In this paper, we describe the system design and capabilities of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope at the conclusion of its construction project and commencement of science operations. ASKAP is one of the first radio telescopes to deploy phased array feed (PAF) technology on a large scale, giving it an instantaneous field of view that covers $31\,\textrm{deg}^{2}$ at $800\,\textrm{MHz}$. As a two-dimensional array of 36$\times$12 m antennas, with baselines ranging from 22 m to 6 km, ASKAP also has excellent snapshot imaging capability and 10 arcsec resolution. This, combined with 288 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth and a unique third axis of rotation on each antenna, gives ASKAP the capability to create high dynamic range images of large sky areas very quickly. It is an excellent telescope for surveys between 700 and $1800\,\textrm{MHz}$ and is expected to facilitate great advances in our understanding of galaxy formation, cosmology, and radio transients while opening new parameter space for discovery of the unknown.

The Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS) is the first large-area survey to be conducted with the full 36-antenna Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope. RACS will provide a shallow model of the ASKAP sky that will aid the calibration of future deep ASKAP surveys. RACS will cover the whole sky visible from the ASKAP site in Western Australia and will cover the full ASKAP band of 700–1800 MHz. The RACS images are generally deeper than the existing NRAO VLA Sky Survey and Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey radio surveys and have better spatial resolution. All RACS survey products will be public, including radio images (with $\sim$ 15 arcsec resolution) and catalogues of about three million source components with spectral index and polarisation information. In this paper, we present a description of the RACS survey and the first data release of 903 images covering the sky south of declination $+41^\circ$ made over a 288-MHz band centred at 887.5 MHz.

Objectives: Blast explosions are the most frequent mechanism of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in recent wars, but little is known about their long-term effects. Methods: Functional connectivity (FC) was measured in 17 veterans an average of 5.46 years after their most serious blast related TBI, and in 15 demographically similar veterans without TBI or blast exposure. Subcortical FC was measured in bilateral caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. The default mode and fronto-parietal networks were also investigated. Results: In subcortical regions, between-groups t tests revealed altered FC from the right putamen and right globus pallidus. However, following analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with age, depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), and posttraumatic stress disorder symptom (PTSD Checklist – Civilian version) measures, significant findings remained only for the right globus pallidus with anticorrelation in bilateral temporal occipital fusiform cortex, occipital fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, and cerebellum, as well as the right occipital pole. No group differences were found for the default mode network. Although reduced FC was found in the fronto-parietal network in the TBI group, between-group differences were nonsignificant after the ANCOVA. Conclusions: FC of the globus pallidus is altered years after exposure to blast related TBI. Future studies are necessary to explore the trajectory of changes in FC in subcortical regions after blast TBI, the effects of isolated versus repetitive blast-related TBI, and the relation to long-term outcomes in veterans. (JINS, 2016, 22, 631–642)

The Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. OCR works through complaint investigations and compliance reviews, as well as outreach, technical assistance, and public education to promote voluntary compliance. In the Olmstead decision of June 1999, the Supreme Court held that the ADA’s “integration regulation” requires state and local government to administer services, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities. The decision changed the focus from whether a right to more integrated services exists, to under what circumstances and how services will be provided. The New Freedom Initiative announced by President Bush in February 2001 is a broadbased initiative to remove barriers to community living for people with disabilities and promote swift implementation of the Olmstead decision.

The redistribution of nitrogen from silicon to the Si-SiO2 interface due to thermal processing is investigated by Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) using Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) capacitors. SIMS profiles of implanted atomic nitrogen concentration indicate a significant redistribution of the nitrogen, from the silicon to the oxide layer in response to variations of the steady state time and temperature parameters of Rapid Thermal Anneal (RTA) processing. RTA treatment, in N2 ambient, over a temperature range of 750°C - 1100°C, results in a measured increase of the integrated nitrogen peak at the interface. High Frequency Capacitance Voltage (HFCV) measurements of an implanted (N/ 5 × 1014 cm2/s / 26keV) and annealed (900°C / 10s) sample is compared with a control (without N implant) sample to determine the relative nitrogen abundance at the interface. This value corresponds to the increase in fixed oxide charge Q that produces a negative shift in the flat band voltage Vo under negative gate bias conditions.

Background The identification of people at high risk of becoming psychotic within the near future creates opportunities for early intervention prior to the onset of psychosis to prevent or minimise later ill-health. The present study combines current knowledge about risk factors for schizophrenia with our knowledge of psychotic prodromes in an attempt to identify a group particularly vulnerable to impending psychosis. We wanted to identify people with high likelihood of transition to psychosis within a follow-up period of 12 months, and to determine the rate of transition to psychosis in this group.

Method Various state and trait risk factors for psychosis were used alone and in combination to operationally define a putatively high-risk group. Operationalised criteria for onset of psychosis were established. The individuals were assessed monthly on measures of psychopathology for six months.

Results Eight out of 20 people made the transition to frank psychosis within a six-month follow-up period. Follow-up of this group is still in progress, and the 12 month transition rate might prove to be higher still.

Conclusions We have demonstrated that it is possible to identify individuals with a high likelihood of onset of psychosis within a brief follow-up period. This lays the foundation for early treatment in an attempt to prevent, delay or minimise the severity of first onset of schizophrenia.

A cross-sectional serological survey was undertaken in 82 randomly selected high-risk healthcare workers previously vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine. The study design allowed for the identification and testing for hepatitis B surface antibody in equal numbers of employees in six-month intervals up to five years after vaccination. The results showed a consistent decline in antibody level with time, and an increasing proportion of participants with antibody levels below the commonly accepted protective level of ≥10 S/N (sample counts/negative control counts) radioimmunoassay units. The percent of vaccinees whose S/N ratio was greater than 10 fell from 10% at one year, to 25% at two years, to over 50% at four years. Based on these figures, as well as the financial costs of hepatitis B in employees and the predictability of booster immunization, it was possible to assess the cost benefit of a hospital policy for reimmunization. At our institution, a strategy of revaccination at fixed intervals could save up to $200,000 over a ten-year period if revaccination was not offered and vaccine efficacy declined. The information obtained should help determine the need for revaccination and the advantages and disadvantages of alternative revaccination strategies.

In a recent communication Andrews(1) claims that smears made from the end of the urethra of sexually immature or impotent males differ markedly from the smears obtained from a normal potent male.