Winning the Game: Muslim Women and Sport

Female Muslim athletes face a number of obstacles when playing sports, both at home and abroad. For example, those who wear hijabs may be banned from playing a sport in certain countries or international arenas because their headscarves are deemed unsafe by the organization’s standards. By contrast, they may be required to wear a headscarf in other countries if they wish to compete publicly. By examining case studies from a variety of sports and countries, this paper explains how female athletes have worked to overcome these obstacles and fought for equality and the right to join the game

Defining signatures of arm-wise copy number change and their associated drivers in kidney cancers

Using pan-cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we investigated how patterns in copy number alterations in cancer cells vary both by tissue type and as a function of genetic alteration. We find that patterns in both chromosomal ploidy and individual arm copy number are dependent on tumour type. We highlight for example, the significant losses in chromosome arm 3p and the gain of ploidy in 5q in kidney clear cell renal cell carcinoma tissue samples. We find that specific gene mutations are associated with genome-wide copy number changes. Using signatures derived from non-negative matrix factorisation (NMF), we also find gene mutations that are associated with particular patterns of ploidy change. Finally, utilising a set of machine learning classifiers, we successfully predicted the presence of mutated genes in a sample using arm-wise copy number patterns as features. This demonstrates that mutations in specific genes are correlated and may lead to specific patterns of ploidy loss and gain across chromosome arms. Using these same classifiers, we highlight which arms are most predictive of commonly mutated genes in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC)

The effects of the natural vertebrate steroid 17β-oestradiol and the xeno-biotic vertebrate oestrogen receptor agonist bisphenol-A on reproduction in selected temperate freshwater gastropods: the potential for (neuro-) endocrine disruption

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 2010.Evidence of feminising effects, including additional or enlarged female organs, have been reported in the (sub)-tropical freshwater prosobranch Marisa cornuarietis exposed to vertebrate estrogen receptor agonists. The primary symptom is an increase in the number of eggs laid, but this is only observed when exposure occurs at relatively low temperatures. This research project exposed temperate freshwater prosobranchs and a pulmonate to 17β-oestradiol (10-200 ngL-l, nominal) in an outdoor mesocosm subject to natural seasons to determine whether similar effects occur in European native temperate freshwater gastropods. Laboratory exposures to 17β-oestradiol (1-100 ngL-l, nominal) and Bisphenol-A (0.2-20 ngL-l, nominal) were also carried out over a range of different temperatures and photoperiods to simulate natural seasons. In the mesocosm exposures, significant increases in reproduction were measured in Viviparus viviparus, Bithynia tentaculata and, if the mortality rate was not significantly increased, Planorbarius corneus. It was observed that increases only occurred after the onset of autumn. In the laboratory, the oviposition rate in P. corneus was constant at 20oC with a 16h photoperiod, but declined significantly at 15oC with a 12h photoperiod, except at 100 ngL-l 17β-oestradiol, when the rate remained constant. There were no similar effects from Bisphenol-A exposure. Small increases in reproduction were observed in all the prosobranch exposures to both compounds, but the interpretation of the data was confounded by several factors (test chemical degradation, high mortality rates and parasitized organisms) and there were no significant differences. In conclusion, there were indications that all of the assessed species were capable of increased reproduction, and in P. corneus this appears to be a perpetuation of summer oviposition rates in autumnal conditions. The consequences of this effect in annual semelparous pulmonates may not be detrimental at the population level, but the long-term fitness of iteroparous prosobranchs that practice ‘restrained reproduction’ in early breeding seasons may be adversely affected.The Environment Agenc

The Dead Actually Tell Many Tales: How Archaeologists Have Used Scientific Analysis to Study Scandinavian Burials

Archaeologists often employ techniques from scientific fields to better analyze historical and prehistorical sites. Here we explore how developments in scientific analysis have changed and improved our understanding of past societies. With a specific focus on the study of Scandinavian burials, we review the history of Scandinavian archaeology and how the field is constantly changing as a result of new and more nuanced analysis. From the Bronze Age to the Viking Age, we analyze how new information challenges previous assumptions about Scandinavian societies

A critical assessment of international legislative measures towards combating terrorist financing over the internet with primary focus on appropriateness and effectiveness

This thesis is based around the questions of appropriateness and effectiveness of international measures against terrorist financing and internet transactions after the United States declared the ‘Financial War on Terror’ in the wake of 9/11, through comparing three example countries. This thesis provides an overview of the interpretation of the 1999 UN Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and questions whether it is applied uniformly. The main research focus is on the success or failure of subsequent legislative frameworks to combat terrorist financing generated and channelled via the Internet. Furthermore, the thesis aims to provide some recommendations in the concluding remarks on international cooperation when tackling the financial crime of terrorist financing. Here, ‘effective’ and ‘appropriate’ are defined through the case law applied by each jurisdiction, as well as the comments and criticisms surrounding their use, including through peer reviews from other countries examining their legislative mechanisms and interpretation of the 1999 UN Convention via the Financial Action Task Force.By using doctrinal and comparative research, the thesis aims to show that an international response to Internet governance is required, in order to both increase effective enforcement of the 1999 Convention to online transactions, as well as improve the appropriateness of current cyber laws, including data surveillance and website filtration, so that UN Member States adhere to two important principles of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights 1948: that of privacy and of freedom of expression. The thesis responds to academic and US/UK Government thought that the Internet should not be governed by the UN, by highlighting significant gaps in the current application of cyber law, as well as the steady erosion of human rights. Furthermore, it will examine the evolution of the financing of terrorism, from the large transactions seen in 9/11, to the recent spate of terrorist attacks which have cost very little to carry out. As these transactions are unlikely to alert suspicious transaction reporting requirements under the 1999 Convention, this thesis aims to provide an analysis of alternative options available to governments and whether the lack of a definition of terrorism is hampering international efforts to disrupt and deter terrorist financing raised through the internet