2,958 research outputs found

    Anxiety and depression following cumulative low-level exposure to organophosphate pesticides

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    Previous research suggests that individuals with a prior history of pesticide poisoning are at increased risk of psychiatric disorder (Freire and Koifman, 2013), but findings regarding the impact of cumulative low-level exposure are inconsistent. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether sheep farmers with a history of low-level exposure to organophosphate pesticides (1) report a higher level of psychological distress on subjective symptom questionnaires, compared to unexposed controls (2) also meet internationally agreed diagnostic criteria for a psychiatric disorder more often than unexposed controls. 127 sheep farmers were evaluated and compared to 78 unexposed controls, matched in terms of gender, education, level of intelligence, working status and area of residence. Both self-report measures and structured clinical interviews were used to assess mental health. The exposed cohort reported significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression when self-report questionnaires were used to evaluate mood, even when stressful life events, demographic and physical health factors were taken into account. However, when diagnostic interviews were used to assess mood, this pattern only held true for anxiety

    The Value of College Graduates to the Scottish Economy

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    Scotland’s colleges are significant economic institutions in their own right. Their activities help support and sustain employment across the communities that they serve. However, the key contribution that colleges make extends well beyond simply how much they spend or invest in the local economy. Colleges play a crucial role in developing Scotland’s growth potential through enhancing human capital – whether that be providing routes from school to work, further training or university; continuous skills-development (often in conjunction with employers); or re-training people for new opportunities. By developing a more productive workforce and boosting participation, colleges help deliver long-term sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Sustainable growth is more important than ever given the new revenue raising responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament. This study undertakes a detailed assessment of the contribution to Scotland's economy from a cohort of college learners over the eight years 2008/09-2015/16. To do this we assess the costs and benefits to the economy from graduates leaving college with a nationally recognised qualification. We use the Fraser of Allander's macroeconomic model of the Scottish economy to provide a robust estimate of the impact on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment and tax revenues. For the period 2008/09-2015/16 graduate cohorts we estimate that: The Scottish economy (as measured by GDP) will be better off by over £20 billion in present value terms (i.e. with future benefits discounted) over the long-term. This corresponds to around an additional £55,000 boost to productivity for the Scottish economy per graduate. The present value of the increase in public sector revenues is estimated to be £6.8 billion. Over the years studied, the total costs to the public sector of investing in these learners through nationally-recognised qualifications was approximately £2.4 billion – just 35% of the cumulative tax revenues generated over the long-term. The investment is estimated to support 13,896 full time equivalent (FTE) jobs in present value terms. The analysis in this report has been conducted by the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) at the University of Strathclyde. The report was commissioned by Colleges Scotland. Colleges Scotland asked the FAI to estimate the long-term value to the Scottish economy from graduates of Scotland’s colleges. The technical analysis, methodology and writing of the results was undertaken independently by the FAI, using their detailed macroeconomic model of the Scottish economy to undertake the analysis

    Mortality after admission for acute myocardial infarction in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in New South Wales, Australia: a multilevel data linkage study

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    Background - Heart disease is a leading cause of the gap in burden of disease between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Our study investigated short- and long-term mortality after admission for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people admitted with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to public hospitals in New South Wales, Australia, and examined the impact of the hospital of admission on outcomes. Methods - Admission records were linked to mortality records for 60047 patients aged 25–84 years admitted with a diagnosis of AMI between July 2001 and December 2008. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) for 30- and 365-day all-cause mortality. Results - Aboriginal patients admitted with an AMI were younger than non-Aboriginal patients, and more likely to be admitted to lower volume, remote hospitals without on-site angiography. Adjusting for age, sex, year and hospital, Aboriginal patients had a similar 30-day mortality risk to non-Aboriginal patients (AOR: 1.07; 95% CI 0.83-1.37) but a higher risk of dying within 365 days (AOR: 1.34; 95% CI 1.10-1.63). The latter difference did not persist after adjustment for comorbid conditions (AOR: 1.12; 95% CI 0.91-1.38). Patients admitted to more remote hospitals, those with lower patient volume and those without on-site angiography had increased risk of short and long-term mortality regardless of Aboriginal status. Conclusions - Improving access to larger hospitals and those with specialist cardiac facilities could improve outcomes following AMI for all patients. However, major efforts to boost primary and secondary prevention of AMI are required to reduce the mortality gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people

    Trapping cold rubidium in a fiber

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    Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-80).In this thesis, we demonstrate the novel technique of loading cold ⁸⁷Rb into a red-detuned optical dipole trap within a hollow core photonic fiber. This confines the atoms to 6 microns in two dimensions. We initially cooled the Rubidium in a magneto-optical trap. The great confinement of the Rubidium allows for increased optical depths per atom and therefore increased interaction rates with probing light.by David Ross Brown.S.B

    An Evaluation of the Texas Team’s Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Toolkit

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    This project was funded by the Texas Council on Family Violence. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the State of Texas or of the Texas Dating Violence Prevention Team.Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA

    Preventive medical care in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory: a follow-up study of the impact of clinical guidelines, computerised recall and reminder systems, and audit and feedback

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    Background Interventions to improve delivery of preventive medical services have been shown to be effective in North America and the UK. However, there are few studies of the extent to which the impact of such interventions has been sustained, or of the impact of such interventions in disadvantaged populations or remote settings. This paper describes the trends in delivery of preventive medical services following a multifaceted intervention in remote community health centres in the Northern Territory of Australia. Methods The intervention comprised the development and dissemination of best practice guidelines supported by an electronic client register, recall and reminder systems and associated staff training, and audit and feedback. Clinical records in seven community health centres were audited at regular intervals against best practice guidelines over a period of three years, with feedback of audit findings to health centre staff and management. Results Levels of service delivery varied between services and between communities. There was an initial improvement in service levels for most services following the intervention, but improvements were in general not fully sustained over the three year period. Conclusions Improvements in service delivery are consistent with the international experience, although baseline and follow-up levels are in many cases higher than reported for comparable studies in North America and the UK. Sustainability of improvements may be achieved by institutionalisation of relevant work practices and enhanced health centre capacity

    Verifying the operational definition of neighborhood for the psychosocial impact of structural deterioration

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    The physical decay of neighborhoods is associated with social conditions such as disease risk, poor mental health, and fear of crime. Researchers assessing neighborhood effects commonly operationalize neighborhoods via municipal boundaries such as U.S. Census Tracts, although more sophisticated analyses examine structures within a defined radius of respondents, typically .25-mile. This study verifies the .25-mile heuristic as a sound operational definition for neighborhood residential structures consequential to social conditions with measures of social contact with neighbors, perceptions of social capital, fear of neighborhood crime, and satisfaction with neighborhood quality of life. Deteriorating commercial structures cluster in smaller areas than deteriorating residential structures; however, the peak consequential radius appears to occur at 4 times the distance of residential structures. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57514/1/20216_ftp.pd
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