THE VITIMS ARE COMATOSE 

At overdose events, arrests by police and combative behavior are rare, study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BROWN UNIVERSITY

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — While police officers are often dispatched alongside other first responders when drug overdoses are reported, an analysis of hundreds of overdose events in one Rhode Island city found that there were scant incidents that actually needed involvement from law enforcement.

“It was surprising and promising to find that arrests only occurred in about 1% of all cases of overdoses attended by police,” said Alexandria Macmadu, study co-author and a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Epidemiology at Brown University’s School of Public Health. “The research shows that there were few situations that truly required law enforcement presence due to safety concerns.”

The first responders who are dispatched to an overdose incident often include police, fire rescue personnel and emergency medical services, Macmadu said. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of overdose response and prevention trainings for police, and officers are now often equipped with naloxone, a medicine that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.

However, limited research has documented the role of police in responding to overdose events. The nature of their role is important, Macmadu said, because police presence may have unintended harmful effects on people in an overdose situation.  

“We know from decades of research, both in Rhode Island and across the country, that fear of police involvement and arrest for things like drug possession can strongly deter people who use drugs from calling 911 when an overdose happens,” Macmadu said. “Because every minute matters during an overdose, this delay in seeking help can cost lives.”

The researchers wanted to understand what happens when police arrive on scene to an overdose, especially how often arrests are made and how often reports describe people experiencing overdoses as combative.

“Research has told us that some police attending an overdose see their role as protecting other first responders from people who use drugs who become combative after being revived from an overdose,” Macmadu said. “So we wanted to understand how often this combativeness is actually encountered by police.”

Understanding the actions of police at overdose events is also critical from a racial justice lens, Macmadu said, as people of color are disproportionately impacted by police surveillance, non-violent drug-related arrests and drug-related offenses across the U.S.

In collaboration with Project Weber/RENEW, a nonprofit that provides peer-led harm reduction and recovery support services for people who engage in drug use or sex work, the Brown-led research team accessed the data through a public records request, and Macmadu developed the methodological and research frameworks to answer the research questions. The analysis, which was published in the Harm Reduction Journal, reviewed 200 overdose events during one year in an unnamed Rhode Island city between September 1, 2019, and August 31, 2020.

The researchers found that police administered naloxone in approximately 10% of incidents. In most incidents, police were the last group of first responders to arrive on scene (59%), and most often, naloxone was administered by others (65%). Police were significantly more likely to administer naloxone when they were the first professionals to arrive, when naloxone had not been administered by others, and when the overdose occurred in public or in a vehicle. Arrests at overdose events were rarely reported (1%), and people who overdosed were rarely (1%) documented in incident reports as being combative.

“Municipalities often exceptionalize the response to overdoses compared to other medical emergencies by co-dispatching police and EMS,” said Annajane Yolken, study co-author director of strategy at Project Weber/RENEW. “The research highlights that most often overdoses in the community are handled effectively by emergency medical services, who most often show up first on scene and are the first to administer naloxone.”

The researchers recommended that considering the findings, all jurisdictions should ideally have sufficient first-responder staffing and resources to ensure a rapid response to overdoses, with police rarely or never being dispatched to respond to standard overdose incidents. Until that ideal can be achieved, they added, any available responders should be dispatched at the same time as the police, with police instructed to resume their patrol once other professional responders also arrive on the scene.

Macmadu also made the point that warrant searches of people at the scene of an overdose should be prohibited, since these those searches discourage people from calling 911 for medical emergencies.

The results make the case for a new, and potentially more effective, approach to overdoses, Macmadu said.

“We think that this research presents municipalities with an opportunity to reframe the thinking about a reliance on a dual response to overdoses by both EMS and police, when it appears that the police presence not only might be unnecessary, but also might have a negative impact on the person who has overdosed and others who are on scene,” Macmadu said.

Additional collaborators include Alexandra B. Collins, Brendan P. Jacka, Brandon D. L. Marshall, Roxxanne Newman and Jai’el R. Toussaint from Brown; Lisa Frueh from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the COBRE on Opioids & Overdose with funding from National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the NIH.

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JOURNAL

Harm Reduction Journal

DOI

10.1186/s12954-022-00698-2 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Meta-analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Characteristics of events in which police responded to overdoses: an examination of incident reports in Rhode Island

Contact tracing and exposure investigation framework helped to mitigate spread of monkeypox in the U.S.

Findings should inform estimates of exposure risk, requirements for monitoring, and recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS

A large contact tracing investigation of a patient with monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection found no secondary cases in community or health care settings. The creation of a framework for assessing specific risk scenarios permitted ease of application by employee occupational health staff and application across the various settings and the findings have important applications for informing future infection prevention efforts, including the administering of postexposure prophylaxis, or PEP. The paper is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

In May 2022, the first case of MPXV infection in the United States in the current global outbreak was identified. Until the case patient was identified as a person under investigation for monkeypox, he received care in many locations without specific precautions. As part of the public health and health care facility response, a contact tracing and exposure investigation was done.

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Lahey Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health describe a framework of contact tracing, exposure identification, risk stratification, administration of PEP, and exposure period monitoring for contacts of the index patient, including evaluation of persons who developed symptoms possibly consistent with MPXV infection. Those with high-risk exposures were offered PEP, and 3 elected to have it. Among those with intermediate-risk exposures for which PEP was offered as part of informed clinical decision making, 2 elected to receive PEP. No transmissions were identified at the conclusion of the 21-day monitoring period, despite the delay in recognition of monkeypox in the index patient. Public health authorities and health care facilities should consider how these findings may inform revised estimates of exposure risk, requirements for monitoring, and recommendations for PEP.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Addison Dunlap at adunlap@acponline.org. To speak with an author, please contact:

• Noah Brown, MGH, at Nbrown9@partners.org
• Teresa Herbert, BILH, at teresa.herbert@bilh.org
• Alison Cohen, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, at alison.b.cohen@mass.gov.

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Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-2721
 

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JOURNAL

Annals of Internal Medicine

DOI

10.7326/M22-2721 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Contact Tracing and Exposure Investigation in Response to the First Case of Monkeypox Virus Infection in the United States During the 2022 Global Monkeypox Outbreak

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

8-Nov-2022

Digital marketing of formula milk linked to unhealthy parental feeding practices

Exclusive breastfeeding less likely; processed foods and sugary drinks more likely. Tighter regulations needed to protect young children’s nutrition and health, say researchers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BMJ

Digital marketing of formula milk and commercial baby foods is linked to unhealthy parental feeding practices, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.

Mums exposed to extensive digital marketing were less likely to exclusively breastfeed within the first 6 months and more likely to give their children processed foods and sugary drinks, the findings show, prompting the researchers to call for tighter regulations to safeguard young children’s nutrition and health.

The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (Code) stipulates that any informational and educational material should state the benefits and superiority of breastfeeding, as well as instructions for the proper use of infant formula, and should not contain visuals idealising the use of breast milk substitutes.

The Code also states that no company should seek direct or indirect contact with pregnant women or parents and caregivers, including through social media channels.

The researchers wanted to estimate the exposure of Mexican parents with infants aged under 24 months to digital marketing of formula and baby food, its association with the purchase of these products, and breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices.

Parents (1074) were recruited from a nationally representative market research panel, and surveyed about the brands, products, and digital platforms where they reported seeing ads for formula milk and baby foods between December 2020 and January 2021. 

The survey included questions about how and why purchases were made, and how feeding practices were influenced by digital marketing. Parents’ knowledge of the Code, their views of digital marketing regulations, and whether the ads made them think that formula milk and commercial baby foods were as good or better than breast milk were also captured.

Exposure to digital marketing of formula and baby foods was classified as the weekly frequency with which parents reported observing advertisements and the number of advertised products they reported seeing over the past month. 

Nearly two thirds (62%) of the participants were women. On average, they were 28 and had 2 children, half of whom were under 12 months of age. They were mostly educated to degree level and relatively affluent. 

A third of the mums (33%) exclusively breastfed their infants under 6 months and nearly half (45%) continued breastfeeding after 12 months. 

Among children up to 23 months, 58% were given formula milk, 43% consumed sugary drinks, and nearly three quarters (72%) had eaten processed foods the day before the survey.

During the preceding month, most (82%) parents said they had bought formula milk or baby foods. The main reasons given were nutritional content (45%), convenience (37%), and shelf life (22.5%). 

In all, 94% of parents reported seeing digital marketing on at least one site in the preceding month, with 86% reporting weekly frequency. Marketing was seen primarily on social media (77%). 

The average number of advertised products reported was 26; the most advertised formulas on digital media were infant formulas (0-6 months; 92%) and growing-up milk (12-36 months; 89%). Porridge (77%) and yoghurt (71%) were the most commonly advertised baby foods. 

Only 13% of parents knew about the Code, and only around half (48%) felt that the existing regulations for marketing formula and baby foods were inadequate. Close to 55% felt that advertising portrayed formula as equal to or better than breast milk.

Ninety-five parents were asked to make three 10-minute screen recordings of their mobile device while browsing the internet or checking their social media and smartphone apps.

The number of ads for formula and baby food products seen in each recording were counted and classified as intentional or unintentional searches.

Eighty-nine (94%) observed at least one formula and/or baby food ad in their 30 minutes of recordings, with an average of around 7 ads seen in each recording during an intentional search, and around 2 during unintentional searches. 

The most advertised product seen was growing-up milk (42%), although advertising for infant formulas (0–6 months) was also identified (20%). In each recording, at least one ad for infant formula or baby food was identified and all contained Code violations. 

These were primarily absence of statements about the superiority of breastfeeding (96%); lack of warnings on the risks of improper formula preparation (95%) or advice to consult health professionals about the use of these products (93.5%); and invitations to visit websites, social media, or links to purchase their products (70%). 

Overall, parents who reported seeing a higher number of ads were 62% less likely to exclusively breastfeed their children during the first 6 months than those reporting a lower number, and more than twice as likely to feed them breast and other milks.

They were also 84% more likely to give their children formula, more than twice as likely to give them processed foods, and 66% more likely to give them sugary drinks. 

Higher exposure to ads was associated with a two-fold greater chance of purchasing products on the basis of nutritional and organic claims made in digital marketing.

This is an observational study, and as such, can’t establish cause. And the participants were relatively affluent and well educated, so the findings may not be more widely applicable, caution the researchers.

Nevertheless, they conclude: “Marketing regulations should ban breast-milk substitutes and baby food promotion in digital media and the use of health claims, since they may confuse parents about optimal [infant and young child feeding practices]. 

“This call for action is urgent to safeguard the health and right of children to breastfeeding and natural, nutritious, sufficient and quality food.”

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JOURNAL

BMJ Global Health

DOI

10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009904 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Digital marketing of formula and baby food negatively influences breast feeding and complementary feeding: a cross sectional study and video recording of parental exposure in Mexico

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

7-Nov-2022

How female false widow spiders use their ‘spidey senses’ to attract mates - study

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

When it comes to spider love, female widow spiders hold the key to attracting mates, potentially adjusting their web’s attractiveness to lure males, according to new research.

A study led by Simon Fraser University’s resident “spider man,” PhD candidate Andreas Fischer, reveals new details about how female false widow spiders (Steatoda grossa) communicate using pheromones—and suggests they can build more attractive webs— to lure mate-seeking males by adjusting the pH level of their pheromone-bearing silk.

Female false widow spiders disseminate pheromone from their webs to attract males and deposit contact pheromone components on their webs that induce courtship by the males once they arrive.

This latest research, published this week in the journal Nature Communications Biology, also identifies the organ that produces these pheromone components— the posterior aggregate silk gland—as well as the chemical structure of the pheromone components involved in attraction and courtship. 

“We also found that female false widow spiders have a sophisticated method to constantly ‘mate call’ by slowly breaking down the courtship-inducing pheromone components to sex attractant pheromone components that lures the males in,” says Fischer, who carries out research in the Department of Biological Sciences’ Gries-lab.

False widow spiders are globally invasive and capable of reproducing year-round but little is known about the reproductive behaviour of this common species of spider, also sometimes called the cupboard spider, which predominantly lives in buildings.

Method of study:

In their latest study, 93 sexually mature, adult virgin female false widow spiders spun webs on wooden triangular prism scaffolds or bamboo skewers. For comparison, 70 immature sub-adult females were also allowed to build webs, though only mature females are known to produce pheromones.

Their webs were then deposited into a glass vial for laboratory analysis. Then, the various pheromone components were identified using the latest state-of-the-art technology, custom created in the laboratory, and tested for their ability to attract and induce courtship behaviour in male false widow spiders.

Can female false widow spiders control their attractiveness to males?

Researchers suggest that female spiders may be able to actively adjust the attractiveness of their web to males. Female spiders can adjust the pH level in their silk and this ability may allow them to actively control the enzyme involved in the transition of contact, courtship-inducing pheromone components to mate attractant pheromone components.

Currently, only insects are known to actively time pheromone production and dissemination, and to modulate the amount of pheromone they emit. Arachnids, such as web-building spiders, may be able to do this as well but future study is needed to determine if this is the case. 

Male false widow spiders will die shortly after mating. The female will lay three or more egg sacs or cocoons containing 200 eggs each that hatch within two to four months.

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JOURNAL

Communications Biology

DOI

10.1038/s42003-022-04072-7 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Origin, structure and functional transition of sex pheromone components in a false widow spider

Seven major studies launched that will help us understand the economic benefits of biodiversity

Studies will provide evidence for the world’s first biodiversity credit standard, test a new global approach to valuing natural habitats, and evaluate biodiversity in marine and urban areas

Grant and Award Announcement

UK RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

 

IMAGE: BIODIVERSITY view more 

CREDIT: UKRI

Biodiversity supports everything in nature that we need to survive, including our food and clean water. From the plants, animals, insects, fungi to bacteria, biodiversity creates the intricate ecosystems we rely on.

Seven new interdisciplinary studies announced today will improve our understanding the significant economic value of biodiversity and how it underpins our economy. This will enable us to better manage our natural environment by directing investment to restore and conserve this vital natural resource.

Though the UK has more than 70,000 species of animals, plants, fungi and micro-organisms, research has shown that we are also one of the world’s most nature depleted countries. The studies have received a share of £6.4 million from UK Research and Innovation to study seven key areas.

They will:

• inform the development of the world’s first biodiversity credit standards (similar to carbon credits) for valuing biodiversity for market trading and investment.

• test a new international approach to valuing nature using woodland sites in Wales, Helsinki, and Tanzania, as well as exploring how the value of woodland can be integrated into natural capital accounts.

• measure and map the acoustic properties of the UK’s natural soundscapes to better understand the value of nature to human mental health and well-being.

• value biodiversity to urban areas and new developments by understanding its benefits in providing drainage and recreation while reducing pollution, noise and intense heat.

• determine novel and robust economic, ecological and socio-cultural values of marine ecosystems, and embed these values in the co-development of green investment options including nutrient, carbon and biodiversity markets.

• investigate whether ‘virtual labs’ coupled with decision-support frameworks, can help us understand the complex interactions needed to support biodiversity.

• focus on ‘additionality’, a key goal of biodiversity policy stating that any intervention, be it a protected area, a performance-related payment or a biodiversity law, must provide additional biodiversity to what otherwise would have happened.

The studies are all part of UKRI’s Economics of Biodiversity programme and will help to deliver on the recommendations from the Government’s Dasgupta Review. The review found that values of biodiversity must be fully accounted for in economic and financial decision making to support nature recovery and halt biodiversity loss.

The funding has been provided by UKRI’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Professor Sir Duncan Wingham, Executive Chair of NERC, said: “The Economics of Biodiversity programme will address critical gaps in our understanding of the economic and societal value and benefits of biodiversity.

“As governments work to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss at the COP27 climate conference and the forthcoming COP15 biodiversity conference, these UKRI-funded projects will support increased investment and improve management of biodiversity. They will help us protect our natural environment and Earth’s carefully balanced ecosystems.”

Further information:

The projects form a major part of UKRI’s Economics of Biodiversity programme. The programme also supported nine rapid research synthesis projects that produced summary reports of their findings. An open programme information sharing webinar of the new awarded research projects and recently completed synthesis projects will be held on 8 November 2022 and a recording will be available after the event on the programme webpage.

Notes to Editors:

Developing a new co-designed decision support tool for biodiversity credits and investment. Led by Dr Richard Field, University of Nottingham (£799,560)

This project will do research that is needed to underpin the world’s first biodiversity credit standards – standards for assigning investable and tradeable economic value to biodiversity. Biodiversity credits are quite similar to carbon credits. Scientists in the project will field-test methods to quantify biodiversity of pieces of land or sea to enable the creation of biodiversity credits. They will use key indicators, such as the health of the vegetation and the numbers and abundances of species of birds and invertebrates to measure the biodiversity. In addition, market experts will user-test the tools and processes for the credit standard. Biodiversity credits benefit landowners by enabling them to seek investment in rewilding and other biodiversity projects, organisations that are seeking to offset their impact on the environment from their economic activity, and people seeking to invest in nature. Field sites: Knepp Farm in Sussex and Attenborough Nature Reserve in Nottingham.

NAVIGATE (Understanding NAture's multiple Values for InteGrATion into dEcisions). Led by Prof Mike Christie, Aberystwyth University (£799,726)

In July, 139 countries including the UK agreed a common approach to understanding the multiple ways people value nature and methods to embed these values into political and economic decision making. The NAVIGATE project will, for the first time, use this IPBES Value Assessment approach to assess four areas of the UK, Finland and Tanzania, as test cases. The field sites will be: • Welsh Woodland Trust forest in Neath, Wales, where woodland will be valued for its impact to reduce flooding, carbon storage and improving community wellbeing. • UK National Forest, where scientists will value the benefits of woodland ecosystem services • Helsinki, Finland, which is one of the greenest cities in the world. Scientists will evaluation the benefits of trees and green spaces • Tanzania, where scientists will value the sustainably managed savannah woodland

Valuing the mental health and well-being benefits of nature engagement through measures of soundscape complexity. Led by Dr Simon Butler, University of East Anglia (£797,562)

Bird song provides the soundtrack to time spent outdoors and plays a key role in our experience of nature. The team will combine UK Breeding Bird Survey data with recordings of birds from the Xeno-Canto sound database to reconstruct natural soundscapes in different habitats and times across the UK. Spatial variation in the acoustic properties of these soundscapes will be measured and mapped. Environmental psychologists will examine which acoustic properties convey benefits to human health and determine how noise pollution can reduce these benefits. These findings will be combined with indicators of mental health and data on antidepressant prescription rates across the UK to value the contribution of biodiversity to human mental health

Sea the Value: Marine Biodiversity Benefits for a Sustainable Society. Led by Prof Nicola Beaumont, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (£797,953)

Marine biodiversity provides a host of benefits including providing a source of food, capturing carbon, extracting phosphorus and nitrogen waste, providing jobs and being fundamental to our wellbeing. The aim of the project is to determine the pluralistic values of marine ecosystems, this includes economic values but also ecological and socio-cultural values, and explores precisely who benefits from marine biodiversity and who is affected when these values change The determined values be applied in the Natural Capital Accounts and also in setting up green investment schemes such as carbon, nutrient and biodiversity markets and/or Payments for Ecosystem Services schemes. Research is focussed on two field sites: The Solent in Southern England, and the Moray Firth in Scotland. At these sites communities and organisations will be engaged in mapping values and tradeoffs, and in co-developing green investments to maintain and enhance marine biodiversity. The lessons learned from these sites will be shared with coastal partnerships through a series of training exercises, enabling dissemination of best practice across the UK and beyond. The project will also undertake a range of activities to train upcoming professionals in the valuation of biodiversity, transforming the future UK capability in this critical area.

Trustworthy and Accountable Decision-Support Frameworks for Biodiversity - A Virtual Labs based Approach. Led by Prof Gordon Blair, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (£794,402)

The overall aim of the project is to investigate how to support transparent and accountable decision-making around biodiversity, using recent developments in digital research infrastructure. Scientists leading this project plan to investigate whether virtual labs coupled with decision-support frameworks provide the necessary support to understand the ecosystems and support informed policy development and organisational decision-making needed in order to manage biodiversity. Scientists will use this framework to test ideas from environmental accounting, ecosystem services and natural capital, and systems thinking approaches more generally. These overall aims are: - Determine the best approaches to support good decision-making around biodiversity - Test those ideas within a virtual lab forum - Design a decision-making framework to enhance accountability and trustworthiness

Biurbs (Valuing biodiversity in multi-functional urban development and environment). Led by Prof Grada Wossink, University of Manchester (£778,143)

The UK Government's Nature Positive 2030 report recommends businesses, organisations, cities, and local authorities adopt targets to become Nature Positive. Urbanisation and densification have resulted in environmental degradation and severe habitat fragmentation in towns and cities. Biodiversity may benefit other ecosystem services, such as sustainable drainage, outdoor recreation, and noise and heat attenuation, yet the economic value of biodiversity is undercounted in existing planning tools. This project will engage with decision makers and stakeholders, to help inform practical, wellgrounded tools and guidance assess the economic value of urban biodiversity.

BIOADD (The Economics of Biodiversity Additionality) Led by Prof Ben Groom, University of Exeter (£798, 608)

The project’s aim is to understand the economic and ecological determinants of what makes interventions in biodiversity successful. The project aims to use this information to provide guidance, evidence and tools for people deciding on investments and policymaking around biodiversity. These include government policy; central banks; financial institutions. Researchers will evaluate the potential of Nature-Based solutions to climate change, their contribution to biodiversity. They will investigate the potential for biodiversity to be priced using a target compatible, costbased pricing method, illustrating the economy-ecology trade-offs that are required to meet societal targets for biodiversity to be consistently evaluated. Scientists will also assess the Amazon rainforest, in particular Bolivia and Indonesia. The project will create an online platform for evaluating nature-based solutions for climate change, and help the UK prioritise approaches to meeting its commitments to global biodiversity and net-zero.

First-of-its-kind report: US researchers most concerned globally about fighting misinformation and tackling increased online abuse

Elsevier and Economist Impact announce findings from “confidence in research” global collaboration

Reports and Proceedings

WAGGENER EDSTROM COMMUNICATIONS INC

NEW YORK (Nov. 8, 2022) — Elsevier, a global leader in research publishing and information analytics, released the results of a landmark global survey, conducted jointly with Economist Impact , showing that U.S. researchers surveyed believe the public’s understanding of the scientific research process actually deteriorated during the pandemic despite increased public scrutiny on research findings. Surveyed researchers also expressed significant concerns about online abuse that they are experiencing as well as a surge in the release of misinformation.

“Over the past two years, we have all witnessed the very public debates on the latest COVID-19 research and who and what to trust and believe,” said Ann Gabriel, U.S. Confidence in Research Lead and Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Networks at Elsevier. “According to the hundreds of U.S. researchers we connected with, expectations of the researcher’s role in scientific communication have shifted considerably over the last few years. Something very apparent in our study with Economist Impact was that in addition to their regular research activities, researchers now also work increasingly to combat false and misleading information as well as online abuse, and they want support to do so.”

One significant finding from the Confidence in Research: Researchers in the Spotlight report shows almost half of U.S. researchers (44%) say they’ve experienced or known someone who has experienced some form of abuse or acrimonious interaction online – the highest number of any country surveyed. This is all the more challenging, given only 13% of U.S. researchers surveyed said they have high confidence communicating research findings via social media. Top challenges highlighted by U.S. researchers include the politicization of research, oversimplification of complex research, and a lack of public understanding of how research is conducted.

The global report includes a survey of 3,144 researchers across Europe, North America, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, and Asia, as well as interviews and roundtables with scholars across the world, conducted over the past 9 months. Elsevier worked in partnership with leading science and research organizations, including Research!America. The global data was presented today at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, Germany.

“The pandemic spotlighted science — a good thing! It also raised questions for scientists and researchers about how they communicate their work. The research community has an opportunity and a responsibility to improve the public understanding of the scientific process and make changes for the better to help take advantage of science’s moment in the spotlight,” said Mary Woolley, President, and CEO of Research!America.

“Bolstering researchers’ communication skills is key,” said Woolley. “Researchers are calling on institutions to better support and reward researchers to develop the skills to facilitate meaningful engagement between researchers and the public. There is much to gain from building these pathways; there is much to lose if we don’t."

Of the U.S. researchers surveyed, 78% believe the pandemic has increased the importance of separating good, quality information from misinformation; 79% feel the pandemic increased the importance of science bodies and researchers explaining and communicating their research better. What’s more, 27% say they now view publicly countering false or misleading information as an important part of their role in society.

For more information on the Confidence in Research report visit: www.elsevier.com/confidence-in-research

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About Economist Impact
Economist Impact combines the rigor of a think-tank with the creativity of a media brand to engage a globally influential audience. We believe that evidence-based insights can open debate, broaden perspectives, and catalyze progress across three core areas of expertise and leadership including sustainability, new globalization, and health. The services offered by Economist Impact previously existed within The Economist Group as separate entities, including EIU Thought Leadership, EIU Public Policy, Economist Events and SignalNoise. Our track record spans 75 years across 205 countries. Along with creative storytelling, events expertise, design-thinking solutions, and market-leading media products, we produce framework design, benchmarking, economic and social impact analysis, forecasting and scenario modelling, making Economist Impact's offering unique in the marketplace. Visit www.economistimpact.com for more information.

About Elsevier
As a global leader in information and analytics, Elsevier helps researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. We do this by facilitating insights and critical decision-making for customers across global research and health ecosystems. In everything we publish, we uphold the highest standards of quality and integrity. We bring that same rigor to our information analytics solutions for researchers, health professionals, institutions, and funders.

Elsevier employs 8,700 people worldwide. We have supported the work of our research and health partners for more than 140 years. Growing from our roots in publishing, we offer knowledge and valuable analytics that help our users make breakthroughs and drive societal progress. Digital solutions such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath support strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and health education. Researchers and healthcare professionals rely on our 2,700+ digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell; our 43,000+ eBook titles; and our iconic reference works, such as Gray's Anatomy. With the Elsevier Foundation and our external Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Board, we work in partnership with diverse stakeholders to advance inclusion and diversity in science, research, and healthcare in developing countries and around the world.

Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. www.elsevier.com.

About Research!America
Research!America is a non-profit medical and health research advocacy alliance which advocates for science, discovery, and innovation to achieve better health for all.

Together, with our member organizations that represent a vast array of medical, health and scientific fields, we work to: 1) Achieve funding for medical and health research from the public and private sectors at a level warranted by scientific opportunity and supported by public opinion. 2) Better inform the public of the benefits of medical and health research and the institutions that perform research. 3) Motivate the public to actively support medical and health research and the complementary sciences that make advances possible. 4) Promote and empower a more active public and political life by individual members of the research community on behalf of medical and health research, public health, and science overall.

Since 1992, Research!America has commissioned public opinion surveys in an effort to understand public support for medical, health, and scientific research. For more, read the latest volume of America Speaks!, our annual poll data summary, and visit www.researchamerica.org.

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METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

Ceramics that breathe oxygen at lower temperatures help us breathe cleaner air

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: OXYGEN STORAGE CERAMICS IN AN EXHAUST GAS SYSTEM. view more 

CREDIT: HITOSHI TAKAMURA

Although much of the discourse on reducing vehicle emissions centres on electric vehicles (EV), their sales remain low - with EV vehicles accounting for a mere 1% of car purchases in Japan in 2021. Meanwhile, the European Union is expected to pass stricter emission standards in the near future. This makes improving the performance and functionality of exhaust gas purification catalysts in petrol or diesel-powered vehicles a critical component in the push towards carbon neutrality.

Nearly all petrol or diesel cars are equipped with catalytic converters that remove harmful hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide and convert them into safer gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. The toxic gases flow through a honeycomb structure, coated with exhaust gas purifying catalysts.

Ceramics with an oxygen storage capacity (OSC) play a crucial role in the purification process. They help remove noxious gases and prevent the precious metals in catalytic converters from coarsening, which degrades their purification capabilities.

To improve their potential, however, a lower operating temperature is required. But scientists have struggled to achieve this since reducing the temperature to less than 500 ºC results in slower ion diffusion.

Now, a research group at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Engineering has developed a Cerium-Zirconium-based (Ce-Zr) oxide with excellent OSC at 400 ºC by controlling its crystal structure. The OSC at 400 ºC was higher than conventional materials by a factor of 13.5, even without precious metal catalysts.

"The key to our success was introducing a tiny amount of transition metals, such as iron, to the Ce-Zr-based oxides," said Professor Hitoshi Takamura, leader of the research group.

The 'transition metal doping' had two notable effects in the oxides. It accelerated the oxygen diffusion by easing the formation of oxygen vacancies and promoted cation ordering.

"Cation ordering tidies up the crystal structure and makes oxygen readily released," explained Takamura.

The iron doping reduced the cation-ordering temperature, which in turn enabled a larger surface area for the Ce-Zr-based oxides. This enhanced their durability and ability to purify toxic gases.

In the future, Takamura and his group hope to test the material by loading it with palladium on honeycomb supports.

Details of the group's research were published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A on September 27, 2022. And the article was chosen for the front cover of the journal.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Materials Chemistry A

DOI

10.1039/d2ta05068d 

ARTICLE TITLE

The low-temperature synthesis of cation-ordered Ce-Zr-based oxide via an intermediate phase between Ce and Fe

Piggy in the middle: Pig aggression reduced when a bystander pig steps in

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SPRINGER

A small study suggests that when two pigs are fighting, a bystander pig can intervene to either reduce the number of attacks by the aggressor or to help reduce the anxiety of the victim. The study of 104 domestic pigs, published in the journal Animal Cognition, reveals the complex social groups that pigs form and how they may resolve conflict.

In social animals, conflict resolution involves either the reunion of former opponents — an aggressor and victim — after an aggressive event (known as reconciliation), or the introduction of a third-party bystander to reduce further aggression or anxiety (known as triadic contacts). These conflict-resolution strategies are important to maintain balance in social animal groups and reduce victim anxiety, but it is unclear how this applies to domestic pigs.

Giada Cordoni, Ivan Norscia and colleagues from the University of Torino (Turin, Italy) observed how a group of 104 pigs housed at the ethical farm Parva Domus (Turin, Italy) resolves conflict after fighting. The authors could identify most generations of pigs based on their breed, size and markings but also genetically tested 31 pigs across different generations to determine relatedness across the whole group. They observed and recorded interactions between the pigs from June to November 2018 and noted aggressive behaviours such as head-knocking, pushing, biting and lifting of the victim pig. The authors watched behaviour for three minutes after each aggressive conflict and noted gender, kinship, and age.

The authors observed that both the aggressor and victim showed reconciliation behaviour such as nose-to-nose contact, sitting in physical contact with one another and resting their head on the other. They found that both the aggressor and the victim initiated reconciliation behaviours equally after fighting. However, they found that the proportion of reconciliations was significantly higher in more distantly related pigs compared to closely related pigs.

The authors propose that pigs may value different relationships based on what they can provide, such as social support. The damage to social groups caused by fighting closely-related kin (half or full siblings) may be less because these could be considered as more secure relationships. However, distantly related pigs may be more likely to engage in reconciliation behaviour after fighting to ensure they still have social support and access to food within the group.

When observing conflict resolution involving a third party pig, the authors noted behavioural differences depending on who the bystander pig approached and engaged with after the fight. If the bystander approached and engaged with the victim, the number of aggressive behaviours did not change, but the mean hourly frequency of anxiety-related behaviours observed in the victim was significantly lowered. Anxiety-related behaviours included shaking, scratching, chewing with an empty mouth and yawning. However, if a bystander pig approached the aggressor, the number of aggressive behaviour attacks directed towards the victim was significantly reduced.

A higher proportion of bystander pigs intervened if the conflict involved either an aggressor or victim they were closely related to. The authors suggest this indicates that pigs value certain relationships and may support closely-related kin.

The victim pig attempting to approach and engage with a bystander after conflict had no effect on reducing post-conflict anxiety behaviour or the likelihood of being attacked again. This may be due to 95.2% (42 cases) of the bystander pigs not reciprocating the union when a victim approached them.

The authors caution that this study involves only one group of adult, domestic pigs, and therefore may not represent all pig groups. Future research could investigate if these conflict-resolution strategies are seen in other situations.

Pigs were found to engage in reconciliation and triadic contacts after conflict, which suggests pigs might possess some socio-emotional regulation abilities to change their own or others’ experience in group conflict, according to the authors.

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Media Contact:

Tara Eadie
Press Officer
Springer Nature
T: +44 20 3426 3329 
E: tara.eadie@springernature.com

Notes to editor:

Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) engage in non‑random post‑conflict affiliation with third parties: cognitive and functional implications

Animal Cognition 2022

DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01688-4

For an embargoed copy of the research article, related images and video please contact Tara Eadie at Springer Nature.

1. After the embargo ends, the full paper will be available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-022-01688-4

2. Please name the journal in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the article.

Animal Cognition is an interdisciplinary journal publishing current research from various backgrounds and disciplines (ethology, behavioral ecology, animal behaviour and learning, cognitive sciences, comparative psychology and evolutionary psychology) on all aspects of animal (and human) cognition in an evolutionary framework.

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JOURNAL

Animal Cognition

DOI

10.1007/s10071-022-01688-4