The potential of low-intensity and online interventions for depression in low- and middle-income countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are confronted with a serious ‘mental health gap’, indicating an enormous disparity between the number of individuals in need of mental health care and the availability of professionals to provide such care (WHO in 2010). Traditional forms of mental health services (i.e. face-to-face, individualised assessments and interventions) are therefore not feasible. We propose three strategies for addressing this mental health gap: delivery of evidence-based, low-intensity interventions by non-specialists, the use of transdiagnostic treatment protocols, and strategic deployment of technology to facilitate access and uptake. We urge researchers from all over the world to conduct feasibility studies and randomised controlled studies on the effect of low-intensity interventions and technology supported (e.g. online) interventions in LMICs, preferably using an active control condition as comparison, to ensure we disseminate effective treatments in LMICs

Distinguishing step relaxation mechanisms via pair correlation functions

Theoretical predictions of coupled step motion are tested by direct STM measurement of the fluctuations of near-neighbor pairs of steps on Si(111)-root3 x root3 R30 - Al at 970K. The average magnitude of the pair-correlation function is within one standard deviation of zero, consistent with uncorrelated near-neighbor step fluctuations. The time dependence of the pair-correlation function shows no statistically significant agreement with the predicted t^1/2 growth of pair correlations via rate-limiting atomic diffusion between adjacent steps. The physical considerations governing uncorrelated step fluctuations occurring via random attachment/detachment events at the step edge are discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

Nd:YAG development for spaceborne laser ranging system

The results of the development of a unique modelocked laser device to be utilized in future NASA space-based, ultraprecision laser ranger systems are summarized. The engineering breadboard constructed proved the feasibility of the pump-pulsed, actively modelocked, PTM Q-switched Nd:YAG laser concept for the generation of subnanosecond pulses suitable for ultra-precision ranging. The laser breadboard also included a double-pass Nd:YAG amplifier and provision for a Type II KD*P frequency doubler. The specific technical accomplishment was the generation of single 150 psec, 20-mJ pulses at 10 pps at a wavelength of 1.064 micrometers with 25 dB suppression of pre-and post-pulses

Cloud atlas for the FIRE Cirrus Intensive Field Observation (IFO)

An Intensive Field Observation (IFO) of cirrus clouds was conducted over the mid-western U.S. during the period October 13 to November 2, 1986. This activity, part of the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE), included measurements made from specially deployed instruments on the ground, balloons, and aircraft as well as observations from existing operational and experimental satellites. One of the sets of satellite observations was the radiance measurements made with the 5-channel AVHRR radiometer on the NOAA 9 polar orbiting meteorological satellite. The ground resolution of the measurements at nadir is approx. 1 km. It is these measurements, made once each day at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time, that were used in determining the present cloud atlas. The area covered by the atlas is slightly larger than the area specified for the IFO, in order to be in alignment with the grid that will be used in a forthcoming atlas for the larger, ETO region. The atlas contains four pages of information for each satellite pass. The 1st page of each group shows the distribution of measured radiances in channel 1 (normalized to the incoming solar flux multiplied by the cosine of the solar zenith angle) and in channel 4 for the area as a whole and for each analysis box. The 2nd page shows the images in: channels 1 and 2, channel 3R; and channel 4. The 3rd page shows the retrieved parameters in graphical form for the region as a whole and for each analysis box, where cloud fraction appears as a contour plot with respect to optical thickness and cloudtop temperature. The 4th page provides a statistical summary of the retrieved parameters in numerical form for each analysis box

Exposure to the complement C5b-9 complex sensitizes 661W photoreceptor cells to both apoptosis and necroptosis.

The loss of photoreceptors is the defining characteristic of many retinal degenerative diseases, but the mechanisms that regulate photoreceptor cell death are not fully understood. Here we have used the 661W cone photoreceptor cell line to ask whether exposure to the terminal complement complex C5b-9 induces cell death and/or modulates the sensitivity of these cells to other cellular stressors. 661W cone photoreceptors were exposed to complete normal human serum following antibody blockade of CD59. Apoptosis induction was assessed morphologically, by flow cytometry, and on western blotting by probing for cleaved PARP and activated caspase-3. Necroptosis was assessed by flow cytometry and Sirtuin 2 inhibition using 2-cyano-3-[5-(2,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-furyl]-N-5-quinolinylacrylamide (AGK2). The sensitivity of 661W cells to ionomycin, staurosporine, peroxide and chelerythrine was also investigated, with or without prior formation of C5b-9. 661W cells underwent apoptotic cell death following exposure to C5b-9, as judged by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 cleavage and activation of caspase-3. We also observed apoptotic cell death in response to staurosporine, but 661W cells were resistant to both ionomycin and peroxide. Interestingly, C5b-9 significantly increased 661W sensitivity to staurosporine-induced apoptosis and necroptosis. These studies show that low levels of C5b-9 on 661W cells can induce apoptosis, and that C5b-9 specifically sensitizes 661W cells to certain apoptotic and necroptotic pathways. Our observations provide new insight into the potential role of the complement system in photoreceptor loss, with implications for the molecular aetiology of retinal disease

Prospects for reduced energy transports: A preliminary analysis

The recent energy crisis and subsequent substantial increase in fuel prices have provided increased incentive to reduce the fuel consumption of civil transport aircraft. At the present time many changes in operational procedures have been introduced to decrease fuel consumption of the existing fleet. In the future, however, it may become desirable or even necessary to introduce new fuel-conservative aircraft designs. This paper reports the results of a preliminary study of new near-term fuel conservative aircraft. A parametric study was made to determine the effects of cruise Mach number and fuel cost on the optimum configuration characteristics and on economic performance. For each design, the wing geometry was optimized to give maximum return on investment at a particular fuel cost. Based on the results of the parametric study, a nominal reduced energy configuration was selected. Compared with existing transport designs, the reduced energy design has a higher aspect ratio wing with lower sweep, and cruises at a lower Mach number. It has about 30% less fuel consumption on a seat-mile basis

Probing protein binding spectra with fourier microfluidics

Journal ArticleNew developments in microfluidic chip technology enable the construction of chemical spectrum analyzers that can probe the binding interactions between chemical entities. In this paper we report the implementation of a microfluidic chip suitable for Fourier transform measurements of biochemical interactions. The chip consists of a chemical signal generator, a flow cell and a binding sensor surface. The microfluidic signal generator produces a periodic stream of protein plugs in solution flowing at constant velocity through the cell. This flow produces periodic association and dissociation cycles of the protein to a functionalized gold sensing surface placed inside the cell. The sensor activity corresponding to the phasor response of the chemical interaction at the excitation frequency is measured optically using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging. We demonstrated the feasibility of the technique using a model system of carbonic anhydrase-II (CA-II) and immobilized 4-(2- Aminoethyl) benzenesulfonamide (ABS) ligand. The observed transfer function showed a dominant pole at 10.2 mHz corresponding to association and dissociation constants of 4.8 x 103 M-1·s-1, and 3.5 x 10-2 s-1 respectively

Control system design using optimization techniques Final report

Optimization techniques for control of fuel valve systems for air breathing jet engines and 40-60 inlet control problem

Is B1422+231 a Golden Lens?

B1422+231 is a quadruply-imaged QSO with an exceptionally large lensing contribution from group galaxies other than the main lensing galaxy. We detect diffuse X-rays from the galaxy group in archival Chandra observations; the inferred temperature is consistent with the published velocity dispersion. We then explore the range of possible mass maps that would be consistent with the observed image positions, radio fluxes, and ellipticities. Under plausible but not very restrictive assumptions about the lensing galaxy, predicted time delays involving the faint fourth image are fairly well constrained around 7/h days.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, to appear in the June/03 issue of A

Dark Energy and the Statistical Study of the Observed Image Separations of the Multiply Imaged Systems in the CLASS Statistical Sample

The present day observations favour a universe which is flat, accelerated and composed of $\sim 1/3$ matter (baryonic + dark) and $\sim 2/3$ of a negative pressure component, usually referred to as dark energy or quintessence. The Cosmic Lens All Sky Survey (CLASS), the largest radio-selected galactic mass scale gravitational lens search project to date, has resulted in the largest sample suitable for statistical analyses. In the work presented here, we exploit observed image separations of the multiply imaged lensed radio sources in the sample. We use two different tests: (1) image separation distribution function $n(\Delta\theta)$ of the lensed radio sources and (2) {\dtheta}_{\mathrm{pred}} vs {\dtheta}_{\mathrm{obs}} as observational tools to constrain the cosmological parameters $w$ and \Om. The results are in concordance with the bounds imposed by other cosmological tests.Comment: 20 pages latex; Modified " Results and Discussion " section, new references adde