Wall and the bridge: a spatial history of segregation measures in Scottish prisons

This project explores the contemporary history of segregation in Scottish prisons, focusing on measures of ‘special handling’ particularly the network of small units that was operative between the 1950s and the 1990s. Scotland has a complicated, troubling, idiosyncratic and, to a lesser degree, inspiring tradition of special handling measures, involving generic punishment blocks, anachronistic isolation units, highly innovative specialist units, ‘safe’ and ‘silent’ cells, and more collective segregation spaces such as vulnerable prisoners wings. Such sites have provoked considerable attention across public and political arenas; they have been sources of shame, pride, criticism and confusion; in specific penal moments, they have been experienced by prisoners (and officers) as warzones, sanctuaries, coffins and creative spaces; and, in terms of efficacy, they have both exacerbated and ameliorated the behavioural difficulties of the prisoners contained within them. The objectives of this research are (1) to chronologically map the evolution of key segregation sites, attending to the external pressures that have informed the policies, procedures and rules governing their protean use, (2) to explore the impact of particular environmental factors on the initial design, operation and, subsequently, the closure of these sites, and (3) to reflect on the relationship between space and the ways individuals have understood, coped with, and in various ways ‘acted-out’ their segregated confinement. Deciding who, how and why to segregate prisoners raises questions of a conceptual, operational, political, and moral nature. But deciding where to segregate prisoners situates such questions within the physical constraints and potentialities of space. By adopting a spatial-temporal approach, this research straddles disciplines, utilising the methods of penal history, prison sociology, and – though in a more approximate manner – the steadily burgeoning sub-discipline of carceral geography. Additionally, by marshalling a number of personal testimonies, this history attempts to capture the emotional resonances of segregation – how it feels to actually live and work in ‘prisons within prisons’

Involvement of oral contraceptive side effects and genes in body dissatisfaction and eating dysfunction

Previous research has indicated that body dissatisfaction and eating dysfunction fluctuate with hormone levels (Lester, Keel & Lipson, 2003). However, the im pact of oral contraceptives (OCs) on these phenomena has not yet been assessed. Research has also indicated a genetic component to eating disorders and body image, and certain genes have been implicated, although none consistently (Gorwood, Kipman & Foulon, 2003). This study examined the link between oral contraceptive side effects and both body dissatisfaction and eating dysfunction, and the link between various hormonal genes and these constructs. Two-hundred-seventy-nine female participants completed a screening questionnaire which contained questions on OC use and three subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. O f these participants, 127 women provided a sample of DNA to be analyzed. After controlling for BMI and lifetime history of depression, number of oral contraceptive mood and physical side effects significantly predicted both body dissatisfaction and eating dysfunction. Furthermore, mood side effects were a unique predictor of both criterion variables. Examination of the TA repeat on the estrogen receptor alpha gene revealed a trend such that participants homozygous for long alleles had higher mean eating dysfunction when compared to those homozygous for short alleles. A significant association was found between the estrogen receptor beta genotype and body mass index (BMI). Women with short/long heterozygous alleles on the CA repeat had a significantly higher BMI when compared to those with homozygous short alleles. The number of repeats on the serotonin transporter gene and the progesterone receptor gene were not related to eating disorder symptoms. These findings provide additional support for a role of estrogen and the estrogen receptor genes in eating disorders symptoms and BMI

Cross-situational learning is supported by propose-but-verify hypothesis testing

When we encounter a new word, there are often multiple objects that the word might refer to [1]. Nonetheless, because names for concrete nouns are constant, we are able to learn them across successive encounters [2, 3]. This form of “cross-situational” learning may result from either associative mechanisms that gradually accumulate evidence for each word-object association [4, 5] or rapid propose-but-verify (PbV) mechanisms where only one hypothesized referent is stored for each word, which is either subsequently verified or rejected [6, 7]. Using model-based representation similarity analyses of fMRI data acquired during learning, we find evidence for learning mediated by a PbV mechanism. This learning may be underpinned by rapid pattern-separation processes in the hippocampus. Our findings shed light on the psychological and neural processes that support word learning, suggesting that adults rely on their episodic memory to track a limited number of word-object association

Forensic Use of RAPD Analysis in the Investigation of Bioterrorism

The events that occurred after September 11, 2001 brought the threat of bioterrorism to the forefront. One of the most important aspects of protecting against a bioterrorism attack is the ability to rapidly identify and link separate isolates of a bioterrorism agents to a common source. In the anthrax mailings of 2001, determining whether or not they were the same strain and hence from a common source was of great importance in the investigation. We used Bacillus cereus, a strain of bacteria that is closely related to Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium responsible for anthrax, as our model system. Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), a type of analysis used to examine a genomic profile in organisms in which little or no genetic research has been accomplished, was used to study DNA profiles produced from different isolates of Bacillus cereus. This procedure is capable of distinguishing between Bacillus and non-Bacillus isolates and demonstrates genetic differences between strains of Bacillus cereus. Thus, this procedure can be utilized to link isolates used in bioterrorism attacks to each other and to a common source.Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biolog

The effects of exogenous and endogenous gonadal hormones and hormonal sensitivity on eating disorder symptoms

A previous study found that a history of oral contraceptive (OC) side effects was associated with greater body dissatisfaction and eating dysfunction (Bird & Oinonen, 2011). This finding contributes to the growing body of research that suggests an etiological role for gonadal hormones in eating disorder (ED) symptoms. The purpose of this study was to further examine: (a) the relationship between OC use and ED symptoms using a prospective design, and (b) the relationship between levels of endogenous gonadal hormones and ED symptoms. Six-hundred-forty-two female participants completed a questionnaire examining OC experiences, body dissatisfaction, and eating dysfunction

Five feet high and rising : cities and flooding in the 21st century

Urban flooding is an increasingly important issue. Disaster statistics appear to show flood events are becoming more frequent, with medium-scale events increasing fastest. The impact of flooding is driven by a combination of natural and human-induced factors. As recent flood events in Pakistan, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Australia show, floods can occur in widespread locations and can sometimes overwhelm even the best prepared countries and cities. There are known and tested measures for urban flood risk management, typically classified as structural or engineered measures, and non-structural, management techniques. A combination of measures to form an integrated management approach is most likely to be successful in reducing flood risk. In the short term and for developing countries in particular, the factors affecting exposure and vulnerability are increasing at the fastest rate as urbanization puts more people and more assets at risk. In the longer term, however, climate scenarios are likely to be one of the most important drivers of future changes in flood risk. Due to the large uncertainties in projections of climate change, adaptation to the changing risk needs to be flexible to a wide range of future scenarios and to be able to cope with potentially large changes in sea level, rainfall intensity and snowmelt. Climate uncertainty and budgetary, institutional and practical constraints are likely to lead to a combining of structural and non-structural measures for urban flood risk management, and arguably, to a move away from what is sometimes an over-reliance on hard-engineered defenses and toward more adaptable and incremental non-structural solutions.Hazard Risk Management,Wetlands,Natural Disasters,Adaptation to Climate Change,Climate Change Impacts

The (un)controlled body:A grounded theory analysis to conceptualise stigma for women with gestational diabetes mellitus

Health-related stigma is associated with adverse outcomes including depression, stress and reduced engagement in health behaviours which are particularly harmful in pregnancy and the postpartum. Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) report negative psychosocial experiences and may be at risk of stigma related to the condition. We aimed to understand women’s experiences of GDM-specific stigma. Individual interviews were conducted with n = 53 women living in the UK with a current or past (within 4 years) GDM. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyse the data. Four themes were identified: (1) Preconceptions and misconceptions; (2) Locating, regaining, and negotiating agency; (3) Tension about and resisting the dominant discourse of stigma; and (4) Reclaiming control over the body. GDM-specific stigma was diverse and far reaching and may have broader implications for perinatal mental health and postnatal wellbeing. It is pertinent to investigate possible prospective associations between GDM-specific stigma, and biomedical and mental health outcomes.</p

Conceptual systems align to aid concept learning

Our understanding of concepts can differ depending on the modality — such as vision, text or speech — through which we learn this concept. A recent study uses computational modelling to demonstrate how conceptual understanding aligns across modalities