Individual placement and support for young adults: One-year outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Many young adults who are unemployed and not in school need support achieving employment goals. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an evidence-based employment practice for adults with serious mental illness, but its applicability to young adults with mental health conditions has not been well-researched. The present study prospectively assessed IPS effectiveness in a national sample of young adults enrolled in routine practice settings in the U.S. public mental health system. METHOD: Nine community agencies in five states participated in a 1-year follow-up study of young adults (aged 16-24) enrolled in IPS services. The study examined three outcomes: retention in services, employment, and education. State fidelity reviewers examined IPS fidelity using a new fidelity scale, the IPS-Y. RESULTS: In a sample of 111 participants, the mean age was 19.2, 72 (64.9%) had never worked, and 76 (68.5%) had a diagnosis of depressive and/or anxiety disorder. Participants averaged 8 months of enrollment before terminating from IPS services. During follow-up, 51 (45.9%) participants obtained a competitive job (N = 50) or paid internship (N = 1); 14 (12.6%) achieved a new education outcome. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: IPS has promising outcomes for helping young adults with mental health conditions achieve positive employment outcomes, but its effectiveness in helping young adults achieve education goals has not been demonstrated. IPS should be offered to young adults with employment goals. Targeted funding for supported education and training for IPS specialists in delivering educational supports may be necessary to ensure optimal education outcomes in IPS. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Individual placement and support programmes for young adults: Where are they and whom do they serve?

AIM: Individual Placement and Support (IPS), an evidence-based supported employment model developed for adults with serious mental illness, has been recently targeted to young adults with mental health conditions, but little is known about its adoption in this age group in the United States. METHODS: We recruited a volunteer sample of nine IPS programmes in five states serving young adults with mental health conditions aged 16 to 24. IPS team leaders reported programme and participant characteristics and rated barriers to employment and education. RESULTS: Most IPS programmes were located in community mental health centres, served a small number of young adults, and received most referrals from external sources. The study sample of 111 participants included 53% female, 47% under 21 years old, 60% diagnosed with a depressive disorder; 92% had an employment goal, and 40% had an education goal. IPS specialists reported that managing mental health symptoms was the most common barrier to achieving employment and education goals. CONCLUSION: Future research should examine how IPS programmes could best provide services to young adults.

A touchy subject: Ca2+ signaling during leaf movements in Mimosa.

Mimosa pudica, the sensitive plant, responds to stimuli such as touch and wounding with leaf movements that propagate throughout the plant. The motion is driven by changes in the turgor of specialized cells in a set of motor organs called pulvinae. By imaging cellular Ca2+ levels as the wave of movement propagates through the leaf, Hagihara and colleagues now show that Ca2+ signals precede and predict the pulvinar movements. These results provide compelling support for a model where Mimosa uses a Ca2+-related response system to trigger its leaf movements. These researchers then used CRISPR to delete a critical genetic regulator of pulvinar development, producing plants with immobile leaves. These plants experienced more herbivory than wild type, suggesting that the Ca2+-triggered leaf movements are an adaptation to deter herbivory.

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) for High School Aged Youth: Provider Perspective and Practice.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment specialists who expanded and enhanced the IPS model for the youngest of working age youth with mental health conditions (ages 16-21). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 100% of the providers delivering IPS-based career services for high school aged youth during an exploratory pilot. Content coding was applied to interview transcripts. Findings reflect the complexities of providing career services to high school age youth, suggesting components needed for effective services. These components include: provision of supports that help youth complete high school and negotiate the transition to college, coaching and skill development to improve executive functioning for work and school, coping skills coaching for mental health symptoms, flexible engagement strategies that assure youth self-determination of goals, longer range career and goal planning, and close collaboration with families.

Using the Automated Botanical Contact Device (ABCD) to Deliver Reproducible, Intermittent Touch Stimulation to Plants.

Despite mechanical stimulation having profound effects on plant growth and development and modulating responses to many other stimuli, including to gravity, much of the molecular machinery triggering plant mechanical responses remains unknown. This gap in our knowledge arises in part from difficulties in applying reproducible, long-term touch stimulation to plants. We describe the design and implementation of the Automated Botanical Contact Device (ABCD) that applies intermittent, controlled, and highly reproducible mechanical stimulation by drawing a plastic sheet across experimental plants. The device uses a computer numerical control platform and continuously monitors plant growth and development using automated computer vision and image analysis. The system is designed around an open-source architecture to help promote the generation of comparable datasets between laboratories. The ABCD also offers a scalable system that could be deployed in the controlled environment setting, such as a greenhouse, to manipulate plant growth and development through controlled, repetitive mechanostimulation.

Variation in the transcriptome of different ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana reveals signatures of oxidative stress in plant responses to spaceflight.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Spaceflight provides a unique environment in which to dissect plant stress response behaviors and to reveal potentially novel pathways triggered in space. We therefore analyzed the transcriptomes of Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown on board the International Space Station to find the molecular fingerprints of these space-related response networks. METHODS: Four ecotypes (Col-0, Ws-2, Ler-0 and Cvi-0) were grown on orbit and then their patterns of transcript abundance compared to ground-based controls using RNA sequencing. KEY RESULTS: Transcripts from heat-shock proteins were upregulated in all ecotypes in spaceflight, whereas peroxidase transcripts were downregulated. Among the shared and ecotype-specific changes, gene classes related to oxidative stress and hypoxia were detected. These spaceflight transcriptional response signatures could be partly mimicked on Earth by a low oxygen environment and more fully by oxidative stress (H2 O2 ) treatments. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the spaceflight environment is associated with oxidative stress potentially triggered, in part, by hypoxic response. Further, a shared spaceflight response may be through the induction of molecular chaperones (such as heat shock proteins) that help protect cellular machinery from the effects of oxidative damage. In addition, this research emphasizes the importance of considering the effects of natural variation when designing and interpreting changes associated with spaceflight experiments.

Plants eavesdrop on cues produced by snails and induce costly defenses that affect insect herbivores.

Although induced defenses are widespread in plants, the degree to which plants respond to herbivore kairomones (incidental chemicals that herbivores produce independent of herbivory), the costs and benefits of responding to cues of herbivory risk, and the ecological consequences of induced defenses remain unclear. We demonstrate that undamaged tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, induce defenses in response to a kairomone (locomotion mucus) of snail herbivores (Helix aspersa). Induced defense had significant costs and benefits for plants: plants exposed to snail mucus or a standard defense elicitor (methyl jasmonate, MeJA) exhibited slower growth, but also experienced less herbivory by an insect herbivore (Spodoptera exigua). We also find that kairomones from molluscan herbivores lead to deleterious effects on insect herbivores mediated through changes in plant defense, i.e., mucus-induced defenses of Solanum lycopersicum-reduced growth of S. exigua. These results suggest that incidental cues of widespread generalist herbivores might be a mechanism creating variation in plant growth, plant defense, and biotic interactions.

Environmental and Genetic Factors Regulating Localization of the Plant Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase.

A P-type H+-ATPase is the primary transporter that converts ATP to electrochemical energy at the plasma membrane of higher plants. Its product, the proton-motive force, is composed of an electrical potential and a pH gradient. Many studies have demonstrated that this proton-motive force not only drives the secondary transporters required for nutrient uptake, but also plays a direct role in regulating cell expansion. Here, we have generated a transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plant expressing H+-ATPase isoform 2 (AHA2) that is translationally fused with a fluorescent protein and examined its cellular localization by live-cell microscopy. Using a 3D imaging approach with seedlings grown for various times under a variety of light intensities, we demonstrate that AHA2 localization at the plasma membrane of root cells requires light. In dim light conditions, AHA2 is found in intracellular compartments, in addition to the plasma membrane. This localization profile was age-dependent and specific to cell types found in the transition zone located between the meristem and elongation zones. The accumulation of AHA2 in intracellular compartments is consistent with reduced H+ secretion near the transition zone and the suppression of root growth. By examining AHA2 localization in a knockout mutant of a receptor protein kinase, FERONIA, we found that the intracellular accumulation of AHA2 in the transition zone is dependent on a functional FERONIA-dependent inhibitory response in root elongation. Overall, this study provides a molecular underpinning for understanding the genetic, environmental, and developmental factors influencing root growth via localization of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase.

Barriers and Facilitators to Sustainment of an Evidence-Based Supported Employment Program.

Large-scale initiatives to expand evidence-based practices are often poorly implemented and rarely endure. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceived barriers and facilitators to sustainment of an evidence-based supported employment program, Individual Placement and Support (IPS). Within a 2-year prospective study of sustainment among 129 IPS programs in 13 states participating in a national learning community, we interviewed IPS team leaders and coded their responses to semi-structured interviews using a conceptual framework adapted from another large-scale implementation study. Leaders in 122 agencies (95%) that sustained their IPS programs identified funding, prioritization, and workforce characteristics as both key facilitators and barriers. Additional key factors were lack of local community supports as a barrier and leadership and structured workflow as facilitators. Within the IPS learning community, team leaders attributed the sustainment of their program to funding, prioritization, workforce, agency leadership, and structured workflow. The actions of the learning community's leadership, state governments, and local programs together may have contributed to the high sustainment rate.

Rapid, Long-Distance Electrical and Calcium Signaling in Plants.

Plants integrate activities throughout their bodies using long-range signaling systems in which stimuli sensed by just a few cells are translated into mobile signals that can influence the activities in distant tissues. Such signaling can travel at speeds well in excess of millimeters per second and can trigger responses as diverse as changes in transcription and translation levels, posttranslational regulation, alterations in metabolite levels, and even wholesale reprogramming of development. In addition to the use of mobile small molecules and hormones, electrical signals have long been known to propagate throughout the plant. This electrical signaling network has now been linked to waves of Ca(2+) and reactive oxygen species that traverse the plant and trigger systemic responses. Analysis of cell type specificity in signal propagation has revealed the movement of systemic signals through specific cell types, suggesting that a rapid signaling network may be hardwired into the architecture of the plant.

The Rice E3-Ubiquitin Ligase HIGH EXPRESSION OF OSMOTICALLY RESPONSIVE GENE1 Modulates the Expression of ROOT MEANDER CURLING, a Gene Involved in Root Mechanosensing, through the Interaction with Two ETHYLENE-RESPONSE FACTOR Transcription Factors.

Plant roots can sense and respond to a wide diversity of mechanical stimuli, including touch and gravity. However, little is known about the signal transduction pathways involved in mechanical stimuli responses in rice (Oryza sativa). This work shows that rice root responses to mechanical stimuli involve the E3-ubiquitin ligase rice HIGH EXPRESSION OF OSMOTICALLY RESPONSIVE GENE1 (OsHOS1), which mediates protein degradation through the proteasome complex. The morphological analysis of the roots in transgenic RNA interference::OsHOS1 and wild-type plants, exposed to a mechanical barrier, revealed that the OsHOS1 silencing plants keep a straight root in contrast to wild-type plants that exhibit root curling. Moreover, it was observed that the absence of root curling in response to touch can be reverted by jasmonic acid. The straight root phenotype of the RNA interference::OsHOS1 plants was correlated with a higher expression rice ROOT MEANDER CURLING (OsRMC), which encodes a receptor-like kinase characterized as a negative regulator of rice root curling mediated by jasmonic acid. Using the yeast two-hybrid system and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays, we showed that OsHOS1 interacts with two ETHYLENE-RESPONSE FACTOR transcription factors, rice ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING PROTEIN1 (OsEREBP1) and rice OsEREBP2, known to regulate OsRMC gene expression. In addition, we showed that OsHOS1 affects the stability of both transcription factors in a proteasome-dependent way, suggesting that this E3-ubiquitin ligase targets OsEREBP1 and OsEREBP2 for degradation. Our results highlight the function of the proteasome in rice response to mechanical stimuli and in the integration of these signals, through hormonal regulation, into plant growth and developmental programs.

A Controlled Trial of Supported Employment for People With Severe Mental Illness and Justice Involvement.

OBJECTIVE: Employment is a key to participation in community life for people with severe mental illness, especially those who have been involved in the criminal justice system. Although the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment has been established as an evidence-based practice for helping people with severe mental illness attain competitive employment, little is known about whether IPS is effective for people with severe mental illness who have a history of arrest or incarceration. This study examined this question. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial examined competitive employment outcomes for 85 participants with severe mental illness and justice involvement who were assigned to IPS or to a comparison group that offered a job club approach with peer support. RESULTS: At one-year follow-up, a greater proportion of participants in the IPS group than in the comparison group had obtained competitive employment (31% versus 7%; p<.01). The IPS and comparison groups did not differ significantly during follow-up in rates of hospitalization (51% versus 40%) or justice involvement-either arrests (24% versus 19%) or incarceration (2% for both groups). CONCLUSIONS: Although IPS was shown to be an effective model for helping justice-involved clients with severe mental illness achieve employment, the outcomes were modest compared with those in prior IPS studies. The IPS model provided a useful framework for employment services for this population, but augmentations may be needed.

Evaluating mechano-transduction and touch responses in plant roots.

Mechanical forces can be imposed on plants either from the environment, through factors such as the weather, mechanical properties of the soil and animal movement, or through the internal forces generated by the interplay between turgor-driven growth and the rigid plant cell wall. Such mechanical cues have profound effects on plant growth and development leading to responses ranging from directional growth patterns as seen, e.g., in tendrils coiling around supports, to the reprogramming of entire developmental programs. Thus, assays to assess mechanical sensitivity and response provide important tools for helping understand a wide range of plant physiological and developmental responses. Here, we describe simple assays to monitor mechanical response in the plant root system focusing on the quantification of root skewing, waving and obstacle avoidance.

The potential of technology for enhancing individual placement and support supported employment.

TOPIC: The potential of technology to enhance delivery and outcomes of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) supported employment. PURPOSE: IPS supported employment has demonstrated robust success for improving rates of competitive employment among individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Still, a majority of those with serious mental illnesses are not employed (Bond, Drake, & Becker, 2012). The need to promote awareness of IPS and expand services is urgent. In this study, we describe ways that technologies may enhance delivery of IPS supported employment across the care continuum and stakeholder groups. Directions for research are highlighted. SOURCES USED: published literature, clinical observations, IPS learning collaborative. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Technology has the potential to enhance direct service as well as workflow in the IPS supported employment process, which may lead to improved fidelity and client outcomes. Mobile and cloud technologies open opportunities for collaboration, self-directed care, and ongoing support to help clients obtain and maintain meaningful employment. Research is needed to evaluate efficacy of technology-based approaches for promoting client employment outcomes, to identify provider and organization barriers to using technology for IPS delivery, and to determine effective strategies for implementing technology with IPS in different settings and with diverse client audiences.

Strategies for integrated employment and mental health services.

OBJECTIVE: Individual placement and support (IPS) supported employment for people with mental illness is most effective when mental health and employment services are fully integrated within teams in a single agency. Despite this evidence, there are times when separate mental health and employment agencies must collaborate rather than integrate. This article examines how 3 state implementation teams helped separate agencies to partner on IPS supported employment. METHOD: The authors used qualitative interviews and direct observations to examine successful collaborations in 3 states. We visited IPS programs on multiple occasions, interviewed multiple stakeholders, and evaluated adherence to the principles of IPS. RESULTS: Leaders used 4 strategies to promote successful collaborations: (a) ensuring that employment specialists, and in some cases, vocational rehabilitation counselors, attended mental health treatment team meetings; (b) providing office space for employment staff at the mental health agency; (c) involving supervisors from both agencies in the implementation; and (d) using fidelity reviews to assess the quality of collaboration. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Practitioners from separate agencies can coordinate services effectively, but successful coordination requires leadership at the state and local levels.

Job development guidelines in supported employment.

TOPIC: This article describes methods for building relationships with employers that benefit both employers and job seekers. PURPOSE: Many employment specialists receive little training on how to work with employers and, therefore, resort to online job searches. This article describes a simple framework for developing long-term relationships with employers. SOURCES USED: Personal observations and published literature. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Employment specialists benefit from a structured format to develop relationships with employers, as well as good supervision in the field.

Imaging changes in cytoplasmic calcium using the Yellow Cameleon 3.6 biosensor and confocal microscopy.

Changes in the concentration of cytoplasmic calcium, [Ca(2+)]cyt are central regulators in many cellular signal transduction pathways including many lipid-mediated regulatory networks. Given this central role that [Ca(2+)] has during plant growth, monitoring spatial and temporal [Ca(2+)] dynamics can reveal a critical component of cellular physiology. Here, we describe the measurement of [Ca(2+)]cyt in Arabidopsis root cells using plants expressing Yellow Cameleon 3.6 (YC 3.6). YC3.6 is a Ca(2+)-sensitive biosensor where the intensity of its fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) signal changes as the Ca(2+) level within the cell rises and falls. The FRET from this calcium reporter can be visualized using confocal microscopy and the resultant images converted to a quantitative map of the levels of Ca(2+) using an approach called ratio analysis.

Principles for enhancing the role of state vocational rehabilitation in IPS-supported employment.

OBJECTIVE: Research has established the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment as an effective approach for persons with severe mental illnesses. This article examines strategies for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) to enhance employment outcomes through better collaboration with IPS programs. METHODS: Twenty-one focus groups were conducted in rural and urban locations in Illinois with mental health consumers, VR counselors, IPS specialists, and mental health professionals. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify features of strong collaborations between VR and IPS programs. RESULTS: Features of strong collaborations between VR and IPS programs included the following: (a) expertise, (b) consistency, (c) accessibility, and (d) integration. Five recommendations were developed from themes expressed in focus groups: (a) enhance mutual knowledge and understanding between VR and IPS practitioners, (b) examine and modify VR regulations and guidelines that conflict with IPS principles, (c) create clear guidelines for VR participation on IPS teams, (d) create guidelines for good relationships between VR and community mental health centers, and (e) develop tools to promote accountability in VR staff and systems to improve employment outcomes for people with mental illness. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Modest changes in the federal/state VR program could enhance that system's capability to foster employment outcomes for persons with severe mental illness.

Employer attitudes about criminal histories.

OBJECTIVE: Although the individual placement and support (IPS) approach has demonstrated superior competitive employment outcomes for people with severe mental illness, practitioners report that job obtainment for people with criminal convictions is particularly challenging. The current study examined employer hiring decisions and attitudes regarding job applicants with felonies. The main purpose of the study was to identify the percentage of employers who had knowingly hired applicants with felonies, and if the hiring patterns differed by employer type. METHOD: Twelve employment specialists from nine states interviewed 128 employers about their past hiring practices. Two IPS trainers coordinated the project with the specialists. RESULTS: Survey findings did not support common assumptions held by employment specialists about employer attitudes. Sixty-three percent of employers surveyed said that they had knowingly hired at least one person with a felony conviction. Further, few businesses had written policies that would prohibit the hiring of people with felony convictions. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Employers' reported reasons for having hired individuals with felony convictions provide a framework to help jobseekers improve their prospects for favorable hiring decisions. Employers suggested that relationships with employment specialists can also facilitate the hiring of applicants with felonies.