The potential of low-intensity and online interventions for depression in low- and middle-income countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are confronted with a serious ‘mental health gap’, indicating an enormous disparity between the number of individuals in need of mental health care and the availability of professionals to provide such care (WHO in 2010). Traditional forms of mental health services (i.e. face-to-face, individualised assessments and interventions) are therefore not feasible. We propose three strategies for addressing this mental health gap: delivery of evidence-based, low-intensity interventions by non-specialists, the use of transdiagnostic treatment protocols, and strategic deployment of technology to facilitate access and uptake. We urge researchers from all over the world to conduct feasibility studies and randomised controlled studies on the effect of low-intensity interventions and technology supported (e.g. online) interventions in LMICs, preferably using an active control condition as comparison, to ensure we disseminate effective treatments in LMICs

An investigation of the thermal and environmental conditions in the holds of ships carrying cement : an occupational health survey

Following a fatal case of heat stroke, the Occupational Health Unit undertook the investigation of the thermal and environmental conditions in the holds of ships arriving in Malta to unload hot cement. Fifteen ships were surveyed over a period of three months. Following this survey, a report concluded that : (1) the summer manning scale should be extended into October (2) the findings in November were equivocal and thus no definite submission in respect of this month could be made other than that the sack temperature would have proved a realistic criterion of the thermal conditions in the holds; (3) there was no justification on occupational health grounds to adopt the shift system in December, provided always that the sack temperature did not exceed 110° F. Subsequent to this report, the Port Labour (Determinations) Order, 1966 was amended accordinglypeer-reviewe

Random matrix approach in search for weak signals immersed in background noise

We present new, original and alternative method for searching signals coded in noisy data. The method is based on the properties of random matrix eigenvalue spectra. First, we describe general ideas and support them with results of numerical simulations for basic periodic signals immersed in artificial stochastic noise. Then, the main effort is put to examine the strength of a new method in investigation of data content taken from the real astrophysical NAUTILUS detector, searching for the presence of gravitational waves. Our method discovers some previously unknown problems with data aggregation in this experiment. We provide also the results of new method applied to the entire respond signal from ground based detectors in future experimental activities with reduced background noise level. We indicate good performance of our method what makes it a positive predictor for further applications in many areas.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figure

Coal, cumulative impacts, and the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Australia, covers over 348,000 km 2 of tropical marine ecosystems of global significance. In July 2015, the World Heritage Committee called attention to the cumulative impacts of climate change, poor water quality, and coastal development on the region's outstanding universal value, but stopped short of inscribing the Great Barrier Reef on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Restoring the region's values is hindered by an environmental decision-making process that fails to incorporate cumulative impacts, including the climate change impacts of greenhouse gas emissions sourced from one of Australia's largest exports, thermal coal. We identify policy and processes that enable a more comprehensive consideration of the cumulative effects of coal mining by environmental decision-makers. Implementing cumulative impact assessment requires a collaborative and transparent program of planning and monitoring independent of Government and mine proponents that evaluates local, regional, and global impacts. The future of the Great Barrier Reef depends on transformational change in the cumulative assessment of Australian coal mines

Roughness and Finite Size Effect in the NYSE Stock-Price Fluctuations

We consider the roughness properties of NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) stock-price fluctuations. The statistical properties of the data are relatively homogeneous within the same day but the large jumps between different days prevent the extension of the analysis to large times. This leads to intrinsic finite size effects which alter the apparent Hurst (H) exponent. We show, by analytical methods, that finite size effects always lead to an enhancement of H. We then consider the effect of fat tails on the analysis of the roughness and show that the finite size effects are strongly enhanced by the fat tails. The non stationarity of the stock price dynamics also enhances the finite size effects which, in principle, can become important even in the asymptotic regime. We then compute the Hurst exponent for a set of stocks of the NYSE and argue that the interpretation of the value of H is highly ambiguous in view of the above results. Finally we propose an alternative determination of the roughness in terms of the fluctuations from moving averages with variable characteristic times. This permits to eliminate most of the previous problems and to characterize the roughness in useful way. In particular this approach corresponds to the automatic elimination of trends at any scale.Comment: 13 pages, 11 fugure

Cumulative human impacts on coral reefs: assessing risk and management implications for Brazilian coral reefs

Effective management of coral reefs requires strategies tailored to cope with cumulative disturbances from human activities. In Brazil, where coral reefs are a priority for conservation, intensifying threats from local and global stressors are of paramount concern to management agencies. Using a cumulative impact assessment approach, our goal was to inform management actions for coral reefs in Brazil by assessing their exposure to multiple stressors (fishing, land-based activities, coastal development, mining, aquaculture, shipping, and global warming). We calculated an index of the risk to cumulative impacts: (i) assuming uniform sensitivity of coral reefs to stressors; and (ii) using impact weights to reflect varying tolerance levels of coral reefs to each stressor. We also predicted the index in both the presence and absence of global warming. We found that 16% and 37% of coral reefs had high to very high risk of cumulative impacts, without and with information on sensitivity respectively, and 42% of reefs had low risk to cumulative impacts from both local and global stressors. Our outputs are the first comprehensive spatial dataset of cumulative impact on coral reefs in Brazil, and show that areas requiring attention mostly corresponded to those closer to population centres. We demonstrate how the relationships between risks from local and global stressors can be used to derive strategic management actions

Preliminary Bulbous Bow Design Tool Applying K Nearest Neighbours Classification and Regression Model

Designing bulbous bows for ships remains a challenging task.  Their impact on different design attributes as well as their change in performance when operating off their intended design condition renders this as a multidimensional problem.  This paper explores the application of machine learning techniques to a sample of in-service vessel data to develop a preliminary design tool.  The ships' data was analysed together with their bulbous bow data to generate machine learning models using a supervised approach.  The K Nearest Neighbours Classifier and Regression models were used as the basis of the tool.  Together, these models can be used to predict whether to install a bulbous bow and the recommended dimensionless coefficients for new vessels. Generating this preliminary bulbous bow design tool required the introduction of new dimensionless coefficients that discretise the bulbous bow's longitudinal section.  The preliminary design tool gives the designer the ability to determine whether a bulbous bow should be fitted and, if so, to obtain an initial estimate of the bulbous bow required for the vessel being designed, based on key input parameters that relate to the ship and its operation.  The new design tool is demonstrated to provide preliminary design details for bulbous bows through the case studies