Perceptions and correlates of peer-victimization and bullying

The experiences of peer-victimization and bullying are often treated empirically as though they are conceptually indistinct. Both involve repeated aggression,but definitions of bullying additionally emphasize the importance of aggressor intent and imbalance of power between the aggressor and the victim (Olweus, 1978; Whitney & Smith, 1993). The present study aimed to examine the extent to which peer-victimization and bullying are empirically similar. The sample comprised 1,429 pupils (50.2% male) aged between 8 and 13 years attending mainstream Scottish schools. Self-report questionnaire assessing peer-victimization and bullying, copingstrategy use (WCCL: Hunter, 2000), situational appraisal and depressive symptomatology (Birleson, 1981). Almost one-third (30.7%) of pupils reported experiencing peer-victimization, and of these 38.1% (11.7% of whole sample) were categorized as victims of bullying. Victims of bullying perceived higher levels of threat and lower levels of perceived control. They also reported using more Wishful Thinking and Social Support coping strategies, but did not differ on Problem Focused coping. Bullied pupils also reported higher levels of depressive symptomatology. Peer-victimization and bullying appear to be qualitatively different experiences for children and adolescents, with bullying being the more serious phenomenon

Do Quasars Lens Quasars?

If the unexpectedly high frequency of quasar pairs with very different component redshifts is due to the lensing of a population of background quasars by the foreground quasar, typical lens masses must be \sim10^{12}M_{\sun} and the sum of all such quasar lenses would have to contain $\sim0.005$ times the closure density of the Universe. It then seems plausible that a very high fraction of all \sim10^{12} M_{\sun} gravitational lenses with redshifts $z\sim1$ contain quasars. Here I propose that these systems have evolved to form the present population of massive galaxies with M$_{\rm B}\leq-22$ and M >5\times10^{11} M_{\sun}.Comment: 6 pages, aas style, ams symbols, ApJL (accepted

Incorporating patient preferences in the management of multiple long-term conditions: is this a role for clinical practice guidelines?

Background: Clinical practice guidelines provide an evidence-based approach to managing single chronic conditions, but their applicability to multiple conditions has been actively debated. Incorporating patient-preference recommendations and involving consumers in guideline development may enhance their applicability, but further understanding is needed. Objectives: To assess guidelines that include recommendations for comorbid conditions to determine the extent to which they incorporate patient-preference recommendations; use consumer-engagement processes during development, and, if so, whether these processes produce more patient-preference recommendations; and meet standard quality criteria, particularly in relation to stakeholder involvement. Design: A review of Australian guidelines published from 2006 to 2014 that incorporated recommendations for managing comorbid conditions in primary care. Document analysis of guidelines examined the presence of patient-preference recommendations and the consumer-engagement processes used. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation instrument was used to assess guideline quality. Results: Thirteen guidelines were reviewed. Twelve included at least one core patient-preference recommendation. Ten used consumer-engagement processes, including participation in development groups (seven guidelines) and reviewing drafts (ten guidelines). More extensive consumer engagement was generally linked to greater incorporation of patient-preference recommendations. Overall quality of guidelines was mixed, particularly in relation to stakeholder involvement. Conclusions: Guidelines do incorporate some patient-preference recommendations, but more explicit acknowledgement is required. Consumer-engagement processes used during guideline development have the potential to assist in identifying patient preferences, but further research is needed. Clarification of the consumer role and investment in consumer training may strengthen these processes.Journal of Comorbidity 2015;5(1):122–13

The Evolution of Radio Galaxies at Intermediate Redshift

We describe a new estimate of the radio galaxy 1.4 GHz luminosity function and its evolution at intermediate redshifts (z~0.4). Photometric redshifts and color selection have been used to select Bj<23.5 early-type galaxies from the Panoramic Deep Fields, a multicolor survey of two 25 sq deg fields. Approximately 230 radio galaxies have then been selected by matching early-type galaxies with NVSS radio sources brighter than 5 mJy. Estimates of the 1.4 GHz luminosity function of radio galaxies measure significant evolution over the observed redshift range. For an Omega_M=1 cosmology the evolution of the radio power is consistent with luminosity evolution where P(z)=P(0)(1+z)^{k_L} and 3<k_L<5. The observed evolution is similar to that observed for UVX and X-ray selected AGN and is consistent with the same physical process being responsible for the optical and radio luminosity evolution of AGN.Comment: 26 pages, 9 Figures, Accepted for Publication in A

Human Performance Assessments in Cadet Populations

This study assessed potential physiological differences between the Ranger Challenge (RC) Competition team and junior year cadets in an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. The method included: RC (m = 11, f = 2) and junior year cadets (m = 7, f = 3) were assessed in the following areas: 1) quickness and agility (5-10-5 shuttle run), 2) total-body power (standing broad jump), and 3) grip strength (hand grip dynamometry) assessed. The 5-10-5 shuttle run was performed twice (opening once to the left and once to the right). The standing broad jump required that cadets stand with their toes behind a line, perform a maximum of three preparatory movements, triple extend their knees, hips, and ankles while using their upper body to propel them as far forward as possible. After the jump the distanced reached was measured from the line to the heel of the nearest foot. Hand grip dynamometry was performed once on each hand. The cadet held the dynamometer out to his or her side and squeezed it as they lowered it to their hip. The results were that there were no significant differences between groups for the 5-10-5 shuttle run (p = 0.91), standing broad jump (p = 0.49), or grip strength (p = 0.31). RC did not outperform

Localizing gravitational wave sources with optical telescopes and combining electromagnetic and gravitational wave data

Neutron star binaries, which are among the most promising sources for the direct detection of gravitational waves (GW) by ground based detectors, are also potential electromagnetic (EM) emitters. Gravitational waves will provide a new window to observe these events and hopefully give us glimpses of new astrophysics. In this paper, we discuss how EM information of these events can considerably improve GW parameter estimation both in terms of accuracy and computational power requirement. And then in return how GW sky localization can help EM astronomers in follow-up studies of sources which did not yield any prompt emission. We discuss how both EM source information and GW source localization can be used in a framework of multi-messenger astronomy. We illustrate how the large error regions in GW sky localizations can be handled in conducting optical astronomy in the advance detector era. We show some preliminary results in the context of an array of optical telescopes called BlackGEM, dedicated for optical follow-up of GW triggers, that is being constructed in La Silla, Chile and is expected to operate concurrent to the advanced GW detectors.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Proceeding for Sant Cugat Forum for Astrophysic

Phonon-Induced Rabi-Frequency Renormalization of Optically Driven Single InGaAs/GaAs Quantum Dots

The authors thank the EPSRC (U.K.) EP/G001642, and the QIPIRC U.K. for financial support. A. N. is supported by the EPSRC and B.W. L. by the Royal Society.We study optically driven Rabi rotations of a quantum dot exciton transition between 5 and 50 K, and for pulse areas of up to 14 pi. In a high driving field regime, the decay of the Rabi rotations is nonmonotonic, and the period decreases with pulse area and increases with temperature. By comparing the experiments to a weak-coupling model of the exciton-phonon interaction, we demonstrate that the observed renormalization of the Rabi frequency is induced by fluctuations in the bath of longitudinal acoustic phonons, an effect that is a phonon analogy of the Lamb shift.Peer reviewe

The Fall of the Quasar Population

We derive quantitative predictions of the optical and X-ray luminosity functions (LF) for QSs in the redshift range $z<3$. Based on BH paradigm, we investigate how the accretion is controlled by the surrounding structures, as these grow hierarchically. We argue that for $z < 3$ efficient black hole fueling is triggered by the encounters of a gas-rich host with its companions in a group. The dispersion of the dynamical parameters in the encounters produces a double power-law LF. Strong luminosity evolution (LE) is produced as these encounters deplete the gas supply in the host; an additional, milder density evolution obtains since the interactions become progressively rarer as the groups grow richer but less dense. From the agreement with the optical and the X-ray data, we conclude that the evolution of the bright quasars is articulated in two ways. Earlier than $z~3$ the gas-rich protogalaxies grow by merging, which also induces parallel growth of central holes accreting at Eddington rates. In the later era of group assemblage the host encounters with companions drive onto already existing holes further but meager accretion; these consume the gas in the hosts, and cause supply-limited emissions which are intermittent, go progressively sub-Eddington and peter out. Then other fueling processes come to the foreground; we discuss the faint emissions, especially noticeable in X-rays, which are expected when hosts in the field cannibalize satellite galaxies with their meager gas contents.Comment: 12 pages Latex + 3 EPS figures, ApJ in press, we have corrected the previous printing problems with the style \ca