Production Practices and Sample Costs for a Diversified Organic Vegetable Operation on the Central Coast of California

Organic vegetable farms on the Central Coast region of California are generally intensive operations. That is, two and sometimes three crops may be harvested off the same acreage each year. Many approaches exist for rowing and marketing organic vegetables. This publication describes the range of soil management practices, pest management, crop rotations, cover crops, and harvest and packing methods currently used by organic growers on the Central Coast of California. Marketing options and state and federal regulations governing organic commodities are also discussed. A general sequence of operations, equipment requirements, resource use, costs, yield and return ranges are presented for thirteen vegetable crops and two cover crops. The vegetables included are cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce (leaf and romaine), onions (red and yellow), snap peas, snow peas, bell peppers (green and red), sweet corn, and winter squash (large and small varieties). Barley and vetch are the two cover crops detailed.Crop Production/Industries,

Reasons for non-suicidal self-harm in adult male offenders with and without borderline personality traits

The presented study aimed to advance understanding of the reasons for non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) in adult male offenders, with and without borderline personality traits. 179 offenders completed self-report measures of NSSH and other clinical constructs, with 42 being identified as having self-harmed. Results were consistent with past research and supported the relative importance of intrapersonal over interpersonal functions, but also highlight that self-harm is performed rarely for one type of reason. The results also show that the presence of borderline personality traits increases the likelihood of endorsing a range of interpersonal reasons. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the range of reasons for engaging in NSSH to help manage the behaviour within the priso

Intrapersonal and interpersonal functions as pathways to future self-harm repetition and suicide attempts

Background: Research has identified functions of non-suicidal self-harm/self-injury (NSSH) but whether functions change over time, from adolescence to early adulthood, or predict the continuation of the behaviour prospectively remains unclear. This study aimed to prospectively explore whether intrapersonal and interpersonal NSSH functions in adolescence predict repetition of self-harm (regardless of suicidal intent) and incident suicide attempts in early adulthood. Methods: Participants were 528 individuals with NSSH at age 16 years from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a population-based birth cohort in the UK. Descriptive statistics were used to explore changes in functions over time from age 16 to 21, and logistic regression used to examine associations between NSSH functions and repeat self-harm and suicide attempts at age 21, 24 and 25 years. Findings: The majority of 16-year-olds with NSSH endorsed intrapersonal (e.g., affect regulatory) functions only (73% at 16 years and 64% at 21 years). Just under half of adolescents (42%) and three quarters of 21 years olds reported more than one function simultaneously. A greater number of intrapersonal functions at 16 years independently predicted future repetition of self-harm at ages 21-25 years, over and above interpersonal functions (OR=1.46, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.01). Interpersonal functions during adolescence did not predict repeat self-harm or suicide attempts in adulthood. Discussion: Our findings suggest that intrapersonal but not interpersonal NSSH functions are a prospective risk factor for future self-harm and might also predict incident suicide attempts. The results highlight the central role of underlying affective difficulties and motivations in self-harm maintenance

Predictors of future suicide attempt among adolescents with suicidal thoughts or non-suicidal self-harm: a population-based birth cohort study

Background: Suicidal thoughts and non-suicidal self-harm are common in young people and are strongly associated with suicide attempts. This longitudinal study aimed to identify predictors of future suicide attempts within these high-risk groups. Methods: Participants were from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a population-based birth cohort study in the UK. The sample included 456 young people who reported suicidal thoughts and 569 who reported non-suicidal self-harm at age 16 years. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore associations between a wide range of prospectively recorded risk factors and future suicide attempts, assessed at age 21 years. Outcomes: The proportion of adolescents who went on to make a suicide attempt was the same in both groups (12%). Amongst those with suicidal thoughts, the strongest predictors of transition to attempts were: non-suicidal self-harm (OR=2.78); cannabis (OR=2.61) and illicit drug use (OR=2.47); exposure to self-harm (family OR=2.03; friend OR=1.85), and higher levels of the personality type ‘Intellect/openness’ (OR=1.62). Amongst those with non-suicidal self-harm at baseline, the strongest predictors were: cannabis (OR=2.14) and illicit drug use (OR=2.17); sleep problems (waking in the night OR=1.91; insufficient sleep OR=1.97), and lower levels of the personality type ‘extraversion’ (OR=0.71). Interpretation: Most adolescents who think about suicide or engage in non-suicidal self-harm will not make an attempt on their life. Many commonly cited risk factors were not associated with transition to suicide attempt among these high-risk adolescents. Our findings suggest that asking about substance use, non-suicidal self-harm, sleep, personality traits, and exposure to self-harm could inform risk assessments, and may help clinicians to identify which young people are at greatest risk of attempting suicide in the future. Funding: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. Keywords: Suicide attempt; ideation; suicidal thoughts; ALSPAC; longitudinalBM was supported by a grant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (PDF-0-091-14) between January, 2016, and December, 2017, and has been supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol National Health Service Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol (Bristol, UK) since January, 2018. The UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust (grant reference 102215/2/13/2) and the University of Bristol provide core support for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. The data used in this research were specifically funded by the Wellcome Trust (grant reference GR067797MA), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and the NIHR (grant reference PR-RS-0912-11023)

What distinguishes adolescents with suicidal thoughts from those who have attempted suicide? A population-based birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Only one-third of young people who experience suicidal ideation attempt suicide. It is important to identify factors which differentiate those who attempt suicide from those who experience suicidal ideation but do not act on these thoughts. METHODS: Participants were 4,772 members of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a UK population-based birth cohort. Suicide ideation and attempts were assessed at age 16 years via self-report questionnaire. Multinomial regression was used to examine associations between factors that differentiated adolescents in three groups: no suicidal ideation or attempts, suicidal ideation only and suicide attempts. Analyses were conducted on an imputed data set based on those with complete outcome data (suicidal thoughts and attempts) at age 16 years (N = 4,772). RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts in the sample was 9.6% and 6.8% respectively. Compared to adolescents who had experienced suicidal ideation, those who attempted suicide were more likely to report exposure to self-harm in others (adjusted OR for family member self-harm: 1.95, for friend self-harm: 2.61 and for both family and friend self-harm: 5.26). They were also more likely to have a psychiatric disorder (adjusted OR for depression: 3.63; adjusted OR for anxiety disorder: 2.20; adjusted OR for behavioural disorder: 2.90). Other risk factors included female gender, lower IQ, higher impulsivity, higher intensity seeking, lower conscientiousness, a greater number of life events, body dissatisfaction, hopelessness, smoking and illicit drug use (excluding cannabis). CONCLUSIONS: The extent of exposure to self-harm in others and the presence of psychiatric disorder most clearly differentiate adolescents who attempt suicide from those who only experience suicidal ideation. Further longitudinal research is needed to explore whether these risk factors predict progression from suicidal ideation to attempts over time

Impulsivity and self-harm in adolescence: a systematic review

Research supports an association between impulsivity and self-harm, yet inconsistencies in methodology across studies have complicated understanding of this relationship. This systematic review examines the association between impulsivity and self-harm in community-based adolescents aged 11-25 years and aims to integrate findings according to differing concepts and methods. Electronic searches of EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, PubMed and The Cochrane Library, and manual searches of reference lists of relevant reviews, identified 4,496 articles published up to July 2015, of which 28 met inclusion criteria. Twenty-four of the studies reported an association between broadly specified impulsivity and self-harm. However, findings varied according to the conception and measurement of impulsivity and the precision with which self-harm behaviours were specified. Specifically, lifetime non-suicidal self-injury was most consistently associated with mood-based impulsivity related traits. However, cognitive facets of impulsivity (relating to difficulties maintaining focus or acting without forethought) differentiated current self-harm from past self-harm. These facets also distinguished those with thoughts of self-harm (ideation) from those who acted on thoughts (enaction). The findings suggested that mood-based impulsivity is related to the initiation of self-harm, while cognitive facets of impulsivity are associated with the maintenance of self-harm. In addition, behavioural impulsivity is most relevant to self-harm under conditions of negative affect. Collectively, the findings indicate that distinct impulsivity facets confer unique risks across the life-course of self-harm. From a clinical perspective, the review suggests that interventions focusing on reducing rash reactivity to emotions or improving self-regulation and decision-making may offer most benefit in supporting those who self-harm

Psychiatric diagnoses, trauma, and suicidiality

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the associations between psychiatric diagnoses, trauma and suicidiality in psychiatric patients at intake. METHODS: During two months, all consecutive patients (n = 139) in a psychiatric hospital in Western Norway were interviewed (response rate 72%). RESULTS: Ninety-one percent had been exposed to at least one trauma; 69 percent had been repeatedly exposed to trauma for longer periods of time. Only 7% acquired a PTSD diagnosis. The comorbidity of PTSD and other psychiatric diagnoses were 78%. A number of diagnoses were associated with specific traumas. Sixty-seven percent of the patients reported suicidal thoughts in the month prior to intake; thirty-one percent had attempted suicide in the preceding week. Suicidal ideation, self-harming behaviour, and suicide attempts were associated with specific traumas. CONCLUSION: Traumatised patients appear to be under- or misdiagnosed which could have an impact on the efficiency of treatment