Comprehensive Care: Harm Reduction and the Opioid Epidemic

Comprehensive Care: Harm Reduction and the Opioid Epidemic aims to delve deeper into the realities of opioid addiction and assess proposed prevention strategies by acknowledging the driving factors (biological, psychological, and social) and consequences of opioid abuse. Intervention strategies are offered from various access points ranging from the federal to individual level. The research conducted has shown that all access points must be considered for the success of prevention and treatment efforts. The intent of this paper is to argue that the proposed strategies are necessary steps to be taken if the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 (good health and wellbeing) and 10 (reduced inequalities) are to be accomplished

Intertidal collection within the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast European Marine Site : investigating the scale, locale, and ecological impacts of harvesting Arenicola marina, Arenicola defodiens, and Littorina littorea

PhD ThesisRobust evidence of fisheries impacts, fishing intensity, and spatial distribution of fishers are required, driven by a push towards evidence based management, and the trend towards Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). Intertidal fisheries have received considerably less research and management attention to date compared to inshore and offshore counterparts. The need for additional intertidal fisheries data, specifically within European Marine Sites (EMS), has been identified. This research focusses on the collection of lugworms Arenicola marina and Arenicola defodiens, and periwinkle Littorina littorea within the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast European Marine Site (BNNC EMS), UK. This thesis aims to provide an interdisciplinary evidence base for marine managers and future research to build upon. Comparisons of sites experiencing a gradient of fishing pressure at the EMS scale, combined with small scale experimental disturbances, revealed the potential and actual impacts of local harvesting regimes. Data on the target species revealed no significant impacts between sites, suggesting that at current collection intensities, Northumberland populations of neither periwinkle nor lugworm are reduced or altered by fishing beyond naturally occurring levels. Community assessments revealed no observable impacts on the rocky shore, but sediment communities were negatively impacted with reductions in infaunal abundance and taxonomic richness, and altered community structure observed between sites and treatments. Recovery timescales were investigated and discussed. Fisher distribution was mapped from shore observations, highlighting collection hotspots, and combined with questionnaire data to estimate biomass removal, with economic value discussed. Adherence to current fisheries regulations were ii investigated, revealing a shortfall in existing enforcement measures, with illegal night time collection especially prevalent at some sites. Commercial and recreational collection characteristics were contrasted, and identification features recommended. Finally, spatial models of habitat suitability, sensitivity, and vulnerability were produced for the lugworm fishery, assessing the appropriateness of current spatial management measures. The spatial extent of existing bait digging byelaws included most of the highly vulnerable areas identified in the model outputs, with suggestions to further improve the coverage discussed.Natural England and the Funds for Women Graduates charity

Hate the sin, blame the sinner : the effects of language on attitudes toward substance use disorders

The reported study aims to explain the role syntactic choices, such as noun form, can have on the perceived persuasiveness of arguments related to opioid use disorders. In addition to these syntactical choices, the author was also interested in how semantic differences, such as argument frames, can influence persuasiveness. Participants (N=764) were exposed to one of eight op-ed style essays using different argument frames (health crisis vs. moral crisis), different noun forms referred to as actor nouns (addicts) and activity nouns (addiction), and different diagnostic labels (addiction vs. abuse). This study found that argument frames and nominal form can influence audience perceptions of agency and responsibility in people living with opioid use disorders. These differing perceptions of agency appeared to influence the persuasiveness of essays prescribing differing degrees of punishments for individuals’ living with substance use disorders.Communication Studie

Fifty-year study of microplastics ingested by brachyuran and fish larvae in the central English North Sea

\ua9 2023 The Authors. Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants in marine environments. Among the many detrimental consequences of microplastic pollution, its consumption by marine biota is of particular relevance for human health, due to exposure through the food web. Long-term time-series biotic samples are overlooked sources of information for microplastics research. These collections are extremely valuable for the detection and monitoring of changes in marine environments. However, there are very few long-term studies (>10 years) of the uptake of microplastics by biota. Here, we used Dove Time Series planktonic samples (from 1971 to 2020) to assess the presence and prevalence of microplastics in the English North Sea coast over time. Fish and brachyuran larvae were selected due to their commercial importance and consequent implications for human health. A custom enzymatic digestion method was used to extract microplastics for FTIR-ATR polymer identification. An increasing cumulative trend in MP ingestion was identified. Cellophane and polyethylene terephthalate were the polymer types found most frequently in both taxa. Although a total higher microplastics uptake was observed in fish, consumption was not significantly different between taxa over time. Equally, results were not clearly related to microplastics shape or polymer type. This work did not find significant long-term evidence on the increasing uptake of microplastic particles by zooplankton over time. However, the results of this report identified additives, plasticisers, and other more complex and hazardous compounds that should not be released to the environment (e.g., bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimerate, propylene glycol ricinoleate) inside marine biota. The study detailed herein provides a case study for the use of long-term time-series in providing accurate assessments of microplastic pollution in marine biota

Designing maps to support native title negotiation and arbitration in Australia

An understanding of the space around us (spatiality) is fundamental to our consciousness and in the explanation of heritage• the idea that a map represents both the world we live in and our experiences of it For example, the visual language of Aboriginal maps represents a synergistic amalgam of the metaphorical, metaphysical and material worlds. Thus maps can be said \0 be representations that facilitate an understanding of things, concepts, conditions, processes or events in the human world and provide a way of ordering our knowledge of our environment Our research is concerned with the exploration of these concepts in the context of the design of maps arid other graphics to support negotiations and legal proceedings regarding native title land tenure claims in Australia. This paper reports progress on the muHidisciplinary research project at Murdoch University, involving the principal disciplines of information systems, cartography and law. The research project is examining how information systems may be best utilised to support the variety of (often competing) interests of the various parties involved in native title claims. It also addresses important methodological issues relating to the analysis, design and evaluation of information systems which accommodate users w~h different cultural backgrounds. Spatial representations of various kinds (including maps) can help bridge the .cultural gap and support the empathetic process so critical to successful negotiation and arbitration. The design of appropriate maps and other graphics to support negotiation and arbitration procedures reiated to native @e claims needs to be considered within the context of the information systems in which they are used. In turn, the design of the information systems must be based on an understanding Of the decision making environment within which they are Situated and the characteristics of system users. This requires the detailed analysis of the procedures used and the roles of the various people involved. This process enables a clear understanding of the purpose of each graphic (or graphic sequence) to be developed and hence its deSign in the most cogent and effective manner. The paper reports on research findings regarding the use of trad~ional and innovative procedures for the design of information systems; and maps and other graphic products. The relationship of these procedures to Aboriginal concepts of place and representational style is also explored

What is underneath all that stuff? A Q-methodological exploration of profiles of beliefs and vulnerabilities in Hoarding Disorder

Background: Hoarding disorder (HD) can be understood through the cognitive behavioural model in the context of vulnerability factors (for example, personality traits, co-morbidities, traumatic life events) and beliefs about possessions (for example, identity, emotional attachment, memory, utility). Less is known about the strength of these hypothesised beliefs, or how they interact within the hoarding population, with researchers suggesting that specifying beliefs would improve treatment outcomes. Aim: The current study explored beliefs in HD, utilising Q-methodology to explore both categories of beliefs and the interactions between these. Moreover, Q-methodology allowed for comparison of the individuals endorsing specific categories of beliefs. Method: A comprehensive list of beliefs about possessions was developed. Thirty-two adults with clinically significant levels of HD completed a Q-sort task, alongside measures of proposed vulnerabilities, including co-morbidity, trauma and attachment style. Results: Q-factor analysis produced four profiles consisting of groups of participants who endorsed the same beliefs and had shared characteristics: (1) ‘Expression of identity’, (2) ‘Responsibility and morality’, (3) ‘Stability and predictability’, and (4) ‘Objects as emotional and meaningful beings’. Discussion: The profiles were distinguished by different categories of beliefs and co-morbid symptoms, suggesting that more targeted assessment tools and interventions would be beneficial to account for this heterogeneity within the clinical population. In particular, beliefs about identity and self-concept formed the largest profile, and beliefs about stability and predictability introduce a novel category of beliefs.</p

New kid on the block: first record of juvenile American lobster, Homarus americanus H. Milne Edwards, 1837, in European waters

This is the final version. Available on open access from REABIC via the DOI in this recordA juvenile American lobster, Homarus americanus, H. Milne Edwards, 1837, was recorded for the first time in European waters in August 2019, with the capture of a single early benthic phase specimen during surveys along the North East England coast. Identification was determined by a combination of morphological and molecular approaches. The record raises serious questions of whether the species is now breeding in the region, with associated implications for its invasiveness. The mechanisms of introduction, invasion status, risks to native shellfisheries, and directions of future study are discussed.European Maritime and Fisheries FundNewcastle UniversityEuropean Regional Development Fund (ERDF

Face morphology: Can it tell us something about body weight and fat?

This paper proposes a method for an automatic extraction of geometric features, related to weight parameters, from 3D facial data acquired with low-cost depth scanners. The novelty of the method relies both on the processing of the 3D facial data and on the definition of the geometric features which are conceptually simple, robust against noise and pose estimation errors, computationally efficient, invariant with respect to rotation, translation, and scale changes. Experimental results show that these measurements are highly correlated with weight, BMI, and neck circumference, and well correlated with waist and hip circumference, which are markers of central obesity. Therefore the proposed method strongly supports the development of interactive, non-obtrusive systems able to provide a support for the detection of weight-related problems