Beyond Neural Connections: Using Strathern to Explore Knowledge-making at the Intersections of the Social and Neurosciences

This article considers how Marilyn Strathern’s work on Western knowledge conventions can usefully contribute to debates at the intersection of the social and neurosciences: first, to understanding the nature of work at this intersection; and second, to providing new avenues for interdisciplinary engagement. The neuroscience explosion in the 1990s and the early twenty-first century held out the promise of understanding increasingly complex phenomena in terms of the brain. As the neurosciences ventured into questions of human sociality, social scientists found it difficult to make meaningful contributions within the confines of conventional models of neuroscientific work. This highlighted the need for conceptual and methodological innovation. In this article, we illustrate how Strathern’s concept of the merographic connection, which conceptualizes the link between overlapping parts belonging to separate wholes, is a useful frame for thinking about the shared objects of the social and neurosciences. We show how her consideration of analogy as an apparatus bringing different domains together assists in understanding work in this area. With social science experiments in working with neuroscientists ongoing, Strathern’s work encourages precision about what is being brought into relationship in interdisciplinary encounters and prompts innovative thinking about what might productively be brought into association

Extending Reasonable Adjustments: A Renewed Tool for Creating Inclusive Workplaces?

Extending employers’ duties to make reasonable adjustments to all protected grounds could be a transformative tool for advancing substantive equality, challenging workplace norms, and creating positive and proactive approaches to equality. However, despite legislative reform across jurisdictions, it appears unlikely that existing provisions are adequately framed to realise this transformative potential. This article argues that the individualised and reactive framing of duties to make reasonable adjustments will likely mean they fall short of their full transformative potential. As well as extending the duty to all protected grounds, a more proactive approach to the duty is required to meaningfully advance substantive equality

Teachers' self-efficacy beliefs about trauma-informed education practices

This study situated preservice teacher self-efficacy beliefs within the context of trauma-informed education practices. The study aimed to validate a measure of teacher self-efficacy for trauma-informed practice as a key component of research on the effectiveness of trauma-informed practice. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the psychometric properties of results supported three conceptually distinct factors of trauma-informed education practice: self-efficacy to recognize and realize the importance and impact of trauma in classrooms, to utilize strategies that are responsive to the needs of students impacted by trauma, and to apply their own strategies for managing the wellbeing and resiliency demands that commonly impact teachers working with students who have experienced traumatic stressors. Future directions suggest recommendations and strategies to increase self-efficacy beliefs within teacher education and training in addition to supporting teachers through whole-of-school approaches toward trauma-informed education implementation

Innovative dual-gene delivery platform using miR-124 and PD-1 via umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and exosome for glioblastoma therapy

Addressing the challenges of identifying suitable targets and effective delivery strategies is critical in pursuing therapeutic solutions for glioblastoma (GBM). This study focuses on the therapeutic potential of microRNA-124 (miR-124), known for its tumor-suppressing properties, by investigating its ability to target key oncogenic pathways in GBM. The results reveal that CDK4 and CDK6—cyclin-dependent kinases that promote cell cycle progression—are significantly overexpressed in GBM brain samples, underscoring their role in tumor proliferation and identifying them as critical targets for miR-124 intervention. However, delivering miRNA-based therapies remains a major obstacle due to the instability of RNA molecules and the difficulty in achieving targeted, efficient delivery. To address these issues, this research introduces an innovative, non-viral dual-gene delivery platform that utilizes umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UMSCs) and their exosomes to transport miR-124 and programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1). The efficacy of this dual-gene delivery system was validated using an orthotopic GBM model, which closely mimics the tumor microenvironment seen in patients. Experimental results demonstrate that the UMSC/miR-124-PD-1 complex and its exosomes successfully induce apoptosis in GBM cells, significantly inhibiting tumor growth. Notably, these treatments show minimal cytotoxic effects on normal glial cells, highlighting their safety and selectivity. Moreover, the study highlights the immunomodulatory properties of UMSC/miR-124-PD-1 and its exosomes, enhancing the activation of immune cells such as T cells and dendritic cells, while reducing immunosuppressive cells populations like regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells. The orchestrated dual-gene delivery system by UMSCs and exosomes showcased targeted tumor inhibition and positive immune modulation, emphasizing its potential as a promising therapeutic approach for GBM

Contextualising the 2025 Indonesian Protests: Authoritarian Statism, Militarisation, and the Crisis of Social Reproduction

Indonesia’s success in building democratic institutions and sustaining economic growth has been punctured by the recent widespread protests in August 2025. Much ink has been spilled over the intra-elite conflicts and institutional dysfunction that have sparked the protests. Yet, little is understood: why did it take this form? Why are economic issues so prominent at this point of time despite the fact that income inequality has dramatically increased in the past few years? This essay seeks to better understand the root of the protest, which is linked to the crisis-ridden nature of the neoliberalisation process driven by a shifting geopolitical economy that has gradually increased levels of political disincorporation and normalised the authoritarian turn. We argue that it is precisely the authoritarian and coercive shift in state institutions and the failure of the political management of disincorporated classes of labour that provide the structural context for the Indonesian protests. Using the framework of authoritarian statism we argue that Indonesia exemplified an intensified state control over socio-economic life – with ostensible democratic institutions, that serves to exclude subordinate groups from formal and informal political channels. It is the failures of these mediating institutions that fuel protests and provoke an even more intense authoritarian reaction

Associations between non-anaemic iron deficiency and outcomes following elective surgery for colorectal cancer: a prospective cohort study*

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency is present in up to 75% of patients presenting for colorectal cancer surgery. It is unclear whether iron deficiency without anaemia is associated with worse postoperative outcomes. We hypothesised that, in adults without anaemia undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer, iron deficiency would be associated with worse postoperative outcomes relative to an iron-replete state. METHODS: We performed a prospective, observational study, recruiting adults (aged ≥ 18 y) without anaemia who were undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer in 16 hospitals across Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. Anaemia was defined as a haemoglobin concentration < 130 g.l-1 for men and < 120 g.l-1 for women. Iron deficiency was defined primarily as transferrin saturation < 20%. The primary endpoint was days alive and at home on postoperative day 90. The primary endpoint analysis was adjusted for surgical risk based on recruiting institution; sex; Charlson comorbidity index; CR-POSSUM score; surgical approach; and requirement for neoadjuvant therapy. RESULTS: Of 420 patients, 170 were iron deficient and 250 were iron replete. The median (IQR [range]) days alive and at home in the iron-deficient group was 84.0 (80.7-85.9 [0-88.2]) days and in the iron-replete group was 83.1 (78.7-85.1 [0-88.9]) days. The unadjusted difference in medians between groups was 0.9 (95%CI 0-1.8, p = 0.047) days and the adjusted difference was 0.9 (95%CI 0-1.80, p = 0.042) days, favouring the iron-deficient group. CONCLUSIONS: In adult patients without anaemia undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer, iron deficiency defined by transferrin saturation < 20% was not associated with worse patient outcomes and appeared to be associated with more days alive and at home on postoperative day 90