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It’s not just climate:Rethinking ‘climate emotions’ in the age of burnout capitalism
Get PDFJust as political ecologists have critiqued narratives of ‘climate migration’ and ‘climate conflict’ for their implicit climate determinism, this article argues that scholars should move beyond climate-centric accounts of ‘climate emotions.’ To do so, I will critically analyze climate emotions scholarship through the lens of Feminist Marxist analyses of the ‘care crisis’ of neoliberal capitalism. By bringing these literatures together, this paper will demonstrate how emotional responses to ecological crises are conditioned and constrained by neoliberal capitalism’s exploitation of the emotional and caring capacities of workers (particularly women and racialized workers), which leads to the systemic production of burnout, apathy, and various mental health challenges. By deepening our analysis of the links between these crises and their shared capitalist roots, we will be in better position to develop strategies of socio-ecological transformation that can address what I call the ‘polycrisis’ of ecology, care, and mental health
Mapping variation in delivery models and data recording of primary care social prescribing link worker (SPLW) schemes across five regions in England and Scotland
Get PDFSocial prescribing link workers [SPLWs] connect people to community resources for better health and wellbeing. Over the past decade, SPLW schemes have expanded rapidly in NHS primary care in England and Scotland. However, how these schemes have been implemented and assessed in different parts of England and Scotland is not well understood. A mapping exercise of SPLW schemes in three English and two Scottish regions was undertaken to identify services and describe their key features, as well as any variations in delivery, what data is recorded and how outcomes are measured. Consultations were held with SPLW stakeholders (n= 98) supplemented with online analysis. Using the TIDieR framework, a taxonomy of SPLW services was created.Across the 5 regions, four different SPLW employment models were identified, varying by employer and SPLW management approaches. Some regions used up to three models, others only one. Local variations in delivering SPLW schemes included different referral routes, age ranges, priority groups, types of SPLW schemes available, and number of sessions offered. A variety of methods were used to assess service user outcomes, including validated wellbeing tools, bespoke wellbeing tools, bespoke service user surveys and qualitative case studies. Variation existed in data recording systems used and, in the frequency, and consistency in using assessment tools and recording service user outcomes. Variation in SPLW delivery models indicates regional and localised interpretations of SPLW schemes. Variation in recording and measuring service user outcomes and in wellbeing tools used present challenges for effective evaluation/s of each model, and primary care SPLW schemes overall. Enhancing local and national data systems, along with supporting strategies and frameworks for evaluations, would boost SPLW infrastructure and support future policy developments.<br/
Filamin C dimerisation is regulated by HSPB7
Get PDFThe biomechanical properties and responses of tissues underpin a variety important of physiological functions and pathologies. In striated muscle, the actin-binding protein filamin C (FLNC) is a key protein whose variants causative for a wide range of cardiomyopathies and musculoskeletal pathologies. FLNC is a multi-functional protein that interacts with a variety of partners, however, how it is regulated at the molecular level is not well understood. Here we investigate its interaction with HSPB7, a cardiac-specific molecular chaperone whose absence is embryonically lethal. We find that FLNC and HSPB7 interact in cardiac tissue under biomechanical stress, forming a strong hetero-dimer whose structure we solve by X-ray crystallography. Our quantitative analyses show that the hetero-dimer out-competes the FLNC homo-dimer interface, potentially acting to abrogate the ability of the protein to cross-link the actin cytoskeleton, and to enhance its diffusive mobility. We show that phosphorylation of FLNC at threonine 2677, located at the dimer interface and associated with cardiac stress, acts to favour the homo-dimer. Conversely, phosphorylation at tyrosine 2683, also at the dimer interface, has the opposite effect and shifts the equilibrium towards the hetero-dimer. Evolutionary analysis and ancestral sequence reconstruction reveals this interaction and its mechanisms of regulation to date around the time primitive hearts evolved in chordates. Our work therefore shows, structurally, how HSPB7 acts as a specific molecular chaperone that regulates FLNC dimerisation
A roadmap toward the synthesis of life
Get PDFSummary The synthesis of life from non-living matter has captivated and divided scientists for centuries. This bold goal aims at unraveling the fundamental principles of life and leveraging its unique features, such as its resilience, sustainability, and ability to evolve. Synthetic life represents more than an academic milestone—it has the potential to revolutionize biotechnology, medicine, and materials science. Although the fields of synthetic biology, systems chemistry, and biophysics have made great strides toward synthetic life, progress has been hindered by social, philosophical, and technical challenges, such as vague goals, misaligned interdisciplinary efforts, and incompletely addressing public and ethical concerns. Our perspective offers a roadmap toward the synthesis of life based on discussions during a 2-week workshop with scientists from around the globe
Chronic knee pain while awaiting arthroplasty is associated with worsening joint-specific function, health-related quality of life and personal wellbeing, and increased use of opioid analgesia
Get PDFAims To assess whether chronic knee pain (CKP) influenced health-related quality of life (HRQoL), knee-specific health, wellbeing, and use of opioid analgesia, and identify variables associated with CKP in patients awaiting knee arthroplasty. Methods This study included 217 patients (mean age 69.7 years (SD 8.7), 116 female (53%)) who completed questionnaires that included the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) and EuroQol-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS), Oxford Knee Score (OKS), and wellbeing assessments at six and 12 months after being listed for surgery. Analgesia use at 12 months was also recorded. CKP was defined using the OKS pain score (PS) of ≤ 14 points at 12 months. Results At 12 months, 169 patients (77.9%) had CKP. Compared with those without CKP, those with CKP had clinically meaningfully worse HRQoL and knee-specific health at 12 months and were more likely to have a health state worse than death (odds ratio (OR) 29.7, 95% CI 4.0 to 220.2; p < 0.001). The CKP group were more likely to use weak (OR 3.03, 95% CI 1.65 to 7.96; p = 0.001) and strong (OR 11.8, 95% CI 1.58 to 88.88; p = 0.001) opioids for analgesia. The CKP group had worse overall wellbeing with significantly (p < 0.001) lower satisfaction with life, life being worthwhile and happiness, and increased anxiety. The CKP group had a significant (p < 0.001) deterioration in their OKS, OKS-PS, EQ-5D, and EQ-VAS from six to 12 months, which was not observed in the group without CKP. A worse OKS-PS at six months was independently associated with an increased risk of CKP, and a threshold value of < 13 (sensitivity 91.7%, specificity 94.7%) was an excellent discriminator (area under the curve 96.9, 95% CI 94.2 to 99.6; p < 0.001). Conclusion Four in five patients had CKP after waiting 12 months, which was associated with deteriorations in HRQoL and knee health, worse wellbeing, and increased opioid analgesia use. The OKS-PS at six months could be used to identify patients at risk of CKP after 12 months of waiting.</p
Flow-Induced Vibration of an Underwater Lazy Wave Cable in Unidirectional Current
Get PDFThis paper describes measurements of the flow-induced vibration of an instrumented model cable in a lazy wave configuration immersed in unidirectional currents in the 2 m deep FloWave Facility at the University of Edinburgh. The cable model, designed to represent a dynamic power cable used in offshore renewable energy structures for electricity transmission, has an external diameter (D) of 31 mm and a mass ratio of 1.22. The current speed was varied from 0.1 to 0.9 m/s and its direction was set at 0, 90, and 180 degrees relative to the initial longitudinal axis of the cable. An underwater Qualisys motion capture system measured the in-line (IL) and cross-flow (CF) displacement components at 36 locations along the length of the submerged cable. Local displacements, response frequencies, and travelling wave modes are determined for reduced velocity Ur ϵ (5.29, 47.69), and Reynolds number Re ϵ (103, 104). It is found that the root mean square (RMS) values of the displacement components exhibited an increasing trend with reduced velocity reaching 0.40D in the in-line direction and 0.45D in the cross-flow direction. For reduced velocity in the range from 5.29 to 10.58, the cable exhibited single frequency vibrations. For Ur > 10.58, the cable experienced broad-banded, multi-frequency responses. Along the cable, certain locations were found to execute distinct circular, elliptical, nearly linear, and figure-of- eight orbits at low Ur. A sudden phase shift was observed along the cable length, related to unsteady vortex-induced vibration (VIV), which effectively prevented lock-in occurring at high Ur
Predicting young drivers’ time-to-licensure from sociodemographic characteristics and quality of adult-supervised practice
Get PDFMany jurisdictions now require adult-supervised practice for learner drivers. For many younger drivers this entails supervision from parents. There is not consensus on how to best optimize this supervision or which factors influence how quickly young drivers progress through the learner period to obtain an independent license. Additionally, young male drivers are over-represented in fatal and serious crashes and it is unknown if this risk has a basis in their learner driver experiences. Using data from the control arm of the Drivingly Trial (554 parent-teen dyads) we examined how sociodemographic factors and parent-teen driving practice behaviours contributed to how quickly teens were licensed and determined if there were sex differences in how practice was experienced by teens. Greater practice variety was associated with faster licensure. Parent engagement with practice supervision increased over the learner period and teens became more supportive of their parents’ supervision as their anticipated license date neared. Male and female teens did not differ with respect to their experience of supervised practice, pre-permit driving or time-to-licensure. White teens and teens from non-urban areas were licensed faster than other teens in our sample, all of whom began the study with a learner’s permit and intention to get licensed. Licensing confers risks and opportunities for young people. Ensuring young learner drivers practice in a range of different driving environments is important. More research is needed to determine how to reduce structural and social barriers to licensure without conferring an increased crash risk
Local and global density have distinct and parasite-dependent effects on infection in wild sheep
Get PDFHigh density should drive greater parasite exposure. However, evidence linking density with infection generally uses density proxies or measures of population size, rather than measures of individuals per space within a continuous population. We used a long-term study of wild sheep to link within-population spatiotemporal variation in host density with individual parasite counts. Although four parasites exhibited strong positive relationships with local density, these relationships were mostly restricted to juveniles and faded in adults. Furthermore, one ectoparasite showed strong negative relationships across all age classes. In contrast, population size - a measure of global density - had limited explanatory power, and its effects did not remove those of spatial density, but were distinct. These results indicate that local and global density can exhibit diverse and contrasting effects on infection within populations. Spatial measures of within-population local density may provide substantial additional insight to temporal metrics based on population size, and investigating them more widely could be revealing.</p
Management of anti-D prophylaxis in RhD negative women undergoing early medical abortion – an international practice survey among practitioners
Get PDFAimWe evaluated the current practices of abortion providers giving anti-D prophylaxis to RhD negative women undergoing first trimester medical abortion and factors that influenced the decision. We also examined RhD management strategies that could be safely adopted.MethodsA Steering Committee of abortion providers drafted a questionnaire on anti-D prophylaxis practices and perceptions. The 28-question survey, hosted online from December 2022 to December 2023, targeted international abortion providers.ResultsAlmost 62% of respondents perform medical abortion during the first trimester (up to 12 weeks of amenorrhoea [WA]), while 32.8% provide it during the second trimester (13 to 26 WA). Among providers, 55.8% administer anti-D prophylaxis to all RhD negative women during first trimester medical abortions, 25.5% provide it selectively, and 18.6% do not administer it at all. Providers who do not administer IgG anti-D rely on national guidelines (51.2%), hospital protocols (16.3%), or both (7.0%), citing early gestational age (36.5%) and insufficient evidence (22.9%) as reasons. The primary reason for administering IgG anti-D was preventing risks in future pregnancies (52.7%). Yet, 59.1% expressed interest in changing their anti-D prophylaxis practices during early abortion.ConclusionThis study highlights the huge variations in anti-D prophylaxis practices during first trimester medical abortion. These discrepancies mirror differences in national and international guidelines and underscore the need for robust clinical evidence to determine the gestational age limits for alloimmunization risk and support protocol updates.SHORT CONDENSATIONWe surveyed anti-D prophylaxis practices for RhD-negative women undergoing first-trimester medical abortion. Results show wide variations reflecting inconsistent national and international guidelines, highlighting the need for robust evidence to define alloimmunization risk and update protocols
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