Fair Labor Association 2008 Annual Report

Encourages the shift towards sustainable compliance by factories to labor standards by comparing data from 2007 and 2008, after changes were made. Breaks up data by company

Limit points of lines of minima in Thurston's boundary of Teichmueller space

Given two measured laminations mu and nu in a hyperbolic surface which fill up the surface, Kerckhoff [Lines of Minima in Teichmueller space, Duke Math J. 65 (1992) 187-213] defines an associated line of minima along which convex combinations of the length functions of mu and nu are minimised. This is a line in Teichmueller space which can be thought as analogous to the geodesic in hyperbolic space determined by two points at infinity. We show that when mu is uniquely ergodic, this line converges to the projective lamination [mu], but that when mu is rational, the line converges not to [mu], but rather to the barycentre of the support of mu. Similar results on the behaviour of Teichmueller geodesics have been proved by Masur [Two boundaries of Teichmueller space, Duke Math. J. 49 (1982) 183-190].Comment: Published by Algebraic and Geometric Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/agt/AGTVol3/agt-3-9.abs.htm

Workshop - Pre-IS Involvement Workshop

This is a workshop that was presented during the AIS National Student Chapter Leadership Conference (SCLC) 2021 covering the pre-IS involvement of students

Less to lose? Drought impact and vulnerability assessment in disadvantaged regions

Droughts hit the most vulnerable people the hardest. When this happens, everybody in the economy loses over the medium- to long-term. Proactive policies and planning based on vulnerability and risk assessments can reduce drought risk before the worst impacts occur. The aim of this article is to inform a global initiative, led by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), to mitigate the effects of drought on vulnerable ecosystems and communities. This is approached through a rapid review of experiences from selected nations and of the available literature documenting methodological approaches to assess drought impacts and vulnerability at the local level. The review finds that members of the most vulnerable communities can integrate available methods to assess drought risks to their land and ecosystem productivity, their livelihoods and their life-supporting hydrological systems. This integration of approaches helps to ensure inclusive assessments across communities and ecosystems. However, global economic assessments often still fail to connect to holistic consideration of vulnerability at a local scale. As a result, they routinely fall short of capturing the systemic effects of land and water management decisions that deepen vulnerability to droughts over time. To ensure proactive and inclusive drought risk mitigation, multiscale, systemic approaches to drought vulnerability and risk assessment can be further reinforced at a global level

Highlighting the hidden dangers of a ‘weak’ opioid:Deaths following use of dihydrocodeine in England (2001–2020)

BackgroundDihydrocodeine (DHC) is considered a ‘weak’ opioid, but there is evidence of its increasing misuse in overdose deaths. This research aims to analyse trends in DHC-related deaths in England relevant to source and dose of DHC, and decedent demographics.MethodsCases from England reported to the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths (NPSAD) where DHC was identified at post-mortem and/or implicated in death between 2001 and 2020 were extracted for analysis.Results2071 DHC-related deaths were identified. The greatest number of deaths involved illicitly obtained DHC and a significant increase in these deaths was recorded over time (r = 0.5, p = 0.03). However, there was a concurrent decline in the implication rate of DHC in causing death (r = −0.6, p &lt; 0.01). Fatalities were primarily due to accidental overdose (64.8%) and misuse was highly prevalent in combination with additional central nervous system depressants (95.3%), namely illicit heroin/morphine and diazepam. In contrast, when DHC was obtained over-the-counter (OTC) suicide mortality accounted for almost half of the deaths (42.5%). Differences in polysubstance use were also identified, with less heroin/morphine and benzodiazepine co-detection, but increased OTC codeine co-detection.ConclusionsDHC misuse in England is increasing. The pharmacological consideration of DHC as a ‘weak’ opioid may be misinterpreted by users, leading to accidental overdosing. There is an urgent need to understand increasing polypharmacy in overdose deaths. Additionally, suicides involving DHC is a potential cause for concern and a review of OTC opioid-paracetamol preparations is necessary to determine whether the benefits of these medications continue to outweigh the risks of intentional overdose.</p

Workplace interventions to prevent suicide:A scoping review

Objectives: To map organisational interventions for workplace suicide prevention, identifying the effects, mechanisms, moderators, implementation and economic costs, and how interventions are evaluated. Background: Suicide is a devastating event that can have a profound and lasting impact on the individuals and families affected, with the highest rates found among adults of work age. Employers have a legal and ethical responsibility to provide a safe working environment for their employees, which includes addressing the issue of suicide and promoting mental health and well-being. Methods: A realist perspective was taken, to identify within organisational suicide prevention interventions, what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Published and unpublished studies in six databases were searched. To extract and map data on the interventions the Effect, Mechanism, Moderator, Implementation, Economic (EMMIE) framework was used. Mechanisms were deductively analysed against Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological model. Results: From 3187 records screened, 46 papers describing 36 interventions within the military, healthcare, the construction industry, emergency services, office workers, veterinary surgeons, the energy sector and higher education. Most mechanisms were aimed at the individual’s immediate environment, with the most common being education or training on recognising signs of stress, suicidality or mental illness in oneself. Studies examined the effectiveness of interventions in terms of suicide rates, suicidality or symptoms of mental illness, and changes in perceptions, attitudes or beliefs, with most reporting positive results. Few studies reported economic costs but those that did suggested that the interventions are cost-effective. Conclusions: It seems likely that organisational suicide prevention programmes can have a positive impact on attitudes and beliefs towards suicide as well reducing the risk of suicide. Education, to support individuals to recognise the signs and symptoms of stress, mental ill health and suicidality in both themselves and others, is likely to be an effective starting point for successful interventions