Important developments in the conceptualisation and classification of negative symptoms have contributed to refining hypotheses on their pathophysiology. The uptake of recent progress is still only partial and the whole field might make a leap forward once relevant studies fully make use of assessment tools based on current conceptualisations.

Personalised prediction of functional outcomes is a promising approach for targeted early intervention in psychiatry. However, generalisability and resource efficiency of such prognostic models represent challenges. In the PRONIA study (German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00005042), we demonstrate excellent generalisability of prognostic models in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis or with recent-onset depression, and substantial contributions of detailed clinical phenotyping, particularly to the prediction of role functioning. These results indicate that it is possible that functioning prediction models based only on clinical data could be effectively applied in diverse healthcare settings, so that neuroimaging data may not be needed at early assessment stages.

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia have been documented in the literature for over a century. Nevertheless, research has not convincingly produced effective interventions for their treatment. We propose to re-analyse currently published evidence on treatment of negative symptoms, using narrower definitions for symptom dimensions, to better understand what works for whom.

The synergistic combination of two promising engine architectures for future aero engines is presented. The first is the Composite Cycle Engine, which introduces a piston system in the high pressure part of the core engine, to utilise closed volume combustion and high temperature capability due to instationary operation. The second is the Intercooled Recuperated engine that employs recuperators to utilise waste heat from the core engine exhaust and intercooler to improve temperature levels for recuperation and to reduce compression work. Combinations of both architectures are presented and investigated for improvement potential with respect to specific fuel consumption, engine weight and fuel burn against a turbofan. The Composite Cycle alone provides a 15.6% fuel burn reduction against a turbofan. Options for adding intercooler were screened, and a benefit of up to 1.9% fuel burn could be shown for installation in front of a piston system through a significant, efficiency-neutral weight decrease. Waste heat can be utilised by means of classic recuperation to the entire core mass flow before the combustor, or alternatively on the turbine cooling bleed or a piston engine bypass flow that is mixed again with the main flow before the combustor. As further permutation, waste heat can be recovered either after the low pressure turbine – with or without sequential combustion – or between the high pressure and low pressure turbine. Waste heat recovery after the low pressure turbine was found to be not easily feasible or tied to high fuel burn penalties due to unfavourable temperature levels, even when using sequential combustion or intercooling. Feasible temperature levels could be obtained with inter-turbine waste heat recovery but always resulted in at least 0.3% higher fuel burn compared to the non-recuperated baseline under the given assumptions. Consequently, only the application of an intercooler appears to provide a considerable benefit for the examined thermodynamic conditions in the low fidelity analyses of various engine architecture combinations with the specific heat exchanger design. Since the obtained drawbacks of some waste heat utilisation concepts are small, innovative waste heat management concepts coupled with the further extension of the design space and the inclusion of higher fidelity models may achieve a benefit and motivate future investigations.

Cognitive remediation is a promising pathway for ameliorating cognitive impairment of patients with schizophrenia. Here, we investigate predictors of improvement in problem-solving ability for two different types of cognitive remediation – specific problem-solving training and training of basic cognition. For this purpose we conducted a re-analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing these two training approaches. The main outcome measure was improvement in problem-solving performance. Correlational analyses were used to assess the contribution of clinical, cognitive and training-related predictors. In the problem-solving training group, impaired pre-training planning ability was associated with stronger improvement. In contrast, in the basic cognition training group antipsychotic medication dose emerged as a negative predictor. These results demonstrate that predictors for successful cognitive remediation depend on the specific intervention. Furthermore, our results suggest that at least in the planning domain patients with impaired performance benefit particularly from a specific intervention. (JINS, 2014, 20, 1–6)

Deficits in executive functioning are closely related to the level of everyday functioning in patients with schizophrenia. However, many existing neuropsychological measures are limited in their ability to predict functional outcome. To contribute towards closing this gap, we developed a computer-based test of planning ability (“Plan-a-Day”) that requires participants to create daily activity schedules in a simulated work setting. Eighty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were tested with Plan-a-Day and a battery of cognitive ability tests. Plan-a-Day showed satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of consistency, reliability, and construct validity. Compared to other neuropsychological tests used in this study, it also demonstrated incremental validity with regard to the Global Assessment of Functioning. The Plan-a-Day approach, therefore, seems to represent a valid alternative for measuring planning ability in patients with executive function deficits, occupying a middle ground between traditional neuropsychological tests and real-life assessments. (JINS, 2011, 17, 327–335)

The perceptions of resource users towards any conservation policy can be a major determinant of its success. While co-management policy can enhance the management of fisheries, to date there have been few reports concerning how engagement in co-management regimes may affect fishers' perceptions. This paper assesses the determinants of fishers' environmental perceptions within a co-management regime in Chile. Group meetings and structured questionnaires showed fishers' environmental perceptions were composed of four domains of concern, termed ‘water pollution’, ‘stock conservation’, ‘conservation/profit trade-offs’ and ‘charismatic species’. Fishers' dependence on diving and/or the length of time fishers had engaged with the policy affected their perceptions of each of these domains. Perceptions of the ‘water pollution’ domain were related to length of time fishers had participated in co-management, probably because fishers gained an increased understanding of the market and its need for unpolluted produce. Attitudes towards ‘conservation/profit trade-offs’ tended to become linked to an increasingly conservation-oriented ethic with increasing time of engagement with the policy. Given that the length of time fishers engaged with co-management differentially affected fishers' perceptions of environmental domains of concern, public officials and funding agencies should be careful not to judge co-management prematurely. It takes time to educate participants and overcome distrust. Through co-management processes in Chile, fishers' environmental awareness increased, and sustainable behaviours may consequently increase in the future.

The previously developed method to prepare highly dispersed metals in SiO2 by sol-gel processing of metal complexes containing alkoxysilyl-substituted ligands was extended to the preparation (i) of bimetallic particles in SiO2 and (ii) of highly dispersed metals in TiO2.