A parametric study to determine time-temperature-vacuum relationships for sterilization of terrestrial spores, phase 2 Summary report

Parametric study of time-temperature-vacuum relationships for terrestrial spore sterilizatio

Disseminated bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG): a cause of delirium in an older adult

Intra-vesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy is an effective treatment for high-risk bladder cancer. Less well known is that fewer than 1% of patients receiving BCG treatment can develop disseminated BCG. The reaction can range from a mild flu-like illness to a systemic disorder with a fulminant course which in the most severe cases can lead to death. The diagnostic yield is low and diagnosis is often made after a comprehensive exclusion of more common causes of pyrexia of unknown origin. A high level of suspicion is therefore required in those who may be at risk. We report a case of disseminated BCG in an older patient for whom early involvement of his family was pertinent to determining the precipitant for delirium

Christianity, paranormal belief and personality: a study among 13- to 16-year-old pupils in England and Wales

Studies concerning the changing landscapes of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of young people in England and Wales draw attention to decline in traditional religiosity and to growth in alternative spiritualities. The present study examined whether such alternative spiritualities occupy the same personality space as traditional religiosity. A sample of 2,950 13- to 16-year-old pupils attending 11 secondary schools in England and Wales completed the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity and an index of paranormal belief, alongside the abbreviated-form Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised. The data demonstrated that these two forms of belief were related in different ways to Eysenck's dimensional model of personality space. While attitude toward Christianity occupied the space defined by low psychoticism scores (tendermindedness) and high lie scale scores (social conformity), paranormal belief was related to high psychoticism scores (toughmindedness) and was independent of lie scale scores. These findings support the view that alternative spiritualities may be associated with different personalities

Multi-Qubit Systems: Highly Entangled States and Entanglement Distribution

A comparison is made of various searching procedures, based upon different entanglement measures or entanglement indicators, for highly entangled multi-qubits states. In particular, our present results are compared with those recently reported by Brown et al. [J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 38 (2005) 1119]. The statistical distribution of entanglement values for the aforementioned multi-qubit systems is also explored.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure

How to decarbonise international shipping: Options for fuels, technologies and policies

International shipping provides 80–90% of global trade, but strict environmental regulations around NOX, SOX and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are set to cause major technological shifts. The pathway to achieving the international target of 50% GHG reduction by 2050 is unclear, but numerous promising options exist. This study provides a holistic assessment of these options and their combined potential to decarbonise international shipping, from a technology, environmental and policy perspective. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is reaching mainstream and provides 20–30% CO2 reductions whilst minimising SOX and other emissions. Costs are favourable, but GHG benefits are reduced by methane slip, which varies across engine types. Biofuels, hydrogen, nuclear and carbon capture and storage (CCS) could all decarbonise much further, but each faces significant barriers around their economics, resource potentials and public acceptability. Regarding efficiency measures, considerable fuel and GHG savings could be attained by slow-steaming, ship design changes and utilising renewable resources. There is clearly no single route and a multifaceted response is required for deep decarbonisation. The scale of this challenge is explored by estimating the combined decarbonisation potential of multiple options. Achieving 50% decarbonisation with LNG or electric propulsion would likely require 4 or more complementary efficiency measures to be applied simultaneously. Broadly, larger GHG reductions require stronger policy and may differentiate between short- and long-term approaches. With LNG being economically feasible and offering moderate environmental benefits, this may have short-term promise with minor policy intervention. Longer term, deeper decarbonisation will require strong financial incentives. Lowest-cost policy options should be fuel- or technology-agnostic, internationally applied and will require action now to ensure targets are met by 2050

The Limited Role of Mutually Unbiased Product Bases in Dimension Six

We show that a complete set of seven mutually unbiased bases in dimension six, if it exists, cannot contain more than one product basis.Comment: 8 pages, identical to published versio

Affine Constellations Without Mutually Unbiased Counterparts

It has been conjectured that a complete set of mutually unbiased bases in a space of dimension d exists if and only if there is an affine plane of order d. We introduce affine constellations and compare their existence properties with those of mutually unbiased constellations, mostly in dimension six. The observed discrepancies make a deeper relation between the two existence problems unlikely.Comment: 8 page

Setting a precautionary catch limit for Antarctic krill

A revised precautionary catch limit for Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the Scotia Sea of 4 million tons was recently adopted by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The limit was based on a total biomass of 44.3 million tons, as estimated from an acoustic and net survey of krill across the Scotia Sea sector of the Southern Ocean, and a harvest rate of 9.1%, as determined from an analysis of the risks of exceeding defined conservation criteria. We caution, however, that before the fishery can expand to the 4-inillion-ton level it will be necessary to establish mechanisms to avoid concentration of fishing effort, particularly in proximity to colonies of land-breeding krill predators, and to consider the effects of krill immigrating into the region from multiple sources

Pediatric basic course goes virtual: transition from face to face to hybrid learning in pediatric critical care

Background: To explore the impact of the transition from a traditional face-to-face course delivering essential contents in pediatric critical care to a hybrid format consisting of an online pre-course self-directed learning, an online facilitated discussion, and a face-to-face edition. Methods: Attendees and faculty were surveyed after the face-to-face course and the hybrid version to evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction of participants with the course. Results: Fifty-seven students attended multiple formats of the Pediatric Basic Course between January 2020 and October 2021 in Udine, Italy. We compared course evaluation data from the 29 attendees of the face-to-face course with the 28 of the hybrid edition. Data collected included participant demographics, participant self-assessed pre and post-course ‘‘confidence’’ with a range of pediatric intensive care-related activities, and their satisfaction with elements of the course. There were no statistical differences in participant demographics or pre and post-course confidence scores. Overall satisfaction with the face-to-face course was marginally higher, 4.59 vs. 4.25/5, but did not reach significance. Pre-recorded lectures which could be viewed several times, were highlighted as a positive for the hybrid course. Residents found no significant differences comparing the two courses in rating the lectures and the technical skills stations. Hybrid course facilities (online platform and uploaded material) were reported to be clear, accessible, and valuable by 87% of attendees. After six months, they still find the course relevant to their clinical practice (75%). Candidates considered the respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation modules the most relevant modules. Conclusions: The Pediatric Basic Course helps residents strengthen their learning and identify areas to improve their knowledge. Both face-to-face and hybrid model versions of the course improved attendees’ knowledge and perceived confidence in managing the critically ill child