Intoxication, criminal offences and suicide attempts in a group of South African problem drinkers

Background. Incidence rates of crime and alcohol abuse in South Africa are unacceptably high. Research suggests a relationship between alcohol and both crime and suicide. This study aims to add to the information base on this topic in South Africa.Methods. This is a cross-sectional record study of criminal offences and suicide attempts in 269 admissions to an alcohol rehabilitation unit in the Western Cape. Types of criminal offences and suicide attempts are described. Relationships are sought between crime, violent crime and suicide attempts on the one hand, and demographic and alcohol-related variables on the other.Results. One hundred and four subjects (39%) had criminal convictions, the majority of which were committed while the subjects were intoxicated. The commonest alcoholrelated crimes were driving-related (17% of subjects) and crimes of violence (15%). Male gender, younger age at initiation of drinking, and earlier onset of problem drinking were significantly associated with criminal behaviour. Violent crime was associated with earlier onset of initial, regular and problem drinking, and maternal alcohol abuse. Suicide attempts (24% of subjects) were associated with female gender, white racial group, not being in a marital relationship, younger current age and early age of problem drinking.Conclusions. There was an association between intoxication and both violent crime and suicide attempts. The importance of population studies and the need for intervention programmes aimed at teenagers who are drinking, are emphasised

Assessment of Forest Biomass and Carbon Stocks at Stand Level Using Site-Specific Primary Data to Support Forest Management

To quantify and map woody biomass (WB) and forest carbon (C) stocks, several models were developed. They differ in terms of scale of application, details related to the input data required and outputs provided. Local Authorities, such as Mountain Communities, can be supported in sustainable forest planning and management by providing specific models in which the reference unit is the same as the one reported in the Forest Management Plans (FMP), i.e. the forest stand. In the Lombardy Region (Northern Italy), a few studies were performed to assess WB and forest C stocks, and they were generally based on data coming from regional\u2014or national\u2014forest inventories and remote sensing, without taking into account data collected in the FMPs. For this study, the first version of the stand-level model \u201cWOody biomass and Carbon ASsessment\u201d (WOCAS) for WB and C stocks calculation was improved into a second version (WOCAS v2) and preliminary results about its first application to 2019 forest stands of Valle Camonica District (Lombardy Region) are presented. Since the model WOCAS uses the growing stock as the main driver for the calculation, it can be applied in any other forest area where the same input data are available

Comparative mitochondrial proteomics: perspective in human diseases

Mitochondria are the most complex and the most important organelles of eukaryotic cells, which are involved in many cellular processes, including energy metabolism, apoptosis, and aging. And mitochondria have been identified as the "hot spot" by researchers for exploring relevant associated dysfunctions in many fields. The emergence of comparative proteomics enables us to have a close look at the mitochondrial proteome in a comprehensive and effective manner under various conditions and cellular circumstances. Two-dimensional electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry is still the most popular techniques to study comparative mitochondrial proteomics. Furthermore, many new techniques, such as ICAT, MudPIT, and SILAC, equip researchers with more flexibilities inselecting proper methods. This article also reviews the recent development of comparative mitochondrial proteomics on diverse human diseases. And the results of mitochondrial proteomics enhance a better understanding of the pathogenesis associated with mitochondria and provide promising therapeutic targets

Phylogeny and evolution of life-history strategies in the Sycophaginae non-pollinating fig wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Non-pollinating Sycophaginae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) form small communities within <it>Urostigma </it>and <it>Sycomorus </it>fig trees. The species show differences in galling habits and exhibit apterous, winged or dimorphic males. The large gall inducers oviposit early in syconium development and lay few eggs; the small gall inducers lay more eggs soon after pollination; the ostiolar gall-inducers enter the syconium to oviposit and the cleptoparasites oviposit in galls induced by other fig wasps. The systematics of the group remains unclear and only one phylogeny based on limited sampling has been published to date. Here we present an expanded phylogeny for sycophagine fig wasps including about 1.5 times the number of described species. We sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear markers (4.2 kb) on 73 species and 145 individuals and conducted maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. We then used this phylogeny to reconstruct the evolution of Sycophaginae life-history strategies and test if the presence of winged males and small brood size may be correlated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The resulting trees are well resolved and strongly supported. With the exception of <it>Apocrytophagus</it>, which is paraphyletic with respect to <it>Sycophaga</it>, all genera are monophyletic. The Sycophaginae are divided into three clades: (i) <it>Eukoebelea</it>; (ii) <it>Pseudidarnes</it>, <it>Anidarnes </it>and <it>Conidarnes </it>and (iii) <it>Apocryptophagus</it>, <it>Sycophaga </it>and <it>Idarnes</it>. The ancestral states for galling habits and male morphology remain ambiguous and our reconstructions show that the two traits are evolutionary labile.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The three main clades could be considered as tribes and we list some morphological characters that define them. The same biologies re-evolved several times independently, which make Sycophaginae an interesting model to test predictions on what factors will canalize the evolution of a particular biology. The ostiolar gall-inducers are the only monophyletic group. In 15 Myr, they evolved several morphological adaptations to enter the syconia that make them strongly divergent from their sister taxa. Sycophaginae appears to be another example where sexual selection on male mating opportunities favored winged males in species with small broods and wingless males in species with large broods. However, some species are exceptional in that they lay few eggs but exhibit apterous males, which we hypothesize could be due to other selective pressures selecting against the re-appearance of winged morphs.</p

A next-generation liquid xenon observatory for dark matter and neutrino physics

The nature of dark matter and properties of neutrinos are among the most pressing issues in contemporary particle physics. The dual-phase xenon time-projection chamber is the leading technology to cover the available parameter space for weakly interacting massive particles, while featuring extensive sensitivity to many alternative dark matter candidates. These detectors can also study neutrinos through neutrinoless double-beta decay and through a variety of astrophysical sources. A next-generation xenon-based detector will therefore be a true multi-purpose observatory to significantly advance particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, solar physics, and cosmology. This review article presents the science cases for such a detector

Prestasieverwante vergelyking van 12- tot 15-jarige seuns in die Noordwes-Provinsie, Suid-Afrika en Australië met betrekking tot die "talent search-program": Thusa Bana-studie

The purpose of this study was to determine how 12 to 15 year old boys from the Northwest province (NW) compare to Australian (AUS) and South African (SA) boys of similar age with regard to the Talent Search-program developed in Australia. A total of 402 boys between the ages of 12 and 15 years were tested. The Australian Talent Search model and norms were used for testing purposes and comparisons of children from AUS, SA (Du Randt, 2000) and from the NW. The Statistica computer processing package was used to process all data. Descriptive statistics was used to determine the means (M) and standard deviations (SD) for each age group in the NW province. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine differences between groups (NW-SA, NW-AUS, SA-AUS) and the Bonferroni technique (Thomas & Nelson, 1996) was used to determine statistical significance (p < 0.05) of differences between groups. The Australian boys generally achieved statistically significant better values than the NW and SA boys with regard to their anthropometrical characteristics, physical and motor abilities. The motor and physical performance of boys from the NW, when compared to SA boys of the same age was generally significantly poorer although the differences were smaller. The vast majority of boys in the NW province are not exposed to physical activity or sport and come from low socio-economic (SES) conditions which might have contributed to the below average performance of the group. Due to the differences in compared results, it is recommended that the NW province should develop their own set of norms for talent identification purposes. It is further suggested that norms be compiled for each racial group as well as for the entire group when the general sport talent (TID) of boys in the NW province are analysed and that both sets of norms should be applied. Keywords: Boys, Talent, Anthropometry, Physical ability, Motor ability South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol.26(2) 2004: 141-15

Loss of normal positive signal of the pituitary gland on MR in children with tuberculous meningitis and SIADH

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Intoxication, criminal offences and suicide attempts in a group of South African problem drinkers admitted for alcohol rehabilitation.

GesondheidswetenskappePsigiatriePlease help us populate SUNScholar with the post print version of this article. It can be e-mailed to: [email protected]

Gastric volvulus

Gastric volvulus is a rare disease with an unknown incidence. Unless it stays in the back of the diagnostician's mind, diagnosis of gastric volvulus, which can have significant morbidity and mortality associated with it, can be easily missed. Unstable vital signs and distressed appearance are not always present, as in textbook cases. The presence of a hiatal hernia with persistent vomiting despite initial antiemetic treatment should trigger one to think of gastric volvulus, despite the patient appearing very stable. With the advent of CT and laparoscopic surgery, the gold standards for diagnosing and treating this disease are ever evolving

Non-accidental injury to the cns: the human shield phenomenon

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