Novel Psychoactive Substances in Custodial Settings: A Mixed Method Investigation on the Experiences of People in Prison and Professionals Working With Them

Introduction: Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS), especially Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists (SCRAs), pose a substantial challenge to health and the security of the prison environment. This study analyses the phenomenon from the perspective of people in prison and that of professionals working with them. Methods: A phenomenological qualitative approach was used to analyze self-reported experiences with ‘Spice’ (NPS) among users in prison. A semi-structured questionnaire was also disseminated among professionals working in these settings to better understand (a) the impact of NPS on their work; (b) perceived issues on safety in their working environment; (c) approaches used to tackle the phenomenon and best practices. Results: Psychotic events resulting from the collected Spice accounts (5) were marked by hallucinations, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideations. Other emerging elements included fear, paranoia, inability to be with others, mistrust, breakdown and other risky behaviors. Overall, 186 responses from prison staff were collected across the country. 67% claimed NPS to have had a deep impact on their work as they commonly witnessed episodes involving outbursts of anger, slurred speech, hallucinations, psychosis, and significant mental deterioration among those in prison. Some 91% have witnessed aggression at least once, with 53% experiencing direct harm. Suggested interventions included enhanced training and education (84%), improved detection (92%) and treatment and support services (93%). Conclusions: Findings highlight the urgent need for joint multi-disciplinary efforts to tackle the exponential escalation of NPS in prisons as well as to facilitate the recovery and societal reintegration of those affected. Phenomenology can be recommended as a valuable methods to study drug induced experiences

Antipodean Theory for Educational Research

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Existence and asymptotic behavior of solutions for neutral stochastic partial integrodifferential equations with infinite delays

In this work we study the existence, uniqueness and asymptotic behavior of mild solutions for neutral stochastic partial integrodifferential equations with infinite delays. To prove the results, we use the theory of resolvent operators as developed by R. Grimmer [12] R. Grimmer. Resolvent operators for integral equations in a banach space. Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, 273(1): 333-349, 1982, as well as a version of the fixed point principle. We establish sufficient conditions ensuring that the mild solutions are exponentially stable in pth-moment. An example is provided to illustrate the abstract results.Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo RegionalMinisterio de Economía y CompetitividadConsejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa (Junta de Andalucía

Learning in the workplace: Evidence on the role of behavioral job crafting on fostering self-perceived employability

Purpose: Given the instability and volatility of the labour market and the global talent scarcity, placing more attention on job employability is fundamental. In this context, the literature has already extensively examined employability as a crucial individual aspect, identifying some significant antecedents, including the applicability of training on the job. The present research aims to examine the impact that teaching employees to craft their job may have on the levels of applicability of training and if, in turn, this improves self-perceived employability

The membrane-spanning domain of gp41 plays a critical role in intracellular trafficking of the HIV envelope protein

Abstract Background The sequences of membrane-spanning domains (MSDs) on the gp41 subunit are highly conserved among many isolates of HIV-1. The GXXXG motif, a potential helix-helix interaction motif, and an arginine residue (rare in hydrophobic MSDs) are especially well conserved. These two conserved elements are expected to locate on the opposite sides of the MSD, if the MSD takes a α-helical secondary structure. A scanning alanine-insertion mutagenesis was performed to elucidate the structure-function relationship of gp41 MSD. Results A circular dichroism analysis of a synthetic gp41 MSD peptide determined that the secondary structure of the gp41 MSD was α-helical. We then performed a scanning alanine-insertion mutagenesis of the entire gp41 MSD, progressively shifting the relative positions of MSD segments around the helix axis. Altering the position of Gly694, the last residue of the GXXXG motif, relative to Arg696 (the number indicates the position of the amino acid residues in HXB2 Env) around the axis resulted in defective fusion. These mutants showed impaired processing of the gp160 precursor into gp120 and gp41. Furthermore, these Env mutants manifested inefficient intracellular transport in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi regions. Indeed, a transplantation of the gp41 MSD portion into the transmembrane domain of another membrane protein, Tac, altered its intracellular distribution. Our data suggest that the intact MSD α-helix is critical in the intracellular trafficking of HIV-1 Env. Conclusions The relative position between the highly conserved GXXXG motif and an arginine residue around the gp41 MSD α-helix is critical for intracellular trafficking of HIV-1 Env. The gp41 MSD region not only modulates membrane fusion but also controls biosynthesis of HIV-1 Env.</p

S'Imbiatu. Gift and Community in Central Sardinia

This essay, which is part of a wider forthcoming publication, discusses the general principles and the underlying cosmology upon which gift-giving in central Sardinia rests. Gift-sending (imbiatu) is here presented as a ‘total social fact’ reflecting the key role it plays in community life and the motivating force behind ‘being and belonging’. If tradition (su connotu), including customary law—often in opposition to state law — hasresulted in delivering the ‘code of vendetta barbaricina’, it has also stimulated a giftgiving system (imbiatu) which positively complements the ethical but ‘inconclusive’ code of vendetta. This ‘archaic’ system is not necessarily anti-modern, anti-rational and prelogical as some psychologists, psychiatrists and criminologists studying Sardinia have tended to claim. On the contrary, the common tradition which supports both giftsending and the code of vendetta accentuates the role of women as gift-givers, when they choose life over death and vendetta. KEYWORDS gift-sending; imbiatu; community; Sardinia; vendett