Ex-Prisoners with Mental Illness, Substance Abuse Have 12-Fold Risk of Injury

People released from prison who struggle with both mental illness and substance use problems are 12 times more likely to sustain an injury compared to those in the general public, according to a new Australian study published in the journal The Lancet.

Researcher Jesse Young from the Centre for Mental Health at the University of Melbourne led a study that analyzed the hospital records for 1,307 people released from seven Queensland prisons from 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2010.

His findings reveal that, among the 1,307 released, 227 had a dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance use problems; 99 had mental illness only; 314 had substance use disorder only; and 617 had no recent history of mental disorder

After release, a total of 407 suffered 898 injuries resulting in hospital contact. Of the 407, a total of 122 had both mental illness and substance use problems; 35 had mental illness only; 82 had substance use disorder only.

Those with both mental health and substance use disorders were injured at three times the rate of those released from prison with no mental health problems, and more than 10 times the rate of adults in the community.

“Injury is one of the major causes of death and disability globally,” said Young. “It can often result in hospitalisation which can, in turn, be very costly to society. Currently it’s estimated to cost more than four billion dollars in direct health care every year in Australia. On average, a hospital bed costs $1840 a day.”

One in five adults released from prison had a recent history of both mental illness and substance use disorder, which is 10 times higher than the estimated rate among the general Australian population.

Although risky drug use was a health concern for many people released from prison, Young said injury from causes other than drugs accounted for nine out of 10 injury events over the study period.

“To our knowledge there are few interventions that target injury from causes other than substance use for people transitioning from prison to the community,” said Young.

“Our findings show that some of the most vulnerable people released from prison experience an extremely high burden of injury in the community. For the first time we have shown specific groups and time periods where the risk of injury is greatest after release from prison.”

Young hopes his study will be used to direct resources to this vulnerable population.

“Continuous care between prison and community mental health and addiction services is urgently needed. This would not only benefit those vulnerable individuals but would reduce public healthcare costs. Spending in this area should be a public health priority,” he said.

Source: University of Melbourne

Scientists Discover New ‘Exploding Ant’ Species, First One In 80 Years

The suicidal ant rips itself apart to shoot out a “yellow goo” used to kill intruders and keep predators at a distance.

“Exploding ants” have been around for quite some time and are notorious for one unique behavior (the clue is in the name). These ants have gained a fearsome reputation on the “battle ground” and are known as the kamikaze of the insect world.

This intriguing group of ants, dubbed Colobopsis cylindrica (COCY), were first discovered in 1916, the last recorded new species being identified in 1935.

Now, for the first time in 80 years, researchers have stumbled on yet another new species of “exploding ants” in Borneo, deep in the rainforest of Brunei, CBC reports.

The reason why it took eight decades for researchers to find them is that these ants live high up in the treetops, concealed within the inaccessible canopy that makes it difficult to uncover their whereabouts.

The newest member of the COCY group is described in a study that just came out in the journal ZooKeys. The scientists that discovered this newfound species of “exploding ant” named it Colobopsis explodens and detailed its peculiar behavior in the face of danger.

When faced with threats from predators or during territorial disputes, these brave little soldiers go full-on hero and protect the colony by giving up their own lives, document the study authors.

At first, the tiny ant soldiers lift up their rumps to warn predators or intruders (scientists eager to study them included, the team notes).

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Meet the newest ‘exploding ant’ that sacrifices itself for the good of the colony https://ift.tt/2qMs6Cb

When this isn’t enough, the ants begin to chomp down on themselves and flex their abdomen so hard that it literally explodes, squirting out a toxic chemical.

This substance — a bright yellow, sticky goo that smells like curry, notesNational Geographic — is their main defense mechanism, used to “kill or repel rivals,” the authors show in their paper.

“They explode when attacked by an enemy (or poked with a finger),” said lead researcher Alice Laciny, an entomologist with Natural History Museum Vienna in Austria.

“The composition of the goo is currently under investigation, but it certainly contains sticky and toxic components,” Laciny added.

Apart from their chemical weapon, unleashed at the cost of their lives, these small, brownish-red ants have no other means of protection. They cannot sting and lack the large mandibles other ant species rely on to fight off predators or contenders.

Their “detonating derrieres” is all that stands between them an imminent threat to the colony, notes National Geographic.

National Geographic

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Aside from tearing themselves apart, these ants also unleash a secretion that is bright yellow, sticky, and toxic—all to protect the colony https://on.natgeo.com/2qLKmMQ 

9:10 AM – Apr 19, 2018

‘Exploding Ant’ Rips Itself Apart To Protect Its Own

When attacked, this otherwise assuming ant also releases a yellowish goo that smells like curry.

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However, if all else fails, the species has one last ace up its sleeve.

What makes C. explodens completely unusual is labor division within the colony. Unlike most ant species, it is the little workers (minor ants) that take on the warrior role and are endowed with defensive chemicals.

When their self-sacrifice is not enough to get rid of danger, the colony turns to its last resort: the larger ants (or majors) tucked away inside the ant fortress.

The C. explodens major ants have modified heads with enlarged, gaping mouths, which they use to barricade the nests.

“Majors are rarely seen in the wild, as they usually remain inside the nest,” points out Laciny.

These ants have earned the moniker of “doorkeepers” because they essentially hold the door to protect the colony and keep the threat from reaching their fellow ants (cue heartbreaking flashbacks of Hodor).

Some plants can hibernate underground for up to 20 years

A study led by Professor Richard Shefferson at the University of Tokyo is shedding new light on the ability of some plants to remain dormant underground in the soil for up to 20 years. The team found this survival mechanism in at least 114 plant species from 24 different plant families across the planet.

The plants remain alive but do not emerge from the ground every spring, enabling them to survive in difficult times. This behavior was referred to by the scientists as a “bet hedging” strategy, in which the plants are weighing the long-term advantages of survival against the short-term disadvantages of missing out on growth and reproduction for a season.

The researchers expected to find that dormancy would be more common in plants at higher altitudes or colder latitudes where the growing season is shorter. However, dormancy was found to be more prevalent near the equator – possibly in response to threats such as disease, competition, and fire.

Study co-author Dr. Eric Menges explained, “In fire-prone areas, there appears to be an advantage to plants remaining dormant and then sprouting after fire when favorable conditions exist for growth and flowering.”

Study co-author Michael Hutchings is an Emeritus Professor in Ecology at the University of Sussex.

“It would seem to be paradoxical that plants would evolve this behavior because being underground means they cannot photosynthesise, flower or reproduce,” Professor Hutchings. “And yet this study has shown that many plants in a large number of species frequently exhibit prolonged dormancy.”

“Many of these species have found ways to overcome the loss of opportunities to photosynthesise during dormancy, especially by evolving mechanisms enabling them to obtain carbohydrates and nutrients from soil-based fungal associates. This allows them to survive and even thrive during dormant periods.”

“The study has revealed some of the conditions under which dormancy is triggered, and the evolutionary benefits of such behavior, but more work is still needed to fully explain the influences of factors such as weather conditions, and the threats from herbivores and competition from other vegetation, on the decision to go dormant.”

According to Professor Hutchings, phylogenetic testing of the plants showed that dormancy has adapted and persisted many times throughout their evolutionary history.

“This suggests not only that it has proved beneficial under many different ecological circumstances, but also that its evolution may be achievable through the occurrence of a small number of mutations at only a few genetic loci.”

The study is published in the journal Ecology Letters.

Apple Watch can now unlock your August Smart Lock

Unlocking an August Smart Lock with your phone is easy enough, but if you have an Apple Watch, you don’t even need to have your phone with you. Apple’s smartwatch can now unlock any August-branded smart lock, so long as you’re specified as its “owner.” To set it up, you first need to make sure your wearable is running WatchOS 4 or higher and that it has the new native August Apple Watch app.

You’ll also need to update your iOS app, because you might be prompted to log in to sync your locks. Once that’s done (and you’re a recognized owner), though, you’ll be able to view all the August locks you have on the Watch’s screen. If you want easy access to a specific lock, you can even add it as a Watch face shortcut. August Home says it’s a different feature from Auto-Unlock, since you’ll still have your phone nearby with that one. With this particular feature, all you’ll really need is Apple Watch itself.

New iPhone Leak Confirms Apple’s Radical Ambitions

Even though the speculation was rampant and it did not make an appearance at Apple’s recent March event, the geekerati’s anticipation can start rising again as the iPhone SE 2 is pretty much confirmed.

The information comes from details released by the Eurasian Economic Commission. This regulatory body has listed a number of new Apple handsets that are not yet available (reports Malcolm Owen and others). Typically models listed with the EEC show up a few months later, as Tim Hardwick notes:

The EEC filing, published on Tuesday, satisfies Russia’s requirement for companies to register all products containing encryption and/or cryptographic tools. On February 19, the EEC revealed the existence of two new models of iPad, which proved to be the Wi-Fi and cellular versions of Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad unveiled on March 27, so there’s a decent chance the new model numbers identify iPhones tipped for a May or June launch. Several new models of MacBook were also registered with the EEC in May of last year, and those laptops were announced at WWDC 2017.

Is an iPhone SE 2 likely? Perhaps not the exact name (the regulatory filings cover the model numbers, not the branding and product names) but there is expected to be a ‘cheaper’ iPhone in the 2018 portfolio. While the iPhone X will be replaced this year, it will be an updated model likely called the iPhone X 2 (at least that’s the working name) with a larger phablet-focused device likely called the iPhone X Plus joining it.

Apple CEO Tim Cook poses for a selfie as he visits an Apple store in Chicago, March 27, 2018 (Photo: Jim Young/AFP/Getty Images)

The third model will be a replacement for the iPhone 8, employing an LCD screen and likely utilizing older production techniques. Nevertheless, this cheaper model is still expected to be priced commensurate with the iPhone 8 in the $799 bracket.

This is expected to be the mythical SE 2, although it doesn’t really match up to the ethos of the SE if you believe that a lower price is part of the brand. If you are expecting the newer iOS hardware elements at a discount compared to the mainline model, the SE2 will certainly be lesser than the X2.

Given the iPhone SE was launched March 2016 we’ve already passed the two-year product cycle window. If the EEC timing is typical, there’s a chance that we’ll see the iPhone SE 2 before the annual September jamboree – in which case watch out for ‘One Last Thing’ at WWDC 2018’s keynote. But I believe this handset is a key part of the 2018 portfolio so I don’t see it arriving early.

Those looking for a ‘new’ iPhone to boost sales during the weaker Q2 and Q3 months should pay more attention to Apple’s master plan…by releasing more colors of the existing handsets.

RASPBERRY PI W ANTENNA ANALYSIS REVEALS CLEVER DESIGN

Sea levels rising rapidly, new satellite research shows

 Sea levels rising rapidly, new satellite research shows. (Photo: Pixabay)

WASHINGTON: Melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are speeding up the already fast pace of sea level rise, new satellite research shows.

At the current rate, the world’s oceans on average will be at least 2 feet (61 centimeters) higher by the end of the century compared to today, according to researchers who published in Monday’s Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

Sea level rise is caused by warming of the ocean and melting from glaciers and ice sheets. The research, based on 25 years of satellite data, shows that pace has quickened, mainly from the melting of massive ice sheets. It confirms scientists’ computer simulations and is in line with predictions from the United Nations, which releases regular climate change reports.

“It’s a big deal” because the projected sea level rise is a conservative estimate and it is likely to be higher, said lead author Steve Nerem of the University of Colorado.

Outside scientists said even small changes in sea levels can lead to flooding and erosion. “Any flooding concerns that coastal communities have for 2100 may occur over the next few decades,” Oregon State University coastal flooding expert Katy Serafin said in an email.

Of the 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) of sea level rise in the past quarter century, about 55 percent is from warmer water expanding, and the rest is from melting ice. But the process is accelerating, and more than three-quarters of that acceleration since 1993 is due to melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, the study shows.

Like weather and climate, there are two factors in sea level rise: year-to-year small rises and falls that are caused by natural events and larger long-term rising trends that are linked to man-made climate change. Nerem’s team removed the natural effects of the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption that temporarily chilled Earth and the climate phenomena El Nino and La Nina, and found the accelerating trend.

Sea level rise, more than temperature, is a better gauge of climate change in action, said Anny Cazenave, director of Earth science at the International Space Science Institute in France, who edited the study. Cazenave is one of the pioneers of space-based sea level research.

Global sea levels were stable for about 3,000 years until the 20th century when they rose and then accelerated due to global warming caused by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, said climate scientist Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute in Germany, who wasn’t part of the study.

Two feet of sea level rise by the end of the century “would have big effects on places like Miami and New Orleans, but I don’t still view that as catastrophic” because those cities can survive — at great expense — that amount of rising seas under normal situations, Nerem said. But when a storm hits like 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, sea level rise on top of storm surge can lead to record-setting damages, researchers said.

Some scientists at the American Geophysical Union meeting last year said Antarctica may be melting faster than predicted by Monday’s study. Greenland has caused three times more sea level rise than Antarctica so far, but ice melt on the southern continent is responsible for more of the acceleration. “Antarctica seems less stable than we thought a few years ago,” Rutgers climate scientist Robert Kopp said.