Use of fake identification to purchase alcohol amongst 15-16 year olds: a cross-sectional survey examining alcohol access, consumption and harm

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite legislation and enforcement activities to prevent underage access to alcohol, underage individuals continue to be able to access alcohol and to do so at levels which put them at significant risk of alcohol-related harm.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An opportunistic survey of 15-16 year olds (n = 9,833) across North West England was used to examine alcohol consumption, methods of access and related harms experienced (such as regretted sex). Associations between these were analysed using chi square and logistic regression techniques.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Over a quarter (28.3%) of 15-16 year old participants who drank reported having bought their own alcohol. One seventh (14.9%) of these owned at least one form of fake identification for which by far the most common purchase method was online. Logistic regression analyses showed that those who owned fake identification were significantly more likely to be male (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.7-2.5; P < 0.001) and to receive a higher personal weekly income (comparing those who received > £30 with those who received ≤ £10: AOR = 3.7; 95% CI = 2.9-4.9; P < 0.001). After taking into account differences in demographic characteristics and personal weekly income, ownership of fake identification was significantly associated with binge drinking (AOR = 3.5, 95% CI = 2.8-4.3; P < 0.001), frequent drinking (AOR = 3.0, 95% CI = 2.5-3.7; P < 0.001) and public drinking (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI = 2.5-4.1; P < 0.001) compared with those who did not own fake identification. Further, those who reported owning fake identification were significantly more likely to report experiencing a variety of alcohol-related harms such as regretted sex after drinking (chi square, all P < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Young people (aged 15-16 years) who have access to fake identification are at a particularly high risk of reporting hazardous alcohol consumption patterns and related harm. Owning fake identification should be considered a risk factor for involvement in risky drinking behaviours. Information on these hazards should be made available to schools and professionals in health, social and judicial services, along with advice on how to best to work with those involved.</p

Privatisation of agro‐industrial parastatals and Anglophone opposition in Cameroon

This article focuses on the regional anglophone opposition in Cameroon which arose after 15 July 1994, when the government was forced by international donors to announce the privatization of 15 public enterprises, notably in the transport and agroindustrial sectors. The most prominent among them was the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), founded in 1946/1947. The author argues that the strong resistance of anglophones in general and the Bakweri in particular to the privatization of the CDC can only be fully understood in the context of the 'anglophone problem'. Privatization of the CDC was perceived as a further step by the francophone-dominated State towards destruction of the anglophone cultural and economic heritage. This perception was strengthened by the fact that the CDC has the reputation of being one of the rare parastatals in Cameroon which from its inception has played a significant role in regional development and which had a relatively good performance record until the economic crisis. Moreover, the Bakweri, the owners of the CDC lands, were not consulted.ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde

Anatomical observation and significance of the parietal foramen in Chinese adults

Background: This study aimed to investigate the incidence, number, diameter, and relative location of the parietal foramen (PF), as well as communication of intracranial and extracranial orifices and their direction, and sagittal suture morphology and length. Materials and methods: A total of 280 dry Chinese adult skull specimens from the Department of Anatomy, Southern Medical University, were observed and measured. The occurrence rate and quantity of the PF near the sagittal suture were recorded. The aperture of the PF, the vertical distance between PF and sagittal suture, and the linear distance between PF and lambda were measured using a vernier calliper. The length of the sagittal suture was measured by a flexible ruler, the direction and communication of intracranial and extracranial orifices were detected using a probe. Results: The total incidence of the PF was 82.86%, slightly more on the right side than on the left side. The single foramen type was the most. The mean diameter of the PF on the left and right sides were 1.02±0.72 mm and 1.07±0.67 mm, respectively, and the diameter of the PF on the sagittal suture was 1.77±0.44 mm. The mean vertical distance between the PF and the sagittal suture was 5.90±2.78 mm and 5.85±2.75 mm on the left and right sides, respectively. The shape of the sagittal suture in the PF area was primarily dentate shaped, with an average arc length of χ = 124.36±7.76 mm, of which the majority were completely healed type. The intracranial and extracranial communication was 39.97%, and the majority of the PF were anteromedial direction. Conclusions: The current study provided an anatomical basis for imaging diagnosis and neurosurgery by investigating the incidence, diameter, and relative location of the PF and intracranial and extracranial communication and direction

Modeling canopy conductance and transpiration from solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence

Vegetation transpiration (T) is the process of plant water loss through the stomata on the leaf surface and plays a key role in the energy and water balance of the land surface, especially with dense vegetation cover. To date, however, estimation of ecosystem-scale T is still rather uncertain mainly due to errors in modeling canopy resistance or conductance. Considering the intrinsic link between photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence, the recent available remote sensing of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) provides a valuable opportunity to estimate plants T at large scales. In this study, we demonstrate how remote sensing of SIF relates to canopy stomatal conductance and transpiration at diurnal and seasonal scales with continuous ground measurements of SIF at three flux sites in forest, cropland and grassland ecosystems. The results show that both ground and spaceborne SIF observations are good indicators of canopy conductance at both diurnal and seasonal scales (R2 = 0.57 and 0.74 for forest, R2 = 0.62 and 0.80 for cropland, R2 = 0.52 and 0.63 for grassland, respectively). Then, empirical SIF-based canopy conductance models are employed to estimate hourly and daily transpiration. We evaluate our ecosystem T estimations against latent heat fluxes measured by eddy covariance systems with more satisfactory results for forest (R2 = 0.57 and 0.71), and cropland (R2 = 0.77 and 0.83) than for grassland (R2 = 0.13 and 0.22) at hourly and daily time scales. Our results suggest the potential of remotely-sensed SIF for estimating canopy conductance and plant transpiration, but a more mechanistic understanding is needed for their link

Species-Specific and Cross-Reactive IgG1 Antibody Binding to Viral Capsid Protein 1 (VP1) Antigens of Human Rhinovirus Species A, B and C

<div><p>Background</p><p>Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are associated with upper and lower respiratory illnesses, including severe infections causing hospitalization in both children and adults. Although the clinical significance of HRV infections is now well established, no detailed investigation of the immune response against HRV has been performed. The purpose of this study was to assess the IgG1 antibody response to the three known HRV species, HRV-A, -B and -C in healthy subjects.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Recombinant polypeptides of viral capsid protein 1 (VP1) from two genotypes of HRV-A, -B and -C were expressed as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins and purified by affinity and then size exclusion chromatography. The presence of secondary structures similar to the natural antigens was verified by circular dichroism analysis. Total and species-specific IgG1 measurements were quantitated by immunoassays and immunoabsorption using sera from 63 healthy adults.</p><p>Results</p><p>Most adult sera reacted with the HRV VP1 antigens, at high titres. As expected, strong cross-reactivity between HRV genotypes of the same species was found. A high degree of cross-reactivity between different HRV species was also evident, particularly between HRV-A and HRV-C. Immunoabsorption studies revealed HRV-C specific titres were markedly and significantly lower than the HRV-A and HRV-B specific titres (<i>P</i><0.0001). A truncated construct of HRV-C VP1 showed greater specificity in detecting anti-HRV-C antibodies.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>High titres of IgG1 antibody were bound by the VP1 capsid proteins of HRV-A, -B and -C, but for the majority of people, a large proportion of the antibody to HRV-C was cross-reactive, especially to HRV-A. The improved specificity found for the truncated HRV-C VP1 indicates species-specific and cross-reactive regions could be defined.</p></div

Inhibition of IgG1 binding to HRV-C3 VP1 by HRV-A or HRV-B and HPV Sabin.

<p>Inhibition by lysate containing HRV-A, or a mixture of HRV-B and HPV Sabin in 30 subjects with high total IgG1 titres to HRV-C3. Percentage of cross-reactivity to the inhibiting species was calculated by (Titre after absorption/Total IgG1)×100. <i>P</i><0.0001 between inhibition by HRV-A and inhibition by HRV-B and HPV Sabin. Three negative control sera and a titration of reference sera were included on every plate to assess reproducibility and quantitation of IgG1 binding.</p

Total IgG1 antibody binding (ng/ml) to HRV and HPV Sabin VP1 antigens in 63 healthy adults.

<p>The geometric mean and 95% confidence interval are indicated. Human myeloma IgG1 was used as a negative control to determine non-specific binding and identification of negative control sera. Three negative control sera for each antigen and a titration of reference sera were included on every plate for the quantitation of IgG1 binding and to assess reproducibility of the assay.</p