Enhancing suicide risk assessment through the use of visual metaphor : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Health Science in Psychology at Massey University, Albany Campus, New Zealand

Competent assessment and management of the risk of harm is a core competency that mental health professionals are expected to possess. However, despite this expectation, adequate training programs have been lacking for decades and, even when risk assessment training is provided, it is often reported as being insufficient. The literature indicates that training delivery methods often include passive and didactic methods during supervision or seminar sessions. To help enhance the learning of suicide risk factors, some authors proposed a visual metaphor that visually and metaphorically depicts all suicide risk factors. The main purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of the proposed visual metaphor. A pilot RCT was undertaken to test several hypotheses, all of which predicted that the visual metaphor would demonstrate superior effects when compared with the conventional textual teaching methods. A group of 22 psychology students were randomized into either a control group (who learnt suicide risk factors via the conventional textual teaching methods) or a treatment group (that learnt the risk factors using the visual metaphor in addition to the conventional textual teaching methods). Memory recall, knowledge transfer, cognitive load, and satisfaction were all tested at the end of the learning sessions. Independent samples t tests indicated that the visual metaphor was effective in improving memory recall and knowledge transfer and reducing the cognitive load. The differences between the two groups’ post-learning scores were significant in each of these outcome measures. The treatment group also expressed higher satisfaction levels in comparison to the control group. Overall the visual metaphor of suicide risk factors was found to be superior to the conventional teaching methods in teaching suicide risk factors to university psychology students. Limitations, implications of this study and directions for future research are discussed

Investigating the Most and the Least used Vocabulary Learning Strategies among Saudi Undergraduate Learners

This paper investigates the most and the least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies VLSs among Saudi undergraduate learners in Najran University Saudi Arabia It forms part of a larger study investigating the different uses of VLSs and how they are perceived by Saudi learners studying a range of different majors The sample consisted of 158 male and female students who were asked to report their uses of the seventy-five VLSs which were divided into 12 dimensions using a five-point Likert scale in which 1 represents never 2 represents rarely 3 represents sometimes 4 represents often and 5 represents always A questionnaire was used for the purpose of collecting the data which were subsequently computed and analysed using descriptive statistics This involved calculating the overall means of all dimensions and ranking them in order as well as giving the mean values for the most and least used VLSs in order The results indicated that in certain situations learners tend to focus more on the meaning of words in L1 than in L2 This is the case for example when students use a dictionary to look up the meaning of a new word when they ask teachers or classmates about the L1 equivalent of an English word and when they are writing down new L2 words with their L1 translations The least frequently used strategies were those that require higher order thinking skills such as organizing words by meaning group Moreover the most frequently used dimension was reasons for note taking strategies while the least frequently used dimension was ways of organizing notes take

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Novel Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19): From causes to preventions in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that has been affected by COVID-19. At the beginning of March 2020, it revealed a steadily rising number of laboratory-confirmed cases. By 20th May 2020, 59,854 infected cases had been confirmed, with 329 deaths. To prevent a further outbreak of COVID-19, this article discusses the current understanding of COVID-19 and compares it with the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. It also discusses the causes, transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and prevention measures to identify an applicable measure to control COVID-19

NOD1/NOD2 Upregulation in Fusobacterium Nucleatum Induced NETosis

Subgingival plaque contains a variety of pathogenic bacteria that infect the periodontal tissues. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) utilize a number of antimicrobial strategies including phagocytosis and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to defend this microbial challenge. The signaling pathways and specific molecular mechanisms involved in NET formation are still unresolved. Our preliminary data demonstrate that F. nucleatum as a model organism for in vitro experiments in activating neutrophils and inducing NETosis via the upregulation of neutrophil’s Nucleotide oligomerization domain 1 (NOD1) and NOD2 receptors. However, the pathway by which NOD1 and NOD2 affect NETosis has not been addressed. Our goal was to elucidate the role of NOD1 and NOD2 receptors in the NET formation after stimulation with F. nucleatum. Materials and Methods: We utilized human neutrophils and the HL60 cell line to study NETosis. NETs were induced via PMA and F. nucleatum; then fluorescence was measured in 3 hours interval using Sytox Orange assay. Protein arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4), Myeloperoxidase (MPO), and Neutrophil elastase (NE) play a critical role in NETosis, and their loss leads to a deficiency in NET formation. To delineate the mechanism of NOD related NET formation we inhibited both NOD1 and NOD2 receptors in neutrophils using their specific inhibitors followed by stimulation with their specific ligands and PMA. Then we analyzed PAD4 expression using Real-time PCR and a PAD4 enzymatic activity assay. MPO and NE were detected via ELISA to detect their activity in treated neutrophils. Results: NETosis was successfully induced with F. nucleatum in a time depended manner. When neutrophils were treated with NOD1 and NOD2 inhibitors followed by their ligands, we observed a significant down-regulation of PAD4 gene expression with NOD1 inhibition at transcriptional and translational levels tested by real-time PCR and PAD4 activity assay, respectively. Furthermore, supernatant ELISA of treated neutrophils showed a significant increase and decrease of MPO and NE when treated with NOD1/NOD2 ligands and inhibitors, respectively. Conclusions: Our data illustrate an important pathway linking the NOD1 and NOD2 receptors with NETosis when stimulated with F. nucleatum, a key pathogen in periodontal plaque formation. Both NOD1 and NOD2 activity affect MPO and NE production in neutrophils. The downstream events following NOD1 induced NETOsis is related to PAD4 activation. The consequence of NET formation in periodontitis remains unclear. This will be the first study to elucidate the role of NOD-like receptors in NETosis and downstream signaling network. Activating or inhibiting NET formation in the gingiva may have therapeutic potential

Quantifying dyspnoea and physical activity in Saudi Nationals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

This thesis looked at translating the Arabic version of a questionnaire that measures breathlessness for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It also looked at whether this translated version changed between a period when people with COPD were hospitalised and when they were clinically stable. In addition, this thesis explored measures of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in people with COPD and compared the measures with healthy people

Voltage Management Of Distribution Networks With High Penetration Of Distributed Photovoltaic Generation Sources

Installation of photovoltaic (PV) units could lead to great challenges to the existing electrical systems. Issues such as voltage rise, protection coordination, islanding detection, harmonics, increased or changed short-circuit levels, etc., need to be carefully addressed before we can see a wide adoption of this environmentally friendly technology. Voltage rise or overvoltage issues are of particular importance to be addressed for deploying more PV systems to distribution networks. This dissertation proposes a comprehensive solution to deal with the voltage violations in distribution networks, from controlling PV power outputs and electricity consumption of smart appliances in real time to optimal placement of PVs at the planning stage. The dissertation is composed of three parts: the literature review, the work that has already been done and the future research tasks. An overview on renewable energy generation and its challenges are given in Chapter 1. The overall literature survey, motivation and the scope of study are also outlined in the chapter. Detailed literature reviews are given in the rest of chapters. The overvoltage and undervoltage phenomena in typical distribution networks with integration of PVs are further explained in Chapter 2. Possible approaches for voltage quality control are also discussed in this chapter, followed by the discussion on the importance of the load management for PHEVs and appliances and its benefits to electric utilities and end users. A new real power capping method is presented in Chapter 3 to prevent overvoltage by adaptively setting the power caps for PV inverters in real time. The proposed method can maintain voltage profiles below a pre-set upper limit while maximizing the PV generation and fairly distributing the real power curtailments among all the PV systems in the network. As a result, each of the PV systems in the network has equal opportunity to generate electricity and shares the responsibility of voltage regulation. The method does not require global information and can be implemented either under a centralized supervisory control scheme or in a distributed way via consensus control. Chapter 4 investigates autonomous operation schedules for three types of intelligent appliances (or residential controllable loads) without receiving external signals for cost saving and for assisting the management of possible photovoltaic generation systems installed in the same distribution network. The three types of controllable loads studied in the chapter are electric water heaters, refrigerators deicing loads, and dishwashers, respectively. Chapter 5 investigates the method to mitigate overvoltage issues at the planning stage. A probabilistic method is presented in the chapter to evaluate the overvoltage risk in a distribution network with different PV capacity sizes under different load levels. Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (K–S test) is used to identify the most proper probability distributions for solar irradiance in different months. To increase accuracy, an iterative process is used to obtain the maximum allowable injection of active power from PVs. Conclusion and discussions on future work are given in Chapter 6

Using peptides to examine the interaction interface between Aspartate transcarbamoylase and Dihydroorotase in pyrimidine biosynthesis in Aquifex aeolicus

Aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) and Dihydroorotase (DHOase) catalyze the second and third steps, respectively, in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. Both enzymes form an active complex (DAC) in Aquifex aeolicus, where loop A of DHOase interacts with a domain of ATCase. The main objective of this work is to determine the function of specific residues of loop A in DAC interactions and to alter the catalytic activities through disruption of the interface between the two enzymes from A. aeolicus. The ATCase and DHOase domains have been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using affinity chromatography. The interface of the published three-dimensional structure of the non-covalently associated dodecamer of DHOase and ATCase from A. aeolicus was examined using bioinformatics, and a peptide was designed to block a specific hydrophobic region. In this work, several peptides have been synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). Assays were conducted to determine the binding affinities of the peptides to the DHO-ATC complex

Descriptive Characteristics Of Injury Recidivism Among Adults In The Us: Population-Based Study

Abstract Introduction: In the United States (US), injury-related morbidity and mortality is a public health burden in terms of lives lost, healthcare costs, and lost productivity. In 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unintentional injuries were the fourth leading cause of death (200,955) behind heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19. Many of the studies of injury recidivism were limited to demographic data and often focus on a specific type of injury, such as motor vehicle crashes, interpersonal violence, or falls. The aim of this study is to present the descriptive characteristics of injury recidivism among adults in the United States, using a population-based dataset.Method: Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), an annual cross-sectional survey of non-institutionalized U.S. households, 13,284 adults (2012-2018) with injuries were followed up for two years. Injuries captured in the study were those associated with healthcare utilization, disability days or any effects on self-reported health. Descriptive characteristics were performed using SAS version 9.4. Results: Recurrent injuries were reported by 2885 which is representing over nine million individuals in the U.S. over a 2-year follow-up. These statistics imply that 21.72% of those injured experienced recidivism after accounting for sampling weights, clusters, and strata. Persons with repeat injuries were more likely to be Caucasian, unmarried, and have private insurance. Although they were more likely than persons reporting single occurrences of injuries to report diabetes (13.0 vs. 11.4%, p = 0.04), asthma (17.3 vs. 13.2%, p\u3c0.01), stroke (7.2 vs 4.8%, p\u3c0.01), and smoking (21.4 vs. 17.%, p\u3c0.01), there was no difference in the prevalence of cardiovascular illnesses or emphysema. Persons with repeat injuries were also significantly more likely than persons with single injury occurrences to have a positive depression (15.3 vs 9.6% p\u3c0.01). Conclusions and Implications: We identified a range of characteristics associated with higher recidivism rate among injured individuals. It is critical to identify evidence-based risk factors, preventative measures, and the role of many stakeholders in reducing the burden of injuries on population health. It is as important to also include policy makers in the evaluation and implementation of effective injury prevention strategies. Keywords: Injury burden, Recidivism, Repeated injuries, MEP

Impact of insulin like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) in human and canine osteosarcoma, The

2019 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignant bone tumor that afflicts over 10,000 dogs. Most dogs and approximately 30-40% of children with OS succumb to metastatic disease. We identified elevated insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) as one of the biomarkers of poor prognosis in canine OS. IGF2BP1 is an oncofetal protein that regulates mRNA subcellular localization, nuclear export, stability, and translation. IGF2BP1 controls the expression of oncogene targets and correlates with poor outcome in a variety of human cancers. Using microarray analysis, we identified elevated insulin-like growth factor II mRNA binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) expression as a biomarker of poor prognosis in canine osteosarcoma. Also, our preliminary data show that IGF2BP1 knockdown (shRNA) in a human OS cell line increased sensitivity to doxorubicin by ≥ tenfold compared to control. Significant reductions in cellular migration, invasion, proliferation, and tumor growth in nude mice were also observed (p < 0.05). The current research explores mechanisms for increased IGF2BP1 expression in panels of human and canine osteosarcoma cell lines. Gene amplification, hypomethylation, increased transcription, and alterations in microRNA (miRNA) regulation directly or through 3'UTR shortening have all been hypothesized by many studies as mechanisms to increase IGF2BP1 expression in cancer. We evaluated the expression and alternative polyadenylation of IGF2BP1 using RT-qPCR and western blot analysis in human and dog osteosarcoma cell lines. We assessed transcriptional activation of IGF2BP1 using luciferase reporters containing promoter sequences from the human and canine IGF2BP1 genes. To detect genomic amplification and methylation, we used qPCR to assess gene copy numbers and treatment with the DNA methylase inhibitor, 5-Azacytidine, to explore activation of gene expression through hypomethylation. Using qPCR analysis, we observed genomic amplification in 35% of canine tumors and cell lines and correlated amplification with IGF2BP1 transcript expression (p = 0.0006, Pearson r = 0.88). We observed no genomic amplification in human cell lines. Significant loss of 3'UTR regulatory sequences was found in 20% of canine cell lines (p < 0.05). The promoter analysis showed that most regulatory elements were located within ~580bp from the translational start site in both species. Using pathway-focused luciferase reporter assays, we identified activation of the following factors: MYC, NF-Kappa B, AP-1, and TCF4: β-catenin. Thus, our data show that multiple mechanisms can contribute to elevated IGF2BP1 expression, and these results can be used to develop new treatment strategies that target elevated IGF2BP1 or regulatory mechanisms. Using the McKinley canine OS cell line, we generated and validated stable overexpression of IGF2BP1 (IGF2BP1-pLVX-Puro, Clontech). The stable OS cell line pool and individual clones with a corresponding empty vector control were analyzed and tested for migration, invasion, proliferation, and resistance to standard chemotherapeutic agents. We analyzed migration and invasion using a scratch wound assay and measured cellular proliferation as a surface confluence for 90 hours on an IncuCyte Zoom. We also assessed the clones' sensitivity to doxorubicin over 48 hours using a bioreductive resazurin-based fluorometric assay. We assessed changes in transcript expression in response to IGF2BP1 from isolated total RNA analyzed on Affymetrix Canine 1.0ST microarrays (University of Colorado Cancer Center Genomic and Microarray Shared Resource). The overexpressing IGF2BP1 clones had increased resistance to doxorubicin compared to the control, and the IC50 levels correlated with IGF2BP1 mRNA levels (p < 0.05, r2 = 0.89). For cellular proliferation, we found that only the IGF2BP1-expressing pool, that represents random insertion of the plasmid without selecting isolated clones, exhibited a significantly higher rate of proliferation relative to the empty vector control (p < 0.05). However, one of the highest expressing IGF2BP1 isolated clones had significantly greater cellular mobility and invasion than this pool, and both the pool and isolated clone had significantly higher rates of migration and invasion that cells transfected with the empty plasmid (p < 0.05). Microarray analysis of control and over¬expressing cells was used to detect global changes in gene expression and to identify potential targets of IGF2BP1. Differentially expressed genes were cross ¬referenced to the RNA¬ Binding Protein Immunoprecipitation database, published by Conway et al. (2016) using human stem cells, to identify direct mRNA targets bound by IGF2BP1. We identified 162 genes that were differentially expressed between control and overexpressing cells (FC ≥2, FDR< 0.05), and 13 of those genes have been previously reported to bind IGF2BP1 directly. Pathway analysis of these 13 genes identified enrichment for genes involved in the regulation of cell adhesion, migration, and the extracellular matrix. Altered expression and IGF2BP1 binding of a subset of these transcripts were confirmed using RNA immunoprecipitation and RT-qPCR. Our data suggest that IGF2BP1 plays a significant role in human and canine osteosarcoma. This study revealed the functional relevance of IGF2BP1 and identified it as a biomarker for aggressiveness in osteosarcoma. With this knowledge, new treatment strategies can be developed that target IGF2BP1 or it is signaling pathways for osteosarcoma, or any cancer that expresses high levels of IGF2BP1. This treatment may have a high impact on the cell's ability to metastasize