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We present an alternative calibration of the MagLim lens sample redshift distributions from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) first 3 yr of data (Y3). The new calibration is based on a combination of a self-organizing-map-based scheme and clustering redshifts to estimate redshift distributions and inherent uncertainties, which is expected to be more accurate than the original DES Y3 redshift calibration of the lens sample. We describe in detail the methodology, and validate it on simulations and discuss the main effects dominating our error budget. The new calibration is in fair agreement with the fiducial DES Y3 n(z) calibration, with only mild differences (<3σ) in the means and widths of the distributions. We study the impact of this new calibration on cosmological constraints, analysing DES Y3 galaxy clustering and galaxy–galaxy lensing measurements, assuming a Lambda cold dark matter cosmology. We obtain Ωm = 0.30 ± 0.04, σ8 = 0.81 ± 0.07, and S 8 = 0.81 ± 0.04, which implies a ∼0.4σ shift in the Ω − S 8 plane compared to the fiducial DES Y3 results, highlighting the importance of the redshift calibration of the lens sample in multiprobe cosmological analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present direct constraints on galaxy intrinsic alignments (IAs) using the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 (DES Y3), the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS), and its precursor, the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). Our measurements incorporate photometric red sequence (redMaGiC) galaxies from DES with median redshift z ∼ 0.2–1.0, luminous red galaxies from eBOSS at z ∼ 0.8, and also an SDSS-III BOSS CMASS sample at z ∼ 0.5. We measure two-point IA correlations, which we fit using a model that includes lensing, magnification, and photometric redshift error. Fitting on scales 6 Mpc  h −1 < r p < 70 Mpc  h −1, we make a detection of IAs in each sample, at 5σ–22σ (assuming a simple one-parameter model for IAs). Using these red samples, we measure the IA–luminosity relation. Our results are statistically consistent with previous results, but offer a significant improvement in constraining power, particularly at low luminosity. With this improved precision, we see detectable dependence on colour between broadly defined red samples. It is likely that a more sophisticated approach than a binary red/blue split, which jointly considers colour and luminosity dependence in the IA signal, will be needed in future. We also compare the various signal components at the best-fitting point in parameter space for each sample, and find that magnification and lensing contribute |$\sim 2\!-\!18~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of the total signal. As precision continues to improve, it will certainly be necessary to account for these effects in future direct IA measurements. Finally, we make equivalent measurements on a sample of emission-line galaxies from eBOSS at z ∼ 0.8. We constrain the non-linear alignment amplitude to be |$A_1=0.07^{+0.32}_{-0.42}$| (| A 1| < 0.78 at 95 per cent CL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the effect of magnification in the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 analysis of galaxy clustering and galaxy–galaxy lensing, using two different lens samples: a sample of luminous red galaxies, redMaGiC , and a sample with a redshift-dependent magnitude limit, MagLim. We account for the effect of magnification on both the flux and size selection of galaxies, accounting for systematic effects using the Balrog image simulations. We estimate the impact of magnification on the galaxy clustering and galaxy–galaxy lensing cosmology analysis, finding it to be a significant systematic for the MagLim sample. We show cosmological constraints from the galaxy clustering autocorrelation and galaxy–galaxy lensing signal with different magnifications priors, finding broad consistency in cosmological parameters in ΛCDM and w CDM. However, when magnification bias amplitude is allowed to be free, we find the two-point correlation functions prefer a different amplitude to the fiducial input derived from the image simulations. We validate the magnification analysis by comparing the cross-clustering between lens bins with the prediction from the baseline analysis, which uses only the autocorrelation of the lens bins, indicating that systematics other than magnification may be the cause of the discrepancy. We show that adding the cross-clustering between lens redshift bins to the fit significantly improves the constraints on lens magnification parameters and allows uninformative priors to be used on magnification coefficients, without any loss of constraining power or prior volume concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CMB lensing signal from cosmic voids and superclusters probes the growth of structure in the low-redshift cosmic web. In this analysis, we cross-correlated the Planck CMB lensing map with voids detected in the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 (Y3) data set (∼5000 deg2), expanding on previous measurements that used Y1 catalogues (∼1300 deg2). Given the increased statistical power compared to Y1 data, we report a 6.6σ detection of negative CMB convergence (κ) imprints using approximately 3600 voids detected from a redMaGiC luminous red galaxy sample. However, the measured signal is lower than expected from the MICE N-body simulation that is based on the ΛCDM model (parameters Ωm = 0.25, σ8 = 0.8), and the discrepancy is associated mostly with the void centre region. Considering the full void lensing profile, we fit an amplitude |$A_{\kappa }=\kappa _{{\rm DES}}/\kappa _{{\rm MICE}}$| to a simulation-based template with fixed shape and found a moderate 2σ deviation in the signal with A κ ≈ 0.79 ± 0.12. We also examined the WebSky simulation that is based on a Planck 2018 ΛCDM cosmology, but the results were even less consistent given the slightly higher matter density fluctuations than in MICE. We then identified superclusters in the DES and the MICE catalogues, and detected their imprints at the 8.4σ level; again with a lower-than-expected A κ = 0.84 ± 0.10 amplitude. The combination of voids and superclusters yields a 10.3σ detection with an A κ = 0.82 ± 0.08 constraint on the CMB lensing amplitude, thus the overall signal is 2.3σ weaker than expected from MICE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present clustering redshift measurements for Dark Energy Survey (DES) lens sample galaxies used in weak gravitational lensing and galaxy clustering studies. To perform these measurements, we cross-correlate with spectroscopic galaxies from the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation Survey (BOSS) and its extension, eBOSS. We validate our methodology in simulations, including a new technique to calibrate systematic errors that result from the galaxy clustering bias, and we find that our method is generally unbiased in calibrating the mean redshift. We apply our method to the data, and estimate the redshift distribution for 11 different photometrically selected bins. We find general agreement between clustering redshift and photometric redshift estimates, with differences on the inferred mean redshift found to be below |Δ z | = 0.01 in most of the bins. We also test a method to calibrate a width parameter for redshift distributions, which we found necessary to use for some of our samples. Our typical uncertainties on the mean redshift ranged from 0.003 to 0.008, while our uncertainties on the width ranged from 4 to 9 per cent. We discuss how these results calibrate the photometric redshift distributions used in companion papers for DES Year 3 results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present the galaxy clustering measurements of the two DES lens galaxy samples: a magnitude-limited sample optimized for the measurement of cosmological parameters, maglim , and a sample of luminous red galaxies selected with the redmagic algorithm. maglim / redmagic sample contains over 10 million/2.5 million galaxies and is divided into six/five photometric redshift bins spanning the range z ∈ [0.20, 1.05]/ z ∈ [0.15, 0.90]. Both samples cover 4143 |$\deg ^2$| over which we perform our analysis blind, measuring the angular correlation function with an S/N ∼ 63 for both samples. In a companion paper, these measurements of galaxy clustering are combined with the correlation functions of cosmic shear and galaxy–galaxy lensing of each sample to place cosmological constraints with a 3 × 2pt analysis. We conduct a thorough study of the mitigation of systematic effects caused by the spatially varying survey properties and we correct the measurements to remove artificial clustering signals. We employ several decontamination methods with different configurations to ensure the robustness of our corrections and to determine the systematic uncertainty that needs to be considered for the final cosmology analyses. We validate our fiducial methodology using lognormal mocks, showing that our decontamination procedure induces biases no greater than 0.5 σ in the (Ωm, b) plane, where b is the galaxy bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the calibration of the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 (DES Y3) weak lensing (WL) source galaxy redshift distributions n (z) from clustering measurements. In particular, we cross-correlate the WL source galaxies sample with redMaGiC galaxies (luminous red galaxies with secure photometric redshifts) and a spectroscopic sample from BOSS/eBOSS to estimate the redshift distribution of the DES sources sample. Two distinct methods for using the clustering statistics are described. The first uses the clustering information independently to estimate the mean redshift of the source galaxies within a redshift window, as done in the DES Y1 analysis. The second method establishes a likelihood of the clustering data as a function of n (z), which can be incorporated into schemes for generating samples of n (z) subject to combined clustering and photometric constraints. Both methods incorporate marginalization over various astrophysical systematics, including magnification and redshift-dependent galaxy-matter bias. We characterize the uncertainties of the methods in simulations; the first method recovers the mean z of tomographic bins to RMS (precision) of ∼0.014. Use of the second method is shown to vastly improve the accuracy of the shape of n (z) derived from photometric data. The two methods are then applied to the DES Y3 data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present and validate the galaxy sample used for the analysis of the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) signal in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Y3 data. The definition is based on a colour and redshift-dependent magnitude cut optimized to select galaxies at redshifts higher than 0.5, while ensuring a high-quality determination. The sample covers |${\sim }\, 4100$| deg2to a depth of i  = 22.3 (AB) at 10 σ. It contains 7031 993 galaxies in the redshift range from |$z$|  = 0.6 to 1.1, with a mean effective redshift of 0.835. Redshifts are estimated with the machine learning algorithm dnf , and are validated using the VIPERS PDR2 sample. We find a mean redshift bias of |$z_{\mathrm{bias}} {\sim }\, 0.01$| and a mean uncertainty, in units of 1 + |$z$|⁠ , of |$\sigma _{68} {\sim }\, 0.03$|⁠. We evaluate the galaxy population of the sample, showing it is mostly built upon Elliptical to Sbc types. Furthermore, we find a low level of stellar contamination of |$\lesssim 4{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. We present the method used to mitigate the effect of spurious clustering coming from observing conditions and other large-scale systematics. We apply it to the BAO sample and calculate weights that are used to get a robust estimate of the galaxy clustering signal. This paper is one of a series dedicated to the analysis of the BAO signal in DES Y3. In the companion papers, we present the galaxy mock catalogues used to calibrate the analysis and the angular diameter distance constraints obtained through the fitting to the BAO scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe and test the fiducial covariance matrix model for the combined two-point function analysis of the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 (DES-Y3) data set. Using a variety of new ansatzes for covariance modelling and testing, we validate the assumptions and approximations of this model. These include the assumption of Gaussian likelihood, the trispectrum contribution to the covariance, the impact of evaluating the model at a wrong set of parameters, the impact of masking and survey geometry, deviations from Poissonian shot noise, galaxy weighting schemes, and other sub-dominant effects. We find that our covariance model is robust and that its approximations have little impact on goodness of fit and parameter estimation. The largest impact on best-fitting figure-of-merit arises from the so-called f sky approximation for dealing with finite survey area, which on average increases the χ2 between maximum posterior model and measurement by |$3.7{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| (Δχ2 ≈ 18.9). Standard methods to go beyond this approximation fail for DES-Y3, but we derive an approximate scheme to deal with these features. For parameter estimation, our ignorance of the exact parameters at which to evaluate our covariance model causes the dominant effect. We find that it increases the scatter of maximum posterior values for Ωm and σ8 by about |$3{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| and for the dark energy equation-of-state parameter by about |$5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform an analysis in harmonic space of the Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Data (DES-Y1) galaxy clustering photometric data using products obtained for the real-space analysis. We test our pipeline with a suite of lognormal simulations, which are used to validate scale cuts in harmonic space as well as to provide a covariance matrix that takes into account the DES-Y1 mask. We then apply this pipeline to DES-Y1 data taking into account survey property maps derived for the real-space analysis. We compare with real-space DES-Y1 results obtained from a similar pipeline. We show that the harmonic space analysis we develop yields results that are compatible with the real-space analysis for the bias parameters. This verification paves the way to performing a harmonic space analysis for the upcoming DES-Y3 data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the effects of weak gravitational lensing on observations of 196 spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) from years 1 to 3 of the Dark Energy Survey (DES). We simultaneously measure both the angular correlation function and the non-Gaussian skewness caused by weak lensing. This approach has the advantage of being insensitive to the intrinsic dispersion of SNe Ia magnitudes. We model the amplitude of both effects as a function of σ8, and find σ8 =1.2 |$^{+0.9}_{-0.8}$|⁠. We also apply our method to a subsample of 488 SNe from the Joint Light-curve Analysis (JLA; chosen to match the redshift range we use for this work), and find σ8 =0.8 |$^{+1.1}_{-0.7}$|⁠. The comparable uncertainty in σ8 between DES–SN and the larger number of SNe from JLA highlights the benefits of homogeneity of the DES–SN sample, and improvements in the calibration and data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a sample of galaxies with the Dark Energy Survey (DES) photometry that replicates the properties of the BOSS CMASS sample. The CMASS galaxy sample has been well characterized by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) collaboration and was used to obtain the most powerful redshift-space galaxy clustering measurements to date. A joint analysis of redshift-space distortions (such as those probed by CMASS from SDSS) and a galaxy–galaxy lensing measurement for an equivalent sample from DES can provide powerful cosmological constraints. Unfortunately, the DES and SDSS-BOSS footprints have only minimal overlap, primarily on the celestial equator near the SDSS Stripe 82 region. Using this overlap, we build a robust Bayesian model to select CMASS-like galaxies in the remainder of the DES footprint. The newly defined DES-CMASS (DMASS) sample consists of 117 293 effective galaxies covering |$1244\,\deg ^2$|⁠. Through various validation tests, we show that the DMASS sample selected by this model matches well with the BOSS CMASS sample, specifically in the South Galactic cap (SGC) region that includes Stripe 82. Combining measurements of the angular correlation function and the clustering- z distribution of DMASS, we constrain the difference in mean galaxy bias and mean redshift between the BOSS CMASS and DMASS samples to be |$\Delta b = 0.010^{+0.045}_{-0.052}$| and |$\Delta z = \left(3.46^{+5.48}_{-5.55} \right) \times 10^{-3}$| for the SGC portion of CMASS, and |$\Delta b = 0.044^{+0.044}_{-0.043}$| and |$\Delta z= (3.51^{+4.93}_{-5.91}) \times 10^{-3}$| for the full CMASS sample. These values indicate that the mean bias of galaxies and mean redshift in the DMASS sample are consistent with both CMASS samples within 1σ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The largest structures in the cosmic web probe the dynamical nature of dark energy through their integrated Sachs–Wolfe imprints. In the strength of the signal, typical cosmic voids have shown good consistency with expectation A ISW = Δ T data/Δ T theory = 1, given the substantial cosmic variance. Discordantly, large-scale hills in the gravitational potential, or supervoids, have shown excess signals. In this study, we mapped out 87 new supervoids in the total 5000 deg2 footprint of the Dark Energy Survey at 0.2 < |$z$| < 0.9 to probe these anomalous claims. We found an excess imprinted profile with A ISW ≈ 4.1 ± 2.0 amplitude. The combination with independent BOSS data reveals an ISW imprint of supervoids at the 3.3σ significance level with an enhanced A ISW ≈ 5.2 ± 1.6 amplitude. The tension with ΛCDM predictions is equivalent to 2.6σ and remains unexplained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present calibrations of the redshift distributions of redMaGiC galaxies in the Dark Energy Survey Year 1 (DES Y1) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR8 data. These results determine the priors of the redshift distribution of redMaGiC galaxies, which were used for galaxy clustering measurements and as lenses for galaxy–galaxy lensing measurements in DES Y1 cosmological analyses. We empirically determine the bias in redMaGiC photometric redshift estimates using angular cross-correlations with Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) galaxies. For DES, we calibrate a single-parameter redshift bias in three photometric redshift bins: |$z$| ∈ [0.15, 0.3], [0.3,0.45], and [0.45,0.6]. Our best-fit results in each bin give photometric redshift biases of |Δ |$z$| | < 0.01. To further test the redMaGiC algorithm, we apply our calibration procedure to SDSS redMaGiC galaxies, where the statistical precision of the cross-correlation measurement is much higher due to a greater overlap with BOSS galaxies. For SDSS, we also find best-fit results of |Δ |$z$| | < 0.01. We compare our results to other analyses of redMaGiC photometric redshifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the methodology and potential theoretical systematics of measuring baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) using the angular correlation functions in tomographic bins. We calibrate and optimize the pipeline for the Dark Energy Survey Year 1 data set using 1800 mocks. We compare the BAO fitting results obtained with three estimators: the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE), Profile Likelihood, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo. The fit results from the MLE are the least biased and their derived 1σ error bar are closest to the Gaussian distribution value after removing the extreme mocks with non-detected BAO signal. We show that incorrect assumptions in constructing the template, such as mismatches from the cosmology of the mocks or the underlying photo- $$z$$ errors, can lead to BAO angular shifts. We find that MLE is the method that best traces this systematic biases, allowing to recover the true angular distance values. In a real survey analysis, it may happen that the final data sample properties are slightly different from those of the mock catalogue. We show that the effect on the mock covariance due to the sample differences can be corrected with the help of the Gaussian covariance matrix or more effectively using the eigenmode expansion of the mock covariance. In the eigenmode expansion, the eigenmodes are provided by some proxy covariance matrix. The eigenmode expansion is significantly less susceptible to statistical fluctuations relative to the direct measurements of the covariance matrix because of the number of free parameters is substantially reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Bioaerosol exposure occurs in several industries including green waste recycling, poultry farming, grain, animal feed and cotton production. Whilst several studies have investigated exposure and health effects in compost workers, the best questions to ask about health are uncertain. Aims This study aimed to develop a questionnaire to assess health symptoms in compost workers. Methods A 46-item questionnaire to ascertain possible symptoms of occupational illness related to bioaerosol exposure in a cohort of UK industrial compost workers and delivery in an interviewer-led format. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach’s α. A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to condense the questionnaire for practical purposes. Results One hundred and eleven (89%) workers completed the questionnaire. All items showed very good reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.83). After removing perfectly correlated questions from the data set, the PCA was conducted on a reduced data set of 28 items to explore underlying themes. Nine components were identified that explained 77% of the total variation. Nine of the questions removed prior to PCA due to perfect correlation were reintroduced because they added clinical value. The final questionnaire therefore consisted of 37 items and retained very adequate reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.76). Conclusions Our health questionnaire has demonstrated adequate reliability when used within this industrial composting workforce. Further applications may include health surveillance, investigating outbreaks of occupational disease or research. Future work should examine the predictive validity of the questionnaire in these settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct the largest curved-sky galaxy weak lensing mass map to date from the DES firstyear (DES Y1) data. The map, about 10 times larger than the previous work, is constructed over a contiguous ≈1500 deg2, covering a comoving volume of ≈10 Gpc3. The effects of masking, sampling, and noise are tested using simulations. We generate weak lensing maps from two DES Y1 shear catalogues, METACALIBRATION and IM3SHAPE, with sources at redshift 0.2 < z < 1.3, and in each of four bins in this range. In the highest signal-to-noise map, the ratio between the mean signal to noise in the E-mode map and the B-mode map is ~1.5 (~2) when smoothed with a Gaussian filter of σG = 30 (80) arcmin. The second and third moments of the convergence κ in the maps are in agreement with simulations. We also find no significant correlation of κ with maps of potential systematic contaminants. Finally, we demonstrate two applications of the mass maps: (1) cross-correlation with different foreground tracers of mass and (2) exploration of the largest peaks and voids in the maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Civilian mass casualty incidents may occur infrequently and suddenly, and are caused by accidents, natural disasters or human terrorist incidents. Most reports deal with trauma centre management in large cities, and data from small local hospitals are scarce. A rural hospital response to a mass casualty incident caused by a terrorist shooting spree was evaluated. Methods An observational study was undertaken to evaluate the triage, diagnosis and management of all casualties received from the Utøya youth camp in Norway on 22 July 2011 by a local hospital, using data from the hospital's electronic records. Descriptive data are presented for patient demographics, injuries and patient flow. Results The shooting on Utøya youth camp left 69 people dead and 60 wounded. A rural hospital (Ringerike Hospital) triaged 35 patients, of whom 18 were admitted. During the main surge, the hospital triaged and treated 22 patients within 1 h, of whom 13 fulfilled the criteria for activating the hospital trauma team, including five with critical injuries (defined as an Injury Severity Score above 15). Ten computed tomography scans, two focused assessment with sonography for trauma ( FAST) scans and 25 conventional X-rays were performed. During the first 24 h, ten surgical procedures were performed and four chest drains inserted. No patient died. Conclusion Critical deviation from the major incident plan was needed, and future need for revision is deemed necessary based on the experience. Communication systems and the organization of radiological services proved to be most vulnerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A previous study showed that lung cancer incidence in Leicester's South Asian (SA) population had increased between 1990 and 1999. We expanded the original data set to determine if this increase had continued in recent years. Methods: All patients diagnosed with lung cancer in Leicester between 1990 and 2005 were identified. Ethnicity was assigned using Nam Pechan software, deprivation by Townsend score. Using Poisson regression, incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated to assess variations in incidence by ethnicity, deprivation and period of diagnosis. Results: Comparing patients diagnosed in 2000-2005 with those in 1990-1994, the risk of lung cancer increased in the SA men (IRR: 1.67 (95% CI: 0.99, 2.78)) whereas in the non-South Asian (NSA) men, it had fallen (IRR: 0.84 (95% CI: 0.76, 0.94)). Comparing patients diagnosed in 2000-2005 with those in 1995-1999 an increase continued in the SA men (IRR: 1.11 (95% CI: 0.71-1.74)). A significant rise was observed in the NSA women comparing those diagnosed from 2000-2005 to 1995-1999 (IRR: 1.16 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.33)). Conclusion: Lung cancer is an important public health issue amongst SAs in Leicester and has increased significantly since the early 1990s, with rates sustained in the more recent years of 2000-2005. Changes in the rates of lung cancer in SA and NSA populations are likely to be due to changing smoking habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grey squirrel damage was monitored annually in a stand of naturally regenerating oak in the Forest of Dean, UK, between 1998 and 2003. Incidences of damage and wound size were significantly related to tree size, with dominant oak trees and those above 7.5 cm diameter at breast height, most at risk of damage on the main stem. Fresh damage occurred on 9–38 per cent of trees each year, with 2–17 per cent of trees ring barked in any year. Damage was concentrated above 4 m up the main stem and for some trees led to dieback and loss of apical dominance accompanied by a reduction in top height increment. Continuing damage is likely to lead to a general reduction in yield of the stand. As with other species, tree diameter and dominance appear to be useful predictors of bark-stripping damage risk on oak. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Beliefs and mental well-being could influence decisions to consult about upper limb pain and satisfaction with care.Objectives: To describe beliefs about upper limb pain in the community and explore associations of beliefs and mental health with consulting and dissatisfaction.Methods: Questionnaires were mailed to 4998 randomly chosen working-aged patients from general practices in Avon. We asked about upper limb pain, consulting, beliefs about symptoms, dissatisfaction with care, somatizing tendency (using elements of the Brief Symptom Inventory) and mental well-being (using the Short-Form 36). Associations were explored by logistic regression.Results: Among 2632 responders, 1271 reported arm pain during the past 12 months, including 389 consulters. A third or more of responders felt that arm pain sufferers should avoid physical activity, that problems would persist beyond 3 months, that a doctor should be seen straightaway and that neglect could lead to permanent harm. Consulters were significantly more likely to agree with these statements than other upper limb pain sufferers. The proportion of consultations attributable to such beliefs was substantial. Dissatisfaction with care was commoner in those with poor mental health: the OR for being dissatisfied (worst versus best third of the distribution) was 3.2 (95% CI 1.2-8.5) for somatizing tendency and 2.4 (95% CI 1.3-4.7) for SF-36 score. Both factors were associated with dissatisfaction about doctors' sympathy, communication and care in examining.Conclusions: Negative beliefs about upper limb pain are common and associated with consulting. Somatizers and those in poorer mental health tend, subsequently, to feel dissatisfied with care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following successful high-energy direct current catheter ablation of posterior septal accessory pathways, serial T-wave changes were observed in seven patients with Wolff-Parkinson- White syndrome, but not in two patients with a concealed accessory bypass pathway. Following catheter ablation in the patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, the previously upright T-waves in the inferior electrocariographic leads became inferiorly directed. Serial electrocardiograms following catheter ablation revealed slow regression of these T-wave changes over time. In contrast, in the two patients in whom a concealed accessory pathway was present, the T-waves prior to and following the procedure were upright. In these two patients, serial electrocardiograms showed no evolution of the T-wave vector over the same time period. Although a small rise in myocardial CK enzymes was observed, ischaemic injury in the area of catheter ablation could not be documented by post-procedure echocardiography, tomographic thallium scintigraphy, technetium pyrophosphate scinti-graphy or coronary angiography with left ventriculography. We conclude that the observed T-wave changes in the patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome may be a result of the change in depolarization sequence resulting from loss of pre-excitation, and that the time-dependent nature of these T-wave changes is consistent with the concept of T-wave ‘memory’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A blood sample was taken from children aged 13-15 years immediately before BCG vaccination and 8 weeks after. The children were tuberculin skin-test negative to PPD-S before vaccination and positive after. Mononuclear cells were separated from the blood, infected with Mycobacterium microti at a low bacterium/monocyte ratio and allowed to form monolayers in microtitre wells. The infected monolayers were rinsed daily and the change in number of live bacteria in monolayers and supernatants was monitored by colony counts on agar. The cells were bacteriostatic during the first day, thereafter growth accelerated in pre-vaccination monolayers. When monolayers received pulsed exposures to autologous lymphocytes that had been incubated with whole dead tubercle bacilli the growth rates of M. microti were increased. However, growth rates in lymphocyte-pulsed monolayers were significantly lower after vaccination than before. It is proposed that this difference reflects the protective effect of vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the structural study of polymorphonuclear leucocytes using electron microscopy techniques. All types of leucocyte have cytoplasm containing mitochondria, ribosomes and vesicles the polymorphonuclear leucocytes contain in addition numerous granules. The Neutrophil Polymorphonuclear Leucocyte are characterized by the presence of numerous granules of the order of 0.2-0.5 microns in diameter. The Eosinophil Polymorphonuclear Leucocyte contain granules which are larger than those of neutrophils and oval in shape. In the centre of eaeh granule is a crystal, which usually presents a rectangular or rhomboidal outline, and this is surrounded by an oval envelope.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]