Strengthening Ontario\u27s System of Housing for People with Serious Mental Illness

This article describes recent work to support recommendations for improving Ontario’s system of housing for people with serious mental illness. This multifaceted project engaged stakeholders in discussions concerning strategies for improving the system based on (a) values that underlie housing programs, (b) evidence of effective housing practices, (c) the current status of the system, and (d) international practices for monitoring community mental health systems. Stakeholders reviewed summaries of the work and discussed implications for improving the provincial system of housing and supports. Recommendations are made for improving the system, focusing on both regional and provincial level actions

Soft Contribution to the Hard Ridge in Relativistic Nuclear Collisions

Nuclear collisions exhibit long-range rapidity correlations not present in proton-proton collisions. Because the correlation structure is wide in relative pseudorapidity and narrow in relative azimuthal angle, it is known as the ridge. Similar ridge structures are observed in correlations of particles associated with a jet trigger (the hard ridge) as well as correlations without a trigger (the soft ridge). Earlier we argued that the soft ridge arises when particles formed in an early Glasma stage later manifest transverse flow. We extend this study to address new soft ridge measurements. We then determine the contribution of flow to the hard ridge.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, includes comparison to dat

Development of GERAS DANcing for Cognition and Exercise (DANCE) : a feasibility study

Background: Dance is a mind-body activity of purposeful rhythmic movement to music. There is growing interest in using dance as a form of cognitive and physical rehabilitation. This manuscript describes the development of GERAS DANcing for Cognition and Exercise (DANCE) and evaluates its feasibility in older adults with cognitive and mobility impairments. Methods: The progressive dance curricula were delivered for 15 weeks (1-h class; twice weekly). Participants were eligible if they were community-dwelling older adults aged 60+ with early cognitive or mobility impairment able to follow three-step commands and move independently. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment/retention, adherence, participant satisfaction, safety, and adverse events. Results: Twenty-fve older adults (mean (standard deviation [SD]) age=77.55 (6.10) years, range 68–90 years) with early cognitive (Montreal Cognitive Assessment score (SD)=21.77 (4.05)) and mobility (92% were pre-frail/frail as indicated on the Fried Frailty Phenotype) impairments were recruited from a geriatric out-patient clinic or within the community. A total of 20/25 (80%) participants completed the study. Average class attendance was 72%, and self-reported homework adherence “most-days / every day” was 89%. A stepwise progression in the dance curricula was observed with increases in motor complexity and balance demands, and 95% of participants rated the program as a “just-right” challenge. Ninety percent of participants rated GERAS DANCE as excellent, and 100% would recommend the program to a friend or family member. Over 50% of participants connected outside of class time for a self-initiated cofee club. Adverse events of falls and fractures were reported for 2 participants, which occurred at home unrelated to the dance intervention during the study period. Pre-determined thresholds for feasibility were met for all outcomes. Discussion: GERAS DANCE is a feasible and enjoyable program for older adults with early cognitive or mobility impairments. GERAS DANCE curriculum grading (duration; sequence; instructions) and motor complexity increases in agility, balance, and coordination appear appropriately tailored for this population. Future work will explore the feasibility of GERAS DANCE in new settings (i.e., virtually online, community centers, or retirement homes) and the mind-body-social benefts of dance

MOSFIRE, the multi-object spectrometer for infra-red exploration at the Keck Observatory

This paper describes the as-built performance of MOSFIRE, the multi-object spectrometer and imager for the Cassegrain focus of the 10-m Keck 1 telescope. MOSFIRE provides near-infrared (0.97 to 2.41 μm) multi-object spectroscopy over a 6.1' x 6.1' field of view with a resolving power of R~3,500 for a 0.7" (0.508 mm) slit (2.9 pixels in the dispersion direction), or imaging over a field of view of ~6.9' diameter with ~0.18" per pixel sampling. A single diffraction grating can be set at two fixed angles, and order-sorting filters provide spectra that cover the K, H, J or Y bands by selecting 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th order respectively. A folding flat following the field lens is equipped with piezo transducers to provide tip/tilt control for flexure compensation at the <0.1 pixel level. Instead of fabricated focal plane masks requiring frequent cryo-cycling of the instrument, MOSFIRE is equipped with a cryogenic Configurable Slit Unit (CSU) developed in collaboration with the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM). Under remote control the CSU can form masks containing up to 46 slits with ~0.007-0.014" precision. Reconfiguration time is < 6 minutes. Slits are formed by moving opposable bars from both sides of the focal plane. An individual slit has a length of 7.0" but bar positions can be aligned to make longer slits in increments of 7.5". When masking bars are retracted from the field of view and the grating is changed to a mirror, MOSFIRE becomes a wide-field imager. The detector is a 2K x 2K H2-RG HgCdTe array from Teledyne Imaging Sensors with low dark current and low noise. Results from integration and commissioning are presented

MOSFIRE, the multi-object spectrometer for infra-red exploration at the Keck Observatory

This paper describes the as-built performance of MOSFIRE, the multi-object spectrometer and imager for the Cassegrain focus of the 10-m Keck 1 telescope. MOSFIRE provides near-infrared (0.97 to 2.41 μm) multi-object spectroscopy over a 6.1' x 6.1' field of view with a resolving power of R~3,500 for a 0.7" (0.508 mm) slit (2.9 pixels in the dispersion direction), or imaging over a field of view of ~6.9' diameter with ~0.18" per pixel sampling. A single diffraction grating can be set at two fixed angles, and order-sorting filters provide spectra that cover the K, H, J or Y bands by selecting 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th order respectively. A folding flat following the field lens is equipped with piezo transducers to provide tip/tilt control for flexure compensation at the <0.1 pixel level. Instead of fabricated focal plane masks requiring frequent cryo-cycling of the instrument, MOSFIRE is equipped with a cryogenic Configurable Slit Unit (CSU) developed in collaboration with the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM). Under remote control the CSU can form masks containing up to 46 slits with ~0.007-0.014" precision. Reconfiguration time is < 6 minutes. Slits are formed by moving opposable bars from both sides of the focal plane. An individual slit has a length of 7.0" but bar positions can be aligned to make longer slits in increments of 7.5". When masking bars are retracted from the field of view and the grating is changed to a mirror, MOSFIRE becomes a wide-field imager. The detector is a 2K x 2K H2-RG HgCdTe array from Teledyne Imaging Sensors with low dark current and low noise. Results from integration and commissioning are presented

Altered translation of GATA1 in Diamond-Blackfan anemia

Ribosomal protein haploinsufficiency occurs in diverse human diseases including Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA)[superscript 1, 2], congenital asplenia[superscript 3] and T cell leukemia[superscript 4]. Yet, how mutations in genes encoding ubiquitously expressed proteins such as these result in cell-type– and tissue-specific defects remains unknown[superscript 5]. Here, we identify mutations in GATA1, encoding the critical hematopoietic transcription factor GATA-binding protein-1, that reduce levels of full-length GATA1 protein and cause DBA in rare instances. We show that ribosomal protein haploinsufficiency, the more common cause of DBA, can lead to decreased GATA1 mRNA translation, possibly resulting from a higher threshold for initiation of translation of this mRNA in comparison with other mRNAs. In primary hematopoietic cells from patients with mutations in RPS19, encoding ribosomal protein S19, the amplitude of a transcriptional signature of GATA1 target genes was globally and specifically reduced, indicating that the activity, but not the mRNA level, of GATA1 is decreased in patients with DBA associated with mutations affecting ribosomal proteins. Moreover, the defective hematopoiesis observed in patients with DBA associated with ribosomal protein haploinsufficiency could be partially overcome by increasing GATA1 protein levels. Our results provide a paradigm by which selective defects in translation due to mutations affecting ubiquitous ribosomal proteins can result in human disease.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant P01 HL32262)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant U54 HG003067-09

Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Investigation of Water Oxidation with Hematite Electrodes

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was utilized to deposit uniform thin films of hematite (α-Fe2O3) on transparent conductive substrates for photocatalytic water oxidation studies. Comparison of the oxidation of water to the oxidation of a fast redox shuttle allowed for new insight in determining the rate limiting processes of water oxidation at hematite electrodes. It was found that an additional overpotential is needed to initiate water oxidation compared to the fast redox shuttle. A combination of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, photoelectrochemical and electrochemical measurements were employed to determine the cause of the additional overpotential. It was found that photogenerated holes initially oxidize the electrode surface under water oxidation conditions, which is attributed to the first step in water oxidation. A critical number of these surface intermediates need to be generated in order for the subsequent hole-transfer steps to proceed. At higher applied potentials, the behavior of the electrode is virtually identical while oxidizing either water or the fast redox shuttle; the slight discrepancy is attributed to a shift in potential associated with Fermi level pinning by the surface states in the absence of a redox shuttle. A water oxidation mechanism is proposed to interpret these results