Intimate partner violence around the time of pregnancy and postpartum depression: The experience of women of Bangladesh.

Background and objectivesIntimate partner violence (IPV) around the time of pregnancy is a serious public health concern and is known to have an adverse effect on perinatal mental health. In order to craft appropriate and effective interventions, it is important to understand how the association between IPV and postpartum depression (PPD) may differ as a function of the type and timing of IPV victimization. Here we evaluate the influence of physical, sexual and psychological IPV before, during and after pregnancy on PPD.MethodsCross-sectional survey data was collected between October 2015 and January 2016 in the Chandpur District of Bangladesh from 426 new mothers, aged 15-49 years, who were in the first six months postpartum. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between IPV and PPD, adjusted for socio-demographic, reproductive and psychosocial confounding factors.ResultsApproximately 35.2% of women experienced PPD within the first six months following childbirth. Controlling for confounders, the odds of PPD was significantly greater among women who reported exposure to physical (AOR: 1.79, 95% CI [1.25, 3.43]), sexual (AOR: 2.25, 95% CI [1.14, 4.45]) or psychological (AOR: 6.92, 95% CI [1.71, 28.04]) IPV during pregnancy as opposed to those who did not. However, both before and after pregnancy, only physical IPV evidences a direct effect on PPD. Results highlight the mental health consequences of IPV for women of Bangladesh, as well as the influence of timing and type of IPV on PPD outcomes.Conclusions and implicationsThe findings confirm that exposure to IPV significantly increases the odds of PPD. The association is particularly strong for physical IPV during all periods and psychological IPV during pregnancy. Results reinforce the need to conduct routine screening during pregnancy to identify women with a history of IPV who may at risk for PPD and to offer them necessary support

Learning to be a midwife: Midwifery students' experiences of an extended placement within a midwifery group practice.

AimTo investigate the experiences, perspectives and plans of students who had a six-month placement with the midwifery group practice.MethodsFocus groups were conducted with fifteen third - year Bachelor of Midwifery students who had undertaken an extended placement at a midwifery group practice in a large tertiary referral hospital in Queensland, Australia.ResultsFour main themes were identified in the data: Expectations of the Placement; Facilitating learning within a midwifery group practice model; Transitioning between models of care and Philosophy and culture of midwifery group practice.Discussion and conclusionThird-year midwifery students valued the experience of working one-on-one for an extended placement with a midwife providing continuity of care within a caseload model. The experience was the highlight of their degree and they learned 'how to be a midwife'. Most students found reintegrating back into the hospital system of care challenging, reporting that their developed skills of supporting women holistically and facilitating normal birth were not fully utilised when returning to the task-orientated birth suite. Students valued thoughtful, kind and supportive midwifery preceptors who supported them to transition back into the hospital.Implications and recommendationsUndertaking an extended placement within a midwifery group practice provides students with a rich and holistic learning experience and helps them develop a sense of professional identity. Student placements situated within models of care which provide continuity of midwifery care should be proactively enabled by health services and universities. Research of the longer-term impacts of an extended midwifery group practice clinical placement on midwifery graduates' capabilities and competencies 3-5 years post registration should be conducted

Antenatal-Based Pilot Psychosocial Intervention to Enhance Mental Health of Pregnant Women Experiencing Domestic and Family Violence in Nepal.

Survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV) report poorer quality of life and worsening mental health. This study evaluated the effect of a counseling and education intervention on the mental health and help-seeking behaviors among pregnant women living with DFV. A parallel pilot randomized controlled trial was performed among 140 pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic of a tertiary hospital of Nepal. Using computer-generated random numbers, participants were randomized to the intervention group (a counseling session, an information booklet about DFV, and contact details of the counselor) or a control group (usual care plus a booklet containing contact details of local DFV support services). Outcome measures included mental health, quality of life (QOL), self-efficacy, social support, and safety planning behaviors. Analyses followed intention-to-treat, using the generalized estimating equation model. Intervention participants showed significant improvements in anxiety (β = -3.24, p < .001) and depression (β = -3.16, p < .001) at postintervention. Such improvements were also sustained at follow-up assessment (p < .001). Significant group and time interaction for QOL, social support, use of safety behaviors, and self-efficacy (p < .05) revealed a greater increase in these outcome measures among intervention participants at both follow-up assessments compared with the control group. This pilot integrated intervention showed promising outcomes in improving the mental health, social support, and the use of safety behaviors among women with DFV. This intervention could be incorporated into regular antenatal care as a strategy to identify and support victims of DFV. Larger controlled trials with longer follow-up are needed to support and expand on the current findings regarding the effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention targeting victims of DFV in resource-constrained settings

Stem Anatomy of Switchgrass Plants Developed by Divergent Breeding Cycles for Tiller Digestibility

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum. L.) is an important perennial forage and biomass crop that is native to the temperate prairies of the North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Breeding for improved forage in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) has been conducted using post-heading, whole-tiller IVDMD as the selection criterion (Hopkins et al., 1993; Vogel et al., 2002). One breeding cycle (C-1) for low IVDMD and three cycles for high IVDMD (C1, C2, C3) were completed in a switchgrass population adapted to the USA mid- latitudes. Sward trials demonstrated that whole plant IVDMD had been improved (Hopkins et al., 1993). This study reports on changes in plant anatomy of plants from populations divergently bred for whole tiller IVDMD

'We don't see because we don't ask': Qualitative exploration of service users' and health professionals' views regarding a psychosocial intervention targeting pregnant women experiencing domestic and family violence.

INTRODUCTION:Given the relative recency of Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) management as a field of endeavour, it is not surprising that interventions for addressing DFV is still in its infancy in developing countries. In order to maximise the success of an intervention, it is important to know which aspects of the intervention are considered important and helpful by service providers and service users. This study, therefore, examined the acceptability of an antenatal-based psychosocial intervention targeting DFV in Nepal and explored suggestions for improving the program in future. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Intervention participants and health care providers (HCPs) were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Data were audio-recorded and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Final codes and themes were identified using an iterative review process among the research team. RESULTS:Themes emerging from the data were grouped into domains including perceptions towards DFV, impact of the intervention on women's lives and recommendations for improving the program. DFV was recognised as a significant problem requiring urgent attention for its prevention and control. Intervention participants expressed that they felt safe to share their feelings during the counselling session and got opportunity to learn new skills to cope with DFV. The majority of the participants recommended multiple counselling sessions and a continued provision of the service ensuring the intervention's accessibility by a large number of women. DISCUSSION:This is the first study to document the perspectives of women and HCPs regarding an antenatal-based intervention targeting psychosocial consequences of DFV in Nepal. There was a clear consensus around the need to engage, support and empower victims of DFV and the intervention was well received by the participants. Ensuring good mental health and wellbeing among victims of DFV requires work across individual, organisational and community levels

Indium diffusion in the chemical potential gradient at an In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As interface

We have measured the distribution of group III metals at In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As interfaces before and after annealing at 1085 K. We find little evidence for Al interdiffusion, but the Ga concentration profiles show some broadening on annealing. Also, the originally nearly constant In profiles develop strong modulations with near discontinuities at the original interfaces. This phenomenon is explained and modeled in terms of In diffusion in the chemical potential gradient established by the disparity of the Al and Ga mobilities and the requirement of III‐V stoichiometry in the alloys.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70043/2/APPLAB-52-24-2055-1.pd

Counselling-based psychosocial intervention to improve the mental health of abused pregnant women: A protocol for randomised controlled feasibility trial in a tertiary hospital in eastern Nepal

© 2019 Author(s). Published by BMJ. Introduction The strong correlation between domestic and family violence (DFV) and mental health has been well documented in studies. Pregnancy is a period when both DFV and mental distress tend to occur and/or accentuate. Although limited, available evidence from developed countries has shown continual support and education as psychological first aid that can reduce DFV and improve mental health. However, there is significantly less number of studies from resource-constrained countries; thus, there continues to be a substantial gap in knowledge and awareness regarding effective interventions for DFV. Methods and analysis A two-arm randomised trial with a nested qualitative study has been planned to assess feasibility and treatment effect estimates of a counselling-based psychosocial intervention among pregnant women with a history of abuse. A total of 140 pregnant women who meet the inclusion criteria will be recruited into the study. Block randomisation will be used to allocate women equally into two groups. The intervention group will receive a counselling session, an information booklet and continuous support by a researcher, while women in the control group will receive contact information of local support services. Feasibility measures, such as rates of recruitment, consent and retention, will be calculated. Qualitative interviews with participants and healthcare providers will explore the acceptability and usability of the intervention. Outcome measures, such as psychological distress, quality of life, social support and self-efficacy, will be measured at baseline, 4 weeks postintervention and 6 weeks postpartum. Ethics and dissemination This study has obtained ethical approval from the Griffith University Human Research Ethics Committee, the Nepal Health Research Council and the Institutional Review Board of a tertiary hospital in Dharan, Nepal. The findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations and will be used to inform a future multicentre trial

Impurity‐induced layer disordering of In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As heterostructures

Impurity‐induced layer disordering of In0.53 Ga0.47 As/In0.52 Al0.48 As heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy has been observed by Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiling. We find that Si+ ion implantation to concentrations greater than 2×1019 atoms cm−3 enhances the intermixing of Ga and Al in these heterostructures at an annealing temperature of 1075 K. However, the relatively high temperature which is required to activate the interdiffusion of Ga and Al in the region of high Si concentration is sufficient to induce In diffusion in regions of lower Si concentration. Zinc diffusion is found to completely intermix the Ga and Al in the heterolayers at temperatures as low as 825 K, which is below the temperature at which significant In diffusion occurs in undoped regions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70858/2/APPLAB-53-23-2302-1.pd

Assessment of light history indicators for predicting seagrass biomass

Seagrasses are rapidly declining worldwide due to anthropogenic impacts on coastal environments. One major contributor to seagrass loss is the degradation of water quality which reduces light availability