A cross national validation of child sexual abuse predictors.

An exploratory cross national study was conducted to determine if factors identified in the existing literature predictive for CSA in developed countries were also valid and predictive CSA factors for females in Belize, a developing country. The conceptual framework adapted from current CSA literature included the choice of CSA definition, the number and specificity of questions used to elicit CSA response and the questionnaire response rate. Variables investigated were adopted from CSA literature and included: the presence of a stepfather in the family, parent figure (mother figure, father figure) alcohol use, parent figure (mother figure, father figure) child care, family violence (mother figure, father figure) and child having a small number of friends and not having anyone to confide in. Additionally, variables of particular interest to developing countries which included varied ethnicity, income level, religious affiliation, education, and family type were also examined. T-tests and Chi square tests were used to investigate the independence of CSA and the factors hypothesized as CSA correlates. Also a General Linear Model (GLM) analysis was used to determine which of the factors found at the bivariate level to be significant correlates of CSA were predictors of CSA. The t-tests identified parental family violence and parent figure child care as significant CSA correlates while the chi-square tests results identified presence of a stepfather and father figure alcohol use as CSA correlates. In addition, GLM analysis confirmed the correlates identified at the bivariate level as CSA predictors. All other variables examined were not statistically significant. The findings lend support to the hypothesis that factors predictive of CSA in developed countries are also predictive of CSA in developing countries. Since this is only one study to test this hypothesis other studies with similar methodologies are required to confirm the conclusion. Implications, both theoretical and practical, are proposed and a short discussion on factor interaction is included

Turbulent Flow-Driven Molecular Cloud Formation: A Solution to the Post-T Tauri Problem?

We suggest that molecular clouds can be formed on short time scales by compressions from large scale streams in the interstellar medium (ISM). In particular, we argue that the Taurus-Auriga complex, with filaments of 10-20 pc $\times$ 2-5 pc, most have been formed by H I flows in $\lesssim 3$Myr, explaining the absence of post-T Tauri stars in the region with ages $\gtrsim 3$ Myr. Observations in the 21 cm line of the H I `halos' around the Taurus molecular gas show many features (broad asymmetric profiles, velocity shifts of H I relative to $^{12}$CO) predicted by our MHD numerical simulations, in which large-scale H I streams collide to produce dense filamentary structures. This rapid evolution is possible because the H I flows producing and disrupting the cloud have much higher velocities (5-10 kms) than present in the molecular gas resulting from the colliding flows. The simulations suggest that such flows can occur from the global ISM turbulence without requiring a single triggering event such as a SN explosion.Comment: 26 pages, 12 ps figures. Apj accepte

A Vehicle Simulation Model and Automated Driving Features Validation for Low-Speed High Automation Applications

The low-speed high automation (LSHA) is foreseen as a development path for new types of mobility, improving road safety and addressing transit problems in urban infrastructures. As these automation approaches are still in the development phase, methods to improve their design and validation are required. The use of vehicle simulation models allows reducing significantly the time deployment on real test tracks, which would not consider all the scenarios or complexity related to automated driving features. However, to ensure safety and accuracy while evaluating the proper operation of LSHA features, adequate validation methodologies are mandatory. In this study a two-step validation methodology is proposed: Firstly, an open-loop test set attempts to tune the required vehicle simulation models using experimental data considering also the dynamics of the actuation devices required for vehicle automation. Secondly, a closed-loop test strives to validate the selected automated driving functionality based on test plans, also improving the vehicle dynamics response. To illustrate the methodology, a study case is proposed using an automated Renault Twizy. In the first step, the brake pedal and steering wheel actuators' behavior is modeled, as well as its longitudinal dynamics and turning capacity. Then, in a second step, an LSHA functionality for Traffic Jam Assist based on a Model Predictive Control approach is evaluated and validated. Results demonstrate that the proposed methodology is capable not only to tune vehicle simulation models for automated driving development purposes but also to validate LSHA functionalities

Resonances from lattice QCD

The spectrum of hadron is mainly composed as shortly-lived states (resonance) that decay onto two or more hadrons. These resonances play an important role in a variety of phenomenologically significant processes. In this talk, I give an overview on the present status of a rigorous program for studying of resonances and their properties using lattice QCD. I explain the formalism needed for extracting resonant amplitudes from the finite-volume spectra. From these one can extract the masses and widths of resonances. I present some recent examples that illustrate the power of these ideas. I then explain similar formalism that allows for the determination of resonant electroweak amplitudes from finite-volume matrix elements. I use the recent calculation of the πγ* → ππ amplitude as an example illustrating the power of this formalism. From such amplitudes one can determine transition form factors of resonances. I close by reviewing on-going efforts to generalize these ideas to increasingly complex reactions and I then give a outlook of the field

Photometric Accretion Signatures Near the Substellar Boundary

Multi-epoch imaging of the Orion equatorial region by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has revealed that significant variability in the blue continuum persists into the late-M spectral types, indicating that magnetospheric accretion processes occur below the substellar boundary in the Orion OB1 association. We investigate the strength of the accretion-related continuum veiling by comparing the reddening-invariant colors of the most highly variable stars against those of main sequence M dwarfs and evolutionary models. A gradual decrease in the g band veiling is seen for the cooler and less massive members, as expected for a declining accretion rate with decreasing mass. We also see evidence that the temperature of the accretion shock decreases in the very low mass regime, reflecting a reduction in the energy flux carried by the accretion columns. We find that the near-IR excess attributed to circumstellar disk thermal emission drops rapidly for spectral types later than M4. This is likely due to the decrease in color contrast between the disk and the cooler stellar photosphere. Since accretion, which requires a substantial stellar magnetic field and the presence of a circumstellar disk, is inferred for masses down to 0.05 Msol we surmise that brown dwarfs and low mass stars share a common mode of formation.Comment: 37 pages, 14 figures, accepted by A

For which infants with viral bronchiolitis could it be deemed appropriate to use albuterol, at least on a therapeutic trial basis?

Although there is increasing evidence showing that infants with viral bronchiolitis exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity, a core uncertainty shared by many clinicians is with regard to understanding which patients are most likely to benefit from bronchodilators such as albuterol. Based on our review, we concluded that older infants with rhinovirus (RV) bronchiolitis, especially those with a nasopharyngeal microbiome dominated by Haemophilus influenzae; those affected during nonpeak months or during non-respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) predominant months; those with wheezing at presentation; those with clinical characteristics such as atopic dermatitis or a family history of asthma in a first-degree relative; and those infants infected with RSV genotypes ON1 and BA, have the greatest likelihood of benefiting from albuterol. Presently, this patient profile could serve as the basis for rational albuterol administration in patients with viral bronchiolitis, at least on a therapeutic trial basis, and it could also be the starting point for future targeted randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the use of albuterol among a subset of infants with bronchiolitis

A comparative analysis of the requirements for the use of data in biobanks based in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom

To understand the causes of disease and improve diagnosis and treatment regimes, biomedical researchers need access to large numbers of well-characterized data and samples. Over the past decade, biobanks have been established across Europe to collect and manage access to data and samples. The challenge that we face is how to develop the tools and collaborations to enable researchers to access samples and data from a network of biobanks, rather than applying to individual biobanks. One of the perceived stumbling blocks to achieving this is represented by the different legal requirements in each country. The aim of the BioSHaRE-European Union (EU) project is to address these challenges by developing tools and methods for researchers to access and use pooled data from different cohort and biobank studies. The purpose of this article is to identify and compare the key legal requirements regarding research use of data across biobanks based in Finland Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK. Our investigation starts with the analysis of the key differences for the use of data between these countries. As a result, we identified three key areas where legal requirements differ across the five BioSHaRE-EU jurisdictions, namely, in the definition of personal data, the requirements regarding pseudonymization and processing for medical research purposes. This article provides an overview of these differences and describes them in the light of the proposed EU regulation on data protection. © The Author(s) 2014

Issues and Opportunities in Exotic Hadrons

The last few years have been witness to a proliferation of new results concerning heavy exotic hadrons. Experimentally, many new signals have been discovered that could be pointing towards the existence of tetraquarks, pentaquarks, and other exotic configurations of quarks and gluons. Theoretically, advances in lattice field theory techniques place us at the cusp of understanding complex coupled-channel phenomena, modelling grows more sophisticated, and effective field theories are being applied to an ever greater range of situations. It is thus an opportune time to evaluate the status of the field. In the following, a series of high priority experimental and theoretical issues concerning heavy exotic hadrons is presented.Comment: White paper from INT workshop, "Modern Exotic Hadrons". References added. Version to appear in Chinese Physics