76 FR 43696 - Nationwide Cyber Security Review (NCSR) Assessment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY [Docket No. DHS-2011-0012] Nationwide Cyber Security Review (NCSR... Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C), National Cyber Security Division (NCSD), Cyber Security Evaluation Program (CSEP), will submit the following Information...

76 FR 22409 - Nationwide Cyber Security Review (NCSR) Assessment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY [Docket No. DHS-2011-0012] Nationwide Cyber Security Review (NCSR...), National Cyber Security Division (NCSD), Cyber Security Evaluation Program (CSEP), will submit the... for all levels of government to complete a cyber network security assessment so that a full measure of...

17 CFR 270.8b-33 - XBRL-Related Documents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... electronic format as an exhibit to a filing on Form N-1A (§§ 239.15A and 274.11A of this chapter), Form N-CSR... separately identified. A registrant may submit such exhibit with, or in an amendment to, the Form N-CSR or...

75 FR 64120 - Technical Amendments to Forms N-CSR and N-SAR in Connection With the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-19

...] Technical Amendments to Forms N-CSR and N-SAR in Connection With the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions... the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010. DATES: Effective Date... Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (``Iran Divestment Act'') into law.\\5\\ Among...

Seismology in Lebanon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Robert M.; Rouhbon, Badaovi

During the last several years, while civil war raged in Lebanon, the Bhannes seismograph station near Beirut continued to operate and provide seismograms and phase readings on a regular basis.Seismologists around the world owe gratitude to Charles Tabet, an employee of both the Lebanon National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR) and the American University of Beirut, for his daily dedication to maintaining the station's operations. In addition, Iskandar Sursock, also of the NCSR, has provided essential support and personal resources to continue the seismological program in Lebanon.

Personality Disorders

MedlinePlus

... 17217923 Statistical Methods and Measurement Caveats National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) Diagnostic Assessment and Population: The ... is a nationally representative, face-to-face, household survey conducted between February 2001 and April 2003 with ...

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder among Adults

MedlinePlus

... 15939839 Statistical Methods and Measurement Caveats National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) Diagnostic Assessment and Population: The ... is a nationally representative, face-to-face, household survey conducted between February 2001 and April 2003 with ...

Clinical Differences Among Patients Treated for Mental Health Problems in General Medical and Specialty Mental Health Settings in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)

PubMed Central

Uebelacker, Lisa A.; Wang, Philip S.; Berglund, Patricia; Kessler, Ronald C.

2009-01-01

Objective General medical (GM) treatments for mental health disorders are less likely to be adequate than specialty mental health (SMH) treatments. We explored whether differences in clinical characteristics of patients treated in each sector (GM-only or SMH-only) or in both sectors (GM + SMH) may help to explain this finding. Method We analyzed data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a nationally representative household survey of 5692 English-speaking adult household residents that was carried out in 2001–03. The NCS-R used a fully-structured diagnostic interview to assess DSM-IV disorders, including mood, anxiety, impulse-control, and substance use disorders. We classified disorders in terms of a three-category severity gradient (serious, moderate, mild) based on information about clinically significant distress and role impairment. We collected self-report data on chronic physical conditions, socio-demographics, and type of treatment received for emotional and substance use problems in the 12 months before the interview. Results Patients who received GM+SMH treatment had more severe mental disorders and a higher prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders than patients who received treatment in only one of the two sectors. Patients seen in the GM-only and GM+SMH had more chronic physical conditions than patients seen in SMH-only. Conclusions Patient characteristics may partially explain the lower intensity and adequacy of GM treatment. PMID:16950373

Anxiety disorders are independently associated with suicide ideation and attempts: propensity score matching in two epidemiological samples.

PubMed

Thibodeau, Michel A; Welch, Patrick G; Sareen, Jitender; Asmundson, Gordon J G

2013-10-01

Research suggests that suicidal behavior in individuals with anxiety disorders is attributable to co-occurring risk factors, such as depression. We argue that these conclusions are founded primarily in statistical adjustments that may obscure independent associations. We explored independent associations between specific anxiety disorders and suicide attempts and ideation by means of propensity score matching, a process that simulates a case-control study by creating matched groups that differ in group status (e.g., diagnosis of a specific anxiety disorder) but that are statistically equivalent on observed covariates. We made use of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) and the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), which include a total of 43,935 adults. Diagnoses included agoraphobia without panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. Each anxiety disorder was (95% confidence intervals) associated with increased odds of lifetime suicide attempts (odds ratios 3.57-6.64 [NCS-R], 3.03-7.00 [NESARC]) and suicidal ideation (odds ratios 2.62-4.87 [NCS-R], 3.34-10.57 [NESARC]). Odds ratios for each disorder remained statistically significant after matching on diagnostic status of dysthymia, major depressive disorder, alcohol abuse/dependence, substance abuse/dependence, bipolar disorder I, bipolar disorder II, all other anxiety disorders, and on sociodemographic variables. This is the first report to present evidence that each anxiety disorder is associated with suicide ideation and suicide attempts beyond the effects of co-occurring mental disorders. These findings warrant consideration in assessment, intervention, and related policies. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lifetime prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in fragile X premutation carriers.

PubMed

Bourgeois, James A; Seritan, Andreea L; Casillas, E Melina; Hessl, David; Schneider, Andrea; Yang, Ying; Kaur, Inderjeet; Cogswell, Jennifer B; Nguyen, Danh V; Hagerman, Randi J

2011-02-01

The authors studied the lifetime prevalence of DSM-IV-TR psychiatric disorders in a population of adults with the fragile X premutation. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was conducted, from 2007-2008, in 85 individuals with the fragile X premutation, 47 with the fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS; 33 male, 14 female; mean age = 66 years) and 38 without FXTAS (16 male, 22 female; mean age = 52 years). Lifetime prevalence for mood and anxiety disorders among carriers with and without FXTAS was compared to available age-specific population estimates from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Among participants with FXTAS, 30 (65%) met lifetime DSM-IV-TR criteria for a mood disorder; 24 (52%) met lifetime DSM-IV-TR criteria for an anxiety disorder. Among the non-FXTAS participants, there were 15 instances of lifetime mood disorder (42%) and 18 of lifetime anxiety disorder (47%). When compared to age-specific NCS-R data, the lifetime prevalences of any mood disorder (P < .0001), major depressive disorder (P < .0001), any anxiety disorder (P < .0001), panic disorder (P = .006), specific phobia (P = .0003), and posttraumatic stress disorder (P = .004) were significantly higher in participants with FXTAS. The lifetime rates of social phobia in individuals with the premutation without FXTAS were significantly higher than NCS-R data (P = .001). This sample of carriers of the fragile X premutation had a notably high lifetime risk of mood and anxiety disorders. Mood and anxiety disorders may be part of the clinical phenotype of the fragile X premutation conditions, especially in carriers with FXTAS. Clinicians encountering these patients are advised to consider FXTAS as a neuropsychiatric syndrome as well as a neurologic disorder. © Copyright 2011 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Employers in Natural Resources--What They're Telling Us.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chemeketa Community Coll., Salem, OR.

This reports describes the ways in which model programs created by the Northwest Center for Sustainable Resources (NCSR) are based upon employers' needs and recommendations. An introductory essay describes Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a form of remote sensing technology with satellite imagery, that is a promising tool for analyzing…

75 FR 27927 - Diversification Requirements for Certain Defined Contribution Plans

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-19

... section 414(l) with respect to any other defined benefit plan or defined contribution plan maintained by... disclosure of the fund's portfolio holdings (for example, Form N-CSR, ``Certified Shareholder Report of... securities, as well as a direct or indirect benefit that is conditioned on investment in employer securities...

77 FR 11345 - Harmonization of Compliance Obligations for Registered Investment Companies Required To Register...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-24

... his or her knowledge and belief, the information contained in the document is accurate and complete. The first item in the certification required by SEC Form N-CSR is: ``Based on my knowledge, this..., competitiveness and financial integrity of futures markets; (3) price discovery; (4) sound risk management...

76 FR 69306 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-08

... Securities and Exchange Commission (the ``Commission'') has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget... ``Investment Company Act'') requires a registered management investment company (``fund'') to (1) file a report with the Commission on Form N-CSR (17 CFR 249.331 and 274.128) not later than 10 days after the...

78 FR 43250 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-19

... combined reporting form used by registered management investment companies (``funds'') to file certified shareholder reports under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1 et seq.) (``Investment Company...''). Specifically, Form N-CSR is to be used for reports under section 30(b)(2) of the Investment Company Act (15 U.S...

76 FR 54814 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-02

...) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1 et seq.) (the ``Investment Company Act'') requires a registered investment company (``fund'') to (1) File a report with the Commission on Form N-CSR... be transmitted to shareholders under rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act, and (2) file with...

When social anxiety disorder co-exists with risk-prone, approach behavior: Investigating a neglected, meaningful subset of people in the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication

PubMed Central

Kashdan, Todd B.; McKnight, Patrick E.; Richey, J. Anthony; Hofmann, Stefan G.

2009-01-01

Little is known about people with social anxiety disorder (SAD) who are not behaviorally inhibited. To advance knowledge on phenomenology, functional impairment, and treatment seeking, we investigated whether engaging in risk-prone behaviors accounts for heterogeneous outcomes in people with SAD. Using the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R) dataset, our analyses focused on people with current (N = 679) or lifetime (N = 1143) SAD diagnoses. Using latent class analysis on NCS-R risk-prone behavior items, results supported two SAD classes: (1) a pattern of behavioral inhibition and risk aversion and (2) an atypical pattern of high anger and aggression, and moderate/high sexual impulsivity and substance use problems. An atypical pattern of risk-prone behaviors was associated with greater functional impairment, less education and income, younger age, and particular psychiatric comorbidities. Results could not be subsumed by the severity, type, or number of social fears, or comorbid anxiety or mood disorders. Conclusions about the nature, course, and treatment of SAD may be compromised by not attending to heterogeneity in behavior patterns. PMID:19345933

17 CFR 249.322 - Form 12b-25-Notification of late filing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...-annual, annual, or transition report on Form N-SAR (§§ 249.330; 274.101) or Form N-CSR (§§ 249.331; 274... date for the periodic report in question. Copies of this form may be obtained from “Publications....201 or § 232.202 of this chapter), or apply for an adjustment in filing date pursuant to Rule 13(b) of...

17 CFR 249.322 - Form 12b-25-Notification of late filing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

...-annual, annual, or transition report on Form N-SAR (§§ 249.330; 274.101) or Form N-CSR (§§ 249.331; 274... date for the periodic report in question. Copies of this form may be obtained from “Publications....201 or § 232.202 of this chapter), or apply for an adjustment in filing date pursuant to Rule 13(b) of...

17 CFR 249.322 - Form 12b-25-Notification of late filing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...-annual, annual, or transition report on Form N-SAR (§§ 249.330; 274.101) or Form N-CSR (§§ 249.331; 274... date for the periodic report in question. Copies of this form may be obtained from “Publications....201 or § 232.202 of this chapter), or apply for an adjustment in filing date pursuant to Rule 13(b) of...

17 CFR 249.322 - Form 12b-25-Notification of late filing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...-annual, annual, or transition report on Form N-SAR (§§ 249.330; 274.101) or Form N-CSR (§§ 249.331; 274... date for the periodic report in question. Copies of this form may be obtained from “Publications....201 or § 232.202 of this chapter), or apply for an adjustment in filing date pursuant to Rule 13(b) of...

17 CFR 249.322 - Form 12b-25-Notification of late filing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...-annual, annual, or transition report on Form N-SAR (§§ 249.330; 274.101) or Form N-CSR (§§ 249.331; 274... date for the periodic report in question. Copies of this form may be obtained from “Publications....201 or § 232.202 of this chapter), or apply for an adjustment in filing date pursuant to Rule 13(b) of...

Major Depressive Disorder with Sub-threshold Bipolarity in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

PubMed Central

Angst, Jules; Cui, Lihong; Swendsen, J. Joel; Rothen, S.; Cravchik, Anibal; Kessler, Ronald; Merikangas, Kathleen

2011-01-01

Objectives There is growing clinical and epidemiologic evidence indicating that major mood disorders form a spectrum from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) to pure mania. The present investigation examined the prevalence and clinical correlates of MDD with sub-threshold bipolarity vs. pure MDD in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Methods The NCS-R is a nationally representative face-to-face household survey of the U.S. population conducted between February, 2001 and April, 2003. Lifetime history of mood disorders, symptoms and clinical indicators of severity were collected using version 3.0 of the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview, a fully structured lay-administered diagnostic interview. Results Nearly 40% of study participants with a history of major depressive disorder had a history of sub-threshold hypomania. This subgroup had a younger age of disorder onset, more episodes of depression, and higher rates of comorbidity than those without a history of hypomania, and lower levels of clinical severity than those with bipolar II disorder. Conclusions The findings demonstrate heterogeneity of major depressive disorder and support the validity of inclusion of sub-threshold mania in the diagnostic classification. The broadening of criteria for bipolar disorder would have important implications for research and clinical practice. PMID:20713498

The prevalence and correlates of adult ADHD in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

PubMed Central

Kessler, Ronald C.; Adler, Lenard; Barkley, Russell; Biederman, Joseph; Conners, C. Keith; Demler, Olga; Faraone, Stephen V.; Greenhill, Laurence L.; Howes, Mary J.; Secnik, Kristina; Spencer, Thomas; Ustun, T. Bedirhan; Walters, Ellen E.; Zaslavsky, Alan M.

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE Despite growing interest in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), little is known about prevalence or correlates. METHODS A screen for adult ADHD was included in a probability sub-sample (n = 3199) of 18–44 year old respondents in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a nationally representative household survey that used a lay-administered diagnostic interview to assess a wide range of DSM-IV disorders. Blinded clinical follow-up interviews of adult ADHD were carried out with 154 NCS-R respondents, over-sampling those with a positive screen. Multiple imputation (MI) was used to estimate prevalence and correlates of clinician-assessed adult ADHD. RESULTS Estimated prevalence of current adult ADHD is 4.4%. Significant correlates include being male, previously married, unemployed, and Non-Hispanic White. Adult ADHD is highly comorbid with many other NCS-R/DSM-IV disorders and is associated with substantial role impairment. The majority of cases are untreated, although many obtain treatment for other comorbid mental and substance disorders. CONCLUSIONS Efforts are needed to increase the detection and treatment of adult ADHD. Research is needed to determine whether effective treatment would reduce the onset, persistence, and severity of disorders that co-occur with adult ADHD. PMID:16585449

Social Fears and Social Phobia in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

PubMed Central

Ruscio, Ayelet Meron; Brown, Timothy A.; Chiu, Wai Tat; Sareen, Jitender; Stein, Murray B.; Kessler, Ronald C.

2008-01-01

Background Despite heightened awareness of the clinical significance of social phobia, information is still lacking about putative subtypes, functional impairment, and treatment-seeking. New epidemiologic data on these topics are presented from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Methods The NCS-R is a nationally representative household survey fielded in 2001–2003. The WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0) was used to assess 14 performance and interactional fears and DSM-IV social phobia. Results The estimated lifetime and 12-month prevalence of social phobia are 12.1% and 7.1%. Performance and interactional fears load onto a single latent factor, and there is little evidence for distinct subtypes based either on the content or number of fears. Social phobia is associated with significant psychiatric comorbidity, role impairment, and treatment-seeking, all of which have a dose-response relationship with number of social fears. However, social phobia is the focus of clinical attention in only about half of cases where treatment is obtained. Among non-comorbid cases, those with the most fears were least likely to receive social phobia treatment. Conclusions Social phobia is a common, under-treated disorder that leads to significant functional impairment. Increasing numbers of social fears are associated with increasingly severe manifestations of the disorder. PMID:17976249

Post-traumatic stress disorder, drug abuse and migraine: new findings from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R).

PubMed

Peterlin, B Lee; Rosso, Andrea L; Sheftell, Fred D; Libon, David J; Mossey, Jana M; Merikangas, Kathleen R

2011-01-01

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been shown to be associated with migraine and drug abuse. This was an analysis of data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) to evaluate the association of PTSD in those with episodic migraine (EM) and chronic daily headache (CDH). Our sample consisted of 5,692 participants. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence rates of PTSD were increased in those with EM and CDH. After adjustments, the lifetime odds ratio (OR) of PTSD was greater in those with EM (OR 3.07 confidence interval [CI]: 2.12, 4.46) compared to those without headache; was greater in men than women with EM (men: OR 6.86; CI: 3.11, 15.11; women: OR 2.77; CI: 1.83, 4.21); and was comparable or greater than the association between migraine with depression or anxiety. The lifetime OR of PTSD was also increased in CDH sufferers. The OR of illicit drug abuse was not increased in those with EM or CDH unless co-occurring with PTSD or depression. The lifetime and 12-month OR of PTSD is increased in those with migraine or CDH, and is greater in men than women with migraine. The lifetime and 12-month OR of illicit drug abuse is not increased in those with migraine or CDH unless co-occurring with PTSD or depression.

The role played by depression associated with somatic symptomatology in accounting for the gender difference in the prevalence of depression.

PubMed

Silverstein, B; Edwards, T; Gamma, A; Ajdacic-Gross, V; Rossler, W; Angst, J

2013-02-01

A variety of studies suggest the existence of a distinct phenotype of somatic depression, i.e., depression accompanied by significant somatic symptomatology. Previous research suggests that the gender difference in the prevalence of depression is primarily due to a difference in somatic depression. The aim of this study was to compare the gender difference in the prevalence of somatic depression and of depression not accompanied by significant somatic symptomatology (labelled "pure" depression) in two representative samples, the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R) and the Zurich Study. The gender difference in lifetime somatic depression was compared to that of pure depression based on analyses weighted back to the general population in two representative samples. The NCS-R analyses involved a narrow definition of somatic depression with items from the DSM criteria for depression--appetite, sleep, and fatigue. The analysis of the Zurich study added headaches, body image issues, and breathing difficulties to the criteria and comparison to atypical depression. In both samples, the gender difference in depressive prevalence was due to a large difference in somatic depression with other phenotypes showing little or no gender difference. The gender differences were found to be due to the somatic symptoms rather than the number of symptoms and were much larger for somatic than for atypical depression. The gender difference in the prevalence of depression results from the higher prevalence among women of a specific phenotype, somatic depression.

Psychotic experiences and disability: Findings from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys.

PubMed

Oh, Hans; Koyanagi, Ai; Kelleher, Ian; DeVylder, Jordan

2018-03-01

Psychotic experiences are associated with a number of poor clinical outcomes, including multimorbid psychopathology, suicidal behavior, and poor treatment response. We wished to investigate the relationship between psychotic experiences and disability, including the following domains: cognition, mobility, self-care, social interaction, role functioning, and days out of role. We used three nationally representative and racially/ethnically diverse samples of the general US adult population: the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), the National Latino and Asian American Survey (NLAAS), and the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). Multi-variable logistic regression analyses were used to assess the associations between lifetime psychotic experiences (visual and auditory hallucinatory experiences and delusional ideation; WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview psychosis screen) and 30-day impairments in functioning across disability domains (using the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II). In all three samples, models were adjusted for socio-demographics and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. In the NCS-R, models were also adjusted for chronic health conditions. Across all three studies, our adjusted models showed that people with disability had anywhere from about 1.5 to over 3 times the odds of reporting lifetime psychotic experiences, depending on the domain. This was true for each disability domain, except self-care in the NLAAS and in the NSAL. Psychotic experiences are markers of risk for disability across a wide range of domains. This may explain the elevated rates of service utilization among individuals who report psychotic experiences and supports the need to assess for and respond to psychotic experiences even in the absence of psychotic disorder. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Anxiety Disorders in Long-Term Survivors of Adult Cancers

PubMed Central

Greer, Joseph A.; Solis, Jessica M.; Temel, Jennifer S.; Lennes, Inga T.; Prigerson, Holly G.; Maciejewski, Paul K.; Pirl, William F.

2011-01-01

Background Little is known about the prevalence of anxiety disorders among long-term survivors of adult cancers. Using data from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R), we compared rates of anxiety disorders between long-term cancer survivors and individuals without a history of cancer. Methods A nationally representative sample of 9,282 adults participated in a household survey to assess the prevalence of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders, a subset of whom also answered questions about medical comorbidities, including cancer. Long-term survivors were defined as those who received an adult cancer diagnosis at least five years before the survey. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between cancer history and anxiety disorders in the past year. Results The NCS-R sample consisted of 225 long-term cancer survivors and 5,337 people without a history of cancer. Controlling for socio-demographic variables, long-term cancer survivors were more likely to have an anxiety disorder (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.04-2.13), including specific phobia (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.06-2.44) and medical phobia (OR: 3.45, 95% CI: 1.15-10.0), during the past 12 months compared to those without cancer histories. Rates for social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder and agoraphobia were not significantly different between groups. Conclusion Long-term survivors of adult cancers were more likely to have an anxiety disorder diagnosis, namely specific phobia, in the past 12 months compared with the general public. Further longitudinal study is needed to clarify the timing and course of anxiety relative to the cancer diagnosis. PMID:21907059

Childhood adversities and adult psychopathology in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) III: associations with functional impairment related to DSM-IV disorders.

PubMed

McLaughlin, K A; Green, J G; Gruber, M J; Sampson, N A; Zaslavsky, A M; Kessler, R C

2010-05-01

Despite evidence that childhood adversities (CAs) are associated with increased risk of mental disorders, little is known about their associations with disorder-related impairment. We report the associations between CAs and functional impairment associated with 12-month DSM-IV disorders in a national sample. We used data from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Respondents completed diagnostic interviews that assessed 12-month DSM-IV disorder prevalence and impairment. Associations of 12 retrospectively reported CAs with impairment among cases (n=2242) were assessed using multiple regression analysis. Impairment measures included a dichotomous measure of classification in the severe range of impairment on the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and a measure of self-reported number of days out of role due to emotional problems in the past 12 months. CAs were positively and significantly associated with impairment. Predictive effects of CAs on the SDS were particularly pronounced for anxiety disorders and were significant in predicting increased days out of role associated with mood, anxiety and disruptive behavior disorders. Predictive effects persisted throughout the life course and were not accounted for by disorder co-morbidity. CAs associated with maladaptive family functioning (MFF; parental mental illness, substance disorder, criminality, family violence, abuse, neglect) were more consistently associated with impairment than other CAs. The joint effects of co-morbid MFF CAs were significantly subadditive. Simulations suggest that CAs account for 19.6% of severely impairing disorders and 17.4% of days out of role. CAs predict greater disorder-related impairment, highlighting the ongoing clinical significance of CAs at every stage of the life course.

Pathological Gambling, Problem Gambling and Sleep Complaints: An Analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey: Replication (NCS-R)

PubMed Central

Siani, Aaron; Rosenthal, Richard J.; Fong, Timothy W.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between sleep disturbances and gambling behavior. Data from the National Comorbidity Survey—Replication (NCS-R) was used to examine the relationship between three specific sleep complaints (difficulty initiating sleep [DIS], difficulty maintaining sleep [DMS], and early morning awakening [EMA]) and gambling behavior. Bivariate logistic regression models were used to control for potentially confounding psychiatric disorders and age. Almost half of respondents with problem gambling behavior (45.9%) and two thirds (67.7%) of respondents with pathological gambling behavior reported at least one sleep compliant. Compared to respondents with no gambling pathology, respondents with pathological gambling were significantly more likely to report at least one sleep complaint (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 3.444, 95% CI = 1.538–7.713), to report all sleep complaints (AOR = 3.449, 95% CI = 1.503–7.914), and to report any individual complaint (DIS: OR = 2.300, 95% CI = 1.069–4.946; DMS: AOR = 4.604, 95% CI = 2.093–10.129; EMA: AOR = 3.968, 95% CI = 1.856–8.481). The relationship between problem gambling and sleep complaints were more modest (any sleep complaint: AOR = 1.794, 95% CI = 1.142–2.818; all three sleep complaints: AOR = 2.144, 95% CI = 1.169–3.931; DIS: AOR = 1.961, 95% CI = 1.204–3.194; DMS: AOR = 1.551, 95% CI = 0.951–2.529; EMA: AOR = 1.796, 95% CI = 1.099–2.935). Given the individual and societal ramifications linked with the presence of sleep problems, this study presents another health-related repercussion associated with gambling pathology rarely discussed in the literature. PMID:22396174

Prevalence and Functional Consequences of Severe Insomnia Symptoms in Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample

PubMed Central

Soehner, Adriane M.; Harvey, Allison G.

2012-01-01

Study Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of severe insomnia symptoms and the extent to which they are associated with daytime impairments in comorbid mood and anxiety disorders. Design: Nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Setting: National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R). Participants: There were 5,692 NCS-R respondents with no mood or anxiety disorder (n = 3,711), mood disorders only (n = 327), anxiety disorders only (n = 1,137), and coexisting mood and anxiety disorders (n = 517). Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition disorders and severe insomnia symptoms in the past year were assessed using the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHO-DAS) indexed eight domains of daytime impairment in the past 30 days, which included self-care, mobility, cognition, social functioning, time out of role, and four components of productive role functioning. Respondents with comorbid mood and anxiety disorders had significantly higher rates of severe insomnia complaints (42.1-62.8%) relative to the three other groups. Severe insomnia complaints were also significantly more prevalent in individuals with mood (25.2-45.6%) or anxiety disorders only (24.9-45.5%) relative to those with no disorder (12.4-24.3%). Moreover, endorsing a severe insomnia complaint in the past year was associated with increased days of impairment across all past-month WHO-DAS domains for respondents with mood-anxiety comorbidity. For the remaining groups, severe insomnia complaints were related to increased days of impairment across all domains except self-care, and additionally mobility for the group with mood disorders only. Conclusions: Comorbid mood and anxiety disorders are associated with high rates of severe insomnia complaints, which were independently associated with substantial functional impairment. Citation: Soehner AM; Harvey AG. Prevalence and functional consequences of severe insomnia symptoms in mood and anxiety disorders: results from a nationally representative sample. SLEEP 2012;35(10):1367–1375. PMID:23024435

An adaptive image sparse reconstruction method combined with nonlocal similarity and cosparsity for mixed Gaussian-Poisson noise removal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yong-fei; Gao, Hong-xia; Wu, Zi-ling; Kang, Hui

2018-01-01

Compressed sensing (CS) has achieved great success in single noise removal. However, it cannot restore the images contaminated with mixed noise efficiently. This paper introduces nonlocal similarity and cosparsity inspired by compressed sensing to overcome the difficulties in mixed noise removal, in which nonlocal similarity explores the signal sparsity from similar patches, and cosparsity assumes that the signal is sparse after a possibly redundant transform. Meanwhile, an adaptive scheme is designed to keep the balance between mixed noise removal and detail preservation based on local variance. Finally, IRLSM and RACoSaMP are adopted to solve the objective function. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to conventional CS methods, like K-SVD and state-of-art method nonlocally centralized sparse representation (NCSR), in terms of both visual results and quantitative measures.

Call for research: detecting early vulnerability for psychiatric hospitalization.

PubMed

Prince, Jonathan D

2013-01-01

This study delineated the extent to which a broad set of risk factors in youth, a period well suited to primary prevention strategies, influences the likelihood and timing of first lifetime psychiatric hospitalizations. Logistic regression was used to delineate early risk factors for psychiatric hospitalization among Americans in a nationally representative survey (NCS-R, Part II, 2001-2003: N = 5,692). Results suggest that inpatient stay is more common and happens at earlier ages among Americans who report growing up with versus without: (1) depressed parents or caregivers, (2) family members who victimized them, or (3) one of three child mental illnesses (conduct, oppositional defiant, or separation anxiety disorder). In order to prevent inpatient stay, findings call for longitudinal research on early vulnerability for psychiatric hospitalization among families with: (1) depressed parents of children or adolescents, (2) violence against children, and (3) children that have externalizing or separation anxiety disorders.

Benchmarking the evaluated proton differential cross sections suitable for the EBS analysis of natSi and 16O

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kokkoris, M.; Dede, S.; Kantre, K.; Lagoyannis, A.; Ntemou, E.; Paneta, V.; Preketes-Sigalas, K.; Provatas, G.; Vlastou, R.; Bogdanović-Radović, I.; Siketić, Z.; Obajdin, N.

2017-08-01

The evaluated proton differential cross sections suitable for the Elastic Backscattering Spectroscopy (EBS) analysis of natSi and 16O, as obtained from SigmaCalc 2.0, have been benchmarked over a wide energy and angular range at two different accelerator laboratories, namely at N.C.S.R. 'Demokritos', Athens, Greece and at Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI), Zagreb, Croatia, using a variety of high-purity thick targets of known stoichiometry. The results are presented in graphical and tabular forms, while the observed discrepancies, as well as, the limits in accuracy of the benchmarking procedure, along with target related effects, are thoroughly discussed and analysed. In the case of oxygen the agreement between simulated and experimental spectra was generally good, while for silicon serious discrepancies were observed above Ep,lab = 2.5 MeV, suggesting that a further tuning of the appropriate nuclear model parameters in the evaluated differential cross-section datasets is required.

Cross section of the 197Au(n,2n)196Au reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalamara, A.; Vlastou, R.; Kokkoris, M.; Diakaki, M.; Serris, M.; Patronis, N.; Axiotis, M.; Lagoyannis, A.

2017-09-01

The 197Au(n,2n)196Au reaction cross section has been measured at two energies, namely at 17.1 MeV and 20.9 MeV, by means of the activation technique, relative to the 27Al(n,α)24Na reference reaction cross section. Quasi-monoenergetic neutron beams were produced at the 5.5 MV Tandem T11/25 accelerator laboratory of NCSR "Demokritos", by means of the 3H(d,n)4He reaction, implementing a new Ti-tritiated target of ˜ 400 GBq activity. The induced γ-ray activity at the targets and reference foils has been measured with HPGe detectors. The cross section for the population of the second isomeric (12-) state m2 of 196Au was independently determined. Auxiliary Monte Carlo simulations were performed using the MCNP code. The present results are in agreement with previous experimental data and with theoretical calculations of the measured reaction cross sections, which were carried out with the use of the EMPIRE code.

Panic disorder among African Americans, Caribbean blacks and non-Hispanic whites

PubMed Central

Himle, Joseph A.; Taylor, Robert Joseph; Abelson, Jamie M.; Matusko, Niki; Muroff, Jordana; Jackson, James

2014-01-01

Introduction This study investigated co-morbidities, level of disability, service utilization and demographic correlates of panic disorder (PD) among African Americans, Caribbean blacks and non-Hispanic white Americans. Methods Data are from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) and the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R). Results Non-Hispanic whites are the most likely to develop PD across the lifespan compared to the black subgroups. Caribbean blacks were found to experience higher levels of functional impairment. There were no gender differences found in prevalence of PD in Caribbean blacks, indicating that existing knowledge about who is at risk for developing PD (generally more prevalent in women) may not be true among this subpopulation. Furthermore, Caribbean blacks with PD were least likely to use mental health services compared to African Americans and non-Hispanic whites. Conclusion This study demonstrates that PD may affect black ethnic subgroups differently, which has important implications for understanding the nature and etiology of the disorder. PMID:22983664

Socioeconomic disadvantage, mental disorders and risk of 12-month suicide ideation and attempt in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) in US.

PubMed

Pan, Yi-Ju; Stewart, Robert; Chang, Chin-Kuo

2013-01-01

We aim to explore the distinctive interrelationships between family income and mental disorders on suicidality in recent 12 months. A stratified random subsample of adults in a household survey in US, National Comorbidity Survey Replication, was used for analyses. The ratio of family income to poverty threshold (RoFIPT) per capita was the primary predictor of interest to 12-month occurrence of suicide ideation and attempt. Effect modification by mental disorders was further explored. A total of 4,724 subjects were analyzed. Inverse associations were found with RoFIPT for both suicidal outcomes after confounding control. Furthermore, effect modification was revealed that RoFIPT was more strongly associated with suicide ideation for those with mental disorders (OR 0.87; 95 % CI 0.79, 0.95). An inverse gradient of RoFIPT was shown with suicide ideation and attempt. Moreover, having mental disorders was found to be an effect modifier for the relationships between family income and suicidality.

iCrowd: agent-based behavior modeling and crowd simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kountouriotis, Vassilios I.; Paterakis, Manolis; Thomopoulos, Stelios C. A.

2016-05-01

Initially designed in the context of the TASS (Total Airport Security System) FP-7 project, the Crowd Simulation platform developed by the Integrated Systems Lab of the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications at N.C.S.R. Demokritos, has evolved into a complete domain-independent agent-based behavior simulator with an emphasis on crowd behavior and building evacuation simulation. Under continuous development, it reflects an effort to implement a modern, multithreaded, data-oriented simulation engine employing latest state-of-the-art programming technologies and paradigms. It is based on an extensible architecture that separates core services from the individual layers of agent behavior, offering a concrete simulation kernel designed for high-performance and stability. Its primary goal is to deliver an abstract platform to facilitate implementation of several Agent-Based Simulation solutions with applicability in several domains of knowledge, such as: (i) Crowd behavior simulation during [in/out] door evacuation. (ii) Non-Player Character AI for Game-oriented applications and Gamification activities. (iii) Vessel traffic modeling and simulation for Maritime Security and Surveillance applications. (iv) Urban and Highway Traffic and Transportation Simulations. (v) Social Behavior Simulation and Modeling.

Accurate accelerator energy calibration using selected resonances in proton elastic scattering and in (p,γ) and (p,p‧γ) reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paneta, V.; Kokkoris, M.; Lagoyannis, A.; Preketes-Sigalas, K.

2017-09-01

The present work aims at contributing to the field of Ion Beam Analysis by providing a set of standard, high-accuracy nuclear resonance reaction data points to be used for accelerator energy calibration up to 4.6 MeV, more specifically with the use of the 27Al(p,γ), 13C(p,γ), 12C(p,p0) and 32S(p,p‧γ) resonant reactions, as a result of a comprehensive investigation in two different laboratories. The use of resonances at higher energies, namely up to 6 MeV, is also discussed. The measurements have been performed at two different electrostatic accelerators, namely at the 5.5 MV HV TN-11 of NCSR "Demokritos", Greece, and at the 5 MV 15SDH-2 Pelletron Tandem accelerator at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden. Common points were used to normalize and validate the data. The possible use of the 16O(p,p0) resonance at 3.47 MeV is also discussed and analyzed.

The implication of combat-induced stress reaction, PTSD, and attachment in parenting among war veterans.

PubMed

Cohen, Estee; Zerach, Gadi; Solomon, Zahava

2011-10-01

This study examined parental functioning, parental satisfaction, and concern for offspring during their child's military service, among war veterans, some of whom suffered from acute combat-induced stress reaction (CSR) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, we examined the additive and interactive contributions of CSR, PTSD and attachment dimensions to parenting measures. The sample consisted of 477 participants divided into two groups: a clinical group of veterans who had been diagnosed with CSR on the battlefield (N = 267), and a matched control group of veterans who did not suffer from CSR (NCSR; N = 210). CSR, PTSD, avoidant-attachment, and anxious-attachment, were all related to lower levels of parental functioning and satisfaction. Veterans who suffered from both CSR and PTSD reported more concern for their offspring during their child's military service compared to veterans with PTSD but without antecedent CSR. Attachment dimensions and specifically attachment-avoidance, made the greatest contribution to parenting measures, followed by posttraumatic symptoms. In addition, attachment-avoidance moderated the relationship between posttraumatic symptoms and parental functioning. Theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed.

197Au(n ,2 n ) reaction cross section in the 15-21 MeV energy range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalamara, A.; Vlastou, R.; Kokkoris, M.; Nicolis, N. G.; Patronis, N.; Serris, M.; Michalopoulou, V.; Stamatopoulos, A.; Lagoyannis, A.; Harissopulos, S.

2018-03-01

The cross section of the 197Au(n ,2 n )196Au reaction has been determined at six energies ranging from 15.3-20.9 MeV by means of the activation technique, relative to the 27Al(n ,α )24Na reaction. Quasimonoenergetic neutron beams were produced via the 3H(d ,n )4He reaction at the 5.5 MV Tandem T11/25 accelerator laboratory of NCSR "Demokritos". After the irradiations, the induced γ -ray activity of the target and reference foils was measured with high-resolution HPGe detectors. The cross section for the high spin isomeric state (12-) was determined along with the sum of the ground (2-), the first (5+), and second (12-) isomeric states. Theoretical calculations were carried out with the codes empire 3.2.2 and talys 1.8. Optimum input parameters were chosen in such a way as to simultaneously reproduce several experimental reaction channel cross sections in a satisfactory way, namely the (n ,elastic ), (n ,2 n ), (n ,3 n ), (n ,p ), (n ,α ), and (n ,total) ones.

Guns, anger, and mental disorders: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)

PubMed Central

Swanson, Jeffrey W.; Sampson, Nancy A.; Zaslavsky, Alan M.; Appelbaum, Paul S.; Swartz, Marvin S.; Kessler, Ronald C.

2016-01-01

Analyses from the National Comorbidity Study Replication provide the first nationally-representative estimates of the co-occurrence of pathological anger traits and possessing or carrying a gun among adults with and without certain mental disorders and demographic characteristics. The study found that a large number of individuals in the United States have anger traits and also possess firearms at home (10.4%) or carry guns outside the home (1.6%). These data document associations of numerous common mental disorders and combinations of anger traits with gun access. Because only a small proportion of persons with this risky combination have ever been hospitalized for a mental health problem, most will not be subject to existing mental-health-related legal restrictions on firearms due to involuntary commitment. Excluding a large proportion of the general population from gun possession is also not likely to be feasible. Behavioral risk-based approaches to firearms restriction, such as expanding the definition of gun-prohibited persons to include those with violent misdemeanor convictions and multiple DUI convictions, could be a more effective public health policy to prevent gun violence in the population. PMID:25850688

Considering Context, Place, and Culture: The National Latino and Asian American Study

PubMed Central

Alegria, Margarita; Takeuchi, David; Canino, Glorisa; Duan, Naihua; Shrout, Patrick; Meng, Xiao-Li; Vega, William; Zane, Nolan; Vila, Doryliz; Woo, Meghan; Vera, Mildred; Guarnaccia, Peter; Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio; Sue, Stanley; Escobar, Javier; Lin, Keh-Ming; Gong, Fong

2009-01-01

This paper provides a rationale and overview of procedures used to develop the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). The NLAAS is nationally representative community household survey that estimates the prevalence of mental disorders and rates of mental health service utilization of Latinos and Asian Americans in the United States. The central aims of the NLAAS are to: 1) describe the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of psychiatric disorders and the rates of mental health services use for Latino and Asian American populations using nationwide representative samples of Latinos and Asian Americans, 2) assess the associations among social position, environmental context, and psychosocial factors with the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and utilization rates of mental health services, and 3) compare the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of psychiatric disorders, and utilization of mental health services of Latinos and Asian Americans with national representative samples of non-Latino whites (from the National Comorbidity Study-Replication; NCS-R) and African Americans (from the National Survey of American Life; NSAL). This paper presents new concepts and methods utilized in the development of the NLAAS to capture and investigate ethnic, cultural and environmental considerations that are often ignored in mental health research. PMID:15719529

Guns, Impulsive Angry Behavior, and Mental Disorders: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R).

PubMed

Swanson, Jeffrey W; Sampson, Nancy A; Petukhova, Maria V; Zaslavsky, Alan M; Appelbaum, Paul S; Swartz, Marvin S; Kessler, Ronald C

2015-06-01

Analyses from the National Comorbidity Study Replication provide the first nationally representative estimates of the co-occurrence of impulsive angry behavior and possessing or carrying a gun among adults with and without certain mental disorders and demographic characteristics. The study found that a large number of individuals in the United States self-report patterns of impulsive angry behavior and also possess firearms at home (8.9%) or carry guns outside the home (1.5%). These data document associations of numerous common mental disorders and combinations of angry behavior with gun access. Because only a small proportion of persons with this risky combination have ever been involuntarily hospitalized for a mental health problem, most will not be subject to existing mental health-related legal restrictions on firearms resulting from a history of involuntary commitment. Excluding a large proportion of the general population from gun possession is also not likely to be feasible. Behavioral risk-based approaches to firearms restriction, such as expanding the definition of gun-prohibited persons to include those with violent misdemeanor convictions and multiple DUI convictions, could be a more effective public health policy to prevent gun violence in the population. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Study of (n,2n) reaction on 191,193Ir isotopes and isomeric cross section ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlastou, R.; Kalamara, A.; Kokkoris, M.; Patronis, N.; Serris, M.; Georgoulakis, M.; Hassapoglou, S.; Kobothanasis, K.; Axiotis, M.; Lagoyannis, A.

2017-09-01

The cross section of 191Ir(n,2n)190Irg+m1 and 191Ir(n,2n)190Irm2 reactions has been measured at 17.1 and 20.9 MeV neutron energies at the 5.5 MV tandem T11/25 Accelerator Laboratory of NCSR "Demokritos", using the activation method. The neutron beams were produced by means of the 3H(d,n)4He reaction at a flux of the order of 2 × 105 n/cm2s. The neutron flux has been deduced implementing the 27Al(n,α) reaction, while the flux variation of the neutron beam was monitored by using a BF3 detector. The 193Ir(n,2n)192Ir reaction cross section has also been determined, taking into account the contribution from the contaminant 191Ir(n,γ)192Ir reaction. The correction method is based on the existing data in ENDF for the contaminant reaction, convoluted with the neutron spectra which have been extensively studied by means of simulations using the NeusDesc and MCNP codes. Statistical model calculations using the code EMPIRE 3.2.2 and taking into account pre-equilibrium emission, have been performed on the data measured in this work as well as on data reported in literature.

Patterns and predictors of ADHD persistence into adulthood: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

PubMed Central

Kessler, Ronald C.; Adler, Lenard A.; Barkley, Russell; Biederman, Joseph; Conners, C. Keith; Faraone, Stephen V.; Greenhill, Laurence L.; Jaeger, Savina; Secnik, Kristina; Spencer, Thomas; Üstün, T. Bedirhan; Zaslavsky, Alan M.

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND Despite growing interest in adult ADHD, little is known about predictors of persistence of childhood cases into adulthood. METHODS A retrospective assessment of childhood ADHD, childhood risk factors, and a screen for adult ADHD were included in a sample of 3197 18–44 year old respondents in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Blinded adult ADHD clinical reappraisal interviews were administered to a sub-sample of respondents. Multiple imputation (MI) was used to estimate adult persistence of childhood ADHD. Logistic regression was used to study retrospectively reported childhood predictors of persistence. Potential predictors included socio-demographics, childhood ADHD severity, childhood adversity, traumatic life experiences, and comorbid DSM-IV child-adolescent disorders (anxiety, mood, impulse-control, and substance disorders). RESULTS 36.3% of respondents with retrospectively assessed childhood ADHD were classified by blinded clinical interviews as meeting DSM-IV criteria for current ADHD. Childhood ADHD severity and childhood treatment significantly predicted persistence. Controlling for severity and excluding treatment, none of the other variables significantly predicted persistence even though they were significantly associated with childhood ADHD. CONCLUSIONS No modifiable risk factors were found for adult persistence of ADHD. Further research, ideally based on prospective general population samples, is needed to search for modifiable determinants of adult persistence of ADHD. PMID:15950019

Improving Targets for the Prevention of Drug Use Disorders: Sociodemographic Predictors of Transitions Across Drug Use Stages in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

PubMed Central

Swendsen, Joel; Anthony, James C.; Conway, Kevin P.; Degenhardt, Louisa; Dierker, Lisa; Glantz, Meyer; He, Jianping; Kalaydjian, Amanda; Kessler, Ronald C.; Sampson, Nancy; Merikangas, Kathleen R.

2010-01-01

Objectives Models of drug use etiology and prevention require precise information concerning the expression of population-based risk factors across the continuum of drug use. However, the majority of previous epidemiologic research on this topic has not addressed transitions between specific drug stages. The present investigation examined the sociodemographic predictors of progression across six stages of drug use in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a nationally representative household survey of the U.S. population conducted between February, 2001 and April, 2003. Methods Lifetime history of opportunity to use illicit substances, initial drug use, and DSM-IV drug use disorders were collected using in-person structured diagnostic interviews. Results The median age of first opportunity to use drugs as well as drug use, abuse and dependence each occurred prior to age 20, while the median remission from abuse and dependence occurred at 26 and 30 years, respectively. Most sociodemographic variables, in particular sex and ethnicity, demonstrated highly differential associations with transitions depending on the stage examined. Conclusions The findings may partially explain the effectiveness of strategies designed to reduce drug use, abuse and dependence, and indicate that increased correspondence is needed between available epidemiologic data and existing models of etiology or prevention. PMID:18926848

Assessing impact of differential symptom functioning on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis.

PubMed

He, Qiwei; Glas, Cees A W; Veldkamp, Bernard P

2014-06-01

This article explores the generalizability of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to various subpopulations. Besides identifying the differential symptom functioning (also referred to as differential item functioning [DIF]) related to various background variables such as gender, marital status and educational level, this study emphasizes the importance of evaluating the impact of DIF on population inferences as made in health surveys and clinical trials, and on the diagnosis of individual patients. Using a sample from the National Comorbidity Study-Replication (NCS-R), four symptoms for gender, one symptom for marital status, and three symptoms for educational level were significantly flagged as DIF, but their impact on diagnosis was fairly small. We conclude that the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for PTSD do not produce substantially biased results in the investigated subpopulations, and there should be few reservations regarding their use. Further, although the impact of DIF (i.e. the influence of differential symptom functioning on diagnostic results) was found to be quite small in the current study, we recommend that diagnosticians always perform a DIF analysis of various subpopulations using the methodology presented here to ensure the diagnostic criteria is valid in their own studies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mental disorders among English-speaking Mexican immigrants to the US compared to a national sample of Mexicans.

PubMed

Breslau, Joshua; Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio; Borges, Guilherme; Castilla-Puentes, Ruby Cecilia; Kendler, Kenneth S; Medina-Mora, Maria-Elena; Su, Maxwell; Kessler, Ronald C

2007-05-30

Our understanding of the relationship between immigration and mental health can be advanced by comparing immigrants pre- and post-immigration with residents of the immigrants' home countries. DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders were assessed using identical methods in representative samples of English-speaking Mexican immigrants to the US, a subsample of the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCSR), and Mexicans, the Mexican National Comorbidity Survey (MNCS). Retrospective reports of age of onset of disorders and, in the immigrant sample, age of immigration were analyzed to study the associations of pre-existing mental disorders with immigration and of immigration with the subsequent onset and persistence of mental disorders. Pre-existing anxiety disorders predicted immigration (OR=3.0; 95% CI 1.2-7.4). Immigration predicted subsequent onset of anxiety (OR=1.9; 95% CI 0.9-3.9) and mood (OR=2.3; 95% CI 1.3-4.0) disorders and persistence of anxiety (OR=3.7 95% CI 1.2-11.2) disorders. The results are inconsistent with the "healthy immigrant" hypothesis (that mentally healthy people immigrate) and partly consistent with the "acculturation stress" hypothesis (i.e., that stresses of living in a foreign culture promote mental disorder). Replication and extension of these results in a larger bi-national sample using a single field staff are needed.

An RFID-based luggage and passenger tracking system for airport security control applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vastianos, George E.; Kyriazanos, Dimitris M.; Kountouriotis, Vassilios I.; Thomopoulos, Stelios C. A.

2014-06-01

Market analysis studies of recent years have shown a steady and significant increase in the usage of RFID technology. Key factors for this growth were the decreased costs of passive RFIDs and their improved performance compared to the other identification technologies. Besides the benefits of RFID technologies into the supply chains, warehousing, traditional inventory and asset management applications, RFID has proven itself worth exploiting on experimental, as well as on commercial level in other sectors, such as healthcare, transport and security. In security sector, airport security is one of the biggest challenges. Airports are extremely busy public places and thus prime targets for terrorism, with aircraft, passengers, crew and airport infrastructure all subject to terrorist attacks. Inside this labyrinth of security challenges, the long range detection capability of the UHF passive RFID technology can be turned into a very important tracking tool that may outperform all the limitations of the barcode tracking inside the current airport security control chain. The Integrated Systems Lab of NCSR Demokritos has developed an RFID based Luggage and Passenger tracking system within the TASS (FP7-SEC-2010-241905) EU research project. This paper describes application scenarios of the system categorized according to the structured nature of the environment, the system architecture and presents evaluation results extracted from measurements with a group of different massive production GEN2 UHF RFID tags that are widely available in the world market.

Sleep Problems, Comorbid Mental Disorders, and Role Functioning in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)

PubMed Central

Roth, Thomas; Jaeger, Savina; Jin, Robert; Kalsekar, Anupama; Stang, Paul E.; Kessler, Ronald C.

2007-01-01

Background Little is known about the population prevalence of sleep problems or whether the associations of sleep problems with role impairment are due to comorbid mental disorders. Methods The associations of four 12-month sleep problems (difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, nonrestorative sleep) with role impairment were analyzed in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication controlling 12-month DSM-IV anxiety, mood, impulse-control, and substance disorders. The WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to assess sleep problems and DSM-IV disorders. The WHO Disability Schedule-II (WHO-DAS) was used to assess role impairment. Results Prevalence estimates of the separate sleep problems were in the range 16.4-25.0%, with 36.3% reporting at least one of the four. Mean 12-month duration was 24.4 weeks. All four problems were significantly comorbid with all the 12-month DMS-IV disorders assessed in the survey (median OR: 3.4; 25th-75th percentile: 2.8-3.9) and significantly related to role impairment. Relationships with role impairment generally remained significant after controlling comorbid mental disorders. Nonrestorative sleep was more strongly and consistently related to role impairment than were the other sleep problems. Conclusions The four sleep problems considered here are of public health significance because of their high prevalence and significant associations with role impairment. PMID:16952333

DXBC: a long distance wireless broadband communication system for coastal maritime surveillance applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vastianos, George E.; Argyreas, Nick D.; Xilouris, Chris K.; Thomopoulos, Stelios C. A.

2015-05-01

The field of Homeland Security focuses on the air, land, and sea borders surveillance in order to prevent illegal activities while facilitating lawful travel and trade. The achievement of this goal requires collaboration of complex decentralized systems and services, and transfer of huge amount of information between the remote surveillance areas and the command & control centers. It becomes obvious that the effectiveness of the provided security depends highly on the available communication capabilities between the interconnected areas. Although nowadays the broadband communication between remote places is presumed easy because of the extensive infrastructure inside residential areas, it becomes a real challenge when the required information should be acquired from locations where no infrastructure is available such as mountain or sea areas. The Integrated Systems Lab of NCSR Demokritos within the PERSEUS FP7- SEC-2011-261748 project has developed a wireless broadband telecommunication system that combines different communication channels from subGHz to microwave frequencies and provides secure IP connectivity between sea surveillance vessels and the Command and Control Centers (C3). The system was deployed in Fast Patrol Boats of the Hellenic Coast Guard that are used for maritime surveillance in sea boarders and tested successfully in two demonstration exercises for irregular migration and smuggling scenarios in the Aegean Archipelagos. This paper describes in detail the system architecture in terms of hardware and software and the evaluation measurements of the system communication capabilities.

The effect of community stress and problems on psychopathology: A structural equation modeling study.

PubMed

Lyu, Juncheng; Shi, Hong; Wang, Suzhen; Zhang, Jie

2016-02-01

This research aimed to estimate the effect of perceived social factors in the community stress and problems on the residents' psychopathology such as depression and suicidal behaviors. Subjects of this study were the informants (N=1618) in a psychological autopsy (PA) study with a case-control design. We interviewed two informants (a family member and a close friend) for 392 suicides and 416 living controls, which came from 16 rural counties randomly selected from three provinces of China. Community stress and problems were measured by the WHO SUPRE-MISS scale. Depression was measured by CES-D scale, and suicidal behavior was assessed by NCS-R scale. Multivariable liner and logistic regression models and the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were applied to probe the correlation of the depression and the suicidal behaviors with some major demographic variables as covariates. It was found that community stress and problems were directly associated with rural Chinese residents' depression (Path coefficient=0.127, P<0.001). There was no direct correlation between community stress and problem and suicidal behaviors, but community stress and problem can affect suicidal behaviors indirectly through depression. The path coefficient between depression and suicidal behaviors was 0.975. The current study predicts a new research viewpoint, that is, the depression is the intermediate between community stress and problem and suicidal behaviors. It might be an effective route to prevent depression directly and suicidal behaviors indirectly by reducing the community stress and problems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A): II. Overview and Design

PubMed Central

Kessler, Ronald C.; Avenevoli, Shelli; Costello, E. Jane; Green, Jennifer Greif; Gruber, Michael J.; Heeringa, Steven; Merikangas, Kathleen R.; Pennell, Beth-Ellen; Sampson, Nancy A.; Zaslavsky, Alan M.

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE To present an overview of the design and field procedures of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) METHOD The NCS-A is a nationally representative face-to-face household survey of the prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV mental disorders among US adolescents (ages 13–17) that was carried out between February 2001 and January 2004 by the Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. The sample was based on a dual-frame design that included 904 adolescent residents of the households that participated in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (85.9% response rate) and 9244 adolescent students selected from a representative sample of 320 schools in the same nationally representative sample of counties as the NCS-R (74.7% response rate). RESULTS Comparisons of sample and population distributions on Census socio-demographic variables and, in the school sample, school characteristics documented only minor differences that were corrected with post-stratification weighting. Comparisons of DSM-IV disorder prevalence estimates among household vs. school sample respondents in counties that differed in the use of replacement schools for originally selected schools that refused to participate showed that the use of replacement schools did not introduce bias into prevalence estimates. CONCLUSIONS The NCS-A is a rich nationally representative dataset that will substantially increase understanding of the mental health and well-being of adolescents in the United States. PMID:19242381

Single versus recurrent depression history: differentiating risk factors among current US smokers.

PubMed

Strong, David R; Cameron, Amy; Feuer, Shelley; Cohn, Amy; Abrantes, Ana M; Brown, Richard A

2010-06-01

The strong relationship between persistent tobacco use and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has motivated clinical trials of specialized treatments targeting smokers with a history of MDD. Meta-analyses suggest positive responses to specialized treatments have been observed consistently among smokers with history of recurrent rather than a single episode of MDD. Approximately 15% of current US smokers have a history of recurrent MDD. Little is known about the risk factors that contribute to persistent smoking and differentiate these at-risk smokers, US. The National Comorbidity Survey - Replication (NCS-R) included a survey of 1560 smokers participants aged 18 and older in the United States. Lifetime history of MDD was categorized according to chronicity: no history (No MDD), single episode (MDD-S) and recurrent depression (MDD-R). The relationship between the chronicity of MDD, smoking characteristics, cessation history, nicotine dependence, comorbidity with psychiatric disorders, and current functional impairments were examined. MDD-R smokers reported fewer lifetime cessation efforts, smoked more cigarettes, had higher levels of nicotine dependence, had higher rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders and greater functional impairment than smokers with No MDD. MDD-S smokers were not consistently distinguished from No MDD smokers on cessation attempts, level of daily smoking, nicotine dependence or functional impairment indices. The study highlights the importance of chronicity when characterizing depression-related risk of persistent smoking behavior. Although, clinical trials suggest MDD-R smokers specifically benefit from specialized behavioral treatments, these services are not widely available and more efforts are needed to engage MDD-R smokers in efficacious treatments. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Co-occurrence of psychotic experiences and common mental health conditions across four racially and ethnically diverse population samples.

PubMed

DeVylder, J E; Burnette, D; Yang, L H

2014-12-01

Prior research with racially/ethnically homogeneous samples has demonstrated widespread co-occurrence of psychotic experiences (PEs) and common mental health conditions, particularly multi-morbidity, suggesting that psychosis may be related to the overall severity of psychiatric disorder rather than any specific subtype. In this study we aimed to examine whether PEs are associated with the presence of specific disorders or multi-morbidity of co-occurring disorders across four large racially/ethnically diverse samples of adults in the USA. Data were drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) and separately from the Asian and Latino subsamples of the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between PEs and individual subtypes of DSM-IV disorder, and to test for a linear dose-response relationship between the number of subtypes and PEs. Prevalence of PEs was moderately greater among individuals with each subtype of disorder in each data set [odds ratios (ORs) 1.8-3.8], although associations were only variably significant when controlling for clinical and demographic variables. However, the sum of disorder subtypes was related to odds for PEs in a linear dose-response fashion across all four samples. PEs are related primarily to the extent or severity of psychiatric illness, as indicated by the presence of multiple psychiatric disorders, rather than to any particular subtype of disorder in these data. This relationship applies to the general population and across diverse racial/ethnic groups.

The prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV Intermittent Explosive Disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

PubMed Central

Kessler, Ronald C.; Coccaro, Emil F.; Fava, Maurizio; Jaeger, Savina; Jin, Robert; Walters, Ellen

2007-01-01

Context Little is known about the epidemiology of Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Objective To present nationally representative data on the prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Design The WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to assess DSM-IV anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance use disorders, and impulse-control disorders. Setting The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a face-to-face household survey carried out in 2001–03. Participants A nationally representative sample of 9282 people ages 18+ Main outcome variable Diagnoses of DSM-IV Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) Results Lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of DSM-IV IED are 7.3% and 3.9%., with a mean 43 lifetime attacks resulting in $1359 property damage. IED-related injuries occurred 180 times per 100 lifetime cases. Mean age of onset was 14. Socio-demographic correlates were uniformly weak. IED was significantly comorbid with most DSM-IV mood, anxiety, and substance disorders. Although the majority of people with IED (60.3%) obtained professional treatment for emotional or substance problems at some time in their life, only 28.8% ever received treatment for their anger, while only 11.7% of 12-month cases received treatment for their anger in the 12 months before interview. Conclusions IED is a much more common condition than previously recognized. The early age of onset, significant associations with comorbid mental disorders that have later ages of onset, and low proportion of cases in treatment all make IED a promising target for early detection, outreach, and treatment. PMID:16754840

The prevalence and effects of mood disorders on work performance in a nationally representative sample of US workers

PubMed Central

Kessler, Ronald C.; Akiskal, Hagop S.; Ames, Minnie; Birnbaum, Howard; Greenberg, Paul; Hirschfeld, Robert M.A.; Jin, Robert; Merikangas, Kathleen R.; Wang, Philip S.

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE Research on the workplace costs of mood disorders has focused largely on major depressive episodes (MDE). Bipolar disorder (BPD) has been overlooked both by failing to distinguish MDE due to major depressive disorder (MDD) versus BPD and by failing to evaluate the workplace costs of mania and hypomania. METHOD The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) assessed DSM-IV MDD and BPD with the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and assessed work impairment with the WHO Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ). Regression analysis of MDD and BPD predicting HPQ among workers (n = 3378) was used to estimate the workplace costs of mood disorders. RESULTS 1.1% of workers met CIDI criteria for 12-month BPD (bipolar I or bipolar II) and 6.4% for 12-month MDD. BPD was associated with 65.5 and MDD with 27.2 annual lost workdays per ill worker. Subgroup analysis showed that the higher work loss associated with BPD than MDD is due to more severe and persistent MDE in BPD than MDD rather than to stronger effects of mania-hypomania than depression. Annual human capital loss per ill worker was estimated at $9619 for BPD and $4426 for MDD. Annual projections to the US labor force were $14.1 billion for BPD and $36.6 billion for MDD. CONCLUSIONS Employer interest in the workplace costs of mood disorders should be broadened beyond MDD to include BPD. Effectiveness trials are needed to study the return on employer investment of coordinated programs for workplace screening and treatment of BPD and MDD. PMID:16946181

Mental disorders as risk factors for later substance dependence: estimates of optimal prevention and treatment benefits.

PubMed

Glantz, M D; Anthony, J C; Berglund, P A; Degenhardt, L; Dierker, L; Kalaydjian, A; Merikangas, K R; Ruscio, A M; Swendsen, J; Kessler, R C

2009-08-01

Although mental disorders have been shown to predict subsequent substance disorders, it is not known whether substance disorders could be cost-effectively prevented by large-scale interventions aimed at prior mental disorders. Although experimental intervention is the only way to resolve this uncertainty, a logically prior question is whether the associations of mental disorders with subsequent substance disorders are strong enough to justify mounting such an intervention. We investigated this question in this study using simulations to estimate the number of substance disorders that might be prevented under several hypothetical intervention scenarios focused on mental disorders. Data came from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a nationally representative US household survey that retrospectively assessed lifetime history and age of onset of DSM-IV mental and substance disorders. Survival analysis using retrospective age-of-onset reports was used to estimate associations of mental disorders with subsequent substance dependence. Simulations based on the models estimated effect sizes in several hypothetical intervention scenarios. Although successful intervention aimed at mental disorders might prevent some proportion of substance dependence, the number of cases of mental disorder that would have to be treated to prevent a single case of substance dependence is estimated to be so high that this would not be a cost-effective way to prevent substance dependence (in the range 76-177 for anxiety-mood disorders and 40-47 for externalizing disorders). Treatment of prior mental disorders would not be a cost-effective way to prevent substance dependence. However, prevention of substance dependence might be considered an important secondary outcome of interventions for early-onset mental disorders.

Prolonged fatigue in Ukraine and the United States: Prevalence and risk factors

PubMed Central

Friedberg, Fred; Tintle, Nathan; Clark, Jake; Bromet, Evelyn J.

2015-01-01

Background Prolonged, severe, unalleviated fatigue may be disabling whether it occurs on its own or in conjunction with medical or psychiatric conditions. This paper compares the prevalence and correlates of prolonged fatigue in general population samples in Ukraine versus the U.S. Methods Population surveys were conducted in 2002 in both Ukraine (Ukraine World Mental Health [WMH] Survey) and the U.S. (National Comorbidity Survey-Replication; NCS-R). Both surveys administered the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), which contained modules assessing: neurasthenia (prolonged fatigue); mood, anxiety, and alcohol/drug use disorders; chronic medical conditions; and demographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine risk factors in each country. Results The lifetime prevalence of prolonged fatigue was higher in Ukraine (5.2%) than the U.S. (3.7%). In both countries, one-fifth of individuals with prolonged fatigue had no medical or DSM-IV psychiatric condition. Also in both settings, fatigue was significantly associated with sociodemographic characteristics (being female, not working, and married before) as well as early onset and adult episodes of mood/anxiety disorder. Fatigue prevalence in Ukraine increased with age, but decreased in the U.S. at age 70. Unique risk factors for fatigue in Ukraine included lower socio-economic status, Ukrainian vs Russian ethnicity, and cardiovascular disease. Unique risk factors in the U.S. were parental depression/anxiety, adult episodes of alcohol/drugs, pain conditions, and other health problems. Conclusions The lifetime prevalence of prolonged fatigue in Ukraine was 40% higher than that found in U.S. data. In addition, fatigue prevalence increased sharply with age in Ukraine perhaps due to limited social and medical resources and greater comorbidity. PMID:26807341

The Prevalence, Comorbidity, and Age of Onset of Social Anxiety Disorder among U.S. Latinos

PubMed Central

Polo, Antonio; Alegría, Margarita; Chen, Chih-Nan; Blanco, Carlos

2013-01-01

Objective Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is increasingly being recognized as a prevalent, unremitting, and highly comorbid disorder1 yet studies focusing on this disorder among U.S. Latinos and immigrant populations are not available. This article evaluates ethnic differences in the prevalence, comorbidity, and age of onset of SAD. Cultural and contextual factors associated with risk of SAD are also examined within the Latino population. Method Data are analyzed using the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) and the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R). Both studies utilized the World Mental Health – Composite International Diagnostic Interview, which estimates the prevalence of lifetime and 12-month psychiatric disorders according to DSM-IV criteria. Results Latinos (LAT) reported lower lifetime and 12-month SAD prevalence and a later age of onset than U.S.-born non-Latino Whites (NLW). On the other hand, LAT diagnosed with 12-month SAD reported higher impairment across home, work, and relationship domains than their NLW counterparts. Overall, high SAD comorbidity was found with depressive, anxiety, and substance-related disorders among both ethnic groups. However, relative to NLW, LAT who entered the U.S. after the age of 21 were less likely to have lifetime SAD comorbidity with drug abuse and dependence and more likely to report lifetime SAD comorbidity with agoraphobia. Conclusion Varied trajectories of SAD risk are present across ethnicity and nativity groups. Clinicians must consider how culture and ethnicity shape these different presentations and determine treatment options accordingly. Outreach efforts are needed to reach immigrant Latinos, and those with comorbid SAD and Agoraphobia in particular. PMID:21899817

The epidemiology of panic attacks, panic disorder, and agoraphobia in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

PubMed Central

Kessler, Ronald C.; Chiu, Wai Tat; Jin, Robert; Ruscio, Ayelet Meron; Shear, Katherine; Walters, Ellen E.

2007-01-01

Context Only limited information exists about the epidemiology of DSM-IV panic attacks and panic disorder. Objective To present nationally representative data on the epidemiology of panic attacks and panic disorder with or without agoraphobia based on the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Design and Setting Nationally representative face-to-face household survey conducted using the fully structured WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Participants 9282 English-speaking respondents ages 18 and older. Main Outcome Measures DSM-IV panic attacks (PA) and panic disorder (PD) with and without agoraphobia (AG). Results Lifetime prevalence estimates are 22.7% for isolated panic without agoraphobia (PA-only), 0.8% for PA with agoraphobia without PD (PA-AG), 3.7% for PD without AG (PD-only), and 1.1% for PD with AG (PD-AG). Persistence, number of lifetime attacks, and number of years with attacks all increase monotonically across these four subgroups. All four subgroups are significantly comorbid with other lifetime DSM-IV disorders, with the highest odds for PD-AG and the lowest for PA-only. Scores on the Panic Disorder Severity Scale are also highest for PD-AG (86.3% moderate-severe) and lowest for PA-only (6.7% moderate-severe). Agoraphobia is associated with substantial severity, impairment, and comorbidity. Lifetime treatment is high (from 96.1% PD-AG to 61.1% PA-only), but 12-month treatment meeting published treatment guidelines is low (from 54.9% PD-AG to 18.2% PA-only). Conclusions Although the major societal burden of panic is due to PD and PA-AGG, isolated panic attacks also have high prevalence and meaningful role impairment. PMID:16585471

First cross-section measurements of the reactions Ag,109107(p ,γ )Cd,110108 at energies relevant to the p process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaliel, A.; Mertzimekis, T. J.; Asimakopoulou, E.-M.; Kanellakopoulos, A.; Lagaki, V.; Psaltis, A.; Psyrra, I.; Mavrommatis, E.

2017-09-01

Background: One of the primary objectives of the field of Nuclear Astrophysics is the study of the elemental and isotopic abundances in the universe. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms behind the production of a large number of nuclides in the isotopic chart, there are still many open questions regarding a number of neutron-deficient nuclei, the p nuclei. To that end, experimentally deduced nuclear reaction cross sections can provide invaluable input to astrophysical models. Purpose: The reactions Ag,109107(p ,γ )Cd,110108 have been studied at energies inside the astrophysically relevant energy window in an attempt to provide experimental data required for the testing of reaction-rate predictions in terms of the statistical model of Hauser-Feshbach around the p nucleus 108Cd. Methods: The experiments were performed with in-beam γ -ray spectroscopy with proton beams accelerated by the Tandem Van de Graaff Accelerator at NCSR "Demokritos" impinging a target of natural silver. A set of high-purity germanium detectors was employed to record the emitted radiation. Results: A first set of total cross-section measurements in radiative proton-capture reactions involving Ag,109107, producing the p -nucleus 108Cd, inside the astrophysically relevant energy window is reported. The experimental results are compared to theoretical calculations, using talys. An overall good agreement between the data and the theoretical calculations has been found. Conclusions: The results reported in this work add new information to the relatively unexplored p process. The present measurements can serve as a reference point in understanding the nuclear parameters in the related astrophysical environments and for future theoretical modeling and experimental works.

A population study of the association between sleep disturbance and suicidal behaviour in people with mental illness.

PubMed

Stubbs, Brendon; Wu, Yu-Tzu; Prina, A Matthew; Leng, Yue; Cosco, Theodore D

2016-11-01

Limited representative research has considered the relationship between sleep disturbance and suicidal behaviour among people with mental illness. We investigated the relationship between sleep disturbance and suicidal behaviour across Part II interview of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCSR). The associations between sleep disturbance and suicidal behaviour (thoughts, plans and attempts) were investigated using logistic and multinomial logistic regressions and stratified across six mental disorder groups (depression, anxiety, substance use disorders (SUD), eating disorders (ED), bipolar disorders (BD) and early life disorders). From 5701 participants (mean age 43.4 years 58% women), people with any mental disorder experiencing sleep disturbance were at increased odds of suicidal thoughts (odds ratio (OR): 2.5; 95% CI: 1.7, 3.6) and suicidal plans and attempts (OR: 5.7; 95% CI: 2.7, 11.9) adjusting for age, sex and income. People with BD (OR: 8.9; 95 CI: 2.1, 38.1), early life disorders (OR 6.98, 95% ci 2.48, 19.67), depression (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.14, 3.11), anxiety (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.28, 2.85) and SUD (2.60, 95% CI 1.23, 5.49) but not ED, were at increased odds of suicidal thoughts in the presence of sleep disturbance. Adjusting for anti-depressant intake attenuated the effect sizes by up to 20% but the associations remained significant. In conclusion, sleep disturbance is a potential risk factor for suicidal behaviours in people with mental illness. Monitoring and management of sleep disturbance in clinical practice might be an important strategy to mitigate suicidal behaviours in people with mental illness. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Oxygen and Carbon Isotopic Signatures in Order to Infer Climatic and Dietary Information in Roman Edessa, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michael, Dimitra-Ermioni; Dotsika, Elissavet

2017-12-01

Even though many isotopic studies have been conducted on ancient populations from Greece for the purpose of dietary reconstruction; mostly through carbon and nitrogen isotopic signals of bone collagen, less attention has been given to the utility of apatite signatures (oxygen and carbon) as dietary and palaeoenvironmental tools. Moreover, until recently the isotopic signal of tooth enamel for both the purposes of environmental and dietary reconstructions has been rarely assessed in ancient Greek societies. Therefore, the present study aims to provide with novel isotopic information regarding Edessa; a town in Northern Greece, during the Roman period. The current study primarily aims to explore the possible differentiation between the present climatic conditions in Edessa in relation to those occurring at the Roman period. Secondly, this study aims to reveal the significant utility of enamel isotopic signatures (carbon and oxygen) in palaeoenvironmental and palaeodietary studies regarding ancient human remains. The isotopic analyses have been conducted at the Stable Isotope and Radiocarbon Unit of INN, NCSR “Demokritos”. The population of Roman Edessa (2nd-4th c. AD) consists of 22 individuals, providing with 19 bone samples and 16 enamel ones. The mean enamel oxygen value is at -7.7 ±1.1 %0, the bone apatite mean oxygen value at -9.2 ±1.9 %0, and finally the mean carbon enamel value is at -11.7 ±1.2 %0. Oxygen values probably indicate that Edessa had a cooler climate during the Roman times in relation to present conditions, even though more research should be carried out in order to be more certain. In addition, the possible existence of non-local individuals has been revealed through the oxygen teeth enamel-bone apatite spacing. Finally, the carbon enamel signature has pointed out possible differentiations between the adult and the juvenile diet. Based on Edessa’s findings, the stated study strongly encourages the enamel oxygen and carbon isotopic signals as palaeoclimatological and palaeodietary tools respectively.

The Structure and Diagnosis of Adult ADHD: An Analysis of Expanded Symptom Criteria from the Adult ADHD Clinical Diagnostic Scale (ACDS)

PubMed Central

Kessler, Ronald C.; Green, Jennifer Greif; Adler, Lenard A.; Barkley, Russell A.; Chatterji, Somnath; Faraone, Stephen V.; Finkelman, Matthew; Greenhill, Laurence L.; Gruber, Michael J.; Jewell, Mark; Russo, Leo J.; Sampson, Nancy A.; Van Brunt, David L.

2011-01-01

CONTEXT Controversy exists about the appropriate criteria for a diagnosis of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) OBJECTIVES To examine the structure and symptoms most predictive of DSM-IV adult ADHD. DESIGN Data come from clinical interviews in enriched sub-samples of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) (n = 131) and a survey of a large managed healthcare plan (n = 214). The clinician-administered Adult ADHD Clinical Diagnostic Scale (ACDS) was used to assess childhood ADHD and expanded symptoms of current adult ADHD. Analyses examined stability of symptoms from childhood to adulthood, the structure of adult ADHD, and the adult symptoms most predictive of current clinical diagnoses. SETTING The ACDS was administered telephonically by clinical research interviewers with extensive experience in diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD. PARTICIPANTS An enriched sample of community respondents MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES DSM-IV/ACDS diagnoses of adult ADHD RESULTS Almost half (45.7%) of respondents who had childhood ADHD continued to meet full DSM-IV criteria for current adult ADHD, with 94.9% of these cases having current attention-deficit disorder and 34.6% current hyperactivity disorder. Adult persistence was much greater for inattention than hyperactivity-impulsivity. Additional respondents met full criteria for current adult ADHD despite not having met full childhood criteria. A three-factor structure of adult symptoms included executive functioning, inattention-hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Stepwise logistic regression found executive functioning problems to be the most consistent and discriminating predictors of adult DSM-IV/ACDS ADHD. CONCLUSIONS These findings document the greater persistence of inattentive than hyperactive/impulsive childhood symptoms of ADHD in adulthood, but also show that inattention in not specific to ADHD, as it is strongly associated with other adult mental disorders. Executive functioning problems, in comparison, are more specific and consistently important predictors of DSM-IV adult ADHD despite not being in DSM-IV, suggesting that the number of executive functioning symptoms should be increased in DSM-V/ICD-11. PMID:21041618

The Impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on the Burden of Migraine: Results From the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication.

PubMed

Rao, Aruna S; Scher, Ann I; Vieira, Rebeca V A; Merikangas, Kathleen R; Metti, Andrea L; Peterlin, B Lee

2015-01-01

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked with migraine in prior studies. To evaluate the individual and joint burdens of migraine and PTSD in a population-based cohort. The National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R) is a general population study conducted in the United States from February 2001-April 2003. PTSD and migraine were assessed, and four groups defined based on their migraine and PTSD status. The four groups included those with no migraine and no PTSD (controls, n=4535), those with migraine and without PTSD (migraine alone, n=236), those with PTSD and without migraine (PTSD alone, n=244), and those with both migraine and PTSD (mig+PTSD, n=68). Logistic and Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between dichotomous/multilevel outcome variables indicating financial, health, and interpersonal burdens and each migraine/PTSD group. Compared to controls, those with Mig+PTSD were more likely to be in the low poverty index (48% vs 41%, AOR 2.16; CI: 1.10, 4.24) and were less likely to be working for pay or profit in the past week (50% vs 68%, AOR 0.42; CI: 0.24, 0.74) but not those with migraine or PTSD alone. Additionally, the number of days where work quality was cut due to physical or mental health or substance abuse in the past month was greater in all groups compared to controls: (1) migraine alone: mean 2.57 (SEM 0.32) vs mean 1.09 (SEM 0.08) days, ARR=2.39; CI: 2.19, 2.62; (2) PTSD alone: mean 2.43 (SEM 0.33) vs mean 1.09 (SEM 0.08) days, ARR=2.09; CI: 1.91, 2.29; (3) mig+PTSD: mean 8.2 (SEM 0.79) vs 1.09 (SEM 0.08) days, ARR 6.79; CI 6.16, 7.49; and was over 2.5-fold greater in those mig+PTSD than migraine alone (mean 8.0 [SEM 0.79] vs 2.6 days [SEM 0.72], ARR 2.77; CI: 2.45, 3.14). The likelihood of having difficulty getting along or maintaining a social life was also increased in all groups relative to controls: (1) migraine alone: 21% vs 5.4%, AOR 4.20; CI: 2.62, 6.74; (2) PTSD alone: 18% vs 5.4%, AOR 3.40; CI: 2.40, 4.82; (3) Mig+PTSD: 39% vs 5.4%, AOR 9.95; CI: 5.72, 17.32, and was 2-fold greater in those with Mig+PTSD as compared to those with migraine alone (AOR 2.32; CI: 1.15, 4.69). These findings support the need for those who treat migraine patients to be aware of the comorbidity with PTSD, as these patients may be particularly prone to adverse financial, health, and interpersonal disease burdens. © 2015 American Headache Society.

Evaluation of Heat-affected Zone Hydrogen-induced Cracking in High-strength Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Xin

Shipbuilding is heavily reliant on welding as a primary fabrication technique. Any high performance naval steel must also possess good weldability. It is therefore of great practical importance to conduct weldability testing of naval steels. Among various weldability issues of high-strength steels, hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) following welding is one of the biggest concerns. As a result, in the present work, research was conducted to study the HAZ HIC susceptibility of several naval steels. Since the coarse-grained heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) is generally known to be the most susceptible to HIC in the HAZ region, the continuous cooling transformation (CCT) behavior of the CGHAZ of naval steels HSLA-65, HSLA-100, and HY-100 was investigated. The CGHAZ microstructure over a range of cooling rates was characterized, and corresponding CCT diagrams were constructed. It was found that depending on the cooling rate, martensite, bainite, ferrite and pearlite can form in the CGHAZ of HSLA-65. For HSLA-100 and HY-100, only martensite and bainite formed over the range of cooling rates that were simulated. The constructed CCT diagrams can be used as a reference to select welding parameters to avoid the formation of high-hardness martensite in the CGHAZ, in order to ensure resistance to hydrogen-induced cracking. Implant testing was conducted on the naval steels to evaluate their susceptibility to HAZ HIC. Stress vs. time to failure curves were plotted, and the lower critical stress (LCS), normalized critical stress ratio (NCSR) and embrittlement index (EI) for each steel were determined, which were used to quantitatively compare HIC susceptibility. The CGHAZ microstructure of the naval steels was characterized, and the HIC fracture behavior was studied. Intergranular (IG), quasi-cleavage (QC) and microvoid coalescence (MVC) fracture modes were found to occur in sequence during the crack initiation and propagation process. This was rationalized using Beachem's model. Based on the implant test results, it can be concluded that with respect to HAZ HIC susceptibility, the four steels from the most susceptible to the least, are HY-100, BA-160, HSLA-100 and HSLA-65. Increasing diffusible hydrogen content showed that HSLA-100 has better tolerance to the increase in hydrogen levels than BA-160 and HY-100, with HY-100 exhibiting the least tolerance to hydrogen increase in weld joint. For the BA-160 steel, the effect of welding parameters on HAZ HIC susceptibility was investigated. It was shown that both increasing heat input and using preheat can improve the HAZ HIC resistance of BA-160. It was also found that using a PWHT at 650°C for 1 hour to reduce HIC susceptibility of BA-160 steel is also beneficial for the strength recovery in the softened as-welded CGHAZ. This is attributed to the re-precipitation of strengthening phases during the PWHT process that are dissolved in the CGHAZ during heating to the high temperature and do not re-precipitate completely during cooling.

SeaDataNet : Pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management - Project objectives, structure and components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maudire, G.; Maillard, C.; Fichaut, M.; Manzella, G.; Schaap, D. M. A.

2009-04-01

SeaDataNet : Pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management Project objectives, structure and components G. Maudire (1), C. Maillard (1), G. Manzella (2), M. Fichaut (1), D.M.A. Schaap (3), E. Iona (4) and the SeaDataNet consortium. (1) IFREMER, Brest, France (Gilbert.Maudire@ifremer.fr), (2) ENEA, La Spezia, Italy, (3) Mariene Informatie Service 'MARIS', Voorburg, The Netherlands, (4) Hellenic Centre for Marine Research-HCMR, Anavyssos, Greece. Since a large part of the earth population lives near the oceans or carries on activities directly or indirectly linked to the seas (fishery and aquaculture, exploitation of sea bottom resources, international shipping, tourism), knowledge of oceans is of primary importance for security and economy. However, observation and monitoring of the oceans remains difficult and expensive even if real improvements have been achieved using research vessels and submersibles, satellites and automatic observatories like buoys, floats and seafloor observatories transmitting directly to the shore using global transmission systems. More than 600 governmental or private organizations are active in observation of seas bordering Europe, but European oceanographic data are fragmented, not always validated and not always easily accessible. That highlights the need of international collaboration to tend toward a comprehensive view of ocean mechanisms, resources and changes. SeaDataNet is an Integrated research Infrastructure Initiative (I3) in European Union Framework Program 6 (2006 - 2011) to provide the data management system adapted both to the fragmented observation systems and to the users need for an integrated access to data, meta-data, products and services. Its major objectives are to: - encourage long-term archiving at national level to secure ocean data taking into account that all the observations made in the variable oceanic environment can never be remade if they are lost; - promote best practices for data management, taking benefits of the development of international initiatives and standards on data quality insurance, data descriptions (metadata and common vocabulary) and interoperability. Software tools are developed or adapted accordingly to support these practices and the adoption of standards; - establish online services to facilitate data discovery, data requests, data visualisation and data download for the users; - process data sets of reference like ocean climatologies at a regional basin scale to provide comprehensive data sets Sustainability of the provided services is researched by a balance between the activities mostly undertaken at National level by the National Oceanographic data centres or some thematic data centres and the effort done at the Pan-European level by the project. The SeaDataNet consortium brings now together a unique group of 49 partners from major oceanographic institutes of 35 countries. Taking in account that valuable work on ocean data management must be done at basin level, most of countries bordering Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North-East Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic Sea and Artic Sea are part of the project. Capacity building of consortium members is necessary to meet project objectives and a comprehensive training program is conducted both for data management and for IT technologies which are necessary to establish such a distributed system: databases management, XML language, web portal and services, GIS technologies. SeaDataNet Partners: IFREMER (France), MARIS (Netherlands), HCMR/HNODC (Greece), ULg (Belgium), OGS (Italy),NERC/BODC (UK), BSH/DOD (Germany), SMHI (Sweden), IEO (Spain), RIHMI/WDC (Russia), IOC (International), ENEA (Italy), INGV (Italy), METU (Turkey), CLS (France), AWI (Germany), IMR (Norway), NERI (Denmark), ICES (International), EC-DG JRC (International), MI (Ireland), IHPT (Portugal), RIKZ (Netherlands), RBINS/MUMM (Belgium), VLIZ (Belgium), MRI (Iceland), FIMR (Finland ), IMGW (Poland), MSI (Estonia), IAE/UL (Latvia), CMR (Lithuania), SIO/RAS (Russia), MHI/DMIST (Ukraine), IO/BAS (Bulgaria), NIMRD (Romania), TSU (Georgia), INRH (Morocco), IOF (Croatia), PUT (Albania), NIB (Slovenia), UoM (Malta), OC/UCY (Cyprus), IOLR (Israel), NCSR/NCMS (Lebanon), CNR-ISAC (Italy), ISMAL (Algeria), INSTM (Tunisia)

SeaDataNet - Pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management: Unified access to distributed data sets (www.seadatanet.org)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaap, Dick M. A.; Maudire, Gilbert

2010-05-01

SeaDataNet is a leading infrastructure in Europe for marine & ocean data management. It is actively operating and further developing a Pan-European infrastructure for managing, indexing and providing access to ocean and marine data sets and data products, acquired via research cruises and other observational activities, in situ and remote sensing. The basis of SeaDataNet is interconnecting 40 National Oceanographic Data Centres and Marine Data Centers from 35 countries around European seas into a distributed network of data resources with common standards for metadata, vocabularies, data transport formats, quality control methods and flags, and access. Thereby most of the NODC's operate and/or are developing national networks to other institutes in their countries to ensure national coverage and long-term stewardship of available data sets. The majority of data managed by SeaDataNet partners concerns physical oceanography, marine chemistry, hydrography, and a substantial volume of marine biology and geology and geophysics. These are partly owned by the partner institutes themselves and for a major part also owned by other organizations from their countries. The SeaDataNet infrastructure is implemented with support of the EU via the EU FP6 SeaDataNet project to provide the Pan-European data management system adapted both to the fragmented observation system and the users need for an integrated access to data, meta-data, products and services. The SeaDataNet project has a duration of 5 years and started in 2006, but builds upon earlier data management infrastructure projects, undertaken over a period of 20 years by an expanding network of oceanographic data centres from the countries around all European seas. Its predecessor project Sea-Search had a strict focus on metadata. SeaDataNet maintains significant interest in the further development of the metadata infrastructure, extending its services with the provision of easy data access and generic data products. Version 1 of its infrastructure upgrade was launched in April 2008 and is now well underway to include all 40 data centres at V1 level. It comprises the network of 40 interconnected data centres (NODCs) and a central SeaDataNet portal. V1 provides users a unified and transparent overview of the metadata and controlled access to the large collections of data sets, that are managed at these data centres. The SeaDataNet V1 infrastructure comprises the following middleware services: • Discovery services = Metadata directories and User interfaces • Vocabulary services = Common vocabularies and Governance • Security services = Authentication, Authorization & Accounting • Delivery services = Requesting and Downloading of data sets • Viewing services = Mapping of metadata • Monitoring services = Statistics on system usage and performance and Registration of data requests and transactions • Maintenance services = Entry and updating of metadata by data centres Also good progress is being made with extending the SeaDataNet infrastructure with V2 services: • Viewing services = Quick views and Visualisation of data and data products • Product services = Generic and standard products • Exchange services = transformation of SeaDataNet portal CDI output to INSPIRE compliance As a basis for the V1 services, common standards have been defined for metadata and data formats, common vocabularies, quality flags, and quality control methods, based on international standards, such as ISO 19115, OGC, NetCDF (CF), ODV, best practices from IOC and ICES, and following INSPIRE developments. An important objective of the SeaDataNet V1 infrastructure is to provide transparent access to the distributed data sets via a unique user interface and download service. In the SeaDataNet V1 architecture the Common Data Index (CDI) V1 metadata service provides the link between discovery and delivery of data sets. The CDI user interface enables users to have a detailed insight of the availability and geographical distribution of marine data, archived at the connected data centres. It provides sufficient information to allow the user to assess the data relevance. Moreover the CDI user interface provides the means for downloading data sets in common formats via a transaction mechanism. The SeaDataNet portal provides registered users access to these distributed data sets via the CDI V1 Directory and a shopping basket mechanism. This allows registered users to locate data of interest and submit their data requests. The requests are forwarded automatically from the portal to the relevant SeaDataNet data centres. This process is controlled via the Request Status Manager (RSM) Web Service at the portal and a Download Manager (DM) java software module, implemented at each of the data centres. The RSM also enables registered users to check regularly the status of their requests and download data sets, after access has been granted. Data centres can follow all transactions for their data sets online and can handle requests which require their consent. The actual delivery of data sets is done between the user and the selected data centre. Very good progress is being made with connecting all SeaDataNet data centres and their data sets to the CDI V1 system. At present the CDI V1 system provides users functionality to discover and download more than 500.000 data sets, a number which is steadily increasing. The SeaDataNet architecture provides a coherent system of the various V1 services and inclusion of the V2 services. For the implementation, a range of technical components have been defined and developed. These make use of recent web technologies, and also comprise Java components, to provide multi-platform support and syntactic interoperability. To facilitate sharing of resources and interoperability, SeaDataNet has adopted the technology of SOAP Web services for various communication tasks. The SeaDataNet architecture has been designed as a multi-disciplinary system from the beginning. It is able to support a wide variety of data types and to serve several sector communities. SeaDataNet is willing to share its technologies and expertise, to spread and expand its approach, and to build bridges to other well established infrastructures in the marine domain. Therefore SeaDataNet has developed a strategy of seeking active cooperation on a national scale with other data holding organisations via its NODC networks and on an international scale with other European and international data management initiatives and networks. This is done with the objective to achieve a wider coverage of data sources and an overall interoperability between data infrastructures in the marine and ocean domains. Recent examples are e.g. the EU FP7 projects Geo-Seas for geology and geophysical data sets, UpgradeBlackSeaScene for a Black Sea data management infrastructure, CaspInfo for a Caspian Sea data management infrastructure, the EU EMODNET pilot projects, for hydrographic, chemical, and biological data sets. All projects are adopting the SeaDataNet standards and extending its services. Also active cooperation takes place with EuroGOOS and MyOcean in the domain of real-time and delayed mode metocean monitoring data. SeaDataNet Partners: IFREMER (France), MARIS (Netherlands), HCMR/HNODC (Greece), ULg (Belgium), OGS (Italy), NERC/BODC (UK), BSH/DOD (Germany), SMHI (Sweden), IEO (Spain), RIHMI/WDC (Russia), IOC (International), ENEA (Italy), INGV (Italy), METU (Turkey), CLS (France), AWI (Germany), IMR (Norway), NERI (Denmark), ICES (International), EC-DG JRC (International), MI (Ireland), IHPT (Portugal), RIKZ (Netherlands), RBINS/MUMM (Belgium), VLIZ (Belgium), MRI (Iceland), FIMR (Finland ), IMGW (Poland), MSI (Estonia), IAE/UL (Latvia), CMR (Lithuania), SIO/RAS (Russia), MHI/DMIST (Ukraine), IO/BAS (Bulgaria), NIMRD (Romania), TSU (Georgia), INRH (Morocco), IOF (Croatia), PUT (Albania), NIB (Slovenia), UoM (Malta), OC/UCY (Cyprus), IOLR (Israel), NCSR/NCMS (Lebanon), CNR-ISAC (Italy), ISMAL (Algeria), INSTM (Tunisia)

SeaDataNet - Pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management: Unified access to distributed data sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaap, D. M. A.; Maudire, G.

2009-04-01

SeaDataNet is an Integrated research Infrastructure Initiative (I3) in EU FP6 (2006 - 2011) to provide the data management system adapted both to the fragmented observation system and the users need for an integrated access to data, meta-data, products and services. Therefore SeaDataNet insures the long term archiving of the large number of multidisciplinary data (i.e. temperature, salinity current, sea level, chemical, physical and biological properties) collected by many different sensors installed on board of research vessels, satellite and the various platforms of the marine observing system. The SeaDataNet project started in 2006, but builds upon earlier data management infrastructure projects, undertaken over a period of 20 years by an expanding network of oceanographic data centres from the countries around all European seas. Its predecessor project Sea-Search had a strict focus on metadata. SeaDataNet maintains significant interest in the further development of the metadata infrastructure, but its primary objective is the provision of easy data access and generic data products. SeaDataNet is a distributed infrastructure that provides transnational access to marine data, meta-data, products and services through 40 interconnected Trans National Data Access Platforms (TAP) from 35 countries around the Black Sea, Mediterranean, North East Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic and Arctic regions. These include: National Oceanographic Data Centres (NODC's) Satellite Data Centres. Furthermore the SeaDataNet consortium comprises a number of expert modelling centres, SME's experts in IT, and 3 international bodies (ICES, IOC and JRC). Planning: The SeaDataNet project is delivering and operating the infrastructure in 3 versions: Version 0: maintenance and further development of the metadata systems developed by the Sea-Search project plus the development of a new metadata system for indexing and accessing to individual data objects managed by the SeaDataNet data centres. This is known as the Common Data Index (CDI) V0 system Version 1: harmonisation and upgrading of the metadatabases through adoption of the ISO 19115 metadata standard and provision of transparent data access and download services from all partner data centres through upgrading the Common Data Index and deployment of a data object delivery service. Version 2: adding data product services and OGC compliant viewing services and further virtualisation of data access. SeaDataNet Version 0: The SeaDataNet portal has been set up at http://www.seadatanet.org and it provides a platform for all SeaDataNet services and standards as well as background information about the project and its partners. It includes discovery services via the following catalogues: CSR - Cruise Summary Reports of research vessels; EDIOS - Locations and details of monitoring stations and networks / programmes; EDMED - High level inventory of Marine Environmental Data sets collected and managed by research institutes and organisations; EDMERP - Marine Environmental Research Projects ; EDMO - Marine Organisations. These catalogues are interrelated, where possible, to facilitate cross searching and context searching. These catalogues connect to the Common Data Index (CDI). Common Data Index (CDI) The CDI gives detailed insight in available datasets at partners databases and paves the way to direct online data access or direct online requests for data access / data delivery. The CDI V0 metadatabase contains more than 340.000 individual data entries from 36 CDI partners from 29 countries across Europe, covering a broad scope and range of data, held by these organisations. For purposes of standardisation and international exchange the ISO19115 metadata standard has been adopted. The CDI format is defined as a dedicated subset of this standard. A CDI XML format supports the exchange between CDI-partners and the central CDI manager, and ensures interoperability with other systems and networks. CDI XML entries are generated by participating data centres, directly from their databases. CDI-partners can make use of dedicated SeaDataNet Tools to generate CDI XML files automatically. Approach for SeaDataNet V1 and V2: The approach for SeaDataNet V1 and V2, which is in line with the INSPIRE Directive, comprises the following services: Discovery services = Metadata directories Security services = Authentication, Authorization & Accounting (AAA) Delivery services = Data access & downloading of datasets Viewing services = Visualisation of metadata, data and data products Product services = Generic and standard products Monitoring services = Statistics on usage and performance of the system Maintenance services = Updating of metadata by SeaDataNet partners The services will be operated over a distributed network of interconnected Data Centres accessed through a central Portal. In addition to service access the portal will provide information on data management standards, tools and protocols. The architecture has been designed to provide a coherent system based on V1 services, whilst leaving the pathway open for later extension with V2 services. For the implementation, a range of technical components have been defined. Some are already operational with the remainder in the final stages of development and testing. These make use of recent web technologies, and also comprise Java components, to provide multi-platform support and syntactic interoperability. To facilitate sharing of resources and interoperability, SeaDataNet has adopted SOAP Web Service technology. The SeaDataNet architecture and components have been designed to handle all kinds of oceanographic and marine environmental data including both in-situ measurements and remote sensing observations. The V1 technical development is ready and the V1 system is now being implemented and adopted by all participating data centres in SeaDataNet. Interoperability: Interoperability is the key to distributed data management system success and it is achieved in SeaDataNet V1 by: Using common quality control protocols and flag scale Using controlled vocabularies from a single source that have been developed using international content governance Adopting the ISO 19115 metadata standard for all metadata directories Providing XML Validation Services to quality control the metadata maintenance, including field content verification based on Schematron. Providing standard metadata entry tools Using harmonised Data Transport Formats (NetCDF, ODV ASCII and MedAtlas ASCII) for data sets delivery Adopting of OGC standards for mapping and viewing services Using SOAP Web Services in the SeaDataNet architecture SeaDataNet V1 Delivery Services: An important objective of the V1 system is to provide transparent access to the distributed data sets via a unique user interface at the SeaDataNet portal and download service. In the SeaDataNet V1 architecture the Common Data Index (CDI) V1 provides the link between discovery and delivery. The CDI user interface enables users to have a detailed insight of the availability and geographical distribution of marine data, archived at the connected data centres, and it provides the means for downloading data sets in common formats via a transaction mechanism. The SeaDataNet portal provides registered users access to these distributed data sets via the CDI V1 Directory and a shopping basket mechanism. This allows registered users to locate data of interest and submit their data requests. The requests are forwarded automatically from the portal to the relevant SeaDataNet data centres. This process is controlled via the Request Status Manager (RSM) Web Service at the portal and a Download Manager (DM) java software module, implemented at each of the data centres. The RSM also enables registered users to check regularly the status of their requests and download data sets, after access has been granted. Data centres can follow all transactions for their data sets online and can handle requests which require their consent. The actual delivery of data sets is done between the user and the selected data centre. The CDI V1 system is now being populated by all participating data centres in SeaDataNet, thereby phasing out CDI V0. 0.1 SeaDataNet Partners: IFREMER (France), MARIS (Netherlands), HCMR/HNODC (Greece), ULg (Belgium), OGS (Italy), NERC/BODC (UK), BSH/DOD (Germany), SMHI (Sweden), IEO (Spain), RIHMI/WDC (Russia), IOC (International), ENEA (Italy), INGV (Italy), METU (Turkey), CLS (France), AWI (Germany), IMR (Norway), NERI (Denmark), ICES (International), EC-DG JRC (International), MI (Ireland), IHPT (Portugal), RIKZ (Netherlands), RBINS/MUMM (Belgium), VLIZ (Belgium), MRI (Iceland), FIMR (Finland ), IMGW (Poland), MSI (Estonia), IAE/UL (Latvia), CMR (Lithuania), SIO/RAS (Russia), MHI/DMIST (Ukraine), IO/BAS (Bulgaria), NIMRD (Romania), TSU (Georgia), INRH (Morocco), IOF (Croatia), PUT (Albania), NIB (Slovenia), UoM (Malta), OC/UCY (Cyprus), IOLR (Israel), NCSR/NCMS (Lebanon), CNR-ISAC (Italy), ISMAL (Algeria), INSTM (Tunisia)