This article presents a landscape assessment of the findings from the 2021 Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Evaluators Survey. This survey was the most recent iteration of a well established, national, peer-led systematic snapshot of the CTSA evaluators, their skillsets, listed evaluation resources, preferred methods, and identified best practices. Three questions guided our study: who are the CTSA evaluators, what competencies do they share and how is their work used within hubs. We describe our survey process (logistics of development, deployment, and differences in historical context with prior instruments); and present its main findings. We provide specific recommendations for evaluation practice in two main categories (National vs Group-level) including, among others, the need for a national, strategic plan for evaluation as well as enhanced mentoring and training of the next generation of evaluators. Although based on the challenges and opportunities currently within the CTSA Consortium, takeaways from this study constitute important lessons with potential for application in other large evaluation consortia. To our knowledge, this is the first time 2021 survey findings are disseminated widely, to increase transparency of the CTSA evaluators' work and to motivate conversations within hub and beyond, as to how best to leverage existent evaluative capacity.

Recent pedological evidence of the widespread distribution of beidellites in soils indicates the need for a greater knowledge of the effect of charge location on the microstructural organization of Na+ smectite in gels. After equilibration at a suction pressure of 3.2 kPa before and after desiccation, TEM observations showed large differences between a beidellite and both a low and high charge montmorillonite. Monolayers were rare; individual layers were instead organized in particles with larger interparticle distances. This has implication for theories relating swelling pressures to interlayer distances or surface areas and implies the need for a geometrical approach to the study of swelling in smectites. Location of isomorphous substitution in the tetrahedral sheet of smectites results in an increased lateral extension of overlapping layers. This was reflected in a greater capacity to rehydrate after desiccation. Increased number of layers in particles were found with increasing surface charge density. The geometric organization of the particles is critical to the understanding of the ability of Na+ smectite to hold water against an applied suction.

The present study compared executive dysfunction among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after traumatic brain injury (TBI), also called secondary ADHD (S-ADHD), pre-injury ADHD and children with TBI only (i.e., no ADHD). Youth aged 6–16 years admitted for TBI to five trauma centers were enrolled (n=177) and evaluated with a semi-structured psychiatric interview scheduled on three occasions (within 2 weeks of TBI, i.e., baseline assessment for pre-injury status; 6-months and 12-months post-TBI). This permitted the determination of 6- and 12-month post-injury classifications of membership in three mutually exclusive groups (S-ADHD; pre-injury ADHD; TBI-only). Several executive control measures were administered. Unremitted S-ADHD was present in 17/141 (12%) children at the 6-month assessment, and in 14/125 (11%) children at 12-months post-injury. The study found that children with S-ADHD exhibited deficient working memory, attention, and psychomotor speed as compared to children with pre-injury ADHD. Furthermore, the children with S-ADHD and the children with TBI-only were impaired compared to the children with pre-injury ADHD with regard to planning. No group differences related to response inhibition emerged. Age, but not injury severity, gender, or adaptive functioning was related to executive function outcome. Neuropsychological sequelae distinguish among children who develop S-ADHD following TBI and those with TBI only. Moreover, there appears to be a different pattern of executive control performance in those who develop S-ADHD than in children with pre-injury ADHD suggesting that differences exist in the underlying neural mechanisms that define each disorder, underscoring the need to identify targeted treatment interventions. (JINS, 2014, 20, 971–981)

We are undertaking a project (MAGMO) to examine large-scale magnetic fields pervading regions of high-mass star formation. The project will test if the orientations of weak large-scale magnetic fields can be maintained in the contraction (and field amplification) to the high densities encountered in high-mass star forming regions. This will be achieved through correlating targeted observations of ground-state hydroxyl (OH) maser emission towards hundreds of sites of high-mass star formation spread throughout the spiral arms of the Milky Way. Through the Zeeman splitting of the OH maser emission these observations will determine the strength and orientation of the in-situ magnetic field. The completion of the southern hemisphere Methanol Multibeam survey has provided an abundance of targets for ground-state OH maser observations, approximately 1000 sites of high-mass star formation. With this sample, much larger and more homogeneous than previously available, we will have the statistics necessary to outweigh random fluctuations and observe an underlying Galactic magnetic field if it exists. We presented details of the overall progress of the project illustrated by the results of a pilot sample of sources towards the Carina-Sagittarius spiral arm tangent, where a coherent field is implied.

Forty parents of children aged between 1 and 8 years were recruited by means of an exhaustive telephone survey of a defined suburban area in regional Queensland. Following recruitment, parents were mailed a family survey comprising measures of parenting and child behaviour problems. The sample represents almost 50% of parents of young children in the defined area. Forty-four per cent of parents in the sample reported numbers of child behaviours as problems that exceeded recommended clinical cut-off scores based on data reported in other studies. Thirty per cent of parents reported problems occurring at an intensity that exceeded clinical cut-off scores. Fathers who completed the questionnaires reported significantly more problems than mothers, although the ratio of mothers to fathers in the sample was 3:1. However, there was no difference between the reported behaviours of boys or girls. Parent characteristics that were highly correlated with reported child behaviour problems were overreactivity; stress, anxiety, and depression; and parental satisfaction with their parenting style. Family and other demographic variables appeared to play less significant roles. The results are discussed in the context of the challenge of delivering effective early-intervention parenting programs to large numbers of parents.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with high levels of occupational disability. Consecutive out-patients at a chronic fatigue syndrome treatment service were studied for associations between occupational status, symptom severity and cognitive and behavioural responses to symptoms. All patients had high symptom levels; however, those on long-term sickness absence had significantly more physical fatigue (β = 0.098, P<0.05) and worse sleep (β = 0.075, P<0.05). Patients with long-term sickness absence also demonstrated more embarrassment avoidance cognitions (β = 0.086, P<0.05) and avoidance resting behavioural responses (β = 0.078, P<0.05). Identifying and addressing avoidance behaviours and cognitions regarding embarrassment in interventions may enhance the chances of individuals returning to work.

The objective of health technology assessment (HTA) is to support decision making in health care. HTA does not claim to provide a definite solution to a health care problem, but to assist decision makers with evidence-based information about the clinical, ethical, social, and economic implications of the development, diffusion, and use of health care technology.

Radio continuum emission from the supernova remnant G296.5 + 10.0 was observed using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Using a 104 MHz bandwidth split into 13 × 8 MHz spectral channels, it was possible to produce a pixel-by-pixel image of Rotation Measure (RM) across the entire remnant. A lack of correlation between RM and X-ray surface brightness reveals that the RMs originate from outside the remnant. Using this information, we will characterise the smooth component of the magnetic field within the supernova remnant and attempt to probe the magneto-ionic structure and turbulent scale sizes in the ISM and galactic halo along the line-of-sight.

Relatively little research has focused on everyday memory function in childhood, possibly reflecting the limited number of measures available. This study introduces the Observer Memory Questionnaire—Parent Form (OMQ-PF), which assesses parental beliefs about their child's everyday memory. The OMQ-PF and a selection of neuropsychological measures were administered to a cohort of healthy children in Study 1 (n = 376; 5–16 years old) and a temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) group in Study 2 (n = 44; 6–16 years old). Study 1 found the OMQ-PF had sound internal consistency and was significantly correlated to a learning task. Study 2 found the TLE group was impaired on the OMQ-PF relative to the healthy cohort. Everyday memory ratings were related to a wider range of neuropsychological measures in this group. Findings are encouraging in terms of the properties of the OMQ-PF and suggest further development of the scale is warranted. (JINS, 2008, 14, 337–342.)

Hepcidin plays a major role in iron homeostasis, but understanding its role has been hampered by the absence of analytical methods for quantification in blood. A commercial ELISA has been developed for serum prohepcidin, a hepcidin precursor, and there is interest in its potential use in the clinical and research arena. We investigated the association between serum prohepcidin concentration and iron absorption in healthy men, and its relationship with iron status in men carrying HFE mutations, hereditary haemochromatosis patients, and pregnant women. Iron absorption was determined in thirty healthy men (fifteen wild-type, fifteen C282Y heterozygote) using the stable isotope red cell incorporation technique. Iron status was measured in 138 healthy men (ninety-one wild-type, forty-seven C282Y heterozygote), six hereditary haemochromatosis patients, and thirteen pregnant women. Mean serum prohepcidin concentrations were 214 (sd 118) ng/ml [208 (sd 122) ng/ml in wild-type and 225 (sd 109) ng/ml in C282Y heterozygotes] in healthy men, 177 (sd 36) ng/ml in haemochromatosis patients, and 159 (sd 59) ng/ml in pregnant women. There was no relationship between serum prohepcidin concentration and serum ferritin in any subject groups, nor was it associated with efficiency of iron absorption. Serum prohepcidin is not a useful biomarker for clinical or research purposes.