Legacy Pollutants are Declining in Great Skuas (Stercorarius skua) but Remain Higher in Faroe Islands than in Scotland.

To monitor environmental pollutants in Faroese biota, samples from a top predator were analysed and put into a spatial and temporal context. Analysis of 20 Great Skua eggs sampled in 2012 from the Faroe Islands showed >70 % lower concentrations of legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) than in samples analysed in 1977. The 2012 Faroese eggs showed higher concentrations than for eggs in Shetland from about the same period (2008). Eggshells were analysed for sub-lethal effects but there were no detectable effects of legacy POP levels on eggshell colour or thickness. A temporal decline in legacy POPs would indicate a reduction in the general pollutant levels present in the environment as has been shown in other areas of the North Atlantic, but there are significant geographic differences in POPs levels likely due to differences in diet resulting in significantly different exposures on a relatively limited spatial scale.

Imprisoned royalty: defensive failure and reconstitution on an inpatient unit.

Treatment of schizophrenic patients in an inpatient setting has become ever-more challenging over time. Patients move in and out of hospital systems quickly, and the severity of patients' illnesses during their hospital stay makes the experience chaotic and intense. This paper offers a model for understanding psychotic patients' experiences on an inpatient unit, and for effectively working with them in this setting. I have drawn on a parallel in film, that of "The Madness of King George," to help illustrate the concept of the hospitalized schizophrenic patient as imprisoned royalty. Through this metaphor, I explore the process of defensive breakdown and repair in psychosis, as it occurs in the hospital setting. I examine the relationships between patients, clinicians, and aspects of the hospital, and review some of the common dilemmas in this type of treatment.