Understanding college student emotional functioning during COVID-19

The novel coronavirus has resulted in mass infection and death. To prevent spread of the virus, colleges and universities shut down and transitioned to remote learning, which mandated all college students to leave residential housing and relocate to a permanent address. Previous literature suggests college students who experienced housing displacement due to a natural disaster reported heightened distress and poorer overall functioning (Davis, Grills-Taquechel, & Ollendick, 2010). Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, college student mental health was deemed a public health concern, however, it is expected to worsen following the outbreak (Galea, Merchant, & Lurie, 2020). Researchers suggest peer support and connection buffers against worsened psychological symptoms when students experience disaster (Kuhl & Boyraz, 2017). This study seeks to understand pre-COVID place of residence and campus connectedness as a predictor for emotional functioning two months into the pandemic. A moderated regression analysis was used to evaluate if campus connectedness and emotional functioning varied as a function of place of residence before the outbreak. Findings suggested no significant interaction between pre-COVID place of residence and campus connectedness, however, exploratory analyses revealed that gender and trauma history affect emotional functioning among students. Implications of this research suggest that historical trauma should be considered for students who experience disaster and, perhaps, universities should adopt a trauma-informed approach to welcome students back on campus during the pandemic

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Evaluating Adult’s Competency: Application of the Competency Assessment Process

Competency assessment of adults with cognitive impairment or mental illness is a complex process that can have significant consequences for their rights. Some models put forth in the scientific literature have been proposed to guide health and social service professionals with this assessment process, but none of these appear to be complete. A new model, the Competency Assessment Process (CAP), was presented and validated in other studies. This paper adds to this corpus by presenting both the CAP model and the results of a survey given to health and social service professionals on its practical application in their clinical practice. The survey was administered to 35 participants trained in assessing competency following the CAP model. The results show that 40% of participants use the CAP to guide their assessment and the majority of those who do not yet use it plan to do so in the future. A large majority of participants consider this to be a relevant model and believe that all interdisciplinary teams should use it. These results support the relevance of the CAP model. Further research is planned to continue the study of the application of CAP in healthcare facilities

Treatment and recycling of concentrated solutions used in osmotic dehydration food processes: needs, problems and examples

Osmotic dehydration processes require the used concentrated solution to be recycled in order to make these processes clean and economically viable. We present here two examples of solution recycling: the semi-industrial cas of a water-sucrose mixture used on apple and regenerated simultaneously and the semi-discontinuous regeneration of a ternary water/salt/maltodextrins solution used on herring filets

Utilisation des médias socionumériques par les jeunes de cinquième et sixième année du primaire à la Commission scolaire des Rives-du-Saguenay

L'enquête présentée dans ce rapport a été mise en place afin de rassembler les informations nécessaires à l'intervention pédagogique relative à la cyberintimidation et à l'usage des réseaux socionumériques au primaire. Le rapport présente le contexte dans lequel l'étude a été réalisé, le déroulement et les participants. Les résultats décrivent quels réseaux socionumériques et autres outils/sites les jeunes fréquentent, à quelle fréquence ils naviguent sur Internet et leurs principaux usages des outils d'Internet. Le temps passé en ligne, le lieu et le moyen utilisé pour se brancher ainsi que la sécurité et la cyberintimidation sont aussi explorés. Quelques pistes de recherche sont soulevées en conclusion

The hamstrings are more impacted than the quadriceps after severe ankle sprain

International audienceAnkle sprains (AS) are common in the military population, with a prevalence 5 to 8 times higher than that for civilians. The aim of this study was to evaluate in patients with severe AS the impact of disuse on thigh muscle induced by unloading and immobilization due to care. This study focused on muscle trophicity and dynamometric strength. In this observational prospective study, assessments were repeated at 3 visits: close to injury, 15 and 30 days following the sprain. The injured limb was compared to the contralateral limb. A dynamometer assessment was used to monitor changes in strength and fatigue of the thigh muscles of both limbs. Isometric and isokinetic concentric evaluation of peak torque (PTiso and PTdyn), total work (Wt), and peak torque time integral (IPT) of thigh muscles. Full follow-up was obtained in 30 subjects. The injured limbs showed significant deficits in the mean (SD). The quadriceps PTiso and IPT deficits were −12.6% ± 1.9% ( P < .0001) and −13.27% ± 1.8% ( P < .0001), respectively. The quadriceps PTdyn showed a significant deficit since V2 (−12.2.5% ± 2.0). The quadriceps Wt presented a significant deficit of −4.2% ± 2.4 ( P < .0007) at 1 month. The hamstring PTdyn deficit presented a mean loss of −16.5% ± 2.4% ( P < .0001). The hamstring Wt deficit was −13.7% ± 2.3% ( P < .001). The analysis of variance showed that the grade of the sprain had a significant effect on the quadriceps PTq deficit ( P < .016) but not the type of discharge. Our study showed that disuse leads to a significant deficit in the strength of knee muscles within 1 month. It is noteworthy that the hamstrings are more affected than the quadriceps. The rehabilitation protocol to prevent the risk of iterative ankle injuries and secondary knee injuries should incorporate early training of both quadriceps and hamstrings

Shifting the narrative from living at risk to living with risk: validating and pilot-testing a clinical decision support tool: a mixed methods study

Abstract Background When there are safety concerns, healthcare professionals (HCPs) may disregard older adults’ wishes to return or remain at home. A paradigm shift is needed for HCPs to move from labelling older adults as living at risk to helping them live with risk. The Living with Risk: Decision Support Tool (LwR:DST) was developed to support older adults and HCPs with difficult decision-making regarding living with risk. The study objectives were to: (1) validate, and (2) pilot-test the LwR:DST in hospital and community settings. Methods The study was conducted across Canada during the pandemic. The LwR:DST’s content was validated with quantitative and qualitative data by: (1) 71 HCPs from hospital and community settings using the Delphi method, and (2) 17 older adults and caregivers using focus groups. HCPs provided feedback on the LwR:DST’s content, format and instruction manual while older adults provided feedback on the LwR:DST’s communication step. The revised LwR:DST was pilot-tested by 14 HCPs in one hospital and one community setting, and 17 older adults and caregivers described their experience of HCPs using this approach with them. Descriptive and thematic analysis were performed. Results The LwR:DST underwent two iterations incorporating qualitative and quantitative data provided by HCPs, older adults and caregivers. The quantitative Delphi method data validated the content and the process of the LwR:DST, while the qualitative data provided practical improvements. The pilot-testing results suggest that using the LwR:DST broadens HCPs’ clinical thinking, structures their decision-making, improves their communication and increases their competence and comfort with risk assessment and management. Our findings also suggest that the LwR:DST improves older adults’ healthcare experience by feeling heard, understood and involved. Conclusions This revised LwR:DST should help HCPs systematically identify frail older adults’ risks when they remain at or return home and find acceptable ways to mitigate these risks. The LwR:DST induces a paradigm shift by acknowledging that risks are inherent in everyday living and that risk-taking has positive and negative consequences. The challenges involved in integrating the LwR:DST into practice, i.e., when, how and with whom to use it, will be addressed in future research

Les temps des familles

Ce numéro explore la pluralité du temps à travers deux questions principales. Comment les temps construisent-ils les familles ? Comment les familles construisent-elles le temps ? Ses contributions y apportent des éléments de réponse en s’intéressant plus particulièrement à la socialisation temporelle des enfants, à l’articulation vie professionnelle-vie familiale ainsi qu’à la temporalité propre à la maternité et aux recompositions familiales. Quatre articles hors thème complètent ce numéro en abordant les sujets suivants: l’infidélité conjugale, les proches aidants, l’adoption par les couples homosexuels et, enfin, les néonaticides