569 research outputs found
Religious discrimination and common mental disorders in England: a nationally representative population-based study
PURPOSE:
Although the impact of discrimination on mental health has been increasingly discussed, the effect of religious discrimination has not been examined systematically. We studied the prevalence of perceived religious discrimination and its association with common mental disorders in a nationally representative population-based sample in England.
METHODS:
We used data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007 that represents all adults age 16 years and over living in private households in England. Common mental disorders were ascertained using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule. Experience of discrimination was assessed by a computer-assisted self-report questionnaire and potential paranoid traits by the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire.
RESULTS:
From the total of 7318 participants, 3873 (52.4 %) reported adhering to religion. 108 subjects (1.5 %) reported being unfairly treated in the past 12 months due to their religion. Non-Christian religious groups were more likely to report perceived religious discrimination compared to Christians (OR 11.44; 95 % CI 7.36–17.79). People who experienced religious discrimination had increased prevalence of all common mental disorders. There was a two-fold increase in the risk of common mental disorders among people who reported experience of religious discrimination independent of their ethnicity, skin colour or suspected paranoid traits.
CONCLUSIONS:
The impact of perceived religious discrimination on mental health should be given more consideration in treatment and future preventative policies
Optimized refractive surgery in keratoconus
Purpose: The aim of the study is to compare the refractive results after simultaneous TransPRK and Cross-linking procedure for treatment of keratoconus with optimized and non-optimized customized ablation profiles; to introduce the concept of optimization in keratoconus and discuss its clinical significance; to find predictive factors for better refractive outcomes in simultaneous combined procedures and to propose therapeutic algorithm.Methods: Syrius schimpflug aberrometer (Schwind) was used to create non-optimized custom and optimized custom ablation profiles in keratoconic corneas. TransPRK ablation was performed with Schwind Amaris Eximer Laser (500 Hz). Cross-linking was done with Avedro cross-linking suit. Analysis of preoperative and postoperative refraction, visual acuity, keratometric and aberometric data was done for both groups. Correlative analysis of the preoperative and postoperative variables was done with Pierson statistical analysis.Results: 44 patients (70 eyes), age 19-67, 29 eyes with optimization, 41 eyes without optimization were followed for 18 months. A positive correlation was found between CCT and the amount of postoperative flattening in patients over 40 years of age. No correlation was found with Kavg.Conclusions: Long term results after simultaneous TransPRK + Cross linking show stability and safety. Optimization of refraction brings better refractive results compared to non-optimized procedure. It can be safely performed in thinner corneas and compensates for the hypermetropic shift generated by the cross-linking procedure
Continued convection and the initial recovery of Dst
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94856/1/grl16086.pd
An improved empirical model of electron and ion fluxes at geosynchronous orbit based on upstream solar wind conditions
A new empirical model of the electron fluxes and ion fluxes at geosynchronous orbit (GEO) is introduced, based on observations by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) satellites. The model provides flux predictions in the energy range ~1 eV to ~40 keV, as a function of local time, energy, and the strength of the solar wind electric field (the negative product of the solar wind speed and the z component of the magnetic field). Given appropriate upstream solar wind measurements, the model provides a forecast of the fluxes at GEO with a ~1 h lead time. Model predictions are tested against in‐sample observations from LANL satellites and also against out‐of‐sample observations from the Compact Environmental Anomaly Sensor II detector on the AMC‐12 satellite. The model does not reproduce all structure seen in the observations. However, for the intervals studied here (quiet and storm times) the normalized root‐mean‐square deviation < ~0.3. It is intended that the model will improve forecasting of the spacecraft environment at GEO and also provide improved boundary/input conditions for physical models of the magnetosphere.Key PointsNew model of electron and ion fluxes at GEO (driven by ‐vBz) provides a ~1 h forecast of fluxes in the energy range ~1 eV to ~40 keVThe main benefit from the new model is the ability to predict the fluxes at GEO in advanceForecasts are a good match to observations during quiet times and storm timesPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134149/1/swe20339_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134149/2/swe20339.pd
Engaging with History after Macpherson
The Race Relations Amendment Act (2000) identifies a key role for education, and more specifically history, in promoting ‘race equality’ in Britain. In this article Ian Grosvenor and Kevin Myers consider the extent of young people’s current engagement with the history of ‘diversity, change and immigration’ which underpins the commitment to ‘race equality’. Finding that in many of Britain’s schools and universities a singular and exclusionary version of history continues to dominate the curriculum, they go on to consider the reasons for the neglect of multiculturalism. The authors identify the development of an aggressive national identity that depends on the past for its legitimacy and argue that this sense of the past is an important obstacle to future progress
Tomography of a Cryo-immobilized Yeast Cell Using Ptychographic Coherent X-Ray Diffractive Imaging
The structural investigation of noncrystalline, soft biological matter using x-rays is of rapidly increasing interest. Large-scale x-ray sources, such as synchrotrons and x-ray free electron lasers, are becoming ever brighter and make the study of such weakly scattering materials more feasible. Variants of coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) are particularly attractive, as the absence of an objective lens between sample and detector ensures that no x-ray photons scattered by a sample are lost in a limited-efficiency imaging system. Furthermore, the reconstructed complex image contains quantitative density information, most directly accessible through its phase, which is proportional to the projected electron density of the sample. If applied in three dimensions, CDI can thus recover the sample's electron density distribution. As the extension to three dimensions is accompanied by a considerable dose applied to the sample, cryogenic cooling is necessary to optimize the structural preservation of a unique sample in the beam. This, however, imposes considerable technical challenges on the experimental realization. Here, we show a route toward the solution of these challenges using ptychographic CDI (PCDI), a scanning variant of coherent imaging. We present an experimental demonstration of the combination of three-dimensional structure determination through PCDI with a cryogenically cooled biological sample—a budding yeast cell (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)—using hard (7.9 keV) synchrotron x-rays. This proof-of-principle demonstration in particular illustrates the potential of PCDI for highly sensitive, quantitative three-dimensional density determination of cryogenically cooled, hydrated, and unstained biological matter and paves the way to future studies of unique, nonreproducible biological cells at higher resolution
Solution structure of a repeated unit of the ABA-1 nematode polyprotein allergen of ascaris reveals a novel fold and two discrete lipid-binding sites
Parasitic nematode worms cause serious health problems in humans and other animals. They can induce allergic-type immune responses, which can be harmful but may at the same time protect against the infections. Allergens are proteins that trigger allergic reactions and these parasites produce a type that is confined to nematodes, the nematode polyprotein allergens (NPAs). These are synthesized as large precursor proteins comprising repeating units of similar amino acid sequence that are subsequently cleaved into multiple copies of the allergen protein. NPAs bind small lipids such as fatty acids and retinol (Vitamin A) and probably transport these sensitive and insoluble compounds between the tissues of the worms. Nematodes cannot synthesize these lipids, so NPAs may also be crucial for extracting nutrients from their hosts. They may also be involved in altering immune responses by controlling the lipids by which the immune and inflammatory cells communicate. We describe the molecular structure of one unit of an NPA, the well-known ABA-1 allergen of Ascaris and find its structure to be of a type not previously found for lipid-binding proteins, and we describe the unusual sites where lipids bind within this structur
The reliability and validity of DSM 5 diagnostic criteria for neurocognitive disorder and relationship with plasma neurofilament light in a down syndrome population
The validity of dementia diagnostic criteria depends on their ability to distinguish dementia symptoms from pre-existing cognitive impairments. The study aimed to assess inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity of DSM-5 criteria for neurocognitive disorder in Down syndrome. The utility of mild neurocognitive disorder as a distinct diagnostic category, and the association between clinical symptoms and neurodegenerative changes represented by the plasma biomarker neurofilament light were also examined. 165 adults with Down syndrome were included. Two clinicians independently applied clinical judgement, DSM-IV, ICD-10 and DSM-5 criteria for dementia (or neurocognitive disorder) to each case. Inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity were analysed using the kappa statistic. Plasma neurofilament light concentrations were measured for 55 participants as a marker of neurodegeneration and between group comparisons calculated. All diagnostic criteria showed good inter-rater reliability apart from mild neurocognitive disorder which was moderate (k = 0.494). DSM- 5 criteria had substantial concurrence with clinical judgement (k = 0.855). When compared to the no neurocognitive disorder group, average neurofilament light concentrations were higher in both the mild and major neurocognitive disorder groups. DSM-5 neurocognitive disorder criteria can be used reliably in a Down syndrome population and has higher concurrence with clinical judgement than the older DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria. Whilst the inter-rater reliability of the mild neurocognitive disorder criteria was modest, it does appear to identify people in an early stage of dementia with underlying neurodegenerative changes, represented by higher average NfL levels
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