Capabilities and limitations of the Jicamarca radar as an MST radar

The Jicamarca radar (Long. 76.52W, Lat. 11.56S), located at 20 km from Lima at approximately 500 meters over sea level, is surrounded by mountains which provide a good shield from man-made interference. The radio horizon goes from a few hundred meters, across the dry valley where it is located, to 15 km, along the valley in the direction of the continental divide. This limits the clutter to 15 km, except for one high peak at 21 km. It is the most equatorial of all existing MST radars. Its proximity to the Andes, makes its location unique for the study of lee waves and orographic-induced turbulence. Vertical as well as horizontal projections of MST velocities are obtained by simultaneously pointing with different sections of the antenna into three or four different directions. The transmitters, receivers, and systems for data acquisition, processing, and control are included

Simultaneous fine structure observation of wind and temperature profiles by the Arecibo 430-MHz radar and in situ measurements

A simultaneous campaign of balloon and radar measurements took place on March 14 to 16, 1984, above the Arecibo 430-MHz radar. This radar was operating with a vertical resolution of 150 m following two antenna beam directions: 15 deg. from the zenith, respectively, in the N-S and E-W directions. The main results concerning the comparison between the flight and simultaneous radar measurements obtained on March 15, 1984 are analyzed. The radar return power profile (S/N ratio in dB) exhibits maxima which are generally well correlated with step-like structures in the potential temperature profile. These structures are generally considered as the consequence of the mixing processes induced by the turbulence. A good correlation appears in the altitude range 12.5 to 19 km between wind shears induced by a wave structure observed in the meridional wind and the radar echo power maxima. This wave structure is characterized by a vertical wavelength of about 2.5 km, and a period in the range 30 to 40 hours. These characteristics are deduced from the twice daily rawinsonde data launched from the San Juan Airport by the National Weather Service. These results pointed out an example of the interaction between wave and turbulence in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Turbulent layers are observed at locations where wind shears related to an internal inertia-gravity wave are maxima

Responses to concerns about child maltreatment: a qualitative study of GPs in England

To provide a rich description of current responses to concerns related to child maltreatment among a sample of English general practitioners (GPs)

Bound on Lorentz- and CPT-Violating Boost Effects for the Neutron

A search for an annual variation of a daily sidereal modulation of the frequency difference between co-located ${}^{129}$Xe and ${}^{3}$He Zeeman masers sets a stringent limit on boost-dependent Lorentz and CPT violation involving the neutron, consistent with no effect at the level of 150 nHz. In the framework of the general Standard-Model Extension, the present result provides the first clean test for the fermion sector of the symmetry of spacetime under boost transformations at a level of $10^{-27}$ GeV.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Topical steroid therapy for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE): a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: Current guidelines recommend topical steroids as first-line treatment for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). However, the evidence for this approach has been inconsistent in earlier reports. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify the efficacy of topical steroid treatment in active EoE using updated evidence. METHODS: CENTRAL, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to May 2014 that compared topical steroids with control treatments for active EoE. Study bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Tool, and outcomes were pooled using random effects models. The primary outcome was the mean change in eosinophil counts. Secondary outcomes were symptom responses and adverse events. RESULTS: In total, seven RCTs (226 patients) were included. Topical steroids were associated with a significant reduction in esophageal mucosal eosinophil counts compared with control therapy although substantial heterogeneity between studies was observed (weighted mean difference (WMD) −27.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) − 45.3 to −9.1, I2=56.2%). Subgroup analysis indicated the reduction in eosinophil counts was only present in studies where a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) trial was used to exclude other diagnoses (WMD −46.3, 95% CI − 61.3 to − 31.4, I2=0.0%). Subdivision of studies on the use of a PPI trial also accounted for the majority of heterogeneity among RCTs. No clear trends in symptom resolution were observed. Eleven out of 127 patients who received topical steroids developed asymptomatic esophageal candidiasis. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide updated high-quality evidence that support current guidelines for first-line EoE treatment with topical steroids after an initial PPI trial to exclude non-EoE pathologies (PROSPERO ID: CRD42014008828).Ming-yu (Anthony) Chuang, Mohamed A. Chinnaratha, David G. Hancock, Richard Woodman, Geoffrey R. Wong, Charles Cock, and Robert JL. Frase

Towards quality control in cancer chemotherapy.

A survey of all hospital pharmacies in the former North Western Regional Health Authority has revealed that hospital personnel continue to prepare cytotoxic drugs in suboptimal conditions, despite the widespread introduction of pharmacy cytotoxic reconstitution services. Other concerns include the lack of formal training for medical staff in the administration of these agents and the frequent absence of written procedures for dealing with extravasation and chemotherapy errors

A typology of longitudinal integrated clerkships

Context Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) represent a model of the structural redesign of clinical education that is growing in the USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa. By contrast with time‐limited traditional block rotations, medical students in LICs provide comprehensive care of patients and populations in continuing learning relationships over time and across disciplines and venues. The evidence base for LICs reveals transformational professional and workforce outcomes derived from a number of small institution‐specific studies. Objectives This study is the first from an international collaborative formed to study the processes and outcomes of LICs across multiple institutions in different countries. It aims to establish a baseline reference typology to inform further research in this field. Methods Data on all LIC and LIC‐like programmes known to the members of the international Consortium of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships were collected using a survey tool developed through a Delphi process and subsequently analysed. Data were collected from 54 programmes, 44 medical schools, seven countries and over 15 000 student‐years of LIC‐like curricula. Results Wide variation in programme length, student numbers, health care settings and principal supervision was found. Three distinct typological programme clusters were identified and named according to programme length and discipline coverage: Comprehensive LICs; Blended LICs, and LIC‐like Amalgamative Clerkships. Two major approaches emerged in terms of the sizes of communities and types of clinical supervision. These referred to programmes based in smaller communities with mainly family physicians or general practitioners as clinical supervisors, and those in more urban settings in which subspecialists were more prevalent. Conclusions Three distinct LIC clusters are classified. These provide a foundational reference point for future studies on the processes and outcomes of LICs. The study also exemplifies a collaborative approach to medical education research that focuses on typology rather than on individual programme or context

Differences in chronic conditions and lifestyle behaviour between people with a history of cancer and matched controls

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether people with a history of cancer have a higher prevalence of chronic conditions or different lifestyle behaviour compared with controls.  DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional, self-reported data from a telephone survey conducted between 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2012 of adult residents of South Australia who self-reported a previous cancer diagnosis (cases) and randomly selected age- and sex-matched residents with no cancer diagnosis (controls).  MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported medically diagnosed cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes and osteoporosis; lifestyle behaviour (smoking, physical activity and diet); body mass index (BMI); psychological distress and self-reported health.  RESULTS: A total of 2103 cases and 4185 controls were included in the analyses. For men, after adjusting for age, cancer survivors were more likely than controls to have ever had cardiovascular disease (P<0.001), high blood pressure (P=0.001), high cholesterol (P<0.001) and diabetes (P=0.04). These associations remained significant after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES), with the exception of high blood pressure (P=0.09). For women, there was an increased prevalence of high cholesterol (P=0.005), diabetes (P=0.02) and osteoporosis (P=0.005) in cancer cases, but after adjusting for SES, these associations were no longer significant. Women with a previous cancer diagnosis were more likely than controls to have ever smoked, after adjusting for SES (P=0.001). There were no other differences in lifestyle behaviour or BMI between cases and controls for men or women.  CONCLUSION: Despite similar lifestyle habits and BMI, the prevalence of chronic conditions was significantly higher among people with a history of cancer than among controls without cancer. This supports the importance of chronic disease management as part of health care after a diagnosis of cancer

Environmental Hazard Analysis - a Variant of Preliminary Hazard Analysis for Autonomous Mobile Robots

© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. Robot manufacturers will be required to demonstrate objectively that all reasonably foreseeable hazards have been identified in any robotic product design that is to be marketed commercially. This is problematic for autonomous mobile robots because conventional methods, which have been developed for automatic systems do not assist safety analysts in identifying non-mission interactions with environmental features that are not directly associated with the robot’s design mission, and which may comprise the majority of the required tasks of autonomous robots. In this paper we develop a new variant of preliminary hazard analysis that is explicitly aimed at identifying non-mission interactions by means of new sets of guidewords not normally found in existing variants. We develop the required features of the method and describe its application to several small trials conducted at Bristol Robotics Laboratory in the 2011–2012 period