SOCIAL WORKERS PERSPECTIVE ON BARRIERS TO FAMILY REUNIFICATION

The focus of this study is social worker’s potential perspective on barriers to family reunification in a child welfare services agency located in Central California. A constructivist research paradigm was applied to this study as it permitted the researchers to use a subjective methodology for collecting qualitative data. The study gathered data using interviews with child welfare social workers to construct a joint understanding of social workers perspective on barriers they face when reunifying child welfare families. Child welfare social workers identified numerous barriers to effective social work both in practice and in policy. The barriers found were a lack of partnerships with outside agencies, funding, conflicting policies between the state and local level, high caseloads, and an overwhelming amount of social work job duties all of which affect family reunification according to the social workers’ perspectives. Social workers shared several factors decreased a worker’s effectiveness in serving families such as high caseloads and what practice and policy changes could address these issues. On a micro level, policy and practice changes should improve social work practice to decrease caseload size decrease, which may help families reunify

What can obstetrician/gynecologists do to support abortion access?

AbstractUnsafe abortion causes approximately13% of all maternal deaths worldwide, with higher rates in areas where abortion access is restricted. Because safe abortion is so low risk, if all women who needed an abortion could access safe care, this rate would drop dramatically. As women’s health providers and advocates, obstetrician/gynecologists can support abortion access. By delivering high-quality, evidence-based care ourselves, supporting other providers who perform abortion, helping women who access abortion in the community, providing second-trimester care, and improving contraceptive uptake, we can decrease morbidity and mortality from unsafe abortion

Deriving a Provisional Tolerable Intake for Intravenous Exposure to Silver Nanoparticles Released from Medical Devices

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are incorporated into medical devices for their anti-microbial characteristics. The potential exposure and toxicity of AgNPs is unknown due to varying physicochemical particle properties and lack of toxicological data. The aim of this safety assessment is to derive a provisional tolerable intake (pTI) value for AgNPs released from blood-contacting medical devices. A literature review of in vivo studies investigating critical health effects induced from intravenous (i. v.) exposure to AgNPs was evaluated by the Annapolis Accords principles and Toxicological Data Reliability Assessment Tool (ToxRTool). The point of departure (POD) was based on an i. v. 28-day repeated AgNP (20 nm) dose toxicity study reporting an increase in relative spleen weight in rats with a 5% lower confidence bound of the benchmark dose (BMDL05) of 0.14 mg/kg bw/day. The POD was extrapolated to humans by a modifying factor of 1,000 to account for intraspecies variability, interspecies differences and lack of long-term toxicity data. The pTI for long-term i. v. exposure to 20 nm AgNPs released from blood-contacting medical devices was 0.14 μg/kg bw/day. This pTI may not be appropriate for nanoparticles of other physicochemical properties or routes of administration. The methodology is appropriate for deriving pTIs for nanoparticles in general

The Influence of Interfacial Chemistry on Magnesium Electrodeposition in Non-nucleophilic Electrolytes Using Sulfone-Ether Mixtures

One of the limiting factors in the development of magnesium batteries is the reversibility of magnesium electrodeposition and dissolution at the anode. Often irreversibility is related to impurities and decomposition. Herein we report on the cycling behavior of magnesium metal anodes in different electrolytes, Mg(HMDS)2 – 4 MgCl2 in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and a butyl sulfone/THF mixture. The deposition morphology and anode-electrolyte interface is studied and related to Mg/Mg cell cycling performance. It is found that adding the sulfone caused the formation of a boundary layer at the electrode-electrolyte interface, which, in turn, resulted in a particle-like deposition morphology. This type of deposition has a high surface area, which alters the effective local current density and results in electronically isolated deposits. Extended cycling resulted in magnesium growth through a separator. Electrolyte decomposition is observed with and without the addition of the sulfone, however the addition of the sulfone increased the degree of decomposition

Reforming fossil fuel subsidies provides opportunity to better target government support towards women and children

A new report from the Global Subsidies Initiative of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) finds that Bangladeshi, Indian and Nigerian governments can significantly curb poverty among women and children in their countries by redesigning fossil fuel subsidie

#IWILLLISTEN

Mental illness affects one in four Americans. In 2012, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in New York City and JWT Ethos created the #IWILLLISTEN campaign to create awareness about this staggering statistic and what people could do to combat the negative stigma associated with mental illness. In 2014, JWT tasked Outlier Advertising to create a campus-focused version of the campaign in the form of an activation plan that could be initiated on any college campus across the nation in the fall of 2014. In addition, JWT asked Outlier Advertising to test elements of the campaign at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) campus. They were implemented April 6-16, 2014. The original #IWILLLISTEN campaign focused on soliciting pledges from the general public in the form of short videos and social media status updates, promising to listen to those affected by mental illness. Based on localized market research in Lincoln, Neb., Outlier Advertising determined that an activation plan targeted toward a college community should focus on mental health instead of mental illness when raising awareness and generating pledges. The UNL activation plan included four main events during Greek Week. Pledges were generated on a 15 feet by 3 feet banner that featured the #IWILLLISTEN logo in high-traffic areas around campus. Another event was the University Program Council (UPC) spring concert featuring Big Sean, which was attended by 4,000 people. Blue glow sticks 1 and free water bottles with the #IWILLLISTEN message helped raise awareness while encouraging concert-goers to make a pledge on the banner. At the spring football scrimmage, which was attended by more than 65,000 people, 1,200 blue wristbands featuring the message #IWILLLISTEN were distributed in the student section in addition to the banner being displayed. The final event was a yoga class held at the Recreation Center to give students, faculty and staff an opportunity to relax and promote mental health. All attendees received wristbands and had an opportunity to pledge to listen. All of the events were supported by social media, primarily Twitter and Facebook, using the #IWILLLISTEN hashtag. The social media content included local facts about mental illness at UNL, reminders about upcoming #IWILLLISTEN events, and updates on pledges. One popular tactic was a localized infographic video that was shared by members of the #IWILLLISTEN online community. Outlier Advertising partnered with prominent and like-minded groups on campus to help distribute the message and to create high-quality videos by campus leaders and influencers, including Chancellor Harvey Perlman, Dr. Pat Tetreault, Assistant Director of the LGBTQA+ Resource Center and Charlie Foster, an on-campus licensed healthcare practitioner. At the conclusion of the week, the campaign had reached an audience of over 90,000 in person, 90,000 on social media and received over 550 in-person pledges

Advanced Imaging and Receipt of Guideline Concordant Care in Women with Early Stage Breast Cancer

Objective. It is unknown whether advanced imaging (AI) is associated with higher quality breast cancer (BC) care. Materials and Methods. Claims and Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results data were linked for women diagnosed with incident stage I-III BC between 2002 and 2008 in western Washington State. We examined receipt of preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or AI (defined as computed tomography [CT]/positron emission tomography [PET]/PET/CT) versus mammogram and/or ultrasound (M-US) alone and receipt of guideline concordant care (GCC) using multivariable logistic regression. Results. Of 5247 women, 67% received M-US, 23% MRI, 8% CT, and 3% PET/PET-CT. In 2002, 5% received MRI and 5% AI compared to 45% and 12%, respectively, in 2008. 79% received GCC, but GCC declined over time and was associated with younger age, urban residence, less comorbidity, shorter time from diagnosis to surgery, and earlier year of diagnosis. Breast MRI was associated with GCC for lumpectomy plus radiation therapy (RT) (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.08–2.26, and p=0.02) and AI was associated with GCC for adjuvant chemotherapy for estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) BC (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.17–2.59, and p=0.01). Conclusion. GCC was associated with prior receipt of breast MRI and AI for lumpectomy plus RT and adjuvant chemotherapy for ER+ BC, respectively

Outgassing of Ordinary Chondritic Material and Some of its Implications for the Chemistry of Asteroids, Planets, and Satellites

We used chemical equilibrium calculations to model thermal outgassing of ordinary chondritic material as a function of temperature, pressure, and bulk compositions and use our results to discuss outgassing on asteroids and the early Earth. The calculations include ~1,000 solids and gases of the elements Al, C, Ca, Cl, Co, Cr, F, Fe, H, K, Mg, Mn, N, Na, Ni, O, P, S, Si, and Ti. The major outgassed volatiles from ordinary chondritic material are CH4, H2, H2O, N2, and NH3(the latter at conditions where hydrous minerals form). Contrary to widely held assumptions, CO is never the major C-bearing gas during ordinary chondrite metamorphism. The calculated oxygen fugacity (partial pressure) of ordinary chondritic material is close to that of the quartz-fayalite-iron (QFI) buffer. Our results are insensitive to variable total pressure, variable volatile element abundances, and kinetic inhibition of C and N dissolution in Fe metal. Our results predict that Earth's early atmosphere contained CH4, H2, H2O, N2, and NH3; similar to that used in Miller-Urey synthesis of organic compounds.Comment: 72 pages, 17 figures, 3 tables; submitted to Icaru

Effect of dietary protein restriction on nutritional status in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study

Effect of dietary protein restriction on nutritional status in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study. The safety of dietary protein and phosphorous restriction was evaluated in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study. In Study A, 585 patients with a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 25 to 55 ml/min/1.73m2 were randomly assigned to a usual-protein diet (1.3 g/kg/day) or a low-protein diet (0.58 g/kg/day). In Study B, 255 patients with a GFR of 13 to 24 ml/min/1.73m2 were randomly assigned to the low-protein diet or a very-low-protein diet (0.28 g/kg/day), supplemented with a ketoacid-amino acid mixture (0.28 g/kg/day). The low-protein and very-low-protein diets were also low in phosphorus. Mean duration of follow-up was 2.2 years in both studies. Protein and energy intakes were lower in the low-protein and very-low-protein diet groups than in the usual-protein group. Two patients in Study B reached a “stop point” for malnutrition. There was no difference between randomized groups in the rates of death, first hospitalizations, or other “stop points” in either study. Mean values for various indices of nutritional status remained within the normal range during follow-up in each diet group. However, there were small but significant changes from baseline in some nutritional indices, and differences between the randomized groups in some of these changes. In the low-protein and very-low-protein diet groups, serum albumin rose, while serum transferrin, body wt, percent body fat, arm muscle area and urine creatinine excretion declined. Combining patients in both diet groups in each study, a lower achieved protein intake (from food and supplement) was not correlated with a higher rate of death, hospitalization or stop points, or with a progressive decline in any of the indices of nutritional status after controlling for baseline nutritional status and follow-up energy intake. These analyses suggest that the low-protein and very-low-protein diets used in the MDRD Study are safe for periods of two to three years. Nonetheless, both protein and energy intake declined and there were small but significant declines in various indices of nutritional status. These declines are of concern because of the adverse effect of protein calorie malnutrition in patients with end-stage renal disease. Physicians who prescribe low-protein diets must carefully monitor patients' protein and energy intake and nutritional status