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Feasibility of Incorporating the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training Program into Nursing Education
Get PDFSuicide and mental health are both relevant topics that impact a diverse number of individuals in both personal and professional contexts, such as patients in healthcare. Therefore, it is important that healthcare workers, such as nurses, are trained and well equipped to intervene with at-risk individuals. There is a need for nurses to develop competency to better support and provide the appropriate care for patients with suicidal ideation. The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of offering Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary, and to measure the impact of the workshop on students, staff, and faculty. Post and pre workshop surveys were collected and analyzed using descriptive quantitative and thematic qualitative data. Participants showed overwhelming support by strongly agreeing that suicide intervention program should be included in nursing education. Results suggest the potential benefits of incorporating suicide intervention training for nursing students such as improved knowledge and understanding of suicide. Participants reported improved confidence and preparedness to intervene with at-risk individuals. Participants can apply their skills professionally with patients, or personally with supporting friends and family. Similarly, faculty and staff can support students and colleagues on campus
Two new sponge inhabiting leucothoid amphipod species from the Western Atlantic
No full textTwo new leucothoid amphipod species are described from the Western Atlantic Ocean. Leucothoe mucifibrosa sp. nov., collected from Belize, may represent a member of the Paraleucothoe group with a specific sponge host preference. Leucothoe darthvaderi sp. nov., collected from South Florida, is part of the Leucothoe spinicarpa species complex and has demonstrated a shift in host preference over time, possibly associated with environmental perturbances
A Voucher Flora of Diatoms from Fens in the Tanana River Floodplain, Alaska
No full textClimate change and human activities may alter the structure and function of boreal peatlands by warming waters and changing their hydrology. Diatoms can be used to assess or track these changes. However, effective biomonitoring requires consistent, reliable identification. To address this need, this study developed a diatom voucher flora of species found across a boreal fen gradient (e.g., vegetation) in interior Alaskan peatlands. Composite diatom samples were collected bi-weekly from three peatland complexes over the 2017 summer. The morphological range of each taxon was imaged. The fens contained 184 taxa across 38 genera. (45), (23), and (20) commonly occurred in each peatland. was common in the rich and moderate fen but sparse in the poor fen. showed the opposite trend. Approximately 11% of species are potentially novel and 25% percent matched those at risk or declining in status on the diatom Red List (developed in Germany), highlighting the conservation value of boreal wetlands. This voucher flora expands knowledge of regional diatom biodiversity and provides updated, verifiable taxonomic information for inland Alaskan diatoms, building on Foged\u27s 1981 treatment. This flora strengthens the potential to effectively track changes in boreal waterways sensitive to climate change and anthropogenic stressors
Changes in traffic congestion and air pollution due to major roadway infrastructure improvements in Texas
No full textTraffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is an established health hazard, and roadway construction has the potential to affect TRAP by relieving congestion. The relationship between roadway construction and congestion is of policy importance, but few studies examine it using large samples of construction projects and detailed traffic and air pollution data. We create a dataset of construction projects in Texas and link them to data on air pollution and three variables operationalizing congestion: average annual daily traffic (AADT), AADT per lane, and delay in hours. We use difference-in-difference methods to estimate the effect of widening and intersection improvements on congestion and air pollution. On average over the period during construction, we find that widening increases delay by 42% (95% CI: 30, 56%), but intersection projects do not affect delay. On average and over the first three years post-construction, we find that widening reduces delay by 33% (95% CI: −41, −24%) and reduces NO2 levels within 500 m by 13% (95% CI: −22, −2%), and intersection projects reduce delay by 52% (95% CI: −65, −35%) and reduce NO2 levels within 500 m by 12% (95% CI: −18, −5%). These short-term impacts are relevant for understanding the impact of roadway construction on human health
Electrochemical and Colorimetric Nanosensors for Detection of Heavy Metal Ions: A Review
No full textHuman exposure to acute and chronic levels of heavy metal ions are linked with various health issues, including reduced children’s intelligence quotients, developmental challenges, cancers, hypertension, immune system compromises, cytotoxicity, oxidative cellular damage, and neurological disorders, among other health challenges. The potential environmental HMI contaminations, the biomagnification of heavy metal ions along food chains, and the associated risk factors of heavy metal ions on public health safety are a global concern of top priority. Hence, developing low-cost analytical protocols capable of rapid, selective, sensitive, and accurate detection of heavy metal ions in environmental samples and consumable products is of global public health interest. Conventional flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy, atomic emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma–mass spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and X-ray fluorescence have been well-developed for HMIs and trace element analysis with excellent but varying degrees of sensitivity, selectivity, and accuracy. In addition to high instrumental running and maintenance costs and specialized personnel training, these instruments are not portable, limiting their practicality for on-demand, in situ, field study, or point-of-need HMI detection. Increases in the use of electrochemical and colorimetric techniques for heavy metal ion detections arise because of portable instrumentation, high sensitivity and selectivity, cost-effectiveness, small size requirements, rapidity, and visual detection of colorimetric nanosensors that facilitate on-demand, in situ, and field heavy metal ion detections. This review highlights the new approach to low-cost, rapid, selective, sensitive, and accurate detection of heavy metal ions in ecosystems (soil, water, air) and consumable products. Specifically, the review highlights low-cost, portable, and recent advances in smartphone-operated screen-printed electrodes (SPEs), plastic chip SPES, and carbon fiber paper-based nanosensors for environmental heavy metal ion detection. In addition, the review highlights recent advances in colorimetric nanosensors for heavy metal ion detection requirements. The review provides the advantages of electrochemical and optical nanosensors over the conventional methods of HMI analyses. The review further provides in-depth coverage of the detection of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) ions in the ecosystem, with emphasis on environmental and biological samples. In addition, the review discusses the advantages and challenges of the current electrochemical and colorimetric nanosensors protocol for heavy metal ion detection. It provides insight into the future directions in the use of the electrochemical and colorimetric nanosensors protocol for heavy metal ion detection
Utility of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded prostate biospecimens from low-resource settings for use in next-generation sequencing studies in African-descent populations
No full textBackground Men of African ancestry experience higher burden from prostate cancer compared to men of other ancestral backgrounds. Limitations in the availability of high-quality biospecimens hinder the inclusion of this population in genetic studies of prostate cancer. The use of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues represent a potential rich source of genetic material particularly in some international settings, where fresh frozen tissue is difficult to obtain. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of using FFPE biospecimens acquired from various international sites for utility in next-generation sequencing. Methods A total of 976 FFPE blocks were collected between 2002 and 2017 from six international sites in Africa and the Caribbean representing three consortia: Prostate Cancer Transatlantic Consortium; African-Caribbean Cancer Consortium; and Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate. Genomic DNA was checked for quality and quantity. Differences in mean quality control (QC) for pre-and-post pathology training were assessed using t-test. Pearson chi-square with trend analysis examined association between time-category and QC success status. Association of continuous DNA quality (Q129/Q41 ratio) and time of specimen collection was estimated with linear regression. Samples with a DNA quantity \u3e0.2µg and a Q129/Q41 ratio \u3e0.00225 were submitted for whole exome sequencing (WES). Results There was a positive relative percentage change in DNA quantity from 2002 to 2017 for Jamaica, Kenya and Senegal. There was a decline in DNA quantity over the same time period for Nigeria. There was a statistically significant improvement in quality of samples from Kenya (P=0.032), Nigeria (P\u3c.001) and Senegal (P=0.043). There was a significant improvement in the collected DNA sample quality over time with an R2 of 0.12. Conclusions FFPE samples from low-resource settings could potentially provide sufficient DNA for WES. Improvements in biospecimen collection processing and storage for research are needed in some of these settings
Design of employee pension benefits model and China\u27s pension gender gap
No full textThe pension gender gap is a universal concern, and policymakers worldwide strive to address the factors leading to gender inequality. This study examines the pension gender gap problem and its causes and effects in China, conducting micro-empirical simulations on China\u27s employee pension benefits model. We propose solutions to this gender inequality and suggest an intra-family pension benefits transfer for women in a family framework. For family units headed by a single woman, we recommend enhanced tax-deductible contributions by prior employers to strengthen the equality of pensions between genders throughout retirement. This additional support and enhancement of female pensions can effectively narrow the pension gap between male and female beneficiaries while maintaining the system\u27s long-term sustainability. More importantly, these proposed enhancements minimize acute poverty while improving the living standards of female pensioners
Like Me? An Empirical Study on Social Comparisons and Emotion Dispositions in Online Learning Outcomes
No full textThe current research examined to what extent different foci on upward social comparisons together with individuals\u27 dispositional benign and malicious envy predict learning outcomes in two experimental studies. In both Study 1 and Study 2, university students were randomly assigned to one of three social comparison visual intervention groups and completed an online learning task. While both studies used identical visual interventions, Study 2 also included explicit other-self similarity information. Results from Study 1 showed that dispositional benign and malicious envy positively and negatively predicted learning outcomes, respectively. These associations disappeared in Study 2, however, suggesting that other-self similarity information might have successfully suppressed emotional consequences related to dispositional envy. Similarity information might have also promoted other consequences (e.g., affective-motivational) positively associated with learning outcomes. This research uniquely contributes to the limited literature regarding dispositional benign and malicious envy in combination with social comparisons in online learning
Early-Onset Osteopenia and Osteoporosis in Young Women: An Emerging Epidemic?
No full textOsteoporosis and osteopenia are conditions under which the bodies creation of new bone tissue does not sufficiently match the degradation rate of existing bone. Both conditions are characterized by low bone mineral density, deterioration of bone tissue, and disruption of bone microarchitecture. Osteopenia is often considered a precursor to osteoporosis, and is typically an important factor in predicting bone mineral density degradation progression rates throughout one’s life