Do police officers receive sufficient training in mental health? A front line perspective of police officers attitudes and beliefs on attending mental health calls

There is a scarcity of research in the United Kingdom on mental health and policing with most being done by the same researcher Ian Cummins since the 21st Century. Police officers are dealing with an increase of mental health calls and it has been documented in literature that it is a core part of their jobs (Corlett, 2013; Pettitt et al., 2013). It has also been found that police officers need to be better equipped with more training to provide effective support to those suffering from a mental health issue (Edmundson and Cummings, 2014; Thomas and Watson; 2017). Despite the studies which have been conducted for mental health and policing, little has changed over the years since Lord Bradley’s review in 2009 and Lord Bailey’s review in 2010. Moreover, literature only shows that it is a growing concern for the police service in the United Kingdom rather than, explain what can be used to help increase the effectiveness of police officers supporting individuals with mental health issues. This thesis examines ‘do police officers receive sufficient training in mental health?’ and explores how police officers feel with attending mental health calls. The main themes generated from the results were: police officers did not feel they should be dealing with mental health calls, the calls are frequent, their training for mental health was not good enough, outside services needs to be more co-ordinated and support structures and processes are beneficial. By analysing the themes and sub themes from the study, the recommendations consist of: more effective mental health training for police officers, better organisational skills of delivering mental health training and more effective working relationships between outside agencies and the police service

Chemistry of Tropical Root Crops: Significance for Nutrition and Agriculture in the Pacific

Crop Production/Industries,

Geopotential models in the Australian region

The ability of three high-order geopotential models (OSU81, GPM2 and OSU86E) to recover the gravity anomaly field (delta g) in the Australian region was tested. The region was divided into 2 x 2 deg blocks, and the mean and rms of the residual gravity (delta g measured - delta g modeled) was found to estimate the fit of the model to the point gravity data. The results showed that OSU81 and GPM2 performed similarly, recovering the delta g with a mean value of less than plus or minus 5 mGal in 63 and 70 percent of the blocks, respectively. However, both these models achieved a fit of worse that was plus or minus 13 mGal in 6 to 7 percent of cases. These were in areas either on or near the coast, or in the Central Australian region, inferring that for a precise geoid slope determination in these regions, a detailed analysis of delta g in region is needed. On the other hand, OSU86E produced a very good result, having a mean fit of less than plus or minus 5 mGal in 80 percent of the blocks, and worse than plus or minus 13 mGal in only 1 percent of cases. The rms values for this model were also improved over the other two models, indicating that for applications requiring highest precision, the preferred model is OSU86E

MP 2012-02

Final report to BP.The Prudhoe Bay oil fields, Alaska were discovered in 1968, and commercial production commenced in 1977 with the completion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Oil production has been declining since 1989, although additional exploratory drilling continues. Support facilities for oil production are built on permafrost soils that surface-thaw in summer to form extensive wetlands composed of moist meadows, sedge marshes, moist sedge-dwarf shrub tundra, grass marshes, small ponds and lakes (Walker and Acevedo 1987). To prevent thawing and subsidence of subsurface, ice-rich soils, gravel pads, 2m (6 ft) or more thickness have been built to support drilling sites as well as roads, airstrips and building pads (Kidd et al. 2006). As well sites are decommissioned, the gravel is wholly or partially removed resulting in the need for site rehabilitation and/or restoration to support wetland plants and, in some instances, enhance wildlife habitat (McKendrick 1991, Jorgenson and Joyce 1994, Kidd et al. 2004, 2006). Since the 1970s, methods to revegetate arctic wetlands have included a variety of planting techniques, seed treatments, seeding with native and non-native species (mostly grasses), and fertilizer applications (Chapin and Chapin 1980; Bishop and Chapin 1989, Jorgenson 1988, Kidd and Rossow 1998, Kidd et al. 2004, 2006, Maslen and Kershaw 1989, McKendrick 1987, 1991, 2000, McKendrick et al. 1980, McKendrick and Mitchell 1978, Mitchell et al. 1974). Treatments also have included sprigging and plug transplantation (Kidd et al. 2004, 2006), surface manipulation (Streever et al. 2003), as well as natural re-colonization (Ebersole 1987, Schwarzenbach 1996). These methods have been partially successful. The gravelly soils often are dry, nutrient-poor, and have a higher pH and lower organic matter content than surrounding soils, so natural recolonization does not occur readily (Bishop and Chapin 1989, Jorgenson and Joyce 1994). Methods such as sprigging and plug transplanting are slow, labor intensive and expensive compared to direct seeding. Fertilization, especially with phosphorus, is recommended for long-term survival of plants grown on gravelly sandy soils (BP Exploration and McKendrick 2004). Two common species in the arctic coastal wetlands are water sedge, Carex aquatilis Wahlenb. and cotton sedge, Eriophorum angustifolium Honck. Carex aquatilis in particular forms large populations that spread vegetatively by rhizomes and often dominate these wetland environments (Shaver and Billings 1975). Despite their abundance, these species have not been considered for revegetation because of poor seed germination and inadequate information on seed development and viability (Dr. William Streever, BP Alaska, pers. comm.). Both Carex and Eriophorum in arctic environments produce abundant seeds, but seed viability and germination often is low and highly variable among years and locations (Archibold 1984, Billings and Mooney 1968, Ebersole 1989, Gartner et al. 1983). Germination recommendations for both species vary by location and have included an array of pretreatments such as light, alternating temperatures, cold stratification, scarification, and high and low temperature dry storage (Amen 1966, Billings and Mooney 1960, Bliss 1958, Hunt and Moore 2003, Johnson et al. 1965, Phillips 1954 and Steinfeld 2001). The purpose of this project was to explore methods of seed germination of Carex aquatilis and Eriophorum angustifolium, to learn the conditions for germination and dormancy control mechanisms, and identify seed treatments that might enhance germination for eventual use in direct-seeding or plug production for arctic wetland revegetation

A Comparative Investigation of Neural Sodium Iodide Symporter (NIS) Expression in Teleost Fish

Thyroid hormones regulate essential physiological processes, including metabolism, reproduction, and growth. A key constituent of all thyroid hormones is iodine. To obtain and concentrate iodine, vertebrates utilize a protein called the sodium iodide symporter (NIS). While most commonly associated with the thyroid and digestive tract, I have confirmed preliminary evidence from a single fish species, red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), for a novel location of NIS expression: the brain. The objective of this study was to examine whether this expression exists in other teleost fish species and to more precisely identify the anatomical locations of neural NIS expression. Brains from several species of marine and freshwater fish, (tilapia; Oreochromis niloticus, channel catfish; Ictalurus punctatus, zebrafish; Danio rerio, and hybrid striped bass; Morone saxatilis) spanning three taxonomic orders (Cypriniformes, Perciformes, and Siluriformes), were collected and subjected to RT-PCR to identify NIS expression. This study found NIS to be present in the brains of all 5 experimental species, but only present in the previously confirmed sub-pharyngeal areas of red drum and zebrafish. Its uniform distribution across these species suggests that NIS may perform a novel, as yet undescribed role in iodine transport in the central nervous system. Localization of NIS expression within the brain is, therefore, a critical next step in elucidating its function

The Lore of Low Methane Livestock:Co-Producing Technology and Animals for Reduced Climate Change Impact

Methane emissions from sheep and cattle production have gained increasing profile in the context of climate change. Policy and scientific research communities have suggested a number of technological approaches to mitigate these emissions. This paper uses the concept of co-production as an analytical framework to understand farmers’ evaluation of a 'good animal’. It examines how technology and sheep and beef cattle are co-produced in the context of concerns about the climate change impact of methane. Drawing on 42 semi-structured interviews, this paper demonstrates that methane emissions are viewed as a natural and integral part of sheep and beef cattle by farmers, rather than as a pollutant. Sheep and beef cattle farmers in the UK are found to be an extremely heterogeneous group that need to be understood in their specific social, environmental and consumer contexts. Some are more amenable to appropriating methane reducing measures than others, but largely because animals are already co-constructed from the natural and the technical for reasons of increased production efficiency