Imprints of a Primordial Preferred Direction on the Microwave Background

Rotational invariance is a well-established feature of low-energy physics. Violations of this symmetry must be extremely small today, but could have been larger in earlier epochs. In this paper we examine the consequences of a small breaking of rotational invariance during the inflationary era when the primordial density fluctuations were generated. Assuming that a fixed-norm vector picked out a preferred direction during the inflationary era, we explore the imprint it would leave on the cosmic microwave background anisotropy, and provide explicit formulas for the expected amplitudes $$ of the spherical-harmonic coefficients. We suggest that it is natural to expect that the imprint on the primordial power spectrum of a preferred spatial direction is approximately scale-invariant, and examine a simple model in which this is true.Comment: 7 pages, no figures; v5: Corrections, as well as use of more standard convention, in section I

Music Therapists’ Experience with Resistance in an Inpatient Psychiatric Setting

This phenomenological research study examined music therapists’ experiences with resistance as it occurred with patients in the context of inpatient psychiatric care in the New York City area.While there are many definitions of resistance in the previously published literature on the subject, participants were asked to recount their experiences of resistance without reference to a specific definition: their responses are based on an individual interpretation of the phenomenon. While there are notable studies on music therapy and resistance, there have been few studies on resistance in the context of inpatient psychiatric care. The following research questions were addressed in this study: When music therapists encounter resistance in the inpatient psychiatric setting, what is it like for them? How do music therapists manage and utilize resistance in an inpatient psychiatric setting (musically and otherwise)? The method that was employed to examine the therapists’ experience consisted of four in-depth interviews conducted in person by the researcher. All interviews were audio-recorded, and transcribed to text. The resulting transcriptions were then subjected to editing and cross-case analysis, in which the researcher coded the data and identified 23 emerging themes. An essential description of the phenomenon was drawn. Some examples of the findings were the therapists’ descriptions of encountering resistance, the ways that they worked with their resistant patients, and the outcomes that they attributed to their strategies. The implications for the findings of this study may 1) provide students, music therapists, and clinicians in related fields with additional resources and insight into a process for effective music therapy practice, 2) inform students in these disciplines respective to clinical training, and 3) improve the quality of services to the clients who are served by music therapy and its related disciplines

Biologic activity in a fragment of recombinant human interferon α

To attempt to locate functionally important regions of the interferon (IFN) molecule, recombinant human IFN-α2 was subjected to proteolytic digestion. The bacterial proteinase thermolysin produced two major complementary fragments, HuIFN-α2-(1-110) and HuIFN-α2-(111-153). After reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol and separation of the two major fragments on NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, antiviral activity persisted in the larger, Mr 12,000, fragment consisting of the amino-terminal 110 amino acids

What is the best initial treatment for venous stasis ulcers?

The mainstay of initial treatment of venous stasis ulcers is compression therapy (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, systematic review of randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Multicomponent compression therapy is slightly superior to single-component therapy (SOR: B, systematic review of RCTs with inconsistent results). The various types of dressings available for managing venous stasis ulcers are similarly efficacious (SOR: A, systematic review of RCTs). Systemic therapies such as aspirin (SOR: B, single RCT) and pentoxifylline (SOR: A, systematic review of RCTs) improve healing rates whereas antibiotics don't (SOR: A, systematic review of RCTs). Cadexomer iodine, a topical antiseptic, improves ulcer healing but may not be feasible in most clinical settings because of the frequent dressing changes required (SOR: B, single RCT)

Testing Seams for use in Apparel Designed for Protection Against Steam

While developing apparel with semi-permeable fabric systems that are able to withstand hazards invoked by steam it is critical to examine the seams. Seams are the ubiquitous part of apparel where two or more fabric pieces are joined by stitching, thermal bonding, stapling or adhering (ASTM D7722-11)

Surviving the Information Explosion: How People Find Their Electronic Information

We report on a study of how people look for information within email, files, and the Web. When locating a document or searching for a specific answer, people relied on their contextual knowledge of their information target to help them find it, often associating the target with a specific document. They appeared to prefer to use this contextual information as a guide in navigating locally in small steps to the desired document rather than directly jumping to their target. We found this behavior was especially true for people with unstructured information organization. We discuss the implications of our findings for the design of personal information management tools