Security that matters: critical infrastructure and objects of protection

Critical infrastructure protection is prominently concerned with objects that appear indispensable for the functioning of social and political life. However, the analysis of material objects in discussions of critical infrastructure protection has remained largely within the remit of managerial responses, which see matter as simply passive, a blank slate. In security studies, critical approaches have focused on social and cultural values, forms of life, technologies of risk or structures of neoliberal globalization. This article engages with the role of "things" or of materiality for theories of securitization. Drawing on the materialist feminism of Karen Barad, it shows how critical infrastructure in Europe neither is an empty receptacle of discourse nor has "essential" characteristics; rather, it emerges out of material-discursive practices. Understanding the securitization of critical infrastructure protection as a process of materialization allows for a reconceptualization of how security matters and its effects

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

AbstractUnderstanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics.</jats:p

Sports Law, 4th ed

Long established as the market leading textbook on sports law, this much-anticipated new edition offers a comprehensive and authoritative examination of the legal issues surrounding and governing sport internationally. Locating the legal regulation of sport within an explicit socio-economic context, this refocused edition is divided into four core parts: Governance & Sport; Commercial Regulation; Sports Workplace; and Safety in Sport. Recent developments covered in this edition include: •EU competition law interaction with sport under arts. 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; •the current World Anti-Doping Agency code; •analysis of the recent Court of Arbitration for Sport Jurisprudence; •reforms of the transfer system in team sports; •anti-discrimination provisions in sport; •engagement with match fixing; •a focus on the legal context of 2012 London Olympics. Essential reading for students studying sports law or sports-related courses, this textbook will also prove useful to sports law practitioners and sports administrators in need of a clear companion to the field

Research and conservation of the larger parrots of Africa and Madagascar: a review of knowledge gaps and opportunities

Parrot populations in Africa and Madagascar are declining and the need for conservation actions to address threats is increasingly recognised. Effective conservation requires a robust knowledge base on which decisions over appropriate actions can be made, yet at present there is no current and readily accessible synthesis of the status of populations, the threats they face and knowledge gaps. Here we begin to address this shortfall for the larger species in the region belonging to the genera Coracopsis, Poicephalus, Psittacus and Psittacula. We review developments since the production of the IUCN Parrot Action Plan published in 2000, identify areas where critical knowledge is lacking and highlight opportunities to address them. While advances have been made over the last decade, progress has not been evenly spread, with a strong bias towards populations in southern Africa. To date much research has focused on describing aspects of ecology and behaviour and there remains a need for studies determining the current status of populations and the factors limiting distributions and abundance. This review aims to provide a basis upon which progress towards an improved understanding of the conservation needs of the larger parrots of Africa and Madagascar can be made.Additional co-authors: Philip Hall, Lars H Holbech, Ireene R Madindou, Jérôme Mokoko, Ronald Mulwa, Anna Reuleaux, Craig Symes, Simon Tamungang, Stuart Taylor, Simon Valle, Matthias Waltert, and Mengistu Wondafrash