EVERYBODY EATS: AN ANALYSIS OF CITIZENSHIP, MINORITY FOOD INSECURITY, AND COMMUNITY GARDENS

This study examines the sociological perspectives of community in order to accurately measure the scope of food insecurity in minority populations, and discuss the future of locally grown, organic produce as a potential answer to food insecurity. This thesis includes a sociological/historical examination of citizenship and community, a sufficient exploration of systemic inequalities apparent in the institutions of race and class, and a discussion of these variables’ effect on food policy with a critical race theory perspective, as well as an analysis of available census data on the racial breakdown of Bryan/College Station community in order to accurately study the patterns of inequality in food accessibility and affordability in the Bryan/College Station area. By studying the institutions of race and class, in relation to food accessibility and affordability, the goal of this thesis is to suggest preliminary political action that would alleviate the monetary stress imposed upon food insecure populations in Bryan/College Station

Sacroiliac Screw Placement with Ease: CT-Guided Pelvic Fracture Osteosynthesis in the Elderly

Background and Objectives: The number of geriatric patients presenting with fragility fractures of the pelvis is increasing due to ageing Western societies. There are nonoperative and several operative treatment approaches. Many of which cause prolonged hospitalisation, so patients become bedridden and lose mobility and independence. This retrospective study evaluates the postoperative outcome of a computed tomography-guided (CT-guided) minimally invasive approach of sacroiliac screw osteosynthesis. The particular focus is to demonstrate its ease of use, feasibility with the equipment of virtually every hospital and beneficial outcomes to the patients. Materials and Methods: 28 patients (3 men, 25 women, age 80.5 ± 6.54 years) with fragility fractures of the pelvis types II-IV presenting between August 2015 and September 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. The operation was performed using the CT of the radiology department for intraoperative visualization of screw placement. Patients only received screw osteosynthesis of the posterior pelvic ring and cannulated screws underwent cement augmentation. Outcomes measured included demographic data, fracture type, postoperative parameters and complications encountered. The quality of life (QoL) was assessed using the German version of the EQ-5D-3L. Results: The average operation time was 32.4 ± 9.6 min for the unilateral and 50.7 ± 17.4 for the bilateral procedure. There was no significant difference between surgeons operating (p = 0.12). The postoperative CT scans were used to evaluate the outcome and showed only one case of penetration (by 1 mm) of the ventral cortex, which did not require operative revision. No case of major complication was reported. Following surgery, patients were discharged after a median of 4 days (Interquartile range 3–7.5). 53.4% of the patients were discharged home or to rehabilitation. The average score on the visual analogue scale of the EQ-5D-3L evaluating the overall wellbeing was 55.6 (Interquartile range (IQR) 0–60). Conclusions: This study shows that the operative method is safe to use in daily practice, is readily available and causes few complications. It permits immediate postoperative mobilization and adequate pain control. Independence and good quality of life are preserved

The effect of wave-particle interactions on low energy cutoffs in solar flare electron spectra

Solar flare hard X-ray spectra from RHESSI are normally interpreted in terms of purely collisional electron beam propagation, ignoring spatial evolution and collective effects. In this paper we present self-consistent numerical simulations of the spatial and temporal evolution of an electron beam subject to collisional transport and beam-driven Langmuir wave turbulence. These wave-particle interactions represent the background plasma's response to the electron beam propagating from the corona to chromosphere and occur on a far faster timescale than coulomb collisions. From these simulations we derive the mean electron flux spectrum, comparable to such spectra recovered from high resolution hard X-rays observations of solar flares with RHESSI. We find that a negative spectral index (i.e. a spectrum that increases with energy), or local minima when including the expected thermal spectral component at low energies, occurs in the standard thick-target model, when coulomb collisions are only considered. The inclusion of wave-particle interactions does not produce a local minimum, maintaining a positive spectral index. These simulations are a step towards a more complete treatment of electron transport in solar flares and suggest that a flat spectrum (spectral index of 0 to 1) down to thermal energies maybe a better approximation instead of a sharp cut-off in the injected electron spectrum.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted by ApJ

More green space is related to less antidepressant prescription rates in the Netherlands: A Bayesian geoadditive quantile regression approach

Exposure to green space seems to be beneficial for self-reported mental health. In this study we used an objective health indicator, namely antidepressant prescription rates. Current studies rely exclusively upon mean regression models assuming linear associations. It is, however, plausible that the presence of green space is non-linearly related with different quantiles of the outcome antidepressant prescription rates. These restrictions may contribute to inconsistent findings. Our aim was to assess antidepressant prescription rates in relation to green space, and to analyze how the relationship varies non-linearly across different quantiles of antidepressant prescription rates. We used cross-sectional data for the year 2014 at a municipality level in the Netherlands. Ecological Bayesian geoadditive quantile regressions were fitted for the 15, 50, and 85 percent quantiles to estimate green space-prescription rate correlations, controlling for confounders. The results suggested that green space was overall inversely and non-linearly associated with antidepressant prescription rates. More important, the associations differed across the quantiles, although the variation was modest. Significant non-linearities were apparent: The associations were slightly positive in the lower quantile and strongly negative in the upper one. Our findings imply that an increased availability of green space within a municipality may contribute to a reduction in the number of antidepressant prescriptions dispensed. Green space is thus a central health and community asset, whilst a minimum level of 28 percent needs to be established for health gains. The highest effectiveness occurred at a municipality surface percentage higher than 79 percent. This inverse dose-dependent relation has important implications for setting future community-level health and planning policies

A guide for many authors:Writing manuscripts in large collaborations

Writing manuscripts collaboratively affords both opportunities and challenges: Collaborative papers can benefit from the expertise, perspectives, and collective effort of the group but can lack coherence or be produced inefficiently. When collaborations are large, involving tens or hundreds of researchers, there are more and different opportunities and challenges, like appropriately crediting the contributions of many people. This paper is a practical guide for authors writing collaborative manuscripts, particularly those working in large collaborations. We emphasize the importance of deliberate leadership and describe five general strategies that lead authors can employ to maximize opportunities and navigate challenges: care in recruiting the author team, care in crediting the author team, clear and frequent communication, organized materials, and deliberate and early decision-making. For each, we offer specific tips in line with these strategies (e.g., use collaboration agreements, leverage Open Science practices). We then suggest how lead authors can structure the writing and revising process to produce a coherent manuscript and offer tips for submitting papers and responding to peer-reviews. A repository of resources for people writing manuscripts in collaborations is available at osf.io/dzwcn

Caesarean section for non-medical reasons at term

Background: Caesarean section rates are progressively rising in many parts of the world. One suggested reason is increasing requests by women for caesarean section in the absence of clear medical indications, such as placenta praevia, HIV infection, contracted pelvis and, arguably, breech presentation or previous caesarean section. The reported benefits of planned caesarean section include greater safety for the baby, less pelvic floor trauma for the mother, avoidance of labour pain and convenience. The potential disadvantages, from observational studies, include increased risk of major morbidity or mortality for the mother, adverse psychological sequelae, and problems in subsequent pregnancies, including uterine scar rupture and greater risk of stillbirth and neonatal morbidity. An unbiased assessment of advantages and disadvantages would assist discussion of what has become a contentious issue in modern obstetrics. Objectives: To assess, from randomised trials, the effects on perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality, and on maternal psychological morbidity, of planned caesarean delivery versus planned vaginal birth in women with no clear clinical indication for caesarean section. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (April 2009). Selection criteria: All comparisons of intention to perform caesarean section and intention for women to give birth vaginally; random allocation to treatment and control groups; adequate allocation concealment; women at term with single fetuses with cephalic presentations and no clear medical indication for caesarean section. Data collection and analysis: We identified no studies that met the inclusion criteria. Main results: There were no included trials. Authors' conclusions: There is no evidence from randomised controlled trials, upon which to base any practice recommendations regarding planned caesarean section for non-medical reasons at term. In the absence of trial data, there is an urgent need for a systematic review of observational studies and a synthesis of qualitative data to better assess the short- and long-term effects of caesarean section and vaginal birth

The spectral difference between solar flare HXR coronal and footpoint sources due to wave-particle interactions

Investigate the spatial and spectral evolution of hard X-ray (HXR) emission from flare accelerated electron beams subject to collisional transport and wave-particle interactions in the solar atmosphere. We numerically follow the propagation of a power-law of accelerated electrons in 1D space and time with the response of the background plasma in the form of Langmuir waves using the quasilinear approximation.}{We find that the addition of wave-particle interactions to collisional transport for a transient initially injected electron beam flattens the spectrum of the footpoint source. The coronal source is unchanged and so the difference in the spectral indices between the coronal and footpoint sources is \Delta \gamma > 2, which is larger than expected from purely collisional transport. A steady-state beam shows little difference between the two cases, as has been previously found, as a transiently injected electron beam is required to produce significant wave growth, especially at higher velocities. With this transiently injected beam the wave-particle interactions dominate in the corona whereas the collisional losses dominate in the chromosphere. The shape of the spectrum is different with increasing electron beam density in the wave-particle interaction case whereas with purely collisional transport only the normalisation is changed. We also find that the starting height of the source electron beam above the photosphere affects the spectral index of the footpoint when Langmuir wave growth is included. This may account for the differing spectral indices found between double footpoints if asymmetrical injection has occurred in the flaring loop.Comment: 10 pages, 10 FIgures, accepted for publication in A&

Paediatric oral biopharmaceutics: Key considerations and current challenges

The complex process of oral drug absorption is influenced by a host of drug and formulation properties as well as their interaction with the gastrointestinal environment in terms of drug solubility, dissolution, permeability and pre-systemic metabolism. For adult dosage forms the use of biopharmaceutical tools to aid in the design and development of medicinal products is well documented. This review considers current literature evidence to guide development of bespoke paediatric biopharmaceutics tools and reviews current understanding surrounding extrapolation of adult methodology into a paediatric population. Clinical testing and the use of in silico models were also reviewed. The results demonstrate that further work is required to adequately characterise the paediatric gastrointestinal tract to ensure that biopharmaceutics tools are appropriate to predict performance within this population. The most vulnerable group was found to be neonates and infants up to 6. months where differences from adults were greatest