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Working for the Federation:The Global Labor Movement and Global Union Federation Officials
No full textIn the fight for decent work, workers need the support of global union federations (GUFs) to protect and promote their interests. GUF officials are an important resource for the labor movement, and yet we know surprisingly little about these strategic social actors. Based on a study of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), we identify four distinct but interacting roles – activist, bureaucrat, diplomat and technocrat – that GUF officials exercise, at different times, in different places with different interactants. As institutional entrepreneurs, GUF officials must engage in collective action framing and mobilize different power resources in strategic action fields to advance the effectiveness of GUFs
Shia Foreign Fighters, State Support and Ideology
No full textThe scholarship on Muslim foreign fighters has expanded, but it still overlooks the case of Shia transnational war volunteers. Shia foreign fighters emerged in the 1970s and early 80s, became less prominent through the 80s, and resurfaced during the 2011 Syrian civil war. What explains the rise and decline of Shia transnational war volunteers in the 1980s? I argue that their mobilization and demobilization resulted from ideological factionalism in the heart of their state sponsor, Iran, itself triggered by the rise and demise of a militant, internationalist faction in Tehran which had strong ties to these transnational war volunteers. This article makes three contributions. Empirically, it provides the first origins story of Shia foreign fighters. Conceptually, it illuminates state-backed (as opposed to private) foreign fighting. Theoretically, it provides an institutional account of ideology's effect on armed conflict, highlighting the effects of ideological factionalism on militant mobilization
Understanding the experiences of Children with Speech Sound Disorder in speech and language therapy using emotional mapping
No full textIntroduction: The quality of relationships between speech and language therapists (SLTs) and clients, in this case children with speech sound disorder (SSD) of unknown origin, is a crucial factor for successful intervention. These relationships are affected by how services are configured and what SLTs are asking of the children. The public and patients' views are therefore vital in the evaluation or redesign of services. The aim of the present work was, through public and patient involvement and engagement (PPIE), to gain insight into experiences of young children who had received intervention for SSD.Methods: A total of seven children (seen individually) aged 4- to 7-years-old with SSD took part in four activities. The activities took place in a clinical setting with two qualified SLTs facilitating the interactions, one of whom was previously known to the children. Emotional mapping activities- drawing, using toy figurines, emojis and pictures - facilitated the children in telling us about their experiences of SSD interventions.Results: Children drew, pointed and verbalised who, what, where and when they had intervention and how they felt about it. Children selected ‘happy’ or ‘cool’ emoji to indicate how they felt during therapy. Children commented on environmental factors, such as being taken out of the classroom to see the SLTs, as a positive thing as ‘other children are too noisy’, and said that it is ‘special time’ for them to ‘work on my sounds’. They also mentioned that they ‘liked’ their SLTs and personal factors such as the ‘big bag with a flower on it, that is full of toys’. Conclusions: Children are able to communicate their experiences of speech and language therapy for SSD through emotional mapping activities
The Problem of Imputability in the Kantian Aftermath
No full textThis paper analyses a dispute that flared up in the 1790s, about whether Kant's moral theory leaves room for the possibility of imputable wrongdoing. Contra Paul Guyer's reading, I argue this was not merely a matter of mutual misunderstanding but reflected its participants’ varying perceptions of an arguably genuine dilemma for Kantian ethics: that what he needs to say to explain how imputable action contrary to duty is possible within his framework is prima facie incompatible with what he needs to say to establish that the moral law is categorically binding. In addition to presenting my interpretation of the controversy, I offer a suggestion as to how Kant might be able to escape the dilemma, and further suggest we have good reason to think that Kant himself was both aware of the danger and endorsed the proffered solution
Experiences and Management of People With a Failing Kidney Transplant: Findings From the IN-FAKT Study
No full textRationale & Objective:Transplant failure is associated with a morbidity burden, increased mortality, and poor quality of life. We have a limited understanding of how patients prepare for transplant failure, when they do so, and what experiences and priorities are relevant to clinical management decisions when transplants are failing. This study investigated the experiences of living with and managing kidney transplant failure among patients, families and friends, and healthcare professionals (HCPs).Study Design:Qualitative semi-structured interview study.Setting & Participants:Three groups of adults sampled from 3 UK hospitals:i)People with a failing kidney transplant or one that had failed in the last year. ii)Family/friends of group i).iii)Kidney transplant HCPsAnalytical Approach:Inductive analysis based in constructivist grounded theory.Results:41 participants were interviewed (15 people with failing/failed transplants, 9 family/friends, 17 HCPs). We identified 8 theoretical categories under 3 headings: First, the experience of waiting: 1) A constant threat: anticipation of failure; 2) Lack of preparedness; 3) Liminality: an indeterminate and in-between state.Second, shaping conversations about failing transplants: 4) Navigating uncertainty; 5) Responsibility and control; 6) Failing to acknowledge failure: ‘the elephant in the room’. Third, the focus on the failing transplant: 7) Maximising mileage and missed opportunities; 8) The ripple effect of failure and family suffering.‘Duality’ emerged as the core category describing findings which appeared to be in opposition, but which were experienced or delivered simultaneously. Patients experienced failure as an inevitability and a surprise, and felt both responsible for and a lack of control over the transplant outcome. HCPs identified a need for parallel planning; simultaneously prolonging transplant survival and planning post-transplant treatment. Limitations:Adult participants only. Conclusions:Our study identified targets for improving the experiences of people with transplant failure, related to explicit communication, navigating uncertainty, and parallel planning.</div
Silence in illness
No full textWith their frequent calls to ‘break the silence’ of illness, contemporary health discourse and activism appear to assume silence is inherently harmful and speaking inherently beneficial. In this paper, we question this assumption. Using resources from recent scholarship on silence and examples from firstperson accounts illness, we suggest a more complex picture of silence in illness. On this picture, (a) there are different kinds of silence, (b) only some of them are a symptom of oppression or silencing, and (c) it is questionable whether the production of speech (or text) per se is an effective means of sharing one’s illness experiences. The first section explores what we term ‘imposed silence’ and some ways of addressing it, giving examples from mental health. The second section discusses pathophobic vices as sources of silencing practices. In the third section we discuss what we call 'agential silences’ and how these can be thwarted. Finally, we consider how these silences and silencing practices may apply to those who are ill
Flexible ultrathin resistive temperature sensors for glove-based assistive technology
No full textThe skin of the human hand plays a critical role in perceiving temperature, which is vital for safe interactions with the environment. This paper presents the fabrication and integration of flexible, ultrathin resistive-type temperature sensors within a reusable glove, designed for individuals with prosthetic hands or impaired temperature perception. The single-walled carbon nanotubes/ poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate)(SWCNTs/PEDOT:PSS)-based sensors, fabricated on 1 µmthick polyimide substrates, demonstrate high sensitivity (~0.58% °C-1) and rapid response times of 1.8 ± 0.2 s, across a linear detection range of 25–65°C, enabling real-time temperature feedback for users. The sensor-equipped glove provides timely precautionary warnings, helping reduce potential thermal risks during daily activities involving thermal exposure
Theatre Fans and Theatre Buildings; or "This Beloved Theatre of Ours"
No full textI first became interested in the idea that theatres could act as fan objects back in 2016, when I began working on a British Academy-funded research project studying how audiences’ engagements have evolved over time with a specific theatrical producing house. This was Bristol Old Vic in the UK, which at that time was busy celebrating its 250th birthday as ‘the longest continuously running theatre in the English speaking world’. One strand of this project involved conducting empirical research with some of Bristol Old Vic’s most committed audiences: the members of Bristol Old Vic Theatre Club (BOVTC), which was launched in the 1940s as an audience-run organisation led by a group of enthusiasts to raise money for the theatre and to otherwise support its activities. I began to realise that while BOVTC does not call itself a ‘fan club’, reframing the investments of its members in Fan Studies terms could potentially produce valuable perspectives on the relationship between theatre and fandom. This article explores how, for Bristol Old Vic’s most intensely engaged audience members, their love of the theatre blurs together enjoyment of the organisation’s production work with an enduring attachment to the material building that houses it. Through discursive analysis of archival materials, it shows that this affective blurring was central to the theatre’s historical identity during the 1940s rebranding, when Bristol’s Theatre Royal became the first venue ever to be funded by the Arts Council and was subsequently reimagined as a regional outpost of London’s Old Vic. When it comes to theatre fandom, the love of theatre as performance is often hard to separate from the love of theatre as place
In silico discovery and characterisation of a novel nuclear transcription factor-Y (NF-Y) inhibitor with anti-mitogenic properties
No full textNuclear Transcription Factor-Y (NF-Y) is a transcription factor that binds CCAAT motifs to regulate gene expression controlling cell proliferation, metabolism, and differentiation. NF-Y dysregulation contributes to diverse pathologies including cancer, neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease and tissue fibrosis. Using in silico molecular docking, we screened a library of eight million compounds to identify molecules targeting a pocket on the NF-YB/NF-YC dimer. We identified one compound, designated NFYi5, that was able to reduce NF-Y activity. NFYi5 reduced mRNA levels of NF-Y target genes, while sparing housekeeping gene expression, and inhibited cell proliferation. Mechanistic studies revealed that NFYi5 impaired NF-Y–DNA binding and accelerated NF-YA protein degradation, reducing its half-life from 16.5±1.5 hours to 8.5±0.7. Together, these data establish NFYi5 as a small-molecule that can reduce NF-Y activity and is associated with anti-mitogenic properties. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that NF-Y is pharmacologically tractable and highlights NFYi5 as a potential lead compound for therapeutic development in NF-Y-driven diseases