A case of pleural mesothelioma with effusive-constrictive pericarditis.

A case report is presented of pleural mesothelioma with simultaneous development of benign effusive-constrictive pericarditis

Soliton form factors from lattice simulations

The form factor provides a convenient way to describe properties of topological solitons in the full quantum theory, when semiclassical concepts are not applicable. It is demonstrated that the form factor can be calculated numerically using lattice Monte Carlo simulations. The approach is very general and can be applied to essentially any type of soliton. The technique is illustrated by calculating the kink form factor near the critical point in 1+1-dimensional scalar field theory. As expected from universality arguments, the result agrees with the exactly calculable scaling form factor of the two-dimensional Ising model.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; v2: discussion extended, references added, version accepted for publication in PR

Impact and Implementation of an Early Years Fundamental Motor Skills Intervention for Children 4–5 Years

Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are the cornerstone of a child’s motor development, but concerns remain on the current level of FMS competencies, and intervention is required. This evaluation investigated if a targeted Early Years FMS intervention, delivered by a specialist physical education (PE) provider, improved the FMS of 4–5-year-old children across multiple sites. Methods: The Early Years FMS intervention ran for 18 weeks, 1 h/week, using a standardised programme of activities to develop FMS competencies across 219 children from 15 schools in the Midlands, UK. An adapted assessment was employed as a measure of FMS, assessing locomotor, object control, and stability skills at weeks 1, 9, and 18. The FMS were each rated as green = competent, amber = working towards, or red = not meeting the standards of the skill. A description of key programme implementation characteristics was described. Findings: Statistically significant increases in FMS competencies were achieved for 80% of participants at 18 weeks. Key implementation characteristics for the intervention included consistent staffing, a standardised programme, and a variety of pedagogical approaches delivered by specialist PE staff. Conclusion: This evaluation provided important insights into the effectiveness and implementation of the Early Years FMS intervention to improve FMS competencies in children aged 4–5 years

A difference boosting neural network for automated star-galaxy classification

In this paper we describe the use of a new artificial neural network, called the difference boosting neural network (DBNN), for automated classification problems in astronomical data analysis. We illustrate the capabilities of the network by applying it to star galaxy classification using recently released, deep imaging data. We have compared our results with classification made by the widely used Source Extractor (SExtractor) package. We show that while the performance of the DBNN in star-galaxy classification is comparable to that of SExtractor, it has the advantage of significantly higher speed and flexibility during training as well as classification.Comment: 9 pages, 1figure, 7 tables, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Infrared observations of the gravitational lens system B1422 + 231

Images of the multiple-component radio source B1422 + 231 at 2.2 μm show the structure of this source to be essentially the same at radio and infrared frequencies. The most natural explanation for this achromatic structure is gravitational lensing

Using the Delphi Technique to Determine Which Outcomes to Measure in Clinical Trials: Recommendations for the Future Based on a Systematic Review of Existing Studies

Ian Sinha and colleagues advise that when using the Delphi process to develop core outcome sets for clinical trials, patients and clinicians be involved, researchers and facilitators avoid imposing their views on participants, and attrition of participants be minimized

Wheat potential yield trials - 79KA17 D. Hall, Beaufort River - 79WH32 Wongan Hills Research Station

COMMENTS 1. No insect problems experienced and broadleaf weeds effectively controlled by spraying. Septoria· leaf spot incidence insufficient to affect yields. 2. Little effect of time of planting on either total dry matter or grain yield. Crop received about 70% of the average May-October rainfall with a very dry September-October. Perhaps the distribution of rainfall allowed a similar pattern of water use, and total water use by each planting time. 3. There is probably a significant effect of Nitrogen regime on grain yield. Osmocote (N3) consistently yielded more than either single (N1) or repeated (N2) dressings of Agran 34:0. The continuous source was most effective in increasing grain numbers/m2 but only reduced grain weights slightly ~ compared to N1. Repeated (N2) applications although increasing grain numbers above N1, led to much reduced grain weights. The single application (N1) although producing the lowest grain numbers had the highest grain weights. 4. Soil moisture levels were recorded throughout the trial and will be used with a water balance to attempt to explain the results