Adverse impact of neighbourhood socioeconomic deprivation on psychological treatment outcomes : the role of area-level income and crime

Aim: Socioeconomic deprivation is known to be associated with depression and anxiety symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the influence of several domains of neighbourhood deprivation on psychological treatment outcomes. Method: Healthcare records from 44805 patients who accessed psychological treatment were analyzed. Patient-level depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) outcome measures were linked to their neighbourhood statistics, including area-level indices of income, unemployment, education, health and disability, crime, housing quality, and quality of the local environment. Linear regressions were applied to examine associations between these domains and post-treatment symptom severity after controlling for patient-level and service-level variables. Results: Neighbourhood income and crime rates were associated with depression and anxiety symptoms after controlling for covariates, explaining 4% to 5% of variability in treatment outcomes. Patients living in low-income areas required a higher number of treatment sessions to benefit from therapy. Conclusions: Patients living in economically deprived neighbourhoods tend to have poorer depression and anxiety treatment outcomes and require lengthier interventions

Shade for Cattle on Pasture: A Guide for Ontario Producers

In tropical climates, adequate shade may be essential to ensure the survival and productivity of grazing animals, but in the temperate Ontario climate, the necessity or benefits of providing shade for grazing cattle are less clear, and have proved controversial. Meteorological data indicate that beef cattle in Ontario may be at risk of suffering from heat stress on more than 25% of days during July and August, and may decrease feed intake and benefit from the provision of shade for more than 50% of days during the two hottest summer months. A booklet, entitled ‘Beat the Heat. A Guide to Hot Weather and Shade for Ontario Cattle Producers’, has been written for the Ontario Cattleman’s Association, as a means of providing basic information on heat biology in cattle, and as a focus for discussion on the value of shade to Ontario beef producers

Investigating lithium-ion battery materials during overcharge-induced thermal runaway: an operando and multi-scale X-ray CT study

Catastrophic failure of lithium-ion batteries occurs across multiple length scales and over very short time periods. A combination of high-speed operando tomography, thermal imaging and electrochemical measurements is used to probe the degradation mechanisms leading up to overcharge-induced thermal runaway of a LiCoO2 pouch cell, through its interrelated dynamic structural, thermal and electrical responses. Failure mechanisms across multiple length scales are explored using a post-mortem multi-scale tomography approach, revealing significant morphological and phase changes in the LiCoO2 electrode microstructure and location dependent degradation. This combined operando and multi-scale X-ray computed tomography (CT) technique is demonstrated as a comprehensive approach to understanding battery degradation and failure

The tricellular vertex-specific adhesion molecule Sidekick facilitates polarised cell intercalation during Drosophila axis extension.

In epithelia, tricellular vertices are emerging as important sites for the regulation of epithelial integrity and function. Compared to bicellular contacts, however, much less is known. In particular, resident proteins at tricellular vertices were identified only at occluding junctions, with none known at adherens junctions (AJs). In a previous study, we discovered that in Drosophila embryos, the adhesion molecule Sidekick (Sdk), well-known in invertebrates and vertebrates for its role in the visual system, localises at tricellular vertices at the level of AJs. Here, we survey a wide range of Drosophila epithelia and establish that Sdk is a resident protein at tricellular AJs (tAJs), the first of its kind. Clonal analysis showed that two cells, rather than three cells, contributing Sdk are sufficient for tAJ localisation. Super-resolution imaging using structured illumination reveals that Sdk proteins form string-like structures at vertices. Postulating that Sdk may have a role in epithelia where AJs are actively remodelled, we analysed the phenotype of sdk null mutant embryos during Drosophila axis extension using quantitative methods. We find that apical cell shapes are abnormal in sdk mutants, suggesting a defect in tissue remodelling during convergence and extension. Moreover, adhesion at apical vertices is compromised in rearranging cells, with apical tears in the cortex forming and persisting throughout axis extension, especially at the centres of rosettes. Finally, we show that polarised cell intercalation is decreased in sdk mutants. Mathematical modelling of the cell behaviours supports the notion that the T1 transitions of polarised cell intercalation are delayed in sdk mutants, in particular in rosettes. We propose that this delay, in combination with a change in the mechanical properties of the converging and extending tissue, causes the abnormal apical cell shapes in sdk mutant embryos

Predictors of depression relapse and recurrence after cognitive behavioural therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective psychological treatment for major depressive disorder, although some patients experience a return of symptoms after finishing therapy. The ability to predict which individuals are more vulnerable to deterioration would allow for targeted interventions to prevent short-term relapse and longer-term recurrence. Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify factors associated with an increased risk of relapse and/or recurrence (RR) after CBT for depression. Method: We reviewed 13 relevant papers, of which a small set of unique samples were eligible for meta-analysis (k = 5, N = 369). Twenty-six predictor variables were identified and grouped into seven categories: residual depressive symptoms; prior episodes of depression; cognitive reactivity; stressful life events; personality factors; clinical and diagnostic factors; demographics. Results: Meta-analyses indicated that residual depressive symptoms (r = 0.34 [0.10, 0.54], p = .01) and prior episodes (r = 0.19 [0.07, 0.30], p = .002) were statistically significant predictors of RR, but cognitive reactivity was not (r = 0.18 [−0.02, 0.36], p = .08). Other variables lacked replicated findings. On average, 33.4% of patients experienced RR after CBT. Conclusions: Patients with the above risk factors could be offered evidence-based continuation-phase interventions to enhance the longer-term effectiveness of CBT

Effects of Capsaicin on the Hemodynamic Responses to Handgrip Exercise: Potential Influence of Race

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Avaliação do incremento em volume de madeira de Quassia amara L.- Simaroubaceae, em cultivo agroecológico no trópico úmido da Costa Rica.

Quassia amara é arbusto de 3 a 6 metros de altura, tendo sido retirado indiscriminadamente das florestas para extrair do caule as quassinas usadas na indústria farmacêutica e como inseticida em agricultura orgânica. Não se tem muita informação técnica acerca do crescimento desta espécie para subsidiar estratégias de manejo sustentado. Este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o crescimento de Q. amara L. em cultivo agroecológico na Costa Rica. O trabalho consistiu em realizar avaliações do desenvolvimento de indivíduos de Q. amara em parcelas permanentes de medições, instaladas em meio às plantações desta espécie em consórcio com essências arbóreas. Foram efetuadas medições de diâmetro do caule a 10 cm do solo e altura total. Foi observado que em função das taxas de crescimento vegetal e incrementos médio e corrente anuais (IMA e ICA), mesmo após cinco anos de plantio, a madeira de Quassia amara para extração de quassinas não está pronta para colheita

In-operando high-speed tomography of lithium-ion batteries during thermal runaway

Prevention and mitigation of thermal runaway presents one of the greatest challenges for the safe operation of lithium-ion batteries. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the application of high-speed synchrotron X-ray computed tomography and radiography, in conjunction with thermal imaging, to track the evolution of internal structural damage and thermal behaviour during initiation and propagation of thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries. This diagnostic approach is applied to commercial lithium-ion batteries (LG 18650 NMC cells), yielding insights into key degradation modes including gas-induced delamination, electrode layer collapse and propagation of structural degradation. It is envisaged that the use of these techniques will lead to major improvements in the design of Li-ion batteries and their safety features

Efeitos da exploração de uma floresta tropical úmida sobre o microambiente e sua influência na regeneração de sítios perturbados.

Apresenta-se uma análise das perturbações do microambiente causadas pela exploração de uma floresta tropical manejada, na zona atlântica de Costa Rica. An analysis of the disturbance of the microenvironment caused by the utilization of a managed tropical rain forest in the Atlantic region of ​​Costa Rica is presented