The Visibility of (In)security: The Aesthetics of Planning Urban Defences Against Terrorism

Urban defences against terrorism have traditionally been based on territorial interventions that sought to seal off and surveil certain public and private spaces considered targets. Lately, though, a much wider range of crowded and public spaces have been viewed as potential targets and thus have been identified as requiring additional security. This has immense implications for the experience of the ‘everyday’ urban landscape. Drawing on contemporary notions that incorporate the study of aesthetics and emotions within critical security and terrorism studies, this article discusses the visual impact of counter-terrorism security measures. It analyses the ‘transmission’ of symbolic messages, as well as the variety of ways in which security might be ‘received’ by various stakeholders. The analysis takes place against the backdrop of concern that obtrusive security measures have the capacity to radically alter public experiences of space and in some cases lead to (intended and unintended) exclusionary practices or a range of negative emotional responses. The article concludes by outlining a ‘spectrum of visible security’ ranging between traditional obtrusive fortified approaches and approaches that embed security features seamlessly or even ‘invisibly’ into the urban fabric

Correlates of high-impact physical activity measured objectively in older British adults

© The Author(s) 2017. Background Exposure to higher magnitude vertical impacts is thought to benefit bone health. The correlates of this high-impact physical activity (PA) in later life are unknown. Methods Participants were from the Cohort for Skeletal Health in Bristol and Avon, Hertfordshire Cohort Study and MRC National Survey of Health and Development. Associations of demographic, behavioural, physiological and psychological factors with vertical acceleration peaks ≥1.5 g (i.e. high-impact PA) from 7-day hip-worn accelerometer recordings were examined using linear regression. Results A total of 1187 participants (mean age = 72.7 years, 66.6% females) were included. Age, sex, education, active transport, selfreported higher impact PA, walking speed and self-rated health were independently associated with high-impact PA whereas BMI and sleep quality showed borderline independent associations. For example, differences in log-high-impact counts were 0.50 (P < 0.001) for men versus women and -0.56 (P < 0.001) for worst versus best self-rated health. Our final model explained 23% of between-participant variance in high impacts. Other correlates were not associated with high-impact activity after adjustment. Conclusions Besides age and sex, several factors were associated with higher impact PA in later life. Our findings help identify characteristics of older people that might benefit from interventions designed to promote osteogenic PA

Tasas de ingreso inicial por esquizofrenia en hospitales de Costa Rica

Con el objetivo de formular una hipótesis sobre los factores que influyen en los ingresos hospitalarios por esquizofrenia en Costa Rica, se realizó un estudio en personas de ambos sexos internadas por primera vez con ese diagnóstico (grupos 295.0 a 295.9 de la Clasificación internacional de enfermedades, novena revisión) en el período de 1979 a 1981. Se calcularon las tasas de incidencia anuales a partir de los casos hospitalizados y de la población de todo el país. La incidencia anual detectada tuvo un promedio de 48,2 casos por 100 000 habitantes. Se observó una mayor frecuencia de primeros ingresos en hombres de 40 a 44 años y en mujeres de 45 a 49. Tuvieron la mayor incidencia las mujeres solteras, seguidas de las divorciadas. La escolaridad mostró una relación inversa significativa con la tasa de ingresos por esquizofrenia, ya que se observó una mayor incidencia en mujeres sin ocupación y amas de casa. Mediante análisis de regresión logística se estudió la asociación entre la tasa de hospitalización por esquizofrenia y 10 características de los cantones. El análisis reveló que solo dos variables--la distancia entre el cantón y el hospital y el volumen de la cosecha de café por habitante-- mostraban una asociación directa significativa con las tasas de ingreso por esquizofrenia. Los cantones donde se registró el mayor número de nacimientos de niños con diagnóstico de esquizofrenia en la adultez fueron los más cercanos al hospital psiquiátrico y los que tenían poca actividad industrial o agrícola, poca densidad poblacional y altos porcentajes de personas solteras y divorciadas

The Determinants of the Distribution of Osteopathic Medicine Physicians in the United States

Objective. This study examined the determinants of the geographic distributions of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) physicians in the US. Background. During the past two decades, DO physicians increased significantly and currently account for 7.5% of total physician workforce in the US. Although the geographic distribution of DO has been shown in previous studies, it is unknown what factors that determine the diffusion of DO and how the pattern differs from that of allopathic Medicine physicians (MD). Methods. Total DO Physician data from American Medical Association and Area Resource File from Health Resource and Services Administration were used. Random mixed model adjusted for spatial correlations among counties is used to model the change of DO by county. Results. From 1998 to 2006, the number of DO increased 1.76 for an average county, adjusted for population change and MD change during the same period. For every 100 increase of MD, DO increased 3.66, and for every 1,000 increase of total population, DO increased 0.29, while for every 1,000 increase of elderly population (age 65+), DO decreased 0.71 in an average county. In addition, DOs were more likely to increase among areas where there were more MD, higher percent of managed care enrollees, and more physician assistants. Compared with MD, DO was also more likely to practice in metropolitan areas. Conclusion. Although DO were concentrated among a few states, the distribution at the county level were determined by both local physician workforce change and demographic changes. Grants. None

The Gender Difference in the Specialty Choice Among Osteopathic Medicine Physicians in the United States

Objective. This study examined the gender differences in specialty choice among current Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) physicians in the US. Background. During the past two decades, DO physicians increased significantly and currently account for 7.5% of total physician workforce in the US. A growing proportion of them were female physicians. Methods. Total DO Physician data from American Medical Association were used. Discrete choice model was used to examine the patterns of specialty choice by time and/or year of graduation, and place of practice. Results. In 2007, 44,544 male and 17,277 female DO physicians were in practice. 35% of females and only 19% of males were younger than 35. Female residents accounted for 21.6% of female DO who were in patient care, compared with only 10.7% for males. Residents in Primary care specialties were 8 percent points higher among females than males. Among male residents, internal medicine accounted for 19%, followed by family medicine (15%), anesthesia (8.5%), pediatrics (6.3%) and emergency medicine (6%). Among female residents, family medicine accounted for 19%, followed by internal medicine (18.5%), pediatrics (14%), obstetrics /gynecology (7.5%), and psychiatrics (5%). These patterns were largely unchanged among physicians aged 35-44. Conclusion. Female physicians were more likely engaged in primary care specialties. This will have significant impact on future physician workforce and pattern of practice in the US. Grants. None

Modelling exposure to disinfection by-products in drinking water for an epidemiological study of adverse birth outcomes

We are conducting an epidemiological study on the association between disinfection by-product concentrations in drinking water and adverse birth outcomes in the UK, using trihalomethane (THM) concentrations over defined water zones as an exposure index. Here we construct statistical models using sparse routinely collected THMs measurements to obtain quarterly estimates of mean THM concentrations for each water zone. We modelled the THM measurements using a Bayesian hierarchical mixture model, taking into account heterogeneity in THM concentrations between water originating from different source types, quarterly variation in THM concentrations and uncertainty in the true value of undetected and rounded measurements. Quarterly estimates of mean THM concentrations plus estimates of the water source type (ground, lowland surface or upland surface) were obtained for each water zone. THM concentration estimates were typically highest from July to September (third quarter), and varied considerably between water sources. Our exposure estimates were categorized into 'low', 'medium' and 'high' THM classes. Our modelled quarterly exposure estimates were compared to a simple alternative: annual means of the raw data for each water zone. In all, 15-25% of exposure estimates were classified differently. The modelled THM estimates led to slightly stronger and more precise estimates of association with risk of still birth and low birth weight than did the raw annual means. We conclude that our modelling approach enabled us to provide robust quarterly estimates of ecological exposure to THMs in a situation where the raw data were too sparse to base exposure assessment on empirical summaries alone

The potent M1 receptor allosteric agonist GSK1034702 improves episodic memory in humans in the nicotine abstinence model of cognitive dysfunction

Episodic memory deficits are a core feature of neurodegenerative disorders. Muscarinic M1 receptors play a critical role in modulating learning and memory and are highly expressed in the hippocampus. We examined the effect of GSK1034702, a potent M1 receptor allosteric agonist, on cognitive function, and in particular episodic memory, in healthy smokers using the nicotine abstinence model of cognitive dysfunction. The study utilized a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design in which 20 male nicotine abstained smokers were tested following single doses of placebo, 4 and 8 mg GSK1034702. Compared to the baseline (nicotine on-state), nicotine abstinence showed statistical significance in reducing immediate (p=0.019) and delayed (p=0.02) recall. GSK1034702 (8 mg) significantly attenuated (i.e. improved) immediate recall (p=0.014) but not delayed recall. None of the other cognitive domains was modulated by either nicotine abstinence or GSK1034702. These findings suggest that stimulating M1 receptor mediated neurotransmission in humans with GSK1034702 improves memory encoding potentially by modulating hippocampal function. Hence, selective M1 receptor allosteric agonists may have therapeutic benefits in disorders of impaired learning including Alzheimer\u27s disease