Flow and arrest in stressed granular materials

Flowing granular materials often abruptly arrest if not driven by sufficient applied stresses. Such abrupt cessation of motion can be economically expensive in industrial materials handling and processing, and is...

Substance Use Disorders

Substance use disorders are chronic, relapsing illnesses that are associated with serious medical, economic, and social consequences. Substance use disorders are associated with loss of control over the amount of substance used, continued use despite negative consequences, preoccupation with use, and dysphoria during abstinence. In heavy and long-term users, abrupt cessation or reduction in substance use results in substance-specific withdrawal syndrome. Risk of substance use disorders is influenced by genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors.

When will the world be committed to 1.5 and 2.0°C of global warming?

We investigate committed warming, i.e., the global mean temperature change that would follow complete cessation of anthropogenic emissions. The removal from the atmosphere of short-lived particulate aerosols, which have a cooling effect on the climate, leads to a peak in warming within a decade, followed by a slow decline over centuries to millennia to a relatively stable temperature determined by the residual CO2 forcing. This has important consequences: temporary warming well beyond present-day levels without any additional emissions. We use an emissions-based climate model (FaIR) to estimate temperature change after abrupt cessation of all anthropogenic emissions in 2021 and in every year thereafter until 2080, assuming that emissions prior to cessation proceed along priority Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). We find that society may already be committed to peak warming of greater than 1.5°C with approximately 40% probability, with a small (2%) probability of peak warming greater than 2.0°C. The probability of being committed to 1.5°C increases to at least 50% by 2024. Taking into account short-lived climate forcers advances warming commitments by a half a decade, considerably reducing the remaining carbon budget. While an abrupt cessation of all anthropogenic emissions is not likely to occur, this idealized scenario provides a quantification of when we will be committed to exceeding key global warming levels while following realistic emissions scenarios.

Case Presentation: Iatrogenic Psychosis

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a neuromuscular disorder that can precipitate following the administration of dopamine receptor antagonists such as neuroleptics. Withdrawal-emergent dyskinesia (WE-D), a less recognized subtype of TD, can manifest shortly after abrupt cessation of antipsychotic use regardless of the neuroleptic subclass used. Super sensitivity psychosis is another possible symptom of acute withdrawal from neuroleptics that can occur alone or concomitant with WE-D. Because of their ever increasing off-label indications and attenuated extrapyramidal side effect profiles, atypical antipsychotics are becoming ubiquitous in both inpatient and outpatient settings, reflecting their utility. However, it is likely that this trend will also result in a greater prevalence of WE-D and super sensitivity psychosis. Clinicians without expertise in the utilization of neuroleptics are likely to misattribute withdrawal symptoms precipitated by abrupt cessation of antipsychotics with toxicity to these agents and erroneously withhold or delay their reinitiation, thereby exacerbating symptoms and inadvertently prolonging patient distress. This case report will illustrate the unique and perplexing presentation of WE-D and super sensitivity psychosis in an acute setting, and provide an effective diagnostic and treatment approach to resolving these conditions.

Pandemic policy making: the health and wellbeing effects of the cessation of volunteering on older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose This policy-orientated commentary aims to provide a perspective on the effects of policy changes designed to reduce the risk of infection as a result of COVID-19. The example of the abrupt cessation of volunteering activities is used to consider the policy and practice implications that need to be acknowledged in new public service research to deal with the on-going implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and for future preparedness. Design/methodology/approach The paper will provide a critical challenge to English pandemic health policy making, in particular, the national instruction “to stop non-essential contact with others” without a strategy on how to remedy the serious side effects of this instruction, in particular on older adults. Findings The abrupt cessation of volunteering activities of and for older people because of the COVID-19 pandemic is highly likely to have negative health and wellbeing effects on older adults with long-term and far-reaching policy implications. Originality/value The paper combines existing knowledge volunteering of and for older adults with early pandemic practice evidence to situate an emerging health and wellbeing crisis for older adults. It emphasises the importance of immediate further detailed research to provide evidence for policy and practice following the lifting of COVID-19 related restrictions and in preparation for future crises.