Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system disorder that impacts more than 400,000 people in the U.S. The disease results in multiple functional impairments that are diverse and varied across individuals. Additonally, MS has a profound impact on community participation which, like other rehabilitation outcomes, cannot be explained on the basis of functional limitations alone. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a model of community participation for people living with MS using the World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework. The model focused on the roles that personal factors have as predictors of community participation, while also serving as mediators and moderators for the relationship between activity limitation and participation. Results from the hierarchical regression analysis indicated that demographic characteristics (i.e. MS type), personal factors (i.e. core self-evaluations (CSE), MS self-management, resilience, and social skills), and activity limitations accounted for 64% of the variance in participation. Further, mediation analysis indicated that CSE mediated the relationship between activity limitation and community participation. Finally, moderation analysis indicated an interaction effect between educational attainment and MS self-management. Implications for future research in rehabilitation and clinical application are discussed.

The WHO’s (2001) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) model conceptualizes health from an ecological perspective. It has been implemented by many professionals as the standard health classification framework that guides providers’ decisions regarding assessment tools and targeted interventions. Despite this model’s prevalence among many healthcare providers, the ICF framework remains largely underutilized by many in the counseling fields. This conceptual paper provides an overview of the strengths of the ICF model and ICF-based measurements, and demonstrates its clinical, research, and educational value. A case study is presented to guide counselors and counselor educators through application of the ICF model in various contexts to encourage expanded use of the model. Use of the ICF model among counseling professionals, educators, and researchers is recommended as one way to enhance measurement of clinical outcomes.

In indirect drive, reducing peak intensity of a single beam and controlling overlap of multi-beams are two opposite requirements for laser focal spot design. In this paper, an improved laser spot design technique for indirect drive built upon the geometric structures of laser propagation into hohlraum has been introduced. The proposed technique is able to generate appropriate continuous phase plate (CPP) producing a special shaped spot that can balance the opposite requirements. The corresponding CPP does not bring difficulties to the design and fabrication. Phase aberrations are more sensitive to the special shaped spot; however, it can be tolerable for the current beam control level.

As the basic conditions for laser inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research, the targets are required to be well specified and elaborately fabricated. Because of the characteristics of the targets, the research and fabrication process is a systematically tough task, which needs fundamental and deep insights into film deposition, mechanical machining, precise measurement and assembly, etc. As a result, knowledge of material science, physics, mechanical as well as electronics is a necessity for target researchers. In this paper, we give introductions to the state of art on target fabrication for ICF research at Research Center of Laser Fusion (RCLF) in China.

In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) model as a new module of LAP3D code is presented to study the crossed-beam energy transfer (CBET) process. This model is not limited by the paraxial approximation and can be used to deal with a large crossing angle case. Besides, this model is also appropriate for the multi-ion species conditions and even multi-beams problems, which will be very helpful in relevant experiment analysis and the target design. In our 3D simulations, we take the overlapped beams with a 60° crossing angle as an example, and observe obvious energy transfer process, which indicates CBET process might occur between the incident laser beams with a large crossing angle when the matching condition is satisfied. This large crossing angle CBET process also can change the spatial shape of the beam spot, and may have some potential important influence on other laser–plasma interaction instabilities and the energy symmetry in hohlraum.

As our understanding of the environmental impact of fossil fuel based energy production increases, it is becoming clear that the world needs a new energy solution to meet the challenges of the future. A transformation is required in the energy market to meet the need for low carbon, sustainable, affordable generation matched with security of supply. In the short term, an increasing contribution from renewable sources may provide a solution in some locations. In the longer term, low carbon, sustainable solutions must be developed to meet base load energy demand, if the world is to avoid an ever increasing energy gap and the attendant political instabilities. Laser-driven inertial fusion energy (IFE) may offer such a solution.

The Second National Conference on Disability, held in Bari in 2003, took the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), adopted by all WHO member states in 2001, as its frame of reference for future action and policies on disability. The ICF broke decisively with the medical model by seeing disability as an interaction between a biological and psychological condition and environmental and attitudinal barriers. Although existing Italian legislation on access to work for persons with disabilities, particularly Law 68/1999 on ‘collocamento mirato’ (targeted placement), anticipated some of the principles and definitions of the ICF, its implementation in practice was often snared in complex bureaucratic procedures and compromised by narrowly medical assessments of impairment and by considerable variations in standard from region to region. In 2009–2011 a pilot project, Progetto ICF4, was launched in 11 regions of Italy. It applied ICF principles, using Social Network Analysis (SNA) to assess the suitability of a work environment in terms of the networks of relations between the different actors involved in it. The way this has functioned in practice is illustrated by a case study of Teramo, one of the provinces in the pilot.

The goal of this study was to propose a systematic classification of relevant personal factors for describing the background of an individual's life and way of living. The German Society of Social Medicine and Prevention constituted an ICF working group consisting of members from Medical Advisory Boards of Statutory Health Insurances (n = 6) and other institutions (n = 12) in 2009. A two-tier consensus building approach was utilised to construct and document the personal factors, with an initial team of experts compiling the personal factors and a second group of experts, who had not participated in developing the initial proposal, validating the process. The consensus process resulted in personal factors classified into 72 categories and arranged in six chapters as follows: general factors normally unchangeable (chapter 1); a person's inherent physical and mental constitution (chapters 2 and 3); more modifiable factors, such as attitudes, basic skills and behaviour patterns (chapter 4); life situation and socioeconomic/sociocultural factors (chapter 5); and other health factors e.g., prior interventions (chapter 6). We believe the personal factors from this effort to be a good basis for a wider global dialogue on their operationalisation.

Although advances in stroke care have been shown to improve functional outcomes and survival, evidence suggests that stroke survivors continue to report restricted participation and dissatisfaction with life after returning home. There remains a need to identify ways to improve participation after stroke, considering the person within their context. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a valuable framework that can be useful for categorising key components associated with participation. The two parts of the ICF — (a) Functioning and Disability and (b) Contextual Factors — encourage consideration of the functions/body structures, activity and participation, and personal and environmental factors, respectively. Previous research has identified links between body functions, structures and activity, with increasing attention being given to the ways in which these link with participation. Although some of the components influencing participation poststroke are well defined, there is a need to further develop our understanding of how personal and environmental factors may affect participation. In this article, stroke literature is categorised using the ICF and a range of personal and environmental factors are investigated as potential contributors to levels of participation poststroke. This article concludes that research investigating contextual factors and their interactions with participation is warranted.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is a taxonomy that classifies health states and health conditions. It is a complex and detailed taxonomy, with 1,424 categories, covering body structures and functions, activities and participation, and environmental factors. The complexity and detail, however, can serve as a barrier in its everyday application. A number of strategies have been developed to facilitate use of the ICF in clinical and research practice, including the development of ‘core sets’. In this article, we present another method which will assist both the newcomer and those more familiar with the ICF. Along with a description of the ICF structure and contents, the article presents a graphical representation of ‘ICF trees’ as a vehicle to more readily grasp the detail of the ICF structure and contents and facilitate its use in the area of acquired brain impairment.

Introduction: The Paediatric Care and Needs Scale (PCANS) was developed to address the dearth of scales currently available for measuring support needs of children with acquired brain injury (ABI). The scale assesses environmental supports (both supervision and physical assistance) across 14 domains of everyday activities from support for personal hygiene to participation in leisure and social activities. This study aimed to determine support needs in typically developing children using the PCANS in a normative sample of Australian children. Methods: Participants were parents of typically developing children aged 5–14 years (N = 300) recruited from a range of schools in metropolitan Melbourne. Children with ABI, diagnosis of a neurological or developmental disorder, or significant medical condition were excluded. Thirty parents of children in each of 10 age levels, with approximately equal sex ratio were recruited. Results: Findings suggest that support needs vary according to age of the child (p < .01) but not sex of child or occupational status of the parent. Additionally, children were found to have significantly higher support needs for supervision compared with physical assistance across most of the domains of the PCANS (p < .01). A greater number of age differences across PCANS domains were also found in younger children (5 to 7 and 8 to 11 years) compared to the older age group (age 12–14 years). Conclusions: This study reports normative data for the PCANS using a sample of children stratified by age. Findings will provide an essential point of reference to help guide clinical interpretation of the PCANS for assessing support needs of children with ABI.

Magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) and inertial confinement fusion (ICF) are critically contrasted in the context of far-distant travels throughout solar system. Both are shown to potentially display superior capabilities for vessel maneuvering at high speed, which are unmatched by standard cryogenic propulsion (SCP). Costs constraints seem less demanding than for ground-based power plants. Main issue is the highly problematic takeoff from earth, in view of safety hazards concomitant to radioactive spills in case of emergency. So, it is recommended to assemble the given powered vessel at high earth altitude ∼ 700 km, above upper atmosphere. Fusion propulsion is also compared to fission powered one, which secures a factor of two improvement over SCP. As far a specific impulse (s) is considered, one expects 500–3000 from fission and as much as 104–105 from fusion through deuterium–tritium (D-T). Next, we turn attention to the most performing fusion reaction, i.e., proton–antiproton annihilation with specific impulse ∼ 103–106 and thrust–to–weight ratio ∼ 10−3–1. Production and costs are timely reviewed. The latter could drop by four orders of magnitude, which is possible with successful MCF or ICF. Appropriate vessel designs will be presented for fusion as well as for antimatter propulsion. In particular, ion compressed antimatter nuclear II (ICAN-II) project to Mars in 30 days with fusion catalyzed by 140 ng of antiprotons will be detailed (specific impulse ∼ 13500 s).

Laser technology developments, including construction of a 286-TW Ti:Sapphire laser with a focused intensity of 1021W/cm2, installation of the TIL, prototype of the SG-III, and operation of the SG-II laser are presented. Results of the experiments on hohlraum physics, indirect-drive implosion, Thomson scattering, EOS, and X-ray laser are briefly introduced. Simulations and a code package, LARED, for target physics are outlined.

Imploding indirect-drive double shell targets may provide an alternative, non-cryogenic path to ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Experiments are being pursued at OMEGA to understand the hydrodynamics of these implosions and the possibility of scaling it to the NIF design. We have used 40 beams from the OMEGA laser to directly drive the capsules, and we have used the remaining 20 beams to backlight the imploding shells from two different directions at multiple times. We will review the recent experiments to measure the hydrodynamics of the targets using two-view X-ray radiography of the capsules. We will present data on measured yields from the targets. We will present a measured time history of the hydrodynamics of the implosion. Experiments were pursued using direct drive in which the M-band effect (experienced in the indirect drive experiments) could be eliminated or controlled. It was learned in the direct drive experiments that the best performing capsules were those that had a thin outer layer of gold. This effectively causes M-band pre-heat effects giving implosion hydrodynamics and performance closer to the indirect drive case. We will review the methods used to radiograph the targets and the techniques used to extract useful information to compare with calculations. The effect of imperfections in the target construction will be shown to be minimal during the initial stage of implosion. The yields from the targets were observed to be uniformly low compared to indirect-drive.

Strongly shocked cylindrically convergent implosions were conducted on the OMEGA laser. The directly driven targets consist of a low-density foam core and an embedded aluminum shell covered by an epoxy ablator. The outer surface of the aluminum shell has imposed single-mode perturbations with wave numbers k = 0.25, 0.7, 1.05, and 2.5 (rad/μm) and initial amplitudes η0 /λ = 0.04, 0.11, 0.33, and 0.4. In our convergent geometry, perturbation growth without evidence of saturation, for η/λ as large as 4.5 is observed for k < 1. For k > 1 growth rate scaling with wavenumber breaks down and transition to turbulence is suggested.

Recently a new fast ignitor concept has been proposed by Velarde et al. (2003) that uses only one energy drive. In this concept, the ignition is induced by the collision of high velocity matter accelerated inside a conical guide. The first model used a jet produced by illuminating a conical shape with a laser or X-rays. On the other hand, in the shell impact concept, the compressed deuterium-tritium fuel is ignited by a separately imploded shell traveling in a guiding cone. In this article, we will study the first design, jet driven concept that have been developed during this year. We use for this work the Arwen code (Ogando & Velarde, 2001; Rendleman et al., 2000), with two-dimensional (2D) multi-group radiation transport. The main parameter is to analyze the specific power transmitted to the target during the collision. Problems with the designs are the guide integrity during the collapse, the radiation preheating, and the average efficiency of the process, etc. which we will address as well.