Controlling randomization in astronomy simulations

As the primary requirement, correctly implementing and controlling random number generation is vital for a range of scientific analyses and simulations across astronomy and planetary science. Beyond advice on how to set the seed, there is little guidance in the literature for how best to handle pseudo-random number generation in the current era of open-source astronomical software development. We present our methodology for implementing a pseudo-random number generation in astronomy simulations and software and share the short lines of python code that create the generator. Without sacrificing randomization at run time, our strategy ensures reproducibility on a per function/module basis for unit testing and for run time debugging where there may be multiple functions requiring lists of randomly generated values that occur before a specific function is executed

Modeling the role of negative symptoms in determining social functioning in individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis

A priority for improving outcome in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) is enhancing our understanding of predictors of psychosis as well as psychosocial functioning. Social functioning, in particular, is a unique indicator of risk as well as an important outcome in itself. Negative symptoms are a significant determinant of social functioning in CHR individuals; yet, it is unclear which specific negative symptoms drive functional outcome and how these symptoms function relative to other predictors, such as neurocognition and mood/anxiety symptoms. In a sample of 85 CHR individuals, we examined whether a two-factor negative symptom structure that is found in schizophrenia (experiential vs expressive symptoms) would be replicated in a CHR sample; and tested the degree to which specific negative symptoms predict social functioning, relative to neurocognition and mood/anxiety symptoms, which are known to predict functioning. The two-factor negative symptom solution was replicated in this CHR sample. Negative symptom severity was found to be uniquely predictive of social functioning, above and beyond depression/anxiety and neurocognition. Experiential symptoms were more strongly associated with social functioning, relative to expression symptoms. In addition, experiential symptoms mediated the relationship between expressive negative symptoms and social functioning. These results suggest that experiences of motivational impairment are more important in determining social functioning, relative to affective flattening and alogia, in CHR individuals, thereby informing the development of more precise therapeutic targets. Developing novel interventions that stimulate goal-directed behavior and reinforce rewarding experiences in social contexts are recommended

LSSTDESC/qp: v0.8.4, various updates and fixes

<h2>What's Changed</h2> <ul> <li>Cleaning up docstrings by @delucchi-cmu in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/174</li> <li>Spruce up the README by @delucchi-cmu in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/179</li> <li>Add a new factory method read_metadata by @joezuntz in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/183</li> <li>Issue/186/fix readthedocs by @eacharles in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/187</li> <li>fix scipy wrapper to work with newer scipy by @eacharles in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/189</li> <li>Issue/178/metrics docs by @aimalz in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/181</li> <li>fix demo to refer to qp.read by @eacharles in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/194</li> <li>Move quant_pdf tests into their own test module by @drewoldag in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/195</li> <li>attempt to use copier template by @eacharles in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/197</li> <li>udpated to copier template v0.3.1 by @eacharles in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/198</li> <li>Implemented normalisation for weights with sum larger than one. Also … by @BStoelzner in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/185</li> </ul> <h2>New Contributors</h2> <ul> <li>@aimalz made their first contribution in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/181</li> <li>@BStoelzner made their first contribution in https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/pull/185</li> </ul> <p><strong>Full Changelog</strong>: https://github.com/LSSTDESC/qp/compare/v0.8.3...v0.8.4</p&gt

Modeling the role of negative symptoms in determining social functioning in individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis

A priority for improving outcome in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) is enhancing our understanding of predictors of psychosis as well as psychosocial functioning. Social functioning, in particular, is a unique indicator of risk as well as an important outcome in itself. Negative symptoms are a significant determinant of social functioning in CHR individuals; yet, it is unclear which specific negative symptoms drive functional outcome and how these symptoms function relative to other predictors, such as neurocognition and mood/anxiety symptoms. In a sample of 85 CHR individuals, we examined whether a two-factor negative symptom structure that is found in schizophrenia (experiential vs expressive symptoms) would be replicated in a CHR sample; and tested the degree to which specific negative symptoms predict social functioning, relative to neurocognition and mood/anxiety symptoms, which are known to predict functioning. The two-factor negative symptom solution was replicated in this CHR sample. Negative symptom severity was found to be uniquely predictive of social functioning, above and beyond depression/anxiety and neurocognition. Experiential symptoms were more strongly associated with social functioning, relative to expression symptoms. In addition, experiential symptoms mediated the relationship between expressive negative symptoms and social functioning. These results suggest that experiences of motivational impairment are more important in determining social functioning, relative to affective flattening and alogia, in CHR individuals, thereby informing the development of more precise therapeutic targets. Developing novel interventions that stimulate goal-directed behavior and reinforce rewarding experiences in social contexts are recommended