In the last few decades, the study of ordinal data in which the variable of interest is not exactly observed but only known to be in a specific ordinal category has become important. To emphasize that the problem is not specific to a specific discipline we will use the neutral term coarsened observation. For single-equation models estimation of the latent linear model by Maximum Likelihood (ML) is routine. But, for higher-dimensional multivariate models it is computationally cumbersome as estimation requires the evaluation of multivariate normal distribution functions on a large scale. Our proposed alternative estimation method, based on the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), circumvents this multivariate integration problem. It can be implemented by repeated application of standard techniques and provides a simpler and faster approach than the usual ML approach. It is applicable to multiple-equation models with $K$-dimensional error correlation matrices and ${J}_k$ response categories for the kth equation. It also yields a simple method to estimate polyserial and polychoric correlations. Comparison of our method with the outcomes of the Stata ML procedure cmp yields estimates that are not statistically different, while estimation by our method requires only a fraction of the computing time.

Tightly focused proton beams generated from helical coil targets have been shown to be highly collimated across small distances, and display characteristic spectral bunching. We show, for the first time, proton spectra from such targets at high resolution via a Thomson parabola spectrometer. The proton spectral peaks reach energies above 50 MeV, with cutoffs approaching 70 MeV and particle numbers greater than 10${}^{10}$. The spectral bunch width has also been measured as low as approximately 8.5 MeV (17% energy spread). The proton beam pointing and divergence measured at metre-scale distances are found to be stable with the average pointing stability below 10 mrad, and average half-angle beam divergences of approximately 6 mrad. Evidence of the influence of the final turn of the coil on beam pointing over long distances is also presented, corroborated by particle tracing simulations, indicating the scope for further improvement and control of the beam pointing with modifying target parameters.

This proof-of-concept study evaluated an optimization strategy for the Community Case Detection Tool (CCDT) aimed at improving community-level mental health detection and help-seeking among children aged 6–18 years. The optimization strategy, CCDT+, combined data-driven supervision with motivational interviewing techniques and behavioural nudges for community gatekeepers using the CCDT. This mixed-methods study was conducted from January to May 2023 in Palorinya refugee settlement in Uganda. We evaluated (1) the added value of the CCDT+ in improving the accuracy of detection and mental health service utilization compared to standard CCDT, and (2) implementation outcomes of the CCDT+. Of the 1026 children detected, 801 (78%) sought help, with 656 needing mental health care (PPV = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.84). The CCDT+ significantly increased detection accuracy, with 2.34 times higher odds compared to standard CCDT (95% CI: 1.41, 3.83). Additionally, areas using the CCDT+ had a 2.05-fold increase in mental health service utilization (95% CI: 1.09, 3.83). The CCDT+ shows promise as an embedded quality-optimization process for the detection of mental health problems among children and enhance help-seeking, potentially leading to more efficient use of mental health care resources.

Dyads can be challenging to recruit for research studies, but detailed reporting on strategies employed to recruit adult–adolescent dyads is rare. We describe experiences recruiting adult–youth dyads for a hypertension education intervention comparing recruitment in an emergency department (ED) setting with a school-based community setting. We found more success in recruiting dyads through a school-based model that started with adolescent youth (19 dyads in 7 weeks with < 1 hour recruitment) compared to an ED-based model that started with adults (2 dyads in 17 weeks with 350 hours of recruitment). These findings can benefit future adult–youth dyad recruitment for research studies.

The thermal reaction sequence of a synthetic hectorite (Laponite CP) was studied by X-ray diffraction, i.r. spectroscopy and thermal analysis. Although most of the interlayer water is removed at 200°C, a smally steady weight loss occurs until dehydroxylation is complete at about 700°C, indicating that an anhydrous intermediate phase is not formed prior to dehydroxylation. Immediately after dehydroxylation, enstatite and cristobalite can be identified, but lithium silicates are formed only from lithium-saturated hectorite. Around 1200°C a glass is formed by reaction of the alkalis with cristobalite, and removal of silica from the enstatite produces some forsterite. An inhomogeneous mechanism of dehydroxylation is postulated by analogy with that proposed for talc.

Adsorption of clay particles from very dilute aqueous suspensions onto positively charged films (Cytochrome C) on carbon coated support grids has been used to obtain well dispersed samples of the particles suitable for detailed electron microscopic examination. The natural negative charge of the carbon coated grid was used for ferric polycations and precipitates.

Laser-driven neutron sources are routinely produced by the interaction of laser-accelerated protons with a converter. They present complementary characteristics to those of conventional accelerator-based neutron sources (e.g. short pulse durations, enabling novel applications like radiography). We present here results from an experiment aimed at performing a global characterization of the neutrons produced using the Titan laser at the Jupiter Laser Facility (Livermore, USA), where protons were accelerated from 23 $\mathrm {\mu }$m thick plastic targets and directed onto a LiF converter to produce neutrons. For this purpose, several diagnostics were used to measure these neutron emissions, such as CR-39, activation foils, time-of-flight detectors and direct measurement of $^7{\rm Be}$ residual activity in the LiF converters. The use of these different, independently operating diagnostics enables comparison of the various measurements performed to provide a robust characterization. These measurements led to a neutron yield of $2.0\times 10^{9}$ neutrons per shot with a modest angular dependence, close to that simulated.

As the federal government continues to expand upon and improve its data sharing policies over the past 20 years, complex challenges remain. Our interviews with U.S. academic genetic researchers (n=23) found that the burden, translation, industry limitations, and consent structure of data sharing remain major governance challenges.

Most family violence research has been conducted in high-income countries, although family violence rates are higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and outcomes more severe. Given the strong associations of family violence with substance use and mental illness, the aim of this systematic review was to examine interventions that targeted familial violence and at least one other condition of substance use or mental illness to determine effective treatments in LMICs. We conducted a systematic review of interventions that addressed family violence and mental illness or substance use. A committee of three researchers independently screened titles and abstracts and conducted full-text eligibility assessments. Two researchers conducted a risk of bias assessment. Data were extracted using a structured spreadsheet and narratively synthesized. Our search identified 29 articles produced from 19 studies conducted in 13 LMICs. Most (n = 15) studies randomized to study condition. Lack of blinding was the most common threat. The external validity of studies was generally poor. Fourteen studies had a primary intervention target of family violence, mental health, substance use, economic improvement, or HIV. None of the studies showed improvements in all intervention areas. Child maltreatment was less likely to be addressed than intimate partner violence (IPV). Targeted interventions for substance and mental health mostly improved primary outcomes, although they were less effective in reducing IPV. Evidence-based treatments must be rigorously evaluated before innovations in implementation can occur. Interventions overwhelmingly addressed IPV victimization and should consider how to work with couples and include men and children.

The contemporary relevance of Adam Smith is evidenced by continued reference to his name. Computational analysis identifies over 700 mentions of Smith and his two famous works—The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations—in post-World War 1 House of Commons debates. We find some parliamentarians appreciate Smith’s complex ideas, but most references are ‘ornamental’. Charting Smith’s use over the decades, this paper builds on Kirk Willis’ idea that studying parliamentary debates are an ideal way to understand how, at best, policy ideas, germinate and disseminate over time, or, at worst, how ‘complex ideas became slogans’.

Community-based psychosocial interventions are key elements of mental health and psychosocial support; yet evidence regarding their effectiveness and implementation in humanitarian settings is limited. This study aimed to assess the appropriateness, acceptability, feasibility and safety of conducting a cluster randomized trial evaluating two versions of a group psychosocial intervention. Nine community clusters in Ecuador and Panamá were randomized to receive the standard version of the Entre Nosotras intervention, a community-based group psychosocial intervention co-designed with community members, or an enhanced version of Entre Nosotras that integrated a stress management component. In a sample of 225 refugees, migrants and host community women, we found that both versions were safe, acceptable and appropriate. Training lay facilitators to deliver the intervention was feasible. Challenges included slow recruitment related to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, high attrition due to population mobility and other competing priorities, and mixed psychometric performance of psychosocial outcome measures. Although the intervention appeared promising, a definitive cluster randomized comparative effectiveness trial requires further adaptations to the research protocol. Within this pilot study we identified strategies to overcome these challenges that may inform adaptations. This comparative effectiveness design may be a model for identifying effective components of psychosocial interventions.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Adolescence represents a critical period for substance use initiation. Various factors may contribute to trying a sip or single puff of a substance, that could lead to more frequent use. However, less is known about how predictors from multiple domains converge to impact risk for general substance use initiation. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study is a multi-site longitudinal study following youth into early adulthood. The present study included 7,644 ABCD children who reported no lifetime substance use (including any experimentation) at baseline (ages 9–10). Our primary aim was to use a random forest classification model to predict binary substance use initiation, defined as trying any non-prescribed substance (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, non-prescribed medications), during a 2-year follow-up after baseline. A total of 402 variables from the following categories were examined as predictors: demographics, peer substance use and availability, mental and physical health, culture and environment, biospecimens, neurocognitive functioning, and structural neuroimaging variables. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Over a two-year follow-up, 751 (9.8%) of substance-naïve children reported trying a substance by age 11. The most common substance was alcohol, followed by cannabis and tobacco. Mean Decrease Accuracy (MDA) values were used to assess the relative importance of each predictor. The overall accuracy of the model in accurately predicting group membership (no substance use initiation vs. substance use initiation) was 57.66%. Of the top 5 predictors, the most important predictor was intent to use alcohol (MDA = .002). The following top predictors were structural neuroimaging variables: volume and surface area of right lateral occipital lobe (MDA = .0009 and .0008, respectively), surface area of right inferior temporal lobe (MDA = .0007), and surface area of left superior frontal lobe (MDA = .0007). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: A combination of intent to use alcohol and structural neuroimaging indices were among the top predictors of substance use initiation. Understanding predictors of early substance use experimentation is important for identifying at-risk youth that may require targeted intervention approaches.

The interaction of relativistically intense lasers with opaque targets represents a highly non-linear, multi-dimensional parameter space. This limits the utility of sequential 1D scanning of experimental parameters for the optimization of secondary radiation, although to-date this has been the accepted methodology due to low data acquisition rates. High repetition-rate (HRR) lasers augmented by machine learning present a valuable opportunity for efficient source optimization. Here, an automated, HRR-compatible system produced high-fidelity parameter scans, revealing the influence of laser intensity on target pre-heating and proton generation. A closed-loop Bayesian optimization of maximum proton energy, through control of the laser wavefront and target position, produced proton beams with equivalent maximum energy to manually optimized laser pulses but using only 60% of the laser energy. This demonstration of automated optimization of laser-driven proton beams is a crucial step towards deeper physical insight and the construction of future radiation sources.

We present the development and characterization of a high-stability, multi-material, multi-thickness tape-drive target for laser-driven acceleration at repetition rates of up to 100 Hz. The tape surface position was measured to be stable on the sub-micrometre scale, compatible with the high-numerical aperture focusing geometries required to achieve relativistic intensity interactions with the pulse energy available in current multi-Hz and near-future higher repetition-rate lasers ($>$kHz). Long-term drift was characterized at 100 Hz demonstrating suitability for operation over extended periods. The target was continuously operated at up to 5 Hz in a recent experiment for 70,000 shots without intervention by the experimental team, with the exception of tape replacement, producing the largest data-set of relativistically intense laser–solid foil measurements to date. This tape drive provides robust targetry for the generation and study of high-repetition-rate ion beams using next-generation high-power laser systems, also enabling wider applications of laser-driven proton sources.

We report the results of a 7-year monitoring program using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) for the 9.9 GHz class I methanol maser in G331.13-0.24 where a periodic class II methanol maser is present. The great deal of the project was to control systematics at an unprecedented level. Although no periodic flux variation was found, the maser shows a very stable decline of 166±7 μJy/day. The radial velocity of the maser is stable down to 1 m/s level. We also report a marginal periodic signal in radial velocity (comparable to the level of systematics) of about 20±7 cm/s with the period of 475±22 days, close to that of the 6.7-GHz maser in the source. No hyperfine split was detected which suggests preferential excitation of a single hyperfine transition.