13,421 research outputs found

    Consent and the Construction of the Volunteer: Institutional Settings of Experimental Research on Human Beings in Britain during the Cold War

    Get PDF
    This study challenges the primacy of consent in the history of human experimentation and argues that privileging the cultural frameworks adds nuance to our understanding of the construction of the volunteer in the period 1945 to 1970. Historians and bio-ethicists have argued that medical ethics codes have marked out the parameters of using people as subjects in medical scientific research and that the consent of the subjects was fundamental to their status as volunteers. However, the temporality of the creation of medical ethics codes means that they need to be understood within their historical context. That medical ethics codes arose from a specific historical context rather than a concerted and conscious determination to safeguard the well-being of subjects needs to be acknowledged. The British context of human experimentation is under-researched and there has been even less focus on the cultural frameworks within which experiments took place. This study demonstrates, through a close analysis of the Medical Research Council's Common Cold Research Unit (CCRU) and the government's military research facility, the Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment, Porton Down (Porton), that the `volunteer' in human experiments was a subjective entity whose identity was specific to the institution which recruited and made use of the subject. By examining representations of volunteers in the British press, the rhetoric of the government's collectivist agenda becomes evident and this fed into the institutional construction of the volunteer at the CCRU. In contrast, discussions between Porton scientists, staff members, and government officials demonstrate that the use of military personnel in secret chemical warfare experiments was far more complex. Conflicting interests of the military, the government and the scientific imperative affected how the military volunteer was perceived

    Building body identities - exploring the world of female bodybuilders

    Get PDF
    This thesis explores how female bodybuilders seek to develop and maintain a viable sense of self despite being stigmatized by the gendered foundations of what Erving Goffman (1983) refers to as the 'interaction order'; the unavoidable presentational context in which identities are forged during the course of social life. Placed in the context of an overview of the historical treatment of women's bodies, and a concern with the development of bodybuilding as a specific form of body modification, the research draws upon a unique two year ethnographic study based in the South of England, complemented by interviews with twenty-six female bodybuilders, all of whom live in the U.K. By mapping these extraordinary women's lives, the research illuminates the pivotal spaces and essential lived experiences that make up the female bodybuilder. Whilst the women appear to be embarking on an 'empowering' radical body project for themselves, the consequences of their activity remains culturally ambivalent. This research exposes the 'Janus-faced' nature of female bodybuilding, exploring the ways in which the women negotiate, accommodate and resist pressures to engage in more orthodox and feminine activities and appearances

    Embodying entrepreneurship: everyday practices, processes and routines in a technology incubator

    Get PDF
    The growing interest in the processes and practices of entrepreneurship has been dominated by a consideration of temporality. Through a thirty-six-month ethnography of a technology incubator, this thesis contributes to extant understanding by exploring the effect of space. The first paper explores how class structures from the surrounding city have appropriated entrepreneurship within the incubator. The second paper adopts a more explicitly spatial analysis to reveal how the use of space influences a common understanding of entrepreneurship. The final paper looks more closely at the entrepreneurs within the incubator and how they use visual symbols to develop their identity. Taken together, the three papers reject the notion of entrepreneurship as a primarily economic endeavour as articulated through commonly understood language and propose entrepreneuring as an enigmatic attractor that is accessed through the ambiguity of the non-verbal to develop the ‘new’. The thesis therefore contributes to the understanding of entrepreneurship and proposes a distinct role for the non-verbal in that understanding

    Development and evaluation of a treatment package for men with an intellectual disability who sexually offend

    Get PDF
    Sex offending in the general population has been a focus of interest for some time due to the damaging nature of the behaviour, and the need to reduce recidivism. Theoretical and clinical advances (Finke1hor, 1986; HM Prison Service, 1996; Marshall, Anderson, & Fernandez, 1999; Serran & Marshall, 2010) in treatment for sex offenders in the general population have been extended to men with an intellectual disability at risk of sexual offending (Lindsay, 2009). The purpose of this project is to develop and evaluate the SOTSEC-ID version cftrus model. Participants are adult males from 15 different locations across England and Wales, with an intellectual disability or borderline cognitive functioning and who have committed sexual offences. A pilot study clarified assessments and procedures, and individual data over several years is presented. A qualitative study using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (JP A) illustrates the 'meaning making' of participants' treatment experience through six major themes. A reliability and validity study assesses the four main quantitative measures, QACSO, SAKA, SOSAS, and VESA, finding limited support for criterion validity for the SOSAS and SAKA, excellent inter-rater reli"ability for all four main measures, and good to excellent inter-rater reliability on all but the SAKA Finally, a quantitative study, in collaboration with the wider SOTSEC-ID group, uses a repeated measures design to compare the QACSO, SOSAS and SAKA across pre-group, post-group and follow. up. Significant main effects and post-hoc comparisons were in the predicted direction for all measures. A range of information on demographic, clinical and criminogenic factors including offending during treatment or follow-up are also presented. A recidivism rate of 12.3% over a year was calculated for the sample. The treatment model and collaborative framework is recommended for wider adoption

    Solving the Rubik’s cube of Indian sport: exploring impactful factors and alternative ways to facilitate success

    Get PDF
    The heavy investment of nations in high-performance sport seems justified by the belief that high-performance sporting success can lead to national pride and mass participation. This would then provide a larger pool of talent for selection of future successful athletes, whilst also promoting participation and greater physical activity for others. Although India too seems to follow a similar philosophy, and has consistently been investing in sport, its performance at international sport, especially the Olympic Games has not been impressive. This is particularly distressing when considered against the country’s large population. Given that India sees worth in investing in high-performance sport, potential ways to facilitate sporting success need to be explored. Consequently, this thesis adopted a pragmatic approach to explore sport development in India. Specifically, potential factors contributing to the limited success were explored and potential alternatives to facilitate India’s ongoing efforts of achieving sporting success on the international stage were proposed. The first step involved exploring Indian sport from a policy viewpoint to gain deeper knowledge about potential reasons that might be limiting the impact of numerous policies implemented so far. A long-standing issue with policy implementation and a potential lack of policy learning were concluded as two of the main reasons impacting sporting success. A potential for India to adopt bottom-up and top-down approaches to policy implementation and policy transfer were proposed as alternative ways for India to overcome the policy issues. There was, however, a need to gather a rich picture of the current scenario of Indian sport. Therefore, perceptions of high-level key stakeholders were explored through a semi structured interview to gain in-depth knowledge about Indian sport. Reflecting the challenges of size and scope, and the consequent need to triangulate and generalise the conclusions, further exploration was completed through a quantitative survey. Significant findings from these empirically driven studies included: i) a lack of sporting culture; ii) a need to develop quality Indian coaches and a coaching system; and iii) a need to increase use and knowledge of sport science support. Of these conclusions, coach development was prioritised for three main reasons, its significance in the wider literature, the fact that India lacked a coaching system and Indian coaches being criticised for their relatively poor knowledge (including misconceptions and limited use of sport sciences). Therefore, an India-specific model aimed at developing quality Indian coaches and a coaching system was proposed. Given the policy implementation issues, however, the feasibility of the model was tested through another empirically driven study. Finally, a revised model for coach development was offered that might contribute to India’s efforts of succeeding at international sports

    The role of institutions in the internationalization process: a systematic literature review of startups and SMEs

    Get PDF
    Abstract. International entrepreneurship and its underlying technological advancements shaped the environment from which startups could arise. Through liberalization, markets once deemed too complex to penetrate became targets for all firms alike. Thanks to their role in job creation and innovation SMEs and startups are prominent actors of the economy. Their inherent characteristics, such as size and difficulties to access fundings ultimately put them at risk when facing multinational enterprises, especially in the earliest phases of their existence. Seeking competitive advantage from inception is a challenge which institutions help them overcome. Formal and informal institutions, at home or host country-level impact startups’ international success. Innovation, strategy, and dynamic capabilities are amongst internationalization enablers greatly impacted by institutions. They are cornerstones on which startups can rely. With their support, startups can develop under the challenging conditions and constraints of new markets. Foreign firms, despite their inherent disadvantages succeed to internationalize overcoming barriers, risks, and changing the dynamics of economic growth worldwide. This research is at the crossroad between international entrepreneurship, startups, and institutions. It aims to define how markets’ institutional characteristics impact the internationalization of startups and SMEs. Due to their distinct perceptible institutional environments, country markets differences between developed and developing economies were chosen as the core of the study. Networking capabilities were quickly identified, analyzed, and expound as a mean to cope with uncertain institutional environments. The systematic literature review conducted offers a comprehensive understanding of the institutional forces at play for startups and SMEs around the world to build on when considering internationalization. The results of the study highlight the complexity of markets’ institutional environments, and their everchanging and evolving character. Both formal and informal institutions can help and hinder internationalization and will impact firms differently based on their origin and the location they intend to expand to. Infrastructures available, regulations and policies in place on the one hand and networking, cognition, and prior experience on the other should be analyzed and match with country market specificities to optimize startups and SMEs’ global strategies and internationalization process

    Preparación de fibras y otros materiales de carbono para adsorción de CO2 en post-combustión

    Get PDF
    Finalmente, otro carbón activo, GAL, y una tela de carbón activada, CAD, se sintetizaron por activación química con ácido fosfórico de lignina y tela vaquera. Los distintos materiales se han caracterizado utilizando diversas técnicas y procedimientos, tales como adsorción-desorción de N2 a -196 ºC, adsorción de CO2 a 0 ºC, XPS, DTP y SEM. Para la evaluación de los materiales en la aplicación de interés se han realizado experimentos de adsorción, en equilibrio y en columna lecho fijo, en un rango amplio de condiciones experimentales e incluyendo las temperaturas, presiones y composiciones típicas de los procesos de post-combustión. También se ha estudiado el potencial de regeneración de varios de los materiales mediante ciclos de adsorción-desorción. Los resultados obtenidos han sido muy prometedores, alcanzándose capacidades de adsorción y selectividades comparables a las de otros materiales complejos incluso a temperaturas elevadas. Cabe destacar, además, que la presencia de H2Ov, o bien no afecta de manera significativa al rendimiento de los materiales analizados; o bien, podría actuar de forma sinérgica y mejorar su capacidad de adsorción. Por otro lado, se ha conseguido profundizar y establecer relaciones muy interesantes entre las características estructurales del material (porosidad, química superficial, morfología, etc.) y la capacidad de adsorción en diferentes condiciones; y se han calculado diversos parámetros termodinámicos y cinéticos importantes para futuras etapas de diseño.La adsorción de CO2 sobre sólidos porosos en sistemas de post-combustión constituye una de las alternativas prioritarias para reducir y estabilizar su concentración a los niveles exigidos. Entre los adsorbentes estudiados, los materiales de carbono resultan especialmente interesantes debido al carácter hidrofóbico (mayor estabilidad en presencia de humedad) y menor calor de adsorción (facilidad de regeneración) que generalmente presentan. En el contexto de desarrollo sostenible, su obtención a partir de residuos biomásicos conllevaría beneficios sinérgicos adicionales, al capturarse CO2 y valorizarse un residuo simultáneamente. Sin embargo, las condiciones típicas de las corrientes de post-combustión suponen un verdadero reto y sus capacidades de adsorción y selectividades aún deben ser mejoradas para su implementación real. Ambos parámetros están intrínsecamente relacionados con las propiedades fisicoquímicas y estructurales del material, por lo que los esfuerzos se están orientando a clarificar su influencia, así como a desarrollar nuevos materiales carbonosos con las características óptimas. En esta línea, el objetivo principal de esta Tesis Doctoral ha sido caracterizar y evaluar una serie de materiales de carbono diferentes como adsorbentes de CO2 en condiciones de post-combustión. En concreto, se han preparado seis materiales de carbón a partir de cuatro tipos de residuos lignocelulósicos con alto potencial de valorización, abundantes y de bajo coste: fibras de carbón por electrospinning, FCL, y un carbonizado granular, GCL, a partir de lignina Alcell®; dos carbones activos, GAS y GAWBa, por activación física de hueso de aceituna y residuo de aglomerado de madera, respectivamente. GAWBa fue, además, impregnado con acetato de bario en una etapa posterior para dotarlo de un cierto número de grupos básicos superficiales

    Investigating the Safety Challenges of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the Construction Environment

    Get PDF
    The technologies associated with Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAVs) have revolutionized the construction industry, simultaneously demanding a comprehensive understanding of the underlying safety implications in order to reduce the risk of personal injury, property damage, lost productivity, and financial damage. Construction is one of the most hazardous sectors, with a wide range of complexity inherent in the nature of its activities, and widespread integration of UAVs without adequate safety management expertise, training, and strategies may exacerbate existing hazards. An increasing volume of research is being conducted on the potential benefits of UAV utilization. However, there is a scarcity of knowledge and development of UAV-based safety frameworks, which might have an impact on the construction sector in the near future. This study aims to investigate the potential safety risks presented by UAV use in the construction environment. In the lack of quantitative and structured data on the effects of UAV-related incidents in the construction environment, the workforce is exposed to an array of unwarranted safety risks. The data was collected through a questionnaire survey that was constructed by a series of designed questions to provide quantitative results in a context aligned to the original research goal. The findings identify a variety of potential and actual risks associated with UAV integration, as well as a substantial perception difference concerning UAVs across industry practitioners. Collision with person and property, trespassing, system malfunction, and inexperienced pilot are the safety risks of high importance with high potential to cause substantial damage and halt productivity. The study further created a construction-specific UAV safety training program that addressed the identified risks and hazards, with the goal of increasing familiarity with UAV uses in conjunction with construction dynamics. Adopting the research study’s results and improvements would allow construction practitioners to rapidly detect UAV-based safety concerns with the help of special training and excel in construction safety performance without compromising productivity

    Precision approaches to food insecurity: A spatial analysis of urbanhunger and its contextual correlates in an African city

    Get PDF
    Although progress has been made in addressing hunger and poor diets in African cities, many urban res-idents still suffer from food insecurity, and there is large heterogeneity within cities. We examine spatialvariations in hunger and dietary quality using a representative study of 983 households and 440 foodretailers in a South African secondary city. Substantial variation existed both between and within urbanneighborhoods: high-income neighborhoods were not free of hunger, and low-income neighborhoodsvaried in diet quality according to individual characteristics. After controlling for income and gender,individual characteristics including access to consumer technologies for food transportation and storage,and informal food assistance from neighbors, were protective against hunger and poor quality diets.Results suggest that meaningful variations exist at smaller geographic units than the city-level orneighborhood-level statistics typically reported in food security research. Average socioeconomic statusof neighborhoods may not be a sufficient proxy for their food insecurity, as poor areas vary substantiallyin their food access options and food choices. Precision estimates of hunger and poor diets are needed totarget interventions at those neighborhoods and those households with the greatest need, and to tailorinterventions for the specific and different needs of urban residents within neighborhoods
    • …
    corecore