“You Have Caused All of This, It’s All Your Fault”: An Argument for the Application of Grievance-Fuelled Violence Frameworks to the Prevention of Male-Perpetrated Intimate Partner Homicide

Male-perpetrated intimate partner homicide (IPH) is one of the most common forms of homicide globally. Because of extensive research undertaken over the past 15 years, our understanding of why and under what circumstances IPH occurs has developed rapidly. There is also considerable evidence that traditional responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) are, in most cases, ineffective at preventing the escalation of harm. Considered in tandem, this research and evidence provide impetus to consider the potential of prevention models developed to address other forms of violence. This article highlights the empirical and theoretical similarities between perpetrators of grievance-fuelled violence and IPV and IPH. Using this evidence, an argument is made for applying a grievance-fuelled violence framework in IPH prevention

IT-Supported Organizational Prosociality: An Exploration of Values, Structure, and Power

This conceptual paper reports on ongoing research exploring the expanding realm of organizational prosociality within the Information Systems (IS) discipline beyond the for-profit/non-profit dichotomy. We aim to develop a taxonomy to assess and categorize IT requirements in organizations that vary in their core values, control structures, and authority. This framework, when completed, aims to deepen understanding of how IT aligns with and supports the diverse motives and operational models of prosocial organizations. Our preliminary findings indicate the necessity for adaptable IT systems that resonate with an organization\u27s ethos, governance style, and power strategies, fostering both operational efficiency and community engagement. We expect to contribute to the IS literature by offering a nuanced perspective on IT\u27s role in enhancing organizational prosociality in varying organizational contexts

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Green Social Prescribing in practice: A case study of Walsall, UK

This paper presents a case study of Green Social Prescribing (GSP) in Walsall, a medium-sized urban area located in the West Midlands, UK. GSP is a means of enabling health professionals to refer people to a range of local non-clinical nature-based activities, e.g., community gardening and conservation volunteering. As a new practice to address multiple challenges in health and sustainability, GSP has been promoted by the UK government and the NHS in the past few years. There is as yet limited evidence and knowledge about how this approach is implemented at a local level. This paper addresses this gap of knowledge, by exploring how GSP is implemented in Walsall as a case study. Based on extensive engagement and research activities with the local partners to collect data, this paper reveals the local contexts of GSP, the referral pathways, and people's lived experience, discussing the challenges, barriers, and opportunities in delivering GSP at the local level. This study suggests that a more collaborative and genuine place-based approach is essential, and alongside GSP, investment into infrastructure is needed to move the health paradigm further from 'prevention' to 'promotion' so that more people can benefit from what nature can offer

Effects of dietary recommendations for reducing free sugar intakes, on free sugar intakes, dietary profiles and anthropometry: a randomised controlled trial

Free sugar intakes are currently higher than recommended for health, yet effective strategies for reducing consumption are yet to be elucidated. This work investigated the effects of different dietary recommendations for reducing free sugar intakes, on relevant outcomes, in UK adults consuming >5% total energy intake (TEI) from free sugars. Using a randomized controlled parallel-group design, 242 adults received nutrient-based (N=61), nutrient- and food-based (N=60), nutrient-, food- and food-substitution-based (N=63) or no (N=58) recommendations for reducing free sugars at a single timepoint, with effects assessed for the following 12 weeks. Primary outcomes were free sugar intakes as a percentage of TEI (%FS) and adherence to the recommendations at week 12. Secondary outcomes included TEI, diet composition, sugar-sweetened and low-calorie-sweetened food consumption and anthropometry. In Intention-to-Treat analyses adjusted for baseline measures, %FS reduced in intervention groups (%FSchange=-2.5 to -3.3%) compared to control (%FSchange=-1.2%) (smallest B=-0.573, p=0.03), with effects from week 1 until week 12, and no differences between interventions (largest B=0.352, p=0.42). No effects of intervention were found in dietary profiles, but change in %FS was associated with change in %TEI from non-sugar carbohydrate (B=0.141, p<0.01) and from protein (B=-0.171, p=0.02). Body weight was also lower at week 12 in intervention groups compared to control (B=-0.377, p<0.05), but associations with %FS were weak. Our findings demonstrate benefit from dietary recommendations for reducing free sugar intakes in UK adults. Limited advantages were found for the different dietary recommendations, but variety may offer individual choice

ARE EXPOSURE PREDICTIONS, USED FOR THE PRIORITISATION OF PHARMACEUTICALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT, FIT FOR PURPOSE?

Prioritisation methodologies are often used for identifying those pharmaceuticals that pose the greatest risk to the natural environment and to focus laboratory testing or environmental monitoring towards pharmaceuticals of greatest concern. Risk-based prioritisation approaches, employing models to derive exposure concentrations, are commonly used but the reliability of these models is unclear. The present study evaluated the accuracy of exposure models commonly used for pharmaceutical prioritisation. Targeted monitoring was conducted for 95 pharmaceuticals in the Rivers Foss and Ouse in the City of York, UK. Predicted environmental concentration (PEC) ranges were estimated based on localised prescription, hydrological data, reported metabolism and wastewater treatment plant (WwTP) removal rates, and were compared to measured environmental concentrations (MECs). For the River Foss, PECs, obtained using highest metabolism and lowest WwTP removal, were similar to MECs. In contrast, this trend was not observed for the River Ouse, possibly due to pharmaceutical inputs beyond our modelling. Pharmaceuticals were ranked by risk based on either MECs or PECs. With two exceptions (dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine), risk ranking based on both MECs and PECs produced similar results in the River Foss. Overall, these findings indicate that PECs may well be appropriate for prioritisation of pharmaceuticals in the environment when robust and local data on the system of interest are available and reflective of most source inputs to the system. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

A high‐resolution spatial model to predict exposure to pharmaceuticals in European surface waters – ePiE

Environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals requires the determination of their environmental exposure concentrations. Existing exposure modelling approaches are often computationally demanding, require extensive data collection and processing efforts, have a limited spatial resolution, and have undergone limited evaluation against monitoring data. Here, we present ePiE (exposure to Pharmaceuticals in the Environment), a spatially explicit model calculating concentrations of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in surface waters across Europe at ~1 km resolution. ePiE strikes a balance between generating data on exposure at high spatial resolution while having limited computational and data requirements. Comparison of model predictions with measured concentrations of a diverse set of 35 APIs in the river Ouse (UK) and Rhine basins (North West Europe), showed around 95% were within an order of magnitude. Improved predictions were obtained for the river Ouse basin (95% within a factor of 6; 55% within a factor of 2), where reliable consumption data were available and the monitoring study design was coherent with the model outputs. Application of ePiE in a prioritisation exercise for the Ouse basin identified metformin, gabapentin, and acetaminophen as priority when based on predicted exposure concentrations. After incorporation of toxic potency, this changed to desvenlafaxine, loratadine and hydrocodone

People, place and purpose: Place-based approaches to ecological citizenship

Humanity faces serious challenges in the coming decades: climate change, biodiversity loss, growing inequality, and more. These systemic global crises cannot be tackled in isolation because they are all interconnected. But our systems are not fit enough to deliver a good balance of environmental and social goals. We have a collection of rules and norms that reward some behaviours and punish others. In their current form, our systems seem to incentivise overconsumption, degrade communal bonds, and destroy natural wealth. But this is not inevitable or unavoidable; it is simply how our socio-economic structures have evolved to operate. The researchers in this project believe that place-based approaches and community engaged arts practices around the theme of sustainability, can enable a growing network of ecological citizens. In this paper we will explore how through creative arts practices, sharing ideas, thoughts, and questions and learning from best practices at a local, national, and international level from a variety of partners can create sustenance for a community-based network. Ways of building a network of new and existing place-based arts research and knowledge exchange which has the potential to include children and young people in the decision-making process, will be considered. We will consider how examples with embedded creative practice, such as community growers/larders/kitchens, forest schools etc., support partnership working within place-based projects. We will also discuss a people-centred approach to helping stakeholders, children, and young people, to make transitional choices, mitigate against negative consequences and empower local agency, in different localities. We will aim to show how diverse groups of people can begin to make impactful change through for example, community-focused approaches and community-led practices, activism and collective learning, advocacy, and design thinking in projects. We are defining ecological citizenship as accessible activities and skills which establish sustainable practice(s) and/or address ecological inequalities. This is also encompassed in our approach to the project, to our contextual surroundings, materials we use (and more) as an act of citizenship towards each other and the ecosystem

Preferable, contextual and sustainable… climate futures for Ecological Citizen(s)

The responsibility for sustainable futures extends beyond individual disciplines, necessitating the adoption of diverse approaches across various fields. Water pollution is at epidemic levels, valuable materials go to landfill, ocean detritus grows, many people are disconnected from green space, and biodiversity is plummeting. We need new modes of climate futures, championing citizen agency. Societies require cross-collaborative, inclusive approaches to navigate climate future challenges. We seek to foresee ‘climate futures’ that signpost challenges, unpicking(appropriate) opportunities, benefits, and pitfalls. Through an Ecological Citizenship lens, the authors traverse situations, through preferable futures. It is an entry point for transition design, creating climate tangibility surrounding our everyday lives. The article unpicks and communicates ‘preferable futures’, conceptualising how Ecological Citizenship could be deployed. We report on workshops which yielded insights from different organisational perspectives. Insights were illustrated for public audiences. Narratives navigate ecologically engaged forms of citizenship

Application of prioritization approaches to optimize environmental monitoring and testing of pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals are ubiquitous in the natural environment with concentrations expected to rise as human population increases. Environmental risk assessments are available for a small portion of pharmaceuticals in use, raising concerns over the potential risks posed by other drugs that have little or no data. With >1900 active pharmaceutical ingredients in use, it would be a major task to test all of the compounds with little or no data. Desk-based prioritization studies provide a potential solution by identifying those substances that are likely to pose the greatest risk to the environment and which, therefore, need to be considered a priority for further study. The aim of this review was to (1) provide an overview of different prioritization exercises performed for pharmaceuticals in the environment and the results obtained; and (2) propose a new holistic risk-based prioritization framework for drugs in the environment. The suggested models to underpin this framework are discussed in terms of validity and applicability. The availability of data required to run the models was assessed and data gaps identified. The implementation of this framework may harmonize pharmaceutical prioritization efforts and ensure that, in the future, experimental resources are focused on molecules, endpoints, and environmental compartments that are biologically relevant