116 research outputs found
Oil, terrorism and China: Is there a new securitization of United States foreign policy in Africa?
This thesis explores the question of whether there has been a “new” securitization of United States foreign policy in Africa since the late 1990s. It follows a stream of literature and real-world evidence suggesting that U.S. engagement with African countries has taken on a more securitized tone in the years since the end of the twentieth century. This thesis suggests that there are three key factors behind this securitization: oil, terrorism and the rise of China. I explore these factors in the context of wider U.S.-Africa engagement before examining in greater detail the case of the changing U.S. relationship with Nigeria. As one of Africa’s major oil producers as well as a site of terrorist activity and Chinese expansion, the case of Nigeria demonstrates how securitization has occurred and what effects this has had on the country and the wider African situation
Recruitment and retention of adolescents for an ecological momentary assessment measurement burst mental health study:The MHIM engagement strategy
Introduction: Recruitment and long-term retention of adolescent participants in longitudinal research are challenging and may be especially so in studies involving remote measurement and biosampling components. The ability to effectively recruit and retain participants can be supported by the use of specific evidence-based engagement strategies that are built in from the earliest stages. Methods: Informed by a review of the evidence on effective engagement strategies and consultations with adolescents (via two Young Person Advisory Groups [YPAGs]; ages 11–13 and 14–17), the current protocol describes the planned participant engagement strategy for the Mental Health in the Moment Study: a multimodal measurement burst study of adolescent mental health across ages 11–19. Results: The protocol incorporates engagement strategies in four key domains: consultations/co-design with the target population, incentives, relationship-building and burden/barrier reduction. In addition to describing general engagement strategies in longitudinal studies, we also discuss specific concerns regarding engagement in data collection methods such as biosampling and ecological momentary assessment where a paucity of evidence exists. Conclusion: Engagement strategies for adolescent mental health studies should be based on existing evidence and consultations with adolescents. We present our approach in developing the planned engagement strategies and also discuss limitations and future directions in engaging adolescents in longitudinal research. Patient or Public Contribution: The study design for this project places a strong emphasis on the active engagement of adolescents throughout its development. Specifically, the feedback and suggestions provided by the YPAGs have been instrumental in refining our strategies for maximising the recruitment and retention of participants
Distress in relation to attenuated psychotic symptoms in the ultra-high-risk population is not associated with increased risk of psychotic disorder.
AIM: The \u27ultra-high-risk\u27 criteria identify a clinical population at substantially increased risk for progressing to schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Although a number of clinical variables predictive of transition to psychotic disorder have been identified within this population, the predictive value of the level of distress associated with attenuated psychotic symptoms has not yet been examined. This was the aim of the present study.
METHOD: The level of distress (0-100) associated with attenuated psychotic symptoms was recorded for 70 ultra-high-risk (UHR) patients using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental State (CAARMS). Transition to psychosis was assessed over a 16-month follow-up period.
RESULTS: Of the 70 UHR patients, 15 transitioned to psychosis (21.4%). Of the four CAARMS subscales measuring attenuated positive symptoms, Perceptual Abnormalities was rated as the most distressing. There were no differences in CAARMS scales rated as the most distressing between those who transitioned to psychosis and those who did not. There was also no association between higher levels of distress associated with attenuated psychotic symptoms and transition to psychosis.
CONCLUSION: Although the findings require replication, they indicate that the degree of distress associated with attenuated psychotic symptoms should not be used as a criterion for enriching UHR samples for risk of frank psychotic disorder
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Collaborative yet independent: Information practices in the physical sciences
In many ways, the physical sciences are at the forefront of using digital tools and methods to work with information and data. However, the fields and disciplines that make up the physical sciences are by no means uniform, and physical scientists find, use, and disseminate information in a variety of ways. This report examines information practices in the physical sciences across seven cases, and demonstrates the richly varied ways in which physical scientists work, collaborate, and share information and data.
This report details seven case studies in the physical sciences. For each case, qualitative interviews and focus groups were used to understand the domain. Quantitative data gathered from a survey of participants highlights different information strategies employed across the cases, and identifies important software used for research.
Finally, conclusions from across the cases are drawn, and recommendations are made. This report is the third in a series commissioned by the Research Information Network (RIN), each looking at information practices in a specific domain (life sciences, humanities, and physical sciences). The aim is to understand how researchers within a range of disciplines find and use information, and in particular how that has changed with the introduction of new technologies
Adiabatic scaling relations of galaxy clusters
The aim of the present work is to show that, contrary to popular belief,
galaxy clusters are **not** expected to be self-similar, even when the only
energy sources available are gravity and shock-wave heating. In particular, we
investigate the scaling relations between mass, luminosity and temperature of
galaxy groups and clusters in the absence of radiative processes. Theoretical
expectations are derived from a polytropic model of the intracluster medium and
compared with the results of high-resolution adiabatic gasdynamical
simulations. It is shown that, in addition to the well-known relation between
the mass and concentration of the dark matter halo, the effective polytropic
index of the gas also varies systematically with cluster mass, and therefore
neither the dark matter nor the gas profiles are exactly self-similar. It is
remarkable, though, that the effects of concentration and polytropic index tend
to cancel each other, leading to scaling relations whose logarithmic slopes
roughly match the predictions of the most basic self-similar models. We provide
a phenomenological fit to the relation between polytropic index and
concentration, as well as a self-consistent scheme to derive the non-linear
scaling relations expected for any cosmology and the best-fit normalizations of
the M-T, L-T and F-T relations appropriate for a Lambda-CDM universe. The
predicted scaling relations reproduce observational data reasonably well for
massive clusters, where the effects of cooling and star formation are expected
to play a minor role.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, accepted by MNRA
The radial structure of galaxy groups and clusters
Simple self-consistent models of galaxy groups and clusters are tested
against the results of high-resolution adiabatic gasdynamical simulations. We
investigate two models based on the existence of a 'universal' dark matter
density profile and two versions of the beta-model. The mass distribution of
relaxed clusters can be fitted by phenomenological formulae proposed in the
literature. Haloes that have experienced a recent merging event are
systematically less concentrated and show steeper profiles than relaxed objects
near the centre. The hot X-ray emitting gas is found to be in approximate
hydrostatic equilibrium with the dark matter potential, and it is well
described by a polytropic equation of state. Analytic formulae for the gas
density and temperature can be derived from these premises. Though able to
reproduce the X-ray surface brightness, the beta-model is shown to provide a
poor description of our numerical clusters. We find strong evidence of a
'universal' temperature profile that decreases by a factor of 2-3 from the
centre to the virial radius, whereas baryon fraction and entropy are
monotonically increasing functions. Numerical resolution and entropy
conservation play a key role in the shapes of the profiles at small radii.Comment: 16 pages, 19 figures, minor changes to match published versio
The Adaptive TreePM: An Adaptive Resolution Code for Cosmological N-body Simulations
Cosmological N-Body simulations are used for a variety of applications.
Indeed progress in the study of large scale structures and galaxy formation
would have been very limited without this tool. For nearly twenty years the
limitations imposed by computing power forced simulators to ignore some of the
basic requirements for modeling gravitational instability. One of the
limitations of most cosmological codes has been the use of a force softening
length that is much smaller than the typical inter-particle separation. This
leads to departures from collisionless evolution that is desired in these
simulations. We propose a particle based method with an adaptive resolution
where the force softening length is reduced in high density regions while
ensuring that it remains well above the local inter-particle separation. The
method, called the Adaptive TreePM, is based on the TreePM code. We present the
mathematical model and an implementation of this code, and demonstrate that the
results converge over a range of options for parameters introduced in
generalizing the code from the TreePM code. We explicitly demonstrate
collisionless evolution in collapse of an oblique plane wave. We compare the
code with the fixed resolution TreePM code and also an implementation that
mimics adaptive mesh refinement methods and comment on the agreement, and
disagreements in the results. We find that in most respects the ATreePM code
performs at least as well as the fixed resolution TreePM in highly over-dense
regions, from clustering and number density of haloes, to internal dynamics of
haloes. We also show that the adaptive code is faster than the corresponding
high resolution TreePM code.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in the MNRA
The cosmological simulation code GADGET-2
We discuss the cosmological simulation code GADGET-2, a new massively
parallel TreeSPH code, capable of following a collisionless fluid with the
N-body method, and an ideal gas by means of smoothed particle hydrodynamics
(SPH). Our implementation of SPH manifestly conserves energy and entropy in
regions free of dissipation, while allowing for fully adaptive smoothing
lengths. Gravitational forces are computed with a hierarchical multipole
expansion, which can optionally be applied in the form of a TreePM algorithm,
where only short-range forces are computed with the `tree'-method while
long-range forces are determined with Fourier techniques. Time integration is
based on a quasi-symplectic scheme where long-range and short-range forces can
be integrated with different timesteps. Individual and adaptive short-range
timesteps may also be employed. The domain decomposition used in the
parallelisation algorithm is based on a space-filling curve, resulting in high
flexibility and tree force errors that do not depend on the way the domains are
cut. The code is efficient in terms of memory consumption and required
communication bandwidth. It has been used to compute the first cosmological
N-body simulation with more than 10^10 dark matter particles, reaching a
homogeneous spatial dynamic range of 10^5 per dimension in a 3D box. It has
also been used to carry out very large cosmological SPH simulations that
account for radiative cooling and star formation, reaching total particle
numbers of more than 250 million. We present the algorithms used by the code
and discuss their accuracy and performance using a number of test problems.
GADGET-2 is publicly released to the research community.Comment: submitted to MNRAS, 31 pages, 20 figures (reduced resolution), code
available at http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/gadge
Protocol for the saMS trial (supportive adjustment for multiple sclerosis): a randomized controlled trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy to supportive listening for adjustment to multiple sclerosis
BackgroundMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is an incurable, chronic, potentially progressive and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. The disease produces a range of unpleasant and debilitating symptoms, which can have a profound impact including disrupting activities of daily living, employment, income, relationships, social and leisure activities, and life goals. Adjusting to the illness is therefore particularly challenging. This trial tests the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural intervention compared to supportive listening to assist adjustment in the early stages of MS.MethodsThis is a two arm randomized multi-centre parallel group controlled trial. 122 consenting participants who meet eligibility criteria will be randomly allocated to receive either Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Supportive Listening. Eight one hour sessions of therapy (delivered over a period of 10 weeks) will be delivered by general nurses trained in both treatments. Self-report questionnaire data will be collected at baseline (0 weeks), mid-therapy (week 5 of therapy), post-therapy (15 weeks) and at six months (26 weeks) and twelve months (52 weeks) follow-up. Primary outcomes are distress and MS-related social and role impairment at twelve month follow-up. Analysis will also consider predictors and mechanisms of change during therapy. In-depth interviews to examine participants’ experiences of the interventions will be conducted with a purposively sampled sub-set of the trial participants. An economic analysis will also take place. DiscussionThis trial is distinctive in its aims in that it aids adjustment to MS in a broad sense. It is not a treatment specifically for depression. Use of nurses as therapists makes the interventions potentially viable in terms of being rolled out in the NHS. The trial benefits from incorporating patient input in the development and evaluation stages. The trial will provide important information about the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of the interventions as well as mechanisms of psychosocial adjustment.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN91377356<br/
Improving Together: A National Framework for Quality and GP Clusters in Scotland
Improving together will complement the development of the Scottish national GP contract that sets out the role of GPs and their important contribution as clinical leaders and expert medical generalists working in a community setting. This framework will be reviewed by the Scottish Government and the Scottish General Practitioners Committee of the BMA on a periodic basis, attentive to feedback from those involved in delivering its intent. As such, it is a framework that will develop to its full potential over time, as elements of the transformation of primary care in Scotland create the capacity to do so
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