From phenomenology to a neurophysiological understanding of hallucinations in children and adolescents

Typically reported as vivid, multisensory experiences which may spontaneously resolve, hallucinations are present at high rates during childhood. The risk of associated psychopathology is a major cause of concern. On the one hand, the risk of developing further delusional ideation has been shown to be reduced by better theory of mind skills. On the other hand, ideas of reference, passivity phenomena, and misidentification syndrome have been shown to increase the risk of self-injury or heteroaggressive behaviors. Cognitive psychology and brain-imaging studies have advanced our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying these early-onset hallucinations. Notably, specific functional impairments have been associated with certain phenomenological characteristics of hallucinations in youths, including intrusiveness and the sense of reality. In this review, we provide an update of associated epidemiological and phenomenological factors (including sociocultural context, social adversity, and genetics, considered in relation to the psychosis continuum hypothesis), cognitive models, and neurophysiological findings concerning hallucinations in children and adolescents. Key issues that have interfered with progress are considered and recommendations for future studies are provided

REQUITE: A prospective multicentre cohort study of patients undergoing radiotherapy for breast, lung or prostate cancer

Purpose: REQUITE aimed to establish a resource for multi-national validation of models and biomarkers that predict risk of late toxicity following radiotherapy. The purpose of this article is to provide summary descriptive data. Methods: An international, prospective cohort study recruited cancer patients in 26 hospitals in eight countries between April 2014 and March 2017. Target recruitment was 5300 patients. Eligible patients had breast, prostate or lung cancer and planned potentially curable radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was prescribed according to local regimens, but centres used standardised data collection forms. Pre-treatment blood samples were collected. Patients were followed for a minimum of 12 (lung) or 24 (breast/prostate) months and summary descriptive statistics were generated. Results: The study recruited 2069 breast (99% of target), 1808 prostate (86%) and 561 lung (51%) cancer patients. The centralised, accessible database includes: physician-(47,025 forms) and patient-(54,901) reported outcomes; 11,563 breast photos; 17,107 DICOMs and 12,684 DVHs. Imputed genotype data are available for 4223 patients with European ancestry (1948 breast, 1728 prostate, 547 lung). Radiation-induced lymphocyte apoptosis (RILA) assay data are available for 1319 patients. DNA (n = 4409) and PAXgene tubes (n = 3039) are stored in the centralised biobank. Example prevalences of 2-year (1-year for lung) grade >= 2 CTCAE toxicities are 13% atrophy (breast), 3% rectal bleeding (prostate) and 27% dyspnoea (lung). Conclusion: The comprehensive centralised database and linked biobank is a valuable resource for the radiotherapy community for validating predictive models and biomarkers. Patient summary: Up to half of cancer patients undergo radiation therapy and irradiation of surrounding healthy tissue is unavoidable. Damage to healthy tissue can affect short-and long-term quality-of-life. Not all patients are equally sensitive to radiation "damage" but it is not possible at the moment to identify those who are. REQUITE was established with the aim of trying to understand more about how we could predict radiation sensitivity. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and summary of the data and material available. In the REQUITE study 4400 breast, prostate and lung cancer patients filled out questionnaires and donated blood. A large amount of data was collected in the same way. With all these data and samples a database and biobank were created that showed it is possible to collect this kind of information in a standardised way across countries. In the future, our database and linked biobank will be a resource for research and validation of clinical predictors and models of radiation sensitivity. REQUITE will also enable a better understanding of how many people suffer with radiotherapy toxicity

Thermal behaviour of arsenic trioxide adsorbed on activated carbon

The thermal stability and desorption of Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) adsorbed on Activated Carbon (AC) was investigated as this phenomenon is expected to influence the arsenic release during low temperature pyrolysis of Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) wood waste. Firstly, a Thermogravimetric (TG) experiment with arsenolite, an allotropic form of As2O3, was performed. The sample starts to sublime at temperatures lower than 200°C with a sublimation peak temperature of 271°C. Subsequently, TG experiments with samples of As2O3 adsorbed on AC revealed that only very little (max 6 ± 3 %wt) As2O3 was volatilised at temperatures below 280°C, with the major volatilisation occurring between 300°C and 500°C. The kinetic parameters of desorption, activation energy of desorption (Ed) and pre-exponential factor (A), were determined by fitting an Arrhenius model to the experimental data, resulting in , . It can be concluded that the adsorption of As2O3 on AC can contribute to the thermal stabilisation of As2O3. Consequently, during low temperature pyrolysis of CCA woodstatus: publishe

Group 5 doped anatase films prepared by aqueous chemical solution deposition

The development of transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) has led to the evolution of a variety of optoelectronic devices. There exists, however, a demand for inexpensive, and efficient materials. Anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) is such a promising TCO compound. The substitution of group 5 elements for Ti will introduce charge carriers, improving the electrical conductivity of the material. A remaining obstacle for the commercialization of TCOs is that reliable synthesis routes have to be developed that allow mass production at reasonable cost. In this respect solution based processing and deposition is an appealing alternative to standard physical deposition methods that require a high vacuum. However, to our knowledge, reports on solution processing of anatase based TCOs are very scarce. In the current work we present the preparation of group 5 (V, Nb, Ta) doped anatase films by aqueous chemical solution deposition (ACSD). The effect of the dopant on the crystallization, microstructure and electrical properties of the resulting films is examined. To observe the evolution of the film characteristics in real time, in-situ characterization of the crystal structure and sheet resistance is carried out during annealing of these thin films. Nb-doped TiO2 films show the most promising electrical properties. By this work we demonstrate that ACSD in the future may provide a new strategy for TCO production

Aqueous chemical solution deposition of doped titanium dioxide films as Transparent Conducting Oxide

The development of transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) has led to the evolution of a variety of optoelectronic devices, such as photovoltaics, transparent thin film transistors and light emitting diodes. Owing to its excellent electrical and optical properties, indium tin oxide is the predominant TCO used in these kind of devices. There exists, however, a strong demand for inexpensive, and efficient alternatives. (Doped) titanium dioxide (TiO2) is such a promising TCO compound. The material is characterized by a wide band gap (3,2 eV), a high permittivity and large free electron mass, allowing for a high mobility combined with an optimal transparency in the visible spectral range. By doping TiO2 with group 5 elements, such as vanadium (V), niobium (Nb) or tantalum (Ta), additional charge carriers are introduced, improving the electrical conductivity of the material. The development of reliable synthesis routes for mass production at reasonable cost is a current challenge for the commercialization of TCO materials. In this respect, solution based processing and deposition is an appealing alternative to standard physical deposition methods that require a high vacuum. Available literature on solution based synthesis of TiO2 is quite extensive, with numerous examples of sol-gel, hydrothermal and precipitation methods. However, the vast majority of these publications focus on the application of titania in devices for gas sensing or (photo)catalysis. To our knowledge, reports on solution processing of anatase based TCOs are scarce. In the current work, we present time the preparation of group 5 doped anatase films by aqueous chemical solution deposition in view of TCO applications. The effect of the dopant on the crystallization, microstructure and electrical properties of the resulting films is examined. In all cases, fine grained polycrystalline films are obtained that display a uniform and homogeneous coverage of the substrates. All films, both doped and undoped, have a transparency in the visible range that is higher than 80%. TiO2:Nb annealed in a reducing atmosphere at high temperature demonstrates the best electrical properties. In fact, with 0,28 Ohm cm, these niobium doped samples show the lowest reported resistivity for a solution deposited anatase TCO so far. Although still higher in comparison with films prepared by physical deposition, these results demonstrate that, after optimization, solution based synthesis of anatase TCOs can provide an alternative to standard deposition techniques