Review of Disability Estimates and Definitions: A study carried out on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions

This report presents findings of a review of survey estimates of the prevalence of disability in Britain and the definitions of disability used in government social surveys. The study examines the relative merits and methodological robustness of a variety of estimates of the prevalence of disability produced by surveys. The review involved: A technical review of the existing surveys and estimates; A consultation exercise involving key stakeholders and users of disability estimates to explore their views on measurement and definitional issues of disability; An exploration of what might be done to ensure consistency over time of estimates and definitions of disability in Great Britain

Global MHD simulation of flux transfer events at the high-latitude magnetopause observed by the cluster spacecraft and the SuperDARN radar system

A global magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulation is used to study the large-scale structure and formation location of flux transfer events (FTEs) in synergy with in situ spacecraft and ground-based observations. During the main period of interest on the 14 February 2001 from 0930 to 1100 UT the Cluster spacecraft were approaching the Northern Hemisphere high-latitude magnetopause in the postnoon sector on an outbound trajectory. Throughout this period the magnetic field, electron, and ion sensors on board Cluster observed characteristic signatures of FTEs. A few minutes delayed to these observations the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) system indicated flow disturbances in the conjugate ionospheres. These “two-point” observations on the ground and in space were closely correlated and were caused by ongoing unsteady reconnection in the vicinity of the spacecraft. The three-dimensional structures and dynamics of the observed FTEs and the associated reconnection sites are studied by using the Block-Adaptive-Tree-Solarwind-Roe-Upwind-Scheme (BATS-R-US) MHD code in combination with a simple open flux tube motion model (Cooling). Using these two models the spatial and temporal evolution of the FTEs is estimated. The models fill the gaps left by measurements and allow a “point-to-point” mapping between the instruments in order to investigate the global structure of the phenomenon. The modeled results presented are in good correlation with previous theoretical and observational studies addressing individual features of FTEs

Participation and quality of life outcomes among individuals with earthquake-related physical disability: a systematic review

Objective: A literature review to evaluate quality of life and participation outcomes of individuals with earthquake-related physical injury. Data sources: A systematic review was performed using National Health Service (NHS) Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL and AMED electronic databases were searched from 1966 to January 2014. Study selection: Studies that measured quality of life or participation outcomes among individuals who acquired a physical disability as a result of an earthquake injury were included, with no limits on research design. Data extraction: The search yielded 961 potentially relevant articles after removal of duplicates. Of these, only 8 articles met the inclusion criteria. Studies were rated for quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) guidelines. Data synthesis: A narrative synthesis was performed due to the heterogeneity of the included studies. Results: Injured earthquake survivors in developing countries experience diminished participation and reduced quality of life. Small sample sizes and lack of uniformity in outcome measurement limit generalizability. No studies from developed countries were identified. Conclusion: To maximize our understanding of quality of life and participation in injured earthquake survivors, future research should consider both the functional consequences of the injury and the environmental impact of the earthquake. The research should be based on representative samples of the injured earthquake survivors and use validated condition-specific outcome measures that are clearly defined within the publications. In addition, research should include all countries that are affected by earthquakes

Condensed Tannin Concentration and Herbage Accumulation of a White Clover Bred for Increased Floral Condensed Tannin

White clover is a high quality feed for ruminants, however, its high protein content results in excessive urea excretion in urine and can cause bloat, reducing its potential value for animal production. The condensed tannins (CT) in some forages can reduce these problems, but plants may have poor agronomic performance. White clover produces CT in its flower heads, but herbage CT concentrations are normally too low to benefit animals. This paper reports CT concentrations and herbage accumulation over 2 years of an experimental line of white clover (HT) selected for increased flowering and floral CT concentrations

High Floral Tannin White Clover Reduces Rumen Ammonia Concentrations in Dairy Cows

White clover produces high quality forage for ruminant production, but it results in high rumen ammonia concentrations, indicating extensive protein degradation. The excess ammonia is absorbed through the rumen and excreted as urea in urine, at a cost to the animal and the environment. Condensed tannins (CT) contained in some forages reduce proteolysis in the rumen, which can lead to increased amino acid absorption and therefore improved animal performance. White clover produces CT in its flower heads, but concentrations are normally too low to benefit animals. This paper reports on comparisons of rumen ammonia concentrations in dairy cows grazing HT (high tannin) white clover (an experimental line of white clover with increased flowering) or Grasslands Huia white clover

E-cadherin and cell adhesion: a role in architecture and function in the pancreatic islet

Background/Aims: The efficient secretion of insulin from beta-cells requires extensive intra-islet communication. The cell surface adhesion protein epithelial (E)-cadherin (ECAD) establishes and maintains epithelial tissues such as the islets of Langerhans. In this study, the role of ECAD in regulating insulin secretion from pseudoislets was investigated. Methods: The effect of an immuno-neutralising ECAD on gross morphology, cytosolic calcium signalling, direct cell-to-cell communication and insulin secretion was assessed by fura-2 microfluorimetry, Lucifer Yellow dye injection and insulin ELISA in an insulin-secreting model system. Results: Antibody blockade of ECAD reduces glucose-evoked changes in [Ca2+](i) and insulin secretion. Neutralisation of ECAD causes a breakdown in the glucose-stimulated synchronicity of calcium oscillations between discrete regions within the pseudoislet, and the transfer of dye from an individual cell within a cell cluster is attenuated in the absence of ECAD ligation, demonstrating that gap junction communication is disrupted. The functional consequence of neutralising ECAD is a significant reduction in insulin secretion. Conclusion: Cell adhesion via ECAD has distinct roles in the regulation of intercellular communication between beta-cells within islets, with potential repercussions for insulin secretion. Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

Observation of anomalous single-magnon scattering in half-metallic ferromagnets by chemical pressure control

Temperature variation of resistivity and specific heat have been measured for prototypical half-metallic ferromagnets, R_0.6Sr_0.4MnO_3, with controlling the one-electron bandwidth W. We have found variation of the temperature scalings in the resistivity from T^2 (R = La, and Nd) to T^3 (R = Sm), and have interpreted the $T^3-law in terms of the anomalous single-magnon scattering (AMS) process in the half-metallic system.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Lett., 3 pages + 4 EPS figure

Effects of Orbital Degeneracy and Electron Correlation on Charge Dynamics in Perovskite Manganese Oxides

Taking the orbital degeneracy of $e_g$ conduction bands and the Coulomb interaction into account in a double-exchange model, we investigate charge dynamics of perovskite Mn oxides by the Lancz$\ddot{\rm o}$s diagonalization method. In the metallic phase near the Mott insulator, it is found that the optical conductivity for a spin-polarized two-dimensional system exhibits a weight transfer to a broad and incoherent structure within the lower-Hubbard band together with a suppressed Drude weight. It reproduces qualitative feature of the experimental results. As an orbital effect, we find that an anomalous charge correlation at quarter filling suppresses the coherent charge dynamics and signals precursor to the charge ordering.Comment: 4 pages LaTeX including 3 PS figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp