Development and Validation of the Learning Disabilities Needs Assessment Tool (LDNAT), a HoNOS-based needs assessment tool for use with people with intellectual disability

Background: In meeting the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) who access health services, a brief, holistic assessment of need is useful. This study outlines the development and testing of the Learning Disabilities Needs Assessment Tool (LDNAT), a tool intended for this purpose. Method: An existing mental health (MH) tool was extended by a multidisciplinary group of ID practitioners. Additional scales were drafted to capture needs across six ID treatment domains that the group identified. LDNAT ratings were analysed for the following: item redundancy, relevance, construct validity and internal consistency (n =1692); test–retest reliability (n = 27); and concurrent validity (n =160). Results: All LDNAT scales were deemed clinically relevant with little redundancy apparent. Principal component analysis indicated three components (developmental needs, challenging behaviour, MH and well-being). Internal consistency was good (Cronbach alpha 0.80). Individual item test–retest reliability was substantial-near perfect for 20 scales and slight-fair for three scales. Overall reliability was near perfect (intra-class correlation =0.91). There were significant associations with five of six conditionspecific measures, i.e. the Waisman Activities of Daily Living Scale (general ability/disability), Threshold Assessment Grid (risk), Behaviour Problems Inventory for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities-Short Form (challenging behaviour) Social Communication Questionnaire (autism) and a bespoke physical health questionnaire. Additionally, the statistically significant correlations between these tools and the LDNAT components made sense clinically. There were no statistically significant correlations with the Psychiatric Assessment Schedules for Adults with Developmental Disabilities (a measure of MH symptoms in people with ID). Conclusions: The LDNAT had clinically utility when rating the needs of people with ID prior to condition-specific assessment(s). Analyses of internal and external validity were promising. Further evaluation of its sensitivity to changes in needs is now required

Time Accurate CFD Simulations of the Orion Launch Abort Vehicle in the Transonic Regime

Significant asymmetries in the fluid dynamics were calculated for some cases in the CFD simulations of the Orion Launch Abort Vehicle through its abort trajectories. The CFD simulations were performed steady state with symmetric boundary conditions and geometries. The trajectory points at issue were in the transonic regime, at 0 and 5 angles of attack with the Abort Motors with and without the Attitude Control Motors (ACM) firing. In some of the cases the asymmetric fluid dynamics resulted in aerodynamic side forces that were large enough that would overcome the control authority of the ACMs. MSFC s Fluid Dynamics Group supported the investigation into the cause of the flow asymmetries with time accurate CFD simulations, utilizing a hybrid RANS-LES turbulence model. The results show that the flow over the vehicle and the subsequent interaction with the AB and ACM motor plumes were unsteady. The resulting instantaneous aerodynamic forces were oscillatory with fairly large magnitudes. Time averaged aerodynamic forces were essentially symmetric

Iridium-catalysed ortho-H/D and -H/T exchange under basic conditions : C-H activation of unprotected tetrazoles

The first examples of selective ortho-directed C-H activation with unprotected 2-aryltetrazoles are described. A new base-assisted protocol for iridium (I) hydrogen isotope exchange catalysis allows access to ortho-deuterated and tritiated tetrazoles, including the tetrazole-containing pharmaceutical, Valsartan. Preliminary mechanistic studies are also presented

The impact of majority investors on the financial and sporting performance of football clubs: empirical evidence from the first and second German Bundesliga

This paper investigates how German football clubs circumvent the '50+1 rule' by decoupling voting rights from economic ownership, to attract majority investors. It introduces a novel categorisation of clubs and analyses the financial and sporting impact of majority investors using panel data (2017/18-2022/23). The results show that clubs circumventing the rule experience lower profitability and sporting performance, with no significant revenue advantage, challenging assumptions about investor benefits. The study highlights the unintended consequences of rule circumvention and provides actionable recommendations, urging either stricter enforcement or reform of the rule to enhance Bundesliga governance and ensure sustainable financial and sporting competitiveness

Dietary Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis

The file attached to this record contains the authors final peer reviewed version of the article. The final publisher's version can be found by following the DOI link.A review of literature to explore whether dietary interventions effective and safe in alleviating pain and joint stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis. There is some evidence that fasting followed by a vegetarian or Mediterranean diet may be beneficial but the high drop-out rate needs to be considered when recommending it to patients. Concordance with any intervention is essential if it is to have long term effect on the outcome of the disease process. The level of benefit experienced by the patient needs to be balanced against the degree of change the patient is willing or able to make. When recommending such dietary interventions, consideration must be taken of the adverse effects of diet on the condition of the patient with RA which may be made worse, and whether it is useful to expose patients to additional nutritional risks

A Precision Measurement of pp Elastic Scattering Cross Sections at Intermediate Energies

We have measured differential cross sections for \pp elastic scattering with internal fiber targets in the recirculating beam of the proton synchrotron COSY. Measurements were made continuously during acceleration for projectile kinetic energies between 0.23 and 2.59 GeV in the angular range $30 \leq \theta_{c.m.} \leq 90$ deg. Details of the apparatus and the data analysis are given and the resulting excitation functions and angular distributions presented. The precision of each data point is typically better than 4%, and a relative normalization uncertainty of only 2.5% within an excitation function has been reached. The impact on phase shift analysis as well as upper bounds on possible resonant contributions in lower partial waves are discussed.Comment: 23 pages 29 figure