Commentary on: Muscle dysmorphia: Could it be classified as an addiction to body image?

This commentary addresses a recent article on the characterization of muscle dysmorphia as an addiction. The commentary examines the larger issue of the possible relationship of compulsions to addictions. It also questions whether understanding the heterogeneity within disorders may be a useful tactic to develop more targeted treatment approaches

National Hockey League guaranteed contracts: A principal agent problem impacting on performance

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate, through the lens of the principal–agent problem, the relationship between payment of National Hockey League (NHL) salaries and player performance during the period of 2005-2011 and explore the inherent issues within the NHL player compensation and incentive structure. Design/methodology/approach – The research adopts a pragmatic philosophy with deductive reasoning. This paper focuses on the NHL season 2005-2011 and undertake analysis of historical player contracts and performance data of 670 players across 29 clubs to undertake liner regression analysis. Findings – This paper quantifies potential inefficiencies of NHL league contracts and defines the parameters of the principal–agent problem. It is identifies that player performance generally increases with salary, is higher in the first year of a contract and despite decreasing over the life of the contract, will usually peak again in the final year of the contract. Research limitations/implications – The research is based around figures from 2005-2011 and secondary statistical data. The study captures quantitative data but does not allow for an exploration of the qualitative perspective to the problem. Practical implications – Entry-level or first contracts are good for all teams and players because they provide incentive to perform and a reduction of risk to the team should a player not perform to expectations. The same can be said for players at the other end of the spectrum. Although not typically used much, performance bonuses for players over the age of 35 allow clubs to “take a chance” on a player and the player can benefit by reaching attainable bonuses. These findings therefore provide contributions to the practicing managers and coaches of NHL teams who can consider the results to help shape their approach to management of players and the planning of teams and succession planning for talent. Originality/value – The paper presents a comprehensive and current perspective of the principal–agent problem in NHL and extends the work of Purcell (2009) and Gannon (2009) in understanding player performance enhancement

Firearm ownership among young adults: associations with impulsivity and impulse control disorders

Background: Firearm ownership is extremely common in parts of the USA. Yet little research has examined whether it is associated with impulsive symptoms and traits. Methods: Adults aged 18-29 years who gamble at least occasionally were recruited in two US cities using media advertisements for an exploratory study examining general mental health, impulse control disorders, impulsive personality, and aspects of cognition (decision-making, response inhibition, and flexible responding). The participants were grouped as firearm owners and non-firearm owners; these two groups were compared on the above measures. Results: 149 young adults took part, of whom 33 (22.1%) endorsed owning one or more firearms. Firearm ownership was significantly associated with male gender and elevated risk of gambling disorder, but not with other measures of impulsivity. Discussion: The link between firearm ownership and disordered gambling merits further research and may have policy implications, such as in terms of screening for guns in gambling arenas including casinos. Further research is needed to explore potential associations between gun ownership and impulsivity in cohorts with other demographic characteristics, including longitudinally.This study was funded by internal funds. Dr. Grant has received research grants from Promentis and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals and receives yearly compensation from Springer Publishing for acting as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gambling Studies and has received royalties from Oxford University Press, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., Norton Press, and McGraw Hill. Dr. Chamberlain consults for Cambridge Cognition, Shire, Promentis, and Ieso Digital Health. Dr. Chamberlain’s involvement in this study was supported by a Wellcome Trust Clinical Fellowship (110049/Z/15/Z)

Family History of Substance Use Disorders: Significance for Mental Health in Young Adults who Gamble?

Background: Although family history of psychiatric disorders has often been considered potentially useful in understanding clinical presentations in patients, it is less clear what a positive family history means for people who gamble in the general community. We sought to understand the clinical and cognitive impact of having a first-degree relative with a substance use disorder (SUD) in a sample of non-treatment seeking young adults. Methods: 576 participants (aged 18-29 years) who gambled at least 5 times in the preceding year undertook clinical and neurocognitive evaluations. Those with a first-degree relative with a SUD were compared to those without on a number of demographic, clinical and cognitive measures. We used Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) to identify which variables (if any) were significantly associated with family history of SUDs, controlling for the influence of other variables on each other. Results: 180 (31.3%) participants had a first-degree family member with a SUD. In terms of clinical variables, family history of SUD was significantly associated with higher rates of substance use (alcohol, nicotine), higher rates of problem gambling, and higher occurrence of mental health disorders. Family history of SUD was also associated with more set-shifting problems (plus higher rates of obsessive-compulsive tendencies), lower quality of decision-making, and more spatial working memory errors. Conclusions: These results indicate that gamblers with a first-degree family member with a SUD may have a unique clinical and cognition presentation. Understanding these differences may be relevant to developing more individualized treatment approaches for disordered gambling. Compulsivity may be important as a proxy of vulnerability towards addiction

Introduction to Provisioning Services

Food provisioning is a prominent feature of marine bivalve production, applicable worldwide since ancient times. Easy accessibility of this food source and high nutritional value make bivalves a possible driver in human evolution. In this section bivalve meat production is addressed, as well as other provisioning services including pearls and bio-active compounds. In both bivalve aquaculture and fisheries, harvest and production for meat provisioning must be balanced against carrying capacity and its implications for other services including water quality maintenance and habitat structure. Provisioning of meat through aquaculture can be improved via hatchery and breeding advances, a necessity in the changing ocean climate.publishedVersio