Mental Health in Commercial Aviation - Depression & Anxiety of Pilots

Two landmark accidents invigorated the discussion regarding pilot mental health. Other incidents may also have a mental health component that is related to, but not the direct cause of, the event. It is suspected that these “other incidents” are much more commonplace and while not catastrophic, erode safety. Depression and anxiety are two commonly occurring mental health concerns. Research indicates that a considerable portion of the U. S. population suffers from some form of mental health issue. Most go undiagnosed and untreated. A similar rate of occurrence appears to be found within the airline pilot population. The stigma of mental health may lead many to not seek treatment. This may be especially true for pilots who face the potential loss of their medical certificate or complications in maintaining medical certification. As a result of discussions regarding pilot mental health, the FAA is now providing enhanced mental health screening guidance to designated aviation medical examiners. Additionally, employers and labor organizations are being encouraged to implement and improve pilot assistance programs better suited to helping pilots who may be suffering from mental health issues. The availability and effectiveness of these programs varies. Ultimately, removing the stigma of mental health in the greater population and improving the understanding of mental health within the aviation medical community may be necessary to encourage more pilots who have mental health concerns to seek treatment. This approach would have the most significant effect on aviation safety

Explaining variance in self-directed learning readiness of first year students in health professional programs

Background: Self-directed learning (SDL) is expected of health science graduates; it is thus a learning outcome in many pre-certification programs. Previous research identified age, gender, discipline and prior education as associated with variations in students' self-directed learning readiness (SDLR). Studies in other fields also propose personality as influential. Method: This study investigated relationships between SDLR and age, gender, discipline, previous education, and personality traits. The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale and the 50-item 'big five' personality trait inventory were administered to 584 first-year undergraduate students (n = 312 female) enrolled in a first-session undergraduate interprofessional health sciences subject. Results: Students were from health promotion, health services management, therapeutic recreation, sports and exercise science, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and podiatry. Four hundred and seven responses (n = 230 females) were complete. SDLR was significantly higher in females and students in occupational therapy and physiotherapy. SDLR increased with age and higher levels of previous education. It was also significantly associated with 'big five' personality trait scores. Regression analysis revealed 52.9% of variance was accounted for by personality factors, discipline and prior experience of tertiary education. Conclusion: Demographic, discipline and personality factors are associated with SDLR in the first year of study. Teachers need to be alert to individual student variation in SDLR

Hepatitis C Virus Induces Regulatory T Cells by Naturally Occurring Viral Variants to Suppress T Cell Responses

Regulatory T cell markers are increased in chronically infected individuals with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), but to date, the induction and maintenance of Tregs in HCV infection has not been clearly defined. In this paper, we demonstrate that naturally occurring viral variants suppress T cell responses to cognate NS3358-375 in an antigen-specific manner. Of four archetypal variants, S370P induced regulatory T cell markers in comparison to NS3358-375-stimulated CD4 T cells. Further, the addition of variant-specific CD4 T cells back into a polyclonal culture in a dose-dependent manner inhibited the T cell response. These results suggest that HCV is able to induce antigen-specific regulatory T cells to suppress the antiviral T cell response in an antigen-specific manner, thus contributing to a niche within the host that could be conducive to HCV persistence

Necrotizing Enterocolitis following Gastroschisis Repair: An Update

Purpose: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a known complication of gastroschisis with an incidence above the expected rate in the neonatal population. While many physicians today are aware of this association, the last publication to explore this association in detail and identify possible risk factors of NEC in gastroschisis patients was published over twenty years ago. From our large database of patients with gastroschisis managed by a single group of pediatric surgeons, we reviewed our experience and the recent literature to update what is known about gastroschisis and NEC. Methods: From 2001 to 2017, a gastroschisis registry was maintained. Data from 218 gastroschisis patients were reviewed. Patient demographics and hospital course were reviewed. Patients with confirmed NEC were compared to those without NEC. Results: Two hundred eighteen patients were born with gastroschisis during the time frame of this study. We observed a 5% rate (11 of 218) of NEC. Five patients (45%) developed recurring NEC and 4 patients (36%) were readmitted for NEC development following initial discharge. Variables associated with NEC included low gestational age (P=0.016) and low birth weight (P=0.003). Patients born prior to 37 weeks gestation had a 4.8 times greater risk of developing NEC than those born at term. Rates of IUGR were not statistically different between NEC and non-NEC patients. The method of delivery (cesarean vs vaginal), use of a silo, and form of nutrition were not significantly associated with NEC development. Conclusions: The overall incidence of NEC has decreased compared to earlier reports. NEC does complicate the hospital course for patients, significantly increasing duration of in-hospital treatment. NEC in gastroschisis differs in comparison to traditional NEC, presenting later in life. Risk factors identified include low gestational age and low birth weight. Avoiding elective preterm deliveries may decrease the rate of NEC in gastroschisis

A complete characterization of plateaued Boolean functions in terms of their Cayley graphs

In this paper we find a complete characterization of plateaued Boolean functions in terms of the associated Cayley graphs. Precisely, we show that a Boolean function $f$ is $s$-plateaued (of weight $=2^{(n+s-2)/2}$) if and only if the associated Cayley graph is a complete bipartite graph between the support of $f$ and its complement (hence the graph is strongly regular of parameters $e=0,d=2^{(n+s-2)/2}$). Moreover, a Boolean function $f$ is $s$-plateaued (of weight $\neq 2^{(n+s-2)/2}$) if and only if the associated Cayley graph is strongly $3$-walk-regular (and also strongly $\ell$-walk-regular, for all odd $\ell\geq 3$) with some explicitly given parameters.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, Proceedings of Africacrypt 201

How to determine linear complexity and kk-error linear complexity in some classes of linear recurring sequences

Several fast algorithms for the determination of the linear complexity of $d$-periodic sequences over a finite field \F_q, i.e. sequences with characteristic polynomial $f(x) = x^d-1$, have been proposed in the literature. In this contribution fast algorithms for determining the linear complexity of binary sequences with characteristic polynomial $f(x) = (x-1)^d$ for an arbitrary positive integer $d$, and $f(x) = (x^2+x+1)^{2^v}$ are presented. The result is then utilized to establish a fast algorithm for determining the $k$-error linear complexity of binary sequences with characteristic polynomial $(x^2+x+1)^{2^v}$