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Summary: Nephrosplenic entrapment is a commonly diagnosed cause of acute colic that may be corrected using surgical or non‐surgical methods and has a good prognosis for survival. Intravenous administration of phenylephrine at doses ranging from 20–60 μg/kg given over 5–15 min often followed by forced exercise, various rolling techniques under general anaesthesia, or a combination of therapies has been reported. Correction of the entrapment via exploratory celiotomy may be challenging in certain cases and is hampered by marked splenic enlargement. The case report by Loomes and Anderson (2019) in this issue described a novel method of reducing the size of the spleen by direct intra‐splenic injection of phenylephrine, in a case non‐responsive to intravenous phenylephrine administration, which facilitated surgical correction of the nephrosplenic entrapment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the laparoscopic transection of restrictive bands of the mesosalpinx as a useful adjunct to the topical application of prostaglandin E2 to treat mares with suspected uterine tubal blockage. Methods: A standard left flank laparoscopic approach was made to the abdomen using three laparoscopic portals. If restrictive bands of the mesosalpinx were observed traversing the uterine tube perpendicularly, they were carefully transected and 1 mg of prostaglandin E2 was then applied to the external surface of the uterine tube. Skin incisions were closed with surgical staples and the procedure was repeated on the right uterine tube. Results: Nine Thoroughbred mares suspected of uterine tubal blockage were treated. The treated mares had been barren for 1.8 years on average (range: 1–5 years). The overall postoperative conception rate in treated mares was 89% (8/9 mares). The mean number of mated oestrus cycles before pregnancy in the eight mares that conceived was 1.9 ± 1.6. These mares had been bred on average 6.2 ± 1.9 cycles without becoming pregnant prior to surgery. Conclusion: Transection of restrictive bands of the mesosalpinx is easily performed as an adjunctive procedure to laparoscopic‐guided application of prostaglandin E2 to the uterine tube. The procedure does not appear to have any detrimental effects on fertility and may improve fertility in a particular subset of mares with complicated uterine tubal disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This case report is the first published description of a minimally invasive transurethral endoscopic‐guided approach to repair multiple bladder tears in a standing mare. The mare was diagnosed with a ruptured bladder 48 h post‐partum based on clinical signs, transabdominal ultrasonography, serum and peritoneal fluid analysis, and cystoscopy. Under sedation and epidural anaesthesia and with cystoscopic visualisation, two bladder tears were sutured using an articulating endoscopic suturing device. The device was placed transurethrally and a simple continuous pattern of 2‐0 braided lactomer used to close two full‐thickness tears. The surgery time was 50 min and no complications were encountered. Cystoscopy 60 days post‐operatively confirmed complete healing of the tears and no evidence of urolithiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium (Mg) supplementation has shown to modulate the stress responses to transport in other species. An experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of Mg for alleviating stress associated with road transportation in lambs. Two groups (n =18 each) of 4-month old male crossbred lambs (24 ± 4.5 kg) were fed a basal diet comprising oaten hay, pellets and barley, that contained 0.17% Mg. One group was supplemented with magnesium oxide, such that dietary Mg was 0.41%. At the end of the 2-week supplementation period, the lambs were transported by road for 8 h. Blood samples were collected before supplementation, 1 h before transport, within 0.5 h post-transport, at 2 h post-transport and 5 days post-transport. Data were analysed using a repeated-measure analysis of variance and linear mixed model with treatment within time interaction. Supplementation with dietary Mg in the form of MgO increased serum Mg concentrations (1.16 mmol/L ± 0.012, compared with 1.09 mmol/L ± 0.013 in the control group; P < 0.05), but had no effect on alleviating stress during transportation. Transport resulted in a significant increase in serum cortisol, which returned to pre-transport levels 2 h after transport. The serum β-hydroxybutyrate was significantly higher 5 days after transport. The post-transport average feed intake and the average daily gain were significantly lower than pre-transport values, suggesting that the stress of transportation resulted in a decrease in feed intake post-transport, which could have implications on liveweight gain of animals after transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The light reflected from many scarab beetles is strongly circularly polarized, a phenomenon that may be unique in nature. Approximately 1500 genera and more than 19 000 species/subspecies of scarab beetles (Scarabaeoidea) in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London, were surveyed with circularly polarizing filters to assess how widespread this effect is and how it relates to colour patterns in the individuals concerned. Over 1100 measurements were made of the strength of the circular polarization, in some cases registering 97%. Circular polarization had been previously described from five subfamilies of Scarabaeidae and, in the present study, was found in three further subfamilies: Phaenomeridinae, Dynastinae and Euchirinae, as well as in the subfamily Ceratocanthinae of the family Hybosoridae, comprising the first records outside the Scarabaeidae. The results may have implications for the taxonomy of the group, for visual discrimination, and for the behaviour of the species themselves. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100, 585–596. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the first detection of X-ray emission from a brown dwarf in the Pleiades, the M7-type Roque 14, obtained using the EPIC detectors on XMM–Newton. This is the first X-ray detection of a brown dwarf intermediate in age between ≈12 and ≈320 Myr. The emission appears persistent, although we cannot rule out flare-like behaviour with a decay time-scale >4 ks. The time-averaged X-ray luminosity of and its ratios with the bolometric and luminosities suggest magnetic activity similar to that of active main-sequence M dwarfs, such as the M7 old-disc star VB 8, although the suspected binary nature of Roque 14 merits further attention. No emission is detected from four proposed later-type Pleiades brown dwarfs, with upper limits to LX in the range and to log ( LX/ Lbol) in the range −3.10 to −2.91. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Background The aim of the study was to identify all patients who presented with oesophagogastric malignancy within a single National Health Service region (Wales) over 1 year, and to follow the cohort for 5 years. Management and outcome were analysed to identify current practice and draft guidelines for Wales. Methods Patients were identified from hospital records. Details were recorded in structured format for analysis. Results Analysable data were obtained for 910 of 916 patients. The overall incidence was 31·4 per 100 000 population. Treatment was by resection 298 (33 per cent), palliation 397 (44 per cent) or no treatment 215 (24 per cent). The 30-day mortality rate was 12 per cent and the in-hospital mortality rate was 13 per cent. Some 226 patients (25 per cent) were alive at 2 years. Resection conferred a significant survival advantage over palliation (P < 0·001) and no treatment. Anastomotic leakage occurred in 16 patients (5 per cent), of whom eight died in hospital. ‘Open and close’ operations were common (23 per cent), laparoscopy was infrequent (16 per cent), and many surgeons undertook small caseloads. Operating on fewer than six patients per year increased the mortality rate after partial gastrectomy (P < 0·05) and was associated with a trend to a higher mortality rate after mediastinal and cardia surgery. Operating on more than 70 per cent of patients seen resulted in a significantly higher mortality rate (P < 0·01) irrespective of case volume. Conclusion Tumour resection conferred a survival advantage. Wider use of laparoscopy is advocated. Improved selection for surgery should result in a lower mortality rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using deep exposures (∼10[sup 5] s) with the ROSAT High Resolution Imager, we have performed flux-limited surveys for X-ray sources in the vicinity of the Hyades-age open stellar clusters NGC 6633 and IC 4756, detecting 31 and 13 sources, respectively. Our primary aim is to search for so-far unrecognized cluster members. We propose identifications or classifications (cluster member, field star, extragalactic field object) for the X-ray sources, based on published membership lists, and on X-ray:optical flux ratios and optical colour–magnitude diagrams. Results of simulating the expected X-ray-emitting source populations are compared with the ROSAT measurements and with the expected capabilities of the XMM mission. The simulations provide a novel method of comparing the activity levels of NGC 6633 and IC 4756 with that of the Hyades. The measurements and simulations confirm that cluster members are the major class of X-ray emitter in these fields at flux levels (0.1–2.4 keV), contributing ∼40 per cent of the total X-ray sources. We find six possible new members in NGC 6633 and four candidates in IC 4756; all require further observation to establish membership probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using an ultradeep JWST/MIRI image at 5.6 μ m in the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field, we constrain the role of strong H α emitters (HAEs) during "cosmic reionization" at z ≃ 7–8. Our sample of HAEs is comprised of young (<35 Myr) galaxies, except for one single galaxy (≈300 Myr), with low stellar masses (≲109 M ⊙). These HAEs show a wide range of rest-frame UV continuum slopes (β), with a median value of β = −2.15 ± 0.21, which broadly correlates with stellar mass. We estimate the ionizing photon production efficiency (ξ ion,0) of these sources (assuming f esc,LyC = 0%), which yields a median value log 10 (ξ ion , 0 / (Hz erg − 1)) = 25.50 − 0.12 + 0.10 . We show that ξ ion,0 positively correlates with H α equivalent width and specific star formation rate. Instead ξ ion,0 weakly anticorrelates with stellar mass and β. Based on the β values, we predict f esc , LyC = 4 % − 2 + 3 , which results in log 10 (ξ ion / (Hz erg − 1)) = 25.55 − 0.13 + 0.11 . Considering this and related findings from the literature, we find a mild evolution of ξ ion with redshift. Additionally, our results suggest that these HAEs require only modest escape fractions (f esc,rel) of 6%–15% to reionize their surrounding intergalactic medium. By only considering the contribution of these HAEs, we estimated their total ionizing emissivity ( N ̇ ion ) as N ̇ ion = 10 50.53 ± 0.45 s − 1 Mpc − 3 . When comparing their N ̇ ion with non-HAE galaxies across the same redshift range, we find that that strong, young, and low-mass emitters may have played an important role during cosmic reionization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SummaryBackground: In addition to studying the outcomes of surgery in terms of mortality and morbidity rates and performance, it is also important to consider how patients perceive the delivery of the service given to them. Methods: A patient satisfaction survey was carried out by the Surgical Epidemiology and Audit Unit of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, on patients undergoing surgical procedures by the Department of Surgery at Wrexham Maelor Hospital. No day cases were included in the study. Two hospitals in southern England (undergoing the same survey) designated X and Y were used for comparison. Results: Some 2000 questionnaires were sent out twice; 1666 subjects (83 per cent) responded to the first questionnaire and 1445 (87 per cent) of these responded to a second questionnaire 6 weeks later (overall response 72 per cent). A total of 35 per cent of patients were older than 65 years of age. Some 76 per cent of patients with a malignant condition were seen within 4 weeks of referral compared with 38 per cent of those with a benign condition (P < 0·0001). A total of 78 per cent of patients with cancer were admitted within 4 weeks compared with 84 and 88 per cent in hospitals X and Y. Some 23 per cent of patients were admitted as an emergency. Eighteen per cent of patients did not know who presented a consent form to them before surgery compared with 13 and 17 per cent in hospitals X and Y (P < 0·0001). Some 26 per cent of patients perceived that they had complications after surgery compared with 27 and 25 per cent for hospitals X and Y. A total of 35 per cent of patients did not receive a follow-up appointment and 20 per cent of these patients were unhappy about this. Two areas of major concern revealed by the responses were the lack of written information and the overall poor scores generally attained by the emergency admission ward. However, 94 per cent of patients said that they would return to the same consultant. Conclusion: Patients... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • New CFD-supported system-level model of a billboard-type sodium-cooled receiver. • Available correlations for the convective losses are inadequate in this case. • CFD is used to evaluate the convective losses needed by the system-level model. • The effects of both wind speed and direction on the losses are explained by CFD. • The resulting system-level model successfully simulates transient operation. Abstract This work focusses on the dynamic modeling of a sodium-cooled billboard-type receiver, as adopted in the reference plant of this study, the Jemalong Solar Thermal Station, in Australia. A detailed system-level thermal-fluid-dynamic model is developed in the OpenModelica framework, with the aim to predict the receiver behavior during transients, as well as its performance upon reaching steady-state conditions. The model solves the conjugate heat transfer problem relating conduction in the receiver pipes to the internal flow of sodium. The convective losses from the irradiated face of the receiver, due to the external flow of air, are calculated using empirical correlation available in literature for flat-plates and then carefully evaluated using 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), which allows taking into account the actual geometry of the receiver. The CFD results, considering different wind speeds and highlighting the cavity-like effects of the receiver geometry under consideration, are first compared with those obtained from empirical correlations available in the literature for vertical plates in the case of uniform temperature distribution on the absorber pipes, showing significant differences. Then an iterative coupling procedure with the system-level model of the same receiver is proposed, which facilitates handling of the more realistic case of a non-uniform temperature distribution. Finally, we present and discuss the successful benchmark in a simple case of the system-level model against another model from the literature, its preliminary validation against experimental data, and first applications to a fast start-up/passing cloud/shut-down transient and to a whole-day simulation with controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the potential of sodium receivers to increase the overall solar-to-electricity efficiency of central receiver solar power plants, also known as solar tower systems. It re-visits some of the key outcomes and conclusions from past sodium receiver experiments, in particular those at Sandia National Laboratories and Plataforma Solar de Almeria in the 1980s, and discusses some current development activities in the area. It also discusses research in sodium receivers with a liquid–vapour phase change (heat pipes and pool boilers), to explore whether technologies developed for dish-Stirling systems have applicability for solar tower systems. Lessons learnt from experience in the nuclear industry with liquid sodium systems are discussed in the context of safety risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A comprehensive review on standards for actively-cooled CPV and CPV-T systems is presented. Since these systems lack specific standardisation, this review concludes that the current standards, including the photovoltaic IEEE 1513 and IEC 62108, and the solar thermal EN-12975-2:2006 and ISO 9806-2:1995, are insufficient for qualifying these types of actively-cooled concentrator systems. Additional test specifications for adapting the IEC 62108 and EN-12975-2:2006 standards for actively-cooled CPV and CPV-T systems have been proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Australian National University (ANU) has worked for many years on paraboloidal dish solar concentrators and demonstrated a 400m2 system in 1994. The commercialization of this technology has involved a re-design of the Big Dish concept for mass production. The new design is a 500m2 concentrator with 13.4m focal length and altitude–azimuth tracking. It uses 380 identical spherical 1.17m×1.17m mirror panels, which incorporate the Glass-on-Metal Laminate mirrors. Construction of a first prototype on the ANU campus began in the first quarter of 2008. The first on sun test was carried out on 29 June 2009. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report on XMM–Newton observations of the young open cluster NGC 2547 which allow us to characterize coronal activity in solar-type stars, and stars of lower mass, at an age of 30 Myr. X-ray emission is seen from stars at all spectral types, peaking among G stars at luminosities (0.3–3 keV) of and declining to among M stars with masses . Coronal spectra show evidence for multi-temperature differential emission measures and low coronal metal abundances of . The G- and K-type stars of NGC 2547 follow the same relationship between X-ray activity and Rossby number established in older clusters and field stars, although most of the solar-type stars in NGC 2547 exhibit saturated or even supersaturated X-ray activity levels. The median levels of Lx and in the solar-type stars of NGC 2547 are very similar to those in T-Tauri stars of the Orion Nebula cluster (ONC), but an order of magnitude higher than in the older Pleiades. The spread in X-ray activity levels among solar-type stars in NGC 2547 is much smaller than in older or younger clusters. Coronal temperatures increase with and surface X-ray flux. The most active solar-type stars in NGC 2547 have coronal temperatures intermediate between those in the ONC and the most active older zero-age main-sequence (ZAMS) stars. We show that simple scaling arguments predict higher coronal temperature in coronally saturated stars with lower gravities. A number of candidate flares were identified among the low-mass members and a flaring rate [for total flare energies ] of one every was found for solar-type stars, which is similar to rates found in the ONC and Pleiades. Comparison with ROSAT High Resolution Imager (HRI) data taken 7 yr earlier reveals that only 10–15 per cent of solar-type stars or stars with exhibit X-ray variability by more than a factor of 2. This is comparable with clusters of similar age but less than in both older and younger clusters. The similar median levels of X-ray activity and rate of occurrence for large flares in NGC 2547 and the ONC demonstrate that the X-ray radiation environment around young solar-type stars remains relatively constant over their first 30 Myr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health and social care professionals are required to work together to deliver person-centered care. Professionals therefore find themselves making decisions within multidisciplinary teams. For educators, there has been a call to bring students from differing professions together to learn to enable more effective teamwork, interprofessional communication, and collaborative practice. This multidisciplinary working is complicated by the increasingly complex nature of ethical dilemmas that health and social care professionals face. It is therefore widely recognized that the teaching and learning of ethics within health and social care courses is valuable. In this paper, we briefly make the case in support of teaching and learning health and social care ethics through the medium of interprofessional education (IPE). The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance to educators intending to design ethics-orientated IPE for health and social care students. The guidance is based on the ongoing experiences of designing and implementing ethics-orientated IPE across five departments within two universities located in the North of England over a five-year period. Descriptions of the ethics-orientated IPE activities are included in the guide, along with key resources recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) are time variations in the energy emission during a flare that are observed on both the Sun and other stars and thus have the potential to link the physics of solar and stellar flares. Aims. We characterise the QPPs detected in an X-ray flare on the solar analogue, EK Draconis, which was observed by XMM-Newton. Methods. We used wavelet and autocorrelation techniques to identify the QPPs in a detrended version of the flare. We also fitted a model to the flare based on an exponential decay combined with a decaying sinusoid. The flare is examined in multiple energy bands. Results. A statistically significant QPP is observed in the X-ray energy band of 0.2–12.0 keV with a periodicity of 76 ± 2 min. When this energy band is split, a statistically significant QPP is observed in the low-energy band (0.2–1.0 keV) with a periodicity of 73 ± 2 min and in the high-energy band (1.0–12.0 keV) with a periodicity of 82 ± 2 min. When fitting a model to the time series the phases of the signals are also found to be significantly different in the two energy bands (with a difference of 1.8 ± 0.2 rad) and the high-energy band is found to lead the low-energy band. Furthermore, the first peak in the cross-correlation between the detrended residuals of the low- and high-energy bands is offset from zero by more than 3σ (4.1 ± 1.3 min). Both energy bands produce statistically significant regions in the wavelet spectrum, whose periods are consistent with those listed above. However, the peaks are broad in both the wavelet and global power spectra, with the wavelet showing evidence for a drift in period with time, and the difference in period obtained is not significant. The offset in the first peak in the cross-correlation of the detrended residuals of two non-congruent energy bands (0.5−1.0 keV and 4.5−12.0 keV) is found to be even larger (10 ± 2 min). However, the signal-to-noise in the higher of these two energy-bands, covering the range 4.5−12.0 keV, is low. Conclusions. The presence of QPPs similar to those observed on the Sun, and other stars, suggests that the physics of flares on this young solar analogue is similar to the physics of solar flares. It is possible that the differences in the QPPs detected in the two energy bands are seen because each band observes a different plasma structure. However, the phase difference, which differs more significantly between the two energy bands than the period, could also be explained in terms of the Neupert effect. This suggests that QPPs are caused by the modulation of the propagation speeds of charged particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will provide deep imaging and spectroscopy for sources at redshifts above 6, covering the entire Epoch of Reionization (EoR, 6 <  z <  10), and enabling the detailed exploration of the nature of the different sources during the first 1 Gyr of the history of the Universe. The Medium Resolution Spectrograph (MRS) of the mid-IR Instrument (MIRI) will be the only instrument on board JWST able to observe the brightest optical emission lines Hα and [OIII]0.5007 μm at redshifts above 7 and 9, respectively, providing key insights into the physical properties of sources during the early phases of the EoR. This paper presents a study of the Hα fluxes predicted by state-of-the-art FIRSTLIGHT cosmological simulations for galaxies at redshifts of 6.5–10.5, and its detectability with MIRI. Deep (40 ks) spectroscopic integrations with MRS will be able to detect (signal-to-noise ratio > 5) EoR sources at redshifts above 7 with intrinsic star formation rates (SFR) of more than 2 M⊙ yr−1, and stellar masses above 4–9 × 107M⊙. These limits cover the upper end of the SFR and stellar mass distribution at those redshifts, representing ∼6% and ∼1% of the predicted FIRSTLIGHT population at the 6.5–7.5 and 7.5–8.5 redshift ranges, respectively. In addition, the paper presents realistic MRS simulated observations of the expected rest-frame optical and near-infrared spectra for some spectroscopically confirmed EoR sources recently detected by ALMA as [OIII]88 μm emitters. The MRS simulated spectra cover a wide range of low metallicities from about 0.2–0.02 Z⊙, and different [OIII]88 μm/[OIII]0.5007 μm line ratios. The simulated 10 ks MRS spectra show S/N in the range of 5–90 for Hβ, [OIII]0.4959,0.5007 μm, Hα and HeI1.083 μm emission lines of the currently highest spectroscopically confirmed EoR (lensed) source MACS1149-JD1 at a redshift of 9.11, independent of metallicity. In addition, deep 40 ksec simulated spectra of the luminous merger candidate B14-65666 at 7.15 shows the MRS capabilities of detecting, or putting strong upper limits on, the weak [NII]0.6584 μm, [SII]0.6717,0.6731 μm, and [SIII]0.9069,0.9532 μm emission lines. These observations will provide the opportunity of deriving accurate metallicities in bright EoR sources using the full range of rest-frame optical emission lines up to 1 μm. In summary, MRS will enable the detailed study of key physical properties such as internal extinction, instantaneous star formation, hardness of the ionizing continuum, and metallicity in bright (intrinsic or lensed) EoR sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are obscured by large amounts of absorbing material that makes them invisible at many wavelengths. X-rays, given their penetrating power, provide the most secure way for finding these AGNs. The XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalog, of which 3XMM-DR4 is the latest version, is the largest catalog of X-ray sources ever produced; it contains about half a million detections. These sources are mostly AGNs.We have derived X-ray spectral fits for very many 3XMM-DR4 sources (≳114 000 observations, corresponding to ∼77 000 unique sources), which contain more than 50 source photons per detector. Here, we use a subsample of ≃1000 AGNs in the footprint of the SDSS area (covering 120 deg2) with available spectroscopic redshifts. We searched for highly obscured AGNs by applying an automated selection technique based on X-ray spectral analysis that is capable of efficiently selecting AGNs. The selection is based on the presence of either a) flat rest-frame spectra from a simple power-law fit; b) flat observed spectra from an absorbed power-law fit; c) an absorption turnover, indicative of a high rest-frame column density; or d) the presence of an Fe Kα line with a large equivalent width (>500 eV). We found 81 highly obscured candidate sources. Subsequent detailed manual spectral fits revealed that 28 of them are heavily absorbed by column densities higher than 1023 cm-2. Of these 28 AGNs, 15 are candidate Compton-thick AGNs on the basis of either a high column density, consistent within the 90% confidence level with NH > 1024 cm-2, or a large equivalent width (>500 eV) of the Fe Kα line. Another six are associated with near-Compton-thick AGNs with column densities of ∼5 x 1023 cm-2. A combination of selection criteria a) and c) for low-quality spectra, and a) and d) for medium- to high-quality spectra, pinpoint highly absorbed AGNs with an efficiency of 80%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In open cavity receivers employed in solar paraboloidal dish applications, natural convection occurs and contributes a significant fraction of energy loss. Its characteristics hence need to be clarified so that it can be effectively minimized in order to improve the system efficiency. The investigation of natural convection loss from cavity receivers was undertaken numerically and was validated using the published experimental results for four different receiver geometries. A good agreement between experimental and numerical results was obtained. Furthermore, the numerical results of all receivers were qualitatively comparable to the predictions by other available correlations hitherto, although it was found that each correlation has a limited range of applicability arising from the particular cavity geometry and experimental conditions used to derive it. To address this shortcoming, a new correlation based on the numerical results for three of the above four receivers has been proposed. The correlation employs a new concept of an ensemble cavity length scale, to take into account the combined effects of cavity geometry and inclination. Despite a wide variety of cavity geometries and operating conditions, the proposed correlation predicts approximately 50% of the data within ±20% and 90% of the data within ±50%. This is better than any of the other correlations published to date. The new correlation is also simpler to use than the most accurate of those previously published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At fast rotation rates, the coronal activity of G- and K-type stars has been observed to 'saturate' and then decline again at even faster rotation rates - a phenomenon dubbed 'supersaturation'. In this paper, we investigate coronal activity in fast-rotating M-dwarfs using deep XMM-Newton observations of 97 low-mass stars of known rotation period in the young open cluster NGC 2547 and combine these with published X-ray surveys of low-mass field and cluster stars of known rotation period. Like G- and K-dwarfs, we find that M-dwarfs exhibit increasing coronal activity with decreasing Rossby number , the ratio of period to convective turnover time, and that activity saturates at for . However, supersaturation is not convincingly displayed by M-dwarfs, despite the presence of many objects in our sample with , where supersaturation is observed to occur in higher mass stars. Instead, it appears that a short rotation period is the primary predictor of supersaturation; d for K-dwarfs and perhaps d for M-dwarfs. These observations favour the 'centrifugal stripping' model for supersaturation, where coronal structures are forced open or become radiatively unstable as the Keplerian corotation radius moves inside the X-ray-emitting coronal volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determination of melt distribution in the crust and the nature of the crust–mantle boundary (the ‘Moho’) is fundamental to the understanding of crustal accretion processes at oceanic spreading centres. Upper-crustal magma chambers have been imaged beneath fast- and intermediate-spreading centres but it has been difficult to image structures beneath these magma sills. Using three-dimensional seismic reflection images, here we report the presence of Moho reflections beneath a crustal magma chamber at the 9° 03′ N overlapping spreading centre, East Pacific Rise. Our observations highlight the formation of the Moho at zero-aged crust. Over a distance of less than 7 km along the ridge crest, a rapid increase in two-way travel time of seismic waves between the magma chamber and Moho reflections is observed, which we suggest is due to a melt anomaly in the lower crust. The amplitude versus offset variation of reflections from the magma chamber shows a coincident region of higher melt fraction overlying this anomalous region, supporting the conclusion of additional melt at depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two flagellar antigens, intact flagella and monomeric flagellin from Salmonella adelaide were labelled with 125I by the Chloramine-T method. They were injected into the hind foot-pads of rats, and the localization in the draining lymph nodes was studied by scintillation counting and autoradiography. Injected rats belonged to one of four groups: normal, unimmunized adult rats (NI); rats that had been given an unrelated antigen 6 weeks previously (HI); rats that had been given a priming dose of the same antigen (though unlabelled) 6 weeks previously (AI); and rats that had been given passive antibody by intraperitoneal injection (PI). Follicular localization was more rapid in AI and PI groups than in NI or HI rats. With flagellin, but not with flagella, the final follicular concentration reached was also greatly increased. No differences were observed between NI and HI rats, or between AI and PI rats. In primary lymphoid follicles, the antigen was distributed throughout the follicle in a diffuse network, presumably of macrophage fibrils. In secondary follicles, the antigen localized in a crescentic cap occupying the superficial aspect of the follicle. The study stressed the importance of antibody acting as an opsonin in determining details of antigen localization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Department of Health published guidance on ‘Improving Outcomes in Upper Gastro-intestinal cancer’ in January 2001. One of the important recommendations was ‘Fast Track Endoscopy’ service within 2 weeks for patients with suspicion of cancer (‘the 2 weeks rule’). Our aim was to compare the detection of curative Upper GI cancers (Oesophagus and stomach) and survival in patients referred for Oesophago gastro duodenoscopy (OGD) via USC versus non-USC (routine) route in a District general hospital. Methods We performed a retrospective audit on all patients referred for OGD between October 2006 and April 2007 in Wrexham maelor hospital (Cross-border Upper GI Cancer center for North Wales and West Cheshire). Data on mode of referral (USC or non-USC), endoscopic and histological diagnosis, curative or palliative intervention (if cancer detected) was collected. Patients with upper GI cancers were followed to check for survival at 18 and 36 months. OC-025 Kaplan-Meier survival curve Results 404 patients had OGD in USC while 1538 patients via non-USC pathway. 25 Upper GI cancers were detected in USC and 18 in non-USC, out of which 28% (7) in USC and 27.7% (5) in non-USC cancers had curative intervention. Though USC pathway detected more cancers (6.2% of all OGDs performed) than non-USC (1.2%), there was no statistical significance in the detection of curative malignancies. At 18 months, 5 out of 7 patients who had curative treatment and 4 out of 18 with palliative approach survived in the USC group, while all 5 cured patients and 4 out of 13 palliated patients survived in the non-USC. At 3 years, five patients in the USC who had curative treatment (and survived at 18 months) along with two of the palliated patients were alive, while in the non-USC, four cured patients survived but all palliated patients died. Cox regression analysis did not find any statistically significant survival benefit between the two groups at 18- or 36-month follow-up (Kaplan-Meier survival curve attached). Conclusion ‘2-week rule’ for OGD in USC patients has no statistical advantage in detection of curative upper GI malignancies nor has survival benefit when compared with the non-USC referrals. Clarifying guidelines that would help detect ‘early’ cancers and resource diversion towards OGD surveillance in high-risk patients and creating public awareness are increasingly discussed as the only measures to improve survival in upper GI cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]