Discrimination in the workplace, reported by people with major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional study in 35 countries.

OBJECTIVE: Whereas employment has been shown to be beneficial for people with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) across different cultures, employers' attitudes have been shown to be negative towards workers with MDD. This may form an important barrier to work participation. Today, little is known about how stigma and discrimination affect work participation of workers with MDD, especially from their own perspective. We aimed to assess, in a working age population including respondents with MDD from 35 countries: (1) if people with MDD anticipate and experience discrimination when trying to find or keep paid employment; (2) if participants in high, middle and lower developed countries differ in these respects; and (3) if discrimination experiences are related to actual employment status (ie, having a paid job or not). METHOD: Participants in this cross-sectional study (N=834) had a diagnosis of MDD in the previous 12 months. They were interviewed using the Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC-12). Analysis of variance and generalised linear mixed models were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Overall, 62.5% had anticipated and/or experienced discrimination in the work setting. In very high developed countries, almost 60% of respondents had stopped themselves from applying for work, education or training because of anticipated discrimination. Having experienced workplace discrimination was independently related to unemployment. CONCLUSIONS: Across different countries and cultures, people with MDD very frequently reported discrimination in the work setting. Effective interventions are needed to enhance work participation in people with MDD, focusing simultaneously on decreasing stigma in the work environment and on decreasing self-discrimination by empowering workers with MDD.

Standardization of the Maristán Scale of Informal Care in people with schizophrenia and other psychoses.

OBJECTIVE: No instrument has been developed and validated across cultures to measure the degree of support provided by informal carers to people with schizophrenia. We aimed to develop such a measure. METHOD: The Maristán Scale of Informal Care was developed directly from the views of patients with schizophrenia in six countries. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with participants and 103 were repeated after 30 days. Principal Axis Factoring followed by Promax rotation evaluated the structure of the scale. Horn's parallel combined with bootstrapping determined the number of factors. Cronbach's alpha estimated the scale's internal consistency and intra-class correlation its test-retest reliability. RESULTS: A total of 164 interviews were undertaken, 103 with re-test. The Horn's Parallel Analysis and the analysis of the Promax rotation revealed one factor. Cronbach's alpha was 0.89. Intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.56 (95% CI 0.42-0.68) and this increased to 0.64 (95% CI 0.51-0.75) after removing two outlying values. Patients from Argentina recorded the lowest scores (poor informal support/care). CONCLUSION: The Maristán Scale of Informal Care is a reliable instrument to assess the degree of support provided by informal carers to people with schizophrenia across cultures. A confirmatory factor analysis is needed to evaluate the stability of its factor structure.

Ultrafast quantum gates in circuit QED.

We present a method to implement ultrafast two-qubit gates valid for the ultrastrong coupling and deep strong coupling regimes of light-matter interaction, considering state-of-the-art circuit quantum electrodynamics technology. Our proposal includes a suitable qubit architecture and is based on a four-step sequential displacement of the intracavity field, operating at a time proportional to the inverse of the resonator frequency. Through ab initio calculations, we show that these quantum gates can be performed at subnanosecond time scales while keeping a fidelity above 99%.

Path entanglement of continuous-variable quantum microwaves.

Path entanglement constitutes an essential resource in quantum information and communication protocols. Here, we demonstrate frequency-degenerate entanglement between continuous-variable quantum microwaves propagating along two spatially separated paths. We combine a squeezed and a vacuum state using a microwave beam splitter. Via correlation measurements, we detect and quantify the path entanglement contained in the beam splitter output state. Our experiments open the avenue to quantum teleportation, quantum communication, or quantum radar with continuous variables at microwave frequencies.

Dynamic properties of one-component strongly coupled plasmas: the sum-rule approach.

The dynamic characteristics of strongly coupled one-component plasmas are studied within the moment approach. Our results on the dynamic structure factor and the dynamic local-field correction satisfy the sum rules and other exact relations automatically. A quantitative agreement is obtained with numerous simulation data on the plasma dynamic properties, including the dispersion and decay of collective modes. Our approach allows us to correct and complement the results previously found with other treatments.

[Profile and professional expectations for nursing students]. / Perfil y expectativas profesionales del estudiante de enfermeriá.

The authors describe the profile corresponding to students enrolled in first, second and third year courses to become registered nurses in Catalonia, along with their professional and job expectations; the authors examine students' perceptions of the university environment. This information will be a great aid to, on the one hand, update the performances and initiatives taken by those responsible for nursing schools, and on the other hand, to obtain a preliminary view on future nursing professionals. At the same time, this information will provide useful elements for students themselves to reflect on their studies and their future as professionals.

Single-photon excitation of surface plasmon polaritons.

We provide the quantum-mechanical description of the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons on metal surfaces by single photons. An attenuated-reflection setup is described for the quantum excitation process in which we find remarkably efficient photon-to-surface plasmon wave-packet transfer. Using a fully quantized treatment of the fields, we introduce the Hamiltonian for their interaction and study the quantum statistics during transfer with and without losses in the metal.

Fast-projectile stopping power of quantal multicomponent strongly coupled plasmas.

The Bethe-Larkin formula for the fast-projectile stopping power is extended to multicomponent plasmas. The results are to contribute to the correct interpretation of the experimental data, which could permit us to test existing and future models of thermodynamic, static, and dynamic characteristics of strongly coupled Coulomb systems.

Collective and static properties of model two-component plasmas.

Classical MD data on the charge-charge dynamic structure factor of two-component plasmas (TCP) modeled in Phys. Rev. A 23, 2041 (1981) are analyzed using the sum rules and other exact relations. The convergent power moments of the imaginary part of the model system dielectric function are expressed in terms of its partial static structure factors, which are computed by the method of hypernetted chains using the Deutsch effective potential. High-frequency asymptotic behavior of the dielectric function is specified to include the effects of inverse bremsstrahlung. The agreement with the MD data is improved, and important statistical characteristics of the model TCP, such as the probability to find both electron and ion at one point, are determined.

[Distribution of capsular types and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus agalactiae causing infections in Argentina]. / Distribución de tipo capsular y sensibilidad antimicrobiana de Streptococcus agalactiae productores de infecciones en Argentina.

Streptococcus agalactiae is an endogenous bacterium that has emerged in the last 20 years as an etiological agent in both neonatal and perinatal infections, and in immunocompromised patients. The differentiation of the capsular polysaccharide, the presence of surface proteins c, X, R, and molecular methods allow classification in serotypes and genotypes. This identification is a useful tool for epidemiological purposes and virulence studies in this bacterium. The objective of this work was to study the serotypes and the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates recovered from invasive diseases in different areas of Argentina. In the analyzed sample a fair predominance of Ia and III serotypes was recovered, followed by II and IV serotypes. All the isolates were found to be sensitive to penicillin. A 6% of resistance to erythromycin and a 4.5% to clindamycin were detected. In three of the isolates, constitutive MLS phenotype (resistance to macrolides, lincosamins and streptogramins) was founded, while in the remaining one, inducible MLS phenotype was detected. These results stress the importance of conducting a surveillance of the prevalent serotypes in our country with the goal of future prevention of this disease with an effective vaccine. The knowledge of the antimicrobial susceptibility profile will be also important to obtain therapeutic success in the treatment.

Distribución de tipo capsular y sensibilidad antimicrobiana de Streptococcusagalactiae productores de infecciones en Argentina / Distribution of capsular types and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus agalactiae causing infections in Argentina

Streptococcus agalactiae es una bacteria colonizante que ha emergido en los últimos años como causante de infecciones neonatales, perinatales y en pacientes con compromiso inmunológico. La caracterización del polisacárido capsular, de las proteínas de superficie (c, X, R), así como el análisis de marcadores moleculares, permiten su clasificación en serotipos y genotipos. Esto resulta de utilidad para fines epidemiológicos y para estudios de virulencia de la bacteria. El objetivo de este trabajo fue conocer los serotipos prevalentes y la sensibilidad antimicrobiana de aislamientos provenientes de procesos infecciosos en pacientes de distintas zonas de Argentina. En la muestra analizada se obtuvo predominio de los serotipos Ia y III, seguido de II y IV. Todas las cepas resultaron sensibles a penicilina. Se observó 6% de resistencia a eritromicina y 4,5% a clindamicina. En 3 de las cepas se detectó fenotipo MLS (resistencia a macrólidos, lincosaminas y estreptograminas) constitutiva y en una cepa, resistencia MLS inducible. Los resultados logrados en este estudio destacan la importancia de efectuar un relevamiento de los serotipos más frecuentes en nuestro país en vistas a la prevención de esta infección con una vacuna que realmente sea eficaz, como así también el conocimiento de la sensibilidad antimicrobiana para lograr éxito terapéutico en los tratamientos.

Streptococcus agalactiae is an endogenous bacterium that has emerged in the last 20 years as an etiological agent in both neonatal and perinatal infections, and in immunocompromised patients. The differentiation of the capsular polysaccharide, the presence of surface proteins c, X, R, and molecular methods allow classification in serotypes and genotypes. This identification is a useful tool for epidemiological purposes and virulence studies in this bacterium. The objective of this work was to study the serotypes and the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates recovered from invasive diseases in different areas of Argentina. In the analyzed sample a fair predominance of Ia and III serotypes was recovered, followed by II and IV serotypes. All the isolates were found to be sensitive to penicillin. A 6% of resistance to erythromycin and a 4.5% to clindamycin were detected. In three of the isolates, constitutive MLS phenotype (resistance to macrolides, lincosamins and streptogramins) was founded, while in the remaining one, inducible MLS phenotype was detected. These results stress the importance of conducting a surveillance of the prevalent serotypes in our country with the goal of future prevention of this disease with an effective vaccine. The knowledge of the antimicrobial susceptibility profile will be also important to obtain therapeutic success in the treatment.

[Diagnostic reliability in mental disorders of the International Classification of Diseases in primary care]. / Confiabilidade diagnóstica dos transtornos mentais da versão para cuidados primários da Classificação Internacional das Doenças.

INTRODUCTION: The objective is to evaluate the test version of Chapter V - "Mental and Behavioral Disorders reliability", of the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, Version for Primary Care (ICD -10 PC), prepared by the Division of Mental Health of the World Health Organization (WHO). METHODS: During September and October of 1994, Community General Physicians (CGP) from the Health and Environment Department of the State of Rio Grande do Sul were trained in the use of this version, prepared for the field trial, according to the design proposed by WHO. RESULTS: The results refer to a study about reliability of diagnosis attributed by 9 pairs of CGP to 460 patients in their first appointments. Cohen's Kappa for Mental Health Disorder, present or absent, was 0,79 (CI 95%: 0,69 - 0,88). CONCLUSION: The use of ICD-10 CP will give more specificity to the information and will allow a better communication between health workers at the level of primary care

Nutrition and education. III. Educational achievement and food habits of Chilean elementary and high school graduates.

The objective of this study was to correlate the educational achievement (EA) of Chilean elementary and high-school graduates with their food habits. For this purpose, a random sample of 550 schoolers from the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile, graduating from elementary and high school (1:1) of both sexes (1:1), from public and private schools and from high, medium and low socioeconomic status (SES) (1:1:1), was selected. Food habits were determined through a specially designed questionnaire and defined as the frequency of consumption of the food groups, expressed as days per week. The EA was established through the Achievement Evaluation Program (AEP) and Academic Aptitude Test (AAT) in elementary-and high-school graduates-, respectively. Results revealed that EA was found significantly and positively correlated with the frequency of consumption of dairy products, meat products and eggs, in both elementary and high school graduates. A significant and inverse correlation between EA and the frequency of vegetables and fruits consumption was observed in both educational levels, and with miscellaneous products, only in elementary school graduates. Food habits explained 24.4% and 16.6% of the EA variance, in elementary and high school graduates, respectively. The frequency of consumption of dairy products was the independent variable with the greatest explanatory power in EA variance (approximately above 70% of the explained variance). These results are important to consider for educational planning focused on the School Feeding Program.

Nutrition and education. II. Educational achievement and nutrient intake of Chilean elementary and high school graduates.

The interrelationships between educational achievement (EA) and nutrient intake were investigated in 550 Chilean adolescent schoolers graduating from elementary and high school. The random sample included schoolers from both educational levels (1:1), from public and private schools (1:1), and from high, medium, and low socioeconomic status (SES) (1:1:1). Standard procedures for 24-hour dietary recall interviews were used to collect data, and adequacy of intake was assessed by the FAO/WHO Pattern. EA was measured by means of the Achievement Evaluation Program (AEP) and Academic Aptitude Test (AAT) in elementary and high school, respectively. In elementary school graduates, results showed a significant and positive correlation between EA (AEP) and energy, protein, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, calcium and vitamin A intake (Multiple r = 0.456 p less than 0.01; r2 = 0.208). The School Feeding Program beneficiaries who belonged to the low SES presented the lowest EA (AEP) together with a deficient nutrient intake, especially for energy, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin A and calcium, at the same time that they registered the lowest values for those anthropometric parameters, indicators of past nutrition, that is to say height-for-age, weight-for-age, head circumference-for-age and a higher upper-to-lower segment ratio, as compared with non-beneficiaries from the same SES and with those from the higher strata. In high-school graduates, EA (AAT) was found to be significantly and positively correlated with protein, calcium, riboflavin and iron intake (Multiple r = 0.438 p less than 0.001; r2 = 0.192). Nevertheless, these interrelationship are strongly related to SES and sex. Results showed that educational achievement (EA) is significantly and positively associated with nutrient intake, this fact being important for educational planning related to the School Feeding Program.

[Protein complementation of defatted hazelnut flour with pea flour]. / Complementación proteínica de harina desgrasada de avellanas con harina de arveja.

A great deal of research has been carried out to increase the availability of naturally-occurring proteins, or obtained from secondary products derived through industrial processes. As a result of the industrial exploitation of the native hazelnut (Gevuina avellana) in Chile, a defatted residue is obtained which eventually could be utilized as a human food. To determine the complementary potential capacity of the defatted hazelnut flour and pea flour, a study was carried out in weaning rats of the Wistar strain, as follows. The biological evaluation considered diet formulation with defatted hazelnut flour and pea flour in the 30:70, 50:50, 60:40 and 70:30 proportions, respectively. The NPR values obtained in this evaluation of the assay diets were: 3.4, 3.5, 3.9, 4.1 and 4.1, in comparison with 3.7 for casein. In percentage terms, the 4.1 NPR value was 11% higher than that obtained for casein. The maximum protein quality was observed when the two protein sources were mixed in the 60:40 and 70:30 (w/w) ratios. In regard to true digestibility, there were no significant differences among the experimental diets, but were lower than casein. The results of this study demonstrate that the defatted hazelnut flour constitutes an attractive nutritional alternative for the amino acid supplementation of cereal and legumes, the latter being of habitual consumption by the Chilean population.

[Preparation and chemical and nutritional evaluation of an infant food based on sweet lupine, wheat and milk]. / Desarrollo y evaluación química y nutricional de un alimento infantil a base de lupino dulce, trigo y leche.

This paper deals with the development of a food for infants and young children based upon a mixture of 27.5% wheat flour, 20% sweet lupin flour and 20% powdered milk (GL) (18% fat content) with added vitamins and minerals. The blend of wheat and lupin flour was processed in an extrusion-cooker (Wenger X 25) before mixing with the other ingredients. The proximate chemical analysis performed on the wheat-lupin-milk blend (LTL) showed 18.7% protein and 12.5% fat with a calculated caloric value of 427 kcal/100 g. Amino acid analysis indicated a deficiency of methionine + cystine and of threonine in the blend. Nevertheless, studies with rats on the biological quality of the protein, such us protein efficiency ratio and apparent digestibility, revealed that this blend was as good as the reference diet (powdered egg). It is therefore felt that the LTL blend may be a useful substitute in food programs directed to infants and school children.

[Chemical composition and biological quality of defatted hazelnut flour]. / Composición química y calidad biológica de harina desgrasada de avellana.

The results of the chemical composition and biological quality of deffated hazel nut flour are shown. The samples analyzed contained significant amounts of proteins (19%) comparable to legume flour, higher than cereals and lower than deffated oleaginous flours. The oil extracted from the seed was analyzed and the average results obtained were the following: Refraction index, 1.47; saponification No. 184.8; iodine No. 85.0. The average composition of the fatty acids obtained by gas liquid chromatography was: Palmitic acid 2.3% Palmitoleic acid 37.0% Stearic acid 0.5% Oleic acid 39.5% Linoleic acid 6.9% Linolenic acid 1.1% Eicosanoic acid 2.3% Eicosaenoic acid 4.6% Docosenoic acid 3.4% Tetraeicosanoic acid 0.3% These results indicate a good-quality oil due to the low content of linolenic acid. The nutritive value of the deffated meal measured in the rats gave a net protein ratio (NPR) of 3.58, lower than the corresponding casein value (4.10). The true protein digestibility measured in the rat gave a value of 7.3%, compared to 95% for casein. The amounts of iron and phosphorous are comparatively lower than those reported for rape-seed meal and sunflower meal.

[Food intake of students graduating from basic education in the metropolitan area of Santiago, Chile]. / Ingesta alimentaria de escolares que egresan de educación básica en el área metropolitana de Santiago, Chile.

This study pursued to evaluate the adequacy of the dietary intake of students graduating from Basic Education in the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile. A random sample of 258 students from public and non-public schools (1:1), of both sexes (1:1) and from high, medium and low socioeconomic level (SEL) (1:1:1), was selected. Standard procedures for 24-hr dietary recall individual interviews were used to collect data. The students' dietary intake was then compared with the FAO/WHO 1973 Recommended Dietary Allowances. Results revealed that 53.5% and 62.0% of the sample registered a deficient and excessive intake for energy and protein, respectively. Protein contributed 13.2% of the dietary energy, fat, 27.1%, and carbohydrates, 59.8%. Animal and vegetable protein intake was found in the proportion of 1:1. As findings indicated, the dietary intake of students differed significantly according to SEL. Deficiencies in energy, vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin and calcium intake were observed, in both sexes, besides iron deficiency in the female group. It is considered that results could be useful for food and nutrition planning in school feeding programs.