Categories of intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) among young women and men: Latent Class Analysis of psychological, physical, and sexual victimisation and perpetration in a UK birth cohort

BackgroundIn the UK, around one-third of young people are exposed to IPVA by 21 years old. However, types of IPVA victimisation in this population (psychological, physical, sexual), and their relationship with impact and perpetration are poorly understood.MethodsParticipants in a UK birth cohort reported IPVA victimisation and perpetration by age 21. We carried out a latent class analysis, where we categorised IPVA by types/frequency of victimisation, and then assigned individuals to their most probable class. Within these classes, we then estimated risks of reported: 1) types of negative impacts (sad, upset/unhappy, anxious, depressed, affected work/studies, angry/annoyed, drank/took drugs more); 2) types/frequency of perpetration.ResultsAmong 2,130 women and 1,149 men, 32% and 24% reported IPVA victimisation (of which 89% and 73% reported negative impact); 21% and 16% perpetration. Victimisation responses were well represented by five classes, including three apparent in both sexes: No-low victimisation (characterised by low probabilities of all types of victimisation; average probabilities of women and men belonging to this class were 82% and 70%); Mainly psychological (15% and 12%); Psychological & physical victimisation (4% and 7%), and two classes that were specific to women: Psychological & sexual (7%); Multi-victimisation (frequent victimisation for all three types; 4%). In women, all types of negative impact were most common in the Psychological & sexual and Multi-victimisation classes; for men, the Psychological & physical class. In women, all types of perpetration were most common for the Mainly psychological, Psychological & physical, and Multi-victimisation classes; in men, the Mainly psychological and Psychological & physical classes.DiscussionIn this study of young people, we found categories of co-occurrence of types and frequency of IPVA victimisation associated with differential risks of negative impact and perpetrating IPVA. This is consistent with emerging evidence of IPVA differentiation and its variable impact in other populations.

Influence of Specimen Size and Shape on the Uniaxial Compressive Strength Values of Rocks

The most significant factors affecting the results of Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) test are the size, slenderness ratio h/d (ratio of height to diameter), and the shape of the rock specimen. The proposed experimental study shows the variable impact of these parameters on UCS values by implementing several lithological types. Standard strength tests were performed on four lithological types: granodiorite, limestone, sandstone and andesite. Cylindric and cube-shaped test specimens of different sizes were prepared from each rock. Cylindric specimens with diameter 20 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm and 70 mm with height to diameter ratio of 1:1 and 2:1, and cubic and prismatic specimens with an edge dimension of 50 mm were tested and analyzed. Obtained results of strength tests confirmed a high variability of current research opinions on how the size and shape of specimens influence the strength values of rocks. The study revealed the impossibility of conclusive correlations between the UCS and specimens to be generally applicable for all lithological types. Of the observed effects on the strength, the aspect of the specimen slenderness ratio was the most pronounced on all studied rocks.

Variation in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms and Treatments: A Side Effect of COVID-19

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) exerts variable impact on patients with obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD). There remains a challenge to determine the extent to which OCD is exacerbated due to the pandemic. Therefore, our aim is to explicate the latest researching progress of OCD under COVID-19 based on a review of 15 existing articles. Our review confirms the prevalence of OCD exacerbation in different age groups and particular symptoms. However, it also reveals nonconformity among research, lack of investigation in OCD treatment, and imbalance in OCD symptoms research. Further, we discuss the probable reasons of the exacerbation and current situation of OCD treatments. Finally, based on our discussion, we offer suggestions on how to manage OCD under the new circumstance, including the introduction of new policies, the use of communications technology, the improvement of researching methods, and possible angles for further research.

Design of New-type Impactor Based on Combined Effect by Air-pressure and Electromagnetism

Analysis ofrock-breaking mechanism of cyclical impact loading under high and low impact on the basis of impact stress wave theory holds that microcrack occurs in the rock due to high energy impact and the following medium and low impact can cause rapid destruction of the rock. Intermittent impact method of variable impact energy is hence suggested. Electromagnetically-propelled device is added to the traditional air hammer by means of intermittent intervention by electromagnetic impact.Combined impact by gas and power and interval pneumatic impact is applied to design new-type impactor based on the combined effect by air-pressure and electromagnetism, which is supposed to provide a new solution for improvement of impactor work efficiency.

In Vitro Time-Kill of Common Ocular Pathogens with Besifloxacin Alone and in Combination with Benzalkonium Chloride

Background: Besifloxacin ophthalmic suspension 0.6% (w/v%) contains benzalkonium chloride (BAK) as a preservative. We evaluated the in vitro time-kill activity of besifloxacin, alone and in combination with BAK, against common bacteria implicated in ophthalmic infections. Methods: The activity of besifloxacin (100 µg/mL), BAK (10, 15, 20, and 100 µg/mL), and combinations of besifloxacin and BAK were evaluated against isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 4), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 3), Haemophilus influenzae (n = 2), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 2) in time-kill experiments of 180 min duration. With the exception of one S. aureus isolate, all of the staphylococcal isolates were methicillin- and/or ciprofloxacin-resistant; one P. aeruginosa isolate was ciprofloxacin-resistant. The reductions in the viable colony counts (log10 CFU/mL) were plotted against time, and the differences among the time–kill curves were evaluated using an analysis of variance. Areas-under-the-killing-curve (AUKCs) were also computed. Results: Besifloxacin alone demonstrated ≥3-log killing of P. aeruginosa (<5 min) and H. influenzae (<120 min), and approached 3-log kills of S. aureus. BAK alone demonstrated concentration-dependent killing of S. epidermidis, S. aureus and H. influenzae, and at 100 µg/mL produced ≥3-log kills in <5 min against these species. The addition of BAK (10, 15, and 20 µg/mL) to besifloxacin increased the rate of killing compared to besifloxacin alone, with earlier 3-log kills of all species except P. aeruginosa and a variable impact on S. aureus. The greatest reductions in AUKC were observed among H. influenzae (8-fold) and S. epidermidis (≥5-fold). Similar results were found when the isolates were evaluated individually by their resistance phenotype. Conclusions: In addition to confirming the activity of 100 µg/mL BAK as a preservative in the bottle, these data suggest that BAK may help besifloxacin to achieve faster time-kills on-eye in the immediate timeframe post-instillation before extensive dilution against bacterial species implicated in ophthalmic infections, including drug-resistant S. epidermidis. Greater killing activity may help prevent resistance development and/or help treat resistant organisms.

Social Media and the Variable Impact of Violence Reduction Interventions: Re-Examining Focused Deterrence in Philadelphia

Focused deterrence is a gang violence reduction strategy that relies on a unique mix of strong enforcement messages from law enforcement and judicial officials coupled with the promise of additional services. At the heart of the intervention is a coordinated effort to communicate the costs and consequences of gun violence to identified gang members during face-to-face meetings and additional community messaging. In Philadelphia, focused deterrence was implemented between 2013 and 2016, and although an impact evaluation showed a significant decrease in shootings in targeted areas relative to matched comparison neighborhoods, the effect on targeted gangs was not universal, with some exhibiting no change or an increase in gun-related activity. Here, we employ data on group-level social media usage and content to examine the correlations with gun violence. We find that several factors, including the nature of social media activity by the gang (e.g., extent of activity and who is engaging), are associated with increases in the average rate of gang-attributable shootings during the evaluation period, while content-specific variables (e.g., direct threats towards rivals and law enforcement) were not associated with increases in shootings. Implications for violence reduction policy, including the implementation of focused deterrence, are discussed.

CancelRx: a health IT tool to reduce medication discrepancies in the outpatient setting

Objective Medication list discrepancies between outpatient clinics and pharmacies can lead to medication errors. Within the last decade, a new health information technology (IT), CancelRx, emerged to send a medication cancellation message from the clinic’s electronic health record (EHR) to the outpatient pharmacy’s software. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of CancelRx on reducing medication discrepancies between the EHR and pharmacy dispensing software. Materials and Methods CancelRx was implemented in October 2017 at an academic health system. For 12 months prior, and 12 months after CancelRx implementation, data were collected on discontinued medications in the health system’s EHR and whether those prescriptions were successfully discontinued in the pharmacy’s dispensing software. An interrupted time series analysis was conducted to model the occurrence of prescriptions successfully discontinued over time. Results There was an immediate (lag = 0), significant (P &lt; 0.001), and sustained (post-implementation slope 0.02) increase in the proportion of successful medication discontinuations after CancelRx implementation (from 34% to 93%). CancelRx had variable impact based on whether the clinic was primary care (71.4% change prepost) or specialty care (53.9% change prepost). CancelRx reduced the time between when a medication was discontinued in the clinic EHR and pharmacy dispensing software. Conclusion CancelRx automated a manual process and illustrated the role for health IT in communicating medication discontinuations between clinics and pharmacies. Overall, CancelRx had a marked benefit on medication list discrepancies and illustrated how health IT can be used across different settings to improve patient care.