Modelling and forecasting UK public finances

In this paper, we present a new model of UK public finances which aims to shed light on recent problems of forecasting the PSBR. The main elements of public spending are treated as endogenous variables which rise in line with GDP over the medium term. Also, the cyclical response of public borrowing to rises in the level of economic activity is more muted when growth is export-led than when it is consumer-led. These two features go a long way towards explaining the rapid deterioration of public finances in the early 1990s and the slow pace of improvement since 1993.

Work-related stress induced Takotsubo cardiomyopathy

Aim: To report a case of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy secondary to a verbal altercation in an employee who presented with chest pain. Methods: The clinical history was obtained from the patient’s occupational health record and correspondence from her treating cardiologist. Results: The patient was diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy following investigations for chest pain. Her echocardiogram was diagnostic. She was treated with beta blockers and advised to have complete rest; she remained out of work for six months. Conclusion: There are few published cases of work related Takotsubo cardiomyopathy; it poses a challenge to physicians to be cognisant of this condition in a case of chest pain following emotional turmoil

Patient attitudes to sternotomy and thoracotomy scars

Young adults with congenital heart defects expressed dissatisfaction with their surgical scar. The impact extended to their social life and ability to form close relationships, and has implications for holistic practice. Presented at Association for European Paediatric Cardiology conference in Munich

P- and S- wave velocities of consolidated sediments from a seafloor seismic survey in the North Celtic Sea Basin, offshore Ireland

A geophysical survey was conducted over a hydrocarbon prospect in the North Celtic Sea Basin using a small array of ocean-bottom seismographs (OBSs). The purpose of this study was to determine the ratio of (P) compressional- to (S) shear-wave velocity of consolidated sedimentary rocks in order to constrain possible subsurface variations in pore-fluid content. The ratio of VP and VS- is known to be particularly sensitive to lithology, porosity and pore-fluid content, making it a useful parameter for evaluating hydrocarbon prospects. OBSs offer a relatively cheap and time-effective means of acquiring multi-component data compared with ocean-bottom cables. In this contribution, we demonstrate the ability of an OBS survey comprising three pairs of two OBSs spaced at 1.6 km to recover lateral variations in the VP/VS ratio. A key requirement of this type of study is that S-waves will be generated by mode conversions in the subsurface, since they cannot be generated in nor travel through fluids. In this survey, the contrast in physical properties of the hard seabed of the North Celtic Sea Basin provided a means of generating converted S-waves. Two-dimensional ray-tracing and forward modeling was used to create both VP and VS models along a profile crossing the Blackrock prospect in the North Celtic Sea Basin. These models comprise four layers and extend to a maximum depth of 1.1 km. The observed northward decrease in the VP/VS ratio at depths of 500-1000 m below the seafloor in the study area is interpreted to represent lateral variation in the amount of gas present in the pore space of Upper Cretaceous chalks and shales overlying the prospective reservoir

Beam shaping using Gaussian beam modes

A beam shaping method is presented where a diffractive optical element (DOE) is designed by optimizing the complex mode coefficient weights of a set of Gaussian beam modes. This method is compared with the more standard unidirectional approach. Differential evolution is used for the optimization in both the unidirectional and Gaussian beam mode optimization methods. For the particular transforms carried out, the Gaussian beam mode set optimization (GBMSO) approach achieved more optimal solutions. The GBMSO approach is extended to design DOEs that control the amplitude distribution of a beam at multiple planes, rather than at just a single plane (i.e., the far field)

Electromagnetic Field Waves

Abstract: Standing half wave particles at light speed twice in expansion-contraction comprise a static universe where two transverse fields 90° out of phase are the square of distance from each other. The universe has a static concept of time since the infinite universe is a static universe without a beginning or end. The square of distance is a point of reversal in expansion-contraction between the fields as a means to conserve energy. Photons on expansion in the electric field create matter energy while photons on contraction in the magnetic field create light energy and gravitational pull toward the higher frequency energy. Also, the universe with matter has a moving physical concept of time from gravitational pull on expansion-contraction

Origin of Matter and Time

Abstract: Standing half wave particles at light speed twice in expansion-contraction comprise a static universe where two transverse fields 90° out of phase are the square of distance from each other. The universe has a static concept of time since the infinite universe is a static universe without a beginning or end. The square of distance is a point of reversal in expansion-contraction between the fields as a means to conserve energy. Photons on expansion in the electric field create matter energy while photons on contraction in the magnetic field create light energy and gravitational pull toward the higher frequency energy. Also, the universe with matter has a moving physical concept of time from gravitational pull on expansion-contraction