When it comes to defence, Britain is trapped in a Cold War mindset

Britain's willingness to join a new European defence force shows that Brexit need not mean an end to security co-operation with our neighbours. In fact, argues Tara McCormack (University of Leicester), it represents an opportunity to rethink ill-advised military actions and tactical support for wars led by geopolitical allies. Instead, some senior politicians remain obsessed by the desire to maintain Britain’s status as a ‘tier one’ military power – a position that, going by defence spending, we have already relinquished

Engaging family caregivers and health system partners in exploring how multi-level contexts in primary care practices affect case management functions and outcomes of patients and family caregivers at end of life: A realist synthesis

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterBrendan McCormack - ORCID: 0000-0001-8525-8905 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8525-8905Background: An upstream approach to palliative care in the last 12 months of life delivered by primary care practices is often referred to as Primary Palliative Care (PPC). Implementing case management functions can support delivery of PPC and help patients and their families navigate health, social and fiscal environments that become more complex at end-of-life. A realist synthesis was conducted to understand how multi-level contexts affect case management functions related to initiating end-of-life conversations, assessing patient and caregiver needs, and patient/family centred planning in primary care practices to improve outcomes. The synthesis also explored how these functions aligned with critical community resources identified by patients/families dealing with end-of-life. Methods: A realist synthesis is theory driven and iterative, involving the investigation of proposed program theories of how particular contexts catalyze mechanisms (program resources and individual reactions to resources) to generate improved outcomes. To assess whether program theories were supported and plausible, two librarian-assisted and several researcher-initiated purposive searches of the literature were conducted, then extracted data were analyzed and synthesized. To assess relevancy, health system partners and family advisors informed the review process. Results: Twenty-eight articles were identified as being relevant and evidence was consolidated into two final program theories: 1) Making end-of-life discussions comfortable, and 2) Creating plans that reflect needs and values. Theories were explored in depth to assess the effect of multi-level contexts on primary care practices implementing tools or frameworks, strategies for improving end-of-life communications, or facilitators that could improve advance care planning by primary care practitioners. Conclusions: Primary care practitioners’ use of tools to assess patients/families’ needs facilitated discussions and planning for end-of-life issues without specifically discussing death. Also, receiving training on how to better communicate increased practitioner confidence for initiating end-of-life discussions. Practitioner attitudes toward death and prior education or training in end-of-life care affected their ability to initiate end-of-life conversations and plan with patients/families. Recognizing and seizing opportunities when patients are aware of the need to plan for their end-of-life care, such as in contexts when patients experience transitions can increase readiness for end-of-life discussions and planning. Ultimately conversations and planning can improve patients/families’ outcomes.2

Importance of Glycosylation on Function of a Potassium Channel in Neuroblastoma Cells

The Kv3.1 glycoprotein, a voltage-gated potassium channel, is expressed throughout the central nervous system. The role of N-glycans attached to the Kv3.1 glycoprotein on conducting and non-conducting functions of the Kv3.1 channel are quite limiting. Glycosylated (wild type), partially glycosylated (N220Q and N229Q), and unglycosylated (N220Q/N229Q) Kv3.1 proteins were expressed and characterized in a cultured neuronal-derived cell model, B35 neuroblastoma cells. Western blots, whole cell current recordings, and wound healing assays were employed to provide evidence that the conducting and non-conducting properties of the Kv3.1 channel were modified by N-glycans of the Kv3.1 glycoprotein. Electrophoretic migration of the various Kv3.1 proteins treated with PNGase F and neuraminidase verified that the glycosylation sites were occupied and that the N-glycans could be sialylated, respectively. The unglycosylated channel favored a different whole cell current pattern than the glycoform. Further the outward ionic currents of the unglycosylated channel had slower activation and deactivation rates than those of the glycosylated Kv3.1 channel. These kinetic parameters of the partially glycosylated Kv3.1 channels were also slowed. B35 cells expressing glycosylated Kv3.1 protein migrated faster than those expressing partially glycosylated and much faster than those expressing the unglycosylated Kv3.1 protein. These results have demonstrated that N-glycans of the Kv3.1 glycoprotein enhance outward ionic current kinetics, and neuronal migration. It is speculated that physiological changes which lead to a reduction in N-glycan attachment to proteins will alter the functions of the Kv3.1 channel

Food riots as representations of insecurity : examining the relationship between contentious politics and human security

The 2007–08 global food crisis saw the eruption of a wave of contentious action across the developing world, represented most clearly by the food riot. Food riots are sudden, unexpected events, presenting a challenge to the state that moves beyond simple demands for food. The upheaval caused by a food riot can lead to lasting instability and violence as social and political structures are challenged. The aims of the article are to: (1) identify the character of contemporary food riots in relation to traditional forms; (2) determine the extent to which food riots can be seen to represent broader human insecurity; and (3) demonstrate the utility of contentious actions in demonstrating insecurity. This article examines the causes of the 2007–08 wave of food riots in relation to earlier manifestations. The findings show that the contemporary food riots have similar origins to their historical counterparts. The article also shows that food riots are a clear sign of insecurity, demonstrating the benefit of examining contentious politics in this context

A life course examination of the physical environmental determinants of physical activity behaviour: A “Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity” (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review.

Background: Participation in regular physical activity is associated with a multitude of health benefits across the life course. However, many people fail to meet PA recommendations. Despite a plethora of studies, the evidence regarding the environmental (physical) determinants of physical activity remains inconclusive. Objective: To identify the physical environmental determinants that influence PA across the life course. Methods: An online systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus and SPORTDiscus. The search was limited to studies published in English (January 2004 to April 2016). Only systematic literature reviews (SLRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) of observational studies, that investigated the association between physical determinants and physical activity outcomes, were eligible for inclusion. The extracted data were assessed on the importance of determinants, strength of evidence and methodological quality. Results: The literature search identified 28 SLRs and 3 MAs on 67 physical environmental characteristics potentially related to physical activity that were eligible for inclusion. Among preschool children, a positive association was reported between availability of backyard space and outdoor toys/equipment in the home and overall physical activity. The availability of physical activity programs and equipment within schools, and neighbourhood features such as pedestrian and cyclist safety structure were positively associated with physical activity in children and adolescents. Negative street characteristics, for example, lack of sidewalks and streetlights, were negatively associated with physical activity in adults. Inconsistent associations were reported for the majority of reviewed determinants in adults. Conclusion: This umbrella SLR provided a comprehensive overview of the physical environment determinants of physical activity across the life course and has highlighted, particularly amongst youth, a number of key determinants that may be associated with overall physical activity. Given the limited evidence drawn mostly from cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies are needed to further explore these associations

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

What is critical about critical security theory? : an investigation of the New Wars thesis

The central question that this thesis asks is what is critical about contemporary security theory? This thesis expands upon Beate Jahn's methodological critique of critical international theory (1998) by making a case study of critical security theory as it has been applied to the post-Cold War world. The case study will focus on the New Wars thesis, which is a widely read and accepted aspect of critical security theory. The New Wars thesis focuses on the Yugoslav break-up and wars, which are held to show why the Cold War security framework is no longer relevant and why security policy needs to be re-conceptualised in terms of an emancipatory and cosmopolitan framework. I argue that the supposedly 'new' nature of some post-Cold War conflicts, which theorists working within the New Wars discourse argue that they have identified in the Yugoslav conflicts, seems rather to reflect the way in which the discourse is constructed and the particular focus of the theorists instead of the Yugoslav wars and international policy towards it. Rather than the Yugoslav wars offering us a new paradigm for post-Cold War conflict, it seems to be that the New Wars discourse has focused on specific aspects of the conflict to the exclusion of other aspects which would pose a challenge to the discourse. The initial examination of the New Wars discourse seems to suggest that theorists working with the New Wars discourse are not very critical, rather they seem to be closer to problem-solving theorists. Following from the questions raised by the case study of the New Wars, the final chapter expands the scope of enquiry more generally to critical security theory. I will argue that the way in which major international institutions and powers justify and present security policy seems to be similar rather than distinct from much critical security theory. In this context, the question to be asked would seem to be why is it that the most powerful international institutions and states are taking up an emancipatory and cosmopolitan framework and what the implications are. In conclusion it will be argued that the critical theorists engaged with this thesis are not critical theorists,rather it appears that many contemporary critical security theorists are engaging in a problem-solving exercise.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Ecological Risk Assessment of the Other Species component of the Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery

In 2005, the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) compiled an Ecological Assessment Report for the Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (CRFFF). The report was submitted to the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources (DEW) for assessment against the 'Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries', developed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. In November 2005, DEW accredited the CRFFF as an approved Wildlife Trade Operation (WTO) allowing export of native species harvested in the fishery. Continued export approval in the CRFFF is contingent upon the fishery meeting a number of recommendations that DEW applied as part of its accreditation. These recommendations cover a range of issues relevant to the sustainable management of the fishery, including sustainable harvest levels, bycatch, ecological impacts, compliance, research, monitoring and assessment. This document addresses the specific recommendation for DPI&F "to undertake a risk assessment to identify other coral reef fin fish most at risk from the fishery." Other coral reef fin fish species (OS) include all species defined as coral reef fin fish in the Fisheries Regulation 1995 (Appendix 1), other than coral trout (Plectropomus and Variola spp.) and red-throat emperor (Lethrinus miniatus). Given the requirement to address DEW's recommendations, and the Queensland Government's commitment to manage fisheries sustainably, DPI&F facilitated a two-day stakeholder meeting in January 2007 to conduct an assessment to identify the ecological risks to OS in the CRFFF. This document rationalises and provides recommendations on the risk ratings determined through the workshop and further stakeholder consultation. The results of this risk assessment will feed into future assessments and reviews of the fishery as recommended by DEW. The relevant recommendations are highlighted in Appendix 2