Validation of the Dutch Freiburg mindfulness inventory in patients with medical illness

Most validation studies of the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI) involved healthy subjects. Validation in patients who suffer from a life-threatening medical illness is needed, to investigate the FMI’s validity in medical psychology research and practice. Psychometric properties of the Dutch FMI were examined in two patient groups of two different studies: (Sample 1) cardiac patients (n = 114, M age = 56 ± 7 years, 18% women) and (Sample 2) severely fatigued cancer survivors (n = 158, M age = 50 ± 10 years, 77% women). Confirmatory factor analysis (studied only in Sample 2) provided good fit for the two-factor solution (Acceptance and Presence), while the one-factor solution provided suboptimal fit indices. Internal consistency was good for the whole scale in both samples (Sample 1 α = .827 and Sample 2 α = .851). The two-factor model showed acceptable to good internal consistency in Sample 2 (Presence: α = .823; Acceptance α = .744), but poor to acceptable in Sample 1 (Presence subscale: α = .577, Acceptance subscale: α = .791). Clinical sensitivity was supported in both samples, and construct validity (studied only in Sample 1) was acceptable. The Dutch FMI is an acceptable instrument to measure mindfulness in patients who experienced a life-threatening illness in a Dutch-speaking populatio

Using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment and personalized feedback for patients with chronic cancer-related fatigue:A proof-of-concept study

Introduction Chronic cancer-related fatigue (CCRF) is a complex multidimensional problem warranting person-centered care. Providing patients and therapists personalized feedback based on network analysis applied to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data could facilitate case conceptualization in psycho-oncological care. The aim was to explore patients' and therapists' experiences of using an EMA app and personalized feedback based on network theory to aid case conceptualization in psycho-oncological care. Methods A n = 5 proof-of-concept study was implemented in routine psycho-oncological care. We purposively selected adult cancer patients suffering from severe CCRF who were on the waitlist for psycho-oncological care. During a 3-week period participants filled out the EMA app Energy InSight (fatigue, mood, activity, responding, and context) five times a day. Participants received a descriptive and network feedback report, which they reflected upon during the first therapy sessions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze user experiences. Results Patients experienced that filling out the Energy InSight app, as well as receiving descriptive and network-based personalized feedback provided them with insight into their CCRF. Although therapists experienced the discussion of network feedback as challenging, it facilitated the case conceptualization. Discussion Using EMA during waitlist for psychological care seemed feasible. Patients experienced beneficial effects from filling out the EMA app and talking over the personalized feedback reports, which in turn aided case conceptualization and personalized care. Based on this evaluation, an improved version of the Energy InSight app and a therapist training for providing network feedback is developed for implementation in psycho-oncological care

Associated hyperon-kaon production via neutrino-nucleus scattering

We present the investigation of the neutrino-induced strangeness associated production on nuclei in the relativistic plane wave impulse approximation (RPWIA) framework at the intermediate neutrino energies. In this study, the elementary hadronic weak amplitudes are embedded inside the nuclear medium for the description of the exclusive channels of neutrino-nucleus interactions. These amplitudes are extracted using a model-dependent evaluation of the hadronic vertex using the Born term approximation in which the application of the Cabibbo V-A theory and SU(3) symmetry are assumed to be valid. The nuclear effects are included via the bound state wavefunctions of the nucleon obtained from the relativistic mean field (RMF) models. Two kinematics settings are used to examine various distributions of the differential cross section in the rest frame of the target nuclei. The numerical results are obtained for the neutrino-induced charged-current (CC) \,$\rm K^{^+}\Lambda$-production on bound neutrons in $1s^{1/2}$ and $1p^{3/2}$ orbitals of $^{12}$C. The angular distributions are forward peaked under both kinematic settings, whereas under the quasifree setting the cross sections tend mimic the missing momentum distribution of the bound nucleon inside the nucleus.Comment: This article is submitted to International Journal of Modern Physics E (nuclear physics) and accepted on 31 October 20l

Γ-stochastic neighbour embedding for feed-forward data visualization

t-distributed Stochastic Neighbour Embedding (t-SNE) is one of the most popular nonlinear dimension reduction techniques used in multiple application domains. In this paper we propose a variation on the embedding neighbourhood distribution, resulting in Γ-SNE, which can construct a feed-forward mapping using an RBF network. We compare the visualizations generated by Γ-SNE with those of t-SNE and provide empirical evidence suggesting the network is capable of robust interpolation and automatic weight regularization

Two-gap superconductivity in MgB2_{2}: clean or dirty?

A large number of experimental facts and theoretical arguments favor a two-gap model for superconductivity in MgB$_{2}$. However, this model predicts strong suppression of the critical temperature by interband impurity scattering and, presumably, a strong correlation between the critical temperature and the residual resistivity. No such correlation has been observed. We argue that this fact can be understood if the band disparity of the electronic structure is taken into account, not only in the superconducting state, but also in normal transport

First-Order Transition in the Magnetic Vortex Matter in Superconducting MgB2 Tuned by Disorder

International audienceThe field-driven transition from an ordered Bragg glass to a disordered vortex phase in singlecrystalline MgB2 is tuned by an increasing density of point defects, introduced by electron irradiation. The discontinuity observed in magnetization attests to the first-order nature of the transition. The temperature and defect density dependences of the transition field point to vortex pinning mediated by fluctuations in the quasiparticle mean free path, and reveal the mechanism of the transition in the absence of complicating factors such as layeredness or thermal fluctuations

Deuterium fractionation on interstellar grains studied with modified rate equations and a Monte Carlo approach

The formation of singly and doubly deuterated isotopomers of formaldehyde and of singly, doubly, and multiply deuterated isotopomers of methanol on interstellar grain surfaces has been studied with a semi-empirical modified rate approach and a Monte Carlo method in the temperature range 10-20 K. Agreement between the results of the two methods is satisfactory for all major and many minor species throughout this range. If gas-phase fractionation can produce a high abundance of atomic deuterium, which then accretes onto grain surfaces, diffusive surface chemistry can produce large abundances of deuterated species, especially at low temperatures and high gas densities. Warming temperatures will then permit these surface species to evaporate into the gas, where they will remain abundant for a considerable period. We calculate that the doubly deuterated molecules CHD2OH and CH2DOD are particularly abundant and should be searched for in the gas phase of protostellar sources. For example, at 10 K and high density, these species can achieve up to 10-20% of the abundance of methanol.Comment: 27 pages, 3 figures, Planetary and Space Science, in pres