Early massive clusters and the bouncing coupled dark energy

The abundance of the most massive objects in the Universe at different epochs is a very sensitive probe of the cosmic background evolution and of the growth history of density perturbations, and could provide a powerful tool to distinguish between a cosmological constant and a dynamical dark energy field. In particular, the recent detection of very massive clusters of galaxies at high redshifts has attracted significant interest as a possible indication of a failure of the standard LCDM model. Several attempts have been made in order to explain such detections in the context of non-Gaussian scenarios or interacting dark energy models, showing that both these alternative cosmologies predict an enhanced number density of massive clusters at high redshifts, possibly alleviating the tension. However, all the models proposed so far also overpredict the abundance of massive clusters at the present epoch, and are therefore in contrast with observational bounds on the low-redshift halo mass function. In this paper we present for the first time a new class of interacting dark energy models that simultaneously account for an enhanced number density of massive clusters at high redshifts and for both the standard cluster abundance at the present time and the standard power spectrum normalization at CMB. The key feature of this new class of models is the "bounce" of the dark energy scalar field on the cosmological constant barrier at relatively recent epochs. We present the background and linear perturbations evolution of the model, showing that the standard amplitude of density perturbations is recovered both at CMB and at the present time, and we demonstrate by means of large N-body simulations that our scenario predicts an enhanced number of massive clusters at high redshifts without affecting the present halo abundance. (Abridged)Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Minor changes, references added. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Measuring individual overpotentials in an operating solid-oxide electrochemical cell

We use photo-electrons as a non-contact probe to measure local electrical potentials in a solid-oxide electrochemical cell. We characterize the cell in operando at near-ambient pressure using spatially-resolved X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The overpotentials at the interfaces between the Ni and Pt electrodes and the yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte are directly measured. The method is validated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Using the overpotentials, which characterize the cell's inefficiencies, we compare without ambiguity the electro-catalytic efficiencies of Ni and Pt, finding that on Ni H_2O splitting proceeds more rapidly than H2 oxidation, while on Pt, H2 oxidation proceeds more rapidly than H2O splitting.Comment: corrected; Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 201

CMB Anomalies from Imperfect Dark Energy: Confrontation with the Data

We test anisotropic dark energy models with the 7-year WMAP temperature observations data. In the presence of imperfect sources, due to large-scale gradients or anisotropies in the dark energy field, the CMB sky will be distorted anisotropically on its way to us by the ISW effect. The signal covariance matrix then becomes nondiagonal for small multipoles, but at $\ell \gtrsim 20$ the anisotropy is negligible. We parametrize possible violations of rotational invariance in the late universe by the magnitude of a post-Friedmannian deviation from isotropy and its scale dependence. This allows to obtain hints on possible imperfect nature of dark energy and the large-angle anomalous features in the CMB. A robust statistical analysis, subjected to various tests and consistency checks, is performed to compare the predicted correlations with those obtained from the satellite-measured CMB full sky maps. The preferred axis point towards $(l,b) = (168^\circ, -31^\circ)$ and the amplitude of the anisotropy is $\varpi_0 = (0.51\pm 0.94)$ (1$\sigma$ deviation quoted). The best-fit model has a steep blue anisotropic spectrum ($n_{\mathrm{de}} = 3.1\pm1.5$).Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Structure formation in Multiple Dark Matter cosmologies with long-range scalar interactions

(Abridged) An interaction between Cold Dark Matter (CDM) and a classical scalar field playing the role of the cosmic dark energy (DE) might provide long-range dark interactions without conflicting with solar system bounds. Although presently available observations allow to constrain such interactions to a few percent of the gravitational strength, some recent studies have shown that if CDM is composed by two different particle species having opposite couplings to the DE field, such tight constraints can be considerably relaxed, allowing for long-range scalar forces of order gravity without significantly affecting observations both at the background and at the linear perturbations level. In the present work, we extend the investigation of such Multiple Dark Matter scenarios to the nonlinear regime of structure formation, by presenting the first N-body simulations ever performed for these cosmologies. Our results highlight some characteristic footprints of long-range scalar forces that arise only in the nonlinear regime for specific models that would be otherwise practically indistinguishable from the standard LCDM scenario both in the background and in the growth of linear density perturbations. Among these effects, the formation of "mirror" cosmic structures in the two CDM species, the suppression of the nonlinear matter power spectrum at k > 1 h/Mpc, and the fragmentation of collapsed halos, represent peculiar features that might provide a direct way to constrain this class of cosmological models.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to MNRA

Thawing Versus. Tracker Behaviour: Observational Evidence

Currently there is a variety of scalar field models to explain the late time acceleration of the Universe. This includes the standard canonical and non-canonical scalar field models together with recently proposed Galileon scalar field models. One can divide all these scalar field models into two broad categories, namely the thawing and the tracker class. In this work we investigate the evidence for these models with the presently available observational data using the Bayesian approach. We use the Generalized Chaplygin Gas (GCG) parametrization for dark energy equation of state (EoS) as it gives rise to both the thawing and tracking behaviours for different values of the parameters. Analysis of the observational data does not give any clear evidence for either thawing or tracking behaviour within the context of background cosmology, However, if we consider the evolution of inhomogenities and analyze the data in this context then there is a significant evidence in favour of thawing behaviour.Comment: 6 Pages, three eps figures, new material added, new references added. Conclusion changed. Accepted for publication MNRA

Alternative farrowing systems: design criteria for farrowing systems based on the biological needs of sows and piglets

The construction of a suitable farrowing environment is a continuing dilemma: the piglet's needs must be matched with those of the sow and the farmer during the main phases that constitute farrowing: nest building, parturition and lactation. Difficulties exist in resolving the various conflicts of interest between and within these three parties (e. g. sow v. farmer: space needed for nest building v. space needed to maximise the amount of farrowing accommodation, or sow v. sow: ensuring the survival of the current litter v. maintaining condition for future litters). Thus, the challenge is to resolve these conflicts and design a system that maximises sow and piglet welfare while maintaining an economically efficient and sustainable enterprise. In order to successfully design a farrowing and lactation environment, it is necessary to consider the biological needs of both the sow and her litter. The natural behaviour of the sow has been well documented and very little variation exists between reports of peri-parturient behaviour observed in extensively kept domestic sows and their wild counterparts. The failure for domestication to significantly alter these behavioural patterns provides evidence that they are biologically significant and that the commercial farrowing environment should attempt to accommodate this behavioural repertoire. In addition, the behavioural needs of the piglets, as well as the physiological needs of both sows and their offspring should be considered. This article aims to review the considerable body of literature detailing the behavioural repertoire of sows and their offspring during the different phases of farrowing, and the accompanying physiological processes. The focus is on identifying biological needs of the animals involved in order to synthesise the appropriate design criteria for farrowing and lactation systems, which should optimise both welfare and animal production.</p

Stigma: content analysis of the representation of people with personality disorder in the U.K. popular press, 2001-2012.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article:Bowen, M. (2016). Stigma: content analysis of the representation of people with personality disorder in the U.K. popular press, 2001-2012. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, which has been published in final form at doi: 10.1111/inm.12213. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.There is evidence that people with personality disorder are stigmatised within healthcare settings; however, little is known about the role that the media has played in the wider processes of stigmatisation. This research examines the degree to which the popular press in the United Kingdom have established a link between personality disorder and homicide, and the impact this may have had on the processes of stigmatisation. Using a content analysis approach, it was identified that there were 552 articles in the popular press, between 2001 and 2012, that made reference to personality disorder and 42% of those articles established a link with homicide. Comparison between two time periods, 2001-2006 and 2007-2012, identified that there was a significant reduction in the proportion of homicide articles (Pearson (5, n=552) = 5.64, p > .05), however, the effect size of this change was only small. These findings suggest that the press may have contributed to the processes of stigmatisation, and may have encouraged the general public to hold prejudicial attitudes towards people with a diagnosis of personality disorder

Variations in outcome and costs among NHS providers for common surgical procedures : econometric analyses of routinely collected data

Background: It is important that NHS resources are used to their full extent, but efforts to reduce costs may have an adverse effect on patient outcomes. Our research is designed to provide a better understanding of the inter-relationship between costs and health outcomes among NHS providers (hospitals) for common surgical procedures. Objectives: In England, patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) are collected from patients undergoing one of four elective procedures: unilateral hip replacement, unilateral knee replacement, groin hernia repair and varicose vein surgery. We identify variation in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) across hospitals, assess the relationship between the cost and outcomes among NHS hospitals for these procedures, and determine the extent to which variations in outcomes and costs are due to differences in hospital performance. Data sources: We link Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data with reference cost data and PROM data for patients having the four treatments between April 2009 and March 2010. Methods: The first part of the empirical analysis focuses on variation in different dimensions of self-reported health status. We argue that each of the EuroQol-5D questionnaire (EQ-5D; European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions) dimensions should be assessed separately. Our graphical summary of the differential impact that hospitals have on PROs indicates the probability of reporting a given health outcome and shows how these probabilities vary across EQ–5D dimensions and hospitals. The second part of the empirical analysis focuses on the performance of hospitals and the inter-relationship between PROs and resource use. Results: We find that poorer post-treatment health status is associated with lower initial health status, higher weighted Charlson score, more diagnoses and lower socioeconomic status. We find significantly unexplained variation among hospitals in outcomes for patients undergoing hip replacement, knee replacement or varicose vein surgery, but not for hernia patients. For all four treatments we find significant unexplained variation in resource use among hospitals, whether measured by cost of treatment or length of stay. This suggests that hospitals can improve their utilisation of resources. Limitations: Our analyses are based on the HES. If data are missing from the medical record, or extracted and coded inaccurately, HES will contain errors. Hospitals should minimise these errors. Our study suffers from a large number of missing data, mainly because some hospitals were better than others at administering the baseline survey. Conclusions: There is no general evidence that hospitals with lower resource use have worse health outcomes. There is a significant positive correlation for varicose veins, but this is sensitive to the choice of resource use and PRO measures. For hip and knee replacement the correlation is either insignificant or negative (depending on the resource use and PRO measures), implying that promoting health outcomes and controlling costs are not contradictory objectives. Indeed, we are able to identify hospitals with better than expected outcomes where resource use is below average. Future research should address how to handle missing data, evaluate hospital performance within the broader health economy, communicate PROMs to prospective patients, evaluate the impact of PROMs on patient choice and provider behaviour and evaluate PROMs for people with chronic conditions. Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Service and Delivery Research programme

Self-help groups challenge health care systems in the US and UK

Purpose: This research considers how self-help groups (SHGs) and self- help organizations (SHOs) contribute to consumerist trends in two different societies: United States and United Kingdom. How do the health care systems and the voluntary sectors affect the kinds of social changes that SHGs/SHOs make? Methodology/approach: A review of research on the role of SHGs/SHOs in contributing to national health social movements in the UK and US was made. Case studies of the UK and the US compare the characteristics of their health care systems and their voluntary sector. Research reviews of two community level self-help groups in each country describe the kinds of social changes they made. Findings: The research review verified that SHGs/SHOs contribute to national level health social movements for patient consumerism. The case studies showed that community level SHGs/SHOs successfully made the same social changes but on a smaller scale as the national movements, and the health care system affects the kinds of community changes made. Research limitations: A limited number of SHGs/SHOs within only two societies were studied. Additional SHGs/SHOs within a variety of societies need to be studied. Originality/value of chapter Community SHGs/SHOs are often trivialized by social scientists as just inward-oriented support groups, but this chapter shows that local groups contribute to patient consumerism and social changes but in ways that depend on the kind of health care system and societal context

WISE x SuperCOSMOS photometric redshift catalog: 20 million galaxies over 3pi steradians

We cross-match the two currently largest all-sky photometric catalogs, mid-infrared WISE and SuperCOSMOS scans of UKST/POSS-II photographic plates, to obtain a new galaxy sample that covers 3pi steradians. In order to characterize and purify the extragalactic dataset, we use external GAMA and SDSS spectroscopic information to define quasar and star loci in multicolor space, aiding the removal of contamination from our extended-source catalog. After appropriate data cleaning we obtain a deep wide-angle galaxy sample that is approximately 95% pure and 90% complete at high Galactic latitudes. The catalog contains close to 20 million galaxies over almost 70% of the sky, outside the Zone of Avoidance and other confused regions, with a mean surface density of over 650 sources per square degree. Using multiwavelength information from two optical and two mid-IR photometric bands, we derive photometric redshifts for all the galaxies in the catalog, using the ANNz framework trained on the final GAMA-II spectroscopic data. Our sample has a median redshift of z_{med} = 0.2 but with a broad dN/dz reaching up to z>0.4. The photometric redshifts have a mean bias of |delta_z|~10^{-3}, normalized scatter of sigma_z = 0.033 and less than 3% outliers beyond 3sigma_z. Comparison with external datasets shows no significant variation of photo-z quality with sky position. Together with the overall statistics, we also provide a more detailed analysis of photometric redshift accuracy as a function of magnitudes and colors. The final catalog is appropriate for `all-sky' 3D cosmology to unprecedented depths, in particular through cross-correlations with other large-area surveys. It should also be useful for source pre-selection and identification in forthcoming surveys such as TAIPAN or WALLABY