Self-harm, substance use and psychological distress in the Australian general population

AIMS: To examine predictors of self-harm, especially substance use and psychological distress, in an Australian adult general population sample. DESIGN: Sequential-cohort design with follow-up every four years. SETTING: Australian general population. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of adults aged 20-24 and 40-44 years (at baseline) living in and around the Australian Capital Territory. MEASUREMENTS: Self-report survey including items on four common forms of self-harm. Psychological distress was indexed by the combined Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scale scores and alcohol problems by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). FINDINGS: 4,160 people (84% of baseline) were re-interviewed at eight years: 4126 reported their self-harm status. Past year self-harm was reported by 8.2% (95% CI 7.4-9.0%) of participants (males: 9.3% (8.0-10.6%), females: 7.3% (6.2-8.4%)). Several forms of substance use – smoking (odds ratio = 1.52), marijuana use (odds ratio = 1.77), and drinking alcohol at a level likely to cause dependence (AUDIT score > 20) (odds ratio = 2.08) – were independently predictive of past year self-harm. Additional key risk factors for self-harm in the past year were childhood sexual abuse by a parent (odds ratio = 3.07), bisexual orientation (odds ratio = 2.65), younger age (odds ratio = 2.23) and male gender (odds ratio = 1.86). Other independent predictors were years of education, adverse life events, psychological distress and financial strain. CONCLUSIONS: Self-harm in young and middle-aged adults appears to be associated with current smoking, marijuana and “dependent†alcohol use. Other independent predictors include younger age, male gender, bisexual orientation, financial strain, education level, psychological distress, adverse life events and sexual abuse by a parent

Subseasonal-to-seasonal predictability of the Southern Hemisphere eddy-driven jet during austral spring and early summer

Several recent studies have suggested that the stratosphere can be a source of subseasonal-to-seasonal predictability of Southern Hemisphere circulation during the austral spring and early summer seasons, through its influence on the eddy-driven jet. We exploit the large sample size afforded by the hindcasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Integrated Forecast System to address a number of unanswered questions. It is shown that the picture of coherent seasonal variability of the coupled stratosphere-troposphere system apparent from the reanalysis record during the spring/early summer period is robust to sampling uncertainty, and that there is evidence of nonlinearity in the case of the most extreme variations. The effect of El Nino-Southern Oscillation on the eddy-driven jet during this time of year is found to occur via the stratosphere, with no evidence of a direct tropospheric pathway. A simple two-state statistical model of the stratospheric vortex is introduced to estimate the subseasonal-to-seasonal predictability associated with shifts of the seasonal cycle in the SH extratropical atmosphere. This simple model, along with a more general model, are subsequently used to interpret skill scores associated with hindcasts made using the full seasonal forecast model. Together the results provide evidence of tropospheric predictability on subseasonal-to-seasonal timescales from at least as early as August 1, and show no evidence of a `signal-to-noise paradox' between the full seasonal forecast model and the reanalysis

Chlamydial heat shock proteins and disease pathology: new paradigms for old problems?

The mucosal pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is a significant cause of sexually transmitted disease. Although most acute infections can be easily managed, complications often occur that can be especially severe in women. It has been proposed that increased exposure to conserved chlamydial antigens, such as through reinfection or persistent infection, results in chronic inflammation and tissue scarring and contributes to the pathogenesis of endometrial and fallopian tube damage. This immunopathologic damage is believed to be a principal cause of ectopic pregnancy and tubal factor infertility. The chlamydial heat shock protein Hsp60, a homolog of Escherichia coli GroEL, has been identified as one protein capable of eliciting intense mononuclear inflammation. Furthermore, several studies have revealed a correlation between Hsp60 responses and the immunopathologic manifestations of human chlamydial disease. The role of additional antigens in the immunopathologic response to chlamydiae is currently undefined. A prime candidate, however, is the chlamydial GroES homolog Hsp10, which is genetically and physiologically linked to Hsp60. Recent studies provide data to suggest that immune reactivity to Hsp10 is significantly associated with tubal infertility in a chlamydiae-exposed population. Chlamydia pneumoniae is a more recently defined chlamydial species that has been implicated in a variety of ways with chronic disease processes, such as adult onset asthma and atherosclerosis. Evidence indicates that Hsp60 is present in human atheroma and may play a role in lesion development by direct activation of macrophages. Hsp60 causes the elaboration of inflammatory cytokines, the induction of metalloproteinase, and the oxidation of low density lipoprotein. Each of these events is directly associated with the progress of atherosclerosis. Thus, chlamydial heat shock proteins may function in at least two ways to promote chronic disease: first by direct antigenic stimulation and second as signal transducers that result in macrophage activation. These concepts in disease pathology are discussed in the context of chlamydial infections

Novel colours and the content of experience

I propose a counterexample to naturalistic representational theories of phenomenal character. The counterexample is generated by experiences of novel colours reported by Crane and Piantanida. I consider various replies that a representationalist might make, including whether novel colours could be possible colours of objects and whether one can account for novel colours as one would account for binary colours or colour mixtures. I argue that none of these strategies is successful and therefore that one cannot fully explain the nature of the phenomenal character of perceptual experiences using a naturalistic conception of representation

Anomalous temperature dependence of surface tension and capillary waves at liquid gallium

The temperature dependence of surface tension \gamma(T) at liquid gallium is studied theoretically and experimentally using light scattering from capillary waves. The theoretical model based on the Gibbs thermodynamics relates the temperature derivative of \gamma to the surface excess entropy -\Delta S. Although capillary waves contribute to the surface entropy with a positive sign the effect of dipole layer on \Delta S is negative. Experimental data collected at a free Ga surface in the temperature range from 30 to 160 C show that the temperature derivative of the tension changes sign near 100 C.Comment: 11 pages, 1 Postscript figure, submitted to J. Phys.

The Evaluation of V_{ud}, Experiment and Theory

The value of the V_{ud} matrix element of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix can be derived from nuclear superallowed beta decays, neutron decay, and pion beta decay. We survey current world data for all three. Today, the most precise value of V_{ud} comes from the nuclear decays; however, the precision is limited not by experimental error but by the estimated uncertainty in theoretical corrections. Experimental uncertainty does limit the neutron-decay result, which, though statistically consistent with the nuclear result, is approximately a factor of three poorer in precision. The value obtained for $V_{ud}$ leads to a result that differs at the 98% confidence level from the unitarity condition for the CKM matrix. We examine the reliability of the small calculated corrections that have been applied to the data, and assess the likelihood of even higher quality nuclear data becoming available to confirm or deny the discrepancy. Some of the required experiments depend upon the availability of intense radioactive beams. Others are possible today.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure, LaTe

Spanish medical students’ attitudes and views towards Mental Health and Psychiatry: a multicentric cross-sectional study.

Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the attitudes towards mental illness and psychiatry among fifth year Spanish medical students. Methods The study included 171 students from three medical schools located in different areas of Spain: Cádiz; UCA (n= 113), Madrid; San Pablo-CEU (n=22), and Barcelona; UAB (n=36). They responded, prior to their undergraduate medical course in psychiatry, to the AMI questionnaire to measure the attitudes towards mental illness and to Balon’s adapted questionnaire to investigate their view towards psychiatry. Results The students (93.4 %) had a positive attitude towards mental illness (AMI). Attitudes towards psychiatry were fairly positive with a few negative views, specifically regarding the role of psychiatrists (items 11 and 13) and the prestige of the specialty (item 16). There were some statistically significant differences between the three medical schools in the perception of psychiatry as a medical discipline. A better attitude towards mental illness was associated with a better view of the overall merits of psychiatry. Conclusions Findings suggest that Spanish medical students do not have a negative attitude towards mental illness and they have a good perception of psychiatry, although there are still some misconceptions about this specialty. These student’s attitudes could favor an appropriate management of patients suffering from mental illness

Comparison of two experiments on radiative neutron decay

Over 10 years ago we proposed an experiment on measuring the characteristics of radiative neutron decay in papers [1, 2]. At the same time we had published the theoretical spectrum of radiative gamma quanta, calculated within the framework of the electroweak interactions, on the basis of which we proposed the methodology for the future experiment [3,4]. However, because we were denied beam time on the intensive cold neutron beam at ILL (Grenoble, France) for a number of years, we could only conduct the experiment in 2005 on the newly opened FRMII reactor of Technical University of Muenchen. The main result of this experiment was the discovery of radiative neutron decay and the measurement of its relative intensity B.R.= (3.2+-1.6)10-3 with C.L.=99.7% for radiative gamma quanta with energy over 35 kev [5,6]. Over a year after our first announcement about the results of the conducted experiment, "Nature" [7] published a letter asserting that its authors have also measured the branching ratio of radiative neutron decay B.R.= (3.13+-0.34)10-3 with C.L.=68% and gamma quanta energy from 15 to 340 kev. This article aims to compare these two experiments. It is shown that the use of strong magnetic fields in the NIST (Washington, USA) experiment methodology not only prevents any exact measurement of the branching ratio and identification of radiative neutron decay events, but also makes registration of ordinary neutron decay events impossible.Comment: contribution on conference ISINN-1

Perceptual Pluralism

Perceptual systems respond to proximal stimuli by forming mental representations of distal stimuli. A central goal for the philosophy of perception is to characterize the representations delivered by perceptual systems. It may be that all perceptual representations are in some way proprietarily perceptual and differ from the representational format of thought (Dretske 1981; Carey 2009; Burge 2010; Block ms.). Or it may instead be that perception and cognition always trade in the same code (Prinz 2002; Pylyshyn 2003). This paper rejects both approaches in favor of perceptual pluralism, the thesis that perception delivers a multiplicity of representational formats, some proprietary and some shared with cognition. The argument for perceptual pluralism marshals a wide array of empirical evidence in favor of iconic (i.e., image-like, analog) representations in perception as well as discursive (i.e., language-like, digital) perceptual object representations

Miniaturized data loggers and computer programming improve seabird risk and damage assessments for marine oil spills in Atlantic Canada

Obtaining useful information on marine birds that can aid in oil spill (and other hydrocarbon release) risk and damage assessments in offshore environments is challenging. Technological innovations in miniaturization have allowed archival data loggers to be deployed successfully on marine birds vulnerable to hydrocarbons on water. A number of species, including murres (both Common, Uria aalge, and Thick-billed, U. lomvia) have been tracked using geolocation devices in eastern Canada, increasing our knowledge of the seasonality and colony-specific nature of their susceptibility to oil on water in offshore hydrocarbon production areas and major shipping lanes. Archival data tags are starting to resolve questions around behaviour of vulnerable seabirds at small spatial scales relevant to oil spill impact modelling, specifically to determine the duration and frequency at which birds fly at sea. Advances in data capture methods using voice activated software have eased the burden on seabird observers who are collecting increasingly more detailed information on seabirds during ship-board and aerial transects. Computer programs that integrate seabird density and bird behaviour have been constructed, all with a goal of creating more credible seabird oil spill risk and damage assessments. In this paper, we discuss how each of these technological and computing innovations can help define critical inputs into seabird risk and damage assessments, and when combined, can provide a more realistic understanding of the impacts to seabirds from any hydrocarbon release