Health Services Social Workers\u27 Activities with People with Disabilities: Predicters of Community Practice

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which hospital based social workers were actively involved in community practice on behalf of disabled people. The study attempted to identify what variables influence social workers in health settings to engage in community practice. A sample of 286 social workers employed in 57 different hospital and rehabilitation settings participated in a survey that focused on advocacy and related topics. A questionnaire explored participants\u27 perspectives and the levels and kinds of practice activities they engaged in relation to the needs of people with disabilities. Most respondents indicated that community practice was part of their professional responsibility and that disabled clients needed such assistance. Regression analyses showed that self-reports of community practice activities were nevertheless highly related to selfreported advocacy activities. However, their reports of their actual advocacy activities consistently fell below their recognition of need

Factors Affecting the Behavior of Great Lakes Sea Lamprey (petromyzon marinus) at Traps

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) is a parasitic species that have affected Great Lakes fisheries in many ways. Control of seal lamprey populations through binational efforts started in 1950s and continues today. The primary technique used to control sea lamprey is the application of lampricides to streams to kill larvae before they become parasites. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is looking for an alternative method of control to complement lampricides to reduce sea lamprey abundance. Trapping adult sea lamprey as they migrate upstream is used for assessment of spawining population in the stream. Trapping efficiency needs to be improved before this method could be used as an alternative method of control. Thus, the understanidng of sea lamprey behavior at traps is important to try to improve trap success. A male mating pheromone component (3kPZS) used as an attractant in traps has been shown to increase trap capture. Also, other external factors are likely to affect the behavior of sea lamprey at traps. Video was used to record sea lamprey behavior at five traps across five migration seasons, with one trap being baited with 3kPZS. I found sea lamprey are 31% more likely to enter after approaching the trap when it was baited with pheromone. I found additional environmental factors that affected the probability that a sea lamprey would enter and be retained in the trap.Master'sCollege of Arts and Sciences: BiologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117733/1/Beaulaurier.pd

The Financial Vulnerability of People with Disabilities: Assessing Poverty Risks

The economic self-sufficiency and independence of people with disabilities depend largely on their capacity to maintain financial stability. As a group, such individuals have among the highest poverty rates, lowest educational levels, lowest average incomes, and highest out-of-pocket expenses of all population groups. Any substantial shock to the financial stability of people with disabilities can threaten their access to necessary housing, nutrition, medical care, and other resources, the absence of which may result in further vulnerability and possible poverty. This article offers a theoretical framework for understanding disability poverty risk. Empirical studies are needed to test this model, quantifying the specific risk factors and identifying coping mechanisms used by people with disabilities to reduce vulnerability. The results will have important implications at the individual, service provider, and policy levels

Nearpoint lens therapy and the relief of asthenopic symptoms in VDT operators

The widespread use of VDT\u27s and information processing systems in office settings has led to numerous complaints of eyestrain and headaches among their operators. These symptoms suggest to the eye care practitioner that the visual system is under stress. It was hypothesized that a nearpoint lens therapy would relieve these symptoms. A particular method of binocular refraction and case analysis developed by C. Michael Smith, O.D., was used to determine a nearpoint spectacle prescription. Four case studies are presented of VDT operators whose symptoms of eyestrain and headache were relieved through the use of this nearpoint lens therapy

Older women, intimate partner violence and mental health: a consideration of the particular issues for health and health care practice.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this meta-synthesis was to explore qualitative evidence in older women with a history of Intimate partner violence (IPV) and their accounts and experiences of mental health. BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence significantly impacts the health and wellbeing of women who experience it. However, women who experience intimate partner violence do not form a homogenous group and the effect on older women has not been adequately distinguished. While there is a growing body of evidence to address this deficit, studies to date have tended to concentrate on older women's experiences of intimate partner violence in totality and as such mental health issues have been subsumed as a part of the whole. DESIGN: Meta ethnographic synthesis of qualitative evidence. METHODS: A systematic search of PUBMED, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), COCHRANE, Medline and PsycInfo, Sci was completed. The search included articles published up until the end of December 2015. RESULTS: The review identified that intimate partner violence exerts a significant impact on the mental health of older women. Iintimate partner violence for women in later life is inherently complex, especially where the boundaries of violence and vulnerability have been blurred historically both within the intimate partner violence discourse and through provision and practice. CONCLUSIONS: This paper adds to the developing knowledge and understanding of intimate partner violence for older women as a part of the growing body of evidence of the impact of IPV on the health and wellbeing of those who experience abuse more generally. When age and gender intersect with IPV, there are specific implications and health professionals and service providers need to be aware of these This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Evolutionary Dynamics of Vibrio cholerae O1 following a Single-Source Introduction to Haiti

ABSTRACT Prior to the epidemic that emerged in Haiti in October of 2010, cholera had not been documented in this country. After its introduction, a strain of Vibrio cholerae O1 spread rapidly throughout Haiti, where it caused over 600,000 cases of disease and >7,500 deaths in the first two years of the epidemic. We applied whole-genome sequencing to a temporal series of V. cholerae isolates from Haiti to gain insight into the mode and tempo of evolution in this isolated population of V. cholerae O1. Phylogenetic and Bayesian analyses supported the hypothesis that all isolates in the sample set diverged from a common ancestor within a time frame that is consistent with epidemiological observations. A pangenome analysis showed nearly homogeneous genomic content, with no evidence of gene acquisition among Haiti isolates. Nine nearly closed genomes assembled from continuous-long-read data showed evidence of genome rearrangements and supported the observation of no gene acquisition among isolates. Thus, intrinsic mutational processes can account for virtually all of the observed genetic polymorphism, with no demonstrable contribution from horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Consistent with this, the 12 Haiti isolates tested by laboratory HGT assays were severely impaired for transformation, although unlike previously characterized noncompetent V. cholerae isolates, each expressed hapR and possessed a functional quorum-sensing system. Continued monitoring of V. cholerae in Haiti will illuminate the processes influencing the origin and fate of genome variants, which will facilitate interpretation of genetic variation in future epidemics

Liver and Adipose Expression Associated SNPs Are Enriched for Association to Type 2 Diabetes

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have demonstrated the ability to identify the strongest causal common variants in complex human diseases. However, to date, the massive data generated from GWAS have not been maximally explored to identify true associations that fail to meet the stringent level of association required to achieve genome-wide significance. Genetics of gene expression (GGE) studies have shown promise towards identifying DNA variations associated with disease and providing a path to functionally characterize findings from GWAS. Here, we present the first empiric study to systematically characterize the set of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with expression (eSNPs) in liver, subcutaneous fat, and omental fat tissues, demonstrating these eSNPs are significantly more enriched for SNPs that associate with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in three large-scale GWAS than a matched set of randomly selected SNPs. This enrichment for T2D association increases as we restrict to eSNPs that correspond to genes comprising gene networks constructed from adipose gene expression data isolated from a mouse population segregating a T2D phenotype. Finally, by restricting to eSNPs corresponding to genes comprising an adipose subnetwork strongly predicted as causal for T2D, we dramatically increased the enrichment for SNPs associated with T2D and were able to identify a functionally related set of diabetes susceptibility genes. We identified and validated malic enzyme 1 (Me1) as a key regulator of this T2D subnetwork in mouse and provided support for the association of this gene to T2D in humans. This integration of eSNPs and networks provides a novel approach to identify disease susceptibility networks rather than the single SNPs or genes traditionally identified through GWAS, thereby extracting additional value from the wealth of data currently being generated by GWAS

Wire Marking Results in a Small but Significant Reduction in Avian Mortality at Power Lines: A BACI Designed Study

10 paginas, 4 figuras y 4 tablesBackground: Collision with electric power lines is a conservation problem for many bird species. Although the implementation of flight diverters is rapidly increasing, few well-designed studies supporting the effectiveness of this costly conservation measure have been published. Methodology/Principal Findings: We provide information on the largest worldwide marking experiment to date, including carcass searches at 35 (15 experimental, 20 control) power lines totalling 72.5 km, at both transmission (220 kV) and distribution (15 kV-45 kV) lines. We found carcasses of 45 species, 19 of conservation concern. Numbers of carcasses found were corrected to account for carcass losses due to removal by scavengers or being overlooked by researchers, resulting in an estimated collision rate of 8.2 collisions per km per month. We observed a small (9.6%) but significant decrease in the number of casualties after line marking compared to before line marking in experimental lines. This was not observed in control lines. We found no influence of either marker size (large vs. small spirals, sample of distribution lines only) or power line type (transmission vs. distribution, sample of large spirals only) on the collision rate when we analyzed all species together. However, great bustard mortality was slightly lower when lines were marked with large spirals and in transmission lines after marking. Conclusions: Our results confirm the overall effectiveness of wire marking as a way to reduce, but not eliminate, bird collisions with power lines. If raw field data are not corrected by carcass losses due to scavengers and missed observations, findings may be biased. The high cost of this conservation measure suggests a need for more studies to improve its application, including wire marking with non-visual devices. Our findings suggest that different species may respond differently to marking, implying that species-specific patterns should be explored, at least for species of conservation concern.We thank A. Garcıa Fernandez and M. Carrasco for their assistance during the field work. We also thank J. Camaño and J. Velasco of HENARSA, and the electric companies Iberdrola, Union Fenosa and Red Electrica de España for their cooperation. S. Young reviewed the English. RB was contracted within the project CGL2008-02567 of the Direccion General de Investigacion, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and later supported by a postdoctoral grant from Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha. C. Ponce, C. Palacın, CM and BM were supported by contracts CSICHENARSA. This study was carried out within the Preventive, corrective and compensatory measures to balance the impact of the M-50 and R-2 highways on the population of great bustards and other steppe-land birds in the Important Bird Area Talamanca-Camarma and the Site of Community Importance Cuenca de los rıos Jarama y Henares, supported by a contract HENARSA-CSIC. Additional financial support was provided by project GL2008-02567 of the Direccion General de Investigacion, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewe

The experience of intimate partner violence among older women: A narrative review

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a significant public health issue globally. It has serious physical and psychological health consequences as well huge economic and social costs. With an ageing population globally, it is important to understand how older women experience IPV. We present a narrative review of 48 studies exploring IPV in women aged ≥45 years, focusing on: (1) prevalence of IPV; (2) factors associated with IPV; (3) impact of IPV; (4) responses to IPV; (5) IPV interventions; and (6) key populations. Although we found significant gaps in the literature and an inconsistency in definitions, data suggest that IPV is commonly experienced by older women (lifetime prevalence 16.5%–54.5%), but that their age and life transitions mean that they may experience abuse differently to younger women. They also face unique barriers to accessing help, such as disability and dependence on their partners. We recommend commissioning services that are specifically tailored to meet their needs. Professionals working in frontline services where older women are commonly seen should be trained to identify and respond to IPV appropriately