Standardisation framework for the Maudsley staging method for treatment resistance in depression

Background: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a serious and relatively common clinical condition. Lack of consensus on defining and staging TRD remains one of the main barriers to understanding TRD and approaches to intervention. The Maudsley Staging Method (MSM) is the first multidimensional model developed to define and stage treatment-resistance in “unipolar depression”. The model is being used increasingly in treatment and epidemiological studies of TRD and has the potential to support consensus. Yet, standardised methods for rating the MSM have not been described adequately. The aim of this report is to present standardised approaches for rating or completing the MSM. Method: Based on the initial development of the MSM and a narrative review of the literature, the developers of the MSM provide explicit guidance on how the three dimensions of the MSM–treatment failure, severity of depressive episode and duration of depressive episode– may be rated. Result: The core dimension of the MSM, treatment failure, may be assessed using the Maudsley Treatment Inventory (MTI), a new method developed for the purposes of completing the MSM. The MTI consists of a relatively comprehensive list of medications with options for rating doses and provisions treatment for multiple episodes. The second dimension, severity of symptoms, may be assessed using simple instruments such as the Clinical Global Impression, the Psychiatric Status Rating or checklist from a standard diagnostic checklist. The standardisation also provides a simple rating scale for scoring the third dimension, duration of depressive episode. Conclusion: The approaches provided should have clinical and research utility in staging TRD. However, in proposing this model, we are fully cognisant that until the pathophysiology of depression is better understood, staging methods can only be tentative approximations. Future developments should attempt to incorporate other biological/ pathophysiological dimensions for staging

Improvement in Toughness of Castings through Chemical Surface Modification

Alloys with good toughness and elevated temperature properties like A201 are expensive and can be more difficult to process. This results in the use of heavier but less expensive alternatives in many applications where toughness is of concern, such as steels. Common alloys such as A356 and E357 are relatively cheap and easy to work with. However, these alloys have considerably lower toughness than premium alloys. This research aims to investigate surface modification treatments that could yield better toughness at a low cost in a common aluminum alloy. The process must show significant improvement in said properties, be cost effective, and easily adaptable in a common foundry. Diffusion of coating material into the substrate was investigated with a variety of coating metals. The diffusion process was facilitated in the solutionizing step for the given substrate aluminum in order to strengthen the sub-surface region of the parts. This research aims to provide a platform for further research into the practical effects of the coating and tempering on impact and toughness properties. These samples were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy, EDS, impact testing, and tensile testing

Dissimilar Metal Casting

The aim of this project was to explore the nature of metallurgical bonds that can be created between steel and aluminum. Metallic coatings were utilized to facilitate the formation of quality bonds between the two dissimilar metals. Hot dipping experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of time and coating material. The introduction of zinc as a coating material improved the bond quality; attempts to use a more complex metal matrix material were unsuccessful due to challenges with its creation. The conclusions drawn from this research provide a basis for better understanding of the mechanism of metal diffusion over time and the subsequent bond formation

Subsurface Microstructural Evolution of High-Pressure Diecast A365: From Cast to Cold-Sprayed and Heat-Treated Conditions

The use of cold spray deposition, coupled with diffusion-driven thermal postprocessing, is considered herein as a surface modification process such that near-surface microstructural, micromechanical, and microchemical property improvements can be procured for cost-effective and common aluminum alloy castings. Since the present work was an exploratory investigation into the realm of cold spray induced, high-pressure diecast aluminum subsurface property development and evolution, as well as surface modification, one significant aim was to formalize a set of fundamental observations for continued consideration of such an approach to achieving premium aluminum alloy properties from cost-effective alternatives. Nickel, copper, and titanium cold spray modified near-surface regions of the cost-effective high-pressure diecast A365 system was considered. Near-surface, subsurface, and surface evolution was documented across each of the three pure metal coatings. The analysis was continued across two postprocessing coating-substrate atomic diffusion inspired heat-treated conditions as well. Using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and various insights gleaned from an original contextualization of the relevant cold spray literature, noteworthy results were recorded and discussed herein. When copper feedstock was employed alongside thermal postprocessing, diverse surface-based intermetallic compounds formed alongside exotic diffusion zones and severely oxidized regions, thus eliminating thermally activated copper cold-sprayed consolidations from future work too. However, both nickel and titanium cold spray surface modification processing demonstrated potential and promise if correct processing stages were performed directly and chronologically. Consequently, a platform is presented for further research on cold sprayed surface microstructural and property modification of cost-effective alloyed aluminum castings

Not a Piece of Cake: Understanding the Food Rituals at Birthday Parties in New Zealand

The development of Type 2 Diabetes, a global issue with no cure, has a potential link to excessive indulgence of junk food. We worked with the Child Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Network to investigate food rituals at children’s birthday parties. Our research, based on 22 in-depth interviews, focused on the motivations, expectations, and significance of the foods served at children’s birthday parties in the Greater Wellington Region. We found that the expectation for unhealthy food was ingrained into both children and adults because of tradition, convenience, and cost. We recommend that the Network create a social marketing campaign geared towards teaching parents to talk to their children about healthy choices and how parents can create healthier birthday parties