Effect of nickel on the microstructure and mechanical property of die-cast Al–Mg–Si–Mn alloy

The effect of nickel on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a die-cast Al–Mg–Si–Mn alloy has been investigated. The results show that the presence of Ni in the alloy promotes the formation of Ni-rich intermetallics. These occur consistently during solidification in the die-cast Al–Mg–Si–Mn alloy across different levels of Ni content. The Ni-rich intermetallics exhibit dendritic morphology during the primary solidification and lamellar morphology during the eutectic solidification stage. Ni was found to be always associated with iron forming AlFeMnSiNi intermetallics, and no Al3Ni intermetallic was observed when Ni concentrations were up to 2.06 wt% in the alloy. Although with different morphologies, the Ni-rich intermetallics were identified as the same AlFeMnSiNi phase bearing a typical composition of Al[100–140](Fe,Mn)[2–7]SiNi[4–9]. With increasing Ni content, the spacing of the α-Al–Mg2Si eutectic phase was enlarged in the Al–Mg–Si–Mn alloy. The addition of Ni to the alloy resulted in a slight increase in the yield strength, but a significant decrease in the elongation. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) increased slightly from 300 to 320 MPa when a small amount (e.g. 0.16 wt%) of Ni was added to the alloy, but further increase of the Ni content resulted in a decrease of the UTS.The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in the United Kingdom

Tau protein, A beta 42 and S-100B protein in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies

The intra vitam diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is still based on clinical grounds. So far no technical investigations have been available to support this diagnosis. As for tau protein and beta-amyloid((1-42)) (Abeta42), promising results for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease ( AD) have been reported; we evaluated these markers and S-100B protein in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), using a set of commercially available assays, of 71 patients with DLB, 67 patients with AD and 41 nondemented controls (NDC) for their differential diagnostic relevance. Patients with DLB showed significantly lower tau protein values compared to AD but with a high overlap of values. More prominent differences were observed in the comparison of DLB patients with all three clinical core features and AD patients. Abeta42 levels were decreased in the DLB and AD groups versus NDC, without significant subgroup differences. S-100B levels were not significantly different between the groups. Tau protein levels in CSF may contribute to the clinical distinction between DLB and AD, but the value of the markers is still limited especially due to mixed pathology. We conclude that more specific markers have to be established for the differentiation of these diseases. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

Digital technology to facilitate Proactive Assessment of Obesity Risk during Infancy (ProAsk): a feasibility study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of using digital technology for Proactive Assessment of Obesity Risk during Infancy (ProAsk) with the UK health visitors (HVs) and parents. DESIGN: Multicentre, pre- and post-intervention feasibility study with process evaluation. SETTING: Rural and urban deprived settings, UK community care. PARTICIPANTS: 66 parents of infants and 22 HVs. INTERVENTION: ProAsk was delivered on a tablet device. It comprises a validated risk prediction tool to quantify overweight risk status and a therapeutic wheel detailing motivational strategies for preventive parental behaviour. Parents were encouraged to agree goals for behaviour change with HVs who received motivational interviewing training. OUTCOME MEASURES: We assessed recruitment, response and attrition rates. Demographic details were collected, and overweight risk status. The proposed primary outcome measure was weight-for-age z-score. The proposed secondary outcomes were parenting self-efficacy, maternal feeding style, infant diet and exposure to physical activity/sedentary behaviour. Qualitative interviews ascertained the acceptability of study processes and intervention fidelity. RESULTS: HVs screened 324/589 infants for inclusion in the study and 66/226 (29%) eligible infants were recruited. Assessment of overweight risk was completed on 53 infants and 40% of these were identified as above population risk. Weight-for-age z-score (SD) between the infants at population risk and those above population risk differed significantly at baseline (-0.67 SD vs 0.32 SD). HVs were able to collect data and calculate overweight risk for the infants. Protocol adherence and intervention fidelity was a challenge. HVs and parents found the information provided in the therapeutic wheel appropriate and acceptable. CONCLUSION: Study recruitment and protocol adherence were problematic. ProAsk was acceptable to most parents and HVs, but intervention fidelity was low. There was limited evidence to support the feasibility of implementing ProAsk without significant additional resources. A future study could evaluate ProAsk as a HV-supported, parent-led intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02314494 (Feasibility Study Results).This work was supported by the Medical Research Council – Public Health Intervention Development Scheme, grant number PHIND 01/14-15

Urological referral of asymptomatic men in general practice in England

The Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP) launched in November 2002 provides guidelines for general practitioners (GPs) on age-specific prostate-specific antigen (PSA) cutoff levels in asymptomatic men. The impact of the PCRMP on GP referrals is unknown. This study investigates whether there was a change in the proportion of asymptomatic men with raised PSA levels (⩾3 ng ml−1) who were referred to urologists since the launch of the guidelines. Sixty-nine general practices in four areas of England and the main pathology laboratory in each area, which had participated in our previous research, were asked to provide data. Forty-eight practices (70%) provided retrospective data on urological referrals in men who had a PSA test taken in the periods 1 December 2001 to 31 May 2002 (pre-launch) and 1 December 2003 to 31 May 2004 (post-launch). Data on referrals were completed for 709 (79%) out of 898 and 1040 (90%) out of 1157 raised records pre- and post-launch, respectively. The percentage of men with raised PSA levels who were asymptomatic was similar in both time periods (19–20%) and the proportion referred to urologists according to the PCRMP guidelines did not increase significantly over time (24% pre-launch and 29% post-launch, P=0.42). The referral rate was lower than expected if the guidelines had been followed. The influence of the guidelines seems to have been low. At the time of data collection, 56% (112 out of 200) of GP partners reported that they were aware of receiving the PCRMP pack. To ensure future, effective implementation of guidelines requires evaluation

Pragmatic evaluation of a coproduced physical activity referral scheme:a UK quasi-experimental study

Contains fulltext : 226129.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Comments on Non-holomorphic Modular Forms and Non-compact Superconformal Field Theories

We extend our previous work arXiv:1012.5721 [hep-th] on the non-compact N=2 SCFT_2 defined as the supersymmetric SL(2,R)/U(1)-gauged WZW model. Starting from path-integral calculations of torus partition functions of both the axial-type (`cigar') and the vector-type (`trumpet') models, we study general models of the Z_M-orbifolds and M-fold covers with an arbitrary integer M. We then extract contributions of the degenerate representations (`discrete characters') in such a way that good modular properties are preserved. The `modular completion' of the extended discrete characters introduced in arXiv:1012.5721 [hep-th] are found to play a central role as suitable building blocks in every model of orbifolds or covering spaces. We further examine a large M-limit (the `continuum limit'), which `deconstructs' the spectral flow orbits while keeping a suitable modular behavior. The discrete part of partition function as well as the elliptic genus is then expanded by the modular completions of irreducible discrete characters, which are parameterized by both continuous and discrete quantum numbers modular transformed in a mixed way. This limit is naturally identified with the universal cover of trumpet model. We finally discuss a classification of general modular invariants based on the modular completions of irreducible characters constructed above.Comment: 1+40 pages, no figure; v2 some points are clarified with respect to the `continuum limit', typos corrected, to appear in JHEP; v3 footnotes added in pages 18, 23 for the relation with arXiv:1407.7721[hep-th

Symptoms associated with victimization in patients with schizophrenia and related disorders

Background: Patients with psychoses have an increased risk of becoming victims of violence. Previous studies have suggested that higher symptom levels are associated with a raised risk of becoming a victim of physical violence. There has been, however, no evidence on the type of symptoms that are linked with an increased risk of recent victimization. Methods: Data was taken from two studies on involuntarily admitted patients, one national study in England and an international one in six other European countries. In the week following admission, trained interviewers asked patients whether they had been victims of physical violence in the year prior to admission, and assessed symptoms on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Only patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or related disorders (ICD-10 F20–29) were included in the analysis which was conducted separately for the two samples. Symptom levels assessed on the BPRS subscales were tested as predictors of victimization. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to estimate adjusted odds ratios. Results: Data from 383 patients in the English sample and 543 patients in the European sample was analysed. Rates of victimization were 37.8% and 28.0% respectively. In multivariable models, the BPRS manic subscale was significantly associated with victimization in both samples. Conclusions: Higher levels of manic symptoms indicate a raised risk of being a victim of violence in involuntary patients with schizophrenia and related disorders. This might be explained by higher activity levels, impaired judgement or poorer self-control in patients with manic symptoms. Such symptoms should be specifically considered in risk assessments

Characterisation of the pathogenic effects of the in vivo expression of an ALS-linked mutation in D-amino acid oxidase: Phenotype and loss of spinal cord motor neurons

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common adult-onset neuromuscular disorder characterised by selective loss of motor neurons leading to fatal paralysis. Current therapeutic approaches are limited in their effectiveness. Substantial advances in understanding ALS disease mechanisms has come from the identification of pathogenic mutations in dominantly inherited familial ALS (FALS). We previously reported a coding mutation in D-amino acid oxidase (DAOR199W) associated with FALS. DAO metabolises D-serine, an essential co-agonist at the N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid glutamate receptor subtype (NMDAR). Using primary motor neuron cultures or motor neuron cell lines we demonstrated that expression of DAOR199W, promoted the formation of ubiquitinated protein aggregates, activated autophagy and increased apoptosis. The aim of this study was to characterise the effects of DAOR199W in vivo, using transgenic mice overexpressing DAOR199W. Marked abnormal motor features, e.g. kyphosis, were evident in mice expressing DAOR199W, which were associated with a significant loss (19%) of lumbar spinal cord motor neurons, analysed at 14 months. When separated by gender, this effect was greater in females (26%; p< 0.0132). In addition, we crossed the DAOR199W transgenic mouse line with the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS to determine whether the effects of SOD1G93A were potentiated in the double transgenic line (DAOR199W/SOD1G93A). Although overall survival was not affected, onset of neurological signs was significantly earlier in female double transgenic animals than their female SOD1G93A littermates (125 days vs 131 days, P = 0.0239). In summary, some significant in vivo effects of DAOR199W on motor neuron function (i.e. kyphosis and loss of motor neurons) were detected which were most marked in females and could contribute to the earlier onset of neurological signs in double transgenic females compared to SOD1G93A littermates, highlighting the importance of recognizing gender effects present in animal models of ALS

Paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder and depressive symptoms: clinical correlates and CBT treatment outcomes.

Depression frequently co-occurs with paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet the clinical correlates and impact of depression on CBT outcomes remain unclear. The prevalence and clinical correlates of depression were examined in a paediatric specialist OCD-clinic sample (N = 295; Mean = 15 [7 - 18] years, 42 % female), using both dimensional (Beck Depression Inventory-youth; n = 261) and diagnostic (Development and Wellbeing Assessment; n = 127) measures of depression. The impact of depressive symptoms and suspected disorders on post-treatment OCD severity was examined in a sub-sample who received CBT, with or without SSRI medication (N = 100). Fifty-one per-cent of patients reported moderately or extremely elevated depressive symptoms and 26 % (95 % CI: 18 - 34) met criteria for a suspected depressive disorder. Depressive symptoms and depressive disorders were associated with worse OCD symptom severity and global functioning prior to CBT. Individuals with depression were more likely to be female, have had a psychiatric inpatient admission and less likely to be attending school (ps < 0.01). OCD and depressive symptom severity significantly decreased after CBT. Depressive symptoms and depressive disorders predicted worse post-treatment OCD severity (βs = 0.19 and 0.26, ps < 0.05) but became non-significant when controlling for pre-treatment OCD severity (βs = 0.05 and 0.13, ns). Depression is common in paediatric OCD and is associated with more severe OCD and poorer functioning. However, depression severity decreases over the course of CBT for OCD and is not independently associated with worse outcomes, supporting the recommendation for treatment as usual in the presence of depressive symptoms