Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users

The recreational use of MDMA/Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is associated with many psychobiological problems, but there is a paucity of data on how these relate to the level of past use. Objectives: to assess the incidence of Ecstasy-attributed problems as reported by novice, moderate and heavy users. Methods: 763 unpaid volunteers took part in a WWW study of recreational drug use. This report is based on the 282 Ecstasy users from that sample, who comprised 109 novice users (1–9 occasions), 136 moderate users (10–99 occasions), and 36 heavy users (+100 occasions). Yes/no responses were automatically recorded to a series of questions covering psychobiological problems experienced when drug-free, which were attributed by the respondents to their Ecstasy use. Results: Depression, memory problems, anxiety, mood fluctuation, poor concentration, infections, tremors/twitches and weight loss, were all significantly associated with the extent of Ecstasy use. Thus memory problems attributed to Ecstasy were reported by 19% of novice users, 52% of heavy users and 73% of heavy users (chi-square 42.74, df=2, p<0.001); many of the other variables showed similar trends

Re-locating media production

It was arguably easier in the past to pin down media production in medium- or content-specific locales, such as the studio, the newsroom or the set. Contemporary processes of media convergence have dramatically opened up the ‘what’ and ‘where’ of media production to include all manner of quotidian practices and ephemeral places. This special issue however pushes back against the idea that contemporary landscapes of media production have been flattened. Each of the articles collected here accounts for significant transformations in media practices nearer to those which we would conventionally associate with media production, yet which are also potentially left behind in the rush to describe, theorize, celebrate and critique trends such as ‘produsage’, ‘prosumption’ and participatory media culture. Taken together, the papers in this special issue provide new insights into the locations and re-locations of contemporary media production across new and under-researched liminal and peripheral geographies, and around new and unexpected objects

NeuroPharmacology: As Applied to Designing New Chemotherapeutic Agents

Neurooncology anticancer drugs are no exception—their distribution and tissue interactions follow the general rules of classical pharmacology. In an attempt to assist with the new therapeutic approaches to manage cancers involving the central nervous system, classical chemobiodynamic compartment and pharmacokinetic models are discussed and illustrated. In addition, strategies and approaches for penetrating the blood brain barrier (BBB) are reviewed and modeled. Finally, in support of classical pharmacology, a new anticancer agent in clinical trial for brain tumors is reviewed as an example of clinical onco-neuropharmacology

Regular ovoids and Cameron-Liebler sets of generators in polar spaces

Cameron-Liebler sets of generators in polar spaces were introduced a few years ago as natural generalisations of the Cameron-Liebler sets of subspaces in projective spaces. In this article we present the first two constructions of non-trivial Cameron-Liebler sets of generators in polar spaces. Also regular m-ovoids of k-spaces are introduced as a generalization of m-ovoids of polar spaces. They are used in one of the aforementioned constructions of Cameron-Liebler sets

Geocoding routinely collected administrative data to measure access to alcohol outlets in Wales

ABSTRACT Objectives A substantial level of excess alcohol consumption results in a wide range of harm and the potential impact on health at the population level of a reduction in consumption is considerable. A proposed policy for reducing alcohol consumption is restricting the availability of alcohol through reducing the density of alcohol outlets. We set out to create a high spatial resolution alcohol outlet dataset suitable for evaluating longitudinal changes in chronic alcohol related conditions. Approach Requests were made for the names and location of all licensed alcohol outlets within each of the 22 Unitary Authorities in Wales, between Nov 2005 and Dec 2011. Data requested for each outlet consisted of: the date permission was granted or the licence became active, the licence expiry date or an indicated date of outlet closure, whether this premise is licensed for ON and/or OFF premise sales, the hours permissible to sell alcohol or general opening hours of the outlet and the type of premise as assigned by the LA if available. Our approach included collating, geocoding and manually matching alcohol outlet data received from each unitary authority for use in a longitudinal analysis of outlet density. Results All authorities were able to provide an actual or approximate license issue date, allowing us to summarise the number of outlets annually. Several authorities were unable to provide precise outlet closure dates, so the date of the last interaction with the outlet was used to generate an approximate end date. One-half of the unitary authorities were able to provide the On/Off sales status of outlets, and 9 were able to provide opening hours. From these data we were able to geocode 53% (range 28% to 72% by local authority) using GIS, the remaining 47% were matched using Google products to verify and extract a precise geographic location. Conclusions The collation and processing of retrospective alcohol outlet data was successfully completed to enable the building of a longitudinal exposure dataset. There was considerable variation between the unitary authorities in the quality of address data, and data related to the availability of alcohol, for example opening hours. The lack of address structure required us to devise a manual address matching process to capture the addresses that could not be geocoded. To aid future data linkage based evaluations to provide policy evidence in a timely manner, local government datasets should use standardised data fields, including addresses and Point-of-Capture address verification

Space, place and circulation: Three conceptual lenses into the spatialities of media production practices

Book synopsis: This book introduces and develops the concept of geomedia studies as the name of a particular subfield of communication geography. Despite the accelerating societal relevance of ‘geomedia’ technologies for the production of various spaces, mobilities, and power-relations, and the unquestionable emergence of a vibrant research field that deals with questions pertaining to such topics, the term geomedia studies remains surprisingly unestablished. By addressing imperative questions about the implications of geomedia technologies for organizations, social groups and individuals (e.g. businesses profiting from geo-surveillance, refugees or migrants moving across national borders, or artists claiming their rights to public space) the book also aims to contribute to ongoing academic and societal debates in our increasingly mediatized world

LMDA New and Noteworthy, May 2021

Contents include: Q&A: Anne G. Morgan and Jenna Rodgers; Without Borders: Dramaturgy in the New Decade Sin Fronteras: Dramaturgismo en la Nueva Década June 17-18 (Virtual) & June 28-29 (Mexico City); #LMDA21 Call for Volunteers June 17-18 (Virtual) & June 28-29 (Mexico City); Dramaturging the Phoenix 2.0: A Renewed Challenge for LMDA Members; Renew Your Membership Today!; Region Facebook Groups;https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdanewsletter/1055/thumbnail.jp