Cross infection control measures and the treatment of patients at risk of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease in UK general dental practice

AIMS: To determine the suitability of key infection control measures currently employed in UK dental practice for delivery of dental care to patients at risk of prion diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects: Five hundred dental surgeons currently registered with the General Dental Council of the UK. Data collection: Structured postal questionnaire. Analysis: Frequencies, cross-tabulations and chi-squared analysis. RESULTS: The valid response rate to the questionnaire was 69%. 33% of practices had no policy on general disinfection and sterilisation procedures. Only 10 of the 327 responding practices (3%) possessed a vacuum autoclave. 49% of dentists reported using the BDA medical history form but less than 25% asked the specific questions recommended by the BDA to identify patients at risk of iatrogenic or familial CJD. However, 63% of practitioners would refer such patients, if identified, to a secondary care facility. Of the 107 practitioners who were prepared to provide dental treatment, 75 (70%) would do so using routine infection control procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the dental practices surveyed were not actively seeking to identify patients at risk of prion diseases. In many cases, recommended procedures for providing safe dental care for such patients were not in place

ENSO teleconnections to the Indian summer monsoon in observations and models

The teleconnections of different types of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to the Indian summer monsoon are investigated in observations and models. We find that, not all regions in India are strongly affected by ENSO, so we focus on two regional teleconnections: (1) a negative rainfall signal around central north east (CNE) India and ‘hilly’ region during El Niño (and vice versa for La Niña) and (2) similar signal for parts of southern peninsular region. Using correlations, it is found that >50% of the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Inter‐comparison Project models capture these two regional teleconnections, with first captured by >80% of models. Furthermore, using a compositing technique that may better capture asymmetries in response to warm and cold events, the authors find that most models again agree on the sign of regional teleconnection around the CNE and hilly region, suggesting the robustness of ENSO signal in that region. The peninsular teleconnection is less well simulated in models. We find a clear connection between the Walker circulation and Indian summer monsoon rainfall around central India in models

Temporal and spatial detection of HIFU-induced inertial and hot-vapor cavitation with a diagnostic ultrasound system

The onset and presence of inertial cavitation and near-boiling temperatures in high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy have been identified as important indicators of energy deposition for therapy guidance. Passive cavitation detection is commonly used to detect bubble emissions, where a fixed-focus single-element acoustic transducer is typically used as a passive cavitation detector (PCD). This technique is suboptimal for clinical applications, because most PCD transducers are tightly focused and afford limited spatial coverage of the HIFU focal region. A Terason 2000 Ultrasound System was used as a PCD array to expand the spatial detection region for cavitation by operating in passive mode, obtaining the radiofrequency signals corresponding to each scan line and filtering the contribution from scattering of the HIFU signal harmonics. This approach allows for spatially resolved detection of both inertial and stable cavitation throughout the focal region. Measurements with the PCD array during sonication with a 1.1-MHz HIFU source in tissue phantoms were compared with single-element PCD and thermocouple sensing. Stable cavitation signals at the harmonics and superharmonics increased in a threshold fashion for temperatures >90°C, an effect attributed to high vapor pressure in the cavities. Incorporation of these detection techniques in a diagnostic ultrasound platform could result in a powerful tool for improving HIFU guidance and treatment

Bounds on 4D Conformal and Superconformal Field Theories

We derive general bounds on operator dimensions, central charges, and OPE coefficients in 4D conformal and N=1 superconformal field theories. In any CFT containing a scalar primary phi of dimension d we show that crossing symmetry of implies a completely general lower bound on the central charge c >= f_c(d). Similarly, in CFTs containing a complex scalar charged under global symmetries, we bound a combination of symmetry current two-point function coefficients tau^{IJ} and flavor charges. We extend these bounds to N=1 superconformal theories by deriving the superconformal block expansions for four-point functions of a chiral superfield Phi and its conjugate. In this case we derive bounds on the OPE coefficients of scalar operators appearing in the Phi x Phi* OPE, and show that there is an upper bound on the dimension of Phi* Phi when dim(Phi) is close to 1. We also present even more stringent bounds on c and tau^{IJ}. In supersymmetric gauge theories believed to flow to superconformal fixed points one can use anomaly matching to explicitly check whether these bounds are satisfied.Comment: 47 pages, 9 figures; V2: small corrections and clarification

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Nucleating cavitation from laser-illuminated nano-particles

Vapor bubble generation from laser-illuminated gold nano-particles has been investigated as a means of providing nucleation sites for cavitation induced by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Pulses from a 532-nm Nd:Yag laser were synchronized with a pulsed 1.1-MHz HIFU source in an acrylamide phantom seeded with 82-nm-diameter gold particles. Emissions from bubble collapses were detected by a 15-MHz focused transducer at a laser pulse energy and HIFU focal pressure of 0.10 mJ and 0.92 MPa, respectively. In comparison, a HIFU peak focal pressure of 4.50 MPa was required to nucleate detectable cavitation without laser illumination

The presentation, clinical features, complications, and treatment of congenital dacryocystocele

Purpose To determine the incidence and presenting features of congenital dacryocystocele in the United Kingdom. To report on those cases complicated by dacryocystitis, respiratory compromise, and the treatment undertaken. Methods A prospective observational study of cases of congenital dacryocystocele presenting in the United Kingdom between September 2014 and October 2015. Infants <3 months of age presenting with a cystic swelling in the medial canthal area were included. Cases were identified via the British Ophthalmology Surveillance Unit (BOSU) reporting system. Results A total of 49 cases were reported during the study period. This gives an incidence of 1 in 18 597 live births. There was a 71% response rate to the questionnaire. The average age at presentation was 16.94 days. Dacryocystoceles were unilateral in 91% of cases. Dacryocystitis was a complicating factor in 49% of patients and 17% had respiratory distress. Uncomplicated dacryocystocele responded well to conservative measures in 86%. Surgical intervention was required in 23% of patients. Those cases complicated by dacryocystitis (29%) and nasal obstruction (17%) were more likely to require surgical intervention compared to those with dacryocystocele alone (14%). Digital massage appears to reduce the likelihood of requiring surgical intervention. The mean time to resolution was 19 days. Conclusions Congenital dacryocystocele is a rare presentation in the United Kingdom. Dacryocystitis and respiratory compromise commonly complicate a dacryocystocele. The use of digital massage as an early intervention is advocated and conservative measures may be sufficient in cases of uncomplicated dacryocystocele

ENSO teleconnections to the Indian summer monsoon under changing climate

This is the final version. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.The teleconnection between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian summer monsoon rainfall is analysed in CMIP5 simulations in both historical and future scenario. A subset of models is selected, based on their ability to simulate mean rainfall and the ENSO teleconnection in the historical simulations, and those are used to examine future predictions in the central northeast region of India. For canonical and mixed canonical Modoki ENSO events, the rainfall teleconnection is spatially extended over most of India in the future. For pure Modoki ENSO events, the teleconnection disappears, and practically no influence is detected in any parts of India. Analysis of zonal wind at 200 mb indicates that for the Modoki events, there is a larger spread of changes across the models, while for canonical events there is more inter-model consistency. A rainfall decomposition technique reveals a battle between changes in circulation which act to weaken the rainfall teleconnection and changes in moisture change which act to strengthen it. The picture is most consistent in the sub-ensemble of models in the central northeast region but less consistent in regions covering southern India.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC

Measurement of the W+W−W^+W^- Production Cross Section and Search for Anomalous WWγWW\gamma and WWZWWZ Couplings in ppˉp \bar p Collisions at s=1.96\sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV

This Letter describes the current most precise measurement of the $W$ boson pair production cross section and most sensitive test of anomalous $WW\gamma$ and $WWZ$ couplings in $p \bar p$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The $WW$ candidates are reconstructed from decays containing two charged leptons and two neutrinos, where the charged leptons are either electrons or muons. Using data collected by the CDF II detector from 3.6 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity, a total of 654 candidate events are observed with an expected background contribution of $320 \pm 47$ events. The measured total cross section is $\sigma (p \bar p \to W^+ W^- + X) = 12.1 \pm 0.9 \textrm{(stat)} ^{+1.6}_{-1.4} \textrm{(syst)}$ pb, which is in good agreement with the standard model prediction. The same data sample is used to place constraints on anomalous $WW\gamma$ and $WWZ$ couplings.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let