Growing Resistance: Canadian Farmers and the Politics of Genetically Modified Wheat by Emily Eaton

Review of Growing Resistance: Canadian Farmers and the Politics of Genetically Modified Wheat by Emily Eaton

Preliminary Outcomes, Acceptability, and Feasibility of a Brief Crisis Response Planning Intervention for Reducing Suicide Risk in Primary Care Behavioral Health Patients

Primary care is an important setting for improving identification and treatment of people at risk for suicide. However, there are few developed protocols for management of suicide risk in this setting. This study aimed to evaluate the preliminary outcomes, acceptability, and feasibility of a brief crisis response planning intervention for patients at a moderate risk for suicide in a primary care behavioral health (PCBH) setting. The outcomes examined included change in suicidal cognitions, suicidal intent, hope, and coping efficacy. Twenty-two adult primary care patients at moderate risk for suicide participated in this study, which involved filling out self-report measures before and after creating a crisis response plan with a behavioral health consultant (BHC). Patients were contacted four months after their initial visit to complete follow-up measures and respond to open-ended questions about the intervention. So far, 16 patients have participated in the follow-up interview. BHCs were also interviewed about their perceptions of the intervention. Paired-samples t-tests evaluated changes from pre- to post-treatment, and within-subjects repeated measures ANOVAs evaluated changes across time. Thematic analysis was used to analyze responses to open-ended questions. Patients showed declines in suicidal intent within session and at follow-up. Patients did not show increases in hope or coping efficacy within session, but did demonstrate increases at follow-up. Patients did not demonstrate changes in suicidal cognitions. Patients and BHCs alike found the intervention helpful, and few had concerns about the implementation of this intervention in the PCBH model. Findings provide preliminary evidence that moderate suicide risk can be managed in primary care through integration of BHCs into the primary care team

IMPACTS OF SOIL MOISTURE VARIABILITY ON CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS THROUGH LAND-ATMOSPHERE FEEDBACKS

A suite of regional climate model runs was conducted to examine the impacts of mean soil moisture and model resolution on precipitation events in the U.S. Central Plains, and to investigate the relative impacts of energy balance partitioning and net radiation in soil moisture-precipitation feedbacks. Results indicate the presence of a positive feedback between soil moisture and precipitation in the U. S. Central Plains. Energy balance partitioning controls the occurrence of feedbacks, while net radiation was not impacted by mean soil moisture. Spatial scaling properties of modeled fields were examined to determine whether these fields exhibit scale invariance. There is large temporal variability in the scaling coefficients of soil moisture, Bowen ratio and soil temperature. Results imply that scaling characteristics determined from a limited time series of remotely sensed images may not be sufficient for inferring spatial dynamics of soil moisture

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAIRNESS PERCEPTIONS: THE EFFECT OF ICFR AUDIT REPORTING OPTIONS AND FOCUS OF AUDITOR BEHAVIOR ON MANAGEMENT DEFENSIVENESS

Unlike financial statement audits, auditor reporting requirements for audits of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) prohibit auditors from issuing a qualified opinion (i.e., only unqualified or adverse opinions are permitted). Using an experiment with experienced financial reporting managers, this study explores how managers’ perceptions of the unfairness of the ICFR reporting requirements influence their judgments when audit issues arise. Based on fairness heuristic theory, I predict that managers are more defensive when the auditor is not permitted to issue a qualified opinion on the audit of ICFR (compared to the auditor being able to issue a qualified opinion) due to perceptions of unfairness, and managers’ defensiveness will result in less willingness to agree to a material weakness and more aggressive positions on subsequent financial reporting issues. Results suggest managers do not find the option for the auditor to issue a qualified opinion on ICFR to be fairer than current regulations that exclude that option, and their judgments on audit issues are not affected. I also explore whether a client-focused (compared to audit team-focused) auditor can reduce managers’ defensiveness on material weakness assessments and subsequent financial reporting issues. Results show that when managers believe the audit partner acts more on their behalf, they are more likely to agree to a material weakness assessment. Additional analyses also show managers’ defensive behavior is related to perceptions of fairness

Evaluating Consumer Sensory and Composition Attributes of Arkansas-Grown Fresh-Market Blackberries

Blackberries are grown worldwide for commercial fresh markets. Three Arkansas-grown fresh-market blackberry genotypes (‘Natchez’, ‘Ouachita’, and A-2418) were evaluated for consumer sensory and compositional attributes at the University of Arkansas Food Science Department, Fayetteville. The compositional attributes of the blackberries were within an acceptable range for commercial markets (soluble solids=8.20-11.90%, pH=2.79-3.18, titratable acidity=1.09-1.32%). In terms of soluble solids to titratable acidity ratio, ‘Ouachita’ (10.92) had the highest ratio, followed by ‘Natchez’ (8.93) and A-2418 (6.25). A consumer sensory panel (n=80) evaluated fresh-market blackberry attributes using a 9-point hedonic scale for overall impression, overall flavor, sweetness, and sourness and a 5-point Just-about-Right (JAR) scale for sweetness and sourness. The participants also ranked the blackberries in order of overall liking from most to least liked. For overall impression, overall flavor, and sweetness, ‘Natchez’ scored higher than ‘Ouachita’ and A-2418, but the panelists did not detect differences in sourness. In terms of JAR for sweetness, 64% of consumers scored ‘Natchez’ JAR, followed by ‘Ouachita’ (39%) and A-2418 (34%). Whereas, 42% percent found A-2418 “Too Sour”, followed by ‘Ouachita (33%) and ‘Natchez’ (25%). In terms of ranking the blackberries, ‘Natchez’ was the most liked blackberry followed by ‘Ouachita’ and A-2418. When looking only at blackberries ranked first, 53% of consumers ranked ‘Natchez’ as their most liked berry, compared to A-2418 (26%) and ‘Ouachita’ (21%). The results from this research suggested that fresh-market blackberries with medium-level sweetness to sourness ratios were preferred though more consumers than expected preferred the blackberries with the more extreme ratios

Approach to atherosclerotic renovascular disease: 2016

The management of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis in patients with hypertension or impaired renal function remains a clinical dilemma. The current general consensus, supported by the results of the Angioplasty and Stenting for Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions and Cardiovascular Outcomes for Renal Artery Lesions trials, argues strongly against endovascular intervention in favor of optimal medical management. We discuss the limitations and implications of the contemporary clinical trials and present our approach and formulate clear recommendations to help with the management of patients with atherosclerotic narrowing of the renal artery

Learning Enhancement and Community Building Among Class Members Through Electronic Communications

This paper outlines the use of computer conferencing to enhance teaching and learning in an undergraduate college course, primarily as a supplement to lectures and class discussions, to implement homework assignments, to facilitate the writing process in writing-intensive courses, and to conduct informal course evaluations

Who leaves and who stays? Retention and attrition in engineering education

At a time of high demand for engineering graduates, the mean graduation completion rate of engineering undergraduates in Australia has been identified as approximately 54% (with considerable variation across institutions and sectors). This proportion of non-completions has been viewed as an excessive loss to the qualified workforce of Australia. Broad brush, government-collected statistics do not, however, provide the level of detail required to understand who leaves, when and why they leave, and where they go. This paper reports on a pilot study undertaken to precede and inform final decisions on research design and methodology for a multi institutional project seeking to understand and reduce student attrition from engineering degrees across Australia. The aim of the project is to produce guidelines on curriculum formulation and delivery strategies to reduce attrition in engineering programs while meeting outcomes. The pilot study was conducted at an institution which has a relatively diverse range of students, a high proportion of whom study part time, and engineering degree structures incorporating traditional and internship-based degrees. Results from a cohort analysis, tracking pathways to completion or non-completion of the degree for the cohorts from two specific entry years will be presented. From this analysis, groups of students who "persisted over long periods", "switched to another degree" or "withdrew from the university" were identified and interviewed. Their experiences and stories, were an essential ingredient for a better understanding of the dynamics of retention/attrition and factors which required further questioning before proceeding with the multi institutional study. © 2009 Authors

Heterogeneous Signaling at GABA and Glycine Co-releasing Terminals

The corelease of several neurotransmitters from a single synaptic vesicle has been observed at many central synapses. Nevertheless, the signaling synergy offered by cotransmission and the mechanisms that maintain the optimal release and detection of neurotransmitters at mixed synapses remain poorly understood, thus limiting our ability to interpret changes in synaptic signaling and identify molecules important for plasticity. In the brainstem and spinal cord, GABA and glycine cotransmission is facilitated by a shared vesicular transporter VIAAT (also named VGAT), and occurs at many immature inhibitory synapses. As sensory and motor networks mature, GABA/glycine cotransmission is generally replaced by either pure glycinergic or GABAergic transmission, and the functional role for the continued corelease of GABA and glycine is unclear. Whether or not, and how, the GABA/glycine content is balanced in VIAAT-expressing vesicles from the same terminal, and how loading variability effects the strength of inhibitory transmission is not known. Here, we use a combination of loose-patch (LP) and whole-cell (WC) electrophysiology in cultured spinal neurons of GlyT2:eGFP mice to sample miniature inhibitory post synaptic currents (mIPSCs) that originate from individual GABA/glycine co-releasing synapses and develop a modeling approach to illustrate the gradual change in mIPSC phenotypes as glycine replaces GABA in vesicles. As a consistent GABA/glycine balance is predicted if VIAAT has access to both amino-acids, we test whether vesicle exocytosis from a single terminal evokes a homogeneous population of mixed mIPSCs. We recorded mIPSCs from 18 individual synapses and detected glycine-only mIPSCs in 4/18 synapses sampled. The rest (14/18) were co-releasing synapses that had a significant proportion of mixed GABA/glycine mIPSCs with a characteristic biphasic decay. The majority (9/14) of co-releasing synapses did not have a homogenous phenotype, but instead signaled with a combination of mixed and pure mIPSCs, suggesting that there is variability in the loading and/or storage of GABA and glycine at the level of individual vesicles. Our modeling predicts that when glycine replaces GABA in synaptic vesicles, the redistribution between the peak amplitude and charge transfer of mIPSCs acts to maintain the strength of inhibition while increasing the temporal precision of signaling