Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children

British Muslims and The Call to Global Jihad

Xlll.116 hal.;21 c

US foreign policy in the Middle East : the roots of anti-Americanism

Over the last sixty years, Washington has been a major player in the politics of the Middle East. From Iran in the 1950s, to the Gulf War of 1991, to the devastation of contemporary Iraq, US policy has had a profound impact on the domestic affairs of the region. Anti-Americanism is a pervasive feature of modern Middle East public opinion. But far from being intrinsic to ‘Muslim political culture’, scepticism of the US agenda is directly linked to the regional policies pursued by Washington. By exploring critical points of regional crisis, Kylie Baxter and Shahram Akbarzadeh elaborate on the links between US policy and popular distrust of the United States. The book also examines the interconnected nature of events in this geo-strategically vital region. Accessible and easy to follow, it is designed to provide a clear and concise overview of complex historical and political material. Key features include: •maps illustrating key events and areas of discontent •text boxes on topics of interest related to the Arab/Israeli Wars, Iranian politics, foreign interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the wars of the Persian Gulf, September 11 and the rise of Islamist movements •further reading lists and a selection of suggested study questions at the end of each chapter

Islam and the question of reform : critical voices from Muslim communities

Reform, by definition, is not a complete break with tradition, but a determination by scholars, activists, politicians and critical thinkers to re-claim the tenets of their faith. Muslim communities have historically displayed a tendency to preserve the status quo.By contrast, the individuals and movements in Islam and the Question of Reform are determined—often at great personal risk—to push aside existing political and social elites and the historically accepted interpretations of Islam and its place in society.The perspectives examined in this volume avoid superficial or apologetic examinations of Islam\u27s political and social role. Instead, they meticulously scrutinise the religion\u27s public role, often questioning the validity of dogmas that have acted as tools of empowerment for existing elites for centuries

The application of biological motion research : biometrics, sport, and the military

The body of research that examines the perception of biological motion is extensive and explores the factors that are perceived from biological motion and how this information is processed. This research demonstrates that individuals are able to use relative (temporal and spatial) information from a person's movement to recognize factors, including gender, age, deception, emotion, intention, and action. The research also demonstrates that movement presents idiosyncratic properties that allow individual discrimination, thus providing the basis for significant exploration in the domain of biometrics and social signal processing. Medical forensics, safety garments, and victim selection domains also have provided a history of research on the perception of biological motion applications; however, a number of additional domains present opportunities for application that have not been explored in depth. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the current applications of biological motion-based research and to propose a number of areas where biological motion research, specific to recognition, could be applied in the future

Skill acquisition specialists, coaches and athletes : the current state of play?

Skill acquisition is a vital aspect of athletic development, however, specialists in this area are generally underutilized by coaches and athletes compared to other sport science disciplines. Therefore the purpose of this study was to examine how coaches and athletes understood the role of a skill acquisition specialist and what factors affected their use. Ten sport institute-based participants (5 coaches and 5 athletes) volunteered to take part in semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data suggests that neither coaches nor athletes understand the role of a skill acquisition specialist, though both groups' rate skills as vital to sporting success and most athletes and coaches stated they would welcome any additional assistance in improving their skills

Coaches, athletes, skill acquisition specialists : a case of misrecognition

Skill acquisition specialists are sport scientists who examine the theories, principles and processes of motor and perceptual learning. The research generated by these specialists is applied to practice modes, feedback and instructional methods, decision-making and anticipation skills training for athletes. However, unlike most sports scientists, these specialists are not utilized to the same degree as their counterparts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate why this trend exists. Forty two participants (coaches/athletes) took part in this study. All participants coached or competed at a pre-elite or elite level, with a number of team and individual sports represented. The results of this study indicated that both coaches and athletes perceived skill acquisition specialists to be skills coaches rather than sport scientists. Further, coaches and athletes were open to assistance from specialists though they cited funding and access as major barriers to utilization. Moreover, they stated a lack of skill acquisition specialists with 'experience' in their sport as a limitation. Overall, the results suggest a misrecognition, underestimation of knowledge, and lack of understanding of a skill acquisition specialist, which may be a result of the limited engagement between these groups

Can biological motion research provide insight on how to reduce friendly fire incidents?

The ability to accurately detect, perceive, and recognize biological motion can be associated with a fundamental drive for survival, and it is a significant interest for perception researchers. This field examines various perceptual features of motion and has been assessed and applied in several real-world contexts (e.g., biometric, sport). Unexplored applications still exist however, including the military issue of friendly fire. There are many causes and processes leading to friendly fire and specific challenges that are associated with visual information extraction during engagement, such as brief glimpses, low acuity, camouflage, and uniform deception. Furthermore, visual information must often be processed under highly stressful (potentially threatening), time-constrained conditions that present a significant problem for soldiers. Biological motion research and anecdotal evidence from experienced combatants suggests that intentions, emotions, identities of human motion can be identified and discriminated, even when visual display is degraded or limited. Furthermore, research suggests that perceptual discriminatory capability of movement under visually constrained conditions is trainable. Therefore, given the limited military research linked to biological motion and friendly fire, an opportunity for cross-disciplinary investigations exists. The focus of this paper is twofold: first, to provide evidence for the possible link between biological motion factors and friendly fire, and second, to propose conceptual and methodological considerations and recommendations for perceptual-cognitive training within current military programs