Now: Music from the musicals 1975 - 2018

Musical Theatre performance at The Meteor Theatre Gwen is an opera singer and is joined for an evening of song, by special guests; Courteney Mayall, Alex Pelham-Waerea, Scot Hall, Hannah MacFarlane and Michaela Gilling Accompanied by the incomparable David Sidwell, Gwen and guests will be singing from musical theatre canon of 1975 through to 2018 Let them take you on a journey through the best pieces Broadway has to offer

PointSampler: A GIS Tool for Point Intercept Sampling of Digital Images

Close-range digital photography to assess vegetation cover is useful in disciplines ranging from ecological monitoring to agricultural research. An on-screen point intercept sampling method, which is analogous to the equivalent field based method, can be used to manually derive the percentage occurrence of multiple cover classes within an image. PointSampler is a GIS embedded tool that provides a semi-automated approach for performing point intercept sampling of digital images, and which integrates with existing GIS functionality and workflows. We describe and illustrate the two general applications of this tool, in in efficiently deriving primary ecological data from digital photographs , and for the generation of validation data to complement automated image classification of a time series of groundcover images.  The flexible design and GIS integration of PointSampler allows it to be put to a wide range of similar uses

Prehospital critical care is associated with increased survival in adult trauma patients in Scotland

Background Scotland has three prehospital critical care teams (PHCCTs) providing enhanced care support to a usually paramedic-delivered ambulance service. The effect of the PHCCTs on patient survival following trauma in Scotland is not currently known nationally. Methods National registry-based retrospective cohort study using 2011-2016 data from the Scottish Trauma Audit Group. 30-day mortality was compared between groups after multivariate analysis to account for confounding variables. Results Our data set comprised 17 157 patients, with a mean age of 54.7 years and 8206 (57.5%) of male gender. 2877 patients in the registry were excluded due to incomplete data on their level of prehospital care, leaving an eligible group of 14 280. 13 504 injured adults who received care from ambulance clinicians (paramedics or technicians) were compared with 776 whose care included input from a PHCCT. The median Injury Severity Score (ISS) across all eligible patients was 9; 3076 patients (21.5%) met the ISS>15 criterion for major trauma. Patients in the PHCCT cohort were statistically significantly (all p < 0.01) more likely to be male; be transported to a prospective Major Trauma Centre; have suffered major trauma; have suffered a severe head injury; be transported by air and be intubated prior to arrival in hospital. Following multivariate analysis, the OR for 30-day mortality for patients seen by a PHCCT was 0.56 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86, p=0.01). Conclusion Prehospital care provided by a physician-led critical care team was associated with an increased chance of survival at 30 days when compared with care provided by ambulance clinicians

Need an add-on to metformin? Consider this

Review of: Ou SM, Shih CJ, Chao PW, et al. Effects of clinical outcomes of adding dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors versus sulfonylureas to metformin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Ann Intern Med. 2015;163:663-672.1.Need an add-on to metformin? Consider this. Sulfonylureas have been the preferred add-on therapy to metformin for T2DM, but a study finds that DPP-4s have lower risks of death, CV events, and hypoglycemia. Practice changer: Consider a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor before a sulfonylurea for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who require therapy in addition to metformin

On High Explosive Launching of Projectiles for Shock Physics Experiments

The hydrodynamic operation of the `Forest Flyer' type of explosive launching system for shock physics projectiles was investigated in detail using one- and two-dimensional continuum dynamics simulations. The simulations were insensitive to uncertainties in the material properties, and reproduced measurements of the projectile. The most commonly-used variant, with an Al alloy case, was predicted to produce a slightly curved projectile, subjected to some shock heating, and likely exhibiting some porosity from tensile damage. The flatness can be improved by using a case of lower shock impedance, such as polymethyl methacrylate. High-impedance cases, including Al alloys but with denser materials improving the launching efficiency, can be used if designed according to the physics of oblique shock reflection. The tensile stress induced in the projectile depends on the relative thickness of the explosive, expansion gap, and projectile. The thinner the projectile with respect to the explosive, the smaller the tensile stress. If the explosive is initiated with a plane wave lens, the tensile stress is lower than for initiation with multiple detonators over a plane. The previous plane wave lens designs did however induce a tensile stress close to the spall strength of the projectile. The tensile stress can be reduced by changes in the component thicknesses. Experiments to verify the operation of explosively-launched projectiles should attempt to measure porosity induced in the projectile: arrival time measurements may be insensitive to porous regions caused by damaged or recollected material

Interaction of CK1δ with γTuSC ensures proper microtubule assembly and spindle positioning.

Casein kinase 1δ (CK1δ) family members associate with microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) from yeast to humans, but their mitotic roles and targets have yet to be identified. We show here that budding yeast CK1δ, Hrr25, is a γ-tubulin small complex (γTuSC) binding factor. Moreover, Hrr25's association with γTuSC depends on its kinase activity and its noncatalytic central domain. Loss of Hrr25 kinase activity resulted in assembly of unusually long cytoplasmic microtubules and defects in spindle positioning, consistent with roles in regulation of γTuSC-mediated microtubule nucleation and the Kar9 spindle-positioning pathway, respectively. Hrr25 directly phosphorylated γTuSC proteins in vivo and in vitro, and this phosphorylation promoted γTuSC integrity and activity. Because CK1δ and γTuSC are highly conserved and present at MTOCs in diverse eukaryotes, similar regulatory mechanisms are expected to apply generally in eukaryotes

Systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable storage media for wide-field interferometry

Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable storage media for wide field imaging interferometry. The method includes for each point in a two dimensional detector array over a field of view of an image: gathering a first interferogram from a first detector and a second interferogram from a second detector, modulating a path-length for a signal from an image associated with the first interferogram in the first detector, overlaying first data from the modulated first detector and second data from the second detector, and tracking the modulating at every point in a two dimensional detector array comprising the first detector and the second detector over a field of view for the image. The method then generates a wide-field data cube based on the overlaid first data and second data for each point. The method can generate an image from the wide-field data cube

Direct UV/Optical Imaging of Stellar Surfaces: The Stellar Imager (SI) Vision Mission

The Stellar Imager (SI) is a UV/optical, space-based interferometer designed to enable 0.1 milli-arcsecond (mas) spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and, via asteroseismology, stellar interiors and of the Universe in general. SI's science focuses on the role of magnetism in the Universe, particularly on magnetic activity on the surfaces of stars like the Sun. SI's prime goal is to enable long-term forecasting of solar activity and the space weather that it drives, in support of the Living with a Star program in the Exploration Era. SI will also revolutionize our understanding of the formation of planetary systems, of the habitability and climatology of distant planets, and of many magneto-hydrodynamically controlled processes in thc Universe. SI is a "Flagship and Landmark Discovery Mission" in the 2005 Sun Solar System Connection (SSSC) Roadmap and a candidate for a "Pathways to Life Observatory" in the Exploration of the Universe Division (EUD) Roadmap. We discuss herein the science goals of the SI Mission, a mission architecture that could meet those goals, and the technologies needed to enable this mission. Additional information on SI can be found at: http://hires.gsfc.nasa.gov/si/

A platinum chloro (fluoroaryl)phosphine complex

trans-Dichloro bis[ tris(peritafluorophenyl)phosphine ]platinum(II), [PtCl_2{P(C_6F_5)_3}_2], M_r = 1330.29, triclinic, Pl, ɑ = 9.536 (4), b = 11.221 (2), c = 11.613 (1)Å, ɑ = 62.55 (1), β = 65.81 (2), y = 73.05 (2)º, V = 997.8 (4) Å^3, Z = 1, D_x = 2.21 g cm^(-3), λ(Mo Kɑ)= 0.71073 A, μ = 39.27 cm^(-1), F(000) = 628, room temperature, R = 0.034 for 3497 reflections with F_o^2 > 0. The molecule is centrosymmetric, with Pt-Cl distance 2.304 (2) and Pt-P 2.280 (1) Å, and P-Pt-Cl angle 94.8 (1)°. The C-P distances average 1.824 (4)Å, slightly longer than normal, and the pentafluoro-phenyl groups all have small [116.3 (3)º] angles at the c atom bonded to P

Detailed Visual Cortical Responses Generated by Retinal Sheet Transplants in Rats with Severe Retinal Degeneration.

To combat retinal degeneration, healthy fetal retinal sheets have been successfully transplanted into both rodent models and humans, with synaptic connectivity between transplant and degenerated host retina having been confirmed. In rodent studies, transplants have been shown to restore responses to flashes of light in a region of the superior colliculus corresponding to the location of the transplant in the host retina. To determine the quality and detail of visual information provided by the transplant, visual responsivity was studied here at the level of visual cortex where higher visual perception is processed. For our model, we used the transgenic Rho-S334ter line-3 rat (both sexes), which loses photoreceptors at an early age and is effectively blind at postnatal day 30. These rats received fetal retinal sheet transplants in one eye between 24 and 40 d of age. Three to 10 months following surgery, visually responsive neurons were found in regions of primary visual cortex matching the transplanted region of the retina that were as highly selective as normal rat to stimulus orientation, size, contrast, and spatial and temporal frequencies. Conversely, we found that selective response properties were largely absent in nontransplanted line-3 rats. Our data show that fetal retinal sheet transplants can result in remarkably normal visual function in visual cortex of rats with a degenerated host retina and represents a critical step toward developing an effective remedy for the visually impaired human population.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa lead to profound vision loss in millions of people worldwide. Many patients lose both retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors. Hence, there is a great demand for the development of efficient techniques that allow for long-term vision restoration. In this study, we transplanted dissected fetal retinal sheets, which can differentiate into photoreceptors and integrate with the host retina of rats with severe retinal degeneration. Remarkably, we show that transplants generated visual responses in cortex similar in quality to normal rats. Furthermore, transplants preserved connectivity within visual cortex and the retinal relay from the lateral geniculate nucleus to visual cortex, supporting their potential application in curing vision loss associated with retinal degeneration