Does the use of Mental Health Screenings and Targeted Stress Interventions Improve Mental Health Outcomes in Outpatient Clinic Staff?

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) has been used as a classic stress assessment instrument to evaluate perceived stress across many settings. As stress is the primary phenomenon in this review due to varying stressors, including infectious diseases among healthcare workers, the PSS is the most appropriate scale for evaluating the degree to which a health worker feels stressed. In addition, the PSS is valuable as it encompasses ten items that researchers use to explore how respondents react to stress due to unpredictable events. Thus, this DNP project is based on the postulation that screening with the PSS and applying stress interventions would reduce perceived stress among mental healthcare workers. The DNP project utilized a quasi-experimental research design by collecting data from 19 healthcare workers at baseline and after four weeks of intervention. The DNP project integrated the perceived stress scale (PSS) comprising ten items. The primary method of analysis is the paired t-test, which is ideal for collecting the DNP project’s pre-and-post data. The DNP project used stratified sampling and random assignment to the intervention group. Using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS v 25), the researcher found that the perceived stress reduced significantly after the one-month intervention with a paired t-test mean of 3.421. The pre-test and post-test results for means were 16.16 over 19.79 and a standard deviation (STD) of 6.058 and 4.936, respectively. Thus, the stress levels in the sample were reduced to a lower moderate statistic compared to the baseline mean. The paired t-test also showed a significance level of .02 with a 95% confidence (.595 and .6247) with df=18 and a t=2.544. Thus, the DNP project rejected the H0 and confirmed H1: stress reduction screening and interventions reduce perceived stress among mental healthcare workers. Healthcare workers experienced augmented stress at work, primarily due to various stressors such as COVID-19. However, stress management strategies and screening can enable health systems to make informed decisions on stress management. The DNP project has important implications for practice, such as creating organizations that allow easier leader-buy-in for rapid integration of stress management strategies

Changing Cityscapes and the Process of Contemporary Gentrification: An examination of the transformation of Ringsend within the context of post-industrial growth in Dublin

The process of contemporary gentrification is a key feature of post-industrial growth and urban re-generation. A central concern of this research is to investigate the implications of the process of gentrification at the level of locality. This study approached this investigation by an examination of these processes within a particular inner city neighbourhood in Dublin called Ringsend. It is the understandings and experiences of contemporary processes that this research has aimed to capture. The aim of this research was to examine the changes occurring in Ringsend at a particular point in time and in a particular context. Ringsend is an inner city working-class ‘urban village’ in Dublin, Ireland. The identity of Ringsend as ‘place’ is deeply entwined in its industrial development. However, since the 1970s Ringsend’s industrial base has been constantly eroded. In recent years Ringsend has attracted considerable private investment as the area is undergoing a shift to a post-industrial landscape. The process of contemporary gentrification is extremely visible in the built environment. The aim of this study was to capture these shifts as they are occurring and as the landscape changes further the opportunity to explore this particular juncture may not arise again. The central findings of this research indicate the importance of ‘place’ in recent transitions. However within these changes place is being re-imaged and re-structured. Further this research also highlights the importance of the specificity of locality in gaining a deeper insight into the process of contemporary ‘gentrification’. Finally this thesis argues that the changes occurring in Ringsend are impacting on understandings of ‘community’ and community re-generation. A central theme within this study is that while the shift to a post­ industrial society is advantageous for capital accumulation contemporary gentrified sites, increasingly surrounded by walls and gates, function as symbols of the uneven development of contemporary urban renewa

Cigarette Taxes and Consumption: An Economic and Policy Analysis

This paper seeks to examine the effectiveness of state excise taxes on packs of cigarettes as a way to inhibit their consumption. Through literature review, demand elasticity analysis, and by use of multivariable regression, the efficiency and effectiveness of higher excise taxes as a public health measure are analyzed. The paper is organized as follows: the next section briefly traces the history in the U.S. of cigarette consumption, associated health issues and its taxation. The third and fourth sections of the paper discuss the previous research on the efficiency and incidence effects of cigarette taxation, and the data used in the empirical analysis. The final sections of the paper discuss the empirical model of the determinants of cigarette smoking, the results of the estimation, and conclude with a public policy recommendation on tax rates and public health expenditures based on regression results. Consumption rates and excise tax rates will be analyzed on a state- by-state basis

Central Issues in the Protection of Child Migrants

In this introductory chapter we identify themes that will be carried throughout the book. We begin in section 2 with a discussion of the human rights challenges presented by children on the move, posing questions that our contributors will address as they build on the themes we identify. This is followed by an examination ofobstacles that have been created to recognising child migrants as rights bearers. After setting out in section 4 a brief outline of the book’s structure, the chapter concludes with some comments on global initiatives that have been made to address the challenges associated with mass migration on the one hand and of forced movement of refugees on the other. We will argue that the uncertainty and risks facing the world in the new millennium certainly constitute problems – but they also offer opportunities for positive change. Four foundational principles inform our discussion of how states should respond to children on the move. The first is that childhood is unique in that the status of being a child is transitory and (absent disabilities) thecapacities of children evolve as children age. Second, it follows that children require special protection and assistance, most particularly in their younger and adolescent years, if they are to develop and thrive. The third point is that procedural accommodations should be made for children in recognition of the physical and cognitive stages of their development. The fourth and final principle both flows from and unites the three that precede it. It is that the treatment of child migrants matters because it has long term consequences – both for the children themselves and for their host communities

Managing future oil revenue in Uganda for agricultural development and poverty reduction: A CGE analysis of challenges and options

With the recent discovery of crude oil reserves along the Albertine Rift, Uganda is set to establish itself as an oil producer in the coming decade. Total oil reserves are believed to be two billion barrels, with recoverable reserves estimated at 0.8–1.2 billion barrels. At peak production, likely to be reached by 2017, oil output will range from 120,000 to 210,000 barrels per day, with a production period spanning up to 30 years. Depending on the exact production levels, the extraction period, the future oil price, and revenue sharing agreements with oil producers, the Ugandan government is set to earn revenue equal to 10–15 percent of GDP at peak production. The discovery of crude oil therefore has the potential to provide significant stimulus to the Ugandan economy and address its development objectives. However, this is subject to careful management of oil revenues to avoid the potential pitfall of a sudden influx of foreign exchange. Dominating the concerns is the potential appreciation in the real exchange rate and subsequent loss of competitiveness in the nonresource tradable goods sectors such as agriculture or manufacturing (Dutch Disease). These sectors are often major employers in developing countries and the engines of growth. Several mitigation measures can be employed by government to counter Dutch Disease, including measures that directly counter the real exchange rate appreciation or measures that offer direct support to traditional export sectors in the form of subsidies.crude oil, agricultural competitiveness, general equilibrium modeling,

Comparative fundamental cryobiology of mouse embryonic stem cells

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on January 25, 2011).Vita.Thesis advisor: John K. Critser."December 2009"Ph. D. University of Missouri-Columbia 2009.Mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) lines are central to projects such as the Knock-Out Mouse Project, which seek to create thousands of mutant mouse strains using mESCs for the production of human disease models. The ability to efficiently cryopreserve these cell lines for banking and transport is crucial to the success of these programs. The post-thaw recovery of viable cells varies significantly by genetic background, therefore there is a need to improve the efficiency and reduce the variability of current mESC cryopreservation methods. We employed the principles of fundamental cryobiology to improve the cryopreservation protocol of five mESC lines from different genetic backgrounds (BALB/c, C57BL/6, CBA, FVB, and 129R1 mESCs). Using methods outlined in this dissertation, a protocol utilizing 1 M propylene glycol, a cooling rate of 1[degrees]C/minute, and plunge into liquid nitrogen at -41[degrees]C, combined with subsequent warming in a 22[degrees]C water bath significantly improved post-thaw recovery for most mESC lines. Additionally, the effects of Latrunculin A (LATA), 1.5 M dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO), and temperature were examined on C57BL/6 mESC osmotic response and permeability parameters. Temperature, Me2SO, and LATA significantly influenced isosmotic cell volume, and LATA significantly affected adjusted osmotically inactive cell volume as well as permeability parameters for the C57BL/6 mESC line.Includes bibliographical reference

Complementary and Integrative Therapies for the Management of Insomnia in Chronic Disease: An Applied Research Project

One-half of all adults in America have a diagnosis of at least one chronic disease. Up to 80% of people with chronic diseases suffer from insomnia, creating a significant health burden. Healthcare providers (HCPs) do not routinely address insomnia and primarily use pharmaceuticals to manage insomnia. The purpose of this research is to co-create with HCPs an educational artifact that helps them inform their chronically ill patients about evidence-based complementary and integrative therapies (CIT) for insomnia management. Based on a design and development culture of inquiry and research method, we used the literature to create a preliminary educational artifact focused on four evidence-based CIT for insomnia management: aromatherapy, mindfulness meditation, relaxation and breathing techniques, and yoga. These modalities are safe, inexpensive, and accessible from home for individuals with chronic disease. We collected evaluative feedback from a convenience sample of HCPs. The top two factors impacting HCP integration of CIT into practice are lack of reimbursement and time constraints. HCPs support an artifact that addresses affordable, accessible, evidence-based modalities to complement conventional treatments for insomnia management. Since these integrative practices may be unfamiliar to some HCPs, our research confirms that an accessible educational artifact may effectively support the integration of aromatherapy, mindfulness meditation, relaxation and breathing techniques, and yoga into mainstream practices. We conclude our applied research with recommendations for the key components of an educational artifact

Freshwater Diatom Paleontology and Paleolimnology of the Late Eocene Florissant Formation, Teller County, Colorado

The late Eocene Florissant lake shales are host to the most diverse early freshwater diatom flora known in the fossil record. These 34.05 ± 0.08 Ma deposits also yield well-preserved terrestrial and aquatic fossils that represent life during the approach to the final phase of cooling that followed the thermal maximum of the early middle Paleogene. This study begins with a synthesis of the earliest (pre-Neogene) records of non-marine diatom genera from the Florissant and 8 other fossil localities. Nearly all pre-Neogene diatom genera are extant genera, and genus richness increased through time. Cumulative richness for the Florissant diatoms is 33 genera, 14 of which are first-time recorded occurrences. Florissant has 18 more genera than any of the 6 older floras examined. The next component of the study is a detailed floristics assessment of the Florissant diatoms conducted at the Clare\u27s Quarry site. A total of 20 freshwater diatom genera are described and imaged, 8 of which are first occurrences in the geologic record. Among these 20 genera, 4 new species and 2 new varieties are named. As many as 48 taxa show affinities for known modern species. In total, 55 taxa are described and illustrated. The study concludes with an integrated examination of the paleolimnology of Florissant lake at Clare\u27s Quarry from sedimentological characteristics of host lithologies, autecological preferences of the most similar modern diatom taxa (modern analogs), and the occurrences of associated macrofossils. Evidence is found in support of an anoxic hypolimnion and a deep bathymetry for the depocenter. The interpreted diatom paleoecology places this plankton-rich, open-water lake site within range of major stream outflow that introduced lake marginal and non-lake-dwelling diatoms, and plant and insect macrofossils into the lake. Slow suspension settling of diatoms, fine clays, and airfall tuffs characteristic of deep lake sedimentation is interrupted by fines of episodic distal turbidites. This investigation demonstrates the power of integrating data from allied sub-disciplines to better characterize paleoenvironments and their inhabitants