Investigation of type-pi 2 geomagnetic pulsations at magnetoconjugate points

Type pi2 geomagnetic pulsations and Alfven wave resonance on night side of magnetospher

Social competence in pediatric brain tumor survivors: application of a model from social neuroscience and developmental psychology.

Pediatric brain tumor (BT) survivors are at risk for psychosocial late effects across many domains of functioning, including neurocognitive and social. The literature on the social competence of pediatric BT survivors is still developing and future research is needed that integrates developmental and cognitive neuroscience research methodologies to identify predictors of survivor social adjustment and interventions to ameliorate problems. This review discusses the current literature on survivor social functioning through a model of social competence in childhood brain disorder and suggests future directions based on this model. Interventions pursuing change in survivor social adjustment should consider targeting social ecological factors

Vomiting of first pregnancy trimester: how to estimate?

Objective of the study: to study changes of electrolyte balance and hematocrit in the first trimester vomiting and in uncomplicated pregnancy. Material and methods. 109 women in the first trimester of pregnancy were divided into 2 groups. Group I consisted of 58 patients with complaints on vomiting from 1 to 10 times a day, group II – 51 women without complaints of nausea and vomiting. At the beginning of the study and at 20 weeks the concentrations of the main electrolytes in the serum, as well as the hematocrit index, were determined in all study participants. Groups were compared basing not only modern concentration level, but also distribution of each meaning in total. Results. Despite the loss of fluid and electrolytes with vomiting, patients in group I did not differ from women with uncomplicated pregnancy in average ion concentrations and hematocrit. However, the distribution of the study participants by the indicators showed that the majority of women in group II had high levels of serum sodium and hematocrit. In addition, the dynamics of pregnancy progression in women of group I showed a decrease in sodium concentration and in pregnant women in group II – on the contrary, the tendency to increase this indicator. Conclusion. Vomiting of the first trimester does not lead to significant changes in electrolyte balance. However, with the progression of pregnancy, such patients show adequate hemodilution, which implies a decrease in sodium concentration and hematocrit. At the same time, in some patients with uncomplicated course of the first trimester of pregnancy, there is a tendency for defective hemodilution. This can lead to endothelial dysfunction and associated obstetric complications, by the time patients with first pregnancy vomiting have more favorable changes of blood circulatio

Efficient laser-driven proton acceleration from cylindrical and planar cryogenic hydrogen jets.

We report on recent experimental results deploying a continuous cryogenic hydrogen jet as a debris-free, renewable laser-driven source of pure proton beams generated at the 150 TW ultrashort pulse laser Draco. Efficient proton acceleration reaching cut-off energies of up to 20 MeV with particle numbers exceeding 109 particles per MeV per steradian is demonstrated, showing for the first time that the acceleration performance is comparable to solid foil targets with thicknesses in the micrometer range. Two different target geometries are presented and their proton beam deliverance characterized: cylindrical (∅ 5 μm) and planar (20 μm × 2 μm). In both cases typical Target Normal Sheath Acceleration emission patterns with exponential proton energy spectra are detected. Significantly higher proton numbers in laser-forward direction are observed when deploying the planar jet as compared to the cylindrical jet case. This is confirmed by two-dimensional Particle-in-Cell (2D3V PIC) simulations, which demonstrate that the planar jet proves favorable as its geometry leads to more optimized acceleration conditions

First, do no harm - Missing data treatment to support lake ecological condition assessment

Indicators of ecological condition status of water bodies associated with field measurements are often subject to data gaps. This obstacle can often lead to abandonment of assessment. Furthermore, it can lead to the use of methods, based merely on their availability. In response to these challenges, a systematic approach for expert-analyst interaction for missing data treatment is proposed. A combination of algorithms with hierarchical clustering of results is used. A particular emphasis is put on the preparation and interpretation of input data and the role of an expert in the workflow. The proposed approach enhances the decision-making process by improving communication and transparency throughout interactions between experts, analysts and decision makers. Future research should focus on assessing the scale of the ecological data drift phenomenon, which, based on the observed climate change, anthropological pressure and biodiversity loss, may impact the broad concept of indicator construction for lake water ecological assessmen

Family resources study: part 1: family resources, family function and caregiver strain in childhood cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Severe illness can disrupt family life, cause family dysfunction, strain resources, and cause caregiver burden. The family's ability to cope with crises depends on their resources. This study sought to assess families of children with cancer in terms of family function-dysfunction, family caregiver strain and the adequacy of family resources using a new family resources assessment instrument.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a cross-sectional study involving 90 Filipino family caregivers of children undergoing cancer treatment. This used a self-administered questionnaire composed of a new 12-item family resources questionnaire (SCREEM-RES) based on the SCREEM method of analysis, Family APGAR to assess family function-dysfunction; and Modified Caregiver Strain Index to assess strain in caring for the patient.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>More than half of families were either moderately or severely dysfunctional. Close to half of caregivers were either predisposed to strain or experienced severe strain, majority disclosed that their families have inadequate economic resources; many also report inaccessibility to medical help in the community and insufficient educational resources to understand and care for their patients. Resources most often reported as adequate were: family's faith and religion; help from within the family and from health providers. SCREEM-RES showed to be reliable with Cronbach's alpha of 0.80. There is good inter-item correlation between items in each domain: 0.24-0.70. Internal consistency reliability for each domain was also good: 0.40-0.92. Using 2-point scoring system, Cronbach's alpha were slightly lower: full scale (0.70) and for each domain 0.26-.82. Results showed evidence of association between family resources and family function based on the family APGAR but none between family resources and caregiver strain and between family function and caregiver strain.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Many Filipino families of children with cancer have inadequate resources, especially economic; and are moderately or severely dysfunctional. Many caregivers are predisposed to caregiver strain or are already experiencing severe strain. To provide appropriate care for these families, physicians should regularly assess family function, resources and strain experienced by caregivers. The SCREEM-RES questionnaire used in this study is a helpful and reliable instrument to assess adequacy of family resources.</p

Developing an intervention to facilitate family communication about inherited genetic conditions, and training genetic counsellors in its delivery.

Many families experience difficulty in talking about an inherited genetic condition that affects one or more of them. There have now been a number of studies identifying the issues in detail, however few have developed interventions to assist families. The SPRinG collaborative have used the UK Medical Research Council's guidance on Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions, to work with families and genetic counsellors (GCs) to co-design a psycho-educational intervention to facilitate family communication and promote better coping and adaptation to living with an inherited genetic condition for parents and their children (<18 years). The intervention is modelled on multi-family discussion groups (MFDGs) used in psychiatric settings. The MFDG was developed and tested over three phases. First focus groups with parents, young people, children and health professionals discussed whether MFDG was acceptable and proposed a suitable design. Using evidence and focus group data, the intervention and a training manual were developed and three GCs were trained in its delivery. Finally, a prototype MFDG was led by a family therapist and co-facilitated by the three GCs. Data analysis showed that families attending the focus groups and intervention thought MFDG highly beneficial, and the pilot sessions had a significant impact on their family' functioning. We also demonstrated that it is possible to train GCs to deliver the MFDG intervention. Further studies are now required to test the feasibility of undertaking a definitive randomised controlled trial to evaluate its effectiveness in improving family outcomes before implementing into genetic counselling practice.The National Institute of Health Research funded the study but any views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Authority. Funded by NIHR reference number: RP-DG-1211-10015