7,000 research outputs found
Computer model calibration with large non-stationary spatial outputs: application to the calibration of a climate model
Bayesian calibration of computer models tunes unknown input parameters by
comparing outputs with observations. For model outputs that are distributed
over space, this becomes computationally expensive because of the output size.
To overcome this challenge, we employ a basis representation of the model
outputs and observations: we match these decompositions to carry out the
calibration efficiently. In the second step, we incorporate the non-stationary
behaviour, in terms of spatial variations of both variance and correlations, in
the calibration. We insert two integrated nested Laplace
approximation-stochastic partial differential equation parameters into the
calibration. A synthetic example and a climate model illustration highlight the
benefits of our approach
Interventions for treating anxiety after stroke
Background:
Approximately 20% of stroke patients experience anxiety at some point after stroke.
Objectives:
To determine if any treatment for anxiety after stroke decreases the proportion of patients with anxiety disorders or symptoms, and to determine the effect of treatment on quality of life, disability, depression, social participation, risk of death or caregiver burden.
Search methods:
We searched the trials register of the Cochrane Stroke Group (October 2010), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2010, Issue 4), MEDLINE (1950 to October 2010), EMBASE (1947 to October 2010), PsycINFO (1806 to October 2010), Allied and Complementary Medicine database (AMED) (1985 to October 2010), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) (1982 to October 2010), Proquest Digital Dissertations (1861 to October 2010), and Psychological Database for Brain Impairment Treatment Efficacy (PsycBITE) (2004 to October 2010). In an effort to identify further published, unpublished and ongoing trials, we searched trial registries and major international stroke conference proceedings, scanned reference lists, and contacted select individuals known to the review team who are actively involved in psychological aspects of stroke research, and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.
Selection criteria:
Two review authors independently screened and selected titles and abstracts for inclusion in the review. Randomised trials of any intervention in patients with stroke where the treatment of anxiety was an outcome were eligible.
Data collection and analysis:
Two review authors independently extracted data for analysis. We performed a narrative review. A meta-analysis was planned but not carried out as studies were not of sufficient quality to warrant doing so.
Main results:
We included two trials (three interventions) involving 175 participants with co-morbid anxiety and depression in the review. Both trials used the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) to assess anxiety, and neither included a placebo control group. One trial randomised 81 patients to paroxetine, paroxetine plus psychotherapy or standard care. Mean level of anxiety severity scores were 58% and 71% lower in the paroxetine, and paroxetine plus psychotherapy groups respectively compared with those in standard care at follow-up (P < 0.01). The second trial randomised 94 stroke patients, also with co-morbid anxiety and depression, to receive buspirone hydrochloride or standard care. At follow-up, the mean level of anxiety was significantly lower for those receiving buspirone relative to controls (P < 0.01). Half of the participants receiving paroxetine experienced adverse events that included nausea, vomiting or dizziness; however, only 14% of those receiving buspirone experienced nausea or palpitations. No information was provided about the duration of symptoms associated with adverse events.
Authors' conclusions:
There is insufficient evidence to guide the treatment of anxiety after stroke. The data available suggest that pharmaceutical therapy (paroxetine and buspirone) may be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms in stroke patients with co-morbid anxiety and depression. No information was available for stroke patients with anxiety only. Randomised placebo controlled trials are needed
Resolving Gas Dynamics in the Circumnuclear Region of a Disk Galaxy in a Cosmological Simulation
Using a hydrodynamic adaptive mesh refinement code, we simulate the growth
and evolution of a galaxy, which could potentially host a supermassive black
hole, within a cosmological volume. Reaching a dynamical range in excess of 10
million, the simulation follows the evolution of the gas structure from
super-galactic scales all the way down to the outer edge of the accretion disk.
Here, we focus on global instabilities in the self-gravitating, cold,
turbulence-supported, molecular gas disk at the center of the model galaxy,
which provide a natural mechanism for angular momentum transport down to sub-pc
scales. The gas density profile follows a power-law scaling as r^-8/3,
consistent with an analytic description of turbulence in a quasi-stationary
circumnuclear disk. We analyze the properties of the disk which contribute to
the instabilities, and investigate the significance of instability for the
galaxy's evolution and the growth of a supermassive black hole at the center.Comment: 16 pages (includes appendix), submitted to ApJ. Figures here are at
low resolution; for higher resolution version, download
http://casa.colorado.edu/~levinerd/ms.pd
Guided self-help concreteness training as an intervention for major depression in primary care: a Phase II randomized controlled trial
addresses: Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter, UK. [email protected]: PMCID: PMC3359637Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011 The online version of this article is published within an Open Access environment subject to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licence . The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291711002480The development of widely accessible, effective psychological interventions for depression is a priority. This randomized trial provides the first controlled data on an innovative cognitive bias modification (CBM) training guided self-help intervention for depression
Pulsar rotation measures and the magnetic structure of our Galaxy
We have obtained 63 rotation measures (RMs) from polarization observations of
southern pulsars, of which 54 are new measurements and 3 are varied from
previous values. The new pulsar RM data at high Galactic latitudes are mostly
consistent with the antisymmetric RM distribution found previously. For the
Galactic disc, evidence for a field reversal near the Perseus arm, and possibly
another beyond it, is presented. Inside the Solar Circle, in addition to the
two known field reversals in or near the Carina-Sagittartus arm and the
Crux-Scutum arm, a further reversal in the Norma arm is tentatively identified.
These reversals, together with the pitch angle derived from pulsar RM and
stellar polarization distributions, are consistent with bisymmetric spiral
(BSS) models for the large-scale magnetic field structure in the disc of our
Galaxy. However, discrimination between models is complicated by the presence
of smaller-scale irregularities in the magnetic field, as well as uncertainties
in the theoretical modelling.Comment: 10pages; 8 figures; Accepted by MNRA
Building solids inside nano-space: from confined amorphous through confined solvate to confined ‘metastable’ polymorph
The nanocrystallisation of complex molecules inside mesoporous hosts and control over the resulting structure is a significant challenge. To date the largest organic molecule crystallised inside the nano-pores is a known pharmaceutical intermediate – ROY (259.3 g mol1). In this work we demonstrate smart manipulation of the phase of a larger confined pharmaceutical – indomethacin (IMC, 357.8 g mol1), a substance with known conformational flexibility and complex polymorphic behaviour. We show the detailed structural analysis and the control of solid state transformations of encapsulated molecules inside the pores of mesoscopic cellular foam (MCF, pore size ca. 29 nm) and controlled pore glass (CPG, pore size ca. 55 nm). Starting from confined amorphous IMC we drive crystallisation into a confined methanol solvate, which upon vacuum drying leads to the stabilised rare form V of IMC inside the MCF host. In contrast to the pure form, encapsulated form V does not transform into a more stable polymorph upon heating. The size of the constraining pores and the drug concentration within the pores determine whether the amorphous state of the drug is stabilised or it recrystallises into confined nanocrystals. The work presents, in a critical manner, an application of complementary techniques (DSC, PXRD, solid-state NMR, N2 adsorption) to confirm unambiguously the phase transitions under confinement and offers a comprehensive strategy towards the formation and control of nano-crystalline encapsulated organic solids
Observational constraints on models for the interstellar magnetic field in the Galactic disk
Our purpose is to place firm observational constraints on the three most
widely used theoretical models for the spatial configuration of the large-scale
interstellar magnetic field in the Galactic disk, namely, the ring, the
axisymmetric and the bisymmetric field models.
We use the rotation measures (RMs) of low-latitude Galactic pulsars and
combine them with their dispersion measures and estimated distances to map out
the line-of-sight component of the interstellar magnetic field in the near half
of the Galactic disk. We then fit our map of the line-of-sight field to the
three aforementioned theoretical field models and discuss the acceptability of
each fit, in order to determine whether the considered field model is allowed
by the pulsar data or not.
Strictly speaking, we find that all three field models are ruled out by the
pulsar data. Furthermore, none of them appears to perform significantly better
than the others. From this we conclude that the large-scale interstellar
magnetic field in the Galactic disk has a more complex pattern than just
circular, axisymmetric or bisymmetric.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Correlates of Premenstrual Dysphoria in Help-seeking Women
Comparisons were made between the premenstrual changes reported by nontreatment-seekers (NTS) (n = 32) and those of treatment-seekers (TS) (n = 52). The Premenstrual Assessment Form Luteal Phase and Follicular Phase versions were completed and the Beck Depression Inventory, the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were completed at both the luteal and follicular phases. Prospective daily ratings were made for two treatment cycles on the Daily Ratings Form and TS were screened for a mood-disorder history. Using the commonly cited 30% decrease in dysphoric levels from the pre- to postmenstrual phases as the criterion of prospective confirmation, women with prospectively confirmed dysphoria (PMD +) were not significantly more symptomatic than those without prospective dysphoric confirmation (PMD -). However, TS were more symptomatic than NTS on measures of depression, anxiety and frequency of negative automatic thoughts but not on mood behaviour and physical changes reflected in the PAF scales. No demographic differences were found between TS and NTS. Results did not support the issue of requiring `confirmation' of self-reports within a help-seeking group or the use of the 30% criterion in particular. Findings further suggest that the 95-item PAF may be inadequate in differentiating TS from others
Sensitivity and specificity of the Major Depression Inventory in outpatients
.001). Subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) had a significantly higher MDI score than subjects with anxiety disorders (but no MDD), dysthymias, bipolar, psychotic, other neurotic disorders, and subjects with relational problems. In ROC analysis we found that the area under the curve was 0.68 for the MDI. A good cut-off point for the MDI seems to be 26, with a sensitivity of 0.66, and a specificity of 0.63. The indication of the presence of MDD based on the MDI had a moderate agreement with the diagnosis made by a psychiatrist (kappa: 0.26). Conclusion The MDI is an attractive, brief depression inventory, which seems to be a reliable tool for assessing depression in psychiatric outpatients
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