Reframing the Opioid Epidemic as a National Emergency

On August 10, 2017 President Trump announced his intention to declare a national emergency following the recommendation of the White House Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Opioid abuse is among the most consequential preventable public health threats facing the nation. More than 600,000 deaths have occurred to date, with 180,000 more predicted by 2020. Of the 20.5 million US residents 12 years or older with substance use disorders in 2015, 2 million were addicted to prescription pain relievers. A national emergency declaration authorizes public health powers, mobilizes resources, and facilitates innovative strategies to curb a rapidly escalating public health crisis

The digitally resilient student

Going to university is a transition – the opportunity for students to develop learning and often to become more independent. Technology has given students the opportunity to interact in new and exciting ways while also opening up many avenues for students to both spend time and money on; from social media to gaming and gambling, with a variety of applications and platforms to engage with. Many offline activities have now transferred to a virtual context (for example online gambling). With more financial independence and much of the University schedule being unstructured, developing good habits and resilience with technology is a particularly important skill for students

Light and circadian regulation of clock components aids flexible responses to environmental signals

The circadian clock measures time across a 24h period, increasing fitness by phasing biological processes to the most appropriate time of day. The interlocking feedback loop mechanism of the clock is conserved across species; however, the number of loops varies. Mathematical and computational analyses have suggested that loop complexity affects the overall flexibility of the oscillator, including its responses to entrainment signals. We used a discriminating experimental assay, at the transition between different photoperiods, in order to test this proposal in a minimal circadian network (in Ostreococcus tauri) and a more complex network (in Arabidopsis thaliana). Transcriptional and translational reporters in O.tauri primarily tracked dawn or dusk, whereas in A.thaliana, a wider range of responses were observed, consistent with its more flexible clock. Model analysis supported the requirement for this diversity of responses among the components of the more complex network. However, these and earlier data showed that the O.tauri network retains surprising flexibility, despite its simple circuit. We found that models constructed from experimental data can show flexibility either from multiple loops and/or from multiple light inputs. Our results suggest that O.tauri has adopted the latter strategy, possibly as a consequence of genomic reduction

Press trigger for morality: an exploration into the role of moral development, moral decision-making and video game play.

Due to concerns over the psychological effects of playing video games, research into the role of morality and video games needed to be investigated. Some video games contain controversial, potentially morally questionable content, and numerous video games involve moral narratives or require the player to make moral decisions. Thus, both these features in video games show the importance of understanding the role of morality in this virtual space from a psychological perspective, to contribute to the gap in knowledge. Previous research suggests many inconsistencies in the findings; some research reported decisions in a video game were similar to moral decisions made in real-life, whereas other research found amorality in video games. The research contributed original knowledge, by addressing methodological issues, and examining the relationship with different aspects of morality and video game play. Phase 1 examined a variety of video game play factors and moral development. Three hundred and one participants from a Secondary school, Sixth form, and a University, aged between 11 and 27 years completed a questionnaire, which included a measure of moral development (the Sociomoral Reflection Measure) and questions regarding videogame play. The results suggest that different factors predicted low and high moral scores: moral narrative and number of genres played predicted higher moral scores, whereas years playing, average content rating, and playing Grand Theft Auto predicted lower moral scores. Surprisingly, moral development was suggested to transition between ages 12–13, which has not been reported in previous research. Phase 2 examined moral behaviour through the moral decisions of participants as they played a purpose-made game, which was designed and programmed specifically for this research. One hundred and fifteen University undergraduate participants participated. Decision-making was suggested to be slower than expected (not intuitive) which was influenced by the first encounter, suggesting participants were deliberating on their decisions. Overall the in-game instructions were suggested to be the strongest predictor for in-game decisions. Whereas real-life morality, previous game play and post-game measures (e.g. Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and Tangrams help/hurt task) did not significantly predict in-game moral decisions. The implications of the results, moral decision-making and using a purpose-made game was evaluated. In conclusion Phase 1 and 2 of the research undertook the question of the role of morality in video games from two different but complementary approaches; through examining long term moral reasoning and video game play and short term moral decisions in a purpose-made game. Both Phases of the research demonstrated the complex interaction that takes place between the player, the game and morality; in terms of both moral reasoning and decision making with video game play (i.e. genres) and the design of the game (i.e. in-game instructions). Further research is needed to understand the factors which affect moral engagement and disengagement within this interaction, as these can have important short term and long term effects

Indigenous Methodology in Practice: Starting a Community-Based Research Center on the Yakama Reservation

In our paper, we examine the process, possibilities, and tensions of building a new community-based research center at a small liberal arts college on the Yakama Reservation. We view our work with the Center for Native Health & Culture as an example of human rights-based educational transformation, as our work is about honoring indigenous land, community, and values. This mission stands at odds with Western educational approaches, which typically view indigenous peoples, cultures, and well-being as a side note to frequently marginalized campus diversity initiatives. Our work to establish the new research center takes up the challenge of placing indigenous peoples’ health and culture at the center of the academic enterprise. We, as academics engaging in this work on traditional Yakama homeland, are uniquely situated to analyze and articulate this form of academic decolonization work. We draw from the interwoven liberation model proposed by Falcón and Jacob to critically examine our center’s work process and product to articulate our indigenous methodology in practice. Our indigenous methodology is guided by three principles: (a) understanding the importance of partnerships; (b) viewing our work in terms of building on existing strengths within campus and local tribal communities; (c) engaging in work that promotes a vision of academic excellence that has a “good spirit” and inspires all parties involved. We conclude by discussing some of the challenges faced in doing decolonizing work, and affirm the urgent need to further indigenize the academy

Work in Progress: A meta-literature review of Moral Foundations Theory as applied in game studies

This paper outlines an in-progress systematic review of extant research in game studies that has incorporated Moral Foundations Theory (MFT), or relevant extensions of that theory to media entertainment, such as the Moral Intuition and Media Entertainment/Model of Intuitive Morality and Exemplars (MIME). Due to the interdisciplinary nature of these theoretical perspectives as well as game studies broadly, systematic review is critical to helping us collectively understand and collate the research in this area. The systematic review is done in two parts, one as a deep description of the characteristics of included studies, and one as a statistical analysis (as well as a qualitative assessment) of the quality of those included studies. At this stage, an initial set of 24-26 articles focused on gaming and MFT/MIME have been uncovered via systematic database searching, and both study characteristic and study quality coding sheets in progress (shared, within)

Cannabinoid CB1 receptor inhibition blunts adolescent-typical increased binge alcohol and sucrose consumption in male C57BL/6J mice

Increased binge alcohol consumption has been reported among adolescents as compared to adults in both humans and rodent models, and has been associated with serious long-term health consequences. However, the neurochemical mechanism for age differences in binge drinking between adolescents and adults has not been established. The present study was designed to evaluate the mechanistic role of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor in adolescent and adult binge drinking. Binge consumption was established in adolescent and adult male C57BL/6J mice by providing access to 20% alcohol or 1% sucrose for 4h every other day. Pretreatment with the CB1 antagonist/inverse agonist AM-251 (0, 1, 3, and 10mg/kg) in a Latin square design dose-dependently reduced adolescent alcohol consumption to adult levels without altering adult intake. AM-251 (3mg/kg) also reduced adolescent but not adult sucrose consumption. Adolescent reductions in alcohol and sucrose were not associated with alterations in open-field locomotor activity or thigmotaxis. These findings point to age differences in CB1 receptor activity as a functional mediator of adolescent-typical increased binge drinking as compared to adults. Developmental alterations in endocannabinoid signaling in the adolescent brain may therefore be responsible for the drinking phenotype seen in this age group

Teachers’ perceptions of the impact of technology on children and young people's emotions and behaviours

The development of new technology and the central role it plays in current times has allowed an increasing number of children and young people (CYP) to use it on a daily basis for academic, entertainment, and socialisation purposes. Although the role of technology in affecting CYP's mental health and education is well researched, there is a need to investigate the teacher perspective, considering educators’ pivotal role in supporting CYP's wellbeing and learning. Understanding the teacher perspective can provide important information about practical issues surrounding the use of technology in education and can provide insights into how their practices are affected by their views. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate teachers’ views on how use of technology affects CYP's emotions and behaviours. An exploratory, qualitative research approach was taken, and semi-structured interview data was collected from eight teachers and analysed thematically. The results suggested teachers recognised the importance of technology as a learning and teaching tool, as long as it is used in a balanced way; there was also a consensus on the negative consequences of the ‘socioeconomic digital divide’ on CYP's emotions and behaviours. However, they held conflicting opinions on issues related to the impact of technology on socialisation processes, self-esteem, and the demonstration of specific behaviours like social isolation. Teachers’ perceptions can inform strategies for using technology effectively in the classroom and for supporting CYP's mental health and wellbeing, which, now more than ever, should be at the forefront of whole-school approaches

Light and circadian regulation of clock components aids flexible responses to environmental signals

PublishedJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tThe circadian clock measures time across a 24 h period, increasing fitness by phasing biological processes to the most appropriate time of day. The interlocking feedback loop mechanism of the clock is conserved across species; however, the number of loops varies. Mathematical and computational analyses have suggested that loop complexity affects the overall flexibility of the oscillator, including its responses to entrainment signals. We used a discriminating experimental assay, at the transition between different photoperiods, in order to test this proposal in a minimal circadian network (in Ostreococcus tauri) and a more complex network (in Arabidopsis thaliana). Transcriptional and translational reporters in O. tauri primarily tracked dawn or dusk, whereas in A. thaliana, a wider range of responses were observed, consistent with its more flexible clock. Model analysis supported the requirement for this diversity of responses among the components of the more complex network. However, these and earlier data showed that the O. tauri network retains surprising flexibility, despite its simple circuit. We found that models constructed from experimental data can show flexibility either from multiple loops and/or from multiple light inputs. Our results suggest that O. tauri has adopted the latter strategy, possibly as a consequence of genomic reduction.This research was supported by EU FP7 collaborative project TiMet (award 245143), BBSRC and EPSRC awards BB/F005237/1, BB/D019621/1 and BB/J009423 (to A.J.M. and others) and EPSRC award EP/I017445/1 (to O.E.A. and others). C.T.'s work was supported by the Human Frontiers Science Program and the Swedish Research Council (award 2010-5219)