Summer of 2012: Paralympic Legacy and the Welfare Benefit Scandal

Through the summer of 2012, two sets of images dominated the British press: welfare benefits scrounger and Paralympic superhuman. Through one claimant’s traversal of the benefits system and against the heady backdrop of the Games, this narrative inquiry examines the profound and tangible consequences of these images, whilst offering hope for an abiding legacy that holds consequences for public perception of disability and the lives of disabled people

Evidence of random magnetic anisotropy in ferrihydrite nanoparticles based on analysis of statistical distributions

We show that the magnetic anisotropy energy of antiferromagnetic ferrihydrite depends on the square root of the nanoparticles volume, using a method based on the analysis of statistical distributions. The size distribution was obtained by transmission electron microscopy, and the anisotropy energy distributions were obtained from ac magnetic susceptibility and magnetic relaxation. The square root dependence corresponds to random local anisotropy, whose average is given by its variance, and can be understood in terms of the recently proposed single phase homogeneous structure of ferrihydrite.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Project Re•center dot Vision: disability at the edges of representation

The representational history of disabled people can largely be characterized as one of being put on display or hidden away. Self-representations have been a powerful part of the disability rights and culture movement, but recently scholars have analysed the ways in which these run the risk of creating a ‘single story’ that centres the experiences of white, western, physically disabled men. Here we introduce and theorize with Project Re•Vision, our arts-based research project that resists this singularity by creating and centring, without normalizing, representations that have previously been relegated to the margins. We draw from body becoming and new materialist theory to explore the dynamic ways in which positionality illuminates bodies of difference and open into a discussion about what is at stake when these stories are let loose into the world

Genomic Relationships, Novel Loci, and Pleiotropic Mechanisms across Eight Psychiatric Disorders

Genetic influences on psychiatric disorders transcend diagnostic boundaries, suggesting substantial pleiotropy of contributing loci. However, the nature and mechanisms of these pleiotropic effects remain unclear. We performed analyses of 232,964 cases and 494,162 controls from genome-wide studies of anorexia nervosa, attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome. Genetic correlation analyses revealed a meaningful structure within the eight disorders, identifying three groups of inter-related disorders. Meta-analysis across these eight disorders detected 109 loci associated with at least two psychiatric disorders, including 23 loci with pleiotropic effects on four or more disorders and 11 loci with antagonistic effects on multiple disorders. The pleiotropic loci are located within genes that show heightened expression in the brain throughout the lifespan, beginning prenatally in the second trimester, and play prominent roles in neurodevelopmental processes. These findings have important implications for psychiatric nosology, drug development, and risk prediction.Peer reviewe

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Collective Memory in A Romanian Village: Understanding the Role of a Local Heritage Site as a Springboard for Memory Acts Through Image, Action, and Discourse

This thesis analyses the role of a local heritage site, a Christian Monastery called Moldovita, in the collective memory of the inhabitants of a Romanian village. This site is both a monument in memory of Medieval Romania, and a monument of memory in Medieval Romania, as it is one of twelve exteriorly frescoed monuments still standing from over 500 years ago. Through fieldwork done in the summer of 2009 and an art-historical lens of analysis, this thesis examines three different aspects of how cultural narratives display explicit examples of cultural tradition, social inclusion, and political exclusion. First, how in the face of danger, oppression, and instability, the Romanian cultural values are maintained despite external victories of Christian leaders. Second, how the literal Labyrinth within Moldovita represents the metaphorical spiritual path to absolution the locals must take. Third, how the villager’s attitudes towards themselves, each other, and their collective history/present/future are portrayed through narrative. Ultimately, this thesis shows that by inserting themselves and their town into a larger, longer-established narrative tradition, the villagers solidify their role in 'Romanian' history. By participating in the 'collective memory' of Moldovita, they insert themselves as key players in the fluid continuation of tradition

Extending activist reach and influence through Dwelling Space Activism: An autoethnographic and practice-led enquiry through activism, performance and life praxis

This research sets out to explore a distinct and original form of activist practice, which I name Dwelling Space Activism, and which holds potential both to extend activist reach and influence and to contribute to embedded and sustainable change. Dwelling Space Activism is a dialogic process and practice of activist influence towards change centred upon the encounter between the activist work and those happening upon it. It is presented through its core components and processes - the elements; connectedness and dialogue; and the holding space - which integrate to create a conceptual and applied framework of Dwelling Space Activism. In addition to its academic relevance, the research offers movement-relevant knowledge, providing a tool for activists to explore, critique and extend their own practice.Based in an autoethnographic and practice-led enquiry via activist, performance and moving image, and life praxis, this research intertwines theory with practice. It draws upon both longitudinal practice of almost 40 years, combined with immersive, thick description from an intensive, durational activist performance entitled Figures and undertaken during the course of the PhD.In addition to its description of the distinct practice of Dwelling Space Activism, the thesis offers a new activist discourse, including a set of core principles that underpin the many different forms of activism and which re-map it to enable under-utilised and diverse forms to be more readily recognised, practised and extended, additionally introducing new concepts such as inactivism, the accidental audience, the sideways approach, and Dwelling Space Activism itself. Methodologically, it researches across multiple knowledge disciplines that are not conventionally applied to an activist context, including narrative methodology, performance research, holistic and rhizomatic philosophies, and disability studies and crip theory