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Only a minority with mental disorders worldwide receive treatment with negligible coverage of interventions to prevent associated impacts, prevent mental disorders or promote mental well-being. Reasons include insufficient public mental health (PMH) skills and training. An electronic search found limited availability of PMH courses globally. Improved access to PMH training informed by a core curriculum will support sustainable reduction of mental disorders, promotion of population mental health well-being and broad associated impacts across sectors. Regular assessment of PMH training coverage and impact will support sustainable progress.
The World of Sugar, Ulbe Bosma’s compelling historical narrative on how sugar became a global commodity, and the accompanying introductory article in the International Review of Social History raise many fascinating points for further reflection and debate. In this commentary, I wish to highlight several points that resonate strongly with my own work at the Transnational Institute (TNI), a global think tank based in Amsterdam that connects social movements with academics and policymakers. These points of reflection are informed by TNI’s mission and practice of “scholar-activism”: the fact that we seek not only to interpret the world, but also to change it for the better, in particular for those exploited and oppressed classes and social groups. As my work principally involves collaboration with transnational agrarian movements, I pay particular attention to areas of Bosma’s analysis that carry implications for rural working people and for agrarian and environmental justice. This includes the role of sugar in the global land rush, the rise of sugar cane as a “flex crop and commodity”, and the ways in which “rural sugars” can be supported in peasant- and smallholder-based economies and livelihood strategies.
This article establishes a foundation for the development of Marxist approaches to European Union (EU) law. While Marxist scholarship has engaged with European integration throughout its history, it has largely overlooked the legal architecture of the EU. Conversely, EU legal studies have remained largely insulated from Marxist thought, even as critical approaches have begun to gain traction. Bridging this mutual neglect, the article argues that EU law must be understood not as a neutral or technocratic system, but as a central element of capitalist social relations both in Europe, and in terms of Europe’s wider integration in the global market. In this way, EU law is bound up with processes of accumulation, imperialism, and racialised social reproduction. Drawing on key currents within Marxist theory, the article situates EU law within the historical dynamics of capitalist development, demonstrating how a materialist legal analysis can deepen and enrich existing critiques of European integration.
Cette note de recherche vise à offrir une première introduction aux enjeux de la recherche par sondage, en particulier lorsqu’on utilise des données provenant de panels non probabilistes, comme les sondages en ligne. Nous expliquons le concept clé d’ignorabilité, qui aide à comprendre comment les biais de sélection peuvent affecter les résultats, et comment certaines techniques statistiques – comme la post-stratification et le raking – peuvent tenter de les corriger. À l’aide de simulations, nous montrons dans quels contextes ces méthodes peuvent fonctionner, et dans quels cas elles échouent. Les résultats suggèrent que les sondages non probabilistes présentent des limites importantes pour produire des estimations valides, mais qu’il existe aussi des pistes pour en améliorer l’usage, surtout dans le contexte actuel où ces données sont de plus en plus courantes en sciences sociales.
The authors examine the 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 US censuses to identify demographic characteristics of children who resided in public and private institutions for minors, with special attention to patterns of racial segregation and exclusion. The article focuses on public and private institutions founded exclusively to serve children and youth and also on correctional institutions for children and adults. The authors found racial segregation in private institutions, underrepresentation of children of color in both private and public institutions, and overrepresentation of boys of color in correctional institutions for minors and adults. They also identified a historical pattern, with few exceptions, of excluding girls of color from all types of public and private institutions.
This paper examines the impact of weather conditions on wheat production in the Florence and Siena regions in the early modern age, emphasizing the need to contextualize this influence within historical, geographical, and economic frameworks. Our quantitative findings suggest that, on average, hotter and wetter spring and summer weather conditions were beneficial for wheat yields in early modern Tuscany, though this relationship holds true only within a certain optimal range; otherwise, extreme conditions are detrimental. However, the boundaries between optimal and non-optimal conditions vary based on the historical, economic, and geographical context, ultimately determining the level of agricultural productivity. Specifically, we argue that two macro causes – primary production factors and the degree of market volatility – play a crucial role in shaping the effects of weather on agricultural outcomes. First, soil conditions, technology (broadly defined), and capital-labour ratios are the most significant determinants of agricultural productivity. Second, competitive and integrated markets, when supported by countercyclical institutions – in our case, the annona system – can mitigate the negative consequences of adverse weather by reducing the resulting volatility. Where such institutions are weak or absent, speculation (i.e., hoarding), driven by price expectations under high volatility, may arise and amplify disruptions.
Certain prescription drugs used during pregnancy are associated with offspring autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Nonetheless, ASD risk following prenatal exposure to most drugs remains unknown. Furthermore, methodological challenges and ethical concerns hinder the scope for causal inference.
Methods
We used a case-cohort study design of a nationally representative sample from Israel to examine the associations between maternal prescription drug use during pregnancy and offspring ASD. To scrutinize these associations, the analyses were (a) adjusted for indication proxy (level 2 Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) codes), (b) repeated using shared pharmacological targets as exposures, and (c) inspected further through target-enrichment analysis.
Results
The sample included 1,400 individuals with and 94,713 without an ASD diagnosis. Among all drugs prescribed during pregnancy, five were statistically significantly associated with increased offspring ASD risk after adjustment for indication proxy (e.g., hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] cyproterone = 2.71 [1.17–6.25] and prednisolone = 2.10 [1.27–3.49]), and two with decreased risk (ferrous sulfate = 0.82 [0.68, 0.99] and lynestrenol = 0.43 [0.2, 0.93]). Further analysis revealed four pharmacological targets shared by these drugs, which were themselves associated with ASD (e.g., neuronal acetylcholine receptor α4β4 = 1.45 [1.05–1.99] and serotonin 2b receptor = 1.31 [1.04–1.61]). Enrichment analysis suggested the association between ASD and medications affecting cholinergic and serotonergic signaling.
Conclusions
Increased ASD risk followed prenatal exposure to five prescription drugs, and decreased risk followed exposure to two. Subsequent analyses suggested no confounding by indication in these associations, but further studies are warranted.
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder with heterogeneous outcomes that depend heavily on symptom stability as a prerequisite for psychosocial rehabilitation and reintegration. Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) are a relevant treatment tools that can help advance meaningful outcomes through improved antipsychotic adherence and relapse prevention, deliver pharmacokinetic advantages less achievable with oral formulations, improve patient autonomy, increase functioning, and reduce the risk of premature mortality even more than oral antipsychotics. However, LAIs remain largely underutilized. Non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors for relapse are summarized, potential advantages and disadvantages of LAIs are reviewed, and myths and misconceptions regarding LAIs are outlined and contrasted with evidence. This information is crucial when engaging in shared decision-making and motivational interviewing to educate patients and caregivers about the treatment option of LAIs, including in early illness stages. Since the first episode and early phases of schizophrenia are a defining time, choosing treatments with the greatest potential for improved outcomes is key. In adults with multi-episode schizophrenia, LAIs have shown superiority over oral antipsychotics for relapse/hospitalization and a variety of multiple other efficacy, effectiveness, functionality, and survival metrics. Additionally, LAIs have shown superiority over oral antipsychotics in patients with first-episode/ or early-phase illness, at least in meaningful subgroups of studies and patients that point toward superiority in settings, individuals, and treatment paradigms that more closely match clinical care. Based on this evidence, hesitancies to discuss and offer LAIs in clinical care need to be overcome, framing LAIs not as a last resort but a viable first-line/earlyphase treatment option that can meaningfully transform the long-term course of schizophrenia.
Parental criminality is a risk factor for crime, but little is known about why some individuals exposed to this risk refrain from crime. We explored associations of resting heart rate (RHR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), cognitive ability (CA), and psychological functioning (PF) with criminal convictions among men with a convicted parent, accounting for unmeasured familial factors in sibling analyses. Data were obtained from Swedish registers, including all men born in Sweden between 1958 and 1992 with a convicted parent (N = 495,109), followed for up to 48 years. The potential protective factors were measured at mandatory conscription. Outcomes were conviction of any, violent, and non-violent crime. Survival analyses were used to test for associations, adjusting for measured covariates and unmeasured familial factors. Higher levels of RHR, SBP, CA, and PF were associated with reduced risk of criminality after adjusting for covariates. RHR associations were largely explained by familial factors. CA and PF associations were not due to sibling-shared confounders, in line with a causal interpretation. SBP results, indicating a protective effect against non-violent crime, warrant further investigation.
Continuous monitoring of the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet is crucial to assess its contribution to the rise of sea levels. The GRACE and GRACE-FO missions have provided monthly estimates of the Earth’s gravity field since 2002, which have been widely used to estimate monthly mass changes of ice sheets. However, there is an 11 month gap between the two missions. Here, we propose a data-driven approach that combines atmospheric variables from the ERA5 reanalysis with GRACE-derived mass anomalies from previous months to predict mass changes. Using an auto-regressive structure, the model is naturally predictive for shorter times without GRACE/-FO observations. The results show a high r2-score (> 0.73) between model predictions and GRACE/-FO observations. Validating the model’s ability to reproduce mass anomalies when observations are available builds confidence in estimates used to bridge the GRACE and GRACE/-FO gap. Although GRACE and GRACE-FO are treated equally by the model, we see a decrease in model performance for the period covered by GRACE-FO, indicating that they may not be as well-calibrated as previously assumed. Gap predictions align well with mass change estimates derived from other geodetic methods and remain within the uncertainty envelope of the GRACE-FO observations.
Let G be a locally compact, Hausdorff, second countable groupoid and A be a separable, $C_0(G^{(0)})$-nuclear, G-$C^*$-algebra. We prove the existence of quasi-invariant, completely positive and contractive lifts for equivariant, completely positive and contractive maps from A into a separable, quotient $C^*$-algebra. Along the way, we construct the Busby invariant for G-actions.
Newgrange, the Neolithic monument and centerpiece of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage complex, is a high-profile example of prehistoric societies’ observation of, and reverence for, solar events. Comparatively little is known about how these concepts were remembered by those using Newgrange over subsequent millennia. While excavations have uncovered large quantities of later material culture, debate continues about what these subsequent activities represent. We combine zooarchaeological, radiocarbon, and isotopic evidence to assess the nature and seasonality of human–animal–environment relationships at Newgrange. Results show a concentration of feasting activity, focused on pigs, dating to 2600–2450 BC and indicate that most pigs were slaughtered shortly after a period of rapid, pannage-fueled weight gain. This seasonal specificity indicates feasting likely occurred in the weeks around the winter solstice and suggests that, centuries after passage tomb construction ended, practices at Newgrange continued to focus on the general winter solstice timeframe. We also connect a unique isotopic signature for mast (tree nuts) with pannage husbandry, a pattern that should allow for reinterpretation of archaeological pig diets and human–woodland relationships across Europe.
This paper examines rates of physical restraint and seclusion under the Mental Health Act 2001 in acute adult psychiatry inpatient facilities (“approved centres”) in Ireland.
Methods:
Analysis of rates of physical restraint and seclusion in acute adult approved centres in Ireland in 2023, based on data made publicly available by the Mental Health Commission, Health Research Board, and Central Statistics Office.
Results:
Rates of physical restraint vary 16-fold between approved centres, ranging from 116 episodes of physical restraint per 100,000 population per year to 7 per 100,000 population, with a national rate of 39 per 100,000 population. Among the six approved centres with the highest rates of physical restraint, five are in Dublin (i.e. urban). Among approved centres that use seclusion, rates vary 19-fold, ranging from 38 episodes of seclusion per 100,000 population to 2 per 100,000 population, with a national rate of 15 per 100,000 population.
Conclusions:
There are within-country variations in rates of physical restraint and seclusion in Ireland, but these are of a lesser magnitude than between-country variations. Overall, Ireland’s rates of restrictive practices are lower than those in other jurisdictions, consistent with Ireland’s low rate of involuntary admission. Future research could usefully focus on the relationship between restrictive practices and urbanicity, among other themes.
This analysis evaluated potential differences in subjective well-being (SW) among patients with early-phase schizophrenia (SZ) randomized to treatment with either long-acting injectable (LAI) or oral aripiprazole or paliperidone within the “European Long-acting Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia Trial” (EULAST).
Methods
A total of 478 patients were followed for up to 19 months. SW was measured using the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic Treatment scale (SWN). Linear mixed-effects models assessed treatment differences. Comprehensive analyses included age, sex, symptomatology (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS]), and side effects (Systematic Monitoring of Adverse Events Related to Treatments [SMARTS] and St. Hans rating scale [SHRS] for extrapyramidal syndromes) on SWN changes.
Results
Overall, SW improved over the course of the study. No significant differences emerged between LAI and oral administration (p = 0.1533) or between aripiprazole and paliperidone (p = 0.2008). Similarly, age and sex were not relevant in this regard. In contrast, negative, positive, and affective symptoms (all p < 0.0001) as well as the overall side effect burden (SMARTS sum-score, p < 0.0001) showed significant inverse associations with SW. Certain SHRS subscales correlated with SW in partial models, but associations disappeared in the fully adjusted model.
Conclusions
Patients with SZ initiating LAI or oral treatment with aripiprazole or paliperidone reported comparable SW improvements. Findings emphasize that treatment choice should be guided less by formulation or substance and more by individual patient needs, prioritizing symptom control while minimizing adverse effects. A patient-centered approach remains essential to optimize both clinical outcomes and subjective well-being in early-phase SZ.
Hookworms are common parasites of Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), typically identified as Uncinaria criniformis. The taxonomic distinction from Uncinaria stenocephala, a species found in dogs and foxes, has long been debated. In this study, we molecularly characterized U. criniformis from a Eurasian badger in Romania using genome skimming. We assembled the complete mitochondrial genome and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region from 2 adult hookworms morphologically consistent with U. criniformis. Phylogenetic analysis of 12 mitochondrial protein-coding genes demonstrated strongly supported clade of U. criniformis with Ancylostoma spp. ITS rDNA and cox1 sequence comparisons revealed only 92.4–92.8% and 88.0–88.5% identity, respectively, between U. criniformis and U. stenocephala, confirming their molecular distinctiveness. In contrast, our sequences showed >99% identity to sequences from Arthrostoma leucurus, a hookworm recently described from the Asian badger (Meles leucurus), suggesting conspecificity. These findings support the validity of U. criniformis as a distinct species parasitizing M. meles, and we propose A. leucurus as a junior synonym of U. criniformis. Our results highlight the polyphyly of the genus Uncinaria and point to the need for broader mitogenomic sampling of hookworms. The molecular markers generated here provide a reference for future parasitological surveys and wildlife disease studies.
Should people be protected by law from discrimination on the grounds of political affiliation and belief? I argue that individuals’ democratic right to exercise political agency – which implies freedom of association and freedom to express one’s political belief – requires that individuals should not be vulnerable to being treated disadvantageously because of their political affiliation and belief. To accomplish this, the protectorate of discrimination law should be expanded where relevant to include that characteristic. Moreover, in contexts where political and specifically affective polarisation is severe, the risk of such treatment increases, further justifying the legal innovation. While this thesis has received almost no prior discussion in the literature on the normative justification of discrimination law, and is revisionary in the UK and the USA, this absence is striking both in a comparative legal context and especially given the centrality of these freedoms to democratic politics.
Heirs’ property is a form a land tenure that can negatively impact landowners, particularly those who want to use their land for agricultural purposes. Over the past decade there has been an increase in legal reforms and assistance programs aimed at addressing issues associated with heirs’ property. Yet, this phenomenon has received little attention in the applied economics literature. With the aim of motivating future economic research, we make the following two contributions. First, we synthesize the existing multi-disciplinary literature on heirs’ property into an economically tractable framework. Second, we use parcel-level tax record data from 2015 and 2021 to track changes to the amount of heirs’ property over time and examine its rate of formation net of land leaving heirs’ property. We examine the changes to heirs’ property on non-agricultural and agricultural parcels (and the number of acres of land within parcels) separately. We find that the total number of parcels and acres, on non-agricultural lands, declined by about one percent and six percent, respectively. Whereas, acreage on heirs’ property agricultural lands decreased by about two percent. These small changes mask large transitions in and out of heirs’ property. Our estimates suggest that the formation of heirs’ property persists today and offsets most of the reductions obtained from land leaving heirs’ property. Additional analysis reveals significant heterogeneity across regions and localities.
Analysis of feeder and early weaned pig markets, important segments in pork production, is nearly nonexistent. We derive and estimate a structural econometric model relating demand and supply for market hogs, feeder pigs, and early weaned pigs. Estimates from the econometric model predict how disruptions are transmitted through hog and pig markets. Results indicate that hog and pig markets are most sensitive to hog processing plant utilization relative to capacity and that this sensitivity has increased compared to prior estimates. A set of counterfactual scenarios quantify the effects of shocks to hog processing capacity, wholesale pork demand, and supply response.
Epistemic democrats indirectly evaluate democratic decisions by directly evaluating the inputs into the election. However, the fundamental problem of measurement in the philosophy of science shows that procedures are often as difficult to evaluate as outcomes. This paper brings this highly refined framework into political philosophy to show that epistemic democrats face an analogous ‘fundamental problem of evaluation’. This cross-fertilization of political philosophy with the philosophy of science shows that the quality of democratic mechanisms and their inputs regarding their ability to track the truths of justice is as difficult to evaluate as the quality of the resulting decisions themselves.