Conceptualisations of children’s wellbeing at school: the contribution of recognition theory

A large study in Australian schools aimed to elucidate understandings of ‘wellbeing’ and of factors in school life that contribute to it. Students and teachers understood wellbeing primarily, and holistically, in terms of interpersonal relationships, in contrast to policy documents which mainly focused on ‘problem areas’ such as mental health. The study also drew on recognition theory as developed by the social philosopher Axel Honneth. Results indicate that recognition theory may be useful in understanding wellbeing in schools, and that empirical research in schools may give rise to further questions regarding theory

Love, rights and solidarity: studying children's participation using Honneth's theory of recognition

Recent attempts to theorize children’s participation have drawn on a wide range of ideas, concepts and models from political and social theory. The aim of this article is to explore the specific usefulness of Honneth’s theory of a ‘struggle for recognition’ in thinking about this area of practice. The article identifies what is distinctive about Honneth’s theory of recognition, and how it differs from other theories of recognition. It then considers the relevance of Honneth’s conceptual framework to the social position of children, including those who may be involved in a variety of ‘participatory’ activities. It looks at how useful Honneth’s ideas are in direct engagement with young people’s praxis, drawing on ethnographic research with members of a children and young people’s forum. The article concludes by reflecting on the implications of this theoretical approach and the further questions which it opens up for theories of participation and of adult–child relations more generally

Testing a simple recipe for estimating galaxy masses from minimal observational data

The accuracy and robustness of a simple method to estimate the total mass profile of a galaxy is tested using a sample of 65 cosmological zoom-simulations of individual galaxies. The method only requires information on the optical surface brightness and the projected velocity dispersion profiles and therefore can be applied even in case of poor observational data. In the simulated sample massive galaxies ($\sigma \simeq 200-400$ \kms) at redshift $z=0$ have almost isothermal rotation curves for broad range of radii (RMS $\simeq 5$ for the circular speed deviations from a constant value over $0.5R_{\rm eff} < r < 3R_{\rm eff}$). For such galaxies the method recovers the unbiased value of the circular speed. The sample averaged deviation from the true circular speed is less than $\sim 1$ with the scatter of $\simeq 5-8$ (RMS) up to $R \simeq 5R_{\rm eff}$. Circular speed estimates of massive non-rotating simulated galaxies at higher redshifts ($z=1$ and $z=2$) are also almost unbiased and with the same scatter. For the least massive galaxies in the sample ($\sigma < 150$ \kms) at $z=0$ the RMS deviation is $\simeq 7-9$ and the mean deviation is biased low by about $1-2$. We also derive the circular velocity profile from the hydrostatic equilibrium (HE) equation for hot gas in the simulated galaxies. The accuracy of this estimate is about RMS $\simeq 4-5$ for massive objects ($M > 6.5\times 10^{12} M_\odot$) and the HE estimate is biased low by $\simeq 3-4$, which can be traced to the presence of gas motions. This implies that the simple mass estimate can be used to determine the mass of observed massive elliptical galaxies to an accuracy of $5-8$ and can be very useful for galaxy surveys.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, 1 tabl

Molybdenum dioxide in carbon nanoreactors as a catalytic nanosponge for the efficient desulfurization of liquid fuels

The principle of a “catalytic nanosponge” that combines the catalysis of organosulfur oxidation and sequestration of the products from reaction mixtures is demonstrated. Group VI metal oxide nanoparticles (CrOx, MoOx, WOx) are embedded within hollow graphitized carbon nanofibers (GNFs), which act as nanoscale reaction vessels for oxidation reactions used in the decontamination of fuel. When immersed in a model liquid alkane fuel contaminated with organosulfur compounds (benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, dimethyldibenzothiophene), it is found that MoO2@GNF nanoreactors, comprising 30 nm molybdenum dioxide nanoparticles grown within the channel of GNFs, show superior abilities toward oxidative desulfurization (ODS), affording over 98% sulfur removal at only 5.9 mol% catalyst loading. The role of the carbon nanoreactor in MoO2@GNF is to enhance the activity and stability of catalytic centers over at least 5 cycles. Surprisingly, the nanotube cavity can selectively absorb and remove the ODS products (sulfoxides and sulfones) from several model fuel systems. This effect is related to an adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) mechanism, which in combination with ODS within the same material, yields a “catalytic nanosponge” MoO2@GNF. This innovative ODS and ADS synergistic functionality negates the need for a solvent extraction step in fuel desulfurization and produces ultralow sulfur fuel

A Brief Measure of Fidelity for Mindfulness Programs: Development and Evaluation of the Concise Fidelity for Mindfulness-Based Interventions Tool

BackgroundMindfulness research and clinical programs are widespread, and it is important that mindfulness-based interventions are delivered with fidelity, or as intended, across settings. The MBI:TAC is a comprehensive system for assessing teacher competence, yet it can be complex to implement. A standardized, simple fidelity/engagement tool to address treatment delivery is needed.ObjectiveWe describe the development, evaluation, and outcomes of a brief, practical tool for assessing fidelity and engagement in online mindfulness-based programs. The tool contains questions about session elements such as meditation guidance and group discussion, and questions about participant engagement and technology-based barriers to engagement.MethodsThe fidelity rating tool was developed and tested in OPTIMUM, Optimizing Pain Treatment in Medical settings Using Mindfulness. The OPTIMUM study is a 3-site pragmatic randomized trial of group medical visits and adapted mindfulness-based stress reduction for primary care patients with chronic low back pain, delivered online. Two trained study personnel independently rated 26 recorded OPTIMUM sessions to determine inter-rater reliability of the Concise Fidelity for Mindfulness-Based Interventions (CoFi-MBI) tool. Trained raters also completed the CoFi-MBI for 105 sessions. Raters provided qualitative data via optional open text fields within the tool.ResultsInter-rater agreement was 77-100% for presence of key session components, and 69-88% for Likert ratings of participant engagement and challenges related to technology, with discrepancies only occurring within 2 categories: ‘very much’ and ‘quite a bit’. Key session components occurred as intended in 94-100% of the 105 sessions, and participant engagement was rated as ‘very much’ or ‘quite a bit’ in 95% of the sessions. Qualitative analysis of rater comments revealed themes related to engagement challenges and technology failures.ConclusionThe CoFi-MBI provides a practical way to assess basic adherence to online delivery of mindfulness session elements, participant engagement, and extent of technology obstacles. Optional text can guide strategies to improve engagement and reduce technology barriers

Bridging the data gaps in the epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in Malaysia using multi-parameter evidence synthesis

BACKGROUND: Collecting adequate information on key epidemiological indicators is a prerequisite to informing a public health response to reduce the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Malaysia. Our goal was to overcome the acute data shortage typical of low/middle income countries using statistical modelling to estimate the national HCV prevalence and the distribution over transmission pathways as of the end of 2009. METHODS: Multi-parameter evidence synthesis methods were applied to combine all available relevant data sources - both direct and indirect - that inform the epidemiological parameters of interest. RESULTS: An estimated 454,000 (95% credible interval [CrI]: 392,000 to 535,000) HCV antibody-positive individuals were living in Malaysia in 2009; this represents 2.5% (95% CrI: 2.2-3.0%) of the population aged 15-64 years. Among males of Malay ethnicity, for 77% (95% CrI: 69-85%) the route of probable transmission was active or a previous history of injecting drugs. The corresponding proportions were smaller for male Chinese and Indian/other ethnic groups (40% and 71%, respectively). The estimated prevalence in females of all ethnicities was 1% (95% CrI: 0.6 to 1.4%); 92% (95% CrI: 88 to 95%) of infections were attributable to non-drug injecting routes of transmission. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalent number of persons living with HCV infection in Malaysia is estimated to be very high. Low/middle income countries often lack a comprehensive evidence base; however, evidence synthesis methods can assist in filling the data gaps required for the development of effective policy to address the future public health and economic burden due to HCV. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0564-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Emergence of the N=16 shell gap in ^(21)O

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://journals.aps.org/prc/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevC.84.011301

Low-lying neutron fp-shell intruder states in Ne-27

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://journals.aps.org/prc/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevC.85.011302

QuantiFERON®-TB gold in-tube performance for diagnosing active tuberculosis in children and adults in a high burden setting.

To determine whether QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) can contribute to the diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) in children in a high-burden setting and to assess the performance of QFT and tuberculin skin test (TST) in a prospective cohort of TB suspect children compared to adults with confirmed TB in Tanzania. Sensitivity and specificity of QFT and TST for diagnosing active TB as well as indeterminate QFT rates and IFN-γ levels were assessed in 211 TB suspect children in a Tanzanian district hospital and contrasted in 90 adults with confirmed pulmonary TB. Sensitivity of QFT and TST in children with confirmed TB was 19% (5/27) and 6% (2/31) respectively. In adults sensitivity of QFT and TST was 84% (73/87) and 85% (63/74). The QFT indeterminate rate in children and adults was 27% and 3%. Median levels of IFN-γ were lower in children than adults, particularly children <2 years and HIV infected. An indeterminate result was associated with age <2 years but not malnutrition or HIV status. Overall childhood mortality was 19% and associated with an indeterminate QFT result at baseline. QFT and TST showed poor performance and a surprisingly low sensitivity in children. In contrast the performance in Tanzanian adults was good and comparable to performance in high-income countries. Indeterminate results in children were associated with young age and increased mortality. Neither test can be recommended for diagnosing active TB in children with immature or impaired immunity in a high-burden setting