Meeting the Needs of the Workforce in a Shifting Regional Economy

The tri-state region (New York/New Jersey/Connecticut) supports a highly complex and diverse labor market that has been subject not only to the shocking events of September 11th, 2001, but also to broad demographic and economic trends that have shaped the structure of work and the makeup of the available workforce. This paper examines the shifts that occurred in the regional economy throughout the past decade and discusses the possible implications of these changes for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, educational institutions, and state and local governments

H_2 and CO Emission from Disks around T Tauri and Herbig Ae Pre-Main-Sequence Stars and from Debris Disks around Young Stars: Warm and Cold Circumstellar Gas

We present ISO Short-Wavelength Spectrometer observations of H_2 pure-rotational line emission from the disks around low- and intermediate-mass pre-main-sequence stars as well as from young stars thought to be surrounded by debris disks. The pre-main-sequence sources have been selected to be isolated from molecular clouds and to have circumstellar disks revealed by millimeter interferometry. We detect "warm" (T ≈100-200 K) H_2 gas around many sources, including tentatively the debris-disk objects. The mass of this warm gas ranges from ~ 10^(-4) M_☉ up to 8 x 10^(-3) and can constitute a nonnegligible fraction of the total disk mass. Complementary single-dish ^(12)CO 3-2/^(13)CO 3-2, and ^(12)CO 6-5 observations have been obtained as well. These transitions probe cooler gas at T ≈ 20-80 K. Most objects show a double-peaked CO emission profile characteristic of a disk in Keplerian rotation, consistent with interferometer data on the lower J lines. The ratios of the ^(12)CO 3-2/^(13)CO 3-2 integrated fluxes indicate that ^(12)CO 3-2 is optically thick but that ^(13)CO 3-2 is optically thin or at most moderately thick. The ^(13)CO 3-2 lines have been used to estimate the cold gas mass. If a H_2/CO conversion factor of 1 x 10^(-4) is adopted, the derived cold gas masses are factors of 10-200 lower than those deduced from 1.3 millimeter dust emission assuming a gas/dust ratio of 100, in accordance with previous studies. These findings confirm that CO is not a good tracer of the total gas content in disks since it can be photodissociated in the outer layers and frozen onto grains in the cold dense part of disks, but that it is a robust tracer of the disk velocity field. In contrast, H_2 can shield itself from photodissociation even in low-mass "optically thin" debris disks and can therefore survive longer. The warm gas is typically 1%-10% of the total mass deduced from millimeter continuum emission, but it can increase up to 100% or more for the debris-disk objects. Thus, residual molecular gas may persist into the debris-disk phase. No significant evolution in the H_2 CO, or dust masses is found for stars with ages in the range of 10^6-10^7 yr, although a decrease is found for the older debris-disk star β Pictoris. The large amount of warm gas derived from H_2 raises the question of the heating mechanism(s). Radiation from the central star as well as the general interstellar radiation field heat an extended surface layer of the disk, but existing models fail to explain the amount of warm gas quantitatively. The existence of a gap in the disk can increase the area of material influenced by radiation. Prospects for future observations with ground- and space-borne observations are discussed

H_2 Emission From Disks Around Herbig Ae and T Tauri Stars

We present the initial results of a deep ISO-SWS survey for the low J pure rotational emission lines of H2 toward a number of Herbig Ae and T Tauri stars. The objects are selected to be as isolated as possible from molecular clouds, with a spectral energy distribution characteristic of a circumstellar disk. For most of them the presence of a disk has been established directly by millimeter interferometry. The S (1) line is detected in most sources with a peak flux of 0.3-1 Jy. The S(0) line is definitely seen in 2 objects: GG Tau and HD 163296. The observations suggest the presence of "warm" gas at T_(kin) ≈ 100 K with a mass of a few % of the total gas+ dust mass, derived assuming a gas-to-dust ratio of 100:1. The S(1) peak flux does not show a strong correlation with spectral type of the central star or continuum flux at 1.3 millimeter. Possible origins for the warm gas seen in H_2 are discussed, and comparisons with model calculations are made

Stability of coping and the role of self-efficacy in the first year following mild traumatic brain injury

Background and aims: Coping, the psychological adaptation to stressors and serious life events, has been found to have a great influence on the development and persistence of posttraumatic complaints. Coping has received much attention for having been found to be modifiable in treatment following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and for its potential to identify the Patients who are at risk of suffering from long-term complaints. Currently, coping styles are assumed to be stable over time. Although interventions to facilitate adaptive coping are given at different time intervals after the injury, little is known about spontaneous changes in preferred strategies over time following mTBI. This study aimed to investigate the stability of different coping styles over a one-year period following mTBI (at two weeks', six and twelve months' post-injury) and to investigate the relation between coping styles and feelings of self-efficacy.Methods: We included 425 mTBI patients (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score 13-15) admitted to three Level-1 trauma centers in the Netherlands as part of a prospective follow-up study. All participants filled out The Utrecht Coping List (UCL) to determine their position on seven coping subscales.Results: Most coping styles showed a decrease over time, except for positive reframing, which showed a decrease and then increased. Interestingly, the passive coping style was found to stabilize over time within the year after injury. High feelings of self-efficacy were related to a high active coping style (r = 0.36), and low feelings of self-efficacy with passive coping (r =-032).Conclusions: These results hold important possibilities for the use of the passive coping strategy as an inclusion criterion for intervention studies and an entry point for treatment itself. Considering the intertwinement of coping with self-efficacy, improving feelings of self-efficacy could form an effective part of an intervention to improve outcome. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</p

Neurofeedback and meditation technology in outpatient offender treatment: a feasibility and usability pilot study

IntroductionAlthough Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most often used intervention in forensic treatment, its effectivity is not consistently supported. Interventions incorporating knowledge from neuroscience could provide for more successful intervention methods.MethodsThe current pilot study set out to assess the feasibility and usability of the study protocol of a 4-week neuromeditation training in adult forensic outpatients with impulse control problems. The neuromeditation training, which prompts awareness and control over brain states of restlessness with EEG neurofeedback, was offered in addition to treatment as usual (predominantly CBT).ResultsEight patients completed the neuromeditation training under guidance of their therapists. Despite some emerging obstacles, overall, the training was rated sufficiently usable and feasible by patients and their therapists.DiscussionThe provided suggestions for improvement can be used to implement the intervention in treatment and set up future trials to study the effectiveness of neuromeditation in offender treatment

Graph Analysis of Functional Brain Networks in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is one of the most common neurological disorders worldwide. Posttraumatic complaints are frequently reported, interfering with outcome. However, a consistent neural substrate has not yet been found. We used graph analysis to further unravel the complex interactions between functional brain networks, complaints, anxiety and depression in the sub-acute stage after mTBI. This study included 54 patients with uncomplicated mTBI and 20 matched healthy controls. Posttraumatic complaints, anxiety and depression were measured at two weeks post-injury. Patients were selected based on presence (n = 34) or absence (n = 20) of complaints. Resting-state fMRI scans were made approximately four weeks post-injury. High order independent component analysis resulted in 89 neural components that were included in subsequent graph analyses. No differences in graph measures were found between patients with mTBI and healthy controls. Regarding the two patient subgroups, degree, strength, local efficiency and eigenvector centrality of the bilateral posterior cingulate/precuneus and bilateral parahippocampal gyrus were higher, and eigenvector centrality of the frontal pole/bilateral middle & superior frontal gyrus was lower in patients with complaints compared to patients without complaints. In patients with mTBI, higher degree, strength and eigenvector centrality of default mode network components were related to higher depression scores, and higher degree and eigenvector centrality of executive network components were related to lower depression scores. In patients without complaints, one extra module was found compared to patients with complaints and healthy controls, consisting of the cingulate areas. In conclusion, this research extends the knowledge of functional network connectivity after mTBI. Specifically, our results suggest that an imbalance in the function of the default mode-and executive network plays a central role in the interaction between emotion regulation and the persistence of posttraumatic complaints

The effectiveness of blended versus regular Forensic Outpatient Systemic Therapy in the treatment of juvenile antisocial behavior: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Background: Antisocial behavior during adolescence can have long-lasting negative effects and leads to high societal costs. Forensic Outpatient Systemic Therapy (Forensische Ambulante Systeem Therapie; FAST) is a promising treatment for juveniles aged 12–21 showing severe antisocial behavior. The intensity, content and duration of FAST can be adjusted to the needs of the juvenile and their caregiver(s), which is considered crucial for effective treatment. Next to the regular version of FAST (FASTr), a blended version (FASTb) in which face-to-face contacts are replaced by minimally 50% online contacts over the duration of intervention was developed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The current study will investigate whether FASTb is equally effective as FASTr, and through which mechanisms of change, for whom, and under which conditions FASTr and FASTb work. Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be carried out. Participants (N = 200) will be randomly assigned to FASTb (n = 100) or FASTr (n = 100). Data collection will consist of self-report questionnaires and case file analysis, and include a pre-test at the start of the intervention, a post-test immediately after the intervention, and a six month follow-up. Mechanisms of change will be investigated using monthly questionnaires of key variables during treatment. Official recidivism data will be collected at two-year follow-up. Discussion: This study aims to improve the effectiveness and quality of forensic mental health care for juveniles with antisocial behavior by studying the effectiveness of blended care, which has not been studied before in treatment of externalizing behavior. If found to be at least as effective as face-to-face treatment, blended treatment can help meet the urgent need for more flexible and efficient interventions in this field. In addition, the proposed study aims to unravel what works for whom, knowledge urgently needed in mental health care for juveniles with severe antisocial behavior. Trial registration: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 07/11/2022, registration number NCT05606978

Full Elite Sets for Multi-Objective Optimisation

Copyright © 2002 Springer. The final publication is available at link.springer.com5th International Conference on Adaptive Computing in Design and Manufacture (ACDM 2002), Exeter, UK, 16-18 April, 2002Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms frequently use an archive of non-dominated solutions to approximate the Pareto front. We show that the truncation of this archive to a limited number of solutions can lead to oscillating and shrinking estimates of the Pareto front. New data structures to permit efficient query and update of the full archive are proposed, and the superior quality of frontal estimates found using the full archive is illustrated on test problems