A Program for Prevention and Intervention of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Among Pastors in the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Problem The membership of the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventist has surged to over 50,000 over the ten year period, 1997-2006; however, the professional Adventist clergy group has experienced a decrease over the same time period—from thirty-three to twenty-seven ministers (Guyana Conference of SDA Statistics). The ratio of clergy to laity is, thus, 1:1853, where it was previously 1:1039. Consequently, ministers in the Guyana Conference of SDA are likely to become victims of burnout—and its compassion fatigue form—as they encounter the demands of ministry. Methods and Procedures Following the case study method of qualitative research, the researcher utilized Eisner’s (1998) self as an instrument theory. He suggested that there is valuable information to be gleaned when self is utilized, since each person’s life experiences are unique. Thus, self as an instrument is not a disadvantage but an asset to research. In addition, Eisner (1998, p. 34) states that “the self is the instrument that engages in the situation and makes sense of it.” This project is designed to be utilized as a seminar consisting of six presentations for ministers. The researcher’s personal experience-validated by collegial conversations was coupled with information gleaned from significant literature for the development of this seminar. The presentations, as they seek to educate ministers about these phenomena are accompanied by activities for participants to become involved in a practical way. Anticipated Outcomes The discussion and investigation of this phenomenon----burnout, defined by Freudenberger and Richelson (1980) as “a debilitating psychological condition brought about by unrelieved work stress,, and its compassion fatigue form-which is associated with the physical, emotional/psychological, and mental price caregivers pay when attending to others who have experienced trauma or emotional aches (Figley, 1995a)— revealed that ministers fall prey as a result of the simple fact that most people turn to their faith or religious beliefs when they are confronted with crisis or traumatic circumstances. Thus, clergy are called upon in these times of personal, familial, and community stress. Also, ministers are faced with job stress as a result of the demands of the work defined by such factors as one minister pastoring numerous churches/members owing to the migration of many ministers. i After interaction with the information shared in each seminar, ministers will be more aware of the reality and dangers of these phenomena, and will be better equipped to prevent the same. Conclusion On the whole, the call to ministry is neither fleeting nor temporary; instead, it is permanent. It is the service of a lifetime. Health—both physical and spiritual—is needed for a minister to endure in this lifetime of service. S/he therefore cannot afford to work without pacing her/himself to finish the race. For this reason, the ministry calls for wise use of resources, not only those available in the form of human personnel who may be utilized through team ministry, but also the minister’s energy. As was noted earlier, this project contains tools that will equip the minister to be effective in ministry, while maintaining longevity; thus, burnout and compassion fatigue can be readily recognized and addressed so that ministers can continue to serve God’s children effectively

An Analysis of the Characteristics and Practices of Selected Florida Small Livestock Producers: A Focus on Production and Processing

The study assessed the characteristics and practices of small livestock producers, emphasizing production and processing. Data were obtained from a convenience sample of seventy small producers from selected counties in Florida, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, including chi-square tests. The socioeconomic characteristics showed that part-time producers, White producers, middle-aged producers, fairly educated producers, and moderate-income producers dominated the group. A majority of the producers practiced rotational grazing, fed a combination of forage and concentrate, and less than half conducted soil tests regularly. Moreover, over half had parasite problems and treated them primarily with anthelmintics. Nearly all producers sold animals live, implying very little processing. Therefore, some processing could be encouraged as value-added products fetch more than raw products. The chi-square tests also revealed that household income, race, farming status, and gender had statistically significant relationships with selected production characteristics. Keywords: Livestock Producers, Small Producers, Characteristics and Practices, Production and Processin

An Analysis of the Characteristics and Practices of Selected Florida Small Livestock Producers: A Focus on Economics and Marketing

Issues regarding economics and marketing are of importance to small livestock producers, who produce and sell locally or regionally. This study, thus, assessed the characteristics and practices of selected Florida small livestock producers, emphasizing economics and marketing. Data were collected from a convenience sample of seventy small producers from several Florida counties, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including chi-square tests. The findings showed that there were many more: full-time producers; producers with at least a two-year/technical degree, and producers with at, least, a $40,000 annual household income. Most had been farming more than fifteen years, on at least 50 acres, and had small herds. Furthermore, very few of them made profits; they mainly sold animals live on-farm or at the auction/stockyard, and many of them kept records. Chi-square tests showed that gender, age, education, and household income had statistically significant effects on selected marketing characteristics. The findings suggest that educational programs that emphasize economic and marketing issues should be taken into consideration when designing programs for small producers in the study area. Keywords: Livestock Producers, Small Producers, Characteristics and Practices, Economics and Marketin

The Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Selected Practices by Small Livestock Producers in Florida

Socioeconomic factors could affect the practices of small livestock producers who produce and sell locally or regionally. Yet, there is limited research on the issue in the Southeastern U.S., for example, Florida. Thus, this study assessed the impact of socioeconomic factors on practices of small livestock producers in Florida. The data were obtained from a sample of seventy producers from several counties in Florida, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. The results showed that a majority practiced rotational grazing; did not test soil regularly; had parasite problems; did not use veterinary services, and practiced record keeping. Further, the binary logistic regression analyses showed that selected socioeconomic factors had statistically significant effects on selected practices. For instance, gender had a statistically significant effect on soil testing; household income had a statistically significant effect on parasite problem; gender had a statistically significant effect on the use of veterinary services; and farming status, race/ethnicity, education, and household income had statistically significant effects on record keeping. The findings suggest that socioeconomic factors may be important in producers adopting practices. Keywords: Socioeconomic Factors, Selected Practices, Farm Practices, Small Livestock Producers, Small Producer

Quantum Noise Locking

Quantum optical states which have no coherent amplitude, such as squeezed vacuum states, can not rely on standard readout techniques to generate error signals for control of the quadrature phase. Here we investigate the use of asymmetry in the quadrature variances to obtain a phase-sensitive readout and to lock the phase of a squeezed vacuum state, a technique which we call noise locking (NL). We carry out a theoretical derivation of the NL error signal and the associated stability of the squeezed and anti-squeezed lock points. Experimental data for the NL technique both in the presence and absence of coherent fields are shown, including a comparison with coherent locking techniques. Finally, we use NL to enable a stable readout of the squeezed vacuum state on a homodyne detector.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Optics:B special issue on Quantum Contro

Mice Expressing Low Levels of CalDAG-GEFI Exhibit Markedly Impaired Platelet Activation With Minor Impact on HemostasisHighlights

OBJECTIVE: The tight regulation of platelet adhesiveness, mediated by the αIIbβ3 integrin, is critical for hemostasis and prevention of thrombosis. We recently demonstrated that integrin affinity in platelets is controlled by the guanine nucleotide exchange factor, CalDAG-GEFI (CD-GEFI), and its target, RAP1. In this study, we investigated whether low-level expression of CD-GEFI leads to protection from thrombosis without pathological bleeding in mice. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Cdg1(low) mice were generated by knockin of human CD-GEFI cDNA into the mouse Cdg1 locus. CD-GEFI expression in platelets from Cdg1(low) mice was reduced by ≈90% when compared with controls. Activation of RAP1 and αIIbβ3 was abolished at low agonist concentrations and partially inhibited at high agonist concentrations in Cdg1(low) platelets. Consistently, the aggregation response of Cdg1(low) platelets was weaker than that of wild-type platelets, but more efficient than that observed in Cdg1(-/-) platelets. Importantly, Cdg1(low) mice were strongly protected from arterial and immune complex-mediated thrombosis, with only minimal impact on primary hemostasis. CONCLUSIONS: Together, our studies suggest the partial inhibition of CD-GEFI function as a powerful new approach to safely prevent thrombotic complications

A Comparative Analysis of Selected Producer Characteristics and Production Practices of Small Livestock Producers in Three Southeastern States of The US

It is germane to know the characteristics and practices of small livestock producers in order to assist them; however, there are a paucity of investigations on the subject in the Southeastern US. Thus, this study assessed selected producer characteristics and production practices of small livestock producers in three Southeastern States. The data were collected from three samples of producers in several counties of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that, a majority of producers practiced rotational grazing, had parasite problems, quarantined newly acquired animals, and used veterinary services. Additionally, a majority sold their animals live, and many kept records manually or on a computer. The findings indicate commonalities across the three states, in terms of rotational grazing, parasite problems, quarantine, how animals are sold, and record keeping. There is a need to assist small producers in certain aspects of production practices and in value-added processe

Diversity-oriented synthesis as a tool for identifying new modulators of mitosis.

The synthesis of diverse three-dimensional libraries has become of paramount importance for obtaining better leads for drug discovery. Such libraries are predicted to fare better than traditional compound collections in phenotypic screens and against difficult targets. Herein we report the diversity-oriented synthesis of a compound library using rhodium carbenoid chemistry to access structurally diverse three-dimensional molecules and show that they access biologically relevant areas of chemical space using cheminformatic analysis. High-content screening of this library for antimitotic activity followed by chemical modification identified 'Dosabulin', which causes mitotic arrest and cancer cell death by apoptosis. Its mechanism of action is determined to be microtubule depolymerization, and the compound is shown to not significantly affect vinblastine binding to tubulin; however, experiments suggest binding to a site vicinal or allosteric to Colchicine. This work validates the combination of diversity-oriented synthesis and phenotypic screening as a strategy for the discovery of biologically relevant chemical entities.This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final version was published in Nature Communications here: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140117/ncomms4155/full/ncomms4155.html#affil-auth

Ideal cardiovascular health in urban Jamaica: Prevalence estimates and relationship to community property value, household assets and educational attainment: A cross-sectional study

Objective Ideal cardiovascular health (ICH) is associated with greater longevity and reduced morbidity, but no research on ICH has been conducted in Jamaica. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of ICH in urban Jamaica and to evaluate associations between ICH and community, household, and individual socioeconomic status (SES). Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Urban communities in Jamaica. Participants 360 men and 665 women who were urban residents aged ≥20 years from a national survey, the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey 2016-2017. Exposures Community SES, using median land values (MLV); household SES, using number of household assets; and individual SES, using education level. Primary outcome The main outcome variable was ICH, defined as having five or more of seven ICH characteristics (ICH-5): current non-smoking, healthy diet, moderate physical activity, normal body mass index, normal blood pressure, normal glucose and normal cholesterol. Prevalence was estimated using weighted survey design and logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations. Results The prevalence of overall ICH (seven characteristics) was 0.51%, while the prevalence of ICH-5 was 22.9% (male 24.5%, female 21.5%, p=0.447). In sex-specific multivariable models adjusted for age, education, and household assets, men in the lower tertiles of community MLV had lower odds of ICH-5 compared with men in the upper tertile (lowest tertile: OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.91, p=0.032; middle tertile: OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.20 to 1.04, p=0.062). Women from communities in the lower and middle tertiles of MLV also had lower odds of ICH-5, but the association was not statistically significant. Educational attainment was inversely associated with ICH-5 among men and positively associated among women. Conclusion Living in poorer communities was associated with lower odds of ICH-5 among men in Jamaica. The association between education level and ICH-5 differed in men and women