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‘I Don't Think They've Ever Seen People Like Me Do Jobs Like This’: Exploring Hope Within Strengths‐Based Employment Services for People With Disability
No full textBackground Strengths‐based employment services focused on the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities challenge traditional, deficits‐based orientations. Within the presence of hope, which sustains collective effort toward a preferred future, such employment services may stimulate social change. Therefore, the presence of hope was examined within strengths‐based employment settings for adults with intellectual disabilities to understand its potential to establish inclusive workplaces. Methods Employees with intellectual disabilities supported by strength‐based employment services, as well as their employers and co‐workers, completed semi‐structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Hope was present within strength‐based employment services through the (a) co‐sharing of strengths, (b) movement toward a shared, preferred future, (c) alignment of personal and collective goals, and (d) (co)transformation of interacting parties. Conclusion Implementing strengths‐based employment services for people with intellectual disabilities is supported, as it facilitates the cultivation of hope and thus movement toward inclusive and equitable workplaces
Development and analysis of microbridge resonators for reduced pull-in voltage and preserved resonant frequency
No full textThis study presents a novel design methodology for microbridge resonators aimed at reducing pull-in voltage while maintaining resonant frequency. Previous studies have primarily focused on adjusting resonator plate geometry, modifying anchor conditions, or altering material properties to control pull-in voltage. In contrast, this work introduces the ratio of the bottom electrode length to the microbridge length as a critical and tunable design parameter, which has remained unexplored in previous studies. An analytical model is developed to capture the effects of this ratio, and its predictions are validated through finite element analysis. To demonstrate the concept, two microbridges are designed and fabricated with bottom electrode lengths of 42 and 82 µm, corresponding to 35 % and 68 % of the microbridge length, respectively. All other design parameters, such as plate thickness, material properties and cavity height, are kept constant to enable a fair comparison. Electrical characterizations confirm that increasing the bottom electrode-to-microbridge length ratio effectively lowers the pull-in voltage without degrading resonator performance. Results show a 16 % reduction in pull-in voltage when the bottom electrode length is 68 % of the microbridge length, demonstrating the feasibility and advantages of the proposed methodology over existing techniques
Inference methods in time-varying linear diffusion processes
No full textIn this paper, we introduce a class of inhomogeneous diffusion processes which preserve periodic mean-reverting level and we study the ergodicity of the introduced processes. In particular, the proposed class of processes is suitable for modeling the datasets with a cyclical trend. Such stochastic processes can be used for modeling diverse financial data. We also consider inference problems concerning the drift parameter of the proposed diffusion process. We derive the unrestricted maximum likelihood estimator (UMLE) and the restricted maximum likelihood estimator (RMLE) as well as their joint asymptotic normality. We also construct some shrinkage estimators (SEs) and a test for testing the restriction as well as its asymptotic power. Further, we compare the relative efficiency of the proposed estimators. Finally, the obtained simulation results corroborate our theoretical findings and the applications of the proposed methods are illustrated via an analysis of financial markets
Commentary on: C. Campolo’s “Treacherous Ascents: On Seeking Common Ground for Conflict Resolution”
No full textPerceptions of the Black population on fertility care: A scoping review
No full textAssisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), offer hope for people struggling with infertility. Studies demonstrate that disparities in access and experiences with fertility care exist among different racial groups, particularly affecting Black women. This scoping review aims to explore Black women's perceptions of fertility care and psychosocial barriers that they encounter when accessing care. This scoping review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. Three databases including OVID Medline, PubMed, and Embase, were searched using keywords that resulted in 12 studies that explored barriers to fertility care for Black women. Identified barriers included discrimination, lack of knowledge, and a lack of cultural sensitivity among physicians. The financial cost of treatment was the most frequently reported barrier to infertility treatment. Identified facilitators to infertility treatment included a thorough understanding of the treatment plan and procedures, culturally competent providers, and fertility counseling for patients including education on existing insurance coverage for infertility treatments. Recognizing disparities in IVF outcomes, and identifying both barriers and facilitators to treatment, is an essential first step toward improving fertility care outcomes.Ferring Pharmaceutical
Regional cerebral pulsatile hemodynamics during isocapnic and poikilocapnic hyperthermia in young men
No full textHyperthermia is known to induce hypocapnia-driven reductions in cerebral blood flow; however, it is unknown if it causes changes in hemodynamic pulsatility that negatively influence cerebrovascular function. This retrospective analysis aimed to assess cerebrovascular hemodynamic pulsatile buffering (damping factor; DFi) during poikilocapnic (HT) and isocapnic (HT-C) hyperthermia. We hypothesized that HT would reduce cerebral DFi, while HT-C would attenuate the reduction in DFi by limiting increases in resistance. Ten healthy males were passively heated +2°C from normothermia (BL). Blood flow through the internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery (VA) was measured using vascular ultrasound. Blood velocity through the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) was measured using transcranial ultrasound. DFi was calculated as the ratio of proximal to distal pulsatility index (PI): Anterior cerebral DFi = PIICA/PIMCA; Posterior cerebral DFi = PIVA/PIPCA. Anterior DFi decreased in both HT (1.08 ± 0.19 a.u; p = 0.007) and HT-C (1.12 ± 0.231 a.u; p = 0.021) conditions from BL values (1.27 ± 0.14 a.u). No changes were observed in posterior DFi, p = 0.116. Irrespective of PaCO2 clamping, both hyperthermic conditions reduced anterior DFi, suggesting other mechanisms are responsible for cerebrovascular hemodynamic buffering. Posterior DFi responses were not observed, suggesting preferential buffering of the hyperthermic posterior circulation (VA–PCA)
Developing Native Fish to Control Spirogyra in Paddy Fields for Improving the Growth, Nutrient Uptake, and Physiological Characteristics of Oryza sativa L.
No full textOryza sativa L. is the largest food crop in the world. The harmful filamentous green algae Spirogyra in paddy fields poses a serious threat to O. sativa yield. Therefore, biological control for Spirogyra is important for sustainable agricultural development. The native fish species Acrossocheilus yunnanensis can graze on Spirogyra and exhibits strong environmental adaptability, providing a novel approach to the biological control of Spirogyra. Therefore, we designed the O. sativa+Spirogyra+A. yunnanensis co-culture system to study the effects of A. yunnanensis on O. sativa growth and physiological characteristics. The results indicated that Spirogyra stress significantly inhibited O. sativa biomass accumulation, root length and plant height development, reduced photosynthetic efficiency, and increased the contents of oxidative stress markers including malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Interestingly, grazing of A. yunnanensis on Spirogyra increased the biomass of Oryza sativa by 58.60%, the root–shoot ratio by 78.01%, and the root length and plant height by 49.83% and 25.85%, respectively. Meanwhile, the soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and available phosphorus (AP) were enhanced, which improved O. sativa nutrient uptake and promoted photosynthetic pigment accumulation. This was manifested by an increase in chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic (Pn), transpiration rate, stomatal conductance (Gs), and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci). Grazing of A. yunnanensis on Spirogyra alleviated the oxidative damage to O. sativa induced by Spirogyra, as evidenced by decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) level in both leaves and roots, along with increased protein content. This provides a new strategy for constructing a rice–fish symbiotic system by using indigenous fish species, achieving Spirogyra control and sustainable agricultural development
Passive sampling for genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater resource recovery facility: Insights for pandemic preparedness
No full textPassive sampling provides a cost-effective alternative to conventional auto-sampling and serves as a valuable approach for wastewater surveillance in resource-limited settings. However, the feasibility of passive sampling for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater genomic surveillance (WWGS) remains underexplored in wastewater resource recovery facility (WWRF). In this study, we collected influent wastewater samples using an autosampler, COSCa-ball and Torpedo passive samplers from inlet of WWRF serving the city of Ottawa, Canada. We enriched, extracted, quantified, and sequenced samples targeting SARS-CoV-2 genome using a widely used ARTIC tiled amplicon approach. Our findings show that daily SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels were similar (p > 0.05) across the sampling methods. Although similar viral RNA was captured from passive samples, we found genomic recovery of SARS-CoV-2 from passive samplers was influenced by targeted sequencing read length, with shorter (300 bp) reads resulting in lower recovery than longer (600 bp) reads. Our study confirmed near-complete recovery of SARS-CoV-2 genomes (≥ 90 %) from the autosampler, COSCa-ball, and Torpedo samplers using longer reads. Genome sequencing parameters such as the number of raw reads, trimmed reads, mapped reads, depth of coverage and % of genome coverage was identical (p > 0.05) among the sampling methods. Genomic analyses showed similar (p > 0.05) single nucleotide variant profiles (SNV) and lineage prevalence across sampling methods, and concordance with the available clinical surveillance. Overall, the findings suggest that passive sampling of wastewater is a viable, cost-effective alternative for population-scale genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and may allow for surveillance of other pathogens, supporting future pandemic preparedness efforts.Canadian Institutes of Health Researc