Investigating the Use and Identity of Traditional Herbal Remedies Amongst South Asian Communities Using Surveys and Bimolecular Techniques.

Herbal medicines (HMs) have been used to supplement, maintain, and treat health conditions, and have inspired the development of many Western pharmaceuticals. Migrant South Asian (SA) communities in the UK have brought with them their own traditional forms of medicine, yet little is known about their current use of HMs in the UK. Consuming HMs alongside conventional Western medicines could affect pharmacological treatment and lead to herb-drug interactions; hence, healthcare professionals (HCPs) should be aware of their patients’ use of HMs. The import of HMs to the UK raises concerns over the quality, safety and regulation of HMs. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) barcoding can be used to discriminate between different species, and identify contaminants and adulterants, thus can be used for the authentication of HMs. The South Asian Traditional Medicines (SATMED) questionnaire explored the knowledge and use of HMs by diasporic SA communities in the UK. It uncovered a vast range of HMs which were used by participants, where ingredients were sourced from, the concurrent use of herbal and Western medicines, and how minor ailments were treated. An online survey designed to investigate UK based practitioners’ views of HMs revealed that HCPs claimed to lack sufficient knowledge of HMs. HCPs said they needed more training on HMs to help them make better informed decisions. Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum L.) was identified as a culturally and commercially valuable plant, which was used for molecular analysis. A variety of tulsi samples were collected for authentication: community samples from SA families in the UK, commercial samples, and referenced specimens. Both ITS and trnH-psbA regions were successfully used to distinguish between several Ocimum species, and identify a potential species substitution. This research represents the first time that DNA based methods have been used to authenticate medicinal plants species used by migrant SA communities living in the UK. The results of this multi-disciplinary study provide a unique contribution to the evolving discipline of ethnopharmacology

An aesthetic for sustainable interactions in product-service systems?

Copyright @ 2012 Greenleaf PublishingEco-efficient Product-Service System (PSS) innovations represent a promising approach to sustainability. However the application of this concept is still very limited because its implementation and diffusion is hindered by several barriers (cultural, corporate and regulative ones). The paper investigates the barriers that affect the attractiveness and acceptation of eco-efficient PSS alternatives, and opens the debate on the aesthetic of eco-efficient PSS, and the way in which aesthetic could enhance some specific inner qualities of this kinds of innovations. Integrating insights from semiotics, the paper outlines some first research hypothesis on how the aesthetic elements of an eco-efficient PSS could facilitate user attraction, acceptation and satisfaction

Inclusive health: Medtech innovations for the early detection of cancer in India

This interdisciplinary study focuses on understanding the advances in conceptualising inclusive health innovations in low-resource healthcare settings. To this end, this research responds to two main gaps. First, an empirical gap exists to conceptualise inclusiveness in high-technology health innovations in low-resource healthcare settings. Second, no theoretical framework enables studying technical change in the health sector by linking unmet needs with industrial and health systems. In this research, I propose a novel Inclusive Health Innovation (IHI) framework, integrating and extending the sectoral system of innovation approach (Malerba & Mani, 2009) and the qualitative heuristics of the institutional triad of healthcare (Srinivas, 2012). This research employs the IHI framework to conceptualise inclusive innovations using cases of Medtech innovations for the early detection of cancer offered by startups in India. It identifies and investigates the actors and factors influencing various stages of the innovation process, including development, diffusion, and adoption. This research uses qualitative methods, comprising both primary and secondary data, for a landscape study and four case studies of point-of-care MedTech innovations for early detection of breast, oral, and cervical cancer in India. The research finds that MedTech innovations are driving inclusiveness in the early detection of cancer, both in process and outcomes, in low-resource healthcare settings. The analysis reveals a strong alignment of STI policy with industrial and health policies in the form of a robust MedTech ecosystem to support the development of these innovations. As regards diffusion, this thesis pinpoints that startup firms choose various business models, partnerships, and stakeholder interactions to create new markets and generate demand for the early detection of cancer. These are 'pocket wins' in increasing the availability of locally relevant solutions for cancer screening and early diagnosis. The last-mile adoption of these innovations in the healthcare delivery system hinges upon stronger policy alignment and regulatory changes in the health and industrial sector. The thesis contributes a novel theoretical framework and original analysis of rich empirical case studies. The thesis further contributes to observable characteristics of inclusive health innovations in the early detection of cancer in India. The research findings are relevant for designing targeted policy instruments for (i) cancer screening and early diagnosis using high-technology solutions in low-resource healthcare settings, (ii) digital infrastructure and regulations to support the adoption of innovations in the public healthcare system and (iii) data privacy and security for Medtech based on AI and ML

B is for Bug, O is for Oikos: A Partial Dictionary of Household Arthropods

Arthropods are the most numerous and diverse group of animals on the planet. This work seeks to explore the relations between humans and arthropods within the context of modern, North American homes. The unknown, sometimes undiscovered, or simply overlooked landscapes of human households provides a rich environment in which to explore the lives of arthropods that can offer different, and often humbling, perspectives to humanity. The species I explore are (for the most part) those that have cosmopolitan distributions and have specific adaptations that allow them to live alongside us in our dwelling spaces, our oikos. I reconceptualise human households as a multispecies assemblage, which serves as both a metaphor and a map for my explorations of the situated human-arthropod relations in this environment. I draw on a materialist approach that considers the intra- and interactions between human and nonhuman animals, plants, objects, and other things within human households. Interest in the investigation of human homes from the perspective of the natural and biological sciences has grown in recent years: I pair the scientific study of indoor arthropods with a phenomenological exploration of the lifeworlds of these creatures in order to discover why it is that these organisms make their homes alongside ours; raising the question of who is what to whom? In so doing, I also challenge the notion of what it means to be a pest by looking at the evolution and ecological roles of arthropods alongside human cultural perspectives and histories that make up what we know or think we know about these creatures. Education thus serves as a fundamental aspect of my research insofar as coming to know these organisms is essential so that we can make reasoned decisions about how we want to live with arthropods of the indoors. My objective in exploring human-arthropod entanglement within the home is to “stay with the trouble” (following Haraway, 2016b) and consider what it might mean to both live and die well with these creatures by envisioning a present in which humans accept these creatures and our shared life histories as simply a part of life. Ultimately, it is my hope that we can at least grow to tolerate arthropods, if not developing some level of respect for their presence on earth

2020 Huskies Showcase Abstracts

The 2020 Huskies Showcase abstracts are arranged in the following order: Applied Experience Displays; Artistic Performances; Demonstrations; Gallery Exhibits; Oral Presentations; Poster Presentations

The Posthuman Curriculum and the Teacher

The intent of this document is to explore education through a posthumanist lens. More specifically, elements of posthumanism will be used to better understand today’s teachers, to provide several overarching educational goals and curricular imperatives, and to inform pedagogical practice. Several posthumanist themes in particular will serve to unify this rather broad consideration of education at varying levels. One such theme is that of blurring boundaries, calling into question distinctions that have been the source of declines in the health of our bodies, our species, and the life systems of which we are constitutive parts. Distinctions too often lead to hierarchies, and hence to exploitation. The humanist distinction between man and nature has for example bolstered the idea that man should rightfully rule nature, as well as justified oppression and enslavement of the “less human” or “savage”. Another unifying posthumanist theme is that of impermanence or flux. What it means to be human changes as our environment and our technologies change. The roles of teacher and learner are frequently changing and we are always some measure of each, more of one and less of the other depending on the environment and circumstance. A final posthumanist theme that permeates this text is that of decentering the human. Posthumanism is in part a rejection of anthropocentrism, and this rejection informs much of the following considerations of teachers, curricula, pedagogy, and education

The Importance of Accessible Government Data in Advancing Environmental Justice

Part I of this Article sets forth the history and animating principles of the environmental justice movement in the United States during the 1970s, which developed as an adjunct to the larger civil rights movement. Part II then turns to the role of documents and data in exposing where toxins present a risk to public health and where documentation habitually falls short. It discusses how freedom of information laws can unlock access to the documents and data that quantify environmental hazards but also how those laws fail to produce reliable results because of the influence of regulated industries. Part III examines how journalists and advocates use data to call public attention to dangerous environmental conditions and provoke change—and how, at times, they must build their own databases to make up for government regulators’ failings. Part IV concludes by underscoring the symbiotic relationship between two movements—environmental justice and open government—that evolved along parallel timelines with complementary goals. Because effective environmental advocacy depends on requiring regulators to gather and report trustworthy information, the authors conclude, government transparency should be recognized as a necessary prerequisite to the success of environmental justice advocacy. This abstract has been taken from the authors\u27 introduction

Investigation of mobile devices usage and mobile augmented reality applications among older people

Mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones have allow users to communicate, entertainment, access information and perform productivity. However, older people are having issues to utilise mobile devices that may affect their quality of life and wellbeing. There are some potentials of mobile Augmented Reality (AR) applications to increase older users mobile usage by enhancing their experience and learning. The study aims to investigate mobile devices potential barriers and influence factors in using mobile devices. It also seeks to understand older people issues in using AR applications

Slow Catastrophes, Uncertain Revivals

A collection of research-based stories about the future, proudly published by Project Hieroglyph. The book features stories created by students in “Slow Catastrophes, Speculative Futures, Science & Imagination: Rewriting and Rethinking Sustainability,” a course designed and taught by Dr. Michele Speitz at Furman University in South Carolina. The course and the stories in this volume were inspired by Project Hieroglyph, particularly by our first anthology, Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future (2014), which the students read and discussed throughout the course – along with a wealth of scholarly readings on sustainability, ecocriticism, international development, narrative, and ecology. The book is edited by Michele Speitz and Joey Eschrich, and designed by Ariel Shamas. It features stories from Graham Browning, Anna Peterson, Elisa Edmonson, Elly Gay, and Hagan Capnerhurst