Women and Substance Abuse Problems

Health Issues: Differences exist in the prevalence and physical health impacts of problem substance use among men and women. These differences are also found in the mental health and trauma events related to substance use, barriers to treatment and harm-reduction services and the impact of substance use on pregnancy and parenting. Data from the 2000–2001 Canadian Community Health Survey and Canada's Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey (1994) were used to explore this issue further. Key Findings: While women use alcohol and illicit drugs at lower rates than men, the health impact of their use is significant, and in some cases greater than for men. Women are more likely to use prescribed psychoactive drugs (e.g. pain relievers, sleeping pills, tranquillizers) and most of these drugs have addictive potential and long-term negative consequences on health. Research collected from treatment centres in Canada show high rates of victimization experienced by women, which have implications for both their substance use treatment and improvement in mental health. Data Gaps and Recommendations: Significant gaps exist in our knowledge on the level, type

A Bird’s- Eye View of the USA National Phenology Network: an off-the-shelf monitoring program

Phenology is central to the biology and ecology of organisms and highly sensitive to climate. Differential responses to climate change are impacting phenological synchrony of inter- acting species, which has been implicated in the decline of migratory birds that rely on seasonal resources. However, few studies explicitly measure phenology of seasonal habitat resources on the breeding and wintering grounds and at stopover sites. While avian monitoring methods are widely standardized, methods of monitoring resource phenology can be highly variable and difficult to integrate. The USA National Phenology Network (USA- NPN) has developed standardized plant and animal phenology protocols and a robust information management system to support a range of stakeholders in collecting, storing, and sharing phenology data, at the appropriate scale, to shed light on phenological synchrony. The USA-NPN’s Nature’s Notebook can be integrated into established research programs, ensuring that data will be comparable over time and across projects, taxa, regions, and research objectives. We use two case studies to illustrate the application of USA-NPN methods and protocols to established long- term landbird research programs. By integrating phenology into these programs, avian ecologists are increasing their ability to understand the magnitude and consequences of phenological responses to climate change

Influence of Strontium Oxide on Structural Transformations in Diopside-Based Glass-Ceramics Assessed by Diverse Structural Tools

A full understanding of the structural glass variations and of the nucleation and growth of crystalline phases in glass-ceramics (GCs) induced by compositional changes is highly relevant for applications such as sealants for solid oxide fuel cells, bio- and dental materials, and photonics. Systematic substitution of Ca with Sr in diopside (Di-CaMgSi2O6) has a significant impact on the crystalline-phase assemblage after heat treating at 850 degrees C for 500 h. A high percentage of Di crystallized from Sr-free glass; however, with increasing Sr content the tendency toward crystallization decreased, and Sr-akermanite (Sr-Ak) was preferentially crystallized. In this study, the structural transformations in the Di-based-GC system upon the substitution of calcium with strontium have been examined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Si-29 and Al-27 magic angle spinning (MAS)-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Raman spectroscopies. XRD Rietveld refinement results indicate that up to a maximum of similar to 25 at. % of Sr occupies the Ca site of the Di structure. Al-27 MAS NMR spectra reveal that most of the Al exists in amorphous glassy phase after crystallization. Measured mean quadrupolar coupling constant values augment with increasing Sr content, indicating an increase in order in the glassy phase, which is manifested by a strong preference of Mg2+ for nonbridging oxygens (NBO), resulting in the formation MgO4 tetrahedra. At higher Sr substitution levels (>50%), the decrease in Mg2+ coordination from six to four is evident from the decrease in average Mg-O bond lengths and the systematic variation in intensity of characteristic Mg-O Raman vibrational bands