Prescription opioid abuse has become a serious national problem. To respond to the opioid epidemic, states have created prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) to monitor and reduce opioids use. We conducted a systematic literature review to better understand metrics used…
Prescription opioid abuse has become a serious national problem. To respond to the opioid epidemic, states have created prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) to monitor and reduce opioids use. We conducted a systematic literature review to better understand metrics used to quantify the effect that PDMPs have had on reducing opioid abuse, and solutions and challenges related to the integration of PDMPs with EHRs. Lessons learned can help guide federal and state-based efforts to better respond to the current opioid crisis.
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Behavior of males and females may be mediated by their biological differences and, among cercopithecines, their divergent reproductive strategies. In order to have high reproductive success, individuals need to produce high quality offspring. Through pregnancy, lactation, and maternal care, females…
Behavior of males and females may be mediated by their biological differences and, among cercopithecines, their divergent reproductive strategies. In order to have high reproductive success, individuals need to produce high quality offspring. Through pregnancy, lactation, and maternal care, females have a strong influence on the quality of their offspring. Within the cercopithecine mating system, males are limited in direct influence on offspring outcomes within the Cercopithecines, and are adapted to more typically maximize mating opportunities. In general, female reproductive strategies involve securing the most food while male reproductive strategies are geared towards helping them secure the most fertile females both somatically and behaviorally. In this paper, I investigated how the behaviors observed among female adolescent rhesus macaque monkeys would differ from the males as their divergent reproductive trajectories begin to manifest. I made predictions based off of four questions: who would be more affiliative with whom, who would be more aggressive and with whom, who would be more variable in their behaviors, and who would be lonelier. I predicted that females would be more affiliative with other females, due to the importance of social connectivity, and males would be more affiliative with males, due to the social bonds male adolescents form with each other. I predicted that males would be overall more aggressive than males because they were found to be by Bernstein et al. (1993). I predicted that males would show more variation in behavior since they may have to be more flexible to capitalize on all conditions to obtain mates. Finally, I predicted that males would be lonelier as an effect of social rank on males and female choice. In order to further understand these differences, 36 adolescent Macaca mulatta, N = 20 female and N=16 male, from the California Primate Center at University of California at Davis, CA were observed. The observer used a standardized method to score the subjects on a variety of behaviors like locomotion, aggression, grooming and more. Each individual underwent around 6 trials and the observations lasted 15 minutes. The data supported the first hypothesis that females are affiliative with each other and males are affiliative with each other. The date also showed that females are more aggressive than males and their aggression is generally targeted towards females. The third prediction was not supported by the data and females were actually more variable in their behaviors than males. Lastly, the data did not support the prediction that males are lonely moneys, however, it did support the alternative hypothesis that they are truly low sociable, low in sociability and low social connectivity.
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This paper describes a mixed methods investigation of undergraduate mental health support practices at Arizona State University (ASU), as well as an outside look at peer and other leading institutions. Methods employed in this study include: ASU undergraduate student survey…
This paper describes a mixed methods investigation of undergraduate mental health support practices at Arizona State University (ASU), as well as an outside look at peer and other leading institutions. Methods employed in this study include: ASU undergraduate student survey to assess perception of resources provided by ASU and the likelihood to disclose physical and mental health conditions, key informant interviews to understand ASU mental health support from the perspective of those who implement support measures, participant observation of study abroad events that provide resources to prospective and pre-departure students, and a document review of the study abroad website from peer and other institutions. The target population of this study is undergraduate students who participate or plan to participate in study abroad programs across the United States. The sample population for the undergraduate student survey is undergraduate students at ASU, as well as sixteen institutions for the document review. Significant findings from the research include student concerns about financial and academic barriers to study abroad, as well as a greater likelihood to disclose physical health conditions rather than mental health conditions due to fear of stigma or of being a burden to program coordinators. Additionally, it was found that there is a separation between available resources and student awareness and use of these resources. ASU can work to remedy this disconnect by explicitly presenting easily accessible resource information on the website and in pre-departure materials, as well as addressing mental health awareness abroad in an inclusive manner towards all students in addition to those with pre-existing mental health conditions. Overall, more work should be done to fulfill the vision of comprehensive mental health support at ASU.
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As obesity rates continue to rise, societal stigmas against individuals classified as "fat" or "obese" also rise. The topics of obesity, fat stigma, slim body ideals, body dissatisfaction and fat talk are all closely interwoven and are heavily influenced by…
As obesity rates continue to rise, societal stigmas against individuals classified as "fat" or "obese" also rise. The topics of obesity, fat stigma, slim body ideals, body dissatisfaction and fat talk are all closely interwoven and are heavily influenced by countless human factors. This project attempts to find cross-cultural patterns in female self-perceptions and body preferences across nine culturally and economically diverse countries using both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The nine different countries included in this study are the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Iceland, Tajikistan, Paraguay, Guatemala, Japan, and South Korea. This study analyzes how satisfied women are with their current size and whether they feel as though they are judged for their size or shape.
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This study was conducted to examine the potential effects of exercise training on partial spinal cord injury on locomotor recovery in juvenile rats. Three groups were tested, where three female Long-Evans rats 10-12 weeks of age were studied for their…
This study was conducted to examine the potential effects of exercise training on partial spinal cord injury on locomotor recovery in juvenile rats. Three groups were tested, where three female Long-Evans rats 10-12 weeks of age were studied for their locomotion. All animals underwent a T8-T9 laminectomy and two of the three in each group received a dorsal, partial spinal cord injury. Locomotion was then analyzed every week, over 8-10 weeks. One of the two injured animals was given open access to a wheel after 2 weeks for voluntary exercise training. The results of this study suggested that injured animals displayed more irregular stepping patterns, larger hindlimb bases of support, greater and more variable interpaw distances, slower hindlimb speed, and increased dependency of swing-phase duty cycle on hindlimb speed. Trained animals displayed quicker recovery of stepping patterns, stepping of the hindpaw in relation to the preceding ipsilateral forepaw, and higher swing-duty cycle dependency on hindlimb speed in comparison to injured animals that did not receive exercise training. Due to a small sample size, there was a large amount of variation between individual animals in most parameters. These results are considered to be potential effects that may be seen in further study with a larger sample size. The research team will continue the research project to examine changes in neural pathways in the spinal cord and the effects of exercise on recovery after injury.
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The genus Steinius has been determined to be one of the earliest forms of omomyids after being hypothesized to belong in the earliest anaptomorphines dating back to the Eocene. This genus is thought to be one of the ancestors of…
The genus Steinius has been determined to be one of the earliest forms of omomyids after being hypothesized to belong in the earliest anaptomorphines dating back to the Eocene. This genus is thought to be one of the ancestors of later omomyids. Other ancestors would include an early omomyid with characteristics resembling the primitive characteristics of Steinius. There are two sister taxa belonging to this genus, Steinius annectens and Steinius vespertinus. Both taxa appear within the strata at Bighorn Basin in Wyoming, with S. annectens appearing in early forms of stratigraphy compared to S. vespertinus. Specimens of both taxa are also lacking with only jaw fragments and single teeth specimens being known today. Although much of Steinius is unknown, it can be associated with Tarsiiformes, or tarsiers. The specimens in this study consisted of lower jaw fragments that were assessed via a microscope containing a reticle calibrated for tooth measurements. These measurements and visual assessments could be used later in the study to determine the relatedness of both taxa. This thesis provides an assessment on the dental morphological characteristics of the genus Steinius that includes both qualitative and quantitative data. The relationship between both sister taxa of this genus is also discussed in detail with a comparison of the similarities found in both teeth. The results obtained from this evaluation showed that both taxa can be determined to be related. One key difference that was noted, however, is that S. annectens has an average tooth size that is larger than that of S. vespertinus and other early omomyids.
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In an increasingly interconnected world, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the United Nations’ framework for ensuring we continue to transform our world for the better, leaving no population behind. This study examines how the terminology of Sustainable Development Goal…
In an increasingly interconnected world, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the United Nations’ framework for ensuring we continue to transform our world for the better, leaving no population behind. This study examines how the terminology of Sustainable Development Goal 17 for global partnership affects its implementation, focusing on “building capacity”—a widely referenced target in the development arena—and the involvement of the private sector. Key informant interviews with experts in the fields of conflict of interest, ethics, and development revealed a wide variety of (often conflicting) notions about partnership, frameworks for capacity development, and the interactions between public and private actors. A literature review of key policy documents examined the terminology and implementation of multistakeholder partnerships, and analysis offered considerations for risks and suggestions in policy terminology. Results indicate a need for increased attention to the use of partnership terminology as a catch-all term to encompass development work, and makes several recommendations for changes to combat misuse of the partnership label. Finally, this study acknowledges that there is a continued need for research-based evidence for effectiveness of the partnership-based development approach.
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The termite Zootermopsis nevadensis nuttingi, which is located in coastal forests of the western United States, plays an important ecological role in the breakdown and digestion of wood. Vital to this role are symbiotic protists residing in the termite's hindgut.…
The termite Zootermopsis nevadensis nuttingi, which is located in coastal forests of the western United States, plays an important ecological role in the breakdown and digestion of wood. Vital to this role are symbiotic protists residing in the termite's hindgut. Five protist genera of varying size and morphology make up this gut community. Despite years of study on this termite species, little was known about the spatial organization of the protist community within Zootermopsis nevadensis nuttingi. To resolve this issue, a study was conducted in which the distribution of protist genera among gut segments was observed and elucidated. This was done by separating hindgut segments, then counting the protists using a hemocytometer at a magnification of 200x. 60 segments from 20 termites were examined, and the total number of protists counted was 69,560. Images were also taken using a scanning electron microscope. Statistically significant, distinct distribution patterns were found for Trichonympha, Trichomitopsis and Streblomastix, while the small genera of Hexamastix and Tricercomitus appeared to have no special distribution. Trichomitopsis was more abundant in the posterior hindgut, Streblomastix was more abundant anteriorly, while the distribution of Trichonympha varied by colony. Hexamastix and Tricercomitus make up a large majority of the protists observed in any segment, followed by Streblomastix, Trichomitopsis and Trichonympha. Understanding the distribution of different protists within the hindgut may improve our understanding of the ecological relationships among protists as well as their individual roles in lignocellulose digestion, contributing to a better understanding of the hindgut system as a whole.
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Neuropharmacological effects of psychedelics have profound cognitive, emotional, and social effects that inspired the development of cultures and religions worldwide. Findings that psychedelics objectively and reliably produce mystical experiences press the question of the neuropharmacological mechanisms by which these highly…
Neuropharmacological effects of psychedelics have profound cognitive, emotional, and social effects that inspired the development of cultures and religions worldwide. Findings that psychedelics objectively and reliably produce mystical experiences press the question of the neuropharmacological mechanisms by which these highly significant experiences are produced by exogenous neurotransmitter analogs. Humans have a long evolutionary relationship with psychedelics, a consequence of psychedelics' selective effects for human cognitive abilities, exemplified in the information rich visionary experiences. Objective evidence that psychedelics produce classic mystical experiences, coupled with the finding that hallucinatory experiences can be induced by many non-drug mechanisms, illustrates the need for a common model of visionary effects. Several models implicate disturbances of normal regulatory processes in the brain as the underlying mechanisms responsible for the similarities of visionary experiences produced by psychedelic and other methods for altering consciousness. Similarities in psychedelic-induced visionary experiences and those produced by practices such as meditation and hypnosis and pathological conditions such as epilepsy indicate the need for a general model explaining visionary experiences. Common mechanisms underlying diverse alterations of consciousness involve the disruption of normal functions of the prefrontal cortex and default mode network (DMN). This interruption of ordinary control mechanisms allows for the release of thalamic and other lower brain discharges that stimulate a visual information representation system and release the effects of innate cognitive functions and operators. Converging forms of evidence support the hypothesis that the source of psychedelic experiences involves the emergence of these innate cognitive processes of lower brain systems, with visionary experiences resulting from the activation of innate processes based in the mirror neuron system (MNS).
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Background
In 2015, the Zika arbovirus (ZIKV) began circulating in the Americas, rapidly expanding its global geographic range in explosive outbreaks. Unusual among mosquito-borne diseases, ZIKV has been shown to also be sexually transmitted, although sustained autochthonous transmission due to sexual…
Background
In 2015, the Zika arbovirus (ZIKV) began circulating in the Americas, rapidly expanding its global geographic range in explosive outbreaks. Unusual among mosquito-borne diseases, ZIKV has been shown to also be sexually transmitted, although sustained autochthonous transmission due to sexual transmission alone has not been observed, indicating the reproduction number (R0) for sexual transmission alone is less than 1. Critical to the assessment of outbreak risk, estimation of the potential attack rates, and assessment of control measures, are estimates of the basic reproduction number, R0.
Methods
We estimated the R0 of the 2015 ZIKV outbreak in Barranquilla, Colombia, through an analysis of the exponential rise in clinically identified ZIKV cases (n = 359 to the end of November, 2015).
Findings
The rate of exponential rise in cases was ρ = 0.076 days[superscript −1], with 95% CI [0.066,0.087] days[superscript −1]. We used a vector-borne disease model with additional direct transmission to estimate the R0; assuming the R0 of sexual transmission alone is less than 1, we estimated the total R0 = 3.8 [2.4,5.6], and that the fraction of cases due to sexual transmission was 0.23 [0.01,0.47] with 95% confidence.
Interpretation
This is among the first estimates of R0 for a ZIKV outbreak in the Americas, and also among the first quantifications of the relative impact of sexual transmission.
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