Suicide Rates Among Young, Married Women in Nepal

In 2009, a Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (MMM) report carried out in Nepal by the Family Health Division of the Department of Health Services accidently stumbled upon a surprising leading cause of death in Nepali women of reproductive age (15 - 49). The result: suicide. And the numbers are still on the rise. There have since been no comprehensive follow-up studies and none, to my knowledge, that are currently ongoing. This leaves an urgent need for research to be done on the causes of these suicides (Benson and Shakya, 2011; Bertolote et al, 2005; Pradhan et al, 2009). Globally, there is one death by suicide every 40 seconds (IASP, 2012). The number of lives lost around the world to suicide annually exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined (IASP, 2012). It is agreed in international literature that female suicides are higher than male suicides within Nepal due to social and cultural factors, whereas, globally, male suicide rates are higher. It’s estimated that 15-20 women commit suicide every month in Nepal (Sarkar, 2010). Attempt rates can be 10-20 times higher. Legally, in Nepal, suicide is a crime and socially it is stigmatized. Many suicides are reported as accidents due to the family’s fear of stigma- if they are reported at all (Mental Health Foundation, 2012; Himalayan News Service, 2011). One study estimates that only 10% of all suicide cases are reported to the police due to legal difficulties and stigma (Rauniyar, 2010). In Nepal’s neighboring countries, there are reports and studies on female suicide as well. Parallels can be drawn between the countries, especially India, because the existing social structures and stress faced by women are very similar. Indian studies point to factors involving problems with in laws and inter-personal relationships as causes of female suicide (Bhugra and Desai, 2002; Parkar et al, 2008; Vijaykumar, 2007). Married women had a higher rate of suicide (Patel et al, 2012). In one comparative study, Asian women reported more marital problems than their United Kingdom counterparts (Bhugra and Desai, 2002). A Pakistani study shows the same results: 75% of the women were under 30 and the majority were married (Khan and Reza, 1998). Women cited problems with their spouses or in laws as reasons for their suicidal behavior. In China, suicide is the leading cause of death among girls and boys aged 15-34 (Zhang, 2010). One Chinese study found marriage in China to be a risk factor for suicide. In fact, most risk factors for female suicide were family related, especially involving tensions with the mother in law (Zhang, 2010). Research in Nepal shows similar findings. Khan and Reza found the systemic social, economic, and legal discrimination against women in Pakistan predisposes them to psychological distress and suicidal behavior (1998). The same is argued for Nepal. A report from Bir Hospital in Kathmandu - where more than 80% of suicide patients go- found adjustment after marriage, domestic violence, and bad inter-personal relationship with family members to be key causes of suicide (Bhattarai, 2010; Sharma, ND). The question I pose for my research is as follows: What are the causes of suicidal behavior among young, married women in Nepal? For the purpose of this study, ‘young’ is defined as between the ages of 15- 35. I have chosen to focus on married women because of the complex family dynamics that arise in Nepali marriages, especially arranged marriages. One study on suicide attemptees found that married women within the age of 15 to 30 were a major group to attempt suicide (Sharma, no date). Women of reproductive age carry the triple burden of productive, reproductive, and caring work (Astbury, 2001). Unlike most Western countries where marriage is a protective factor against suicide, in many Asian countries it increases suicidal vulnerability because the risk factors are family related (Parkar et al, 2008). For most young, married women in Asia today married life means depression, mental torture, self-immolation, bride burning for dowry, etc (Joshi and Kharel, 2008). I hope that my research findings will yield some clarification into the causality of such a high suicide rate in these women. I did not intend this study to be entirely comprehensive, merely to open avenues for further, larger studies

Highly Decodable Reading Passages as a First-Grade Screening Measure: A Validation Study

Early identification and intervention is essential for promoting achievement in early readers and preventing long-term reading difficulties (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; Juel, 1988; Oakhill & Cain, 2012; Spira, Bracken, & Fischel, 2005). Universal screening represents a widely accepted practice for identifying students in need of intervention (Fuchs & Vaughn, 2012). However, existing screening measures demonstrate a number of scientific and practical limitations, such as floor effects, poor predictive accuracy, and limited face validity, and can also be time consuming to administer with multiple measures in kindergarten and first grade (e.g., Catts et al.; 2009; Clemens, Hilt-Panahon, Shapiro, & Yoon, 2012; Goffreda, DiPerna, & Pedersen, 2009; Johnson, Jenkins, Petscher, & Catts, 2009, Goodman, 2006; Pearson, 2006). A newly developed screening measure for early readers, Highly Decodable Passages (HD passages, Shinn, 2009; 2012) was developed in response to these issues.The current study was intended to investigate the psychometric properties, as well as the acceptability of HD passages. A total of 234 first grade students from 4 elementary schools in Eastern Pennsylvania participated in the study. A group of 20 first grade teachers in Pennsylvania and New York participated in an acceptability survey. Students were assessed in the winter and spring of first grade using HD passages and screening procedures adopted by each school (DIBELS Next; Good et al., 2013). In the spring, students were administered a standardized criterion outcome measure (GRADE; Williams, 2001). Teachers completed an electronic acceptability survey online. Results indicate strong reliability, validity, and diagnostic accuracy, as well as an influence of classroom membership on HD passage outcome scores. Results of the acceptability survey failed to indicate a significant difference between teacher opinions of HD passages versus existing measures of nonsense word fluency

Protecting Children Online: Strategies for a Safer Future

The internet has provided immense benefits to society, but it has also posed significant risks, particularly for children. Child exploitation and privacy risks associated with digital technology have become a growing concern, as predators have found ways to exploit the anonymity of the internet to target vulnerable children. This paper presents an overview of the challenges and strategies for taking a proactive approach to child safety online, with a focus on online child exploitation and the risks associated with day-care and school journaling apps, online gaming, social media and messaging apps

I am a scientist: Overcoming biased assumptions around diversity in science through explicit representation of scientists in lectures

The lack of diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is a significant issue for the sector. Many organisations and educators have identified lack of representation of historically marginalised groups within teaching materials as a potential barrier to students feeling that a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) career is something that they can aspire to. A key barrier to addressing the issue is providing accessible and effective evidence-based approaches for educators to implement. In this study, we explore the potential for adapting presentation slides within lectures to 'humanise' the scientists involved, presenting their full names and photographs alongside a Harvard style reference. The intervention stems from an initial assumption that many formal scientific referencing systems are demographic-neutral and exacerbate prevailing perceptions that STEM is not diverse. We adopt a questionnaire based methodology surveying 161 bioscience undergraduates and postgraduates at a UK civic university. We first establish that students project assumptions about the gender, location, and ethnicity of the author of a hypothetical reference, with over 50% of students assuming they are male and Western. We then explore what students think of the humanised slide design, concluding that many students see it as good pedagogical practice with some students positively changing their perceptions about diversity in science. We were unable to compare responses by participant ethnic group, but find preliminary evidence that female and non-binary students are more likely to see this as good pedagogical practice, perhaps reflecting white male fragility in being exposed to initiatives designed to highlight diversity. We conclude that humanised powerpoint slides are a potentially effective tool to highlight diversity of scientists within existing research-led teaching, but highlight that this is only a small intervention that needs to sit alongside more substantive work to address the lack of diversity in STEM

Mechanism of foreign DNA recognition by a CRISPR RNA-guided surveillance complex from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The Type I-F CRISPR-mediated (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) adaptive immune system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa consists of two CRISPR loci and six CRISPR-associated (cas) genes. Foreign DNA surveillance is performed by a complex of Cas proteins (Csy1-4) that assemble with a CRISPR RNA (crRNA) into a 350-kDa ribonucleoprotein called the Csy complex. Here, we show that foreign nucleic acid recognition by the Csy complex proceeds through sequential steps, initiated by detection of two consecutive guanine-cytosine base pairs (G-C/G-C) located adjacent to the complementary DNA target. We show that this motif, called the PAM (protospacer adjacent motif), must be double-stranded and that single-stranded PAMs do not provide significant discriminating power. Binding assays performed with G-C/G-C-rich competitor sequences indicate that the Csy complex interacts directly with this dinucleotide motif, and kinetic analyses reveal that recognition of a G-C/G-C motif is a prerequisite for crRNA-guided binding to a target sequence. Together, these data indicate that the Csy complex first interacts with G-C/G-C base pairs and then samples adjacent target sequences for complementarity to the crRNA guid

Coping and resilience in farming families affected by drought

Objectives: The present study was a qualitative investigation of the impact of drought on rural families of southern New South Wales, Australia, with particular emphasis on the concept of resilience in times of stress. The aim was to provide insight, from a psychological perspective, into the experiences of rural farmers in a time of adversity, and to identify the coping resources utilized by these farming families. Method: Participants were 11 members of five families from Blighty, a small farming town in the Riverina district, experiencing drought and decreased water allocation to their local area. Family members were interviewed on two separate occasions at their farms. Results: Analysis of interview transcripts revealed that a wide range of coping strategies were being utilized by these families from problem-focussed coping, optimism and positive appraisal to less adaptive strategies such as cognitive dissonance, denial and avoidance of negative social influences. A significant finding was the discovery of a range of collective coping strategies used by the families in this study and the reliance on social capital as an adaptive resource. There were signs, however, that social cohesion of this community had become compromised due to competition for resources. Conclusion: The adaptive coping mechanisms traditionally employed by these farming families are starting to weaken and urgent work to enhance the individual coping strategies of farmers is needed. Furthermore, Government needs to recognise the importance of social capital as a coping resource that will enable farming families to adapt and survive drought conditions into the future. Providing financial assistance to support current community initiatives and collective coping strategies may prove more beneficial to farmers than allocating inadequate amounts of funding to individual farming families

A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing a Multidisciplinary Endocarditis Team

Over the last several years multiple studies, primarily from European centers have demonstrated the clinical and outcomes benefits of multidisciplinary endocarditis teams. Despite this literature, adoption of this approach to patient care has been slower in the United States. While there is literature outlining the optimal composition of an endocarditis team, there is little information to guide providers as they attempt to transform practice from a fragmented, disjointed process to an efficient, collaborative care model. In this review, the authors will outline the steps they took to create and implement a successful multidisciplinary endocarditis team at the University of Michigan. In conjunction with existing data, this piece can be used as a resource for clinicians seeking to improve the care of patients with endocarditis at their institutions

Mental health problems in rural contexts : A broader perspective

The objectives of this article are to expand and comment upon a recent review in Australian Psychologist of the literature in relation to mental health problems in rural contexts by Jackson et al. (2007). In the present article we review recently published qualitative research on the help-seeking attitudes and experiences of rural Australian adolescents. While we agree on the utility of the Macintyre, Ellaway, and Cummins (2002) conceptual framework based on notions of health and place, we note that this framework specifically emphasises the importance of the collective dimension. We present a broader perspective on health and place than Jackson et al. (2007) by incorporating social geographic research. We argue that rural mental health research has been hampered by a simplistic view of social stigma of mental illness and that a more thorough conceptualisation of the phenomenon is needed. Finally, we make some further recommendations based on a broader perspective of mental health in rural contexts: one that incorporates an in-depth understanding of the help-seeking attitudes and experiences of rural adolescents as well as an appreciation of the collective social functioning of rural communities.C

Stage-specific fluorescence intensity of GFP and mCherry during sporulation In Bacillus Subtilis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fluorescent proteins are powerful molecular biology tools that have been used to study the subcellular dynamics of proteins within live cells for well over a decade. Two fluorescent proteins commonly used to enable dual protein labelling are GFP (green) and mCherry (red). Sporulation in the Gram positive bacterium <it>Bacillus subtilis </it>has been studied for many years as a paradigm for understanding the molecular basis for differential gene expression. As sporulation initiates, cells undergo an asymmetric division leading to differential gene expression in the small prespore and large mother cell compartments. Use of two fluorescent protein reporters permits time resolved examination of differential gene expression either in the same compartments or between compartments. Due to the spectral properties of GFP and mCherry, they are considered an ideal combination for co-localisation and co-expression experiments. They can also be used in combination with fluorescent DNA stains such as DAPI to correlate protein localisation patterns with the developmental stage of sporulation which can be linked to well characterised changes in DNA staining patterns.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>While observing the recruitment of the transcription machinery into the forespore of sporulating <it>Bacillus subtilis</it>, we noticed the occurrence of stage-specific fluorescence intensity differences between GFP and mCherry. During vegetative growth and the initial stages of sporulation, fluorescence from both GFP and mCherry fusions behaved similarly. During stage II-III of sporulation we found that mCherry fluorescence was considerably diminished, whilst GFP signals remained clearly visible. This fluorescence pattern reversed during the final stage of sporulation with strong mCherry and low GFP fluorescence. These trends were observed in reciprocal tagging experiments indicating a direct effect of sporulation on fluorescent protein fluorophores.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Great care should be taken when interpreting the results of protein localisation and quantitative gene expression patterns using fluorescent proteins in experiments involving intracellular physiological change. We believe changes in the subcellular environment of the sporulating cell leads to conditions that differently alter the spectral properties of GFP and mCherry making an accurate interpretation of expression profiles technically challenging.</p

Food Legumes and Rising Temperatures: Effects, Adaptive Functional Mechanisms Specific to Reproductive Growth Stage and Strategies to Improve Heat Tolerance

Ambient temperatures are predicted to rise in the future owing to several reasons associated with global climate changes. These temperature increases can result in heat stress- a severe threat to crop production in most countries. Legumes are well-known for their impact on agricultural sustainability as well as their nutritional and health benefits. Heat stress imposes challenges for legume crops and has deleterious effects on the morphology, physiology, and reproductive growth of plants. High-temperature stress at the time of the reproductive stage is becoming a severe limitation for production of grain legumes as their cultivation expands to warmer environments and temperature variability increases due to climate change. The reproductive period is vital in the life cycle of all plants and is susceptible to high-temperature stress as various metabolic processes are adversely impacted during this phase, which reduces crop yield. Food legumes exposed to high-temperature stress during reproduction show flower abortion, pollen and ovule infertility, impaired fertilization, and reduced seed filling, leading to smaller seeds and poor yields. Through various breeding techniques, heat tolerance in major legumes can be enhanced to improve performance in the field. Omics approaches unravel different mechanisms underlying thermotolerance, which is imperative to understand the processes of molecular responses toward high-temperature stress