Which patients with renal colic should be referred?

Around 1-2 people per thousand present with an acute episode of pain caused by renal stones each year. Renal colic is classically sudden in onset, unilateral, and radiates from loin to groin. Renal pelvic or upper ureteric stones usually cause more flank pain and tenderness while lower ureteric stones cause pain radiating towards the ipsilateral testicle or labia. Other common symptoms include nausea and vomiting, haematuria and irritative LUTS. A febrile patient with renal colic requires immediate hospital admission. Symptoms suggestive of renal colic along with a positive dipstick for haematuria have a reported sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 99% but it is important to consider other differential diagnoses. An NSAID is preferred over an opiate drug as an initial analgesic choice as the NSAID can help reduce ureteric spasm. Diclofenac has the best evidence base for this class of analgesic. About 90% of stones will pass spontaneously and thus it is often appropriate to manage renal colic at home. Patients with signs of peritonitis, systemic infection, septic shock as well as those whose diagnosis is unclear should be referred urgently to hospital. Patients who are systemically unwell with renal stones are more likely to have an infected and obstructed urinary tract system that needs urgent imaging and possible drainage. All patients who are managed at home should have renal tract imaging within a week by fast track referral to radiology or as an urgent urology outpatient referral as per local guidelines to rule out an obstructed urinary system. Patients with recurrent stones should be advised to maintain a copious fluid intake (>2 L/day) to reduce the concentration of the urine. A reduction in salt intake (ideally

Time-dependent density functional theory study of charge transfer in collisions

We study the charge transfer between colliding ions, atoms, or molecules, within time-dependent density functional theory. Two particular cases are presented, the collision between a proton and a Helium atom, and between a gold atom and a butane molecule. In the first case, proton kinetic energies between 16 keV and 1.2 MeV are considered, with impact parameters between 0.31 and 1.9 angstrom. The partial transfer of charge is monitored with time. The total cross-section is obtained as a function of the proton kinetic energy. In the second case, we analyze one trajectory and discuss spin-dependent charge transfer between the different fragments.

Implementation and testing of Lanczos-based algorithms for Random-Phase Approximation eigenproblems

The treatment of the Random-Phase Approximation Hamiltonians, encountered in different frameworks, like time-dependent density functional theory or Bethe-Salpeter equation, is complicated by their non-Hermicity. Compared to their Hermitian Hamiltonian counterparts, computational methods for the treatment of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians are often less efficient and less stable, sometimes leading to the breakdown of the method. Recently [Gruning et al. Nano Lett. 8 (2009) 28201, we have identified that such Hamiltonians are usually pseudo-Hermitian. Exploiting this property, we have implemented an algorithm of the Lanczos type for Random-Phase Approximation Hamiltonians that benefits from the same stability and computational load as its Hermitian counterpart, and applied it to the study of the optical response of carbon nanotubes. We present here the related theoretical grounds and technical details, and study the performance of the algorithm for the calculation of the optical absorption of a molecule within the Bethe-Salpeter equation framework. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exciton-Plasmon States in Nanoscale Materials: Breakdown of the Tamm-Dancoff Approximation

Within the Tamm-Dancoff approximation, ab initio approaches describe excitons as packets of electron-hole pairs propagating only forward in time. However, we show that in nanoscale materials excitons and plasmons hybridize, creating exciton-plasmon states where the electron-hole pairs oscillate back and forth in time. Then, as exemplified by the trans-azobenzene molecule and the carbon nanotubes, the Tamm-Dancoff approximation yields errors larger than the accuracy claimed in ab initio calculations. Instead, we propose a general and efficient approach that avoids the Tamm-Dancoff approximation, correctly describes excitons, plasmons, and exciton-plasmon states, and provides a good agreement with experimental results.

Macroscopic limit of time-dependent density-functional theory for adiabatic local approximations of the exchange-correlation kernel

Time-dependent density-functional theory is a rather accurate and efficient way to compute electronic excitations for finite systems. However, in the macroscopic limit (systems of increasing size), for the usual adiabatic random-phase, local-density, or generalized-gradient approximations, one recovers the Kohn-Sham independent-particle picture, and thus the incorrect band gap. To clarify this trend, we investigate the macroscopic limit of the exchange-correlation kernel in such approximations by means of an algebraical analysis complemented with numerical studies of a one-dimensional tight-binding model. We link the failure to shift the Kohn-Sham spectrum of these approximate kernels to the fact that the corresponding operators in the transition space act only on a finite subspace.

Relationship between genome and epigenome - challenges and requirements for future research

Understanding the links between genetic, epigenetic and non-genetic factors throughout the lifespan and across generations and their role in disease susceptibility and disease progression offer entirely new avenues and solutions to major problems in our society. To overcome the numerous challenges, we have come up with nine major conclusions to set the vision for future policies and research agendas at the European level.

Manual mapping of drumlins in synthetic landscapes to assess operator effectiveness

Mapped topographic features are important for understanding processes that sculpt the Earth’s surface. This paper presents maps that are the primary product of an exercise that brought together 27 researchers with an interest in landform mapping wherein the efficacy and causes of variation in mapping were tested using novel synthetic DEMs containing drumlins. The variation between interpreters (e.g. mapping philosophy, experience) and across the study region (e.g. woodland prevalence) opens these factors up to assessment. A priori known answers in the synthetics increase the number and strength of conclusions that may be drawn with respect to a traditional comparative study. Initial results suggest that overall detection rates are relatively low (34–40%), but reliability of mapping is higher (72–86%). The maps form a reference dataset.

The Kepler-10 Planetary System Revisited by HARPS-N: A Hot Rocky World and a Solid Neptune-Mass Planet

Kepler-10b was the first rocky planet detected by the Kepler satellite and confirmed with radial velocity follow-up observations from Keck-HIRES. The mass of the planet was measured with a precision of around 30%, which was
insufficient to constrain models of its internal structure and composition in detail. In addition to Kepler-10b, a second planet transiting the same star with a period of 45 days was statistically validated, but the radial velocities were only
good enough to set an upper limit of 20 M⊕ for the mass of Kepler-10c. To improve the precision on the mass for planet b, the HARPS-N Collaboration decided to observe Kepler-10 intensively with the HARPS-N spectrograph
on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo on La Palma. In total, 148 high-quality radial-velocity measurements were obtained over two observing seasons. These new data allow us to improve the precision of the mass determination for Kepler-10b to 15%. With a mass of 3.33 ± 0.49 M⊕ and an updated radius of 1.47+0.03 −0.02 R⊕, Kepler-10b has a density of 5.8 ± 0.8 g cm−3, very close to the value predicted by models with the same internal structure and composition as the Earth. We were also able to determine a mass for the 45-day period planet Kepler-10c, with an even better precision of 11%. With a mass of 17.2 ± 1.9 M⊕ and radius of 2.35+0.09 −0.04 R⊕, Kepler-10c has a density of 7.1 ± 1.0 g cm−3. Kepler-10c appears to be the first strong evidence of a class of more massive solid planets with longer orbital periods

Characterizing K2 Planet Discoveries: A super-Earth transiting the bright K-dwarf HIP 116454

We report the first planet discovery from the two-wheeled Kepler (K2) mission: HIP 116454 b. The host star HIP 116454 is a bright (V = 10.1, K = 8.0) K1 dwarf with high proper motion and a parallax-based distance of 55.2 +/- 5.4 pc. Based on high-resolution optical spectroscopy, we find that the host star is metal-poor with [Fe/H]= -0.16 +/- 0.08 and has a radius R-star = 0.716 +/- 0.024 R-circle dot and mass M-star = 0.775 +/- 0.027M(circle dot). The star was observed by the Kepler spacecraft during its Two-Wheeled Concept Engineering Test in 2014 February. During the 9 days of observations, K2 observed a single transit event. Using a new K2 photometric analysis technique, we are able to correct small telescope drifts and recover the observed transit at high confidence, corresponding to a planetary radius of R-p = 2.53 +/- 0.18 R-circle plus. Radial velocity observations with the HARPS-N spectrograph reveal a 11.82 +/- 1.33 M-circle plus planet in a 9.1 day orbit, consistent with the transit depth, duration, and ephemeris. Follow-up photometric measurements from the MOST satellite confirm the transit observed in the K2 photometry and provide a refined ephemeris, making HIP 116454 b amenable for future follow-up observations of this latest addition to the growing population of transiting super-Earths around nearby, bright stars.

Shallow water methane-derived authigenic carbonate mounds at the Codling Fault Zone, western Irish Sea

Methane-derived authigenic carbonate (MDAC) mound features at the Codling Fault Zone (CFZ), located in shallow waters (50-120m) of the western Irish Sea were investigated and provide a comparison to deep sea MDAC settings. Carbonates consisted of aragonite as the major mineral phase, with δ¹³C depletion to -50‰ and δ¹⁸O enrichment to~2‰. These isotope signatures, together with the co-precipitation of framboidal pyrite confirm that anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is an important process mediating methane release to the water column and the atmosphere in this region. ¹⁸O-enrichment could be a result of MDAC precipitation with seawater in colder than present day conditions, or precipitation with ¹⁸O-enriched water transported from deep petroleum sources. The ¹³C depletion of bulk carbonate and sampled gas (-70‰) suggests a biogenic source, but significant mixing of thermogenic gas and depletion of the original isotope signature cannot be ruled out. Active seepage was recorded from one mound and together with extensive areas of reduced sediment, confirms that seepage is ongoing. The mounds appear to be composed of stacked pavements that are largely covered by sand and extensively eroded. The CFZ mounds are colonized by abundant Sabellaria polychaetes and possible Nemertesia hydroids, which benefit indirectly from available hard substrate. In contrast to deep sea MDAC settings where seep-related macrofauna are commonly reported, seep-specialist fauna appear to be lacking at the CFZ. In addition, unlike MDAC in deep waters where organic carbon input from photosynthesis is limited, lipid biomarkers and isotope signatures related to marine planktonic production (e.g. sterols, alkanols) were most abundant. Evidence for microbes involved in AOM was limited from samples taken; possibly due to this dilution effect from organic matter derived from the photic zone, and will require further investigation.