SMU researcher receives Hogg Foundation grant to study childhood depression

Public release date: 24-Jun-2013
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Contact: Christina Voss
cvoss@smu.edu
214-768-7641
Southern Methodist University

Dr. Chrystyna Kouros, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University, received a $19,250 grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to examine ethnic differences in the identification of and attributions about children's depression symptoms.

The research project by Kouros was one of 10 selected from a pool of 38 applicants from 17 universities across Texas. The foundation awarded the two-year grants, totaling $192,130, to tenure-track assistant professors exploring different aspects of mental health in Texas.

The study by Kouros, who will be collaborating with Dr. Naomi Ekas, Texas Christian University Department of Psychology, will examine ethnic differences in the way that parents and children identify depressive symptoms, and their attributions about depression, as predictors of whether children receive treatment. The overarching goal of the research is to understand barriers to seeking treatment for depression in Hispanic youth.

"Depression in childhood is prevalent and poses a significant public health problem," said Kouros. "Hispanic youth, in particular, report higher levels of depression and are at greater risk for suicide than non-Hispanic whites and other ethnic groups, yet they are less likely to seek treatment from a mental health practitioner and often receive poorer quality of care."

"Rates of untreated childhood depression are staggering," Ekas adds. "I believe our study will fill an important void in understanding why Hispanic and non-Hispanic children with mental health challenges do not seek treatment even when community resources are available."

The goals of the Hogg grants are to increase the pool of junior faculty doing quality mental health research and to encourage the disbursement of research findings through presentations at state and national conferences and meetings.

"Fifty to 80 percent of children in need of services never receive treatment or utilize community mental health resources," said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation. "This research fills an important gap in the literature. Previous research on attributions of child symptoms has typically focused on children's behavioral challenges or physical health, but has not looked at ethnicity as a moderating factor."

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The Hogg Foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by funding mental health services, policy analysis, research and public education. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Gov. James S. Hogg and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.

SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools.

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Public release date: 24-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Christina Voss
cvoss@smu.edu
214-768-7641
Southern Methodist University

Dr. Chrystyna Kouros, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University, received a $19,250 grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to examine ethnic differences in the identification of and attributions about children's depression symptoms.

The research project by Kouros was one of 10 selected from a pool of 38 applicants from 17 universities across Texas. The foundation awarded the two-year grants, totaling $192,130, to tenure-track assistant professors exploring different aspects of mental health in Texas.

The study by Kouros, who will be collaborating with Dr. Naomi Ekas, Texas Christian University Department of Psychology, will examine ethnic differences in the way that parents and children identify depressive symptoms, and their attributions about depression, as predictors of whether children receive treatment. The overarching goal of the research is to understand barriers to seeking treatment for depression in Hispanic youth.

"Depression in childhood is prevalent and poses a significant public health problem," said Kouros. "Hispanic youth, in particular, report higher levels of depression and are at greater risk for suicide than non-Hispanic whites and other ethnic groups, yet they are less likely to seek treatment from a mental health practitioner and often receive poorer quality of care."

"Rates of untreated childhood depression are staggering," Ekas adds. "I believe our study will fill an important void in understanding why Hispanic and non-Hispanic children with mental health challenges do not seek treatment even when community resources are available."

The goals of the Hogg grants are to increase the pool of junior faculty doing quality mental health research and to encourage the disbursement of research findings through presentations at state and national conferences and meetings.

"Fifty to 80 percent of children in need of services never receive treatment or utilize community mental health resources," said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation. "This research fills an important gap in the literature. Previous research on attributions of child symptoms has typically focused on children's behavioral challenges or physical health, but has not looked at ethnicity as a moderating factor."

###

The Hogg Foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by funding mental health services, policy analysis, research and public education. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Gov. James S. Hogg and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.

SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/smu-srr062113.php

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There'll Be Nowhere to Hide When These Robot Apes Take to the Trees

If you thought the prospect of being chased down by one of DARPA's terminator-wannabes was horrifying, there's a whole new flavor of terror for you to consider: the iStruct robo-ape. It's just barely limping along for now, but it's easy to imagine it galloping out of your nightmares someday soon.

The robo-ape?developed by DFKI (the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence)?is still in its early testing phases, as is plenty apparent by its slowly, careful gait. But the form factor has already proven itself pretty versatile in nature, and it seems plenty possible that this thing will be lurching and climbing around in no time.

What exactly DFKI is attempting to accomplish with its robo-ape isn't totally clear, but the center's admittedly vague description suggests it's all about melding robots' locomotive structures with sensors and internal wiring. The result are "intelligent structures," robotic analogs for biological structures like legs that move and feel, or a full-on artificial spines. It's a step closer to building robots like they are real living creatures that just happen to be made out of metal and plastic.

Clearly this can only mean one thing: there's an army in the making, and a Planet of the Apes and Terminator crossover will be real life. Better get to work on developing some robot bananas in the meantime. [DFKI via IEEE Spectrum]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/therell-be-nowhere-to-hide-when-these-robot-apes-take-512187351

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3 blockbusters among Supreme Court's last cases

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Supreme Court has 11 cases, including the term's highest profile matters, to resolve before the justices take off for summer vacations, teaching assignments and international travel.

The court is meeting Monday for its last scheduled session, but will add days until all the cases are disposed of.

A look at some of the cases:

?Gay Marriage: Actually two cases. One is a challenge to California's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The other is an attack on a provision of federal law that prevents legally married gay couples from receiving a range of tax, health and pension benefits.

?Affirmative action: A white woman denied admission to the University of Texas seeks to overturn the school's consideration of race among many factors in filling the last quarter of its freshman classes. A broad ruling could end the use of race in college admissions nationwide.

?Voting rights: A suburb of Birmingham, Ala., wants the court to end the nearly 50-year-old requirement for some state and local governments, mainly in the South and with a history of discrimination in voting, to get the advance approval of any changes in the way they hold elections.

?Native American adoption: A wrenching dispute over who gets custody of Native American girl, her biological father or the adoptive couple who cared for her until she was 2. The case involves the interpretation of a 1978 law intended to prevent American Indian children from being taken from their homes and typically placed with non-Indian adoptive or foster parents.

?Generic Drugs: The industry is asking the Supreme Court to extend protections that makers of generic drugs have from state court lawsuits if federal officials have approved the design of the brand-name version the generic drug copied.

?Private property: A Florida property owner wants compensation, under the Constitution's requirement that the government must pay if it takes your property, for a local government's refusal to issue a development permit.

? Workplace discrimination: Two cases test different aspects of federal law barring discrimination on the basis of race. In one, the court has to decide what level of responsibility it takes to be considered a worker's supervisor in a discrimination complaint. The other asks whether an employer's action can be considered retaliation against an employee who complains of racial harassment if retaliation was a motivating factor, or must it be the only factor.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/3-blockbusters-among-supreme-courts-last-cases-121657567.html

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South Africa: Mandela ambulance had engine problem

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? The South African government says an ambulance carrying Nelson Mandela to a hospital two weeks ago had engine trouble and the former leader was then transferred to another ambulance for the rest of the journey. It said care was taken to ensure the condition of the 94-year-old was not affected.

The office of President Jacob Zuma said in a statement Saturday that it was confirming media reports about the transport problem at the time of the former leader's hospitalization. Zuma's office says doctors believe Mandela suffered "no harm" during that period.

The statement also says that Mandela remains in a serious but stable condition in a hospital. The government has previously said that the anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate was being treated for a recurring lung infection.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-mandela-ambulance-had-engine-problem-094944155.html

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Rivers receding in Calgary, 3 dead in floods

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) ? Water levels dropped, providing a measure of relief to the western Canadian city of Calgary, hit hard by floods that devastated much of southern Alberta province, causing at least three deaths and forcing thousands to evacuate.

The flooding forced authorities to evacuate Calgary's entire downtown and hit some of the city's iconic structures hard. The Saddledome, home to the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames, was flooded up to the 10th row, leaving the dressing rooms submerged.

Flames' president and CEO Ken King said Saturday that the Saddledome is a "real mess," with water still up to row 8 of the lower bowl. He said the flooding had caused a total loss on the event level with all mechanical equipment submerged under 15 feet (4.5 meters) of water.

"If you were a hockey player walking out of the tunnel to the ice, you'd be underwater yourself," he said during a news conference.

Water lapped at the roof of the chuckwagon barns at the grounds of the Calgary Stampede, which is scheduled to start in two weeks. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi has said the city will do everything it can to make sure that the world-renowned party goes ahead.

Bruce Burrell, director of the city's emergency management agency, said Saturday they are seeing improvements in the rivers. Dan Limacher, director of water services for the city, said the Elbow river is expected to recede by about 60 percent over the next two days, while the larger Bow river will recede by about 25 percent.

The improving conditions Saturday morning prompted Calgary's mayor to tweet: "It's morning in Calgary! Sunny, water levels are down, and our spirit remains strong. We're not out of this, but maybe have turned corner."

However, Nenshi said later Saturday that while the city may have turned a corner, there is still a state of emergency in effect.

"Flows on Elbow and Bow (rivers) are dropping slowly. We do believe the peak has passed on the Elbow. However, water levels are still four times higher than 2005 flood levels," he said during a press conference.

Overflowing rivers on Thursday and Friday washed out roads and bridges, soaked homes and turned streets into dirt-brown waterways around southern Alberta.

High River, southwest of Calgary, was one of the hardest-hit areas and remained under a mandatory evacuation order. Police said they have recovered three bodies in the town.

It is estimated that half the people in the town of 13,000 experienced flooding in their homes. Police cut off access to most of the town and helicopters circled overhead. Abandoned cars lay submerged in water, while backhoes worked in vain to push water back from houses.

Police asked residents who were forced to leave the High River area to register at an evacuation shelter. By Saturday morning, 485 evacuees had registered at the shelter in Nanton, south of Calgary, and 278 people were on the inquiry list.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Saturday that during rescue and evacuation efforts on Friday in the High River area, approximately 800 people were evacuated by helicopter along with 100-200 people rescued by various water craft.

Ed Mailhot, a volunteer in High River, was working to build a database of registered evacuees and those who are looking for them. Cellphone service was not restored until late Friday.

"There are a lot of loved ones out there that people can't find, or they don't know where they are," he said. "It's still chaos."

Alberta Premier Alison Redford has warned that communities downstream of Calgary have not yet felt the full force of the floodwaters. Medicine Hat, downstream from Calgary, was under a mandatory evacuation order affecting 10,000 residents.

As the sun rose in Calgary on Saturday morning it wasn't raining. Burrell said some of the 75,000 flood evacuees from more than 24 neighborhoods will be allowed back into their homes. He said the goal is to allow people from portions of six communities back into their homes on Saturday. Residents of a neighborhood in one of those communities ? the high ground portion of Discovery Ridge ?have already been allowed back.

About 1,500 people in Calgary went to emergency shelters during the flooding, while the rest of those evacuated found shelter with family or friends, Nenshi said. Schools and courts were closed Friday. Transit service in the city's core was shut down.

Dale McMaster, executive vice president of ENMAX, Calgary's power company, said Saturday that at least 30,000 customers remain without power.

Calgary's mayor said the downtown area remained off limits and employers will have to make arrangements to have staff work remotely until at least the middle of the week.

"It is extremely unlikely that people will be able to return to those buildings before the middle of next week," Nenshi said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a Calgary resident, said he never imagined there would be a flood of this magnitude in this part of Canada.

The Conservative Party said Saturday that it has postponed its federal policy convention which was scheduled to begin Thursday at the Telus Convention Centre in downtown Calgary because of the floods.

"There are neighborhoods under water, so there is a lot of work we have to do to rebuild," said Michelle Rempel, a member of Parliament for Calgary Center. "Postponing the convention is the right thing to do for the people of Calgary."

Calgary, a city of more than a million people that hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics, is the center of Canada's oil industry.

About 350,000 people work in downtown Calgary on a typical day. However, officials said very few people had to be moved out, since many heeded warnings and did not go to work Friday.

A spokesman for Canada's defense minister said 1,300 soldiers from a base in Edmonton were being deployed to the flood zone.

The Mounties added that approximately 200 additional Royal Canadian Mounted Police personnel were deployed Saturday from other parts of Alberta to assist with evacuation, rescue, traffic safety and security operations,

Calgary was not alone in its weather-related woes.

Efforts were under way Saturday to move more than 2,000 people from their homes in a flood-prone part of northeastern Saskatchewan because of rising water levels.

___

Associated Press writers Rob Gillies and Charmaine Noronha in Toronto and Jeremy Hainsworth in Vancouver, British Columbia, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rivers-receding-calgary-3-dead-floods-152008579.html

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Families skeptical of Pratt cancer study findings

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- For jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney, a long-simmering dispute over worker illnesses was settled by a massive 11-year study that found no elevated risk of brain cancer at its plants. But for dead workers' relatives who first raised concerns years ago, the matter is far from closed.

Their next step hasn't been decided, and the choices are limited. Matt Shafner, a New London lawyer who represents families, said more than 90 workers' compensation claims have been filed. But he won't move forward until an independent review of the study is completed, he said.

"It's not over," said Carol Shea, whose husband, John Shea, worked at Pratt & Whitney's North Haven plant for 35 years and died of brain cancer in 2000 at age 56.

Some relatives of workers who died of brain cancer a decade or more ago are dissatisfied with the study, saying it failed to prove that the deaths of their loved ones were part of a broader problem.

Todd Atcherson, whose father, Charles Atcherson, died in 1998 after working at Pratt & Whitney for about 25 years, said the enormous scope of the study ? health and work records of more than 200,000 employees were reviewed ? fail to explain the deaths of his father and a small group of other workers at the North Haven plant.

"They skewed out the numbers so far, they lost focus of five people who worked in the same site and all died," he said.

Shea said she believes the researchers are "way off."

"I couldn't believe they couldn't come up with anything," she said.

The study, released last month, was launched "in response to the perception of an unusual occurrence" of glioblastoma, a common and aggressive malignant brain tumor, at the North Haven plant. It found the incidence rates of glioblastoma at the site weren't related to workplace exposures.

The environment at the plant featured a blue haze, a product of aerosol generated from metalworking fluids during fast, hot grinding.

The study, which examined seven other Pratt & Whitney plants in Connecticut, found no statistically significant elevations in the rate of cancer among workers. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Illinois at Chicago said they identified 723 workers diagnosed with tumors between 1976 and 2004 at the subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

The tumors were malignant, benign or unspecified and included 277 cases of brain cancer. Of those, 167 were at Pratt & Whitney's East Hartford site and 57 at North Haven, though North Haven workers were at greater risk of having brain cancer, the study said.

But following a study of the North Haven plant, researchers said they couldn't conclude that the environment or exposures were related to the overall elevations in brain cancer.

Gary Marsh, the University of Pittsburgh researcher who led the study, said that he understands family members' frustrations but that the study is conclusive and definitive.

"Let's face it: Brain cancer is a terrible disease and anyone who suffers from it or had a loved one suffer from it wants to know why they got that disease," he said. "We looked at everything conceivable as a possible cause of brain cancer."

Ray Hernandez, a spokesman for Pratt & Whitney, said the company is satisfied with the study's conclusions and considers the matter closed.

"Since we are confident in the scientific rigor of this comprehensive study, we think it provides the best possible information about this issue," he said in an emailed statement.

The study found no connection between brain cancer and the workplace and researchers found no patterns or trends of other causes of death "suggestive of a workplace relationship," Hernandez said.

In Connecticut, Pratt & Whitney over the years has shut down all but its Middletown and East Hartford plants. Manufacturing processes from decades ago have been transformed and haven't recently raised safety issues.

A few family members said they are wary of the study because it was commissioned by Pratt & Whitney at a cost of $12 million. The university researchers worked independently of Pratt & Whitney and the state Department of Public Health established an advisory group to review the progress, methods and other aspects of the study and address concerns about the study's independence.

John DeLeone, a grinding machine operator at the North Haven plant from 1984 until it closed in 2002, said workers suspected that chemicals specific to that plant were lethal. He criticized the study, which was launched in 2002 in response to concerns about employee deaths at North Haven, for being overly broad rather than focusing on that plant.

"It seemed that only people who got sick were those who transferred from North Haven," he said.

Marsh said the study adds to the body of knowledge of occupational health, used by researchers and relevant to other jet engine manufacturers, such as General Electric Co. and Rolls Royce, he said.

"We concluded there is no evidence of elevated health risks of this population. That's a good thing to know," he said.

But Debra Belancik, the Machinists' union's safety and health representative, said the study "doesn't bring any closure at all."

"All this work we did, all the high rates, all the funerals and wakes I went to, it kind of bothered me a little bit," she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/families-skeptical-pratt-cancer-study-180254208.html

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'Sheep-eating' plant towers over English countryside. Oh my!

'Sheep-eating' plant: The Royal Horticultural Society has been nurturing a 10-foot-tall Puya Chilensis for 15 years. This 'sheep-eating' plant is now ready to bloom.

By David Clark Scott,?Staff writer / June 22, 2013

The Puya Chilensis growing at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden Wisley. It's nearly ready to bloom but there's been no 'sheep-eating' by this particular plant.

Royal Horticultural Society

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There's nothing like a giant carnivorous plant headline to get your heart racing ? and to draw folks to the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden Wisley.

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So, let's start by being completely accurate here. The?Puya chilensis is not actually a sheep eater - or even a meat eater. Yes, it's been known to kill sheep. But it's no Venus fly trap or pitcher plant. Those are true carnivores, and really only eat insects.

What makes the Puya chilensis so fascinating is that it has been known to capture and kill sheep in Chile, its native environment, for fertilizer.

"Most bromeliads have firm, hard leaves, but Puya chilensis is sort of an extreme example. Its leaves look sort of like aloe leaves, but in between them are huge, sharp spines that jut out past them. Most plants that have spines, like cacti, use them for protection, but it's theorized that Puya chilensis actually uses them for hunting," according to PopSci.com.

If a sheep gets close enough, the spines can snag on the wool of the sheep, entrapping them. The sheep starve and die at the base of the plant, thus providing a rather grisly but effective fertilizer.

Folks at the Royal Horticultural Society make it clear that no sheep have been harmed in the past 15 years of nurturing their Puya chilensis. And now, the three-meter (10- foot) tall plant is finally ready to bloom.?

?I?m really pleased that we?ve finally coaxed our Puya chilensis into flower. We keep it well fed with liquid fertiliser as feeding it on its natural diet might prove a bit problematic. It?s well worth a visit but parents coming along with small children don?t need to worry about the plant devouring their little ones. It?s growing in the arid section of our Glasshouse with its deadly spines well out of reach of both children and sheep alike," said Cara Smith, who looks after the plant at RHS Garden Wisley, in a statement.

This is not the first Puya chilensis brought to bloom in England. The society has done it in years past and it's always a crowd (and media) pleaser.

In fact, the Society's website lists 11 nurseries around the United Kingdom where local gardeners can buy the South American plant and attempt to create their own backyard botanical snare for small animals wandering by.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/RBl8RfEbI3c/Sheep-eating-plant-towers-over-English-countryside.-Oh-my

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