What Context Can Justify Walter Rodney\u27s Assassination?

Like water crashing over the seawalls, there has been a rush of explanations, based on “context” to justify the shifting political sands, as it swirls with the waves. The “sands of time” seems to have shifted the “line in the sand” so much so, that all commonsense seems to have deserted the land of Guyana. In the midst of this debate are Walter Rodney and the Working People’s Alliance (WPA). The debaters are WPA members and supporters. The debate itself would make such identities questionable. There are hints of George Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984 in terms of the rewriting of the history

Non-invasive respiratory monitoring in surgical intensive care

The need to monitor postsurgical patients for signs of respiratory deterioration was recognized long before the first intensive care units were introduced during World War II. In the early days of the intensive care nnit, reports were published about the high incidence of postoperative mortality which was often heralded by the onset of apnea or airway obstruction. Soon it became clear that these effects were induced by either the surgical procedure itself, or by the type of anesthesia used. It was demonstrated that these potentially lethal conditions could be easily prevented and treated if patients were monitored scrupulously in the early postoperative period for signs of respiratory failure and rapid action was taken if pulmonary deterioration occurred. These experiences probably mark the beginning of the development of techniques to monitor the respiratory condition of patients after surgery

Fire in de Cane: Metaphors of Indo Trinidadian Identity in Ramabai Espinet\u27s The Swinging Bridge

The evolution of identity is on-going, yet to articulate identity is the self analysis of a people\u27s understanding of who they are at a particular time. Perhaps in more stable societies, identity has not been a preoccupation, not the stuff of literature and other types of art. However, for us, in the western hemisphere, where indigenous populations have been brutally decimated and room made for more brutality in the uprootment, transportation and relocation of peoples from different parts of the globe, we find it a crucial to pause and understand who we are as we connect with each other. In the Caribbean, the articulations of identity are also placed within the geographic structure of an archipelago of islands. Physically each island is surrounded by the mighty Atlantic, yet each is one step away the other. Historically and psychologically, the Caribbean populations are also one step away from their ancestral cultures, from the colonial cultures, and from the dominant culture of North America. A swinging bridge is an apt metaphor to explore the Caribbean history and reality of flux yet rooted-ness, of connectedness yet separation

The reach of commercially motivated junk news on Facebook

Commercially motivated junk news -- i.e. money-driven, highly shareable clickbait with low journalistic production standards -- constitutes a vast and largely unexplored news media ecosystem. Using publicly available Facebook data, we compared the reach of junk news on Facebook pages in the Netherlands to the reach of Dutch mainstream news on Facebook. During the period 2013-2017 the total number of user interactions with junk news significantly exceeded that with mainstream news. Over 5 Million of the 10 Million Dutch Facebook users have interacted with a junk news post at least once. Junk news Facebook pages also had a significantly stronger increase in the number of user interactions over time than mainstream news. Since the beginning of 2016 the average number of user interactions per junk news post has consistently exceeded the average number of user interactions per mainstream news post.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, submitted pre-prin

A Second Chance? Dutch Muslim Women on the Reintegration of Female Returnees from Islamic State

This paper presents the results of a mixed-methods survey of the perspectives of 208 Dutch Muslim women on the reintegration of female returnees from the Islamic State (IS). Based on the responses and written statements made by Dutch Muslim women of Moroccan, Surinamese and Turkish ethnicities, respondents perceived greater risks associated with different female returnees, especially if the community in which respondents lived were resistant to the idea. However, Muslim female returnees were seen in sympathetic terms when perceived as presenting fewer risks to national security. The study demonstrates how receptive different Dutch Muslim women are to the reintegration of female returnees from IS, where issues of identity and political culture also play a role. The findings suggest that successful reintegration also needs sustainable reintegration into an emotionally supportive social network on the one hand and that programs need community support and acceptance on the other. The gendered approach offers valuable insights on how Muslim women can play a crucial role in deradicalization

A CrossCountry Analysis: the Effect of Income, Life Expectancy, and Education on the Human Development Index

Although the Human Development Index (HDI) has garnered criticism for its simplistic weighting scheme, the nationallyrecognized index is still used by governments to determine the effectiveness of policy decisions. This study looked at the index’s three main factors represented by income, health, and life expectancy and narrowed down the broad factors into separate proxy factors. The proxy variables were then analyzed against the HDI to determine which factors impacted the index the most. By identifying more relatable and specific variables, this study is especially unique in that it provides governments with a list of factors they can effectively target to improve their HDI rankings

Long-term safety of siltuximab in patients with idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease: a prespecified, open-label, extension analysis of two trials.

BACKGROUND:Siltuximab is recommended by international consensus as a first-line treatment for idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease on the basis of durable efficacy and safety data. This study was done to assess the long-term safety and activity of siltuximab over up to 6 years of treatment. METHODS:This study is a prespecified open-label extension analysis of a phase 1 trial (NCT00412321) and a phase 2 trial (NCT01024036), done at 26 hospitals worldwide. Patients in both studies were at least 18 years old with histologically confirmed, symptomatic Castleman disease. This extension study enrolled 60 patients who completed the previous trials without disease progression on siltuximab. Patients received siltuximab infusions of 11 mg/kg every 3 weeks (which could be extended to 6 weeks) for up to 6 years. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data. No formal hypothesis testing was performed. The primary endpoint was the safety of siltuximab, assessed at each dosing cycle. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01400503 and with EudraCT, number 2010-022837-27. FINDINGS:Patient enrolment into the phase 1 trial was from June 20, 2005, to Sept 15, 2009, and enrolment into the phase 2 trial was from Feb 9, 2010, to Feb 3, 2012. Patients were enrolled in this long-term extension from April 1, 2011, to Jan 15, 2014. Median follow-up was 6 years (IQR 5·11-7·76). Median treatment duration, from the beginning of the previous trials to the end of the present study, was 5·5 years (IQR 4·26-7·14). Siltuximab was well tolerated; however, adverse events of grade 3 or worse were reported in 36 (60%) of 60 patients with the most common being hypertension (eight [13%]), fatigue (five [8%]), nausea (four [7%]), neutropenia (four [7%]), and vomiting (three [5%]). 25 (42%) patients reported at least one serious adverse event, which most commonly was an infection (eight [13%]). Only two serious adverse events, polycythaemia and urinary retention, were considered related to siltuximab treatment. 18 patients discontinued before study completion, either to receive siltuximab locally (eight) or because of progressive disease (two), adverse events (two), or other reasons (six). No deaths were reported. INTERPRETATION:These results show that siltuximab is well tolerated long term and provides important evidence for the feasibility of the life-long use required by patients with idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease. FUNDING:Janssen R&D and EUSA Pharma

Microplastic abundance, distribution and composition in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans

(1) Kanhai, L.K., Officer, R., Lyashevska, O., Thompson, R.C., O'Connor, I., 2017. Microplastic abundance, distribution and composition along a latitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Ocean. Marine Pollution Bulletin 115, 307-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.12.025 (2) Kanhai, L.K., Gårdfeldt, K., Lyashevska, O., Hassellöv, M., Thompson, R.C., O'Connor, I., 2018. Microplastics in sub-surface waters of the Arctic Central Basin. Marine Pollution Bulletin 130, 8-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.011 (3) Kanhai, L.K., Johansson, C., Frias, J.P.G.L., Gardfeldt, K., Thompson, R.C., O’Connor, I., 2019. Deep sea sediments of the Arctic Central Basin: A potential sink for microplastics. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2019.03.003Edited version embargoed until 15.04.2020 Full version: Access restricted permanently due to 3rd party copyright restrictions. Restriction set on 15/04/2019 by AS, Doctoral CollegeMicroplastics are ubiquitous, persistent particles that are capable of posing a threat to organisms that inhabit or depend upon marine ecosystems. Understanding the origin, transport pathways and fate of these particles in the ocean is fundamentally important when evaluating the risks associated with such particles to marine organisms. In the Atlantic Ocean, the Canary and Benguela Upwelling Ecosystems are regions of high primary productivity which sustain large commercial fisheries. The influence of oceanic phenomena such as upwellings on microplastic abundance, distribution and composition remains unknown. Any microplastics that are present within such upwelling ecosystems can potentially interact with the associated biota of such systems. The Arctic Ocean, one of the most remote oceanic basins in the world, is particularly distinct due to its abiotic features and the highly specialised ecosystem that it supports. Thus far, a few studies have reported the presence of microplastics in various environmental compartments of this polar ecosystem. To date, however, there has been a particular paucity of information regarding the Arctic Central Basin (ACB). The overall goal of the research presented in this dissertation was to target specific knowledge gaps regarding microplastics in the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean. This dissertation is divided into 6 chapters which include an introductory chapter, four core chapters which detail specific components of the research and a discussion chapter that contextualizes the research findings and indicates prospects for future research. The first core chapter (Chapter 2) of the present dissertation details the sampling of sub-surface waters at a single depth (11 m) between the Bay of Biscay, France and Cape Town, South Africa. This component of the research presented information regarding microplastic abundance, distribution and composition in the Benguela Upwelling Ecosystem (BUE). This specific sampling technique (sub-surface waters at a single depth, 11 m) revealed that there were no significant differences between microplastic abundance at upwelled and non-upwelled sites in the Atlantic Ocean. The provision of information about the environmentally relevant concentrations and composition of microplastics at the BUE is particularly important for laboratory experiments which seek to assess the potential threats posed by microplastics to organisms that inhabit or depend upon such productive regions. The second core chapter (Chapter 3) of the present dissertation details the sampling of sub-surface waters in the ACB by two independent methods i.e. bow water sampling at a single depth (8.5 m) and sampling using a CTD rosette sampler at multiple depths (8 – 4400 m). Both methods provided data on microplastic abundance, distribution and composition within the ACB and emphasised the pervasiveness of these particles throughout the water column in this oceanic basin. Such findings suggested that there were mechanisms operating within this oceanic basin that were responsible for the vertical transport of these particles through the water column. The third core chapter (Chapter 4) of the present dissertation presented preliminary information regarding the presence of microplastics in surficial sediments in the ACB. Opportunistic sampling that involved the retrieval of surficial sediments from 11 sampling locations in the ACB, indicated that microplastics were potentially making their way to the deep-sea realm of this oceanic basin and that the sediment environmental compartment was potentially functioning as a sink. The fourth and final core chapter (Chapter 5) of the present dissertation detailed the sampling of surface waters underlying ice floes as well as sea ice at 25 ice stations in the ACB. Microplastic concentrations in sea ice from the ACB were several orders of magnitude higher than those recorded in surface waters underlying the ice floes. Backward drift trajectories for the sampled sea ice indicated that they possibly originated from the Siberian shelves, the western Arctic and the central Arctic basin. The present study found that there was no apparent pattern in the vertical distribution of microplastics in the sampled ice cores. These findings suggest that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is functioning as a temporary sink, transport medium and a secondary source of microplastics. While the research presented in this dissertation does provide some headway in addressing some of the knowledge gaps regarding microplastics in the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean, there is still much that remains unknown and thus there is much scope for future research.Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral Program on Marine Ecosystem Health and Conservation (MARES

Effect of L-NAME, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, on cardiopulmonary function in human septic shock

STUDY OBJECTIVES: We tested the effects of continuous infusion of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, on cardiovascular performance and pulmonary gas exchange in patients with hyperdynamic septic shock. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: ICU of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Eleven critically ill patients with severe refractory septic shock. INTERVENTIONS: Standard hemodynamic measurements were made and blood samples taken before, during, and after 12 h of continuous infusion of 1 mg/kg/h of L-NAME. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Continuous infusion of L-NAME increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) from 65+/-3 (SEM) to 93+/-4 mm Hg and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) from 962+/-121 to 1,563+/-173 dyne x s x cm(-5)/m2. Parallel to this, cardiac index (CI) decreased from 4.8+/-0.4 to 3.9+/-0.4 L/min/m2 and myocardial stroke volume (SV) was reduced from 43+/-3 to 34+/-3 mL/m2. Left ventricular stroke work was increased in the first hour of L-NAME infusion from 31+/-3 to 43+/-4 g x m/m2 (all p<0.01 compared with baseline). Heart rate, cardiac filling pressures, and right ventricular stroke work did not change significantly (p>0.05). L-NAME increased the ratio of arterial PO2 to the fraction of inspired O2 from 167+/-23 to 212+/-27 mm Hg (p<0.05). Venous admixture (QVA/QT) was reduced from 19.4+/-2.6% to 14.2+/-2.1% (p<0.05) and oxygen extraction ratio increased from 21.1+/-2.4% to 25.3+/-2.7% (p<0.05). Oxygen delivery (DO2) was reduced following L-NAME, whereas oxygen uptake and arterial lactate and pH were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged inhibition of NO synthesis with L-NAME can restore MAP and SVR in patients with severe septic shock. Myocardial SV and CI decrease, probably as a result of increased afterload, since heart rate and stroke work were not reduced. L-NAME can improve pulmonary gas exchange with a concomitant reduction in QVA/QT. L-NAME did not promote anaerobe metabolism despite a reduction in DO2