Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Suicidal Behaviour in Children and Adolescents Accessing Residential or Intensive Home-Based Mental Health Services

Objective: There is a dearth of Canadian research with clinical samples of youth who self-harm, and no studies could be located on self-harm in children and youth accessing residential or intensive home-based treatment. The purposes of this report were to explore the proportion and characteristics of children and youth identified as self-harming at admission by clinicians compared to youth not identified as self-harming, compare self-harming children to adolescents, and to compare caregiver ratings of self-harm at intake to clinician ratings at admission. Method: This report was developed from a larger longitudinal, observational study involving 210 children and youth accessing residential and home-based treatment and their caregivers in partnership with five mental health treatment centres in southwestern Ontario. Agency data were gleaned from files, and caregivers reported on symptom severity at 12 to 18 months and 36 to 40 months post-discharge. Results: Fifty-seven (34%) children and youth were identified as self-harming at admission. The mean age was 11.57 (SD 2.75). There were statistically significant differences on symptom severity at intake between those identified as self-harming and those not so identified; most of these differences were no longer present at follow up. Children were reported to have higher severity of conduct disorder symptoms than adolescents at intake, and there was some consistency between caregiver-rated and clinician-rated self-harm. Children were reported to engage in a wide range of self-harming behaviours. Conclusion: These findings suggest that youth who were identified as self-harming at admission have elevated scores of symptom severity, self-harm can occur in young children and while many improve, there remains a concern for several children and youth who did not improve by the end of service. Children engage in some of the same types of self-harm behaviours as adolescents, and they also engage in behaviours unique to children

Anomalous peak in Antarctic sea-ice area, winter 1998, coincident with ENSO

The results of an updated satellite analysis of hemispheric and regional Antarctic sea-ice cover are presented based on October 1987-September I999 Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data. These show an ongoing slight but significant hemispheric increase of 3.7(±0.3) in extent and 6.6(±1.5) in area. In the two principal sectors, Weddell Sea ice extent (area) decreased by 3.4(±1.0) (3.9(±4.6)) and Ross Sea ice extent (area) increased by 10.9(±1.0) (18.3(±4.6)). Hemispheric, Ross Sea and Western Pacific Ocean ice peaks in September 1998 were anomalously high, and may have been related to atmospheric and oceanic anomalies in the Pacific Ocean and beyond associated with that year's exceptionally strong ENSO. Preliminary comparison of Antarctic sea-ice-concentration data with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational analyses fields suggests that the unusually extensive sea ice in winter 1998 was concomitant with an equatorward shift of the circumpolar westerly surface winds over the southern Pacific Ocean

Anomalous peak in Antarctic sea-ice area, winter 1998, coincident with ENSO

The results of an updated satellite analysis of hemispheric and regional Antarctic sea-ice cover are presented based on October 1987-September I999 Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data. These show an ongoing slight but significant hemispheric increase of 3.7(±0.3) in extent and 6.6(±1.5) in area. In the two principal sectors, Weddell Sea ice extent (area) decreased by 3.4(±1.0) (3.9(±4.6)) and Ross Sea ice extent (area) increased by 10.9(±1.0) (18.3(±4.6)). Hemispheric, Ross Sea and Western Pacific Ocean ice peaks in September 1998 were anomalously high, and may have been related to atmospheric and oceanic anomalies in the Pacific Ocean and beyond associated with that year's exceptionally strong ENSO. Preliminary comparison of Antarctic sea-ice-concentration data with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational analyses fields suggests that the unusually extensive sea ice in winter 1998 was concomitant with an equatorward shift of the circumpolar westerly surface winds over the southern Pacific Ocean

Vom Feld in die Datenbank und zurück: iDAI.field als digitale Datenbank für die Verwaltung von alten und neuen Daten – ein Arbeitsbericht

Durch die Corona-bedingte Feldforschungspause 2020/2021 ergab sich die Möglichkeit, innerhalb des Gadara Projektes Ressourcen für eine Machbarkeitsstudie zur Datenaufnahme und Migration von Altdaten in iDAI.field zu nutzen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird nicht nur der Weg bis zur im Feld einsetzbaren Datenbank nachvollzogen, sondern auch der Kosten-/Nutzen-Faktor thematisiert. Trotz der projektspezifischen Anwendung werden Optionen erörtert, auf den ersten Blick heterogenes Datenmaterial einheitlich zu erfassen. Dies könnte grundlegend sein für die Vergleichbarkeit von Daten für zukünftige Nutzer*innen von iDAI.field

Liberation-focused Community Outreach: A Qualitative Exploration of Peer Group Supervision during Disaster Response

While it is clear that community outreach and disaster response must include cultural and social justice competence, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding the process by which this can occur. Guided by liberation psychology, this qualitative study examined the peer group supervision process of psychologists and counselors providing outreach to Haitian communities in Florida after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The findings suggest that peer supervision generated a cyclical process in which the practitioners focused on both content and process themes that were salient to the community outreach. During supervision, practitioners used content information on the community\u27s culture, strengths, and sociopolitical issues to conceptualize the community\u27s experiences and needs. This content informed the outreach process, including the practitioners’ roles and the ways in which they connected and developed respectful relationships with the community. Ongoing peer supervision appeared to facilitate a liberation-focused community outreach and increase consciousness among the practitioners

An evidence-based approach to provide essential and desirable components to develop surveys on Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) for doctors: A focused review

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a major concern for people with epilepsy, their families, their care givers, and medical professionals. There is inconsistency in the SUDEP counselling doctors provide, compared to what is recommended in clinical guidelines. Numerous national and international surveys have highlighted how epilepsy professionals, usually doctors, deliver SUDEP risk counselling, particularly, when they deliver it and to whom. These surveys help understand the unmet need, develop suitable strategies, and raise awareness among clinicians with the eventual goal to reduce SUDEPs. However, there is no standardised survey or essential set of questions identified that can be used to evaluate SUDEP counselling practice globally. This focused review analyses the content of all published SUDEP counselling surveys for medical professionals (n=16) to date covering over 4000 doctors across over 30 countries and five continents. It identifies 36 question themes across three topics. The questions are then reviewed by an expert focus group of SUDEP communication experts including three doctors, an expert statistician and SUDEP Action, an UK based charity specialising in epilepsy deaths with a pre-set criterion. The review and focus group provide ten essential questions that should be included in all future surveys inquiring on SUDEP counselling. They could be used to evaluate current practice and compare findings over time, between services, across countries and between professional groups. They are provided as a template to download and use. The review also explores if there is a continued need in future for similar surveys to justify this activity

An evaluation of personal cooling systems for reducing thermal strain whilst working in chemical/biological protective clothing

© 2019 The Authors. Published by Frontiers Media. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00424© 2019 Bach, Maley, Minett, Zietek, Stewart and Stewart. Objective: The use of personal cooling systems to mitigate heat strain on first-responders achieves two potential performance benefits relative to the absence of such cooling: (1) the completion of a workload with less effort; and/or (2) the completion of a greater workload for the same effort. Currently, claims made by manufacturers regarding the capability of their products for use in conjunction with chemical/biological protective clothing remain largely unsubstantiated. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the means by which heat strain can be alleviated during uncompensable heat stress in chemical/biological clothing, using the ASTM F2300-10 methodology. Methods: Eight healthy males completed five trials of continuous walking (4.5 km h-1; 35°C; 49% RH) for up to 120 min while wearing one of four cooling systems and/or a National Fire and Protection Association 1994 Class-3 chemical/biological ensemble. The four cooling methods (ice vest [IV], phase-change vest [PCM], water-perfused suit [WS], and combination ice slurry/ice vest [SLIV]) and no cooling (CON). Results: We observed significant improvements in trial times for IV (18 ± 10 min), PCM (20 ± 10 min) and SLIV (22 ± 10 min), but no differences for WS (4 ± 7 min). Heart rate, rectal, mean skin, and body temperatures were significantly lower in all cooling conditions relative to control at various matched time points in the first 60 min of exercise. Thermal sensation, comfort and perceived exertion all had significant main effects for condition, and time, there were no differences in their respective interactions. Conclusion: The IV, PCM, and SLIV produced lower heart rate, mean skin, rectal and mean body temperatures in addition to improved work times compared to control. The WS did not improve work times possibly as a result of the cooling capacity of the suit abating, and magnifying thermal insulation. Considering the added time and resources required to implement combination cooling in the form of ice slurry and ice vest (SLIV), there was no significant additive effect for perception, cardiovascular strain, rectal temperature and total trial time relative to the phase change vest or ice vest alone. This may be a product of a "ceiling" effect for work limit set to 120 min as part of ASTM F2300-10.This project is financially supported by the United States Government through the United States Department of Defense (DOD).Published versio

GABA and glutamate in hMT+ link to individual differences in residual visual function after occipital stroke

BACKGROUND: Damage to the primary visual cortex following an occipital stroke causes loss of conscious vision in the contralateral hemifield. Yet, some patients retain the ability to detect moving visual stimuli within their blind field. The present study asked whether such individual differences in blind field perception following loss of primary visual cortex could be explained by the concentration of neurotransmitters γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate or activity of the visual motion processing, human middle temporal complex (hMT+). METHODS: We used magnetic resonance imaging in 19 patients with chronic occipital stroke to measure the concentration of neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate (proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and functional activity in hMT+ (functional magnetic resonance imaging). We also tested each participant on a 2-interval forced choice detection task using high-contrast, moving Gabor patches. We then measured and assessed the strength of relationships between participants’ residual vision in their blind field and in vivo neurotransmitter concentrations, as well as visually evoked functional magnetic resonance imaging activity in their hMT+. Levels of GABA and glutamate were also measured in a sensorimotor region, which served as a control. RESULTS: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy-derived GABA and glutamate concentrations in hMT+ (but not sensorimotor cortex) strongly predicted blind-field visual detection abilities. Performance was inversely related to levels of both inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in hMT+ but, surprisingly, did not correlate with visually evoked blood oxygenation level–dependent signal change in this motion-sensitive region. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of GABA and glutamate in hMT+ appear to provide superior information about motion detection capabilities inside perimetrically defined blind fields compared to blood oxygenation level–dependent signal changes—in essence, serving as biomarkers for the quality of residual visual processing in the blind-field. Whether they also reflect a potential for successful rehabilitation of visual function remains to be determined

Pulp, Vol. 2 No. 1

This is the second issue of Pulp.https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/pulp/1001/thumbnail.jp

Pulp, Vol. 2 No. 1

This is the second issue of Pulp.https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/pulp/1001/thumbnail.jp