Gender And Depression Among Veterans Of Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, And New Dawn

The Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) Veterans utilizing Veterans Affairs (VA) services are medically and psychosocially complex, diverse, and rapidly growing. A significant portion of women Veterans seek out mental health services and they are more likely to be diagnosed with major depression than men, however the majority of prior studies informing Veteran mental health services have been done with predominantly male study populations (16,18,19). Our objectives were 1) to identify characteristics associated with a major depression diagnosis among OEF/OIF/OND men and women Veterans after stratifying by gender and 2) to identify gender differences in the nature of depressive symptoms among these Veterans. We identified 493,747 OEF/OIF/OND personnel—via the VA OEF/OIF/OND roster—who were discharged from the U.S. military from 2001-2010, utilized VA health care services, and met study criteria. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine how selected demographic characteristics and medical conditions were associated with a major depression diagnosis among women and men. Also, a PHQ-9 in the baseline Women Veterans Cohort Study (WVCS) survey of 644 male and women OEF/OIF/OND Veterans in the Midwest and Northeast U.S. was used to assess depressive symptoms. Among the 493,747 Veterans studied, 5.6% had a major depression diagnosis (8.7% of women vs. 5.1% of men). Hispanic ethnicity (OR=1.26 (1.14, 1.40) was associated with a depression diagnosis in women while older age (OR=1.06 (1.04, 1.09)) and “Other” race/ethnicity (OR=1.14 (1.05, 1.25) was associated with a depression diagnosis in men. Black race was no longer a protective factor for women when the cohort was stratified by gender (OR=0.94 (0.90, 0.97)!OR=1.03 (0.95, 1.11)). Unmarried status was protective against a depression diagnosis in both men (OR=0.94 (0.90, 0.97) and women (OR=0.92 (0.86, 0.94)). All comorbid conditions—psychiatric illnesses, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, hypertension, and unspecified joint or back disorders—were associated with a depression diagnosis in both men and women and having another psychiatric illness was the strongest correlate in both groups. Military service-connected disability was associated with depression in both men and women, but there was a stronger correlation between service-connected disability rating and a depression diagnosis in women. Depressive symptoms were prevalent among this cohort, the most frequent of which was fatigue. Women were more likely to endorse appetite changes while men were more likely to endorse suicidal ideation. It can be concluded that there are differences between women and men OEF/OIF/OND Veterans with major depression. Further research disentangling the intersection of gender and depression in this medically and psychosocially complex population of Veterans is needed.!As the women Veteran population utilizing VA care continues to grow, increasing our understanding of major depression and its risk factors, symptomology, and its comorbidities is crucial to improving overall health outcomes

Biohydrogen production from wheat straw hydrolysate using Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus followed by biogas production in a two-step uncoupled process

A two-step, un-coupled process producing hydrogen (H2) from wheat straw using Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus in a ‘Continuously stirred tank reactor’ (CSTR) followed by anaerobic digestion of its effluent to produce methane (CH4) was investigated. C. saccharolyticus was able to convert wheat straw hydrolysate to hydrogen at maximum production rate of approximately 5.2 L H2/L/Day. The organic compounds in the effluent collected from the CSTR were successfully converted to CH4 through anaerobic digestion performed in an ‘Up-flow anaerobic sludge bioreactor’ (UASB) reactor at a maximum production rate of 2.6 L CH4/L/day. The maximum energy output of the process (10.9 kJ/g of straw) was about 57% of the total energy, and 67% of the energy contributed by the sugar fraction, contained in the wheat straw. Sparging the hydrogenogenic CSTR with the flue gas of the UASB reactor ((60% v/v) CH4 and (40% v/v) CO2) decreased the H2 production rate by 44%, which was due to the significant presence of CO2. The presence of CH4 alone, like N2, was indifferent to growth and H2 production by C. saccharolyticus. Hence, sparging with upgraded CH4 would guarantee successful hydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass prior to anaerobic digestion and thus, reasonably high conversion efficiency can be achieved

Black Adolescentsâ Critical Reflection Development: Parentsâ Racial Socialization and Attributions About Race Achievement Gaps

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154280/1/jora12485_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154280/2/jora12485.pd

Some Patterns of Haemostatic Parameters Among Pregnant Women with Hypertensive Disorders in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Hemostatic parameters of pregnant women with hypertensive disorders in owerri were studied using standard methods. The parameters include PT, APTT, Fibrinogen, t-PA, D-dimer. A total of 200 pregnant women between ages of 18 and 45 years of age were recruited for the study. They consisted of 50 normotensive pregnant women as the control group and 150 hypertensive as the test subjects. The test group was further divided into 3 viz; 50 chronic hypertensive, 50 gestational and 50 preeclamptic pregnant women as group as groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively.  The mean PT(secs.) values were 11.69±1.02, 11.98±0.94, 12.79±0.78 and 13.86±1.4 respectively, in control, groups 1, 2 and 3. The APTT(secs) mean values in control, groups 1, 2 and 3 were 28.59±2.33, 29.43±2.67, 30.20±2.73 and 31.52 respectively. The mean values obtained for D-dimer (ng/ml) were 191.72±41.92, 207.30±60.71, 249.52±62.08 and 268±59.51 in control, groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. In control, fibrinogen (mg/ml) mean value obtained was 521.74±118.02, where as in the test groups, 532.97±111.40, 602.52±103.80 and 671.98±97.37 were respectively obtained in groups1, 2 and 3. The mean respective values of t-PA (ng/ml) in control, group 1, 2 and 3 were 2.43±0.55, 2.49±0.49, 2.84±0.54 and 2.90±0.57. All the haemostatic parameters: PT, APTT, Fibrinogen, D- dimer and t-PA values increased across the test groups when compared with the control groups and they were found to be statistically significant (P=0.0001). From this study, haemostatic parameters increased in the test subjects indicating inflammatory activities in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Sociocultural Influences on the Sociopolitical Development of African American Youth

Sociopolitical development (SPD) is the process by which individuals become aware of social inequality, recognize the status of their social identities, and engage in activism. For racially marginalized youth, race is an important aspect of their SPD. Yet few studies have considered the connections between racial factors and youth’s SPD. In this article, we introduce an integrative model situating racial sociocultural processes (i.e., racial identity, racial socialization, and experiences of racial discrimination) within current SPD theory. In particular, we look at African American youth as a case study to discuss how sociocultural factors can contribute to youth’s awareness of structures of social inequality (i.e., critical social analysis) and engagement in action against social inequality (i.e., sociopolitical action). We conclude with suggestions for research.National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant DGE1256260Ford Foundation Predoctoral FellowshipPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150683/1/Anyiwo Banales Rowley Watkins Richards-Schuster 2018 Sociocultural influences on the sociopolitical development of African American youth.pdfDescription of Anyiwo Banales Rowley Watkins Richards-Schuster 2018 Sociocultural influences on the sociopolitical development of African American youth.pdf : Journal articl

Media Representations of Popular Culture Figures and the Construction of Black Masculinities

The present study explores the construction of masculinity among young Black men. Of central concern is young Black men’s subjective reflections on the role that popular culture and media have in informing how they understand and define their ideas of masculinity. The study uses interview data from a larger pilot study, the Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health Project, where participants sought to elucidate perceptions of the intersections between manhood and mental health. Study participants included 18- to 26-year-old Black men (n 11) enrolled at a university in the Midwest. When asked to describe and identify their definitions of manhood, participants referred to well-known male media figures of the past and present, and specifically identified various social movement leaders, athletes, and entertainers who were central to their conceptualization of manhood. Moreover, men identified both positive and negative qualities of these popular figures to determine aspects they either aspired to adopt or reject when forming their own ideas about manhood. Study findings show that popular culture figures play complex roles in Black men’s constructions of masculinity while uncovering that Black men use the images of these figures to deconstruct harmful, antiquated stereotypes and tropes associated with Black masculinity. Popular culture figures are also used to highlight and grapple with complex messages about the disposability of Black men’s lives.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150678/1/Goodwill Anyiwo Williams Johnson Mattis Watkins 2019 Media Representations of Popular Culture Figures and the Construction of Black Masculinities.pd

Influence of headspace pressure on methane production in Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests

ABSTRACT:The biochemical methane potential test is the most commonly applied method to determine methane production from organic wastes. One of the parameters measured is the volume of biogas produced which can be determined manometrically by keeping the volume constant and measuring increases in pressure. In the present study, the effect of pressure accumulation in the headspace of the reactors has been studied. Triplicate batch trials employing cocoa shell, waste coffee grounds and dairy manure as substrates have been performed under two headspace pressure conditions. The results obtained in the study showed that headspace overpressures higher than 600 mbar affected methane production for waste coffee grounds. On the contrary, headspace overpressures within a range of 600–1000 mbar did not affect methane production for cocoa shell and dairy manure. With the analyses performed in the present work it has not been possible to determine the reasons for the lower methane yield value obtained for the waste coffee grounds under high headspace pressures.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the European FEDER funds for providing financial support through project CTM2011-2804

Biomethanation potential of biological and other wastes

Anaerobic technology has been traditionally applied for the treatment of carbon rich wastewater and organic residues. Anaerobic processes can be fully integrated in the biobased economy concept for resource recovery. After a brief introduction about applications of anaerobic processes to industrial wastewater treatment, agriculture feedstock and organic fraction of municipal solid waste, the position of anaerobic processes in biorefinery concepts is presented. Integration of anaerobic digestion with these processes can help in the maximisation of the economic value of the biomass used, while reducing the waste streams produced and mitigating greenhouse gases emissions. Besides the integration of biogas in the existing full-scale bioethanol and biodiesel production processes, the potential applications of biogas in the second generation lignocellulosic, algae and syngas-based biorefinery platforms are discussed.(undefined