Art Law and the Business of Art

In this fully revised and updated second edition of Art Law and the Business of Art, Martin Wilson, an art lawyer with more than 20 years' experience in the field, provides a comprehensive and practical guide to the application of UK law to transactions and disputes in the art world. Accessible and informative for lawyers and non-lawyers alike, this indispensable book not only outlines and explains the relevant law but also how the art business operates in practice. Chapters cover the full breadth of legal and commercial issues affecting the sale and purchase of art in various contexts, and other issues such as artists' rights in their work, import and export of artworks, art disputes, and confidentiality and data protection are all examined in detail. Wilson also offers an in-depth discussion of the most pressing ethical questions involving artworks, including Holocaust restitution, cultural heritage, and freedom of expression. New to this Edition: Thoroughly revised guidance on new anti-money laundering requirements Updated discussion in the context of Brexit and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic New coverage of the emerging issues such as the treatment of NFTs and the increased use of internet auctions This book will prove invaluable to lawyers advising on all aspects of art law and many others in the art business, including artists themselves, art dealers, and those working in auction houses and museums. It will also be crucial reading for scholars and students with an interest in art law and business. © Martin Wilson 2022. All rights reserved.

How Type of Office Visit Influences Attitudes and Preferences for Telemedicine?

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant changes in delivery of healthcare. Telemedicine emerged as a popular option. Numerous studies demonstrate a favorable opinion of telemedicine from patient and physician perspectives. What factors make it more efficient and effective This study explores how type of office visit impacts attitudes towards telemedicine and affects patient's preferences for future visits. Method(s): Surveys were delivered by mail or in person to 1,100 randomly selected patients of Sierra Nevada Gastroenterology, a community-based practice in Grass Valley, CA. Each patient (pt) had a telemedicine visit (TMV) from April 2020-October 2021. Three hundred twenty surveys were returned completed. Surveys contained a 5-point Likert scale set of questions rating the quality, communication, compassion, thoroughness and convenience of TMV. In person visits (IPV) were then directly compared to TMV for the same qualities. Demographics were recorded (Table 1). Surveys were separated into 3 categories based on type of visit: new complaint (NC), follow-up of existing problem (FU), procedure-related visit (PRV). Statistical analysis and chi-square test were used to determine statistical significance. Result(s): Quality, communication, thoroughness and compassion during TMV rated high with Likert scores of 4.3-4.7 (= 0 strongly agree) for all groups. Comparing the 3 groups (NC, FU, PRV) with chi-square testing, no statistical difference in ratings was seen. FU pts had the highest Likert scores in all categories. Pts with new complaints preferred IPV over TMV for quality, communication, thoroughness and compassion, which was rated statistically significantly higher (P< 0.05). TMV was favored for convenience in all groups with highest ranking in FU pts (73%). Conclusion(s): This study showed type of office visit did not affect satisfaction or ratings of TMV. However, type of visit did reveal preferences for either IPV or TMV. Pts with NC preferred IPV and felt compassion is important and delivered more effectively in person. This suggests non-verbal communication such as body language, facial expression and tone is conveyed more effectively in person than over phone or video calls. FU or PRV pts rated TMV as more convenient and preferable over IPV for future visits, suggesting that pts with stable or less acute problems prioritize convenience over other factors when selecting type of visit. Further studies are needed to determine what other factors will influence and improve quality of TMV.

Csf & Plasma Soluble Biomarkers in Neuro-Pasc: Preliminary Results from Covid Mind

Background: It is unknown whether individuals with neurological post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (NeuroPASC) display altered levels of neuroimmune activity or neuronal injury. Method(s): Participants with new or worsened neurologic symptoms at least 3 months after laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled in The COVID Mind Study at Yale. Never COVID controls (no history of COVID-19;nucleocapsid (N) antibody negative) were pre-pandemic or prospectively enrolled volunteers. CSF and plasma were assessed for neopterin and for IL-1beta, IL-1RA, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IL-13, MCP-1, TNFalpha by bead-based multiplex assay;and for anti-SARS-CoV-2 N antibodies by Luminex-based multiplex assay in technical replicate, normalized against bovine serum albumin conjugated beads. Plasma concentrations of D-dimer, C-reactive protein, neurofilament light chain (NFL), and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) were measured using high-sensitivity immunoassays. Group comparisons used non-parametric tests. Result(s): NeuroPASC participants (n=38) were studied 329 (median) days (range 81-742) after first positive test for acute COVID-19. Cognitive impairment (84%) and fatigue (82%) were the most frequent post-COVID symptoms. NeuroPASC and controls (n=22) were median 49 vs 52 yrs old (p=0.9), 74% vs 32% female (p< 0.001), 76% vs 23% white race (p< 0.001), and 6% vs 57% smokers (p< 0.001). CSF white blood cells/mL, CSF protein, and serum:CSF albumin ratio were normal in both groups. CSF TNFalpha (0.66 vs 0.55 pg/ul) and plasma IL12p40 were higher (103.3 vs 42.7);and MCP-1 (503 vs 697 pg/ul) and IL-6 (1.32 vs 1.84 pg/ul;p < 0.05 for IL-6) were lower in NeuroPASC vs controls (p< 0.05);but none of these differences were significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Plasma GFAP was elevated in NeuroPASC vs controls (54.4 vs 42.3 pg/ml;adjusted p< 0.03). There were no differences in the other biomarkers tested. 10/31 and 7/31 NeuroPASC had anti-N antibodies in CSF and plasma, respectively. Conclusion(s): When comparing NeuroPASC to never COVID controls, we found no evidence of neuroinflammation (normal CSF cell count, inflammatory cytokines) or blood-brain barrier dysfunction (normal albumin ratio), and no support for ongoing neuronal damage (normal plasma NFL). Future studies should include better gender and race matched controls and should explore the significance of a persistent CNS humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and elevated plasma GFAP after COVID-19. (Figure Presented).

Centering Work: Integration and Diffusion of Workforce Development Within the U.S. Manufacturing Extension Network

As the U.S. economy rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic, strategies that promote long-term transformation toward quality jobs will be critical. This includes workplace-improving interventions that enable employers to upgrade existing jobs, often while enhancing their own competitive position. This article focuses on the U.S. Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a national network of federally funded centers that support small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms. The authors document the range of workforce- and workplace-enhancing strategies that MEP centers have adopted since the network's inception in the mid-1990s. While workforce development is unevenly implemented across today's MEP network, leading centers within it are devising transformative strategies that shape underlying business practices in ways that can improve the quality of frontline manufacturing jobs. The pandemic recovery, along with federal commitments to reenergize domestic supply chains, presents an opportunity to establish National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-MEP as a national workforce development leader, while also strengthening localized institutional partnerships to center that effort on inclusive economic development and recovery. © The Author(s) 2023.

The Racial and Spatial Impacts of the Paycheck Protection Program

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), with spending of nearly $800 billion, was the largest component in the United States' economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The intention of the program was to provide emergency economic relief to small businesses and help them keep employees on their payroll. Critics of the PPP program feared that its reliance on private lending institutions would exacerbate racial and spatial injustice by mirroring existing inequalities in access to capital by race and across space. The authors compare PPP to existing residential and small business lending patterns, and test whether Black and Latinx neighborhoods were disadvantaged in receiving PPP loans. The authors find that majority Black and Latinx neighborhoods received disproportionately fewer PPP loans than majority White and Asian neighborhoods, but that policy changes during the third phase of the PPP resulted in better targeting of lending to lower-income areas, minority borrowers, and smaller businesses. © The Author(s) 2023.

Effect of Alcohol Intoxication in the Emergency Department on Suicide Mortality

Introduction: Suicide represents a significant worldwide disease burden disproportionately affecting younger patients in their prime working years. Mortality by suicide remains within the five leading causes of death up to the age of 60. Compounding this, alcohol use disorder (AUD) is known to be a risk factor for death by suicide and has been on the rise over the last 20 years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergency department (ED) is often the first point of health care contact for those patients that have suicidal thoughts or behaviours and understanding their acute risk of death by suicide when presenting intoxicated with alcohol remains a challenge for ED physicians. While the chronic disease of AUD elevates their lifetime risk for death by suicide, it has not been established how a presentation for suicidality accompanied by acute alcohol intoxication affects this risk. Method(s): This was a retrospective cohort study using population-based linked health administrative data for adult patients aged 18 or above who presented to Alberta (ED) between 2011 and 2021 for suicidal attempt or self-harm behavior. Patients who were acutely intoxicated with alcohol were identified and analyses compared patients with and without alcohol intoxication. The primary outcome was six-month death by suicide. Categorical variables were summarized using proportions, whereas continuous variables were summarized using means and standard deviations (SD) or medians and interquartile ranges (IQR), as appropriate. Competing risk analysis was performed to explore the cumulative incidence of death by suicide within 180 days after their index ED visit and examine the association between death by suicide and alcohol intoxication. Result(s): Patients presenting to the ED for suicide attempt or self-harm behaviour were intoxicated with alcohol in 30% of cases as determined by diagnostic coding and blood alcohol measurements. Intoxicated patients were more likely to be placed under involuntary mental health hold (26% vs 16%) and had on average a longer length of stay in the ED (411 min vs 277 min) but were less frequently admitted (10.8% vs 15.4%). As a departure from previous literature, those intoxicated with alcohol were more likely to be consulted to psychiatry (15.8% vs 12.6%). Mortality due to suicide in the 6 months following the patient' index ED visit were similar between the intoxicated and non-intoxicated groups (0.3% vs 0.3%) however there was a significant increase in all-cause mortality at 6 months in the nonintoxicated group (1.5% vs 2.1%). Discussion(s): This study examined the patient and ED treatment characteristics of patients presenting to the ED with suicide attempt or self-harm behaviour. It found that the 6-month risk of death by suicide was no different in those who presented with acute alcohol intoxication vs those without. While these results differ from other studies discussing how alcohol use disorder confers a chronically increased risk of death by suicide, they provide new evidence for the emergency department providers to consider when assessing the patient who presents with suicidal behaviours while intoxicated.

Association of Receipt of Opioid Use Disorder-Related Telehealth Services and Medications for Opioid Use Disorder With Fatal Drug Overdoses Among Medicare Beneficiaries Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Federal emergency authorities were invoked during the COVID-19 pandemic to expand clinical telehealth for opioid use disorder (OUD). Objective: To examine the association of the receipt of telehealth services and medications for OUD (MOUD) with fatal drug overdoses before and during the pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used exploratory longitudinal data from 2 cohorts (prepandemic cohort: September 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020; pandemic cohort: September 1, 2019, to February 28, 2021) of Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries aged 18 years or older initiating an episode of OUD-related care using Medicare Fee-for-Service data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and National Death Index data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data analysis was performed from September 19 to October 17, 2022. Exposures: Prepandemic vs pandemic cohort demographic, medical, substance use, and psychiatric characteristics. Main Outcomes and Measures: Receipt of OUD-related telehealth services, receipt of MOUD, and fatal drug overdose. Results: The prepandemic cohort comprised 105 162 beneficiaries (58.1% female; 67.6% aged 45-74 years). The pandemic cohort comprised 70 479 beneficiaries (57.1% female; 66.3% aged 45-74 years). The rate of all-cause mortality was higher in the pandemic cohort (99.9 per 1000 beneficiaries; 7041 deaths) than in the prepandemic cohort (76.8 per 1000; 8076 deaths) (P < .001). The rate of fatal drug overdoses was higher in the pandemic cohort (5.1 per 1000 beneficiaries; n = 358) than in the prepandemic cohort (3.7 per 1000; n = 391) (P < .001). The percentage of deaths due to a fatal drug overdose was similar in the prepandemic (4.8%) and pandemic (5.1%) cohorts (P = .49). In multivariable analysis of the pandemic cohort, receipt of OUD-related telehealth was associated with a significantly lower adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for fatal drug overdose (aOR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.48-0.92) as was receipt of MOUD from opioid treatment programs (aOR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.25-0.68) and receipt of buprenorphine in office-based settings (aOR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.43-0.91) compared with those not receiving MOUD; receipt of extended-release naltrexone in office-based settings was not associated with lower odds for fatal drug overdose (aOR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.41-3.26). Conclusions and Relevance: This cohort study found that, among Medicare beneficiaries initiating OUD-related care during the COVID-19 pandemic, receipt of OUD-related telehealth services was associated with reduced risk for fatal drug overdose, as was receipt of MOUD from opioid treatment programs and receipt of buprenorphine in office-based settings. Strategies to expand provision of MOUD, increase retention in care, and address co-occurring physical and behavioral health conditions are needed.

Buffering role of positive religious coping against the helplessness of elderly people under Covid stress

Purpose: This study aims to understand the relationship between Covid stress and helplessness among the elderly people in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India, and moreover, whether positive religious coping can have any influence on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: Following a field study approach, data were collected from 187 elderly people aged more than 60 years in different parts of the Tirunelveli district. Moderated regression analysis was carried out to examine the moderating role of positive religious coping on the relationship between Covid stress and helplessness. Findings: In line with the formulated hypotheses, the findings reveal a significant positive contribution of Covid stress toward the helplessness of elderly people. However, despite Covid stress, the helplessness gets reduced for elderly people executing a higher level of positive religious coping. Research limitations/implications: The findings substantiate the conservation of resources theory and suggest the role of positive religious coping as a personal resource against the stress experienced by the elderly. Practical implications: The findings of the present study indicate the responsibility of government agencies, community leaders, family members as well as religious leaders in providing the scope to the elderly for religious interactions as well as practices that may facilitate positive religious coping among them. Originality/value: The present study is one of its kind to be carried out among community-dwelling elderly under the pandemic crises. Moreover, the buffering role of positive religious coping as a personal resource to withstand the difficult situation has been examined in this study in an empirical manner. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Data-Driven Real-Time Strategic Placement of Mobile Vaccine Distribution Sites

The deployment of vaccines across the US provides significant defense against serious illness and death from COVID-19. Over 70% of vaccine-eligible Americans are at least partially vaccinated, but there are pockets of the population that are under-vaccinated, such as in rural areas and some demographic groups (e.g. age, race, ethnicity). These pockets are extremely susceptible to the Delta variant, exacerbating the healthcare crisis and increasing the risk of new variants. In this paper, we describe a data-driven model that provides real-time support to Virginia public health officials by recommending mobile vaccination site placement in order to target under-vaccinated populations. Our strategy uses fine-grained mobility data, along with US Census and vaccination uptake data, to identify locations that are most likely to be visited by unvaccinated individuals. We further extend our model to choose locations that maximize vaccine uptake among hesitant groups. We show that the top recommended sites vary substantially across some demographics, demonstrating the value of developing customized recommendation models that integrate fine-grained, heterogeneous data sources. We also validate our recommendations by analyzing the success rates of deployed vaccine sites, and show that sites placed closer to our recommended areas administered higher numbers of doses. Our model is the first of its kind to consider evolving mobility patterns in real-time for suggesting placement strategies customized for different targeted demographic groups.

Data-driven scalable pipeline using national agent-based models for real-time pandemic response and decision support

This paper describes an integrated, data-driven operational pipeline based on national agent-based models to support federal and state-level pandemic planning and response. The pipeline consists of (i) an automatic semantic-aware scheduling method that coordinates jobs across two separate high performance computing systems;(ii) a data pipeline to collect, integrate and organize national and county-level disaggregated data for initialization and post-simulation analysis;(iii) a digital twin of national social contact networks made up of 288 Million individuals and 12.6 Billion time-varying interactions covering the US states and DC;(iv) an extension of a parallel agent-based simulation model to study epidemic dynamics and associated interventions. This pipeline can run 400 replicates of national runs in less than 33 h, and reduces the need for human intervention, resulting in faster turnaround times and higher reliability and accuracy of the results. Scientifically, the work has led to significant advances in real-time epidemic sciences. © The Author(s) 2022.

Exercise, diet, and sleep habits of nurses working full-time during the COVID-19 pandemic: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Healthy diet, exercise, and sleep practices may mitigate stress and prevent illness. However, lifestyle behaviors of acute care nurses working during stressful COVID-19 surges are unclear. PURPOSE: To quantify sleep, diet, and exercise practices of 12-hour acute care nurses working day or night shift during COVID-19-related surges. METHODS: Nurses across 10 hospitals in the United States wore wrist actigraphs and pedometers to quantify sleep and steps and completed electronic diaries documenting diet over 7-days. FINDINGS: Participant average sleep quantity did not meet national recommendations; night shift nurses (n = 23) slept significantly less before on-duty days when compared to day shift nurses (n = 34). Proportionally more night shift nurses did not meet daily step recommendations. Diet quality was low on average among participants. DISCUSSION: Nurses, especially those on night shift, may require resources to support healthy sleep hygiene, physical activity practices, and diet quality to mitigate stressful work environments.

Using diverse community feedback to inform inclusive community action: Insights from the Louisiana Community Engagement Alliance

Purpose of Study: Clinical trial participation remains low among US minority groups, who account for <1/10 of trial participants.1,2 Diverse, equitable and inclusive participation is needed to lessen disparities in health status and clinical outcomes.3 Community-based participatory research (CBPR) strategies identify salient community issues, and may be useful for understanding and addressing participation barriers among minority groups.4,5 The Louisiana Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19 Disparities (LA-CEAL) - a partnership of universities, community pharmacies, faith-based organizations (FBOs), and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) - aims to strengthen and leverage community relationships to address barriers to uptake of preventive/therapeutic strategies in underserved populations. This study examines the utility of LA-CEAL's CBPR approach in facilitating inclusive participation in clinical trials. Methods Used: Listening forums were held with a diverse group of LA community stakeholders, including healthcare providers, community pharmacists, FBO leaders and other trusted community members, to gather views on the need for and challenges to inclusive trial participation. Ongoing discussions between community representatives and leaders, academics and program staff facilitated outreach and guided development of informational strategies targeting minority groups. Summary of Results: Listening forums (N = 4;20 participants) revealed limited awareness, mistrust and fear stemming from historical and present injustices, and difficulty accessing opportunities as key themes underlying barriers to participation. To address identified barriers, 8 video testimonials featuring participants, investigators, and health advocates (62.5% Black;12.5% Hispanic;50% female) were developed to educate on expectations and experiences, motivations to participate, human subject protections, and the importance of diversity. Two animated videos featuring trusted community leaders and cultural ambassadors (e. g., New Orleans cultural icon, Irma Thomas) were created to explain trial processes, discuss participation benefits, and address the history of racism in medicine. Finally, connections between the Tulane Clinical Translational Unit and rural FQHCs enabled clinical trial study buses to visit and recruit in diverse LA communities. Conclusion(s): Via LA community stakeholder discussions, targeted strategies to address barriers to minority participation in clinical trials were developed and applied. Use of CBPR strategies was critical to developing intentional action reflective of LA community needs. Copyright © 2023 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.

Tobacco, Alcohol, Cannabis, and Other Drug Use in the US Before and During the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Information about national substance use trends among youths and adults after mid-March 2020 is limited due to constraints on surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: To evaluate whether substance use prevalence in the early part of the pandemic (2020) differed from the prepandemic periods of 2018 to 2019 and 2016 to 2018. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study was a repeated analysis of 2016 to 2020 data from a nationally representative sample of youths and adults in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Participants were representative of the US civilian noninstitutionalized population. Household residents age 13 years or older were interviewed in person from 2016 to 2019 and via telephone in 2020. Exposures: Age, calendar year. Main Outcomes and Measures: Past 30-day self-reported use of any tobacco, any alcohol, binge drinking, cannabis, and any other illegal or misused prescription drugs. Results: The overall nationally representative 2020 sample included 7129 youths (ages 13-17 years), 3628 young adults (ages 18-20 years), and 8874 adults (ages ≥21 years). Comparing 2018 to 2019 with 2020 among youths, prevalence of all substances used declined (eg, cannabis use declined in those aged 16-17 years from 14.9% to 7.6%; absolute difference, -7.3 percentage points [95% CI -8.8 to -5.8 percentage points]). Among young adults, prevalence of all substances other than any alcohol decreased significantly (eg, tobacco use declined from 37.8% to 22.8%; absolute difference, -15.1 percentage points [95% CI -16.8 to -13.3 percentage points]). In adults ages 21 to 24 years, any tobacco use declined from 39.0% to 30.9% (absolute difference, -8.2 percentage points [95% CI, -10.6 to -5.7 percentage points]), and alcohol use increased from 60.2% to 65.2% (absolute difference, 5.0 percentage points [95% CI, 2.3 to 7.7 percentage points]). Among adults aged 25 years or older, any tobacco use declined from 39.0% to 30.9% (absolute difference, -8.2 percentage points [95% CI, -10.6 to -5.7 percentage points]), cannabis use increased from 11.3% to 12.4% (absolute difference, 1.2 percentage points [95% CI, 0.3 to 2.0 percentage points]), and other substance use declined from 5.8% to 3.7% (absolute difference, -2.1 percentage points [95% CI, -2.9 to -1.4 percentage points]). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study, substance use decreased between 2019 and 2020 among those aged 13 to 20 years; consistent declines were not seen in older persons other than tobacco use reductions, and cannabis use increased among adults ages 25 years and older. While social changes during the COVID-19 pandemic could have affected substance use, findings should be interpreted with caution due to differences in data collection methods in 2016 to 2019 and 2020.

Trends and Characteristics of Buprenorphine-Involved Overdose Deaths Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Buprenorphine remains underused in treating opioid use disorder, despite its effectiveness. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US government implemented prescribing flexibilities to support continued access. Objective: To determine whether buprenorphine-involved overdose deaths changed after implementing these policy changes and highlight characteristics and circumstances of these deaths. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used data from the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) to assess overdose deaths in 46 states and the District of Columbia occurring July 2019 to June 2021. Data were analyzed from March 7, 2022, to June 30, 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Buprenorphine-involved and other opioid-involved overdose deaths were examined. Monthly opioid-involved overdose deaths and the percentage involving buprenorphine were computed to assess trends. Proportions and exact 95% CIs of drug coinvolvement, demographics, and circumstances were calculated by group. Results: During July 2019 to June 2021, 32 jurisdictions reported 89 111 total overdose deaths and 74 474 opioid-involved overdose deaths, including 1955 buprenorphine-involved overdose deaths, accounting for 2.2% of all drug overdose deaths and 2.6% of opioid-involved overdose deaths. Median (IQR) age was similar for buprenorphine-involved overdose deaths (41 [34-55] years) and other opioid-involved overdose deaths (40 [31-52] years). A higher proportion of buprenorphine-involved overdose decedents, compared with other opioid-involved decedents, were female (36.1% [95% CI, 34.2%-38.2%] vs 29.1% [95% CI, 28.8%-29.4%]), non-Hispanic White (86.1% [95% CI, 84.6%-87.6%] vs 69.4% [95% CI, 69.1%-69.7%]), and residing in rural areas (20.8% [95% CI, 19.1%-22.5%] vs 11.4% [95% CI, 11.2%-11.7%]). Although monthly opioid-involved overdose deaths increased, the proportion involving buprenorphine fluctuated but did not increase during July 2019 to June 2021. Nearly all (92.7% [95% CI, 91.5%-93.7%]) buprenorphine-involved overdose deaths involved at least 1 other drug; higher proportions involved other prescription medications compared with other opioid-involved overdose deaths (eg, anticonvulsants: 18.6% [95% CI, 17.0%-20.3%] vs 5.4% [95% CI, 5.2%-5.5%]) and a lower proportion involved illicitly manufactured fentanyls (50.2% [95% CI, 48.1%-52.3%] vs 85.3% [95% CI, 85.1%-85.5%]). Buprenorphine decedents were more likely to be receiving mental health treatment than other opioid-involved overdose decedents (31.4% [95% CI, 29.3%-33.5%] vs 13.3% [95% CI, 13.1%-13.6%]). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that actions to facilitate access to buprenorphine-based treatment for opioid use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic were not associated with an increased proportion of overdose deaths involving buprenorphine. Efforts are needed to expand more equitable and culturally competent access to and provision of buprenorphine-based treatment.

Communicating Blue Carbon Science Across the Indo-Pacific Region Through Capacity Building Fellowships

Communicating the value of blue carbon ecosystems requires sound knowledge of biology, remote sensing, carbon assessment, policy, and approaches to restoration. We describe a successful training program where young professionals from developing countries are hosted in Australia and taught to communicate blue carbon science to researchers, policy makers, and the public. Across several programs, some run during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants increased their knowledge of important areas of blue carbon science by 58% to 74%. This integrative teaching platform gives participants the knowledge and skills needed to help solve the major challenges to the marine environment in their home countries.

Impact of Vaccination on Cost and Course of Hospitalization Associated with Covid-19 Infection

INTRODUCTION: The widespread impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has strained healthcare resources including available hospital beds and respiratory support. Patients who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are less likely to become severely ill and require hospitalization. Current studies estimating the cost of hospitalization to the healthcare system are theoretical in nature and rely on statistical models. The risk of hospitalization, severe illness, and death remains much lower among vaccinated individuals. The primary objectives of this study were the effects of vaccination status on length of stay and cost of COVID-19 related hospitalization. Secondary objectives included rate of ICU admission and maximum level of respiratory support. METHOD(S): Setting: Single center study conducted at a large academic medical center Participants: 437 consecutively admitted patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 infection met inclusion criteria in the study period. Of these, 79 were excluded for unknown or partial vaccination status, transfer from outside hospital, or multiple COVID-19 related admissions. Exposure: COVID-19 vaccination status Main Outcome and Measures: Hospital length of stay and cost of COVID-19 related hospitalization. RESULT(S): Overall, 279 (77.9%) unvaccinated patients compared to 79 (22.1%) vaccinated patients were hospitalized for the with a diagnosis of COVID-19. The length of stay was significantly lower in the vaccinated group (6.47 days versus 8.92 days, p = 0.03). The cost of hospitalization was not found to be statistically significant ($10,1885.0 versus $11,7936.3, p = 0.06). After conducting covariate analysis, adjusting for age, vaccinated patients had 21% lower cost compared to unvaccinated patients (p = 0.02). Vaccinated patients experienced a 70.6% lower risk of ICU admission (OR = 0.294, 95% CI 0.1219 to 0.7078, p = 0.006). Patients in the vaccinated group were also 46.2% less likely to be hospitalized beyond 7 days (OR = 0.537, 95% CI 0.306 - 0.941, p = 0.03). Unvaccinated patients required a higher degree of respiratory support (p= 0.002). CONCLUSION(S): Unvaccinated patients were found to have a longer length of stay compared to vaccinated patients when admitted for COVID-19. After adjusting for age, those who are vaccinated had a lower cost of hospitalization.

Exploring Notions of Resilience and Adaptability in the Context of Piloting a Mobile App for Risk Awareness During Covid-19

This paper explores notions of resilience and adaptability in the context of the design, development and pilot of a mobile phone application, COVID-Aware, for enhancing risk awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through an interdisciplinary team approach, we explore the utilization of an information and communications technology platform in supporting resilience and wellbeing at the individual and collective levels among community members. The study integrated data models, that were developed in Jamaica to predict the risk of COVID-19, with existing epidemiological models developed for COVID-19 in different parts of the world. Participants' perspectives on adapting to the use of the app on their mobile devices assisted with exploring ways to share visualisations of this data, and their views of adaptations to health protocols provided feedback for participatory development of the app. The use of the mobile application to support risk awareness, assessment and potential choices, and implications for resilience are discussed. © 2022, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.