Prevalence of clinical autistic traits within a homeless population: barriers to accessing homeless services

Recent research suggests a high prevalence rate of Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) amongst the homeless population. Although, it is well-documented that autistic people experienced many barriers to accessing health services, little is known about their challenges in accessing homeless services. Thus, the present study aimed to measure prevalence of high levels of autistic traits, and to identify barriers that prevent autistic people accessing homeless services. Participants recruited from homeless services (n = 65) completed the Autism Quotient-10 (AQ-10) alongside a questionnaire regarding perceived accessibility of homeless services. Results revealed that 18.5% of participants scored Above the Clinical Threshold of the AQ-10 (ACT-AQ). Moreover, the ACT-AQ group reported that encountering big groups in shared accommodation represent a significant barrier to engaging with homeless services. Further research is needed to identify the full degree of ASC representation and the factors that might prevent autistic homeless people accessing homeless services, and thus overcoming homelessness

Global Standards in Action: Insights from Anti-Money Laundering Regulation

As organizations have come under the increasing influence of global rules of all sorts, organization scholars have started studying the dynamics of global regulation. The purpose of this article is to identify and evaluate the contribution to this interdisciplinary field by the ‘Stockholm Centre for Organisational Research’. The latter’s key proposition is that while global regulation often consists of voluntary best practice rules it can nevertheless become highly influential under certain conditions. We assess how innovative this approach is using as a benchmark the state of the art in another field of relevance to the study of global regulation, i.e. ‘International Relations’. Our discussion is primarily theoretical but we draw on the case of global anti-money laundering regulation to illustrate our arguments and for inspirations of how to further elaborate the approach

Combined Winds and Turbulence Prediction System for Automated Air-Traffic Management Applications

A time-lagged ensemble of energy dissipation rate (EDR)-scale turbulence metrics is evaluated against in situ EDR observations from commercial aircraft over the contiguous United States and applied to air-traffic management (ATM) route planning. This method uses the Graphic Turbulence Guidance forecast methodology with three modifications. First, it uses the convection-permitting-scale (x = 3 km) Advanced Research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (ARW) to capture cloud-resolving-scale weather phenomena. Second, turbulence metrics are computed for multiple ARW forecasts that are combined at the same forecast valid time, resulting in a time-lagged ensemble of multiple turbulence metrics. Third, probabilistic turbulence forecasts are provided on the basis of the ensemble results, which are applied to the ATM route planning. Results show that the ARW forecasts match well with observed weather patterns and the overall performance skill of the ensemble turbulence forecast when compared with the observed data is superior to any single turbulence metric. An example wind-optimal route (WOR) is computed using areas experiencing 10% probability of encountering severe-or-greater turbulence. Using these turbulence data, lateral turbulence avoidance routes starting from three different waypoints along the WOR from Los Angeles International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport are calculated. The examples illustrate the trade-off between flight time/fuel used and turbulence avoidance maneuvers

Συνελίξεις κατανομών με βαριά ουρά

223 σ.Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο--Μεταπτυχιακή Εργασία. Διεπιστημονικό-Διατμηματικό Πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών (Δ.Π.Μ.Σ.) “Εφαρμοσμένες Μαθηματικές Επιστήμες”Στην παρούσα εργασία αντικείμενο αποτελούν οι συνελίξεις των κατανομών με βαριά ουρά, και πιο συγκεκριμένα οι υποεκθετικές κατανομές. Οι υποεκθετικές κατανομές είναι μια υποκατηγορία των κατανομών με βαριά ουρά και έχουν εφαρμογές σε πολλά επιστημονικά αντικείμενα. Στηρίζονται στην ιδέα πως ένα άθροισμα τυχαίων μεταβλητών μπορεί να υπερβεί κάποιο μεγάλο φράγμα μόνο όταν μια από αυτές τις μεταβλητές υπερβεί αυτό το φράγμα.Σε αυτή την εργασία θα ασχοληθούμε με την εφαρμογή των υποεκθετικών κατανομών στον αναλογισμό και πιο συγκεκριμένα στη θεωρία χρεοκοπίας. Στην προσπάθεια μας να ορίσουμε μαθηματικά την θεωρία χρεοκοπίας χρησιμοποιούμε τους τυχαίους περιπάτους . Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας είναι να δείξουμε πως συμπεριφέρεται η πιθανότητα χρεοκοπίας κάτω από την υπόθεση των υποεκθετικών κατανομών και πώς συμπεριφέρεται όταν δεν ισχύει η υπόθεση των υποεκθετικών κατανομών.In this work, item are convolutions of heavy tailed distributions , and more specifically subexponencial distributions . Subexponencial distributions are a subclass of distributions with heavy tail and have applications in many scientific fields . Based on the idea that a sum of random variables can exceed a big bound only when one of these variables exceeds this bound.In this paper we discuss the application of subexponential distributions in actuarial science and in particular in ruin theory . In our effort to define ruin theory we use random walks. The purpose of this paper is the behavior of ruin probability under the assumption of subexponential distributions and how it behaves when it does not apply the case of subexponential distributions.Σωτήριος Ι. Λοσίδη

Cardiorespiratory fitness, fatness, and the acute blood pressure response to exercise in adolescence

OBJECTIVE: Exaggerated exercise blood pressure (BP) is associated with cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence. Cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity (fatness) are independent contributors to cardiovascular risk, but their interrelated associations with exercise BP are unknown. This study aimed to determine the relationships between fitness, fatness and the acute BP response to exercise in a large birth cohort of adolescents. METHODS: 2292 adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (aged 17.8±0.4 years, 38.5% male) completed a submaximal exercise step-test that allowed fitness (VO2 max ) to be determined from workload and heart rate using a validated equation. Exercise BP was measured immediately on test cessation and fatness calculated as the ratio of total fat mass to total body mass measured by DXA. RESULTS: Post-exercise systolic BP decreased stepwise with tertile of fitness (146 (18); 142 (17); 141 (16) mmHg) but increased with tertile of fatness (138 (15); 142 (16); 149 (18) mmHg). In separate models, fitness and fatness were associated with post-exercise systolic BP adjusted for sex, age, height, smoking and socioeconomic status (standardized β: -1.80, 95%CI: -2.64, -0.95 mmHg/SD and 4.31, 95%CI: 3.49, 5.13 mmHg/SD). However, when fitness and fatness were included in the same model, only fatness remained associated with exercise BP (4.65, 95%CI: 3.69, 5.61 mmHg/SD). CONCLUSION: Both fitness and fatness are associated with the acute BP response to exercise in adolescence. The fitness-exercise BP association was not independent of fatness, implying the cardiovascular protective effects of cardiorespiratory fitness may only be realised with more-favourable body composition

Terminology and the understanding of culture, climate, and behavioural change – Impact of organisational and human factors on food safety management

Background The topic of food safety culture and climate is growing attention from industry, researchers, standards owners and certification bodies. Authors use the terms food safety culture and climate, however, there are no unified definitions to provide clarity on the meaning of these terms. Scope and approach The objective of this study is to analyse the similarities and differences in current definitions and statements of Food Safety Culture and Food Safety Climate, and provide suggested clarifying definitions for both concepts, to bring a consistent approach to the field. The study evaluates the types of organisational cultures, climates and employees’ behaviours which provide important differences and further insights into each of these. Key findings and conclusions Looking back at the origins of safety culture following the Chernobyl accident in the 1980's provides an understanding of how this laid the foundation for safety culture and climate in the UK. Reflecting on the increasing trend in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) breaches due to the increasing number of incidents reported to authorities, the study suggests an increased focus is needed on culture, climate, and behaviour in food businesses. A critical analysis of previous definitions, statements and common words currently used to describe culture and climate in published definitions is provided. New definitions for food safety culture and climate based on factors shown to be important and are recommended for use by industry and researchers are proposed. The study assesses different types of culture, climate and employees, and suggests different employee behaviours impact the culture and climate of an organisation

Impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation on transatlantic flight routes and clear-air turbulence

The variation of wind-optimal transatlantic flight routes and their turbulence potential is investigated to understand how upper-level winds and large-scale flow patterns can affect the efficiency and safety of long-haul flights. In this study, the wind-optimal routes (WORs) that minimize the total flight time by considering wind variations are modeled for flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, New York, and Heathrow Airport (LHR) in London, United Kingdom, during two distinct winter periods of abnormally high and low phases of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) teleconnection patterns. Eastbound WORs approximate the JFK–LHR great circle (GC) route following northerly shifted jets in the +NAO period. Those WORs deviate southward following southerly shifted jets during the −NAO period, because eastbound WORs fly closely to the prevailing westerly jets to maximize tailwinds. Westbound WORs, however, spread meridionally to avoid the jets near the GC in the +NAO period to minimize headwinds. In the −NAO period, westbound WORs are north of the GC because of the southerly shifted jets. Consequently, eastbound WORs are faster but have higher probabilities of encountering clear-air turbulence than westbound ones, because eastbound WORs are close to the jet streams, especially near the cyclonic shear side of the jets in the northern (southern) part of the GC in the +NAO (−NAO) period. This study suggests how predicted teleconnection weather patterns can be used for long-haul strategic flight planning, ultimately contributing to minimizing aviation’s impact on the environmen

Excess pressure as an analogue of blood flow velocity

INTRODUCTION: Derivation of blood flow velocity from a blood pressure waveform is a novel technique, which could have potential clinical importance. Excess pressure, calculated from the blood pressure waveform via the reservoir-excess pressure model, is purported to be an analogue of blood flow velocity but this has never been examined in detail, which was the aim of this study. METHODS: Intra-arterial blood pressure was measured sequentially at the brachial and radial arteries via fluid-filled catheter simultaneously with blood flow velocity waveforms recorded via Doppler ultrasound on the contralateral arm (n = 98, aged 61 ± 10 years, 72% men). Excess pressure was derived from intra-arterial blood pressure waveforms using pressure-only reservoir-excess pressure analysis. RESULTS: Brachial and radial blood flow velocity waveform morphology were closely approximated by excess pressure derived from their respective sites of measurement (median cross-correlation coefficient r = 0.96 and r = 0.95 for brachial and radial comparisons, respectively). In frequency analyses, coherence between blood flow velocity and excess pressure was similar for brachial and radial artery comparisons (brachial and radial median coherence = 0.93 and 0.92, respectively). Brachial and radial blood flow velocity pulse heights were correlated with their respective excess pressure pulse heights (r = 0.53, P < 0.001 and r = 0.43, P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Excess pressure is an analogue of blood flow velocity, thus affording the opportunity to derive potentially important information related to arterial blood flow using only the blood pressure waveform

Lung cancer screening program factors that influence psychosocial outcomes: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Lung cancer screening (LCS) programs are being designed and implemented globally. Early data suggests that the psychosocial impacts of LCS are influenced by program factors, but evidence synthesis is needed. This systematic review aimed to elucidate the impact of service-level factors on psychosocial outcomes to inform optimal LCS program design and future implementation. METHODS: Four databases were searched from inception to July 2023. Inclusion criteria were full-text articles published in English that reported an association between any program factors and psychosocial outcomes experienced during LCS. Study quality was appraised, and findings were synthesised narratively. RESULTS: Thirty-two articles were included; 29 studies were assessed at high or moderate risk of bias. Study designs were RCT (n = 3), pre-post (n = 6), cross-sectional (n = 12), mixed-methods (n = 1), and qualitative (n = 10) studies, and conducted primarily in the USA (n = 25). Findings suggested that targeted interventions can improve smoking-related or decisional psychosocial outcomes (e.g., smoking cessation interventions increase readiness/motivation to quit) but impacts of interventions on other psychological outcomes were varied. There was limited evidence reporting association between service delivery components and psychological outcomes, and results suggested moderation by individual aspects (e.g., expectation of results, baseline anxiety). Opportunities for discussion were key in reducing psychological harm. CONCLUSIONS: Certain program factors are reportedly associated with psychosocial impacts of LCS, but study heterogeneity and quality necessitate more real-world studies. Future work should examine (a) implementation of targeted interventions and high-value discussion during LCS, and (b) optimal methods and timing of risk and result communication, to improve psychosocial outcomes while reducing time burden for clinicians

Effect of Immediate Administration of Antibiotics in Patients With Sepsis in Tertiary Care:A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Purpose The goal of this review was to synthesize existing evidence regarding outcomes (mortality) for patients who present to the emergency department, are administered antibiotics immediately (within 1 hour) or later (>1 hour), and are diagnosed with sepsis. Methods A search of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL, using the MeSH descriptors “sepsis,” “systemic inflammatory response syndrome,” “mortality,” “emergency,” and “antibiotics,” was performed to identify studies reporting time to antibiotic administration and mortality outcome in patients with sepsis. The included studies (published in English between 1990 and 2016) listed patient mortality based on time to antibiotic administration. Studies were evaluated for methodologic quality, and data were extracted by using a data extraction form tailored to this study. From an initial pool of 582 potentially relevant studies, 11 studies met our inclusion criteria, 10 of which had quantitative data for meta-analysis. Three different models (a random effects model, a bias-adjusted quality-effects [synthetic bias] model, and an inverse variance heterogeneity model) were used to perform the meta-analysis. Findings The pooled results suggest a significant 33% reduction in mortality odds for immediate (within 1 hour) compared with later (>1 hour) antibiotic administration (OR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.59–0.75]) in patients with sepsis. Implications Immediate antibiotic administration (<1 hour) seemed to reduce patient mortality. There was some minor negative asymmetry suggesting that the evidence may be biased toward the direction of effect. Nevertheless, this study provides strong evidence for early, comprehensive, sepsis management in the emergency department