Orientation of tabular mafic intrusions controls convective vigour and crystallization style

The microstructure in basaltic dykes is significantly different to that in sills and lava lakes of the same bulk composition. For a given width of intrusion (or depth of lava lake), vertical tabular bodies are coarser-grained than horizontal bodies, with an invariant plagioclase shape across the intrusion. When comparing samples from sills and dykes for which the average grain size is the same, the dyke samples contain fewer small grains and fewer large grains than the sill samples. In contrast, the variation of median clinopyroxene-plagioclase-plagioclase dihedral angles in dykes correlates precisely with that observed in sills and is a function of the rate of diffusive heat loss. These patterns can be accounted for if the early stages of crystallization in dykes primarily involve the growth of isolated grains suspended in a well-mixed convecting magma, with the final stage (during which dihedral angles form) occurring in a crystal-rich static magma during which heat loss is primarily diffusive. In contrast, crystallization in sills occurs predominantly in marginal solidification fronts, suggesting that any convective motions are insufficient to entrain crystals from the marginal mushy layers and to keep them suspended while they grow. An exception to this general pattern is provided by members of the Mull Solitary Dykes, which propagated 100-1000 km SE from the Mull Palaeogene Igneous Centre, Scotland, through the shallow crust. These dykes, where sampled > 100 km from Mull, have a microstructure indistinguishable from that of a sill of comparable thickness. We suggest that sufficient nucleation and crystallization occurred in these dykes to increase the viscosity sufficiently to damp convection once unidirectional flow had ceased

Orthogonal polynomials of discrete variable and Lie algebras of complex size matrices

We give a uniform interpretation of the classical continuous Chebyshev's and Hahn's orthogonal polynomials of discrete variable in terms of Feigin's Lie algebra gl(N), where N is any complex number. One can similarly interpret Chebyshev's and Hahn's q-polynomials and introduce orthogonal polynomials corresponding to Lie superlagebras. We also describe the real forms of gl(N), quasi-finite modules over gl(N), and conditions for unitarity of the quasi-finite modules. Analogs of tensors over gl(N) are also introduced.Comment: 25 pages, LaTe

Switching from standard to dose-dense chemotherapy in front-line treatment of advanced ovarian cancer: a retrospective study of feasibility and efficacy

BACKGROUND: Current standard neoadjuvant treatment for advanced ovarian cancer is 3-weekly platinum-based chemotherapy (CP3w). Patients unable to have interval debulking surgery (IDS) or with significant residual disease have a poor outcome to CP3w treatment. We investigated the outcome in patients who were switched to dose-dense chemotherapy. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 30 patients treated at UCLH in 2009–2013, who switched to dose-dense chemotherapy after neoadjuvant CP3w, having achieved a poor response/progressed and unable to proceed to IDS (n=21), or had >1 cm residual disease after IDS (n=9). Treatment was 3-weekly carboplatin and weekly paclitaxel (n=23), or both drugs weekly (n=7). For comparison, we included 30 matched patients treated with CP3w followed by IDS (n=24, without or ≤1 cm residual disease; n=6, with >1 cm residual disease). Time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) were measured from the date of diagnosis until progression (CT scan or CA-125) and death from any cause, respectively. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. The response rate to dose-dense chemotherapy was 70% (Gynecological Cancer Intergroup criteria). In the dose-dense group, 24 patients had tumour progression and 16 died; the corresponding numbers in the control group were 24 and 11. Median TTP was 15.8 months with dose-dense therapy, higher than expected for this patient group, and the same as in the control group (15.7 months) undergoing IDS, p=0.27. Median TTP in patients with residual disease postsurgery was 16.5 months (dose-dense) and 10.8 months (controls), p=0.02. TTP in dose-dense patients who did not have surgery was 10.4 months. Median OS was 31.3 (dose-dense) and 59.6 months (controls), p=0.06. Dose-dense chemotherapy was well tolerated: only three patients interrupted treatment due to toxicity. CONCLUSION: Switching to dose-dense chemotherapy in patients who failed to respond to CT3w neoadjuvant chemotherapy appears to be an effective strategy and requires further investigation

Outcome of patients with advanced ovarian cancer who do not undergo debulking surgery: A single institution retrospective review

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of patients with advanced ovarian cancer (OC) who were treated without surgery, having received upfront chemotherapy and no interval debulking surgery (IDS). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of medical and chemotherapy records of consecutive patients with OC between 2005 and 2013 at UCL Hospitals London, UK who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) was then found to be unsuitable for IDS following review by the multidisciplinary team. RESULTS: Eighty-three patients (18%) out of 467 receiving NACT did not undergo IDS. Median age was 70years (range 33-88); out of these 83 patients, 43 (51.8%) presented with stage IV disease. Forty-three of these 83 patients received carboplatin and paclitaxel (CP) (51.8%) and 37 received carboplatin alone (C) (44.6%); 3 patients (3.6%) received other platinum-based combinations. Reasons for not proceeding to surgery were: poor response to chemotherapy after 3-4 cycles of NACT (61/83, 73.5%); comorbidities (12/83, 14.5%); patient decision (4/83, 4.8%). Six patients (7.2%) received 2 lines of chemotherapy. In a univariate analysis CP, age <70years, and absence of comorbidities were factors influencing OS. In a multivariate analysis only having received CP remained independently associated with OS (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.29-0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Chemotherapy alone can provide reasonable disease control in patients unsuitable for IDS and CP should be used if possible

A pragmatic harm reduction approach to manage a large outbreak of wound botulism in people who inject drugs, Scotland 2015

Abstract Background People who inject drugs (PWID) are at an increased risk of wound botulism, a potentially fatal acute paralytic illness. During the first 6 months of 2015, a large outbreak of wound botulism was confirmed among PWID in Scotland, which resulted in the largest outbreak in Europe to date. Methods A multidisciplinary Incident Management Team (IMT) was convened to conduct an outbreak investigation, which consisted of enhanced surveillance of cases in order to characterise risk factors and identify potential sources of infection. Results Between the 24th of December 2014 and the 30th of May 2015, a total of 40 cases were reported across six regions in Scotland. The majority of the cases were male, over 30 and residents in Glasgow. All epidemiological evidence suggested a contaminated batch of heroin or cutting agent as the source of the outbreak. There are significant challenges associated with managing an outbreak among PWID, given their vulnerability and complex addiction needs. Thus, a pragmatic harm reduction approach was adopted which focused on reducing the risk of infection for those who continued to inject and limited consequences for those who got infected. Conclusions The management of this outbreak highlighted the importance and need for pragmatic harm reduction interventions which support the addiction needs of PWID during an outbreak of spore-forming bacteria. Given the scale of this outbreak, the experimental learning gained during this and similar outbreaks involving spore-forming bacteria in the UK was collated into national guidance to improve the management and investigation of future outbreaks among PWID

Explicit solution of the quantum three-body Calogero-Sutherland model

Quantum integrable systems generalizing Calogero-Sutherland systems were introduced by Olshanetsky and Perelomov (1977). Recently, it was proved that for systems with trigonometric potential, the series in the product of two wave functions is a deformation of the Clebsch-Gordan series. This yields recursion relations for the wave functions of those systems. In this note, this approach is used to compute the explicit expressions for the three-body Calogero-Sutherland wave functions, which are the Jack polynomials. We conjecture that similar results are also valid for the more general two-parameters deformation introduced by Macdonald.Comment: 10 page

Gaps in detailed knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine among medical students in Scotland

&lt;p&gt;Background: A vaccination programme targeted against human papillomavirus (HPV) types16 and 18 was introduced in the UK in 2008, with the aim of decreasing incidence of cervical disease. Vaccine roll out to 12–13 year old girls with a catch-up programme for girls aged up to 17 years and 364 days was accompanied by a very comprehensive public health information (PHI) campaign which described the role of HPV in the development of cervical cancer.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Methods: A brief questionnaire, designed to assess acquisition of knowledge of HPV infection and its association to cervical cancer, was administered to two different cohorts of male and female 1st year medical students (school leavers: 83% in age range 17–20) at a UK university. The study was timed so that the first survey in 2008 immediately followed a summer's intensive PHI campaign and very shortly after vaccine roll-out (150 students). The second survey was exactly one year later over which time there was a sustained PHI campaign (213 students).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Results: We addressed three research questions: knowledge about three specific details of HPV infection that could be acquired from PHI, whether length of the PHI campaign and/or vaccination of females had any bearing on HPV knowledge, and knowledge differences between men and women regarding HPV. No female student in the 2008 cohort had completed the three-dose vaccine schedule compared to 58.4% of female students in 2009. Overall, participants’ knowledge regarding the sexually transmitted nature of HPV and its association with cervical cancer was high in both year groups. However, in both years, less than 50% of students correctly identified that HPV causes over 90% of cases of cervical cancer. Males gave fewer correct answers for these two details in 2009. In 2008 only around 50% of students recognised that the current vaccine protects against a limited subset of cervical cancer-causing HPV sub-types, although there was a significant increase in correct response among female students in the 2009 cohort compared to the 2008 cohort.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;onclusions: This study highlights a lack of understanding regarding the extent of protection against cervical cancer conferred by the HPV vaccine, even among an educated population in the UK who could have a vested interest in acquiring such knowledge. The intensive PHI campaign accompanying the first year of HPV vaccination seemed to have little effect on knowledge over time. This is one of the first studies to assess detailed knowledge of HPV in both males and females. There is scope for continued improvements to PHI regarding the link between HPV infection and cervical cancer.&lt;/p&gt

Ecology: a prerequisite for malaria elimination and eradication

* Existing front-line vector control measures, such as insecticide-treated nets and residual sprays, cannot break the transmission cycle of Plasmodium falciparum in the most intensely endemic parts of Africa and the Pacific * The goal of malaria eradication will require urgent strategic investment into understanding the ecology and evolution of the mosquito vectors that transmit malaria * Priority areas will include understanding aspects of the mosquito life cycle beyond the blood feeding processes which directly mediate malaria transmission * Global commitment to malaria eradication necessitates a corresponding long-term commitment to vector ecolog