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Blurred lines and false dichotomies: Integrating counterinsurgency into the UK's domestic "war on terror'
Get PDFThe UK’s counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) seeks to pursue individuals involved in suspected terrorism (‘Pursue’) and seeks to minimise the risk of people becoming ‘future’ terrorists by employing policies and practices structured to pre-emptively incapacitate and socially exclude them (‘Prevent’). This article demonstrates that this two-pronged approach is based on a framework of counterinsurgency; a military doctrine used against non-state actors that encourages, amongst other things, the blanket surveillance of populations and the targeting of propaganda at them. The use of counterinsurgency theory and practice in the UK’s ‘war on terror’ blurs the distinction between Pursue and Prevent, coercion and consent, and, ultimately, civilian and combatant. This challenges the liberal claim that counter-terrorism policies, especially Prevent, are about social inclusivity or ‘safeguarding’ and that the UK government is accountable to the people
Study on seafarers’ emotion identification during watch-keeping using bridge simulation
Get PDFHuman factors present one of the essential contributors to maritime accidents, and sea-farers’ emotion is sensitive to working environment and information inaccessibility. The data collected from 11 experienced seafarers’ Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) questionnaires, is analysed to investigate the impact of their emotions during watch-keeping in a bridge simulator. SAM scale rating questionnaires are received separately after two sections, emotion calibration and recognition. The emotion is induced and identified in the calibration section. In the recognition, emotion is self-rated after the crew-qualified test and the Support Vector Machine (SVM) model is used for classification. The results indicate that SVM can effectively identify the emotions with a precision of 72.73%. Seafarers’ emotion in maritime operations affects their behaviour and decision-making. The overall positive emotion identified by SAM rating does not mean positive effect on sailing, while negative emotion identified by SAM rating does not lead to negative behaviour. © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London
The effect of malondialdehyde is modified by simian virus 40 transformation in human lung fibroblast cells
Get PDFThe effects of malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of oxidative stress, on normal lung fibroblast cells (MRC5) and transformed c ells (MRC5 SV2) showed differing responses between the two cell lines. MRC5 cells showed lower viability at low MDA concentrations (<250 µM) but had better viability at higher concentrations than the transformed cells. Both cell lines showed an increase in the number of micronuclei, nuclear size and a relocation of p53 to the nucleus with increasing MDA. The expression of p53 was higher in the MRC5 cells at 24 h; 2-8 fold induction vs 1-2.5 fold in the MRC5 SV2 cells, but reduced to almost zero at 48 h in the MRC5 cells. Mutation sequencing of the PCR products of a 689 bp region (residues 4640-5328) of the TP53 gene revealed MRC5 had more mutations than MRC5 SV2 cells (n = 21 and 11 respectively) and that they were predominantly insertions (MRC5 81%, MRC5 SV2 100%). A common mutation was observed in both cell lines; a G insertion at residue 4724 (n = 7) which could prove to be a mutational hotspot. These results indicate that the transformed cells are slower to respond to oxidative stress and/or mutagenic compounds. The mutation spectrum of predominantly frameshift mutations (insertions) suggests that oxidative stress plays a minimal role in smoking related lung cancer, but could be of greater importance to other lung diseases and cancer caused by exposures such as passive smokers, passive vapers and atmospheric pollutants
The impact of 24 weeks of supervised endurance versus resistance exercise training on left ventricular mechanics in healthy untrained humans.
Get PDFBACKGROUND: In addition to the well-known cardiac structural adaptation to exercise training, little work examined changes in LV mechanics. With new regional and global indices available we sought to determine the effect of 24 weeks endurance versus resistance training on LV mechanics. METHODS AND RESULTS: 23 male subjects were randomly allocated to either a 24-week endurance- or resistance-training program. Pre- and post-training 2D echocardiographic images were acquired. Global LV mechanics (strain [ε]) were recorded in longitudinal, circumferential and radial planes. Rotation was assessed at apical and basal levels. In addition, longitudinal ε-volume loops, across the cardiac cycle, were constructed from simultaneous LV ε (longitudinal and transverse strain) and volume measurements across the cardiac cycle as a novel measure of LV mechanics. Marginal differences in ε and rotation data were found between groups. Post-training, we found no change in global peak ε data. Peak basal rotation significantly increased after training with changes in the endurance group (-2.2±1.9o to -4.5±3.3o) and the resistance group (-2.9±3.0o to -3.4±2.9o) . LV ε-volume loops revealed a modest rightward shift in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst most global and regional indices of LV mechanics were not significantly altered, 24 weeks of intense supervised exercise training increased basal rotation. Further studies that assess LV mechanics in larger cohorts of subjects and those with cardiovascular disease and risk factors may reveal important training impacts
Polymeric Nanoparticles for the Delivery of miRNA to Treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Get PDFRNA interference (RNAi) based therapeutics are considered an endogenous mechanism for modulating gene expression. In addition, microRNAs (miRNAs) may be tractable targets for the treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In this study miR146a was adsorbed onto poly (glycerol adipate-co-ω-pentadecalactone), PGA-co-PDL, nanoparticles (NPs) to reduce target gene IRAK1 expression. NPs were prepared using an oil-in-water single emulsion solvent evaporation method incorporating cationic lipid dioleoyltrimethylammoniumpropane (DOTAP). This resulted in NPs of 244.80±4.40 nm at 15 % DOTAP concentration, zeta potential (ZP) of +14.8±0.26 mV and miR-146a (40 µg/ml) maximum adsorption onto 15 % DOTAP NPs was 36.25±0.35 µg per 10 mg NP following 24 h incubation. Using the MTT assay, it was observed that over 75 % at 0.312 mg/ml of A549 cells remained viable after 18 h exposure to cationic NPs at a concentration of 1.25 mg/ml. Furthermore, the in vitro release profile of miR-146a from loaded NPs showed a continuous release up to 77 % after 24 h. Internalization of miR-146a loaded cationic NPs was observed in A549 cell lines using fluorescence and confocal microscopy. The miR146a delivered as miR-146a-NPs had a dose dependent effect of highest NPs concentrations 0.321 and 0.625 mg/ml and reduced target gene IRAK1 expression to 40 %. In addition, IL-8 promoter reporter output (GFP) was dampened by miR-146a-NPs. In conclusion, miR-146a was successfully adsorbed onto PGA-co-PDL-DOTAP NPs and the miR-146a retained biological activity. Therefore, these results demonstrate the potential of PGA-co-PDL NPs as a delivery system for miR-146a to treat COPD
The Separate System? A Conversation on Collaborative Artisic Practice with Veterans-in-Prison
Get PDFWar is a highly visual and sensual affair -as is a prison sentence– yet the testimonies of those who have experienced both are rarely disseminated in aesthetic forms. In their contribution the authors start from the premise that the experiences of the convicted veteran require new forms of thinking and analysis. Drawing on the recent video production of The Separate System (2017) -produced jointly by professional artists and veterans-prisoners- they stress the importance of thus co-produced artworks in the field of artivism (or activism through art) with veterans of warfare. Artivism produces images –in a wide variety of shapes and forms- that could have the potential to significantly and directly affect the bodies of their (un)intended spectatorships and audiences by sharing some (however little) of the veterans’ experience. Moreover, the artivist process itself, which involves veterans and artists working together on the artwork, may have healing or restorative potential: in mobilizing the body and in engaging and communicating with others working through and expressing past experiences, veterans and artists alike are inevitably required to take into account of the outside world (i.e. the destination of the images that they are producing), to make communicative connections, to make ‘experiencing together’ possible, to reconstitute communal life, and to actually ‘build world’
Mindfulness based emotional eating awareness training: taking the emotional out of eating.
Get PDFPurpose: Emotional eating is important to study and address because it predicts poor outcome in weight loss interventions. Interventions have only touched the surface in terms of addressing emotional eating. Mindfulness approaches can address emotional eating by modification of emotion regulation and appetitive traits. The current study involved development of an emotional eating specific mindfulness intervention and assessment of its effect on appetitive traits associated with emotional eating. Methods: Participants (n = 14; Age M = 29yr; 90% female) completed baseline and end-of intervention self-report measures of emotional eating, food-cue reactivity, mindfulness, intuitive eating, emotional impulse regulation, stress, and a behavioural measure of inhibitory control. During the 6- week intervention, mindfulness meditation skills were taught weekly embedded in a psychoeducational curriculum about emotional eating. Results: Paired t-tests, controlled for type 1 error, revealed significant improvements in food-cue reactivity, intuitive eating, emotional impulse regulation, inhibitory control and stress (ps < .05; d: .58 to 1.54). Changes in emotional eating approached significance (p = .075, d = .66). Conclusion: The intervention purposefully did not focus on weight loss and recruited participants who had self-declared difficulties with emotional eating. The positive outcomes suggest that intervening with mindfulness training before weight loss is attempted has the potential to change psychological factors that underpin overeating and undermine weight loss efforts. The study provides proof of principle as a basis to design a randomized control trial to assess rigorously the effectiveness the intervention as a precursor to a weight loss intervention. Level of Evidence: Level IV, uncontrolled trial
A Dual-Point technique for the entire ID-VG characterization into subthreshold region under Random Telegraph Noise condition
Get PDFA simple Dual-Point technique to measure the entire transfer characteristics (ID-VG) down to sub-threshold region in the nano-scaled MOSFET under Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) condition with either capturing or emitting one elementary charge by a trap in the gate dielectric is proposed. Its compatibility with the commercial semiconductor analyzer makes it a readily-usable tool for future RTN study. In this work, we use this technique to explore the VG dependence of RTN induced by a single trapped carrier in both n- and p- FETs
The only way is ethics: Reflections on applying for National Health Service ethical approval and governance for research with children
Get PDFIn this Viewpoints piece, we reflect on the process of applying for National Health Service (NHS) ethical approval and governance for research with children in England. We present a case study of our experiences of navigating the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) for one study, The Hair Study. We argue that, for children’s geographers, getting to grips with the complex processes of applying for NHS ethical approval and governance is important when considering the move towards interdisciplinary working, and engagement with children in underexplored spaces and places, such as: doctors surgeries; hospitals; dentists; and other services commissioned by the NHS
Sediment supply and barrier dynamics as driving mechanisms of Holocene coastal change for the southern North Sea basin
Get PDFThe combined effects of climate change and human impact lead to regional and local coastal responses that pose major challenges for the future resilience of coastal landscapes, increasing the vulnerability of communities, infrastructure and nature conservation interests. Using the Suffolk coast, southeast England, as a case study, we investigate the importance of sediment supply and barrier dynamics as driving mechanisms of coastal change throughout the Holocene. Litho-, bio- and chronostratigraphic methods are used to decipher the mechanisms of coastal change from the record preserved within coastal stratigraphy. Results suggest that local coastal configuration and sediment supply were the most influential in determining coastal change during the mid- and late Holocene, against a background control of sea-level rise. The importance of sedimentological and morphological factors in shaping Holocene coastal changes in the southern North Sea basin must therefore be considered when using the database of evidence from this region as an analogue for future change under accelerated sea-level rise
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