Self-trapped electrons and holes in PbBr2_2 crystals

We have directly observed self-trapped electrons and holes in PbBr$_{2}$ crystals with electron-spin-resonance (ESR) technique. The self-trapped states are induced below 8 K by two-photon interband excitation with pulsed 120-fs-width laser light at 3.10 eV. Spin-Hamiltonian analyses of the ESR signals have revealed that the self-trapping electron centers are the dimer molecules of Pb$_2$$^{3+}$ along the crystallographic a axis and the self-trapping hole centers are those of Br$_2$$^-$ with two possible configurations in the unit cell of the crystal. Thermal stability of the self-trapped electrons and holes suggests that both of them are related to the blue-green luminescence band at 2.55 eV coming from recombination of spatially separated electron-hole pairs.Comment: 8 pages (7 figures, 2 tables), ReVTEX; revised the text and figures 1, 4, and

Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Developmental Disorders

Purpose of Review: (1) To give an overview of what is currently known about health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in three common and co-occurring developmental disorders: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and (2) to provide directions for future research. Recent Findings: HRQoL is compromised in all three developmental disorders, affecting various domains of HRQoL. However, some domains are more affected than others depending on the nature of the core deficits of the disorder. Overall, parents’ rate HRQoL of their children lower than the children themselves. Children with ASD and ADHD with co-occurring disorders have lower HRQoL compared to those with singular disorders. Future studies in DCD are needed to investigate the effect of co-occurring disorder in this population. Summary: Children with developmental disorders have lower HRQoL than typically developing children. Future research should focus on the effects of co-occurring disorders on HRQoL and on protective factors that may increase HRQoL. HRQoL should be a part of clinical assessment, as it reveals the areas in life children are struggling with that could be targeted during intervention

Op weg naar maatschappelijke kosten-batenanalyses voor preventie en zorg : Themarapport Volksgezondheid Toekomst Verkenning 2014

Een maatschappelijke kosten-batenanalyse (MKBA) biedt een overzicht van de voor- en nadelen van een maatregel, zoals de aanleg van een weg of woonwijk. Door deze voor- en nadelen zoveel mogelijk te kwantificeren en in euro's uit te drukken, geeft een MKBA inzicht in het effect van de maatregel op de welvaart in Nederland. Met die informatie kan een MKBA de politieke besluitvorming ondersteunen en verhelderen. Om de kwaliteit en de vergelijkbaarheid van MKBA's te waarborgen hebben het Centraal Planbureau (CPB) en het Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving (PBL) in 2013 een algemene MKBA-leidraad opgesteld. De ministeries zullen de komende jaren werkwijzers maken, waarin de principes van de algemene leidraad worden geconcretiseerd voor het eigen beleidsterrein. Dit rapport van het RIVM is bedoeld als een eerste stap om te komen tot zo'n werkwijzer voor volksgezondheid en zorg. In het rapport laten we zien wat de consequenties zijn als vanuit de MKBA-methode naar dit terrein wordt gekeken. Een goede MKBA kan ook op het terrein van volksgezondheid en zorg een bijdrage leveren aan de beleidsvoorbereiding en de besluitvorming. Daarvoor moeten nog wel enkele methodologische aspecten nader uitgewerkt en bediscussieerd worden. Belangrijke thema's daarbij zijn: effecten op de verdeling van welvaart tussen groepen mensen, de waarde van gezondheid in euro's, het kwantificeren van arbeidsbaten en het waarderen van toekomstige baten (de 'discontovoet'). In dit rapport signaleert en expliciteert het RIVM de belangrijkste vragen en dilemma's waarop de werkwijzer een antwoord moet geven

The nature of coordination and control problems in children with developmental coordination disorder during ball catching:A systematic review

The aim of this review was to examine what is presently known about the nature of motor coordination and control problems in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) during ball catching and to provide directions for future research. A systematic literature search was conducted using four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and Web of Science), which identified 15 eligible studies. The results of the included studies were discussed, structured around the target population characteristics, the task used to measure motor coordination and control aspects, and the type of outcome. Children with DCD experience difficulties with both motor coordination and control during ball catching. They have been suggested to apply four compensation strategies to overcome these difficulties: a later initiation of the reaching phase, an earlier initiation of the grasping phase, a higher degree of coupling of the joints both intraand inter-limb, and fixating the joints. However, despite these compensation strategies, children with DCD still caught fewer balls than typically developing children in all studies. This was especially due to a higher amount of grasping errors, which indicates a problem with the timing of the grasping phase. Directions for future research and practical implications were discussed

Дослідження проблеми здимання гірських порід із застосуванням апарату теорії стійкості механічних систем: постановка задачі

Описаны возможные направления развития исследований явлений, сопровождающихся большими пластическими деформациями (исследование геодинамических явлений, явлений потери устойчивости почвы выработки (пучения) и т.п.).Possible directions of development of researches of the effects, attended with large plastic strains are described (research of the geodynamics effects, effects of losses of roadway floor sustainability (rock heaving) etc.)

Clinical and research criteria for Developmental Coordination Disorder —should they be one and the same?

The aim of this paper is to discuss if criteria used for diagnosing children for clinical purposes should be the same as for the selection of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder for research. Next, we give an overview of the criteria mentioned in the development of the European guideline for diagnosing Developmental Coordination Disorder and the implementation of this guideline in different countries. To gain insight into current clinical practice, we also reviewed the medical files of children attending rehabilitation centers for the criteria used to diagnose Developmental Coordination Disorder in the Netherlands. To conclude, we state our expert opinion on why and when research and clinical criteria for Developmental Coordination Disorder should or should not be the same

Effectiveness of Neuromotor Task Training for Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Pilot Study

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Neuromotor Task Training (NTT), recently developed for the treatment of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) by pediatric physical therapists in the Netherlands. NTT is a task-oriented treatment program based upon recent insights from motor control and motor learning research. Ten children with DCD (intervention group) were tested before and after 9 and 18 treatment sessions on the Movement ABC and a dysgraphia scale in order to measure the effectiveness of treatment on gross and fine motor skills in general and handwriting in particular. Five children (no-treatment control group) were tested twice with a time lag of nine weeks on the Movement ABC in order to measure spontaneous improvement. No improvement was measured for the children in the notreatment control group, whereas a significant improvement was found for children in the intervention group for both quality of handwriting and performance on the Movement ABC after 18 treatment sessions

Is severity of motor coordination difficulties related to co-morbidity in children at risk for developmental coordination disorder?

Aim of the study was to investigate whether 7-9 year old children with severe motor difficulties are more at risk of additional difficulties in activities in daily living, academic skills, attention and social skills than children with moderate motor difficulties. Children (N=6959) from a population based cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), were divided into three groups based on their scores on the ALSPAC Coordination Test at age 7: control children (scores above 15th centile; N=5719 [82.1%]); children with moderate (between 5th and 15th centile; N=951 [13.7%]); and children with severe motor difficulties (below 5th centile N=289 [4.2%]). Children with neurological disorders or an IQ<70 were excluded. Logistic regression was used to compare children with moderate and severe motor coordination difficulties with each other and with control children regarding their risk of co-morbidity defined as significant (<10th centile) difficulties with activities of daily living (ADL); academic skills (reading, spelling and handwriting); attention; social skills (social cognition and nonverbal skills). Children with severe motor difficulties demonstrated a higher risk of difficulties in ADL, handwriting, attention, reading, and social cognition than children with moderate motor difficulties, who in turn had a higher risk of difficulties than control children in five out of seven domains. Screening and intervention of co-morbid problems is recommended for children with both moderate and severe motor difficulties