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Naloxone Access and Opioid Use: A Theoretical Analysis
No full textNaloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, is a medication that reverses the potentially fatal effects of an opioid overdose. Amidst the opioid epidemic that has taken tens of thousands of lives each year, many policies have been enacted to increase the public\u27s access to naloxone, allowing non-medical personnel to save lives. There have been two distinct reactions to these policies. Those that support the policies state that harm reduction measures are necessary to save lives. Those that oppose the policies claim that by providing naloxone, states may be increasing risky opioid use - suggesting that naloxone leads to moral hazard. I examine this idea theoretically. Using an expected utility model, I model an individual\u27s decision to use opioids. I show that individuals choose to take higher quantities of opioids as the probability of receiving naloxone increases. I also investigate the motivation behind an individual\u27s choice to choose a ``riskier but cheaper opioid and find that individuals are willing to make this switch to cheaper and riskier substitutes when the decrease in prices sufficiently offsets the difference in risk, or if naloxone access is sufficiently high. This analysis can be used to inform policy recommendations in the future as many U.S. states focus on increasing the public\u27s access to naloxone. Recommendations will differ depending on if the focus is harm reduction or the mitigation of potential moral hazard
The Colby Echo (October 29, 2020)
Get PDFPublished by the students of Colby College since 1877, The Colby Echo is the weekly, editorially independent student-run newspaper of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Published monthly, 1877-1886; semi-monthly, 1886-1897; and weekly, during the academic year, 1898-present
La PMA pour toutes : comment l\u27histoire et la société façonnent la médecine et la bioéthique en France
No full textLa diversification des configurations familiales continue à susciter de vifs débats en France, où il existe encore une sorte d’intolérance à l’égard de ceux qui sortent du modèle « traditionnel » de la famille. Ces dernières années, le développement des techniques de procréation médicalement assistée (PMA) est devenu le sujet d’une forte controverse. Plus spécifiquement, la question de l’accès à la PMA pour des mères « non-normatives » telles que des femmes lesbiennes, célibataires et âgées est d’un intérêt particulier. Jusqu’à maintenant, la discussion sur le droit d’accéder à ces procédures se concentre principalement sur les barrières biologiques, éthiques et logistiques auxquelles ces mères seraient confrontées. Cependant, ce débat, « la PMA pour toutes », devrait être aussi situé dans son contexte historique. On peut donc montrer comment certaines particularités de la société française font de la médecine et la bioéthique des enjeux politiques.
À partir d’une analyse du développement de la politique familiale depuis la Troisième République, principalement les facteurs sociétaux et historiques qui ont influencé le rôle de l’État et les idéologies concernant la famille, ce mémoire montre comment le débat sur la PMA est ancré dans le passé. A travers l’exploration de certaines périodes clés de l’histoire de France, nous proposons une explication des racines de la controverse qui prend en compte non seulement les aspects biologiques et logistiques du débat, mais aussi les facteurs sociétaux et historiques
Measuring Differential Forest Growth in the Sheepscot River Headwaters with Bitemporal Lidar
No full textIn recent years, lidar has proven itself as a forestry tool capable of accurate, large- scale inventories. Lidar has even shown utility in multitemporal analysis and growth assessment, given high-resolution or small-scale point clouds. However, lidar’s efficacy as a multitemporal tool with relatively low-resolution, large-scale datasets is comparatively unknown. In this study, I compared forest in Midcoast Maine bitemporally, with publicly available datasets from the years 2007 and 2012. Specifically, I compared differences in growth characteristics of riparian, wetland, and upland forests. Although the 2007 dataset (created for geomorphological research) and the 2012 dataset (statewide, general-purpose) possess varying point densities and differ in intended use, I detected meaningful change between the two years, though not between these three classes of forest.
Between 2007 and 2012, riparian, wetland, and upland forests grew roughly 140 centimeters. However, these gains were largely balanced out by a similar rate of harvest. In maps of canopy height difference between the two years, these disturbances are particularly visible. Specific forest management styles are also discernable, from clearcuts to thinning. The level of detail and forest growth visible in this study affirm lidar’s value in multitemporal analysis, despite relatively low resolutions. As lidar point clouds grow in quality and quantity, so will their value to future research
Environmental Impacts of Oil Spills: Weathering, Emissions, and Atmospheric Processing of Crude Oil
No full textOil spills have ramifications for continental, aquatic, and atmospheric health. Oil can pollute the shoreline, age in the open ocean, and oxidized oil emissions can participate in aerosol chemistry. The effective mass transfer coefficient was determined for three common hydrocarbons of crude oil and the relative bulk level oxidation of OHMSETT oil was quantified. When the pH of a solution of glyoxal and ammonium sulfate was unadjusted, an organic matrix had a variable effect on the average 24-hr effective rate constant of imidazole derivative formation and the average 24-hr absorbance of imidazole derivatives. When the pH was adjusted to about 3.8, the average 24-hr effective rate constant of imidazole derivative formation increased, the average 24-hr absorbance of imidazole derivatives decreased, and the average 24-hr change in pH varied depending on the organic matrix. The imidazole derivatives formed may have varied based on the solution composition and the presence of an organic matrix enhanced the reaction rate
The Colby Echo (November 19, 2020)
Get PDFPublished by the students of Colby College since 1877, The Colby Echo is the weekly, editorially independent student-run newspaper of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Published monthly, 1877-1886; semi-monthly, 1886-1897; and weekly, during the academic year, 1898-present
Truth and Consequences: With Harvey Weinstein investigation, Rebecca Corbett leads as the New York Times triggers cultural change
Get PDFAnd then, five months after the Weinstein investigation began, Corbett, her team, and the Times\u27 highest-ranking editors hunched over a computer screen as the button was pushed. The first Weinstein story was publishe
