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Diets varying in SFA and MUFA content can impact glycaemic control; however, whether underlying differences in genetic make-up can influence blood glucose responses to these dietary fatty acids is unknown. We examined the impact of dietary oils varying in SFA/MUFA content on changes in blood glucose levels (primary outcome) and whether these changes were modified by variants in the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene (secondary outcome). Obese men and women participating in the randomised, crossover, isoenergetic, controlled-feeding Canola Oil Multicenter Intervention Trial II consumed three dietary oils for 6 weeks, with washout periods of ˜6 weeks between each treatment. Diets studied included a high SFA/low MUFA Control oil (36·6 % SFA/28·2 % MUFA), a conventional canola oil (6·2 % SFA/63·1 % MUFA) and a high-oleic acid canola oil (5·8 % SFA/74·7 % MUFA). No differences in fasting blood glucose were observed following the consumption of the dietary oils. However, when stratified by SCD genotypes, significant SNP-by-treatment interactions on blood glucose response were found with additive models for rs1502593 (P = 0·01), rs3071 (P = 0·02) and rs522951 (P = 0·03). The interaction for rs3071 remained significant (P = 0·005) when analysed with a recessive model, where individuals carrying the CC genotype showed an increase (0·14 (sem 0·09) mmol/l) in blood glucose levels with the Control oil diet, but reductions in blood glucose with both MUFA oil diets. Individuals carrying the AA and AC genotypes experienced reductions in blood glucose in response to all three oils. These findings identify a potential new target for personalised nutrition approaches aimed at improving glycaemic control.
ABSTRACT IMPACT: Melatonin use could alleviate virus-induced respiratory illnesses. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Melatonin was identified as a potential repurposable drug in the fight against SARS Cov-2. Its ability to attenuate some virus inoculation effects raises the question whether melatonin use could alleviate virus-induced respiratory illness. Here we evaluated the occurrence of respiratory conditions in melatonin users and non-users surveyed. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Records from the Medical Panels Expenditure Survey (MEPS) database made available by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality were used to evaluate whether melatonin may be associated with reduced viral respiratory disease burden. First, all subjects reporting melatonin use (1996-2017) were collected along with records for all subjects reporting respiratory diseases as identified by consolidated ICD-9/10 codes. Second, all diagnosis codes were retrieved for all individuals identified in the first step. In total there were 201,490 occurrences of the specified conditions among 180,468 unique individuals. The relative risk of specific respiratory disease occurrence was computed for melatonin users and non-users. Population estimates for melatonin use were also determined. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Among 221 melatonin users, 132 had at least one respiratory illness. Among the 180,468 total subjects reporting at least one respiratory condition, melatonin use was associated with a lower rate of the common cold, pharyngitis, strep throat, scarlet fever, and sinusitis. Furthermore, melatonin was associated with a significantly reduced risk of common cold (RR 0.760, CI 0.587-0.985) and sinusitis (RR 0.407, CI 0.186-0.890). Due to low subject counts, the reduced risk observed for scarlet fever and strep throat was not considered significant. Melatonin users had a higher relative risk of allergic rhinitis (RR 1.393, CI 1.043-1.862) and asthma (RR 2.166, CI 1.672-2.806), probably due to melatonin active prescribing in these patients as sleep aid. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Although melatonin showed a lower relative risk of certain viral respiratory conditions, the low melatonin user numbers and their heterogeneous distribution over the time interval led to highly variable population estimates. Yet, our data suggests that melatonin may alleviate viral respiratory illness and deserves further investigation.
We summarize some of the past year's most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding about the remaining options to achieve the Paris Agreement goals, through overcoming political barriers to carbon pricing, taking into account non-CO2 factors, a well-designed implementation of demand-side and nature-based solutions, resilience building of ecosystems and the recognition that climate change mitigation costs can be justified by benefits to the health of humans and nature alone. We consider new insights about what to expect if we fail to include a new dimension of fire extremes and the prospect of cascading climate tipping elements.
Technical summary
A synthesis is made of 10 topics within climate research, where there have been significant advances since January 2020. The insights are based on input from an international open call with broad disciplinary scope. Findings include: (1) the options to still keep global warming below 1.5 °C; (2) the impact of non-CO2 factors in global warming; (3) a new dimension of fire extremes forced by climate change; (4) the increasing pressure on interconnected climate tipping elements; (5) the dimensions of climate justice; (6) political challenges impeding the effectiveness of carbon pricing; (7) demand-side solutions as vehicles of climate mitigation; (8) the potentials and caveats of nature-based solutions; (9) how building resilience of marine ecosystems is possible; and (10) that the costs of climate change mitigation policies can be more than justified by the benefits to the health of humans and nature.
Social media summary
How do we limit global warming to 1.5 °C and why is it crucial? See highlights of latest climate science.
We summarize some of the past year's most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding of Earth's sensitivity to carbon dioxide, finds that permafrost thaw could release more carbon emissions than expected and that the uptake of carbon in tropical ecosystems is weakening. Adverse impacts on human society include increasing water shortages and impacts on mental health. Options for solutions emerge from rethinking economic models, rights-based litigation, strengthened governance systems and a new social contract. The disruption caused by COVID-19 could be seized as an opportunity for positive change, directing economic stimulus towards sustainable investments.
Technical summary
A synthesis is made of ten fields within climate science where there have been significant advances since mid-2019, through an expert elicitation process with broad disciplinary scope. Findings include: (1) a better understanding of equilibrium climate sensitivity; (2) abrupt thaw as an accelerator of carbon release from permafrost; (3) changes to global and regional land carbon sinks; (4) impacts of climate change on water crises, including equity perspectives; (5) adverse effects on mental health from climate change; (6) immediate effects on climate of the COVID-19 pandemic and requirements for recovery packages to deliver on the Paris Agreement; (7) suggested long-term changes to governance and a social contract to address climate change, learning from the current pandemic, (8) updated positive cost–benefit ratio and new perspectives on the potential for green growth in the short- and long-term perspective; (9) urban electrification as a strategy to move towards low-carbon energy systems and (10) rights-based litigation as an increasingly important method to address climate change, with recent clarifications on the legal standing and representation of future generations.
Social media summary
Stronger permafrost thaw, COVID-19 effects and growing mental health impacts among highlights of latest climate science.
The mitigation of CMAS (calcium–magnesium–aluminum–silicon oxide) infiltration is a major requirement for the stability of thermal barrier coatings. In this study, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)–Al2O3–SiC, YSZ–Al2O3–Ta2O5, and YSZ–Al2O3–Nb2O5 self-healing composites produced by uniaxially pressing powders were investigated as an alternative to YSZ. CMAS infiltration in these materials was tested at 1250 °C for 10 h. Comparing the depth of CMAS infiltration using scanning electron microscope (SEM) in tandem with electron-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), all self-healing materials were found to perform better than the reference materials. While standard YSZ shows massive CMAS infiltration, SEM micrographs and EDS maps revealed a 33-fold improvement in CMAS resistance for the YSZ–Al2O3–Nb2O5 system, which exhibited the best performance among the selected self-repairing materials. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution SEM micrographs taken 10 μm below the surface revealed that CMAS only infiltrated pores in the topmost region of the samples. Both YSZ–Al2O3–Ta2O5 and YSZ–Al2O3–Nb2O5 systems showed no signs of chemical reaction with CMAS.
With the spread of a new invasive plant species, it is vital to determine the effectiveness of removal strategies as well as their advantages and disadvantages before attempting widespread removal. While thousands of dollars have been spent to curtail the spread of wavyleaf basketgrass [Oplismenus undulatifolius (Ard.) P. Beauv.], a relatively new invasive species, the lack of a cohesive management plan and funding has made controlling this species especially difficult. We assessed the efficacy of a variety of chemical control methods and hand weeding for this species and followed select methods over time. We also assessed the potential for ecosystem recovery following removal by measuring total and native species richness in response to treatments. Our pilot study revealed a wide breadth of responses to our eight herbicides, with fluazifop plus fenoxaprop, imazapic, quizalofop, and sulfometuron methyl being the least effective. In our follow-up experiments, hand weeding, glyphosate, and clethodim treatments were effective at reducing O. undulatifolius percent cover, density, and biomass, with an average reduction of at least 48% in the first year. However, we found substantial variation in the effectiveness of clethodim between our two experiments, which was likely driven by site differences. We also found that all three of these removal methods were effective at reducing the number of O. undulatifolius flowering stems and the height of those stems, which will likely reduce the spread of this species to new areas. Finally, we found that these methods have the potential to restore total and native species richness, but that glyphosate-treated plots did not fully recover until 2 yr after treatment.
Many patients with depression mention sudden short “mood swings” (MI) when asked. MI is distressing but little is known about its relationship to personality disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts.
Objectives
To determine the relationship between mood instability (MI), neuroticism, and suicidal thoughts.
Aims
To deconstruct the concept of neuroticism to determine whether MI is an important component. To determine whether MI predicts suicidal thoughts.
Methods
129 patients with Major Depression were interviewed with the MINI diagnostic interview. They also completed the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale (ENS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Mood Disorders Questionnaire (MDQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Affective Lability Scale (ALS), Beck Suicide Scale (BSS) and 5 questions describing mood swings and its effects on behaviour.
Results
In a regression analysis with the BSS as the dependent variable, with age and sex controlled, and all of the other variables entered, only the BDI (p < 0.001) and the ALS (p < 0.01) were significant predictors. In an exploratory factor analysis of the ENS, 3 main factors (53% of variance) emerged. 2 of the factors consisted of mild anxiety and depression symptoms. The third factor (16% variance) was a mood instability factor. The ALS and the ENS both correlated with the 5 questions describing mood swings, but the correlations with the ALS were stronger.
Conclusions
Mood Instability is the unique component of neuroticism. MI (ALS) predicts suicidal thoughts along with the broad concept of depression (BDI). In this model, neuroticism (ENS) is not a predictor.
The literature indicates that most patients with Major Depression mention sudden short “mood swings” (MI) when asked. MI is known to be distressing but little is known about the treatment.
Objectives
To determine whether MI changes with community treatment of depression.
Aim
To study changes in MI with 3-6 months of treatment for depression in patients with Major Depression and complaints of MI.
Methods
34 patients with Major Depression and complaints of “mood swings” were recruited from 4 psychiatric practices. They were interviewed with the MINI diagnostic interview and the Mood Disorders Questionnaire. They completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Trait Form (STAI-T), and Visual Analogue Scales for Depressed Mood (VAS) and Anxious Mood twice a day for a week. The Mean Square Successive Difference Statistic (MSSD) was calculated from the VAS readings. The BDI, STAI-T, and VAS were repeated after 6 months of treatment.
Results
25/34 patients reported past hypomania. Most patients were treated with a combination of antidepressants and mood stabilizers. The BDI and STAI-T scores improved with treatment. There was no overall change in depressed and anxious MI. Change in Depressed MI and Anxiety MI correlates with change in BDI from T1 to T2
Conclusions
Anxiety and depression improved with treatment as expected. Change in MI is inconsistent. Research into medications and psychosocial treatments that improve MI is needed and this will probably improve depression treatment outcome.
The effects of depression and worry on the pregnant woman and her unborn baby are an increasing concern. Treatment can decrease harmful symptoms, but pregnant women and careproviders are often reluctant to use medications. Therefore, we need research of non-pharmacologic treatment options.
Method:
We invited pregnant women to participate in an 8-week therapy group (either mindfulness-based (MB) or interpersonal therapy (IT)) facilitated by an experienced psychologist. We collected depression, worry, and sociodemographic data on admission to the group, at the end of the group, and again one month postpartum. We subsequently matched and compared the women to 60 women who had participated in a longitudinal study of perinatal depression (age, gestation, marital status, education, medications) from the same community. We wanted to know if: 1) participating in a therapy group decreases depression and worry over the course of pregnancy into the postpartum? and 2) there was a significant change in depression, stress, and worry symptoms for the treatment group compared to a control group?
Findings:
Data were available on 39 women who had completed 6 groups (4 MB and 2 IT). Women who participated in either group showed significant decreases in depression (p<0.001) and worry scores (p<0.001) compared to control group. Women in the MB groups complained of less stress postpartum than the IT group, otherwise the groups were similar. Women who were unmarried had significantly higher depression scores (p<0.0001).
In summary, participating in relaxation therapy groups can significantly lessen depression and worry symptoms over pregnancy and into the postpartum.
We recently reported (EPA 2011) that one factor of the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale (EPI-N) represents Mood Instability (MI) that was a significant predictor of suicidal thoughts.
Aims
To increase our understanding of MI in psychological distress we examined a national sample with longitudinal follow-up:
Objectives
1. To determine whether factor analysis of the EPI-N scale yields a MI factor.
2. To determine whether the MI factor predicts psychological well-being at follow-up.
Methods
British Health and Lifestyle survey (1984) (N = 6,124) individuals that completed both of the following questionnaires. 3,232 individuals were followed in 1991–92.
Eysenck Personality Inventory consists of 57 items that includes the EPI-N with 24 items. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is a 30-item scale used to measure psychological distress in the community.
The EPI-N was factor analyzed and the extracted factors were entered as predictors of GHQ (1991) in a linear regression model, while controlling for baseline (1984) GHQ score and important physical health and socio-demographic variables.
Results
We replicated the 3 factors of the EPI-N, the second factor represented MI. The other two factors represented mild symptoms of anxiety and depression. The 3 EPI-N factors (Including the MI factor), GHQ, hypertension and forced expiratory volume (1984) predicted GHQ (1991). Age, sex, marital status, occupational class, and household income were not predictors.
Conclusions
MI is the salient and distinct feature of neuroticism. MI may be a more clinically and empirically useful concept than “neuroticism” and is a fertile subject for clinical and basic research.
Most people who commit suicide suffer from depression, but diagnostic categories and known personal and demographic factors do not adequately capture the distress that leads people to kill themselves. Mood Instability (MI) refers to sudden unpredictable fluctuations in mood often occurring within a day.
Objective:
To determine whether MI predicts suicidal thoughts.
Aims:
Hypothesis: That MI will predict suicidal thoughts even when negative affect (depression, anxiety, anger) are controlled.
Method:
Data from the Dutch Imigrant panel of the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS-I) (N = 1686) were used. MI was assessed with 7 items from the International Personality Item Pool of Big Five Indicators. The Chronbach's alpha was 0.86. Suicidal thoughts were assessed by a single question referring to the past week. Depression, anxiety and anger were represented by 21 items derived by factor analysis from the 31-item Emotional Expressiveness Module. Odds ratios using logistic regression modeling were calculated, adjusting for negative affect, alcohol and substance abuse, and demographic variables (age, sex, income).
Results:
MI predicts suicidal thoughts (Males OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.02-1.28 and females OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.00-1.23) along with negative affect. There was no interaction between MI and negative affect.
Conclusions:
MI has been relatively neglected as a predictor of suicidal thoughts. It is likely that the unpredictable, sudden, severe descents in mood are particularly distressing and contribute to the feeling that life is intolerable. MI requires more attention in the assessment and treatment of suicide risk.
Perinatal women undergo changes in their weight and shape, eating problems such as dieting, binge eating, and vomiting/purging may be expected to further stress the pregnant woman or contribute to perinatal anxiety and depression. the limited reports of studies comparing Aboriginal and nonAboriginal women have shown little difference in eating disorders between the two groups.
Method:
In a longitudinal study of depression and its correlates in socially high-risk, perinatal women, we also collected data about diet, binge and vomiting/purge behaviours. We were interested in understanding more about these eating problems and their association with perinatal health. Descriptive, bivariate and regression analyses were done.
Findings:
Data were available on 283 women, 60% of whom were Aboriginal. the average age was 22.4 years and gestation was 15.4 weeks at onset of the study. Most women (84%) stated that they had no history of eating problems. Women who engaged in one eating problem behavior were significantly more likely to engage in another. NonAboriginal women were significantly more likely to report dieting, binging, or vomiting/purging (p < 0.0001). Overall, eating problems were associated with depression, mood swings, history of physical and sexual abuse, stress and recreational drug use. Women with eating problems were more likely to have gestational hypertension than those without, but confirming the literature, there were no other differences in pregnancy or birth outcomes.
Conclusion:
NonAboriginal perinatal women experience significantly more eating problems, but Aboriginal women with a history of depression, abuse, stress and drug use are at increased risk for eating problems.
Impulsivity is a frequently used explanation for acting without apparent forethought. Mood instability (MI) describes frequent repeated shifts in mood, often within a day. Both impulsivity and MI are related to depression.
Objectives:
We used data from the 1984/1991 British Health and Lifestyle Survey to examine relationships between MI, impulsivity, and depression.
Aims:
Hypothesis: 1) both MI and impulsivity would be related to current and future depression, and 2) when MI was accounted for, impulsivity and depression would be unrelated.
Methods:
Latent variables representing MI and impulsivity were derived from the Eysenck Personality Inventory neuroticism and extraversion subscales respectively, and a depression latent variable was derived from the General Health Questionnaire, by using factor analysis. Structural equation modelling was used to determine if impulsivity was related to depression after MI was accounted for.
Results:
Cross-sectionally, the correlation between impulsivity and depression (r = 0.22, p<0.001) became trivial in size (r = .05, p < .01) after the correlation between MI and impulsivity (r = 0.50, p<0.001) was removed from the structural model. Longitudinally, impulsivity no longer predicted future depression (β = −.04, p = .16) after MI was added to the structural model. These results indicate that any significant relationship between impulsivity and depression disappears when MI is considered.
Conclusions:
The implication is that research and therapy might be more productively directed at MI instead of impulsivity.
Further research is still needed to demonstrate the benefits of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for specific participant profiles, such as children with behavioural disorders.
Objectives
We wanted to find out if AAT could be considered an efficient therapeutic strategy for the treatment of children with behavioural disorders.
Aims
We wanted to study the effects of a preestablished AAT program on the behaviour of children with emotional and behavioural issues in 6 different reception centres for children under government guardianship.
Methods
Forty-five children (12 to 17 years old) with emotional and behavioural issues participated in a 14-session AAT program. Behavioural measures were those routinely scored as part of therapy; an observational report of 3 different problematic behaviours (such as impulsivity, lack of social skills or lack of personal recognition) was made twice a week for each child (with a score of frequency and intensity). A pre- and post-treatment “global behaviour score” was calculated for each child, as an average value of the 3 problematic behaviours measured during the month pre-treatment and the month post-treatment.
Results
The 45 participants attended, on average, 72.8% of AAT sessions. Independent behaviour scores differed between the pre- and post-intervention evaluations (n = 135 behaviours) (Wilcoxon test; P < 0.0001). Based on the global behaviour score for each child (n = 45), significant change was found between pre- and post-intervention evaluations (Wilcoxon test; P = 0.0011).
Conclusions
Our results suggest AAT could be a beneficial intervention for children with behavioural issues in terms of program adherence and behaviour improvement.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The late Miocene is a time of strong environmental change in SW Asia. Himalayan foreland stable isotope data show a shift in the dominant vegetation of the flood plains away from trees and shrubs towards more C4 grasslands at a time when oceanic upwelling increased along the Oman margin. We present integrated geochemical and colour spectral records from International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1456 in the eastern Arabian Sea to reconstruct changing chemical weathering and erosion, as well as relative humidity during this climatic transition. Increasing hematite/goethite ratios derived from spectral data are consistent with long-term drying after c. 7.7 Ma. Times of dry conditions are largely associated with weaker chemical alteration measured by K/Rb and reduced coarse clastic flux, constrained by Si/Al and Zr/Al. A temporary phase of increased humidity from 6.3 to 5.95 Ma shows a reversal to stronger weathering and erosion. Wetter conditions can result in both more and less alteration due to the nonlinear relationship between weathering rates, precipitation and sediment transport times. Trends in relative aridity do not follow existing palaeoceanographic records and are not apparently linked to changes in Tibetan or Himalayan elevation, but more closely correlate with global cooling. An apparent opposing trend in the humidity evolution in the Indus compared to southern China, as tracked by spectrally estimated hematite/goethite, likely reflects differences in the topography in the Indus compared to the Pearl River drainage basins, as well as the generally wetter climate in southern China.
Obtaining geochemical profiles using X-ray fluorescent (XRF) techniques has become a standard procedure in many sediment core studies. The resulting datasets are not only important tools for palaeoclimatic and palaeoceanographic reconstructions, but also for stratigraphic correlation. The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) has therefore recently introduced shipboard application of a handheld XRF device, making geochemical data directly available to the science party. In all XRF scanning techniques, the physical properties of wet core halves cause substantial analytical deviations. In order to obtain estimates of element concentrations (e.g. for quantitative analyses of fluxes or mass-balance calculations), a calibration of the scanning data is required. We test whether results from the handheld XRF analysis on discrete samples are suitable for calibrating scanning data. Log-ratios with Ca as a common denominator were calculated. The comparison between the handheld device and conventional measurements show that the latter provide high-quality data describing Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Zn, Rb and Sr content (R2 compared with conventional measurements: ln(Al/Ca) = 0.99, ln(Si/Ca) = 0.98, ln(K/Ca) = 0.99, ln(Ti/Ca) = 0.99, ln(Mn/Ca) = 0.99, ln(Fe/Ca) = 0.99, ln(Zn/Ca) = 0.99 and ln(Sr/Ca) = 0.99). Our results imply that discrete measurements using the shipboard handheld analyser are suitable for the calibration of XRF scanning data. Our test was performed on downcore sediments from IODP Expedition 355 that display a wide variety of lithologies of both terrestrial and marine origin. The implication is that our findings are valid on a general scale and that shipboard handheld XRF analysis on discrete samples should be used for calibrating XRF scanning data.
H2D+ and D2H+ are important chemical tracers of prestellar cores due to their pure rotational spectra that can be excited at the ~20 K temperature of these environments. The use of these molecules as probes of prestellar cores requires understanding the chemistry that forms and destroys these molecules. Of the eight key reactions that have been identified (Albertssonet al. 2013), five are thought to be well understood. The remaining three are the isotope exchange reactions of atomic D with H
$${ + \over 3}$$
, H2D+, and D2H+. Semi-classical results differ from the classical Langevin calculations by an order of magnitude (Moyano et al. 2004). To resolve this discrepancy, we have carried out laboratory measurements for these three reactions. Absolute cross sections were measured using a dual-source, merged fast-beams apparatus for relative collision energies between ~10 meV to ~10 eV (Hillenbrand et al. 2019). A semi-empirical model was developed incorporating high level quantum mechanical ab initio calculations for the zero-point-energy-corrected potential energy barrier in order to generate thermal rate coefficients for astrochemical models. Based on our studies, we find that these three reactions proceed too slowly at prestellar core temperatures to play a significant role in the deuteration of H
$${ + \over 3}$$
isotopologues.
To modify the non-porous surface membrane of a tissue-engineered laryngeal scaffold to allow effective cell entry.
Methods
The mechanical properties, surface topography and chemistry of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane poly(carbonate-urea) urethane were characterised. A laser technique introduced surface perforations. Micro computed tomography generated porosity data. Scaffolds were seeded with cells, investigated histologically and proliferation studied. Incubation and time effects were assessed.
Results
Laser cutting perforated the polymer, connecting the substructure with the ex-scaffold environment and increasing porosity (porous, non-perforated = 87.9 per cent; porous, laser-perforated at intensities 3 = 96.4 per cent and 6 = 89.5 per cent). Cellular studies confirmed improved cell viability. Histology showed cells adherent to the scaffold surface and cells within perforations, and indicated that cells migrated into the scaffolds. After 15 days of incubation, scanning electron microscopy revealed an 11 per cent reduction in pore diameter, correlating with a decrease in Young's modulus.
Conclusion
Introducing surface perforations presents a viable method of improving polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane poly(carbonate-urea) urethane as a tissue-engineered scaffold.
We investigate self-similar sign-changing solutions to the thin-film equation, ht = −(|h|nhxxx)x, on the semi-infinite domain x ≥ 0 with zero-pressure-type boundary conditions h = hxx = 0 imposed at the origin. In particular, we identify classes of first- and second-kind compactly supported self-similar solutions (with a free-boundary x = s(t) = Ltβ) and consider how these solutions depend on the mobility exponent n; multiple solutions can exist with the same number of sign changes. For n = 0, we also construct first-kind self-similar solutions on the entire half-line x ≥ 0 and show that they act as limiting cases for sequences of compactly supported solutions in the limit of infinitely many sign changes. In addition, at n = 1, we highlight accumulation point-like behaviour of sign-changes local to the moving interface x = s(t). We conclude with a numerical investigation of solutions to the full time-dependent partial differential equation (based on a non-local regularisation of the mobility coefficient) and discuss the computational results in relation to the self-similar solutions.
Neuroticism has often been linked to suicidal thoughts and behaviour.
Aims
To examine whether neuroticism is associated with suicide deaths after adjusting for known risks.
Method
UK Biobank participants (n = 389 365) were assessed for neuroticism as well as social, demographic and health-related variables at study entry and followed for up to 10 years. Suicide risk was modelled using Cox regression stratified by gender.
Results
Neuroticism increased the risk of suicide in both men (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.15, 95% CI 1.09–1.22) and women (HR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.06–1.27). In a subsample who were assessed for mood disorders, neuroticism remained a significant predictor for women (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03–1.51) but not for men.
Conclusions
Screening and therapeutic interventions for neuroticism may be important for early suicide prevention.