Effectiveness of restricting access to a suicide jump site: a test of the method substitution hypothesis

Reducing access to lethal means can prevent suicides. However, substitution of a suicide method remains a concern. Until 1986, the Ellington Bridge was the site of one-half of all Washington, DC bridge suicides. An antisuicide fence was installed in 1986, creating a naturalistic case–control design for testing the substitution hypothesis with the adjacent and equally as lethal jump site, the Taft Bridge. We found that suicide deaths from the Ellington Bridge were reduced by 90% (p=0.001) following barrier construction, without changes in rates of jumps from either the Taft Bridge or any other bridge in the city. Suicides by all methods decreased significantly across the study period. While the decline in suicides from the Ellington Bridge may reflect a broader decline in suicide, the decline in bridge suicide without persistent shifts in deaths to other bridges provides evidence that restricting access to one highly lethal method is effective.

“In the Moment I Wanted to Kill Myself, and Then After I Didn’t”: A Qualitative Investigation of Suicide Planning, Method Choice, and Method Substitution Among Adolescents Hospitalized Following a Suicide Attempt

Research on planning, method choice, and method substitution in adolescents’ suicide attempts is limited. We conducted in-depth interviews with 20 adolescents following their suicide attempt to learn the extent to which the attempt was planned, why they used the method they did, and whether they would have substituted another method if the one they used had been unavailable. Applied Thematic Analysis was used to identify codes and develop themes. Attempts were largely unplanned, and planned attempts were often haphazard, as urgency to escape immediate pain was a main impetus for the attempt. Method choice was driven by easy access. Half of participants said they would not have attempted suicide if the method they used were inaccessible, but 7 of 20 said they would have, and 3 were unsure. Not all suicide attempts would be prevented by blocking access to methods that adolescent attempters would otherwise use. To understand whether restricting access to low-lethality methods could harm some attempters, future research should examine in-the-moment method substitution.

Associations between firearm and suicide rates: a replication of Kleck (2021)

ObjectiveIn a recent study using data from 194 nations and 28 EU member states, Kleck (2021) reports that firearms are associated with the rate of suicides committed with firearms, but not non-firearm suicides or suicides overall. He concludes that firearm accessibility only influences suicide method. However, this conclusion is unjustified because the findings are internally inconsistent: if firearms only influence firearm suicide rates, they should be negatively associated with non-firearm suicides to reflect method substitution. I attempt to replicate Kleck’s results and, if there are differences, offer potential explanations.MethodI reproduce Kleck’s analytical approach: ordinary least squares regression with log-transformed suicide rates as the dependent variable and crude firearm rates as the independent variable, weighted by the square root of the population. I also test ranked and z-scored firearm rates to account for outliers and check robustness of results, stratify analyses by various demographic subgroups, and include US state data. Results Firearms were positively associated with total suicide rates globally and within the US but not in the EU. Across all geographic units, firearms were associated with firearm suicides but not non-firearm suicides. Associations were robust to modifications of the firearm rate, though varied within subgroups. Firearms were negatively associated with non-firearm suicides among older persons and black Americans, indicating method substitution. Firearms were also negatively associated with total suicides among older persons in global analysis, which may be due to depletion of susceptibles at younger ages where firearms are more readily available. ConclusionKleck’s findings failed to replicate. Therefore, I reject his conclusion that firearms do not influence suicide.

Effects of on-line hemodiafiltration regimens and dialysate composition on serum concentrations of magnesium and calcium ions

Background Low-ionized magnesium and high-ionized calcium levels are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in patients undergoing dialysis. We examined the effects of the dilution method, substitution volume, and dialysate of on-line hemodiafiltration on the total and ionized magnesium and calcium levels. Methods Eighteen patients were randomly assigned to three dialysate groups: two acetic acid dialysate groups and one citrate dialysate group. Five treatment conditions were applied: pre-diluted on-line hemodiafiltration, post-diluted on-line hemodiafiltration, and hemodialysis. Results The total and ionized serum levels of magnesium and calcium were evaluated and found to be unaffected by the dilution methods and substitution volumes. The albumin leakage was approximately 3 g/session under the pre-dilution and hemodiafiltration conditions, and approximately 4–5 g/session under the post-dilution condition. The ionized magnesium concentration decreased in the citrate dialysate group. Conclusion The on-line hemodiafiltration parameters had a negligible effect on ionized magnesium and calcium; however, the use of citrate dialysate decreased the ionized magnesium levels, probably because of chelation. Trial registration 000028172. The study was registered on July 11 2017.

Refining HTN Methods via Task Insertion with Preferences

Hierarchical Task Network (HTN) planning is showing its power in real-world planning. Although domain experts have partial hierarchical domain knowledge, it is time-consuming to specify all HTN methods, leaving them incomplete. On the other hand, traditional HTN learning approaches focus only on declarative goals, omitting the hierarchical domain knowledge. In this paper, we propose a novel learning framework to refine HTN methods via task insertion with completely preserving the original methods. As it is difficult to identify incomplete methods without designating declarative goals for compound tasks, we introduce the notion of prioritized preference to capture the incompleteness possibility of methods. Specifically, the framework first computes the preferred completion profile w.r.t. the prioritized preference to refine the incomplete methods. Then it finds the minimal set of refined methods via a method substitution operation. Experimental analysis demonstrates that our approach is effective, especially in solving new HTN planning instances.

Economic Value of the Sylva Arboretum of the Tanjungpura University Pontianak

Sylva Untan Arboretum has high biodiversity. However, these values and benefits are not yet known by many parties, hence the existence of the Sylva Untan Arboretum could be changed. The purpose of this study was to determine the economic value of the Sylva Untan Arboretum. The study was conducted using a survey method. Primary data was collected through observation and interviews, while secondary data was collected from various literature. The economic value was calculated using three methods, namely the market price method, substitution cost method, and contingency method. The data were analyzed using an analysis of total economic value. The results showed that the economic value of Sylva Untan Arboretum was IDR 15.346.872.680 per year. Economic value in the form of service benefits (intangible) was higher than the tangible value. The measurement of the economic value of Sylva Untan Arboretum can be done using other approaches and methods that are more holistic as a comparison of existing economic values especially for several values, such as biomass value, water absorption, and land rent. The measurement of the economic value of the Sylva Untan Arboretum needs to be developed to make a positive contribution to the people living around it, as well as decision making in land use.Keywords: arboretum, benefit, ecosystem, economic valuation

ASPEK NILAI MORAL DALAM AKUN FACEBOOK JOKOWI

This study aims at (1) identifying the lingual form of disfemism in Joko Widodo's Facebook account; (2) describing the addressing form containing sarcasm in Joko Widodo's official Facebook account; and (3) identifying the sarcasm expression used by the operator and the uploader of the account. The object of this study is polite expressions. Linguistic unit of the expressions can be in the form of word, phrase, clause, and sentence. The data of this present study are sentence or sentences in Jokowi's official Facebook account that contains positive connotation words. The data contexts of this research are discourse containing positive connotation sentences, the topic of discourse written by people in Jokowi's account, the identity of the participant, and the context of extra-lingual that is based on the importance of the operator of the president's social media account. The data collection was conducted through documentation technique. The data in Jokowi's official account were copy-pasted. Then, the data were being read intensively to note the positive connotation utterance. The data analysis was conducted through referential (identity) method, pragmatic (identity) method, translational (identity) method, and articulatory phonetic (identity) method. The referential (identity) method was used to identify the topics that were stated by the uploader of the account. The pragmatic (identity) method was used to identify the background of (profession, organization etc) that appeared in their writings. The translational (identity) method was used in describing the origination of the language they use. It is possible that through the use of this method, this study finds the register on that account. Finally, the phonetic (identity) method was used to identify the utterance characteristic they stated. The positive or negative emotion of the speaker, usually, marked by the special pronunciation. To establish the data analysis, this study uses distributional method: substitution technique and paraphrase technique. Based on the data analysis, this study shows several results. First, the euphemism utterance in Jokowi's official Facebook account using any levels, i.e. word, phrase, clause, and sentence. Through those levels, the writer presents suggestions and critics to the owner of the account Joko Widodo. Second, the functions that are stated through that account are expression device, communication relationship to the leader, integration device, and self-control device. Third, the topics stated by the people in that account are about the depiction of Joko Widodo that in their opinion, Joko Widodo shows pretending, the existence of Megawati in the election of Joko Widodo as a president, the increasing of IDR currency and other things at the beginning of his leadership. The expression shows hatred towards the elected president. Furthermore, they also express about Jokowi's unability to establish the IDR currency and his leadership is judged as not good. In addition, to the people, especially netizen are invited to disbelieve to his leadership.

PROFIL POTENSI PENYAKIT AKIBAT KERJA TAHAPAN PEMBATIKAN

Abstrak Batik diakui UNESCO sebagai budaya milik Indonesia. Pembatikan masih menggunakan bahan baku berbahaya. Salah satu tuntutan AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area) 2015 yaitu meningkatkan kualitas dan perlindungan produk dalam negeri (batik) untuk dapat bersaing dengan produk luar negeri, dimana dalam proses produksinya memperhatikan aspek kesehatan dan keselamatan kerjanya. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi gangguan kesehatan yang muncul pada tahapan pembatikan yang nantinya dapat menjadi dasar rekomendasi substitusi bahan dan metode dalam tahapan pembatikan. Penelitian ini berupa survey analitik dengan metode deskriptif analitik. Populasi penelitian ini adalah seluruh pekerja industri batik di Kota Pekalongan pada 634 industri batik. Sampel pada penelitian ini sejumlah 80 responden yang diambil secara random sampling. Ditemukan gangguan kesehatan pada pekerja batik berupa gangguan kapasitas paru 67,5%; penurunan fungsi penglihatan 33,8%; dermatitis ekstrimitas 30%. Sebaran pekerja dengan gangguan kapasitas paru, penurunan fungsi penglihatan, dan dermatitis ekstrimitas terbanyak ditemukan pada tahap pelekatan lilin, berturut-turut 64,8%; 48,1%; dan 66,7%. Abstract Batik is recognized by UNESCO as Indonesian indigenous culture. Batik processing was still using dangerous material. One of AFTA 2015 requirements was to increase quality and protectionto domestic product for commpeting with foreign product, whith paying attention to health and safety. This study aimed to identify health disorders in batik processing for being the rasionale for material and method substitution recommandation in batik processing. This was descriptive analitic survey. The population was all workers in all batik industries (634 industries) in Pekalongan City. There were 80 respondents which were choosen ramdomly as sample. It was indentified that the health disorders in batik industries workers were vital lung capacity abnormalities (33.8%), optical degeneration and dermatitis extremities (30%). Health disorders were mostly found in waxing process; they were vital lung capacity abnormalities (64.8%), optical degeneration (48.1%) and dermatitis extremities (66.7%).

Thermomechanical Properties of Anti-Parallel β-Sheets with Bombyx mori Silk Nanostructures [Gly-Ser-Gly-Ala-Gly-Ala]n and [Gly-Ala]n

The present study aims to investigate temperature dependence of anisotropic mechanical properties of anti-parallel beta pleated sheets with Bombyx mori silk nanostructures in sequence of [Gly-Ser-Gly-Ala-Gly-Ala]n and commonly used model in sequence of [Gly-Ala]n. Classical molecular dynamics simulation method was used to carry out calculations, preliminary, at 300K. Ionic interactions were modeled by CHARMM force field method. Substitution of Ala with Ser residue results with a gradual conformational change in the stress-strain.

An oniom study of the distribution of skeletalAlatoms and Brønsted acidity in ZSM-23 zeolite

This paper, based on the density functional theory (DFT), mainly studies the distribution of Al in seven nonequivalent T sites as well as the acidity of the corresponding Brønsted acids (B-acids). The distribution of the acid sites in the double- Al models is also investigated. Using ONIOM (B3LYP/6-31g(d,p):AM1) method, substitution energies, proton affinities and frequencies are calculated to characterize the Al distribution and Brønsted acidity. The result shows that T6 is the most destabilized site after substitution, while T7 buried in the framework is the most favorable for Al . Besides, Al 4– O 4– Si 5 and Al 2– O 1– Si 1 are the most readily sites to form B-acids, and the acid strength of Al 4– O 3– Si 3 is the strongest. In the case that there are two B-acid sites on the 10-membered ring, one of the B-acid sites will be most likely to form at the Al 4– O 4– Si 5 site, and the other one forms either at the other Al 4– O 4– Si 5 or at Al 2– O 1– Si 1 site on the opposite side.