual yield of cheese in a plant producing 20,000 tonnes per year from κ-casein AA milk would increase to approximately 21,180 tonnes of Cheddar, or 21,780 tonnes of Mozzarella if made from κ-casein BB milk. Where κ-casein AB milk is used instead of κ-casein BB milk, the estimated yield of Mozzarella would increase to 21,580 tonnes.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

The ionized nebula surrounding the red supergiant W26 in Westerlund 1

We present Hα images of an ionized nebula surrounding the M2-5Ia red supergiant (RSG) W26 in the massive star cluster Westerlund 1. The nebula consists of a circumstellar shell or ring ∼0.1 pc in diameter and a triangular nebula ∼0.2 pc from the star that in high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope images shows a complex filamentary structure. The excitation mechanism of both regions is unclear since RSGs are too cool to produce ionizing photons and we consider various possibilities. The presence of the nebula, high stellar luminosity and spectral variability suggests that W26 is a highly evolved RSG experiencing extreme levels of mass-loss. As the only known example of an ionized nebula surrounding an RSG W26 deserves further attention to improve our understanding of the final evolutionary stages of massive stars

The impacts of evening events in zoos: a Christmas event at Knowsley Safari

It is important to examine the animal welfare implications of all aspects of zoo operations, including out-of-hours public events. Research to date has indicated variable responses across species and event types. The current research aimed to understand and quantify the impact of a Christmas lights event. Four species: Rothschild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi; n = 2) in one exhibit and capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris; n = 4), lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris; n = 3) and vicuña (Lama vicugna; n = 5) in a mixed species exhibit were observed. Data were collected from 16:00–20:00 between 28 October 2021 and 11 January 2022. The event ran from mid-November to the end of December 2021. Five-minute behavioural observations were undertaken once per hour using instantaneous scan sampling with a one-minute inter-scan interval. A further six days of 12 h observations were conducted to enable a more detailed investigation post-event. Data collected were compared on non-event and event days using Mann–Whitney U tests (event vs. non-event) and Kruskal–Wallis tests (pre-event, event, post-event periods). Kruskal–Wallis tests and one-way ANOVAs were undertaken to compare behaviours during three time periods (12:00–16:00, 16:00–20:00, 20:00–00:00) over 12 h. Mixed behavioural responses were seen across the study species. Capybara spent more time in their house from 16:00–20:00 on event nights compared to non-event nights (p < 0.001) and tapir only engaged in vigilant behaviour from 16:00–20:00 when the event was held, (p = 0.044). There were no differences in frequency of behaviour between pre-event, event, and post-event observation periods, with the exception of capybara, who spent more time OOS in the pre-event period than during (p < 0.001) or after the event (p < 0.001). The results of the project, undertaken as part of an evidence-based management programme, highlighted that the event did not have any overtly negative impacts on the individuals studied. Except for the giraffe, all individuals had free access to inside and outside environments, and it is believed this choice enabled animals to be active in managing their response to the event. It is recommended that future work observe animals over 24 h to understand whether events lead to behavioural changes the day after events or if animals reverted to normal activity once the event ended

3D-Spectroscopy of extragalactic planetary nebulae as diagnostic probes for galaxy evolution

In addition to study extragalactic stellar populations in their integrated light, the detailed analysis of individual resolved objects has become feasible, mainly for luminous giant stars and for extragalactic planetary nebulae (XPNe) in nearby galaxies. A recently started project at the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam (AIP), called ``XPN--Physics'', aims to verify if XPNe are useful probes to measure the chemical abundances of their parent stellar population. The project involves theoretical and observational work packages.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Sciences Perspectives for 3D Spectroscopy. ESO Astrophysics Symposia. Edited by M.Kissler-Patig, M.M. Roth and J.R. Wals