Acupuncture for treatment of alcohol dependence - establishment of collaboration with St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust and Community Drug Service South London

Alcohol dependence is an increasing social problem. In the UK, the NHS estimates that around 9% of men and 4% of women show signs of alcohol dependence. Acupuncture, as a treatment for addiction, can be integrated into a comprehensive programme to combat alcohol dependence. There have been research studies into the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat alcohol dependence and its related mental health disorders. However, although some findings are positive, they are still not sufficient or conclusive. Two questions need to be answered. The first is whether or not acupuncture is effective in treating alcohol addiction and its associated physiological and psychological symptoms, and the second is whether acupuncture is effective in preventing recidivism. We have established cooperation between our School, South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust and Community Drug Service South London (CDS). Since January 2015, some alcohol dependent clients have been given acupuncture, and their clinical records show that acupuncture may be effective in helping prevent recidivism. The hypothesis of this research is that acupuncture is effective in treating alcohol dependence by helping addicts quit alcohol drinking and maintain abstinence, and acupuncture has positive effects on symptoms of withdrawal and quality of life. This paper will present the aims and stages of this practical research and will demonstrate how we will measure the effect of treatment on the management of the clients’ addiction to alcohol

A mixed methods study of the impact of consultant overnight working in an English Emergency Department

This is the final version. Available on open access from BMJ Publishing Group via the DOI in this recordBackground There is a growing expectation that consultant-level doctors should be present within an ED overnight. However, there is a lack of robust evidence substantiating the impact on patient waiting times, safety or the workforce. Objectives To evaluate the impact of consultant-level doctors overnight working in ED in a large university hospital. Methods We conducted a controlled interrupted time series analysis to study ED waiting times before and after the introduction of consultant night working. Adverse event reports (AER) were used as a surrogate for patient safety. We conducted interviews with medical and nursing staff to explore attitudes to night work. Results The reduction seen in average time in department relative to the day, following the introduction of consultant was non-significant ('12 min; 95% CI '28 to 4, p=0.148). Analysis of hourly arrivals and departures indicated that overnight work was inherited from the day. There were three (0.9%) moderate and 0 severe AERs in 1 year. The workforce reported that night working had a negative impact on sleep patterns, performance and well-being and there were mixed views about the benefits of consultant night presence. Additional time off during the day acted as compensation for night work but resulted in reduced contact with ED teams. Conclusions Our single-site study was unable to demonstrate a clinically important impact of consultant night working on total time patients spend in the department. Our analysis suggests there may be more potential to reduce total time in department during the day, at our study site. Negative impacts on well-being, and likely resistance to consultant night working should not be ignored. Further studies of night working are recommended to substantiate our results.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)University Hospital Southampto

Serving GODAE Data and Products to the Ocean Community

The Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE [http:// www.godae.org]) has spanned a decade of rapid technological development. The ever-increasing volume and diversity of oceanographic data produced by in situ instruments, remote-sensing platforms, and computer simulations have driven the development of a number of innovative technologies that are essential for connecting scientists with the data that they need. This paper gives an overview of the technologies that have been developed and applied in the course of GODAE, which now provide users of oceanographic data with the capability to discover, evaluate, visualize, download, and analyze data from all over the world. The key to this capability is the ability to reduce the inherent complexity of oceanographic data by providing a consistent, harmonized view of the various data products. The challenges of data serving have been addressed over the last 10 years through the cooperative skills and energies of many individuals

Initial Conditions in String Cosmology

We take a critical look at a recent conjecture concerning the past attractor in the pre-big-bang scenario. We argue that the Milne universe is unlikely to be a general past attractor for such models and support this with a number of examples.Comment: 10 pages standard Latex format, no figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Legal liability of coaches: a UK perspective

Attracting more coaches is fundamental to achievement of the European dimension in sport and the further promotion of sport in the European Union. Given the emerging relationship between the law and sports coaching, recruitment of such volunteers may prove problematic. Accordingly, this article critically considers the legal liability of sports coaches. To inform this debate, the issue of negligent coaching is critically scrutinised from a UK perspective, uncovering a number of distinct legal vulnerabilities facing volunteer coaches. This includes the inherent limitations of ‘objective reasonableness’ when defining the standard of care required in the particular circumstances. More specifically, fuller analysis of the justification of customary practice, and the legal doctrine of in loco parentis, reveals important ramifications for all organisations providing training and support for coaches. In short, it is argued that proactively safeguarding coaches from professional liability should be a priority for national governing bodies, and, following the recently published EU Work Plan for Sport for 2014–2017, the Expert Group on Human Resource Management in Sport. Importantly, given the EU’s supporting, coordinating and supplementing competence in developing the European dimension in sport, a Commission funded project to address the implications of the ‘compensation culture’ in sport is also recommended

Spin Waves in the Ferromagnetic Ground State of the Kagome Staircase System Co3V2O8

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements were performed on single crystal Co3V2O8 wherein magnetic cobalt ions reside on distinct spine and cross-tie sites within kagome staircase planes. This system displays a rich magnetic phase diagram which culminates in a ferromagnetic ground state below Tc~6 K. We have studied the low-lying magnetic excitations in this phase within the kagome plane. Despite the complexity of the system at higher temperatures, linear spin-wave theory describes most of the quantitative detail of the inelastic neutron measurements. Our results show two spin-wave branches, the higher energy of which displays finite spin-wave lifetimes well below Tc, and negligible magnetic exchange coupling between Co moments on the spine sites.Comment: 4 pages and 4 figure

Semi-stochastic models for Salmonella infection within finishing pig units in the UK

A multi-group semi-stochastic model is formulated to describe Salmonella dynamics on a pig herd within the UK and assess whether farm structure has any effect on the dynamics. The models include both direct transmission and indirect (via free-living infectious units in the environment and airborne infection). The basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] is also investigated. The models estimate approximately 24.6% and 25.4% of pigs at slaughter weight will be infected with Salmonella within a slatted-floored and solid-floored unit respectively, which corresponds to values found in previous abattoir and farm studies, suggesting that the model has reasonable validity. Analysis of the models identified the shedding rate to be of particular importance in the control of Salmonella spread, a finding also evident in an increase in the [Formula: see text] value