<i>‘I was going into it blind’</i>:Nearest Relatives, legal literacy, and the Mental Health Act 1983

Eligible relatives are given rights and powers in the compulsory treatment of people with mental health problems in several international jurisdictions, including within England and Wales. However, little attention has been given to whether relatives feel legally literate or competent to fulfil such roles. This article examines this issue through focussing on the experiences of Nearest Relatives, who are given rights and powers during Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) assessments for compulsory admission in England and Wales. Interviews with nineteen Nearest Relatives in England were conducted and were thematically analysed. Three themes were identified. First, NRs spoke about their awareness and knowledge of the role. They predominantly reported negative experiences in which they received no or little information. They also reported that professionals assumed they possessed legal knowledge, and their legal knowledge was largely self-taught. Secondly, NRs reported uncertainty about their own rights and powers, noting the role lacked status or informational or emotional support. Third, NRs highlighted areas for legal reform, stating that the NR role was important, but required specialist support systems for NRs. The findings of this study indicate greater attention needs to be given by law and policy makers to support relatives' understanding of their rights and powers under the MHA, if the NR role is to be effective in helping to safeguard patient rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. These include the right in Article 5 not to be arbitrarily deprived of one's liberty and the right to a private and family life in Article 8. Legislators also need to take account of these factors when considering proposals to reform mental health law in England and Wales.</p

B819: The Spruce Budworm Outbreak in Maine in the 1970\u27s–Assessment and Directions for the Future

This report was initiated by the Maine Forest Service (MFS) in response to concerns that a serious effort was needed to capture the experiences and lessons learned during the 1970-85 spruce budworm outbreak in Maine. The report synthesizes the observations and experiences of land managers, as well as the principal results of recent scientific research on spruce budworm in Maine. This report briefly reviews budworm population dynamics and interactions with the forest, then describes the budworm\u27s impacts in detail. It then reviews the three principal responses: survey and detection; spraying; and silviculture and salvage. It then offers an overview of the outbreak\u27s effects and provides a summary of conclusions and recommendations for the future.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_bulletin/1044/thumbnail.jp

Validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for analyzing cannabinoids in oral fluid.

A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for quantifying ten cannabinoids in oral fluid (OF). This method utilizes OF collected by the Quantisal™ device and concurrently quantifies cannabinol (CBN), cannabidiol (CBD), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy-Δ9-THC (11-OH-THC), 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-THC (THC-COOH), 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-THC glucuronide (THC-COOH-gluc), Δ9-THC glucuronide (THC-gluc), cannabigerol (CBG), tetrahydrocannabiverin (THCV), and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A). Solid phase extraction was optimized using Oasis Prime HLB 30 mg 96-well plates. Cannabinoids were separated by liquid chromatography over a BEH C18 column and detected by a Waters TQ-S micro tandem mass spectrometer. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) were 0.4 ng/mL for CBN, CBD, THC, 11-OH-THC, THC-gluc, and THCV; and 1.0 ng/mL for THC-COOH, THC-COOH-gluc, CBG and THCA-A. Linear ranges extended to 2000 ng/mL for THC and 200 ng/mL for all other analytes. Inter-day analytical bias and imprecision at three levels of quality control (QC) was within ±15%. Mean extraction efficiencies ranged from 26.0-98.8%. Applicability of this method was tested using samples collected from individuals randomly assigned to smoke either a joint containing &lt;0.1%, 5.9%, or 13.4% THC content. This method was able to identify and calculate the concentration of 6 of 10 cannabinoids validated in this method

An action research protocol to strengthen system-wide inter-professional learning and practice

Background. Inter-professional learning (IPL) and inter-professional practice (IPP) are thought to be critical determinants of effective care, improved quality and safety and enhanced provider morale, yet few empirical studies have demonstrated this. Whole-of-system research is even less prevalent. We aim to provide a four year, multi-method, multi-collaborator action research program of IPL and IPP in defined, bounded health and education systems located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The project is funded by the Australian Research Council under its industry Linkage Program. Methods/Design. The program of research will examine in four inter-related, prospective studies, progress with IPL and IPP across tertiary education providers, professional education, regulatory and registration bodies, the ACT health system's streams of care activities and teams, units and wards of the provider facilities of the ACT health system. One key focus will be on push-pull mechanisms, ie, how the education sector creates student-enabled IPP and the health sector demands IPL-oriented practitioners. The studies will examine four research aims and meet 20 research project objectives in a comprehensive evaluation of ongoing progress with IPL and IPP. Discussion. IPP and IPL are said to be cornerstones of health system reforms. We will measure progress across an entire health system and the clinical and professional education systems that feed into it. The value of multi-methods, partnership research and a bi-directional push-pull model of IPL and IPP will be tested. Widespread dissemination of results to practitioners, policymakers, managers and researchers will be a key project goal

The Chandra Source Catalog

The Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) is a general purpose virtual X-ray astrophysics facility that provides access to a carefully selected set of generally useful quantities for individual X-ray sources, and is designed to satisfy the needs of a broad-based group of scientists, including those who may be less familiar with astronomical data analysis in the X-ray regime. The first release of the CSC includes information about 94,676 distinct X-ray sources detected in a subset of public ACIS imaging observations from roughly the first eight years of the Chandra mission. This release of the catalog includes point and compact sources with observed spatial extents <~ 30''. The catalog (1) provides access to the best estimates of the X-ray source properties for detected sources, with good scientific fidelity, and directly supports scientific analysis using the individual source data; (2) facilitates analysis of a wide range of statistical properties for classes of X-ray sources; and (3) provides efficient access to calibrated observational data and ancillary data products for individual X-ray sources, so that users can perform detailed further analysis using existing tools. The catalog includes real X-ray sources detected with flux estimates that are at least 3 times their estimated 1 sigma uncertainties in at least one energy band, while maintaining the number of spurious sources at a level of <~ 1 false source per field for a 100 ks observation. For each detected source, the CSC provides commonly tabulated quantities, including source position, extent, multi-band fluxes, hardness ratios, and variability statistics, derived from the observations in which the source is detected. In addition to these traditional catalog elements, for each X-ray source the CSC includes an extensive set of file-based data products that can be manipulated interactively.Comment: To appear in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 53 pages, 27 figure

Impact of COVID-19 on mental health research: is this the breaking point?

There are many structural problems facing the UK at present, from a weakened National Health Service to deeply ingrained inequality. These challenges extend through society to clinical practice and have an impact on current mental health research, which was in a perilous state even before the coronavirus pandemic hit. In this editorial, a group of psychiatric researchers who currently sit on the Academic Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and represent the breadth of research in mental health from across the UK discuss the challenges faced in academic mental health research. They reflect on the need for additional investment in the specialty and ask whether this is a turning point for the future of mental health research

The RING E3 ligase KEEP ON GOING modulates JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN12 stability

Jasmonate (JA) signaling in plants is mediated by the JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN (JAZ) proteins that repress the activity of several transcription factors regulating JA-inducible gene expression. The hormone JA-isoleucine triggers the interaction of JAZ repressor proteins with the F-box protein CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 (COI1), part of an S-phase kinase-associated protein1/Cullin1/F-box protein COI1 (SCFCOI1) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, and their degradation by the 26S proteasome. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the JAZ family consists of 13 members. The level of redundancy or specificity among these members is currently not well understood. Here, we characterized JAZ12, encoded by a highly expressed JAZ gene. JAZ12 interacted with the transcription factors MYC2, MYC3, and MYC4 in vivo and repressed MYC2 activity. Using tandem affinity purification, we found JAZ12 to interact with SCFCOI1 components, matching with observed in vivo ubiquitination and with rapid degradation after treatment with JA. In contrast to the other JAZ proteins, JAZ12 also interacted directly with the E3 RING ligase KEEP ON GOING (KEG), a known repressor of the ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE5 transcription factor in abscisic acid signaling. To study the functional role of this interaction, we circumvented the lethality of keg loss-of-function mutants by silencing KEG using an artificial microRNA approach. Abscisic acid treatment promoted JAZ12 degradation, and KEG knockdown led to a decrease in JAZ12 protein levels. Correspondingly, KEG overexpression was capable of partially inhibiting COI1-mediated JAZ12 degradation. Our results provide additional evidence for KEG as an important factor in plant hormone signaling and a positive regulator of JAZ12 stability