Correlates of Depression in First-Year College Students

This study aimed to identify and rank the personal, family-related, social, and academic correlates of depressive symptoms in first-year college students. A questionnaire that included the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was administered to 389 first-year college students (mean age = 18.9; SD = 3.38; 59.4% female). Eight variables contributed uniquely to the variance of depressive symptoms and were, in decreasing order of importance: (1) the absence of personal goals, (2) a high level of anxiety and (3) of dysfunctional thoughts regarding success, (4) a lack of emotional adjustment to college, (5) being female, (6) receiving little warmth and encouragement of autonomy from one’s mother and (7) from one’s father, and (8) being attracted to members of the opposite or both sexes. These results suggest that a multimodal intervention is required to support students’ mental health.  Cette étude visait à identifier et à hiérarchiser les corrélats personnels, familiaux, sociaux et académiques des symptômes de dépression chez des élèves en première année d’études collégiales. Ainsi, 389 étudiants inscrits en première année d’études collégiales (âge moyen : 18,9 ans; écart-type : 3,38 ans; 59,4 % de jeunes femmes) ont rempli un questionnaire comprenant l’Inventaire de dépression de BeckII. Huit facteurs ont contribué de façon unique à la variance des symptômes de dépression et sont, par ordre décroissant d’importance : (1) l’absence d’objectifs personnels, (2) un niveau d’anxiété élevé, (3) des pensées dysfonctionnelles à propos de la réussite, (4) un faible niveau d’adaptation émotionnelle au Cégep, (5) le fait d’être une femme, (6) le fait de recevoir peu d’affection et d’encouragement vers l’autonomie de la part de sa mère et (7) de son père, et (8) le fait être attiré par des personnes du sexe opposé ou des deux sexes. Ces résultats semblent indiquer qu’une intervention multimodale est requise pour soutenir la santé mentale des élèves

Resilience factors in students presenting depressive symptoms during the post-secondary school transition / Diane Marcotte, Aude Villatte, Alexandra Potvin.

Bibliographi

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Enrichment Planting in Secondary Forests: a Promising Clean Development Mechanism to Increase Terrestrial Carbon Sinks

With the increasing need to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations, afforestation and reforestation (A/R) projects are being implemented under the Kyoto Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and under the voluntary carbon (C) market. The specific objective of A/R C projects is to enhance terrestrial sinks. They could also provide low-income communities in developing countries with a source of revenue, as well as a number of ecological and social services. However, feasibility issues have hindered implementation of A/R CDMs. We propose enrichment planting (EP) in old fallow using high-value native timber species as a land-use alternative and a small-scale C projects opportunity. We present EP in the context of ongoing work in a poor indigenous community in eastern Panama. We consider economic risks and advantages and concordance with existing modalities under the compliance market. The potential storage capacity for EP at the site of our study was ~113 Mg C ha-1, which is comparable to other land uses with high C storage, such as industrial teak plantations and primary forest. Because secondary forests show high aboveground biomass production, C projects using EP could harness large amounts of atmospheric C while improving diversity. Carbon projects using EP can also provide high levels of social, cultural, and ecological services by planting native tree species of traditional importance to local communities and preserving most of the secondary forest's ecological attributes. Therefore, EP planting could be considered as a way to promote synergies between two UN Conventions: climate change and biodiversity. SÍNTESIS Con la necesidad apremiante de reducción de los gases de efecto invernadero, proyectos de aforestación y reforestación (A/R) pueden implementarse bajo el Mecanismo de Desarrollo Limpio del Protocolo de Kyoto (MDL) o en el contexto del mercado voluntario. El objetivo especifico de los mercados de carbono, voluntario o de compromiso, es de estimular el almacenamiento de carbono terrestre. Además, los proyectos de carbono podrían presentar una oportunidad para cambiar prácticas de uso de la tierra y proteger la biodiversidad mientras se provee un ingreso a las comunidades de países en desarrollo para mantener servicios ambientales. Proponemos un enriquecimiento de plantación cubierta (EP) en rastrojos o bosques secundarios utilizando especies de maderas nativas preciosas como alternativa forestal y proyecto de carbono a pequeña escala. Los diferentes aspectos de implementación del A/R-MDL actual están tomados en cuenta. Discutimos la EP en el contexto de investigaciones continuas en la comunidad indígena Ipetí-Emberá en Panamá-Este. En nuestro sitio, el potencia de almacenamiento de carbono para la EP podría ser de 113 Mg C ha-1, lo cual es comparable a otros usos del suelo como plantaciones de teca y bosque primario. Como los rastrojos presentan una alta producción de biomasa, proyectos de carbono con EP podría acumular cantidades grandes de carbono atmosférico mientras se proveen beneficios socio-económicos. Al mismo tiempo EP podría mantener la estructura ecológica del bosque secundario y la biodiversidad promoviendo sinergias entre dos convenios: el de Biodiversidad y el de cambios climáticos

Plasma Endocannabinoid Alterations in Individuals with Substance Use Disorder are Dependent on the “Mirror Effect” of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder strongly associated with substance use disorders. Theoretically, schizophrenia and SUD may share endocannabinoid alterations in the brain reward system. The main endocannabinoids, anandamide and 2-arachydonoylglycerol, are lipids which bind cannabinoid receptors. Oleylethanolamide (OEA), a fatty acid ethanolamide, binds peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. The endocannabinoid system has been shown to be impaired in schizophrenia, and recently, our group has shown that schizophrenia patients with SUD have elevated peripheral levels of anandamide and OEA that do not normalize after 3-month treatment with quetiapine. Objective For comparative purposes, we aimed to measure endocannabinoids in non-psychosis substance abusers and non-abusing schizophrenia patients. Methods Using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, we measures plasma levels of anandamide and OEA in non-psychosis SUD patients, non-abusing schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. In an open-label manner, all patients received 12-week treatment with quetiapine. Results Anandamide and OEA were reduced in substance abusers without schizophrenia, relative to healthy controls (p<0.05). Both endocannabinoids were unchanged in non-abusing schizophrenia patients. After quetiapine, anandamide and OEA levels remained significantly reduced the SUD group (p<0.05). Discussion Taken together with results of our previous study performed in dual-diagnosis patients, our results suggest that peripheral anandamide and OEA levels are impaired in patients with SUD in opposite ways according to the presence or absence of schizophrenia. Endocannabinoid alterations did not change with treatment, suggesting that they are trait markers. Further studies are necessary to understand the role of endocannabinoids in substance abusers with and without schizophrenia and to examine therapeutic implications

9e biennale nationale de céramique : Voyage à travers le temps... l'espace... la vie...

This catalogue for the 9th ceramics biennial of Trois-Rivières reflects the diversity of works by 31 participating ceramists (as well as 60 participants from previous biennials), and documents the three exhibition components of the event. Revolving around the theme of travel – through time, space and life – texts by jury members emphasize changing paradigms, the archeological value of ceramics, and the transformative nature of travel. Brief statements by several artists. All texts (except for biographical notes) in French and English. Brief biographical notes on the artists