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Network(ed) confession: disidentification, digitality, and the politics of self-representation in the work of Kathy Acker and Joanna Walsh
No full textThis essay examines the intersection of life-writing, network systems, and literary experimentation. Confessional forms of literature have inevitably transformed with the proliferation of mass communications technologies and distributed computing networks. New media, particularly social media networks – as noted by Seb Franklin, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, and others – overtly privilege the individual over forms of collectivity and solidarity. Tracing a lineage from the avant-garde writer Kathy Acker to the multimedia artist Joanna Walsh, this essay explores how the aesthetic politics of formal experimentation enables authors to bypass neoliberal society’s obsession with transparency and the ‘inner’ self. Building on the work of José Esteban Muñoz, I argue that, in their respective texts, Acker and Walsh present a counter- or non-confessional aesthetic mode underwritten by disidentificatory textual practice. Refuting both autobiographical genre conventions and the data capture systems of networks, Acker and Walsh model new forms of self-representation for the information age. Comparative close reading demonstrates the continuing significance of Acker’s work and the possibility of new networks of experimental writers and artists who challenge what is normative or ordinary
Preprint: Genome Wide Association Analysis of Two Pore Domain Potassium Channel Gene Regions Reveals Multiple Pain-Associated Signals
No full textTwo-pore domain potassium (K2P) channels are novel analgesic drug targets with existing in vitro and in vivo validation, however genetic associations in large scale populations have not been widely reported. By examining two comprehensive genetic databases (UK Biobank, FinnGen) and 136 pain-related traits, we highlight that multiple pain-associated signals are present within 500 kb of K2P gene transcripts, with particularly strong evidence for KCNK5 (TASK-2) and headache-related traits. This data benchmarks remarkably well against gene targets already considered to be well validated pain targets (voltage-gated sodium and transient receptor potential channels) and is enhanced when examining populations regularly consuming analgesics who also report pain. This data supports a rationale for developing therapeutic strategies to modulate K2P function in patient populations experiencing pain
Reflective Journey of the Imagining Otherwise: Decolonial Study Group Workshop
No full textReflecting on the workshop Imagining Otherwise: Decolonial Study Group that took place as part of the CICC School at Ambika P3 in London, this essay discusses a number of themes that were central to the event. Consisting of a film screening, discussion groups and a role-playing game, the workshops addressed issues such as the decolonial potential of water as a carrier of histories and memory, the negotiations and conflicts between the interests of indigenous populations and settlers, and the importance of staying alert to positionality
Doctors Within Borders: Power Dynamics at the Intersections of London’s Dispensaire Français
No full textSustainability Performance, Cost of Debt, and Institutional Environment Quality: Global Evidence From the Hospitality and Tourism Industry
No full textThis study examines how sustainability performance affects the cost of debt financing in the hospitality and tourism industry and whether institutional environment quality moderates this relationship. Using a dataset of 2302 firm-year observations from 34 countries between 2010 and 2022, the results show that sustainability performance is negatively associated with the cost of debt financing, indicating that sustainability initiatives reduce lender-perceived risk. Notably, institutional environment quality strengthens this relationship, as countries with stronger governance frameworks and regulatory enforcement enable lenders to reward sustainability commitments more effectively. However, the association weakened during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting how systemic uncertainty altered lender risk perceptions and curtailed the financial benefits of sustainability practices. The findings remain robust across alternative measures, different model specifications, and controls for endogeneity. The findings provide new cross-country evidence on how firm-level sustainability initiatives interact with institutional contexts to shape debt financing costs in the hospitality and tourism industry. This study extends neo-institutional and stakeholder theories by demonstrating how sustainability practices and national governance jointly influence the cost of debt. It also offers critical insights for managers, lenders, and policymakers seeking to align sustainability strategies with financial resilience
The paradox of NET involvement in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease
No full textInflammatory bowel disease (IBD), namely Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are defined by chronic, non-resolving inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. Neutrophils are the first responders in inflammation, executing various effector functions, including chemotaxis, phagocytosis, degranulation and the release of cytokines, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Amongst all neutrophil functions, emerging evidence increasingly suggests that NET release may be particularly relevant in underpinning the pathogenesis of IBD. NETs are extracellular structures composed of chromatin, antimicrobial proteins, and oxidative enzymes released by neutrophils to trap and neutralize pathogens. In this review, we discuss the protective roles of NETs in intestinal health and how, under tight physiological regulation, they can prevent pathogenic invasion, exert anti-inflammatory effects, and play an important role in wound healing and intestinal tissue repair. Conversely, we consider how inflammation-driven changes in neutrophil activation, phenotype and immunometabolism can cause dysregulation in NET production and clearance and lead to harmful intestinal effects that can prolong intestinal and chronic inflammation in IBD. Specifically, we explore how uncontrolled NET production can damage intestinal epithelial integrity, increase bacterial translocation and increase thromboembolic risk, ultimately linking NETs to the pro-inflammatory pathogenesis of IBD
Responsible Artificial Intelligence Attention and Firm Innovation: An Attention-Based View
No full textAcademic Summary
This article draws on the attention-based view (ABV) to examine whether, how, and under what conditions top management team (TMT) attention to responsible artificial intelligence (AI) influences firm innovation. We developed a 480-word responsible AI dictionary grounded in 155 academic sources and 527 corporate case descriptions, and applied it to 2452 S&P 500 earnings call transcripts (2011–2021) using natural language processing (NLP) and large language model (LLM) techniques, yielding 2670 firm-year observations. Linking these measures to US patent data, we find that greater responsible AI attention predicts more and higher-impact patents. The effect is stronger in low-technology industries and under short-term investor pressure, while the presence of a chief technology officer (CTO) does not amplify it. Mechanism analyses reveal that responsible AI attention fosters innovation by increasing investment in AI-relevant human capital and mitigating innovation risk. Theoretically, this article enriches the AI and innovation management literature by positioning responsible AI attention as a dynamic strategic asset that mobilizes resources, reduces risk, and enables contextual adaptation. Practically, findings suggest that firms can strengthen innovation by prioritizing managerial attention to responsible AI, distributing responsibility beyond technical specialists, balancing ethical safeguards with strategic flexibility, and aligning governance with investor and industry conditions.
Managerial Summary
This article examines how managerial attention to responsible artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance firm innovation. Using text analytics on 2452 earnings call transcripts from S&P 500 firms (2011–2021) and a panel of 2670 firm-year observations linked to patent outcomes, we show that firms whose top management teams (TMT) devote greater attention to responsible AI produce more and higher-impact patents. This effect is stronger in low-technology industries and when firms face short-term investor pressure; it is not amplified by having a chief technology officer (CTO). In practice, sustained attention to responsible AI tends to build AI-related skills and reduce project risk, thereby supporting a more reliable innovation pipeline. Executives should treat responsible AI as a strategic priority rather than a compliance task by establishing cross-functional governance, investing in role-based governance training, and sharing accountability across the C-suite. Innovation managers can embed ethics checkpoints (bias audits, design reviews) into project workflows to enhance stability and organizational learning. Policymakers can reinforce responsible innovation by providing clear regulatory frameworks and incentives that align ethical safeguards with competitiveness. Together, these actions can help build more durable organizational capability for responsible innovation and support long-term performance and adaptation to ongoing technological change
The ‘walking/wheeling with’ framework: establishing walking/wheeling with children as a mobility justice issue
No full textAdopting a mobility justice lens, this review paper brings together the often-fragmented literature on walking and wheeling with children and develops a ‘Walking/Wheeling With’ framework to understand and address the infrastructural, social, and cultural barriers that constrain these mobilities, and celebrate the many benefits they bring at the individual, family, community and planetary levels. Rooted in the everyday realities of caregiving mobilities, and adopting a disability-conscious lens, this framework emphasises that the removal of barriers to mobility enhances inclusion for all. Drawing from history, geography, disability studies, environmental planning, social policy, mental health, physical activity, and early childhood studies, we argue for a more cohesive, inclusive, and cross-sectoral research and policy agenda that recognises walking or wheeling with children as a site of both challenge and possibility. Ultimately, the ‘Walking/Wheeling With’ framework demands from researchers and policy makers alike that they systematically consider family/caring mobilities in relation to broader questions of access, inclusion, and movement in contemporary society. In practice, this might mean decentering speed and car-commuting while centering physical safety, slowness, health, civic engagement, environmental justice and inclusivity
UniVRse: protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial of virtual reality cognitive-behaviour therapy for students with social anxiety
No full textBackground
Social anxiety is prevalent amongst university students. Cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT), and graded exposure techniques in particular, is an effective intervention for social anxiety. However, there are a number of barriers preventing the delivery of CBT to students who are socially anxious. Delivering this intervention using virtual reality (VR) can address these implementation issues. We have co-developed with a group of students a VR-CBT intervention (UniVRse) specifically for members of this student group with social anxiety.
Methods/design
The present study is a pilot randomised controlled trial conducted in the United Kingdom of the UniVRse intervention compared to a wait-list control group. The aim of the trial is to determine whether a definitive trial is justified by assessing study recruitment, retention, and acceptability, as well as establishing the effect size on the co-primary outcomes for the definitive trial sample size calculation. We aim to recruit 90 socially anxious students—45 in each trial arm. The trial will adopt a mixed-methods approach. We will collect quantitative data at baseline (T0) and post-intervention 6 weeks later (T1). We will invite participants randomised to the intervention arm to complete a qualitative exit interview.
Discussion
The results of this pilot trial will be used to determine whether a definitive trial is justified, and to inform the refinement of the UniVRse programme and trial procedures. In the longer term, the UniVRse intervention has the potential to be an effective and accessible psychological intervention for students with social anxiety
