Attempting to create scientific and objective tests to measure national wellbeing may be less effective than just asking people how happy they feel

Since David Cameron announced his intention to measure the country’s happiness in 2010 there has been a flurry of debate about whether happiness is something that can or should be measured. Robert Battison examines the Office of National Statistics’ latest exercise in finding objective measurements for happiness, and suggests that simply asking people whether they are happy or not might be the most accurate measurement aroun

Harnessing parent power: to what extent can parental engagement enhance the development of growth mindset in secondary school children?

This study has focussed on how parental engagement can be used as an intervention to develop a growth mindset in young adolescent boys. The research frame has been a case study approach designed to gather data that is rich enough to analyse a mediated act as complex as parenting. Therefore, the methods have been mixed and varied to enable thorough triangulation and have included semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, diaries, informal observation, drawing and pictures. The intervention period itself lasted six months. The context is set within a co-educational, fee paying, independent boarding school which is non-selective and provides bursarial assistance to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds; four local day boys in year 9 were randomly selected from a targeted group as the case study students. Many schools involve parents via emails and newsletters, reports and parents’ evenings, all of which serve to relay information in a useful and important way. However, in a complex and ever changing world I propose that schools must get more creative to strengthen the learning culture around each child. Parental participation in schools, particularly parental engagement (where parents are empowered to further develop their child’s learning dispositions at home) can have huge effects on that child’s lifetime achievement. All students developed a more incremental mindset as a result of the parental intervention albeit to varying degrees. The main factors that influenced the degree of progress were upheaval within the family unit and how the strategies we employed by the parents. Unsurprisingly, I found that parents experience responsible parenting to be challenging, and that they were very grateful for support and guidance. Providing autonomy was found to be an important factor in successful strategies with the young adolescents, as was working in a careful manner via questioning, using process oriented praise and collaborative, learning-orientated, goal setting; all of which were best deployed in a light-touch manner. The project sat within a whole school initiative to engage pupils, teachers and parents in strategies to develop learner self-sufficiency, as part of a collective culture, within a community of learning. The process and reflections of all involved within this project will help to develop our continued focus on a wholeness approach and continue to dissolve the boundaries between the silos of traditional educational practice and perceived responsibility

Investigation of Transliteration Algorithm Operation in Real Time for Augmented Reality

The ability to understand and translate languages is a sought after commodity. Modern computers are capable of translation, but require the user to disengage from their environment to operate. This research will show that the capability exists to create a device that would not separate the user with their environment while still allowing them to comprehend foreign languages. The goal of the research is the ability to produce an apparatus which can translate text seamlessly while moving its displayed field of vision in step with the users movements. To achieve this effect three distinct operations must be done quickly. First, input will be taken from the users’ perspective in the form of digital video using an Ovrvision 1 stereoscopic camera, which features a wider field of vision than that of the user allowing for predictive translation. Following this an Android translation algorithm will be applied to this input to filter out words of a language other than that of the user, in order to replace those words with the ones translated. The algorithm should do so in a way that simulates the words appearance in the raw input in order to offer the user an accurate reproduction of the environment. This augmented video will then be returned to the user by means of the Oculus Rift virtual reality system, thereby achieving the desired result of translating all that is in the users’ field of vision without disruption

Structural analysis and corrosion studies on an ISO 5832-9 biomedical alloy with TiO2 sol–gel layers

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between the structural and corrosion properties of an ISO 5832-9 biomedical alloy modified with titanium dioxide (TiO2) layers. These layers were obtained via the sol–gel method by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide in isopropanol solution. To obtain TiO2 layers with different structural properties, the coated samples were annealed at temperatures of 200, 300, 400, 450, 500, 600 and 800 C for 2 h. For all the prepared samples, accelerated corrosion measurements were performed in Tyrode’s physiological solution using electrochemical methods. The most important corrosion parameters were determined: corrosion potential, polarization resistance, corrosion rate, breakdown and repassivation potentials. Corrosion damage was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. Structural analysis was carried out for selected TiO2 coatings annealed at 200, 400, 600 and 800 C. In addition, the morphology, chemical composition, crystallinity, thickness and density of the deposited TiO2 layers were determined using suitable electron and X-ray measurement methods. It was shown that the structure and character of interactions between substrate and deposited TiO2 layers depended on annealing temperature. All the obtained TiO2 coatings exhibit anticorrosion properties, but these properties are related to the crystalline structure and character of substrate–layer interaction. From the point of view of corrosion, the best TiO2 sol–gel coatings for stainless steel intended for biomedical applications seem to be those obtained at 400 C.This study was supported by Grant No. N N507 501339 of the National Science Centre. The authors wish to express their thanks to J. Borowski (MEDGAL, Poland) for the Rex 734 alloy

European society of intensive care medicine study of therapeutic hypothermia (32-35 °C) for intracranial pressure reduction after traumatic brain injury (the Eurotherm3235Trial).

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury is a major cause of death and severe disability worldwide with 1,000,000 hospital admissions per annum throughout the European Union.Therapeutic hypothermia to reduce intracranial hypertension may improve patient outcome but key issues are length of hypothermia treatment and speed of re-warming. A recent meta-analysis showed improved outcome when hypothermia was continued for between 48 hours and 5 days and patients were re-warmed slowly (1 °C/4 hours). Previous experience with cooling also appears to be important if complications, which may outweigh the benefits of hypothermia, are to be avoided. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a pragmatic, multi-centre randomised controlled trial examining the effects of hypothermia 32-35 °C, titrated to reduce intracranial pressure 20 mmHg in accordance with the Brain Trauma Foundation Guidelines, 2007. DISCUSSION: The Eurotherm3235Trial is the most important clinical trial in critical care ever conceived by European intensive care medicine, because it was launched and funded by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and will be the largest non-commercial randomised controlled trial due to the substantial number of centres required to deliver the target number of patients. It represents a new and fundamental step for intensive care medicine in Europe. Recruitment will continue until January 2013 and interested clinicians from intensive care units worldwide can still join this important collaboration by contacting the Trial Coordinating Team via the trial website http://www.eurotherm3235trial.eu. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN34555414

Synthesis and applications of novel fluorescent and colorimetric coumarin-based sensors towards analyte sensing in aqueous systems

The continuous growth of mankind has not been considerate to the environment. The release of millions of tonnes of toxic heavy metal cations and anionic species through industrial, mining, agricultural, and electronic dumping has led to disease and, in many instances, death. This is usually suffered by low-income informal populations residing in third world countries. Moreover, many unnecessary deaths of children are becoming more prevalent because of consumption and contact with contaminated water, agricultural, and animal sources. Bioaccumulation of these toxic species in fish, plants, and animals, inevitably make their way back to the unaware general population. As growth by mining, agriculture, and electronics are indeed vital aspects of human development, the negative side effects of these activities usually continue unregulated. Therefore, as these processes are set to continue until more stringent regulatory processes are put into legislature; low-cost, sensitive, selective organic based sensors are a step in the right direction towards highlighting the need for environmental restoration and remediation; whilst also aiming to preventing unnecessary disease and death in the process. Herein, coumarin derived small-molecule fluorescent and colorimetric sensors for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of cationic and anionic species in aqueous and organic media are described. Ten fluorescent sensors supporting 1,4-disubstituted triazolyl moieties were synthesized according to Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition “click” reactions. These sensors were screened for their cationic and anionic affinities in a variety of solvent systems. Majority of the sensors responded well towards Fe3+, characterized by a strong fluorescent quenching response with a good degree of sensitivity and selectivity. Selected sensors were further investigated for their affinities towards anionic species; however, they did not display the same degree of selectivity or sensitivity towards these chosen anions. Titration studies of selected sensors with Fe3+ were able to be used towards determining the modes of fluorescent quenching; the photophysical mechanisms by which quenching occurs; stoichiometric binding ratios, association constants, and the number of coordination sites present between the sensors and Fe3+. Reversibility studies of the sensor-metal complex was investigated with EDTA. Partial reversibility was achieved for the chosen sensors with Fe3+. Hydrogen potential studies further described the application of these sensors over a good pH range. The binding site between the sensors and Fe3+ was investigated by NMR studies.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomecular and Chemical Sciences, 202

Synthesis and applications of novel fluorescent and colorimetric coumarin-based sensors towards analyte sensing in aqueous systems

The continuous growth of mankind has not been considerate to the environment. The release of millions of tonnes of toxic heavy metal cations and anionic species through industrial, mining, agricultural, and electronic dumping has led to disease and, in many instances, death. This is usually suffered by low-income informal populations residing in third world countries. Moreover, many unnecessary deaths of children are becoming more prevalent because of consumption and contact with contaminated water, agricultural, and animal sources. Bioaccumulation of these toxic species in fish, plants, and animals, inevitably make their way back to the unaware general population. As growth by mining, agriculture, and electronics are indeed vital aspects of human development, the negative side effects of these activities usually continue unregulated. Therefore, as these processes are set to continue until more stringent regulatory processes are put into legislature; low-cost, sensitive, selective organic based sensors are a step in the right direction towards highlighting the need for environmental restoration and remediation; whilst also aiming to preventing unnecessary disease and death in the process. Herein, coumarin derived small-molecule fluorescent and colorimetric sensors for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of cationic and anionic species in aqueous and organic media are described. Ten fluorescent sensors supporting 1,4-disubstituted triazolyl moieties were synthesized according to Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition “click” reactions. These sensors were screened for their cationic and anionic affinities in a variety of solvent systems. Majority of the sensors responded well towards Fe3+, characterized by a strong fluorescent quenching response with a good degree of sensitivity and selectivity. Selected sensors were further investigated for their affinities towards anionic species; however, they did not display the same degree of selectivity or sensitivity towards these chosen anions. Titration studies of selected sensors with Fe3+ were able to be used towards determining the modes of fluorescent quenching; the photophysical mechanisms by which quenching occurs; stoichiometric binding ratios, association constants, and the number of coordination sites present between the sensors and Fe3+. Reversibility studies of the sensor-metal complex was investigated with EDTA. Partial reversibility was achieved for the chosen sensors with Fe3+. Hydrogen potential studies further described the application of these sensors over a good pH range. The binding site between the sensors and Fe3+ was investigated by NMR studies.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomecular and Chemical Sciences, 202

Sufficientness postulates for Gibbs-type priors and hierarchical generalizations

A fundamental problem in Bayesian nonparametrics consists of selecting a prior distribution by assuming that the corresponding predictive probabilities obey certain properties. An early discussion of such a problem, although in a parametric framework, dates back to the seminal work by English philosopher W. E. Johnson, who introduced a noteworthy characterization for the predictive probabilities of the symmetric Dirichlet prior distribution. This is typically referred to as Johnson's "sufficientness" postulate. In this paper we review some nonparametric generalizations of Johnson's postulate for a class of nonparametric priors known as species sampling models. In particular we revisit and discuss the "sufficientness" postulate for the two parameter Poisson-Dirichlet prior within the more general framework of Gibbstype priors and their hierarchical generalizations

Gender Affirming Surgery and Pain in Adolescents: Teen and Parent Experiences

Background: Adolescents seeking gender affirming medical care face unique biopsychosocial challenges, including experiences of discrimination and stigma. Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adolescents often undergo gender affirming surgery (GAS). While there is an increase in GAS for TGD adolescents in the U.S., little is known about the pain experiences in the post-surgical period among these youth. There have been no studies to our knowledge that examine the psychological functioning of parents and their ability to handle their child\u27s distress, which may be affected by their child\u27s post-GAS pain experiences. Parental responses to their children’s pain and distress may, in turn, influence their child’s pain experience during the recovery period. This study aims to 1) describe TGD surgeries, pain experiences, and psychological functioning in the first month post-GAS, and 2) explore associations between parental functioning and responses to their child’s pain. Methods: Adolescents (ages 14-19; Mage=16.9 years) undergoing GAS (n=29) and their parents (Mage=51.1 years) were selected from an ongoing longitudinal dyadic study of adolescents receiving opioid prescriptions for acute pain management. Dyads were recruited \u3c 72 hours after GAS to participate in an ongoing study about pain experiences and pain management after receiving an opioid for an acute pain condition. Dyads reported on general psychological functioning (National Institutes of Health PROMIS measures), pain-specific measures (Pain Catastrophizing Scale), and ability to tolerate distress (Distress Tolerance Scale). Results: Adolescents reported gender identity as trans woman/feminine (3.4%), trans man/masculine (86.2%), and nonbinary/gender diverse (10.3%). Most were undergoing top surgery procedures (89.7%). Adolescents reported moderate past 7-day pain intensity (0-10 NRS; M=2.55, SD=1.74), and 72.4% endorsed experiencing pain at least once a week in the past 30 days. PROMIS pain interference T scores ranged from 36-74 (M=56.7). Clinically elevated (T \u3e60) PROMIS anxiety, depression, and fatigue were reported in 34.5%, 41.4%, and 51.7% of teens, respectively. 41.4% of parents reported elevated fatigue levels, 10.7% depression, and 13.8% anxiety. Nonparametric correlations revealed parent pain catastrophizing was associated with catastrophizing about child pain (rs = 0.45; p=0.01), parent fatigue (rs=0.46; p=0.01), parent distress regulation (rs = -0.44; p=016), parent depression (rs = 0.57; p=0.001), and parent pain interference (rs = 0.53; p=0.003). Depression was also associated with distress tolerance (rs = -0.41; p=0.029). Catastrophizing about their child’s pain was associated with both distress tolerance and regulation subscales about their child’s distress (rs = -0.48; p=0.009; rs = -0.64; p Conclusions: TGD adolescents report elevated levels of anxiety, depression, and fatigue during the post-surgical period. Parents of TGD adolescents report elevated fatigue symptoms that may affect responses to their own pain and their children\u27s pain experiences. A relatively small proportion of parents reported elevated depression, anxiety, and pain catastrophizing, which can influence child pain outcomes. More dyadic research should be done to specifically target post-surgical pain experiences of TGD adolescents to better understand their pain and functioning, as well as the impact parental functioning may have on outcomes within this population

A fluorescent perilipin 2 knock-in mouse model visualizes lipid droplets in the developing and adult brain

Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic lipid storage organelles. They are tightly linked to metabolism and can exert protective functions, making them important players in health and disease. Most LD studies in vivo rely on staining methods, providing only a snapshot. We therefore developed a LD-reporter mouse by endogenously labelling the LD coat protein perilipin 2 (PLIN2) with tdTomato, enabling staining-free fluorescent LD visualisation in living and fixed tissues and cells. Here we validate this model under standard and high-fat diet conditions and demonstrate that LDs are present in various cells in the healthy brain, including neurons, astrocytes, ependymal cells, neural stem/progenitor cells and microglia. Furthermore, we show that LDs are abundant during brain development and can be visualized using live-imaging of embryonic slices. Taken together, our tdTom-Plin2 mouse serves as a novel tool to study LDs and their dynamics under both physiological and diseased conditions in all tissues expressing Plin2