10,057 research outputs found
The Importance of Developmental Science for Studies in Bullying and Victimization
Research on bullying and victimization, especially in school settings, has become an important area of developmental research, with strong practical implications. In this article we overview some considerations from neuropsychology, quantitative genetics, developmental neuroscience, we discuss CU traits and conduct problems, individual, group, class and school levels of analysis, developmental changes by age and context, and cross-cultural aspects. Together we argue that these can help bring about a developmental science perspective on to this area of research
Determining cluster-cluster aggregation rate kernals using inverse methods
We investigate the potential of inverse methods for retrieving adequate information about
the rate kernel functions of cluster-cluster aggregation processes from mass density distribution
data. Since many of the classical physical kernels have fractional order exponents the
ability of an inverse method to appropriately represent such functions is a key concern. In
early chapters, the properties of the Smoluchowski Coagulation Equation and its simulation
using Monte Carlo techniques are introduced. Two key discoveries made using the Monte
Carlo simulations are briefly reported. First, that for a range of nonlocal solutions of finite
mass spectrum aggregation systems with a source of mass injection, collective oscillations
of the solution can persist indefinitely despite the presence of significant noise. Second,
that for similar finite mass spectrum systems with (deterministic) stable, but sensitive, nonlocal
stationary solutions, the presence of noise in the system can give rise to behaviour
indicative of phase-remembering, noise-driven quasicycles. The main research material on
inverse methods is then presented in two subsequent chapters. The first of these chapters
investigates the capacity of an existing inverse method in respect of the concerns about
fractional order exponents in homogeneous kernels. The second chapter then introduces a
new more powerful nonlinear inverse method, based upon a novel factorisation of homogeneous
kernels, whose properties are assessed in respect of both stationary and scaling mass
distribution data inputs
Upsilon cross section in p+p collisions at STAR
The main focus of the heavy flavor program at RHIC is to investigate the
properties of the dense matter produced in heavy-ion collisions by studying its
effect on open heavy flavor and quarkonia production. This in turn requires a
detailed understanding of their production in elementary p+p collisions so that
the dense matter effects can be later unfolded. In this paper, we present the
first mid-rapidity cross section measurement of bottomonium at
GeV with the STAR experiment. We compare our results with perturbative QCD
calculations. A brief status on the study of charmonium in STAR is given.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. To appear in the proceedings of Quark Matter 2006
as a special issue of Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physic
Evaluation of rhizobacterial colonisation and the ability to induce Globodera pallida hatch
Three bacterial isolates, SB13 (Acinetobacter sp.), SB14 (Arthrobacter sp.) and SB15 (Bacillus sp.), were previously isolated from the rhizosphere of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) plants and shown to increase hatch of potato cyst nematodes in vitro. In this study, the three isolates were assayed for rhizosphere competence. Each isolate was applied to seeds at each of four concentrations (105-108 CFU ml−1) and the inoculated seeds were planted in plastic microcosms containing coarse sand. All three isolates were shown to colonise the rhizosphere, although to differing degrees, with the higher inoculation densities providing significantly better colonisation. The isolates increased sugar beet root and shoot dry weight. Isolates SB14 and SB15 were analysed for their ability to induce in vivo hatch of Globodera pallida in non-sterile soil planted with sugar beet. After 4 and 6 weeks, both isolates had induced significantly greater percentage hatch compared to controls
Synthesis maps: Visual knowledge translation for the CanIMPACT clinical system and patient cancer journeys
Salient findings and interpretations from the canimpact clinical cancer research study are visually represented in two synthesis maps for the purpose of communicating an integrated presentation of the study to clinical cancer researchers and policymakers. Synthesis maps integrate evidence and expertise into a visual narrative for knowledge translation and communication. A clinical system synthesis map represents the current Canadian primary care and cancer practice systems, proposed as a visual knowledge translation from the mixed-methods canimpact study to inform Canadian clinical research, policy, and practice discourses. Two synthesis maps, drawn together from multiple canimpact investigations and sources, were required to articulate critical differences between the clinical system and patient perspectives. The synthesis map of Canada-wide clinical cancer systems illustrates the relationships between primary care and the full cancer continuum. A patient-centred map was developed to represent the cancer (and primary care) journeys as experienced by breast and colorectal cancer patients
Photonic qubits, qutrits and ququads accurately prepared and delivered on demand
Reliable encoding of information in quantum systems is crucial to all
approaches to quantum information processing or communication. This applies in
particular to photons used in linear optics quantum computing (LOQC), which is
scalable provided a deterministic single-photon emission and preparation is
available. Here, we show that narrowband photons deterministically emitted from
an atom-cavity system fulfill these requirements. Within their 500 ns coherence
time, we demonstrate a subdivision into d time bins of various amplitudes and
phases, which we use for encoding arbitrary qu-d-its. The latter is done
deterministically with a fidelity >95% for qubits, verified using a newly
developed time-resolved quantum-homodyne method.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Withdrawal from treatment as an outcome in the Isolde study of COPD
Objectives: To investigate the determinants of patient withdrawal from our study, and the effect
of these withdrawals on the outcome of treatment with inhaled corticosteroids in patients with
COPD.
Design: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.
Setting: Eighteen outpatient centers in the United Kingdom.
Participants: Seven hundred fifty-one patients with stable COPD defined clinically as baseline postbronchodilator FEV1 > 0.8 L and < 85% predicted, FEV1/FVC ratio < 70%, and FEV1 change after albuterol < 10% of predicted.
Intervention: Random assignment of either 500 micrograms bid of inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP)using a spacer device or an identical placebo inhaler. Treatment was continued for 3 years or
until patients withdrew from follow-up.
Measurements and results: Postbronchodilator FEV1 was measured on three occasions before
randomization and every 3 months thereafter. Health status was assessed by the disease-specific
St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the modified short-form 36 questionnaire
(SF-36) at baseline and every 6 months. Three hundred thirty-nine patients withdrew, of whom
156 patients received FP. Prescription of frequent courses of oral prednisolone was the most
common reason for withdrawing as specified in the protocol (69 patients in the FP group
withdrew due to respiratory symptoms, compared with 93 patients in the placebo group). This
explained the significantly greater dropout of placebo-treated patients that was most evident
when FEV1 was < 50% predicted. Patients withdrawing had a significantly more rapid decline in health status, measured by both the SGRQ and the SF-36 (p < 0.001). Those withdrawing from the placebo group had a more rapid decline in FEV1 and more exacerbations than the FP-treated
groups. Baseline FEV1 was lower in dropouts than in patients completing the study receiving
placebo, but there was no difference between the respective groups receiving FP.
Conclusions: Patients who withdrew from follow-up were those with the most rapidly deteriorating
health status and lung function. Losing these patients from the final analysis can reduce the
power of a study to achieve its primary end point
Transport of flexible chiral objects in a uniform shear flow
The transport of slightly deformable chiral objects in a uniform shear flow
is investigated. Depending on the equilibrium configuration one finds up to
four different asymptotic states that can be distinguished by a lateral drift
velocity of their center of mass, a rotational motion about the center of mass
and deformations of the object. These deformations influence the magnitudes of
the principal axes of the second moment tensor of the considered object and
also modify a scalar index characterizing its chirality. Moreover, the
deformations induced by the shear flow are essential for the phenomenon of
dynamical symmetry breaking: Objects that are achiral under equilibrium
conditions may dynamically acquire chirality and consequently experience a
drift in the lateral direction.Comment: 25 pages, 16 figure
Designing a mobile augmented memory system for people with traumatic brain injuries
Augmented memory systems help people remember events in their lives. Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) often have memory impairments. We conducted a user study to learn about strategies individuals with TBI use to remember events in their lives. We explored what characteristics individuals with TBI expect of an augmented memory system. We then investigated these aspects in an initial mobile app design, and propose here a concept for a rehearsal application that addresses the issues found in our studies
Large family cohorts of lymphoblastoid cells provide a new cellular model for investigating facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is associated with aberrant epigenetic regulation of the chromosome 4q35 D4Z4 macrosatellite repeat. The resulting DNA hypomethylation and relaxation of epigenetic repression leads to increased expression of the deleterious DUX4-fl mRNA encoded within the distal D4Z4 repeat. With the typical late onset of muscle weakness, prevalence of asymptomatic individuals, and an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, FSHD is often passed on from one generation to the next and affects multiple individuals within a family. Here we have characterized unique collections of 114 lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) generated from 12 multigenerational FSHD families, including 56 LCLs from large, genetically homogeneous families in Utah. We found robust expression of DUX4-fl in most FSHD LCLs and a good correlation between DNA hypomethylation and repeat length. In addition, DUX4-fl levels can be manipulated using epigenetic drugs as in myocytes, suggesting that some epigenetic pathways regulating DUX4-fl in myocytes are maintained in LCLs. Overall, these FSHD LCLs provide an alternative cellular model in which to study many aspects of D4Z4, DUX4, and FSHD gene regulation in a background of low genetic variation. Significantly, these non-adherent immortal LCLs are amenable for high-throughput screening of potential therapeutics targeting DUX4-fl mRNA or protein expression
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