Prevalence and correlates of use of complementary and alternative medicine in children with autism spectrum disorder in Europe

This study examined the prevalence and correlates of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among a sample of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) < 7 years in 18 European countries (N = 1,680). Forty-seven percent of parents reported having tried any CAM approach in the past 6 months. Diets and supplements were used by 25 % of the sample and mind-body practices by 24 %; other unconventional approaches were used by 25 % of the families, and a minority of parents reported having tried any invasive or potentially harmful approach (2 %). Parents in Eastern Europe reported significantly higher rates of CAM use. In the total sample, children with lower verbal ability and children using prescribed medications were more likely to be receiving diets or supplements. Concurrent use of high levels of conventional psychosocial intervention was significantly associated with use of mind-body practices. Higher parental educational level also increased the likelihood of both use of diets and supplements and use of mind-body practices. Conclusion: The high prevalence of CAM use among a sample of young children with ASD is an indication that parents need to be supported in the choice of treatments early on in the assessment process, particularly in some parts of Europe

The Experimental Status of the Standard Electroweak Model at the End of the LEP-SLC Era

A method is proposed to calculate the confidence level for agreement of data with the Standard Model (SM) by combining information from direct and indirect Higgs Boson searches. Good agreement with the SM is found for $m_H \simeq 120$ GeV using the observables most sensitive to $m_H$: $A_l$ and $m_W$. In particular, quantum corrections, as predicted by the SM, are observed with a statistical significance of forty-four standard deviations. However, apparent deviations from the SM of 3.7$\sigma$ and 2.8$\sigma$ are found for the Z$\nu \bar{\nu}$ and right-handed Zb$\bar{{\rm b}}$ couplings respectively. The maximum confidence level for agreement with the SM of the entire data set considered is $\simeq 0.006$ for $m_H \simeq 180$ GeV. The reason why confidence levels about an order of magnitude higher than this have been claimed for global fits to similar data sets is explained.Comment: 47 pages, 8 figures, 24 tables. An in-depth study of statistical issues related to the comparison of precision EW data to the S

Identification of the TeV Gamma-ray Source ARGO J2031+4157 with the Cygnus Cocoon

The extended TeV gamma-ray source ARGO J2031+4157 (or MGRO J2031+41) is positionally consistent with the Cygnus Cocoon discovered by $Fermi$-LAT at GeV energies in the Cygnus superbubble. Reanalyzing the ARGO-YBJ data collected from November 2007 to January 2013, the angular extension and energy spectrum of ARGO J2031+4157 are evaluated. After subtracting the contribution of the overlapping TeV sources, the ARGO-YBJ excess map is fitted with a two-dimensional Gaussian function in a square region of $10^{\circ}\times 10^{\circ}$, finding a source extension $\sigma_{ext}$= 1$^{\circ}$.8$\pm$0$^{\circ}$.5. The observed differential energy spectrum is $dN/dE =(2.5\pm0.4) \times 10^{-11}(E/1 TeV)^{-2.6\pm0.3}$ photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ TeV$^{-1}$, in the energy range 0.2-10 TeV. The angular extension is consistent with that of the Cygnus Cocoon as measured by $Fermi$-LAT, and the spectrum also shows a good connection with the one measured in the 1-100 GeV energy range. These features suggest to identify ARGO J2031+4157 as the counterpart of the Cygnus Cocoon at TeV energies. The Cygnus Cocoon, located in the star-forming region of Cygnus X, is interpreted as a cocoon of freshly accelerated cosmic rays related to the Cygnus superbubble. The spectral similarity with Supernova Remnants indicates that the particle acceleration inside a superbubble is similar to that in a SNR. The spectral measurements from 1 GeV to 10 TeV allows for the first time to determine the possible spectrum slope of the underlying particle distribution. A hadronic model is adopted to explain the spectral energy distribution.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, has been accepted by ApJ for publicatio

Institutions versus market forces: Explaining the employment insecurity of European individuals during (the beginning of) the financial crisis

In reaction to the recent financial crisis, the European Commission re-stated its view that the balance between flexibility and security is the key to success for the future of the European social economy, as well as its belief in the power of institutional arrangements it deems necessary for this balance. However, do powerful institutions actually counter market forces where flexicurity is concerned? In this paper we address this question by analysing the impact of institutional configurations and market factors on perceived employment insecurity among workers in Europe. We use the 4th wave of the European Social Survey for 2008/2009, which covers 22 countries, and implement a multi-level approach where contextual effects are taken into account and individuals are considered to be embedded within a country. We find that policies that secure one’s income and employability skills, such as passive and active labour market policies, are more important for providing employment security for individuals than institutions that secure one’s current job, such as employment protection. Of the economic and labour market factors, general market conditions (measured as employment rate average) and the strength of the financial crisis (measured as gross domestic product growth rate from 2008 to 2009) are both similarly influential in explaining cross-national variance in the employment insecurity perception of individuals. More generally, and most interestingly, we find that institutional factors lose their significance when market factors are taken into account. Thus, it seems that differences in economic and labour market conditions between countries better explain why workers feel insecure about their employment, than the differences in employment and income policies. Although this result could be influenced by the time period under investigation, which is characterized by a financial crisis, results from previous studies using data from different periods suggest that it is not period-specific

Three-dimensional Structure of L-2-Haloacid Dehalogenase from Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10 Complexed with the Substrate-analogue Formate

The L-2-haloacid dehalogenase from the 1,2-dichloroethane degrading bacterium Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10 catalyzes the hydrolytic dehalogenation of small L-2-haloalkanoic acids to yield the corresponding D-2-hydroxyalkanoic acids. Its crystal structure was solved by the method of multiple isomorphous replacement with incorporation of anomalous scattering information and solvent flattening, and was refined at 1.95-Å resolution to an R factor of 21.3%. The three-dimensional structure is similar to that of the homologous L-2-haloacid dehalogenase from Pseudomonas sp. YL (1), but the X. autotrophicus enzyme has an extra dimerization domain, an active site cavity that is completely shielded from the solvent, and a different orientation of several catalytically important amino acid residues. Moreover, under the conditions used, a formate ion is bound in the active site. The position of this substrate-analogue provides valuable information on the reaction mechanism and explains the limited substrate specificity of the Xanthobacter L-2-haloacid dehalogenase.

Surveillance sanitaire des cocoteraies adultes en Afrique de l'Ouest. I. Contrôles ordinaires

La plupart des ravageurs connus dans les cocoteraies d'Afrique de l'Ouest passent le plus souvent inaperçus, bien qu'ils soient toujours présents. Dans certaines conditions, difficiles à définir, il y a pullulation d'un ou de plusieurs d'entre eux et, en conséquence, des dégâts importants peuvent alors se produire. Des contrôles sanitaires fréquents sont nécessaires pour la conduite de la méthode de lutte intégrée, généralement adoptée à présent en défense des cultures, ce qui suppose une bonne connaissance des ravageurs, de leur biologie et de leurs ennemis naturels. Comme pour le palmier à huile, il y a deux types de contrôles phytosanitaires : - les contrôles ordinaires, décrits dans ces " Conseils ", qui permettent de suivre l'ensemble des populations de ravageurs, d'insectes auxiliaires, et de détecter toute anomalie susceptible de se traduire par des dégâts préjudiciables ; - les contrôles spéciaux, spécifiques d'un ravageur donné, qui feront l'objet d'une autre page de Pratique agricole (1 ), et sont réalisés sur un échantillon d'observation plus important. Ils permettent de suivre plus précisément l'évolution de ce ravageur, l'intensité et l'étendue des dégâts qu'il provoque. Toutefois, la décision d'intervention par traitement ne peut être prise à bon escient qu'après examen attentif des résultats d'un ou de plusieurs contrôles spéciaux réalisés après détection de l'attaque par un contrôle ordinaire. La présente " Page de pratique agricole " traite de la conduite des contrôles phytosanitaires en cocoteraie de plus de quatre ans, entrée en production. La surveillance des jeunes cocoteraies, beaucoup plus vulnérables, fera également l'objet d'autres " Conseils ". (Résumé d'auteur

Near-threshold production of omega mesons in the pn -> d omega reaction

The first measurement of the p n -> d omega total cross section has been achieved at mean excess energies of Q = 28 and 57 MeV by using a deuterium cluster-jet target. The momentum of the fast deuteron was measured in the ANKE spectrometer at COSY-Juelich and that of the slow "spectator" proton p(sp) from the p d -> p(sp) d omega reaction in a silicon telescope placed close to the target. The cross sections lie above those measured for p p -> p p omega but seem to be below theoretical predictions.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures; second approach to describe the background has been added; results changed insignificantly, EPJ in pres

4MOST Consortium Survey 3: Milky Way Disc and Bulge Low-Resolution Survey (4MIDABLE-LR)

The mechanisms of the formation and evolution of the Milky Way are encoded in the orbits, chemistry and ages of its stars. With the 4MOST MIlky way Disk And BuLgE Low-Resolution Survey (4MIDABLE-LR) we aim to study kinematic and chemical substructures in the Milky Way disc and bulge region with samples of unprecedented size out to larger distances and greater precision than conceivable with Gaia alone or any other ongoing or planned survey. Gaia gives us the unique opportunity for target selection based almost entirely on parallax and magnitude range, hence increasing the efficiency in sampling larger Milky Way volumes with well-defined and effective selection functions. Our main goal is to provide a detailed chrono-chemo-kinematical extended map of our Galaxy and the largest Gaia follow-up down to $G = 19$ magnitudes (Vega). The complex nature of the disc components (for example, large target densities and highly structured extinction distribution in the Milky Way bulge and disc area), prompted us to develop a survey strategy with five main sub-surveys that are tailored to answer the still open questions about the assembly and evolution of our Galaxy, while taking full advantage of the Gaia data.Comment: Part of the 4MOST issue of The Messenger, published in preparation of 4MOST Community Workshop, see http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2019/4MOST.htm

NH 4-H Presents - Horse Communication Contest Rules

NH 4-H Presents - Horse Communication Contest Rules Horse Demonstration & Illustrated Talk Horse Public Speakin

NH 4-H Presents - Action Exhibit Scoresheet

Scoresheet to be used for evaluating the following NH 4-H Presents event - Action Exhibi