From Shebeen’s to supervised injecting centres: The socio-historical construction and portrayal of addiction in modern Ireland

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane O’Mahony

The most commonly accepted view internationally is that addiction is an individualised brain-based disease or disorder. This view is buttressed by neuroscientific evidence, which is interpreted as demonstrating that the addicted brain undergoes long-term structural and functional changes as a result of substance use. Proponents of this model argue that such evidence is conclusive and that we have finally, over many decades, arrived at an enlightened, evidence-based, scientific understanding of addiction and dispensed with outdated ‘moral models’. However, critical scholars have argued that what we mean by addiction very much depends on the political–economic and socio-culture structure of a particular society at a particular temporal juncture. This paper seeks to build on this critical scholarship by examining shifting addiction understandings across time in Ireland. (This refers to the 26 counties of the southern Irish state.) This has involved analysing various documents, archives, and journal articles relating to the main ‘claim-making’ groups in Irish society (Catholic Church, medical profession, government, and media). It is argued that understandings of addiction through time in Ireland have tracked the country’s political–economic and socio-cultural development and have not developed according to ‘objective evidenced-based Science’. Furthermore, the portrayal of addiction across time has directed attention inwards to the diseased or disordered individual and away from macro-level processes. This has also led to the neglect of potentially vital areas of inquiry in relation to addiction scholarship in Ireland. To this end, the present research paper intends to highlight some of these macro-level processes in order to suggest fruitful avenues for future research.

Author(s):  
Richard Giulianotti

World sport often appears as one of the most powerful illustrations of globalization in action. This chapter provides a critical analysis of global sport. Four major areas of research and debate on global sport are examined: political–economic issues, centering particularly on the commercial growth of sport and inequalities between different regions; global sport mega-events such as the Olympic Games or World Cup finals in football; the emergence and institutionalization of the global sport for development and peace; and sociocultural issues, notably the importance of global sport to diverse and shifting forms of identity and belonging. Concluding recommendations are provided on areas for future research into global sport.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Haase ◽  
Emily Brennan ◽  
Carol L. Wagner

Background: International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) have been in existence for over 3 decades, are currently represented in 110 countries, and have the only internationally recognized certification to provide safe and evidenced-based care for breastfeeding women and their infants. Research aim: To review the literature about the efficacy of IBCLCs on breastfeeding outcomes as well as studies that have examined the effectiveness of the IBCLC’s role. Methods: The design was a scoping review of the literature and critical analysis using PRISMA guidelines of existing studies published from 2008–2019. Qualitative and quantitative studies were reviewed. Results: Twelve ( N =12) studies met inclusion criteria. Seven themes emerged in the analysis including studies of the role of IBCLCs in resident physician education; IBCLC’s role in breastfeeding interventions and the management of breastfeeding problems; the impact of IBCLCs in inpatient and outpatient settings; and the impact of geographic access to IBCLCs on breastfeeding rates. Certification of and ongoing professional development of IBCLCs are also discussed. Conclusion: In this scoping review of existing literature assessing the effectiveness of IBCLCs in promoting and supporting breastfeeding, it is clear that IBCLCs play a positive role in supporting breastfeeding throughout the world. However, there are certain limitations that must be addressed. Recommendations for future research and clinical practice are discussed in the context of present limitations to breastfeeding expertise and support.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135050762110097
Author(s):  
Amy L Fraher

This article aims to advance the psychodynamic understanding of imagination failures by studying lessons learned in the US government’s public inquiry into September 11th, 2001 (9/11). Analyzing the findings of The 9/11 Report, I theorize that two forms of macro-level hubris—America’s “hubris of empire-building” and Al Qaeda’s “hubris-nemesis complex”—amalgamated in a uniquely generative manner leading to events on 9/11. Previous studies of public inquiries often demonstrate that inquiry reports are monological story-telling performances used to create sense-making narratives that function hegemonically to impose a simplified version of reality to assign blame and depoliticize events in order to facilitate closure after shocking events. In contrast, findings here suggest that by constructing a critical narrative, The 9/11 Report may serve as a new type of public inquiry report that invites learning about the complex factors that underpin crisis. The article concludes by identifying fruitful areas of future research and ways to theorize further about the collective psychodynamics of macro-level hubris and the psychodynamic factors that hinder learning and contribute to imagination failures.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2110223
Author(s):  
Natasha Pusch

School delinquency in public elementary, middle, and high schools has decreased in recent years, but is still a major issue that has negative mental health and academic implications for adolescents. Although research has focused on both individual-level and school-level explanations of school delinquency, it is not yet clear which macro-level criminological perspectives best explains it. Using 656 effect sizes nested within 75 studies and 30 unique datasets, this study addresses two questions using meta-analytic methods: Which macro-level criminological perspectives explain between-school differences in delinquency? Are effect sizes invariant across samples and research design? Results indicate that only concentrated disadvantage and social cohesion are significantly related to school delinquency. With the exception of concentrated disadvantage, effects are homogenous. This suggests that some school-level explanations are useful and future research should not exclude these factors. Practical implications suggest that improving social cohesion in schools may be more effective at preventing violence than target-hardening efforts.


Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Chien-Ning Hsu ◽  
You-Lin Tain

The “developmental origins of health and disease” theory indicates that many adult-onset diseases can originate in the earliest stages of life. The developing kidney has emerged as being particularly vulnerable to adverse in utero conditions leading to morphological and functional changes, namely renal programming. Emerging evidence indicates oxidative stress, an imbalance between reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) and antioxidant systems, plays a pathogenetic role in the developmental programming of kidney disease. Conversely, perinatal use of antioxidants has been implemented to reverse programming processes and prevent adult-onset diseases. We have termed this reprogramming. The focus of this review is twofold: (1) To summarize the current knowledge on oxidative stress implicated in renal programming and kidney disease of developmental origins; and (2) to provide an overview of reprogramming effects of perinatal antioxidant therapy on renal programming and how this may prevent adult-onset kidney disease. Although early-life oxidative stress is implicated in mediating renal programming and adverse offspring renal outcomes, and animal models provide promising results to allow perinatal antioxidants applied as potential reprogramming interventions, it is still awaiting clinical translation. This presents exciting new challenges and areas for future research.


Author(s):  
Jip Gudden ◽  
Alejandro Arias Vasquez ◽  
Mirjam Bloemendaal

The importance of diet and the gut-brain axis for brain health and cognitive function is increasingly acknowledged. Dietary interventions are tested for their potential to prevent and/or treat brain disorders. Intermittent fasting (IF), the abstinence or strong limitation of calories for 12 to 48 hours, alternated with periods of regular food intake, has shown promising results on neurobiological health in animal models. In this review article, we discuss the potential benefits of IF on cognitive function and the possible effects on the prevention and progress of brain-related disorders in animals and humans. We do so by summarizing the effects of IF which - through metabolic, cellular and circadian mechanisms - lead to anatomical and functional changes in the brain. Our review shows that there is no clear evidence of a positive short-term effect of IF on cognition in healthy subjects. Clinical studies show benefits of IF for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis on disease symptoms and progress. Findings from animal studies show mechanisms by which Parkinson’s disease, ischaemic stroke, autism spectrum disorder and mood- and anxiety disorders could benefit from IF. Future research should disentangle whether positive effects of IF hold true regardless of age or the presence of obesity. Also, variations in fasting patterns, total caloric intake and intake of specific nutrients may be relevant components of IF success. Longitudinal studies and Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) will provide a window into the long-term effects of IF on the development and progress of brain-related diseases.


2018 ◽  
pp. 9-30
Author(s):  
JEFFERSON RODRIGUES DE OLIVEIRA

Based on the post-1989 Cultural Geography studies and the Geographic studies of Religion, the present essay aimed to explore the relationship between religion and media in the age of 2.0, the age of social networks and the diffusion of media. In order to achieve this goal, we tried to understand how these new social relations occur through hypermodernity, which is characterized by the culture of excess, the intensification of values and a greater diversification of production aimed at consumption. We have also discussed how the process of development and propagation of the media and the cyberspace create new strategies for diffusion of faith. Through political, economic and local dimensions, we were able to understand the new connections between the sacred, the faith and the new dynamics of hypermodern society. The Roman Catholic Church in Brazil and the new spatial and territorial transformations through cyberspace and media are the empirical examples of the present research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleana Gkioka ◽  
Laskarina Maria Korou ◽  
Afrodite Daskalopoulou ◽  
Angelica Misitzi ◽  
Eleni Batsidis ◽  
...  

AbstractIt is estimated that approximately 0.5%–3% of fetuses are prenatally exposed to cocaine (COC). The neurodevelopmental implications of this exposure are numerous and include motor skill impairments, alterations of social function, predisposition to anxiety, and memory function and attention deficits; these implications are commonly observed in experimental studies and ultimately affect both learning and IQ. According to previous studies, the clinical manifestations of prenatal COC exposure seem to persist at least until adolescence. The pathophysiological cellular processes that underlie these impairments include dysfunctional myelination, disrupted dendritic architecture, and synaptic alterations. On a molecular level, various neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, catecholamines, and γ-aminobutyric acid seem to participate in this process. Finally, prenatal COC abuse has been also associated with functional changes in the hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis that mediate neuroendocrine responses. The purpose of this review is to summarize the neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal COC abuse, to describe the pathophysiological pathways that underlie these consequences, and to provide implications for future research in the field.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamagn Urgo Woyesa ◽  
Satinder Kumar

PurposeThis is a conceptual study to analyze the potential of enset-based culinary tourism for sustainable rural development and to obtain a place as a niche tourism market in South-Western Ethiopia. It assumed enset agro-biodiversity as the effect of ages of environment, genetic resources and cultural interaction as a distinctive regional image.Design/methodology/approachThis an exploratory paper based on an in-depth interview, field observation and content analysis of documents. By means of in-depth interviews, the researchers managed to gather extended information from community elders and experts in culture and tourism offices selected based on a snowball technique. Besides, it has gone through systematic reviews of about 180 empirical and conceptual articles, books and conference papers with a critical reading of the content, identification of categories, examination and interpretation of ideas, to supplement the in-depth-interview. The thematic analysis applied to identify various ideas, concepts, categories and relationships to produce themes presented under discussion and results.FindingsThe study found enset-based culinary tourism not only improve the local economy and regional image, but also it would enhance conservation of traditional farming system, biodiversity, food heritages, genetic varieties and livestock. It also identified 18 enset food varieties compatible with the principle of balanced diets. Finally, the study advised rural development planners to consider enset-based culinary tourism so that it would revive lost food traditions and consumption patterns, enhance the regional heritage and destination branding.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is a conceptual study that lacked empirical investigation concerning the livelihood impact, gender implication and actual tourist data. Therefore, future research needs to focus on the aforementioned limitations.Practical implicationsThis study addressed SW Ethiopia, which is the primary center of Ensete ventricosum, and argued that enset-based culinary tourism would help to build regional image and obtain a place as a niche rural tourism destination. It would also contribute to the conservation of food heritages, environmentally sustainable farming system, soil conservation, crop diversities and livestock population in addition to producing tourist experience. Moreover, it would encourage the revival of traditional consumption, reinvent lost food traditions and identities.Social implicationsIt was hoped that rural tourism would eventually improve the livelihood and enhance the capability of resilience. It is also expected to maintain the traditional social-economic structure based on the enset farm while fostering cultural development.Originality/valueTo the knowledge of the researchers there is no previous work on enset based-culinary tourism in Ethiopia and probably there is no published culinary tourism paper elsewhere.


Author(s):  
Brigitte Eierle ◽  
Sven Hartlieb ◽  
David C Hay ◽  
Lasse Niemi ◽  
Hannu Ojala

Client- and auditor-related attributes are well-documented determinants of audit pricing but the number of empirical archival studies investigating the effects of external factors on audit pricing has grown rapidly in recent years. We extend the traditional framework used to classify audit fee research by adding a novel structure that focuses on political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental/ecological factors (a PESTLE analysis). We provide a systematic review of the literature on external factors and audit pricing, and we suggest opportunities for future research. Our review reveals that audit researchers focus on legal factors in terms of regulatory changes, and we find increased attention to political, economic, and social factors. However, despite increased public scrutiny, technological and environmental/ecological factors remain under-researched. Overall, our review demonstrates the importance of considering external factors to gain a more complete understanding of the audit pricing framework, especially in terms of global and regional variations.


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