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Human Rights
No full textThis chapter on human rights introduces students to the structure and politics of human rights in the twenty-first century. It not only gives an introduction to the formal structure of human rights, but also encourages students to think about how human rights have developed historically. In particular, it examines the influence of liberal internationalism on human rights and how this is shaped by the legacies of colonialism, slavery, apartheid, and engagements with sexual, religious, and racial differences—or what has been described as the ‘dark side’ of human rights. The chapter encourages students to question whether rights are universal instruments of emancipation, or complex, contradictory, and contingent in their functioning. The chapter also sets out the dominant understandings of human rights as progressive, universal, and based on a common human subject. Students will be asked to engage primarily in a critical analysis of these claims, and how human rights may not necessarily be a project that can be steered exclusively by good intentions. Postcolonialists and some feminists have suggested that it can also have harmful effects. Human rights advocates can also differ on the strategies to be adopted to address violations; these can have material, normative, and structural consequences that are not always empowering. These competing positions will be illustrated through two case studies: one on the Islamic veil bans in Europe, and the second on human rights in the war in Gaza. Thus, the chapter seeks to: • offer an overview of human rights; • analyse the core claims of human rights as emancipatory and progressive; • show how human rights practices are complex and contradictory
How climate campaigns can cut through ad fatigue
Full text linkThis visibility and attention to the climate crisis is welcome. But with more campaigns competing for attention – often with conflicting messages – the effect can quickly become overwhelming. Messages designed to raise awareness or inspire action also trigger ad fatigue
Negative Selection Maintains Grossly Altered but Broadly Stable Karyotypes in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.
Full text linkUNLABELLED: Aneuploidy is near-ubiquitous in cancer and contributes to tumor biology. However, the temporal evolutionary dynamics that select for aneuploidy remain uncharacterized. We performed longitudinal genomic analysis of 755 samples from 167 patients with colorectal-derived neoplasias from different stages through metastasis and treatment. Adenomas had few copy number alterations (CNA) and most were subclonal, whereas cancers had many clonal CNAs, suggesting that progression goes through a CNA bottleneck. Individual colorectal cancer glands from the same tumor had similar karyotypes, despite evidence of ongoing instability at the cell level. CNAs in metastatic lesions, after therapy, and in late recurrences were similar to the primary. Mathematical modeling indicated that these data are consistent with the action of negative selection on CNAs that "trap" cancer genomes on a fitness peak characterized by specific CNAs. Hence, progression to colorectal cancer requires traversing a rugged fitness landscape, whereas subsequent CNA evolution is constrained by negative selection. SIGNIFICANCE: We profiled 167 long-term responders longitudinally (755 samples), documenting long-term cancer evolution. We found that a genetic bottleneck is required for progression and is associated with dramatic increase in CNAs but decrease in clonal diversity. After initiation, copy number evolution is constrained by negative selection through metastasis and treatment
Systemic inflammation and growth in children born to mothers with and without HIV in rural Zimbabwe
Full text linkMulti-Trait analysis characterizes the genetics of thyroid function and identifies causal associations with clinical implications
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Interface chemistry and particle size distribution effects on the specific heat capacity of nanofluids
Full text linkEnhancing the specific heat capacity of nanofluids has long been reported but remains poorly understood, with inconsistent experimental evidence and a lack of predictive models. Here we introduce a simple yet physically grounded framework in which deviations from ideal mixture behaviour arise from an interface heat capacity term proportional to the nanoparticle surface area. Using extensive molecular dynamics simulations of metal–organic nanofluids, we show that the interface heat capacity is strongly dependent on the chemistry of the solid–liquid interface, larger for group 10 metals (Ni, Pd, Pt) (on the order of 10-6 to 10-5 J K−1 m−2) than for group 10 metals (Cu, Ag, Au) (on the order of 10-7 to 10-6 J K−1 m−2), and decreases sharply with temperature. Incorporating particle morphology and size distributions, the model predicts that nanofluids with high-aspect-ratio particles (i.e. , 2D nanomaterials) and narrow size dispersity can exhibit moderate enhancements in specific heat, while spherical nanoparticles largely follow the ideal mixture limit. These results provide design guidelines for tailoring nanofluids with improved thermal storage and transfer performance
Genomic risk model to implement precision prostate cancer screening in clinical care: the ProGRESS study.
No full textPrecision healthcare aims to tailor disease prevention and early detection to individual risk. Prostate cancer screening may benefit from genomics-informed approaches. We developed and validated the P-CARE model, a prostate cancer risk prediction tool combining a polygenic score, family history and genetic ancestry, using data from over 585,000 male participants in the Million Veteran Program. The model was externally validated in diverse cohorts and implemented via a blended genome-exome assay for clinical use. Here we show that the P-CARE model identifies clinically meaningful gradients of prostate cancer risk among men, with higher scores associated with increased risk of any, metastatic and fatal prostate cancer. The model is now being used in a clinical trial of precision prostate cancer screening. This work demonstrates the potential for genomics-enabled health systems to improve prostate cancer screening and prevention in men. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT05926102