Analysis of feedback on the Welsh Government public consultation process on draft assessment arrangements for funded non-maintained nursery settings.

This research was commissioned by the Welsh Government to undertake the analysis of feedback and consultation responses on draft assessment arrangements for funded non-maintained nursery settings. This report includes the findings from the online consultation and from a series of workshops with sector stakeholders. The research was undertaken between October 2022 and February 2023

In the eye of a hurricane there is quiet, for just a moment,-

CHI can be a multisensory overload. Attendees endure days of workshops, presentations, evening parties, and ephemeral interactions. This paper attempts to disrupt that onslaught of activities [9]. It draws inspiration from theories and methods already in HCI-eg mindfulness [1], reflective design [8], and slow design [4, 7]-to bring eight pages of silence to the conference. This is meant to disrupt CHI's busy schedule and help attendees foster resilience. In pursuit of these aims, the authors will use the time and pages offered by this paper to facilitate a group silence; quiet, for just a moment, in the midst of the hurricane that is CHI

In the eye of a hurricane there is quiet, for just a moment, —

CHI can be a multisensory overload. Attendees endure days of workshops, presentations, evening parties, and ephemeral interactions. This paper attempts to disrupt that onslaught of activities [9]. It draws inspiration from theories and methods already in HCI—e.g. mindfulness [1], reflec- tive design [8], and slow design [4, 7]—to bring eight pages of silence to the conference. This is meant to disrupt CHI’s busy schedule and help attendees foster resilience. In pur- suit of these aims, the authors will use the time and pages offered by this paper to facilitate a group silence; quiet, for just a moment, in the midst of the hurricane that is CHI

Rates of myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease and risk factors in patients treated with radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer

BACKGROUND. Radiation therapy (RT), a critical component of breast-conserving therapy for breast cancer, has been associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in numerous older studies, but the risk may be lower with modern techniques. METHODS. Observed rates of cardiac events in 828 patients treated with breast-conserving surgery and RT at the University of Michigan were compared with expected rates. Relations between potential risk factors and actuarial rates of first CAD event were analyzed. RESULTS. Observed risks of cardiac events were lower than expected. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of myocardial infarction (MI) was 0.44 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.21–0.70). The SIR of MI or CAD requiring intervention was 0.50 (95% CI: 0.27–0.68). With a median follow-up of 6.8 years, 12 (1.4%) patients had at least 1 MI on follow-up and 20 (2.4%) had at least 1 MI or CAD requiring intervention. Median age at first cardiac event was 75.9 years (range, 43.1–91.5). Median interval from RT to occurrence of the first cardiac event was 3.7 years (range, 13 days to 15.4 years). The 10-year cumulative incidence of MI was 1.2% and cumulative incidence of MI or CAD requiring intervention was 2.7%. On multivariate analysis, age, diabetes mellitus, active smoking, and laterality of RT were significant predictors of MI. Age and active smoking were significant predictors of MI or CAD requiring intervention. CONCLUSIONS. Patients in this series had lower risk of ischemic cardiac events than expected. Although small in absolute magnitude, patients radiated to the left side did have a statistically significant increased risk of MI. These findings support further investigation of techniques to minimize the long-term cardiac risks faced by breast cancer patients. Cancer 2007 © 2007 American Cancer Society.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55928/1/22452_ftp.pd

Structural and mechanistic insights into a Bacteroides vulgatus retaining N-acetyl-β-galactosaminidase that uses neighbouring group participation

Bacteroides vulgatus is a member of the human microbiota whose abundance is increased in patients with Crohn's disease. We show that a B. vulgatus glycoside hydrolase from the carbohydrate active enzyme family GH123, BvGH123, is an N-acetyl-β-galactosaminidase that acts with retention of stereochemistry, and, through a 3-D structure in complex with Gal-thiazoline, provide evidence in support of a neighbouring group participation mechanism

Parametric variation of a coupled pendulum-oscillator system using real-time dynamic substructuring

In this paper, we present results from real-time dynamic substructuring tests used to model the dynamics of a coupled pendulum–oscillator system. The substructuring technique is particularly suitable for systems where the nonlinear and linear parts of the system can be separated. The nonlinear part is built full size and tested physically (the substructure) while the linear part is simulated numerically. Then, in order to replicate the dynamics of the complete system the substructure and the numerical model must be coupled in real time. In this study, we demonstrate how real-time dynamic substructure testing can be used to model systems with strongly nonlinear behaviour using parametric variation. We show that the substructuring results give good qualitative and quantitative agreement with purely numerical simulations of the complete system for a range of parameters values. This includes single parameter bifurcation diagrams, some of which cannot be obtained from a full physical experiment. We also briefly discuss the effects of delay and noise on the stability of the substructured system, and how these effects can be mitigated. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Progress in observing and modelling the urban boundary layer

The urban boundary layer (UBL) is the part of the atmosphere in which most of the planet’s population now lives, and is one of the most complex and least understood microclimates. Given potential climate change impacts and the requirement to develop cities sustainably, the need for sound modelling and observational tools becomes pressing. This review paper considers progress made in studies of the UBL in terms of a conceptual framework spanning microscale to mesoscale determinants of UBL structure and evolution. Considerable progress in observing and modelling the urban surface energy balance has been made. The urban roughness sub-layer is an important region requiring attention as assumptions about atmospheric turbulence break down in this layer and it may dominate coupling of the surface to the UBL due to its considerable depth. The upper 90% of the UBL (mixed and residual layers) remains under-researched but new remote sensing methods and high resolution modelling tools now permit rapid progress. Surface heterogeneity dominates from neighbourhood to regional scales and should be more strongly considered in future studies. Specific research priorities include humidity within the UBL, high-rise urban canopies and the development of long-term, spatially extensive measurement networks coupled strongly to model development

Machine learning uncovers the most robust self-report predictors of relationship quality across 43 longitudinal couples studies

Given the powerful implications of relationship quality for health and well-being, a central mission of relationship science is explaining why some romantic relationships thrive more than others. This large-scale project used machine learning (i.e., Random Forests) to 1) quantify the extent to which relationship quality is predictable and 2) identify which constructs reliably predict relationship quality. Across 43 dyadic longitudinal datasets from 29 laboratories, the top relationship-specific predictors of relationship quality were perceived-partner commitment, appreciation, sexual satisfaction, perceived-partner satisfaction, and conflict. The top individual-difference predictors were life satisfaction, negative affect, depression, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety. Overall, relationship-specific variables predicted up to 45% of variance at baseline, and up to 18% of variance at the end of each study. Individual differences also performed well (21% and 12%, respectively). Actor-reported variables (i.e., own relationship-specific and individual-difference variables) predicted two to four times more variance than partner-reported variables (i.e., the partner’s ratings on those variables). Importantly, individual differences and partner reports had no predictive effects beyond actor-reported relationship-specific variables alone. These findings imply that the sum of all individual differences and partner experiences exert their influence on relationship quality via a person’s own relationship-specific experiences, and effects due to moderation by individual differences and moderation by partner-reports may be quite small. Finally, relationship-quality change (i.e., increases or decreases in relationship quality over the course of a study) was largely unpredictable from any combination of self-report variables. This collective effort should guide future models of relationships