ESTIMATING THE IMPACT OF INTERSECTION TRAFFIC ON AIR QUALITY EMISSIONS AT CAMDEN COOPER MEDICAL HEALTH INTERSECTION THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF VISSIM/MOVES MODELS

Traffic emissions near intersections can increase significantly due to idling as well as stop-and-go traffic conditions. Increased emissions of pollutants like particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in traffic exhaust deteriorate the health of the population that is exposed to them. Since general traffic emissions are increased by the stop-and-go conditions produced at intersections, PAH traffic emissions should also increase from intersection driving conditions. The intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Haddon Ave in Camden, NJ was identified as an ideal site to study PAH traffic emissions. To identify intersection effect on PAH emissions, the traffic modeler VISSIM was used to generate individual vehicle data for intersection driving conditions and hypothetical uncontrolled “Free-Flow” driving conditions based on traffic data obtained from Go Pro videos of the intersection. Output data from VISSIM was converted into input data for the emissions modeler MOVES3 using, VISSIM-MOVES Integration, an Excel-based tool developed for this study. The MOVES results were limited to the PM and PAH emissions to compare with collected air samples. The model showed that particle-bound PAH emissions were 2.4 to 3.4 times higher at intersections and gaseous PAH and PM emissions were twice as high

Opinions about Smoking, Secondhand Smoke Exposure, and Smoking Behaviors of Freshmen College Students

The purpose of this project was to assess first semester freshman college students’ opinions about smoking, secondhand smoke exposure, and smoking behaviors on a smoke-free campus. This research used an online cross-sectional survey. For two years, surveys were emailed via Zoomerang to all first semester freshmen students at Valparaiso University. Survey questions contained 60 forced-choice or open-ended options. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 630 students responded. Subjects were primarily female (58.4%) and Caucasian (84.9%). Twenty-five percent of the respondents reported being exposed to secondhand smoke in their environments. Twenty-nine percent were unaware that the campus is a smoke-free environment, 79% have seen smoking on campus, and 25% believed the smoke-free policy is not enforced. Seventy-seven percent of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the campus should be a smoke-free environment. Thirty-four percent of respondents admitted to smoking at some point in their lifetime. Fourteen percent (n=91) indicated that they had smoked during the previous 30 days, with only 28% of these identifying themselves as “current” smokers. The majority of the respondents supported a smoke-free environment and believed the current campus policy is enforced. Data from this study will add to the growing body of evidence about college students’ smoking behaviors

Qualitative Description of Global Health Nursing Competencies by Nursing Faculty in Africa and the Americas

Objective: to analyze qualitative comments from four surveys asking nursing faculty to rate the importance of 30 global health competencies for undergraduate nursing programs. Method: qualitative descriptive study that included 591 individuals who responded to the survey in English (49 from Africa and 542 from the Americas), 163 who responded to the survey in Spanish (all from Latin America), and 222 Brazilian faculty who responded to the survey in Portuguese. Qualitative comments were recorded at the end of the surveys by 175 respondents to the English survey, 75 to the Spanish survey, and 70 to the Portuguese survey. Qualitative description and a committee approach guided data analysis. Results: ten new categories of global health competencies emerged from the analysis. Faculty also demonstrated concern about how and when these competencies could be integrated into nursing curricula. Conclusion: the additional categories should be considered for addition to the previously identified global health competencies. These, in addition to the guidance about integration into existing curricula, can be used to guide refinement of the original list of global health competencies. Further research is needed to seek consensus about these competencies and to develop recommendations and standards to guide nursing curriculum development.Objetivo: analisar os dados qualitativos obtidos em quatro surveys realizados com docentes de enfermagem que avaliaram a importância de 30 competências em saúde global para cursos de graduação em enfermagem. Métodos: pesquisa qualitativa-descritiva com 591 indivíduos que responderam ao survey em inglês (49 da África e 542 das Américas), 163 que responderam ao survey em espanhol (todos da América Latina), e 222 docentes brasileiros que responderam ao survey em português. Os comentários qualitativos foram registrados ao final dos surveys por 175 respondentes na língua inglesa, 75 na espanhola e 70 na portuguesa. A análise dos dados foi dirigida por uma descrição qualitativa e desenvolvido por um comitê. Resultados: a análise revelou dez novas categorias de competências em saúde global. Os docentes também se mostraram preocupados com a forma e o momento de integrar essas competências nos currículos de enfermagem. Conclusão: as categorias adicionais devem ser consideradas para inclusão nas competências em saúde global identificadas anteriormente. Essas, além das orientações para fins de integração nos currículos existentes, podem ser usadas para direcionar o refinamento da lista original de competências em saúde global. São necessárias outras investigações em busca de consenso sobre essas competências para formulação de recomendações e padrões que orientem o desenvolvimento dos currículos de enfermagem.Objetivo: analizar los comentarios cualitativos de cuatro encuestas entre docentes de enfermería, a los que se solicitò evaluar la importancia de 30 competencias de salud global para cursos de pregrado en enfermería. Métodos: investigación cualitativa-descriptiva con 591 individuos que contestaron la encuesta en inglés (49 de África y 542 de las Américas), 163 que contestaron la encuesta en español (todos de América Latina), y 222 docentes brasileños que contestaron la encuesta en portugués. Los comentarios cualitativos fueron registrados al final de las encuestas por 175 respondientes en inglés, 75 en español y 70 en portugués. El análisis de los datos consistió en una descripción cualitativa y aproximación a través de un comité. Resultados: el análisis reveló diez nuevas categorías de competencias de salud global. Los docentes también se mostraron preocupados con la forma y el momento de integrar esas competencias en los currículos de enfermería. Conclusión: las categorías adicionales deben ser consideradas para inclusión en las competencias de salud global identificadas anteriormente. Esas, además de las orientaciones para integración en los currículos existentes, pueden ser usadas para dirigir la lista original de competencias en salud global. Son necesarias otras investigaciones en búsqueda de consenso sobre estas competencias y para desarrollar recomendaciones y normas que guíen los currículos de enfermería

DRD2, DRD3, and HTR2A Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Involvement in High Treatment Resistance to Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the DRD2 rs1800497, rs1799732, rs1801028, DRD3 rs6280, and HTR2A rs6314, rs7997012, and rs6311 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) correlations with resistance to second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) in a real-world sample of patients with treatment-resistant mental disorders. Methods: We divided 129 participants into a high treatment resistance (HTR) group (current treatment with two SGAs, or clozapine, or classic neuroleptics for a failure of previous SGAs trials) and a low treatment resistance (LTR) group (current treatment with one atypical antipsychotic). We used Next-Generation Sequencing on DNA isolated from peripheral blood samples to analyze the polymorphisms. We performed logistic regression to search for predictors of HTR membership. Results: A diagnosis of schizophrenia significantly predicted the HTR membership compared to other diagnoses. Other predictors were the DRD3 rs6280 C|T (OR = 22.195) and T|T (OR = 18.47) vs. C|C, HTR2A rs7997012 A|G vs. A|A (OR = 6.859) and vs. G|G (OR = 2.879), and DRD2 rs1799732 I|I vs. D|I (OR = 12.079) genotypes. Conclusions: A diagnosis of schizophrenia and the DRD2 rs1799732, DRD3 rs6280, and HTR2A rs7997012 genotypes can predict high treatment resistance to SGAs

Stakeholder Influences on the Design of Firms’ Environmental Practices

While prior literature has emphasized that stakeholders can influence a firm's decision to adopt environmental practices that lead to competitive advantage, most scholarship has assumed that stakeholders influence the design of firms' environmental practices similarly. We challenge this notion and suggest that stakeholders affect not only the decision to adopt environmental practices, but also managerial decisions about the design of these practices. We consider the case of firms' strategic decisions about the design of their environmental practices, and in particular their degree of comprehensiveness and visibility. We then develop a classification of four design strategies: movers and shakers, backroom operators, wannabes, and passivists. Using multinomial regression techniques for a sample of more than 1700 firms worldwide, our research shows that while stakeholders exert pressures on firms, managers' perceptions of these pressures vary, and these variations appear to influence the design of their environmental practices. These findings offer important evidence that the scope of stakeholders' influence appears more far reaching (and nuanced) than previously considered. Managers who respond to these influences may therefore be in a better position to satisfy stakeholder expectations, thus enhancing their organization's overall credibility

A chemical survey of exoplanets with ARIEL

Thousands of exoplanets have now been discovered with a huge range of masses, sizes and orbits: from rocky Earth-like planets to large gas giants grazing the surface of their host star. However, the essential nature of these exoplanets remains largely mysterious: there is no known, discernible pattern linking the presence, size, or orbital parameters of a planet to the nature of its parent star. We have little idea whether the chemistry of a planet is linked to its formation environment, or whether the type of host star drives the physics and chemistry of the planet’s birth, and evolution. ARIEL was conceived to observe a large number (~1000) of transiting planets for statistical understanding, including gas giants, Neptunes, super-Earths and Earth-size planets around a range of host star types using transit spectroscopy in the 1.25–7.8 μm spectral range and multiple narrow-band photometry in the optical. ARIEL will focus on warm and hot planets to take advantage of their well-mixed atmospheres which should show minimal condensation and sequestration of high-Z materials compared to their colder Solar System siblings. Said warm and hot atmospheres are expected to be more representative of the planetary bulk composition. Observations of these warm/hot exoplanets, and in particular of their elemental composition (especially C, O, N, S, Si), will allow the understanding of the early stages of planetary and atmospheric formation during the nebular phase and the following few million years. ARIEL will thus provide a representative picture of the chemical nature of the exoplanets and relate this directly to the type and chemical environment of the host star. ARIEL is designed as a dedicated survey mission for combined-light spectroscopy, capable of observing a large and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. Transit, eclipse and phase-curve spectroscopy methods, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allow us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of 10–100 part per million (ppm) relative to the star and, given the bright nature of targets, also allows more sophisticated techniques, such as eclipse mapping, to give a deeper insight into the nature of the atmosphere. These types of observations require a stable payload and satellite platform with broad, instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect many molecular species, probe the thermal structure, identify clouds and monitor the stellar activity. The wavelength range proposed covers all the expected major atmospheric gases from e.g. H2O, CO2, CH4 NH3, HCN, H2S through to the more exotic metallic compounds, such as TiO, VO, and condensed species. Simulations of ARIEL performance in conducting exoplanet surveys have been performed – using conservative estimates of mission performance and a full model of all significant noise sources in the measurement – using a list of potential ARIEL targets that incorporates the latest available exoplanet statistics. The conclusion at the end of the Phase A study, is that ARIEL – in line with the stated mission objectives – will be able to observe about 1000 exoplanets depending on the details of the adopted survey strategy, thus confirming the feasibility of the main science objectives.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 2: impacts on organisms and ecosystems

New information on the lethal and sublethal effects of neonicotinoids and fipronil on organisms is presented in this review, complementing the previous WIA in 2015. The high toxicity of these systemic insecticides to invertebrates has been confirmed and expanded to include more species and compounds. Most of the recent research has focused on bees and the sublethal and ecological impacts these insecticides have on pollinators. Toxic effects on other invertebrate taxa also covered predatory and parasitoid natural enemies and aquatic arthropods. Little, while not much new information has been gathered on soil organisms. The impact on marine coastal ecosystems is still largely uncharted. The chronic lethality of neonicotinoids to insects and crustaceans, and the strengthened evidence that these chemicals also impair the immune system and reproduction, highlights the dangers of this particular insecticidal classneonicotinoids and fipronil. , withContinued large scale – mostly prophylactic – use of these persistent organochlorine pesticides has the potential to greatly decreasecompletely eliminate populations of arthropods in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Sublethal effects on fish, reptiles, frogs, birds and mammals are also reported, showing a better understanding of the mechanisms of toxicity of these insecticides in vertebrates, and their deleterious impacts on growth, reproduction and neurobehaviour of most of the species tested. This review concludes with a summary of impacts on the ecosystem services and functioning, particularly on pollination, soil biota and aquatic invertebrate communities, thus reinforcing the previous WIA conclusions (van der Sluijs et al. 2015)

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

A Systematic Review on Add-On Psychotherapy in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders represent a varied class of mental illnesses characterised by psychosis. In addition to negative and positive symptoms, a significant lack of insight often hinders the therapeutic process. We performed an overview of the existing literature concerning these disorders to summarise the state of knowledge in the psychotherapies applied to treating psychotic symptoms. We searched the PubMed database, including randomised controlled and clinical trials, including 17 studies conducted on 1203 subjects. Psychotherapy of schizophrenia spectrum disorders can improve social functioning and positive symptoms, as well as many other symptomatic areas, and could therefore be considered a helpful adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Among cognitive-behavioural therapies and the newest derived approaches, there is evidence that they can improve different psychotic symptoms. On the other hand, psychodynamic psychotherapies can have a positive influence on psychotic symptoms as well. Further studies are needed to identify better-tailored treatment protocols for schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Qualitative Description of Global Health Nursing Competencies by Nursing Faculty in Africa and the Americas

Abstract Objective: to analyze qualitative comments from four surveys asking nursing faculty to rate the importance of 30 global health competencies for undergraduate nursing programs. Method: qualitative descriptive study that included 591 individuals who responded to the survey in English (49 from Africa and 542 from the Americas), 163 who responded to the survey in Spanish (all from Latin America), and 222 Brazilian faculty who responded to the survey in Portuguese. Qualitative comments were recorded at the end of the surveys by 175 respondents to the English survey, 75 to the Spanish survey, and 70 to the Portuguese survey. Qualitative description and a committee approach guided data analysis. Results: ten new categories of global health competencies emerged from the analysis. Faculty also demonstrated concern about how and when these competencies could be integrated into nursing curricula. Conclusion: the additional categories should be considered for addition to the previously identified global health competencies. These, in addition to the guidance about integration into existing curricula, can be used to guide refinement of the original list of global health competencies. Further research is needed to seek consensus about these competencies and to develop recommendations and standards to guide nursing curriculum development