The Generalizability of Older Adult Self-Report (OASR) Syndromes of Psychopathology Across 20 Societies

OBJECTIVES: As the world population ages, psychiatrists will increasingly need instruments for measuring constructs of psychopathology that are generalizable to diverse elders. The study tested whether syndromes of co-occurring problems derived from self-ratings of psychopathology by US elders would fit self-ratings by elders in 19 other societies. METHODS/DESIGN: The Older Adult Self-Report (OASR) was completed by 12,826 60- to 102-year-olds in 19 societies from North and South America, Asia, and Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Europe, plus the US. Individual and multi-group confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) tested the fit of the 7-syndrome OASR model, consisting of the Anxious/Depressed, Worries, Somatic Complaints, Functional Impairment, Memory/Cognition Problems, Thought Problems, and Irritable/Disinhibited syndromes. RESULTS: In individual CFAs, the primary model fit index showed good fit for all societies, while the secondary model fit indices showed acceptable to good fit. The items loaded strongly on their respective factors, with a median item loading of .63 across the 20 societies; and 98.7% of the loadings were statistically significant. In multi-group CFAs, 98% of items demonstrated approximate or full metric invariance. Fifteen percent of items demonstrated approximate or full scalar invariance and another 59% demonstrated scalar invariance across more than half of societies. CONCLUSIONS: The findings supported the generalizability of OASR syndromes across societies. The seven syndromes offer empirically-based clinical constructs that are relevant for elders of different backgrounds. They can be used to assess diverse elders, and as a taxonomic framework to facilitate communication, services, research and training in geriatric psychiatry. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Search for three-jet resonances in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

This is a Pre-Print version of the Article - Copyright @ 2011 APSA model-independent search for three-jet hadronic resonance production in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV has been conducted by the CMS Collaboration at the LHC, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35 inverse picobarns. Events with high jet multiplicity and a large scalar sum of jet transverse momenta are analyzed. The number of expected standard model background events is found to be in good agreement with the observed events. Limits are set on a model describing the production of R-parity-violating supersymmetric gluino pairs, and gluino masses in the range of 200 to 280 GeV/c^2 are excluded at a 95% confidence level for the first time.This work is supported by the FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF andWCU (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTD (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Surface Nanopatterned Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)-Based Photosensitive Artificial Muscle

Light-driven shape memory alloy (SMA)-based microscale actuators show great promise for artificial muscle and biomedical applications, as they are actuated remotely and have a fast response speed. However, ultraviolet (UV) light is required for device actuation; thus, the operating environment has been limited. Here, an infrared (IR) light-driven SMA actuator is proposed, in which the plasmonic effect is used to enhance IR light absorptance. A sub-micrometer pattern is used to create an optical meta-surface capable of tuning the light absorptance. Conical nanohole arrays are fabricated with a focused ion beam. The absorptance tuning effect is evaluated in terms of the optical characteristics and performance of the actuator. The nanopatterned surface increases the narrow-band IR light absorption by up to 55%. Optics simulations are conducted to verify the experimental results. A pattern design method is proposed, based on the light wavelength of the stimulating source. Combining heterogeneous surfaces, both UV and IR light achieve decoupled microscale actuation. These actuators show a response similar to that of the iris muscle, which is responsible for the eye's pupillary reflex. It is expected that these actuators will broaden SMA applications in clinical devices and soft robotics.ISSN:2195-107

Older adult psychopathology: international comparisons of self-reports, collateral reports, and cross-informant agreement

Objectives: To conduct international comparisons of self-reports, collateral reports, and cross-informant agreement regarding older adult psychopathology. Participants: We compared self-ratings of problems (e.g. I cry a lot) and personal strengths (e.g. I like to help others) for 10,686 adults aged 60–102 years from 19 societies and collateral ratings for 7,065 of these adults from 12 societies. Measurements: Data were obtained via the Older Adult Self-Report (OASR) and the Older Adult Behavior Checklist (OABCL; Achenbach et al., 2004) Results: Cronbach’s alphas were .76 (OASR) and .80 (OABCL) averaged across societies. Across societies, 27 of the 30 problem items with the highest mean ratings and 28 of the 30 items with the lowest mean ratings were the same on the OASR and the OABCL. Q correlations between the means of the 0–1–2 ratings for the 113 problem items averaged across all pairs of societies yielded means of .77 (OASR) and .78 (OABCL). For the OASR and OABCL, respectively, analyses of variance (ANOVAs) yielded effect sizes (ESs) for society of 15% and 18% for Total Problems and 42% and 31% for Personal Strengths, respectively. For 5,584 cross-informant dyads in 12 societies, cross-informant correlations averaged across societies were .68 for Total Problems and .58 for Personal Strengths. Mixed-model ANOVAs yielded large effects for society on both Total Problems (ES = 17%) and Personal Strengths (ES = 36%). Conclusions: The OASR and OABCL are efficient, low-cost, easily administered mental health assessments that can be used internationally to screen for many problems and strength

Recent nanosheet-based materials for monovalent and multivalent ions storage

Owing to the unique advantages of short solid-state diffusion length for metal ions, outstanding ability to alleviate the huge volume expansion of the electrode during repeated charge/discharge process, considerable large amount of channels for electrolyte access leading promoting fast ion diffusion between electrode, and numerous exposed active sites, nanosheet structures are regarded as the ideal electrode structures for achieving high capacity and ultrafast charge/discharge of energy storage. Herein, this review provides a comprehensive introduction of recent nanosheet-based electrode materials for high performance batteries, like monovalent ion (lithium and sodium) batteries and multivalent ion (magnesium, zinc and aluminum) batteries. Facile and simple strategies of synthesizing electrodes and different mechanisms of energy storage are presented. Furthermore, the challenges and development directions of nanosheet-based materials and rechargeable battery systems are discussed.Ministry of Education (MOE)This work was mainly supported by MoE Tier 1 (Grant No. RG19/17). W. H. thanks the supports by the National Basic Research Program of China-Fundamental Studies of Perovskite Solar Cells (Grant No. 2015CB932200), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BM2012010), Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (Grant No. YX03001), Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. IRT1148), Synergetic Innovation Center for Organic Electronics and Information Displays, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61136003 and 51173081)