Predictors of painkiller dependence among people with pain in the general population

Aims: Self-medication with painkillers is widespread and increasing, and evidence about influences on painkiller dependence is needed to inform efforts to prevent and treat problem painkiller use. Design: Online questionnaire survey. Participants: People in the general population who had pain and used painkillers in the last month (n=112). Measurements: Pain frequency and intensity, use of over-the-counter and prescription painkillers, risk of substance abuse (SOAPP scale), depression, anxiety, stress, alexithymia, pain catastrophizing, pain anxiety, pain self-efficacy, pain acceptance, mindfulness, self-compassion, and painkiller dependence (Leeds Dependence Questionnaire). Findings: In multiple regression, the independent predictors of painkiller dependence were prescription painkiller use (ß 0.21), SOAPP score (ß 0.31), and pain acceptance (ß -0.29). Prescription painkiller use mediated the influence of pain intensity. Alexithymia, anxiety and pain acceptance all moderated the influence of pain. Conclusions: The people most at risk of developing painkiller dependence are those who use prescription painkillers more frequently, who have a prior history of substance-related problems more generally, and who are less accepting of pain. Based on these findings, a preliminary model is presented with three types of influence on the development of painkiller dependence: a) pain leading to painkiller use, b) risk factors for substance-related problems irrespective of pain, and c) psychological factors related to pain. The model could guide further research among the general population and high risk groups, and acceptance-based interventions could be adapted and evaluated as methods to prevent and treat painkiller dependence.The Leonardo Da Vinci Lifelong Learning Programme funded Joana Duarte’s graduate research placement at the University of Derb

Day-length is central to maintaining consistent seasonal diversity in marine bacterioplankton

Marine bacterial diversity is vast, but seasonal variation in diversity is poorly understood. Here we present the longest bacterial diversity time series consisting of monthly (72) samples from the western English Channel over a 6 year period (2003-2008) using 747,494 16SrDNA-V6 amplicon-pyrosequences. Although there were characteristic cycles for each phylum, the overall community cycle was remarkably stable year after year. The majority of taxa were not abundant, although on occasion these rare bacteria could dominate the assemblage. Bacterial diversity peaked at the winter solstice and showed remarkable synchronicity with day-length, which had the best explanatory power compared to a combination of other variables (including temperature and nutrient concentrations). Day-length has not previously been recognised as a major force in structuring microbial communities

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Regional Integration in the East African Community (EAC): A Literature Review

As part of a doctoral study, this review makes a case for the study of the influence of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the integration of the East African Community (EAC). Beginning with philosophical postulations on the meaning and role of CSOs in governance to contemporary conceptions of their nature and anticipated influence, the article delves into scholarly work on their actual participation in the European Union (EU), the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Except for a few divergent observations, there is a general academic consensus on the significance of CSOs in governance facets such as policy making, enhancing citizen participation, transparency, and accountability. However, except for the EU where numerous studies on their influence exist, there is a dearth of the same in other parts of the world. In the EAC, treaty provisions for the anticipated role of CSOs in the integration process are explicit. However, more than two decades after its re-establishment, a lacuna exists on their actual influence on community policy processes. Further studies are therefore recommended to fill this practical and academic gap. Additionally, it will be important to unearth the determinants of their influence and the strategies they adopt in the unique African governance setting. Keywords:civil society, third sector, regional integration, East African Community DOI: 10.7176/IAGS/91-01 Publication date: November 30th 202

Staying true with the help of others: doxastic self-control through interpersonal commitment

I explore the possibility and rationality of interpersonal mechanisms of doxastic self-control, that is, ways in which individuals can make use of other people in order to get themselves to stick to their beliefs. I look, in particular, at two ways in which people can make interpersonal epistemic commitments, and thereby willingly undertake accountability to others, in order to get themselves to maintain their beliefs in the face of anticipated “epistemic temptations”. The first way is through the avowal of belief, and the second is through the establishment of collective belief. I argue that both of these forms of interpersonal epistemic commitment can function as effective tools for doxastic self-control, and, moreover, that the control they facilitate should not be dismissed as irrational from an epistemic perspective

Searching for variable stars in Galactic Open Clusters

A long-term project, aiming at systematic search for variable stars in Galactic Open Clusters, was started at the Geneva Observatory in 2002. We have been observing regularly a sample of twenty-seven Galactic Open Clusters in the U, B, V Geneva filters. The goal is to identify and to study their variable stars, as well as the connection between the variable stars in a cluster and the cluster properties. We present the status of this work in progress, and show preliminary results for one of these clusters, IC 4651.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of Stellar Pulsation: Challenges for theory and observations Conference, Santa Fe, NM, US

The design of UV absorbing systems for horticultural applications

The synthesis and fluorescence behavior of a series of bis(trisilylalkyl)anthracene molecules is described. The photodegradation of these molecules under UV light has been monitored and compared to a commercially available fluorescent optical brightener. There is a relationship between the structure and the rate of photo decay. The materials with more bulky substituents exhibit the greater stability towards UV. For bis(triphenylsilyl)anthracene the photostability appears to be comparable with a commercially available optical brightener, but the molecule may be susceptible to thermal decay

First-principles calculations of magnetization relaxation in pure Fe, Co, and Ni with frozen thermal lattice disorder

The effect of the electron-phonon interaction on magnetization relaxation is studied within the framework of first-principles scattering theory for Fe, Co, and Ni by displacing atoms in the scattering region randomly with a thermal distribution. This "frozen thermal lattice disorder" approach reproduces the non-monotonic damping behaviour observed in ferromagnetic resonance measurements and yields reasonable quantitative agreement between calculated and experimental values. It can be readily applied to alloys and easily extended by determining the atomic displacements from ab initio phonon spectra

A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Alcohol Use among Immigrant Sexual and Gender Minority Latinos in North Carolina

Background: Heavy alcohol use has the potential for multiple direct and indirect harmful effects; however, little is known about drinking patterns among immigrant sexual and gender minority Latinos. I conducted a mixed qualitative-quantitative study to investigate alcohol use among this population in North Carolina. Qualitative Study: I sought to identify and describe salient social stressors, coping strategies, and the role of alcohol use through 15 semi-structured interviews with foreign-born sexual and gender minority Latinos. Following Grounded Theory methods, I produced an inductive model of alcohol use. Drinking was fundamentally a social behavior, embedded in cultural, social, and individual contexts. Nearly half of participants reported at least one binges episode per month. Among stressors, being a sexual minority was indirectly linked to alcohol use through drinking venues (e.g., gay bars) and companions, and being an undocumented immigrant dissuaded drinking for that sub-set of participants. I confirmed inferences in four member-check interviews and three key informant interviews. Quantitative Study: Using cross-sectional survey data obtained in a study of HIV risk and protective factors among foreign-born sexual and gender minority Latinos (n=190), I tested theoretically derived hypotheses about the association of select stressors and social support with alcohol use (any drinking; drinking frequency; binges). Although 55% of participants reported no alcohol use, the majority of current drinkers reported at least one binge episode in the past 30 days. Ethnic discrimination was associated with any drinking and binges, consistent with a stress-reactive drinking. Social support moderated two relationships, consistent with the stress buffering hypothesis. Conclusion: Because current drinkers in both qualitative and quantitative studies reported high levels of binges, sexual and gender minority Latinos should be a priority population for alcohol risk-reduction interventions. There was some support for drinking as a coping behavior; however, drinking as a social behavior emerged as a second key dimension. Interventions that fail to account for drinking as a social behavior as well as a coping response are likely to have limited effectiveness. Further research is necessary to refine the conceptual model and better understand the relationships between social stressors, social contexts, and risky drinking among this population.Doctor of Philosoph

ADVANCING LIBRARY AND INFORMATION LITERACY (LIL) IN THE NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Information literacy is a pertinent aspect of any developing or developed society, hence the need to make it an integral part of the education system of any aspiring great society. This article x-rays the library and information literacy in the Nigerian educational system and how it can be advanced. Common approach to libraries in Nigerian educational system, which cuts across the primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, is seen as the reason for the laxity in library and information real time advancement. The article also looked at the discrepancies between the theory and practice in library literacy in accessing necessary information and the difficulties experienced in the process in the Nigerian educational system. The position of the National Education Policy (NPE), according to this article, should go beyond its theoretical placements and make the needed changes so as to practically accommodate the Library and Information Centres. This paper is based on the longitudinal (observatory) studies of the author aided with secondary data to buttress the positions made. It posits that the seeming laxity (common approach) of students’ literacy on library and information centres is primarily because of the lacuna at their early levels of education. Such gaps presented pertinent suggestions for improving library and information literacy. This prompted a useful yard stick for the paper to present workable recommendations that in its opinion will be of immense help to solving it