Understanding the Role of Past Health Care Discrimination in Help-Seeking and Shared Decision-Making for Depression Treatment Preferences

As a part of a larger, mixed-methods research study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 adults with depressive symptoms to understand the role that past health care discrimination plays in shaping help-seeking for depression treatment and receiving preferred treatment modalities. We recruited to achieve heterogeneity of racial/ethnic backgrounds and history of health care discrimination in our participant sample. Participants were Hispanic/Latino (n = 4), non-Hispanic/Latino Black (n = 8), or non-Hispanic/Latino White (n = 9). Twelve reported health care discrimination due to race/ethnicity, language, perceived social class, and/or mental health diagnosis. Health care discrimination exacerbated barriers to initiating and continuing depression treatment among patients from diverse backgrounds or with stigmatized mental health conditions. Treatment preferences emerged as fluid and shaped by shared decisions made within a trustworthy patient–provider relationship. However, patients who had experienced health care discrimination faced greater challenges to forming trusting relationships with providers and thus engaging in shared decision-making processes

The SISAL database: a global resource to document oxygen and carbon isotope records from speleothems

Stable isotope records from speleothems provide information on past climate changes, most particularly information that can be used to reconstruct past changes in precipitation and atmospheric circulation. These records are increasingly being used to provide “out-of-sample” evaluations of isotope-enabled climate models. SISAL (Speleothem Isotope Synthesis and Analysis) is an international working group of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) project. The working group aims to provide a comprehensive compilation of speleothem isotope records for climate reconstruction and model evaluation. The SISAL database contains data for individual speleothems, grouped by cave system. Stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon (δ 18O, δ 13C) measurements are referenced by distance from the top or bottom of the speleothem. Additional tables provide information on dating, including information on the dates used to construct the original age model and sufficient information to assess the quality of each data set and to erect a standardized chronology across different speleothems. The metadata table provides location information, information on the full range of measurements carried out on each speleothem and information on the cave system that is relevant to the interpretation of the records, as well as citations for both publications and archived data. The compiled data are available at https://doi.org/10.17864/1947.147

Evaluating model outputs using integrated global speleothem records of climate change since the last glacial

Although quantitative isotopic data from speleothems has been used to evaluate isotope-enabled model simulations, currently no consensus exists regarding the most appropriate methodology through which to achieve this. A number of modelling groups will be running isotope-enabled palaeoclimate simulations in the framework of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6, so it is timely to evaluate different approaches to use the speleothem data for data-model comparisons. Here, we illustrate this using 456 globally-distributed speleothem δ18O records from an updated version of the Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and Analysis (SISAL) database and palaeoclimate simulations generated using the ECHAM5-wiso isotope-enabled atmospheric circulation model. We show that the SISAL records reproduce the first-order spatial patterns of isotopic variability in the modern day, strongly supporting the application of this dataset for evaluating model-derived isotope variability into the past. However, the discontinuous nature of many speleothem records complicates procuring large numbers of records if data-model comparisons are made using the traditional approach of comparing anomalies between a control period and a given palaeoclimate experiment. To circumvent this issue, we illustrate techniques through which the absolute isotopic values during any time period could be used for model evaluation. Specifically, we show that speleothem isotope records allow an assessment of a model’s ability to simulate spatial isotopic trends. Our analyses provide a protocol for using speleothem isotopic data for model evaluation, including screening the observations to take into account the impact of speleothem mineralogy on 18O values, the optimum period for the modern observational baseline, and the selection of an appropriate time-window for creating means of the isotope data for palaeo time slices

Water in Conflict: Perceived Water Quality and Waterborne Disease Prevalence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel Proper

Conditions in the West Bank and Gaza have been found to be detrimental to quality of life and health. One manifestation of the current political climates’ impact on population health in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) is access to and quality of water. Sub-standard water treatment often leads to increased rates of communicable water-borne diseases, like hepatitis a (WHO, 2009). Maintaining proper health is difficult for those living in disadvantaged areas, like the OPT, and poor water quality may contribute to the problem. This study examined the relationship between residential location and perceived water quality, and the relationship between residential location and prevalence of waterborne disease rates. Data were gathered through an online Google Forms survey offered in English, Arabic and Hebrew, that asked participants living in Israel or the OPT to indicate their water access, perceived water quality and access to medical care. Our aim was to understand if perceived access and quality of water differ based on residential location in Israel and OPT, as well as if locale has an impact on self-reported waterborne illnesses. Among the 28 survey participants, 50% (n=14) lived in Israel Proper and 29% (n=9) lived in the OPT. Seventy-one percent of residents living in OPT reported bad water quality, compared to 8% of residents of Israel Proper. Those living in Israel Proper reported that their water is sufficient and of “OK” or “good” quality 92% of the time. Although this survey design and sample size are not sufficient to represent the larger populations of Israel Proper and OPT, our results suggest health disparities that warrant further research. As potable water becomes scarcer around the world, it is imperative that public health accounts for the changing environments that impact community health, hygiene and sanitary practices. Faculty and Advisors:Dr. Scott BartellPauline Luben

Deep eutectic solvents (DES): An update on the applications in food sectors

The food processing sector has expanded dramatically over the past ten years, particularly with regard to goods that are high in biologically active compounds. Thus, the efficacy and safety of food extraction techniques have also received attention. There is currently a sharp rise in research articles committed to the creation of new extraction techniques which are not only quick and affordable but also more effective and environmentally friendly, increasing yields and extract quality without the use of potentially dangerous organic solvents. The use of green solvents has been a focus of study to meet sustainable development goals. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are acknowledged as excellent alternatives to organic solvents due to their simpler manufacturing procedure with 100% atom economy, cheap cost, probable biodegradability, and negligible toxicity. DESs have become a popular and useful liquid with proven application in a variety of chemical reactions. Wide variety of food components may be extracted using DES, and they have been shown to be useful for applications involving food. However, the possibility for industrial scale-up use, however, has not been fully examined

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on caregiver mental health and the child caregiving environment in a low-resource, rural context.

Early child development has been influenced directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic, and these effects are exacerbated in contexts of poverty. This study estimates effects of the pandemic and subsequent population lockdowns on mental health, caregiving practices, and freedom of movement among female caregivers of children 6-27 months (50% female), in rural Bangladesh. A cohort (N = 517) was assessed before and during the pandemic (May-June, 2019 and July-September, 2020). Caregivers who experienced more food insecurity and financial loss during the pandemic reported larger increases in depressive symptoms (0.26 SD, 95% CI 0.08-0.44; 0.21 SD, 0.04-0.40) compared to less affected caregivers. Stimulating caregiving and freedom of movement results were inconsistent. Increases in depressive symptoms during the pandemic may have consequences for child development