Fathers' Experiences of Caring for an Adult Child with Psychosis: a Qualitative Study

Aim: Previous research has looked at parental experiences of caring, which has highlighted the rewarding nature of caring but also the difficulties associated with this role. However, within these studies the majority of parents have been mothers, meaning little is known about fathers’ experiences. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore how fathers describe and make sense of their experiences of caring for an adult child with psychosis. Method: A purposive sampling method was used to recruit fathers from local carer groups and forums. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were carried out to capture information about paternal experiences of caregiving. Research questions encompassed ‘What sense fathers had made of their child’s psychosis?’, ‘How their child’s psychosis affected their relationship with them over time?’, and ‘How being a father affected their caring role?’ Interviews were transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009). Seven participants were interviewed including six biological fathers and one step-father. Results: Five superordinate themes emerged: ‘Father vs. carer’, ‘Change in quality of the relationship with child’, ‘To share or not to share, ‘Acceptance is a struggle’, and ‘Mental health services: inconsistency vs. luck’. These consisted of fourteen sub-ordinate themes. The themes illustrated that participants did not see being a carer as a separate role, but part of being a parent. They were just as invested and involved in supporting their child as the mothers, and were willing to go any lengths to do this, even if at a personal emotional and physical cost to themselves. Conclusions: It is important that services reconsider their perceptions of fathers, how they involve them and offer interventions to them (both individual therapy and family therapy). General Practitioners can be more actively involved in checking in with fathers, signposting them to support and resources

Essays in Corporate Finance

In this dissertation, I explore the effects of exogenous shocks on firms\u27 and managers\u27 behaviors. The first essay examines the effect of shareholder-initiated litigation risk on opportunistic insider trading by exploiting US states\u27 staggered adoption of Universal Demand (UD) laws, which weakened shareholders\u27 ability to file derivative lawsuits against corporate insiders. I find that UD laws lead to significantly more profitable insider trades, specifically insider sales. After the adoption of UD laws, insider sales on average avoid an additional loss of about 2 percent ($24,000) per month in buy-and-hold abnormal returns. The benefit of UD laws is greater for insiders of firms where information asymmetry is high and where monitoring by institutional blockholders is low. Moreover, the greater profitability of insider trading after UD laws comes from more opportunistic timing of trades. For instance, insiders engage in more profitable insider trading, both purchase and sales during pre-QEA period after UD laws. Overall, this study suggests that a decrease in shareholder-initiated litigation threat increases more serious types of insider trading in US firms. The second essay examines the ex-ante risk of credit rating change on firms\u27 payout polices. My results suggest that firms near a credit rating change pay less dividend yields and are less likely to pay dividends compared to other firms. I find that firms that are on the border of their rating categories (POM) and on investment-speculative cutoffs (IG/SG) on average pay 0.09% and 0.20% less dividend yields respectively in the next quarter than other firms with similar underlying credit quality. These results are novel and are not obvious predictions of traditional theories of dividends. Furthermore, I find that POM firms are less likely to initiate a dividend and increase dividend yields compared to other firms. My results indicate that POM and IG/SG firms pay less dividend yields in all industries and almost every year from 1986 to 2016. Overall, my results show that firms with similar ability to pay dividends can have significantly different dividend payouts in response to their risks of rating change

PROSOPIS CINERARIA (L) DRUCE: A DESERT TREE TO BRACE LIVELIHOOD IN RAJASTHAN

The Prosopis cineraria (L) Druce is an important tree (Khejri- a local name in Rajasthan)for the Thar Desert withhard climatic adaptation and one of the lifeline in desert habitat as mentioned in ancient literature. This is a speciesrepresenting all five F viz., Forest, Fiber, Fuel, Fodder and Food. This tree is also mythological important in localcommunities. High value of this species recognized as a State symbol (state tree of Rajasthan). Prosopis cineraria(L.) Druce is a tree endemic to hot deserts of India, belonging to the family Leguminosae. Pods locally called“Sangri” are considered as dry fruit of desert and are one of the main ingredients of quintessential Rajasthani dish -The Panchkuta. In the present article, we have attempted to review different characteristics of the pods, tounderstand its health benefits. Various phytoconstituents like tannins (gallic acid), steroids (stigmasterol,campesterol, sitosterol, etc.), Flavone derivatives (prosogerin A, B, C, D, and E), alkaloids (spicigerine,prosophylline), etc. have been isolated from the sangri pods .As this plant is found in water stress (or deficient area)so antioxidant potential of pods has also been discussed. Prosopis cineraria (L) Druce is one of the highly valuedplant in the Indigenous System of Medicine. P. cineraria pods provide protein, iron, vitamins A and C and othermicro minerals Unripe pods are also nutritious and are used to prepare curries and pickles. Its bark is said to be apotent drug for several ailments such as leprosy, dysentery, bronchitis, asthma, leucoderma, piles, muscular tremors,asthma, rheumatism and inflammations. Pharmacological activities like analgesic, antipyretic, antihyperglycemic,antioxidant, antihypercholesterolemic, antitumor, nootropic anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral andanticancer activities have been reported from different plant extracts. In view of its medicinal importance, thepresent review is focused to delineate its chemical constitution and therapeutic potentiality, precisely

Unintended Consequences of the Dodd–Frank Act on Credit Rating Risk and Corporate Finance

Prior research finds that Dodd–Frank Act’s regulations on credit rating agencies (CRAs) increase rated firms’ risk of rating downgrades, regardless of their credit quality. Our difference-in-difference estimates suggest that after Dodd–Frank, low-rated firms, which face steep costs from a further downgrade, significantly reduce their debt issuance and investments compared to similar unrated firms. Our results are not driven by credit supply or the financial crisis. They reveal an unintended consequence of Dodd–Frank: Greater regulatory pressure on CRAs leads to negative spillover effects on firms concerned about credit ratings, regardless of their credit quality

Economic analysis and resource use efficiency of carrot production in Chitwan district, Nepal

A study was conducted from February to May 2020 to analyze the cost-benefit economics analysis and resource use efficiency of carrot production in Chitwan, Nepal. Altogether 70 households producing carrot were selected randomly and surveyed through the pre-tested semi-structured interview-based schedule. Data was entered and coded using SPSS 25 and analyzed using STATA 12.1. The study revealed that the total variable cost per hectare for carrot production was US $1803.1 and a benefit-cost ratio of 1.81 was estimated. Cobb-Douglas production function models the relationship between production output and production inputs . Production function analysis including seven explanatory variables, showed a significant positive effect of seed cost, tractor cost and human labor cost (P<0.01), fertilizer and manure cost (P<0.05) on gross return but herbicide cost, packaging cost, vitamin and micronutrients cost were found insignificant. The return to scale was found to be 1.42. According to estimated allocative efficiency indices, it is suggested to increase the seed, fertilizer and manure, tractor labor and  human labor costs by approximately 45%, 74%, 67%, and 79% respectively and reduce the herbicide and packaging costs approximately by 116% and 246% respectively. The adoption of modern technologies with adjustments to resource use should be suggested to maximize the productivity and profit from carrot production

Efficacy of two artemisinin-based combinations for the treatment of malaria in pregnancy in India: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In India, the recommended first-line treatment for malaria in the second and third trimester of pregnancy is artesunate + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS+SP). However, data on safety and efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) in pregnancy is limited. This study assessed the safety and efficacy of AS+SP and artesunate + mefloquine (AS+MQ) for treatment of Plasmodium falciparum in pregnancy in India. METHODS: This open-label, randomized clinical trial was conducted from October 2010 to December 2013 at three sites in India (Ranchi and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand state, and Rourkela in Odisha state). Pregnant women in the second or third trimester who had P. falciparum mono-infection of any parasite density with or without fever were randomized to receive AS+SP or AS+MQ. Blood slides and filter paper samples for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) were collected on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 14, 21, 28, 42 and 63 post treatment. Women were followed up at delivery and at day 42 postpartum. FINDINGS: Two hundred and forty-eight women of 7064 pregnant women (3.5%) who were screened at monthly antenatal clinics had a P. falciparum mono-infection and were randomized to receive AS+SP (125) or AS+MQ (123) and all of these women were included in the intention to treat (ITT) analysis. The primary endpoint of an adequate clinical and parasite response (ACPR) on day 63 was not available for 9 women who were counted as treatment failure in the ITT analysis. In the ITT population, the ACPR was 121/125 (96.8%; 95% Confidence interval (CI) 92.0-99.1%) in the AS+SP group and 117/123 (95.1%; 95% CI 89.7-98.2) in the AS+MQ group. Among the 239 women (121 from the AS+SP arm and 118 from the AS+MQ arm) who completed the day 63 follow up (per protocol analysis) the ACPR was 100% in the AS+SP group and 99.2% (117/118) in the AS+MQ group. There were five serious adverse events (SAE) among pregnant women (4 in the AS+SP group and 1 in the AS+MQ group) and 13 fetal/neonatal SAEs (7 in the AS+SP group and 6 in the AS+MQ) but none of them were related to the study drugs. A higher proportion of women in the AS+MQ arm reported vomiting within 7 days post-treatment than did women in the AS+SP arm (6.9 vs. 1.6%; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Both AS+SP and AS+MQ are safe and effective for treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in pregnancy in India. Trial registration CTRI This study is registered with Clinical Trial Registry India (CTRI), number CTRI/2009/091/001055. Date of Registration 11 January 2010, http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pmaindet2.php?trialid=1185&EncHid=&userName=anvikar

Gendering Farmer Producer companies at the Agricultural Frontier of India: Empowerment or Burden?

Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) are driving agricultural frontier expansions in India. Their main objectives are to mobilize small-scale farmers to collectivize and organize in order to gain collective bargaining power, in the process empowering farmers and eliminating middlemen. However, they have not established any demonstrable success in achieving these goals. This chapter seeks firstly, to draw transnational connections between agro-ecological transformations in India and larger market/capital expansions through FPCs, contextualized amidst national development goals for farmer empowerment, changing labor patterns, and ecological degradation. In doing so, it will, secondly, explore the gendered dimension of FPCs in India by analyzing how the process of establishing women-only FPCs by using mandatory inclusion as a participation tool can serve to disempower and further burden women. While mandatory involvement of women farmers on their Board of Directors as an empowerment strategy can prove crucial to enhancing women’s decision-making roles, this chapter asks whether such an inclusionary approach remains meaningful to achieve FPC success in a context where external support for women’s empowerment is not provided

Phase-wise enhanced voltage support from electric vehicles in a Danish low-voltage distribution grid

High deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) imposes great challenges for the distribution grids, especially in unbalanced systems with notable voltage variations which detrimentally affect security of supply. On the other hand, with development of Vehicle-to-Grid technology, EVs may be able to provide numerous services for grid support, e.g., voltage control. Implemented electronic equipment will allow them to exchange reactive power for autonomous voltage support without communicating with the distribution system operator or influencing the available active power for primary transportation function. This paper proposes a voltage dependent EV reactive power control and quantifies its impact on a real Danish low-voltage grid. The observed network is a heavily unbalanced three-phase four-wire grid modeled in Matlab SimPowerSystems based on real hourly measurement data. Simulations are performed in order to evaluate phase-to-neutral voltage support benefits as well as to address neutral-to-ground values, active power losses and the unbalances at the same time. The analysis shows that reactive power supportboth raises minimum phase-to-neutral voltage magnitudes and improves voltage dispersion while the energy losses are not notably increased. Further on, since the control is voltage dependent, provided reactive power is unequal among the phases leading to greater support on heavily loaded phases and decreased unbalances caused by residential consumption. Hence, implementation of such a phase-wise enhanced voltage support could defer the need for grid reinforcement in case of large EV penetration rates, especially in highly unbalanced networks

Health, education, and social care provision after diagnosis of childhood visual disability

Aim: To investigate the health, education, and social care provision for children newly diagnosed with visual disability.Method: This was a national prospective study, the British Childhood Visual Impairment and Blindness Study 2 (BCVIS2), ascertaining new diagnoses of visual impairment or severe visual impairment and blindness (SVIBL), or equivalent vi-sion. Data collection was performed by managing clinicians up to 1-year follow-up, and included health and developmental needs, and health, education, and social care provision.Results: BCVIS2 identified 784 children newly diagnosed with visual impairment/SVIBL (313 with visual impairment, 471 with SVIBL). Most children had associated systemic disorders (559 [71%], 167 [54%] with visual impairment, and 392 [84%] with SVIBL). Care from multidisciplinary teams was provided for 549 children (70%). Two-thirds (515) had not received an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). Fewer children with visual impairment had seen a specialist teacher (SVIBL 35%, visual impairment 28%, χ2p < 0.001), or had an EHCP (11% vs 7%, χ2p < 0 . 01).Interpretation: Families need additional support from managing clinicians to access recommended complex interventions such as the use of multidisciplinary teams and educational support. This need is pressing, as the population of children with visual impairment/SVIBL is expected to grow in size and complexity.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited