Preference-for-Solitude and Adjustment Difficulties in Early and Late Adolescence

Social withdrawal has been associated with adjustment difficulties across development. Although much is known about shyness, little is known about preference-for-solitude; even less is known about its relations with adjustment across different periods of adolescence. We examined whether preference-for-solitude might be differentially associated with adjustment difficulties in early and late adolescence. Self- and parent-reports of withdrawal motivations and adjustment were collected from 234 eighth graders (113 boys; M age = 13.43) and 204 twelfth graders (91 boys; M age = 17.25). Results from structural equation modeling demonstrated that above and beyond the effects of shyness, preference-for-solitude was more strongly associated with adjustment difficulties in 8th grade than in 12th grade. Preference-for-solitude was associated with greater anxiety/depression, emotion dysregulation, and lower self-esteem in 8th grade; these relations were not found in 12th grade. Although preference-for-solitude was associated with lower social competence in both 8th and 12th grades, this relation was significantly stronger in 8th grade than in 12th grade. Findings suggest preference-for-solitude has closer ties to maladjustment in early adolescence than in late adolescence. Interventions targeting preferred-solitary youth in early adolescence may be particularly fruitfu

A novel methodology for revision of the nautical bottom

Since the 1980s, the nautical bottom in the outer harbour of Zeebrugge is determined by the 1150kg.m-3 density level, as due to siltation conventional bottom survey techniques are not adequate. As a consequence of modifications of the mud layer characteristics, a revision of this criterion was required. A research project, involving comprehensive captive model testing in a manoeuvring tank with a bottom covered with mud simulating materials, mathematical modelling and real-time full mission bridge simulator runs, resulted in new criteria, based on the ship behaviour and controllability in muddy navigation areas. The application of the results of this research project increases the efficiency of maintenance dredging works and contributes to the safety of shipping traffic, as the pilots involved in the manoeuvres obtain a more profound insight into specific aspects of ship behaviour

Seismic Behavior of a Diaphragm Wall Tank

A buried tank, consisting of unit diaphragm walls with no mechanical connection between them, has been studied under seismic loads. Soil structure interaction analyses, using a visco-elastic model for the soil have been carried out with two- and three dimensional models. A technical solution to ensure the stability of such a tank is proposed

Planning for Accessible Emergency Communications: Mobile Technology and Social Media

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centre for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) Wireless Emergency Communications (WEC) project team developed prototype software for wireless devices based on regulatory requirements and conducted a series of field tests to explore the effectiveness of receiving mobile emergency alerts. Incorporated into the process were surveys that assessed how people with disabilities and emergency management used various forms of media to send and receive emergency communications. Presented are the WEC R&D findings to enhance accessibility of the Emergency Alert System (EAS), Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS); and explore access to popular mainstream communication modes (mobile social media)

Optimizing Accessibility of Wireless Emergency Alerts: 2015 Survey Findings

The Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system is a free, opt-out, national emergency alerting service that was deployed in 2012 as one component of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning Systems (IPAWS). Since 2012 over 10,000 WEA messages have been transmitted to mobile phones in the U.S. In 2015, a national online survey on WEAs (2015 WEA Survey) was conducted to understand the effectiveness of WEA messages for people with disabilities. The survey collected data on availability, awareness and accessibility of WEA messages, as well as actions taken by the recipient upon receipt. The survey also takes into consideration the type of mobile device used by the respondents. Project researchers hypothesized that greater awareness and exposure to WEA alerts would increase trust and appropriateness of individual responses to alerts. The analysis of the survey data supports the hypothesis. The 2015 WEA national online survey results provided policy and practice insights to improve the intended impact of WEA messages for people with disabilities

Long-term safety of tiotropium/olodaterol Respimat® in patients with moderate-to-very severe COPD and renal impairment in the TONADO® studies

Introduction: The safety, lung function efficacy, and symptomatic benefits of combined tiotropium and olodaterol in patients with COPD were established in the 1-year TONADO (R) studies (NCT01431274; NCT01431287). As tiotropium is predominantly excreted by the kidneys, the long-term safety profile of tiotropium/olodaterol was investigated in patients with renal impairment in a prespecified safety analysis of the TONADO studies. Methods: These were 2 replicate, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, 52-week Phase III studies that assessed tiotropium/olodaterol compared with tiotropium or olodaterol alone (all via Respimat (R)) in patients with moderate-to-very severe COPD. In this analysis, renal impairment was defined as mild (creatinine clearance [CLcr] 60-89 mL/min), moderate (CLcr 30-59 mL/min) or severe (CLcr 15-29 mL/min). Adverse events (AEs) were pooled from both studies. Results: Of 3,041 patients included in this analysis, 1,333 (43.8%) had mild, 404 (13.3%) had moderate, and 5 (0.2%) had severe renal impairment; these were distributed equally between treatment groups. Almost one-quarter of all treated patients (23.4%) had a history of cardiac disorder, 45.6% had hypertension, and 13.3% had glucose metabolism disorders, including diabetes. AEs with olodaterol, tiotropium, and tiotropium/olodaterol occurred in 75.1%, 70.8%, and 72.0% of patients with no renal impairment, 75.7%, 74.0%, and 73.3% with mild renal impairment, and 84.3%, 79.5%, and 79.7% with moderate renal impairment, respectively. There was no notable effect of renal impairment on the proportion of patients with an AE, and no differences were observed between tiotropium/olodaterol versus the monocomponents. There was no difference in the incidence of major adverse cardiac events, renal and urinary tract AEs, or potential anticholinergic effects with increasing severity of renal impairment. Conclusion: Over half the patients enrolled in the TONADO studies had renal impairment, and there was a high level of pre-existing cardiovascular comorbidity. The safety and tolerability of tiotropium/olodaterol is comparable to the monocomponents, irrespective of the level of renal impairment

Tank test of vessel entry and exit for third set of Panama locks

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) plans to extend the capacity of and allow larger ships to the Canal by building a so-called third lane, consisting of a new set of locks parallel to the existing ones. The design ship is a so-called Post-Panamax 12000 TEU container carrier. In order to optimise the approach to and the manoeuvres within the locks, in 2007-2008 experimental research has been conducted at Flanders Hydraulics Research, Antwerp, Belgium on a 1/80 scale model of the approach lane, the lock and the design vessel. With the ship model moving along a guiding rail, lateral forces acting on the ship and movements of the vessel can be recorded during a selection of entrance and exit manoeuvres. During a number of tests, the effect of density exchange current was examined. The present article offers an overview of the test-setup with a discussion of a few interesting results of the test runs

Early anterior cingulate involvement is seen in presymptomatic MAPT P301L mutation carriers

BACKGROUND: PET imaging of glucose metabolism has revealed presymptomatic abnormalities in genetic FTD but has not been explored in MAPT P301L mutation carriers. This study aimed to explore the patterns of presymptomatic hypometabolism and atrophy in MAPT P301L mutation carriers. METHODS: Eighteen asymptomatic members from five families with a P301L MAPT mutation were recruited to the study, six mutation carriers, and twelve mutation-negative controls. All participants underwent standard behavioural and cognitive assessment as well as [18F]FDG-PET and 3D T1-weighted MRI brain scans. Regional standardised uptake value ratios (SUVR) for the PET scan and volumes calculated from an automated segmentation for the MRI were obtained and compared between the mutation carrier and control groups. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) estimated years from symptom onset was 12.5 (3.6) in the mutation carrier group with a range of 7 to 18 years. No differences in cognition were seen between the groups, and all mutation carriers had a global CDR plus NACC FTLD of 0. Significant reduction in [18F] FDG uptake in the anterior cingulate was seen in mutation carriers (mean 1.25 [standard deviation 0.07]) compared to controls (1.36 [0.09]). A similar significant reduction was also seen in grey matter volume in the anterior cingulate in mutation carriers (0.60% [0.06%]) compared to controls (0.68% [0.08%]). No other group differences were seen in other regions. CONCLUSIONS: Anterior cingulate hypometabolism and atrophy are both apparent presymptomatically in a cohort of P301L MAPT mutation carriers. Such a specific marker may prove to be helpful in stratification of presymptomatic mutation carriers in future trials