Predictors of admission and readmission to hospital for major depression: A community cohort study of 52,990 individuals.

Background Our current knowledge about predictors of admission and re-admission to hospital as a result of major depressive disorder (MDD) is limited. Here we present a descriptive analysis of factors which are associated with MDD hospitalisations within a large population cohort. Methods We linked participants of the Scottish Health Survey (SHS) to historical and prospective hospital admission data. We combined information from the SHS baseline interview and historical hospitalisations to define a range of exposure variables. The main outcomes of interest were: (1) first time admission for MDD occurring after the SHS interview; and (2) readmission for MDD. We used Cox regression to determine the association between each predictor and each outcome, after adjusting for age, gender and deprivation quintile. Results 52,990 adult SHS participants were included. During a median follow-up of 4.5 years per participant, we observed 530 first-time admissions for MDD. A relatively wide range of factors – encompassing social, individual health status, and lifestyle-related exposures – were associated with this outcome (p&#60;0.05). Among the 530 participants exhibiting a de novo admission for MDD during follow-up, 118 were later re-admitted. Only older age (over 70) and a prior non-depression related psychiatric admission were associated with readmission for MDD. Limtations MDD was defined using records of International Classification of Disease hospital discharge codes rather than formal diagnostic assessments. Conclusion These findings have implications for mental health service organisation and delivery and should stimulate future research on predictive factors for admission and readmission in MDD.</p

Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the Massachusetts Biotechnology Industry (2007)

Immigrant entrepreneurs are co-founders in 25.7 percent of Massachusetts Biotechnology firms. In 2006, these immigrant-founded biotechnology companies produced over $7.6 billion dollars in sales and employed over 4,000 workers. The foreign-born founders came from across the globe but in larger numbers from Europe, Canada or Asia. Their firms specialize in the most complex, risky, life science-intensive aspects of biotechnology to seek knowledge directly applicable to human health. Biotechnology is a crucial industry for Massachhusetts and the evidence strongly suggests that immigrants have been key contributors to this industry by establishing new businesses as well as bringing intellectual capital and thereby contributing significantly to the overall economic growth of the Commonwealth

Uncertainty, Innovation, and Infrastructure Credits: Outlook for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard Through 2030

California’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) specifies that the state’s transportation fuel supply achieve a 20% reduction in carbon intensity (CI) below 2011 levels by 2030. Reaching the standard will require substantive changes in the fuel mix, but the specifics and the cost of these changes are uncertain. We assess if and how California is likely to achieve the standard, and the likely impact of infrastructure credits on this compliance outlook. We begin by projecting a distribution of fuel and vehicle miles demand under business-as-usual economic and policy variation and transform those projections into a distribution of LCFS net deficits for the entire period from 2019 through 2030. We then construct a variety of scenarios characterizing LCFS credit supply that consider different assumptions regarding input markets, technological adoption over the compliance period, and the efficacy of complementary policies. In our baseline scenario for credit generation, LCFS compliance would require that between 60% and 80% of the diesel pool be produced from biomass. Our baseline projections have the number of electric vehicles reaching 1.3 million by 2030, but if the number of electric vehicles reaches Governor Jerry Brown’s goal of 5 million by 2030, then LCFS compliance would require substantially less biomass-based diesel. Outside of rapid zero emission vehicle penetration, compliance in 2030 with the $200 credit price may be much more difficult. New mechanisms to allow firms to generate credits by building electric vehicle charging stations or hydrogen fueling stations have minor implications for overall compliance because the total quantity of infrastructure credits is restricted to be relatively small

Phenological Attributes and Phylogenetic Relationships of \u3ci\u3eRhagoletis Juniperina\u3c/i\u3e Marcovitch (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the Great Lakes Region

Rhagoletis juniperina Marcovitch (Diptera: Tephritidae) infests Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) and other North American junipers. While several Rhagoletis species are of interest as orchard crop pests (apple maggot, blueberry maggot, cherry fruit fly) and as models for studying speciation (R. pomonella Walsh species group), R. juniperina is of interest because it may tie together evolutionarily the Nearctic and Palearctic Rhagoletis fauna. One goal of this study was to test two competing hypotheses first proposed by Bush (1966): i) that R. juniperina is more closely related to the Nearctic dogwood- infesting R. tabellaria (Fitch), to which it is morphologically similar; or ii) that R. juniperina is more closely related to the Eurasian juniper-infesting R. flavigenualis Hering. To study R. juniperina, which is rarely collected, we first established a local study site by collecting juniper berries from several sites in the Lansing, MI vicinity in fall 2010, finding a heavily-infested juniper tree on the Michigan State University campus. Preliminary mitochondrial COII sequences of reared pupae matched (99.8%) the R. juniperina COII sequence in GenBank, allowing tentative identification of these flies as R. juniperina. Subsequently, the morphology of adults reared from these pupae the following spring and summer confirmed this diagnosis. Phenological attributes of the Farm Lane Bridge population were determined via weekly fruit collections in fall 2011 and 2012, and “peak” larval infestation was found to occur during the first part of October, while mean post-diapause eclosion time was found to be approximately 103 days. Rhagoletis juniperina adults were also reared from infested junipers found in Wisconsin and North Carolina, indicating that the geographic range of R. juniperina on J. virginiana is broader than previously thought. Hymenopteran parasitoids of R. juniperina were also observed; both the egg parasitoid, Utetes juniperi (Fischer) (Hymenoptera: Branconidae), and a new pupal parasitoid (Coptera n. sp.) (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae) were reared from fruit and pupae, respectively, collected at the MSU campus site. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial COI sequences did not resolve the relationships of R. juniperina and R. pomonella or flies in the Rhagoletis tabellaria species group. The sole R. flavigenualis individual in our sample was placed sister to an unresolved trichotomy of three clades containing these Nearctic taxa. The analysis also revealed within-species haplotype variability in R. juniperina, with a 3.8% nucleotide sequence difference observed between COI sequences of the flies from MI, WI, and NC compared to the Ontario R. juniperina sequences in the Barcode of Life database

High speed high power electrical machines

DEng ThesisHigh Speed High Power (HSHP) electrical machines push the limits of electromagnetics, material capabilities and construction techniques. In doing so they are able to match the power performance of high speed turbomachinery such as gas turbines, compressors and expanders. This makes them attractive options for direct coupling to such machinery as either a power source or as a generator; eliminating the need for gearboxes and achieving a smaller system size and greater reliability. The design of HSHP machines is a challenging, iterative process. Mechanical, electromagnetic and thermal constraints are all placed on the machine shape, topology, operating point and materials. The designer must balance all of these constraints to find a workable solution that is mechanically stable, can work within the available electrical supply and will not overheat. This thesis researches the fundamental origins and interaction of the mechanical, electromagnetic and thermal constraints on electrical machines. Particular attention was paid to improving the accuracy of traditional mechanical rotor design processes, and improving loss estimation in inverter fed machines. The issues of selecting an appropriate electric loading for low voltage machines and choosing effective, economic cooling strategies were explored in detail. An analytical iterative design process that combines mechanical, electromagnetic and thermal design is proposed; this process balances the need for speed versus accuracy for the initial design of a machine, with Finite Element Analysis used only for final validation of performance and losses. The design process was tested on the design and manufacture of a 1.1MW 30,000rpm PM dynamometer used in an industrial test stand. The machine operating point was chosen to meet a gap in the industrial machines market and exceed the capabilities of other commercially available machines of the same speed. The resulting machine was successfully tested and comfortably meets the performance criteria used in the design process

Garbage In, Garbage Out: Model Uncertainty in Wealth Simulations

From the Washington University Senior Honors Thesis Abstracts (WUSHTA), 2017. Published by the Office of Undergraduate Research. Joy Zalis Kiefer, Director of Undergraduate Research and Associate Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences; Lindsey Paunovich, Editor; Helen Human, Programs Manager and Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences Mentor: Philip H. Dybvi

Manipulating Self-Assembly in Silver(I) Complexes of 1,3-Di-\u3cem\u3eN\u3c/em\u3e-pyrazolylorganyls

Three di-N-pyrazolylorganyls with different conformational flexibilities in the three-atom organyl spacers have been prepared, and the self-assembly properties with AgBF4 have been studied both in solution and in the solid state. All ligands give low-coordinate silver(I) centers that are capable of participating in multiple noncovalent interactions, but only the rigid 1,8-dipyrazolylnaphthalene ligand promotes very short Ag−Ag contacts

A novel profluorescent dinitroxide for imaging polypropylene degradation

Free-radical processes underpin the thermo-oxidative degradation of polyolefins. Thus, to extend the lifetime of these polymers, stabilizers are generally added during processing to scavenge the free radicals formed as the polymer degrades. Nitroxide radical precursors, such as hindered amine stabilizers (HAS),1,2 are common polypropylene additives as the nitroxide moiety is a potent scavenger of polymer alkyl radicals (R¥). Oxidation of HAS by radicals formed during polypropylene degradation yields nitroxide radicals (RRNO¥), which rapidly trap the polymer degradation species to produce alkoxyamines, thus retarding oxidative polymer degradation. This increase in polymer stability is demonstrated by a lengthening of the “induction period” of the polymer (the time prior to a sharp rise in the oxidation of the polymer). Instrumental techniques such as chemiluminescence or infrared spectroscopy are somewhat limited in detecting changes in the polymer during the initial stages of degradation. Therefore, other methods for observing polymer degradation have been sought as the useful life of a polymer does not extend far beyond its “induction period

The challenges of harmonising anti-doping policy implementation

The policy-implementation gap conceptualises how policy intentions and outcomes often differ due to a failure to consider the realities of implementation. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) directs Olympic anti-doping policy, seeking to harmonise anti-doping policy globally; however, the realisation of consistent implementation has proven challenging. A major cause of inconsistent policy implementation is inter-signatory variation, but the mechanisms of variation are poorly understood. WADA provides an excellent example to explore why policy gaps occur in international sport governance. Consequently, we aimed to analyse the different types of inter-signatory variation in anti-doping policy and identify practical solutions to address inter-signatory variation in anti-doping. Data were collected from the Regional Anti-Doping Programme (RADO), a group of organisations tasked with increasing the capacity of NADOs globally. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 RADO staff and board members who were sampled as key informants to discuss how inter-signatory variation affects anti-doping policy compliance. Following reflexive thematic analysis, we identified four thematic categories explaining inter-signatory variation in anti-doping implementation: (1) socio-geographic, (2) political, (3) organisational, and (4) human resources. Based on our analysis, we theorise why the policy-implementation gap occurs and provide recommendations to improve anti-doping policy implementation.</p