ELISA detection of phenazepam, etizolam, pyrazolam, flubromazepam, diclazepam and delorazepam in blood using Immunalysis® benzodiazepine kit

Phenazepam and etizolam were the first uncontrolled benzodiazepines available for sale in the UK. Pyrazolam, flubromazepam and diclazepam are not used medicinally anywhere in the world; they are produced exclusively for the uncontrolled, recreational market. It is important to know whether potentially abused drugs like these can be detected in routine toxicological screening tests. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Immunalysis® Benzodiazepines ELISA kit could detect phenazepam, etizolam, pyrazolam, flubromazepam, diclazepam and its metabolite delorazepam. Their cross-reactivity was assessed by comparing the absorbance of the drug with that of oxazepam, the reference standard. This study found that these uncontrolled benzodiazepines cross-react sufficiently to produce a positive result with the Immunalysis® Benzodiazepine ELISA kit. Cross-reactivity ranged from 79 to 107% for phenazepam, etizolam, pyrazolam, flubromazepam, diclazepam and delorazepam fortified into blood. The results show that it is possible to detect these newer benzodiazepines with traditional forensic toxicology laboratory tools and it is important to include these benzodiazepines in the confirmation tests

PISA 2015: how big is the ‘mode effect’ and what has been done about it?

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an important cross-national study of 15-year-olds’ academic knowledge and skills. Educationalists and public policymakers eagerly await the tri-annual results, with particular interest in whether their country has moved up or slid down the international rankings, as compared to earlier rounds. In 2015 a major change was implemented in PISA, with the introduction of computer-based assessment. This has the potential to reduce comparability of PISA test scores across countries and over time. We investigate this issue using PISA 2015 field trial data for three countries: Germany, Sweden, and Ireland. We show how, if left unaccounted for, the change to computer-based testing could limit the comparability of PISA test scores. We then describe the methodology the study organisers have used to account for such mode effects. Our key conclusion is that although the adjustment made is unlikely to overcome all the potential challenges of switching to computer-based tests, it represents an improvement over the alternative of making no adjustment at all

Measurement of kinematic and nuclear dependence of R = σ_L/σ_T in deep inelastic electron scattering

We report results on a precision measurement of the ratio R=σ_L/σ_T in deep inelastic electron-nucleon scattering in the kinematic range 0.2≤x≤0.5 and 1≤Q^2≤10 (GeV/c)^2. Our results show, for the first time, a clear falloff of R with increasing Q^2. Our R results are in agreement with QCD predictions only when corrections for target mass effects and some additional higher twist effects are included. At small x, the data on R favor structure functions with a large gluon contribution. We also report results on the differences R_A-R_D and the cross section ratio σ^A/σ^D between Fe and Au nuclei and the deuteron. Our results for R_A-R_D are consistent with zero for all x, Q^2 indicating that possible contributions to R from nuclear higher twist effects and spin-0 constituents in nuclei are not different from those in nucleons. The ratios σ^A/σ^D from all recent experiments, at all x, Q^2 values, are now in agreement

Measurement of the Difference in R=σ_L/σ_T and of σ^A/σ^D in Deep-Inelastic e-D, e-Fe, and e-Au Scattering

We measured the differences in R=σ_L/σ_T and the cross-section ratio σA/σD in deep-inelastic electron scattering from D, Fe, and Au nuclei in the kinematic range 0.2≤x≤0.5 and 1≤Q^2≤5 (Gev/c)^2. Our results for R^A-R^D are consistent with zero for all x and Q^2, indicating that possible contributions to R from nuclear higher-twist effects and spin-0 constituents in nuclei are not different from those in nucleons. The European Muon Collaboration effect is reconfirmed, and the low-x data from all recent experiments, at all Q^2, are now in agreement

Plane-wave impulse approximation extraction of the neutron magnetic form factor from quasielastic ^3He(e,e') at Q^2=0.3 to 0.6 (GeV/c)^2

A high precision measurement of the transverse spin-dependent asymmetry A_T' in ^3He(e,e') quasielastic scattering was performed in Hall A at Jefferson Lab at values of the squared four-momentum transfer, Q^2, between 0.1 and 0.6 (GeV/c)^2. A_(T') is sensitive to the neutron magnetic form factor, G_M^n . Values of G_M^n at Q^2 = 0.1 and 0.2 (GeV/c)^2, extracted using Faddeev calculations, were reported previously. Here, we report the extraction of G_M^n for the remaining Q^2 values in the range from 0.3 to 0.6 (GeV/c)^2 using a plane-wave impulse approximation calculation. The results are in good agreement with recent precision data from experiments using a deuterium target

Longitudinal and Transverse Response Functions in ^(56)Fe(e,e') at Momentum Transfer near 1 GeV/c

Inclusive electron-scattering cross sections have been measured for ^(56)Fe in the quasielastic region at electron energies between 0.9 and 4.3 GeV, at scattering angles of 15° and 85°. Longitudinal and transverse response functions at a q of 1.14 GeV/c have been extracted using a Rosenbluth separation. The experimental Coulomb sum has been obtained with aid of an extrapolation. The longitudinal response function, after correction for Coulomb distortion, is lower than quasifree-scattering-model predictions at the quasielastic peak and on the high-ω side

Q^2 Evolution of the Generalized Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn Integral for the Neutron using a ^3He Target

We present data on the inclusive scattering of polarized electrons from a polarized ^3He target at energies from 0.862 to 5.06 GeV, obtained at a scattering angle of 15.5°. Our data include measurements from the quasielastic peak, through the nucleon resonance region, and beyond, and were used to determine the virtual photon cross-section difference σ_(1/2)-σ_(3/2). We extract the extended Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral for the neutron in the range of four-momentum transfer squared Q^2 of 0.1–0.9   GeV^2

Self-sacrifice in the zombie apocalypse: survive or die surviving! A multimedia critique of neoliberalism through survivalist narratives

It is argued that self-sacrifice in the zombie apocalypse can be read as a cultural signifier for a series of neoliberal deformities such as social immobility, the success/failure hierarchies, corporate nepotism, the illusion of choice and ingrained prejudice. This thesis intends to provide a means of interpreting and categorising audiovisual, subjective, episodic and ludic (gameplay) self-sacrifices. It aims to identify how representations of self-sacrifice exist as a symptom of social hierarchies and ingrained competition. Therefore, self-sacrifice is part of a cultural vocabulary that is constantly pointing out the flaws of the neoliberal state and is not being correctly understood. This study matters because it breaks new ground in the analysis of self-sacrifice and identifies representations of self-sacrifice as part of a cultural language that signifies the twisted values of modern neoliberalism. Case studies examining a range of media will present audiovisually similar accounts of self-sacrifice; however, the cultural impact, resonance and legacies will differ accordingly. The formation of self-identity is therefore reconfigured in both textual and contextual conditions. Furthermore, because society is more frequently subjected to videos, texts, films, series, games apps and other means of information transferral, one of the defining characteristics of modern neoliberalism is its intermediality. It is for this reason that this thesis shares such intermediality. With each shift to the examination of self-sacrifice in a different medium, theoretical critiques of neoliberalism take on correspondent nuances that endeavour to give the upcoming analysis depth and contemporary relevance. It outlines how competition has become ingrained in social constructions. It makes evident how pre-existing socioeconomic hierarchies are reinforced by the internalisation of failure. This thesis argues that representations of survival and the compulsion to survive are not about resourcefulness but a competitive sense of outlasting and gauging self-worth by the failure of others. The illusion of choice is also put forward as another way of interpreting the cultural defects of neoliberalism. Survival and self-sacrifice are both linked in the zombie apocalypse because they present a choice in a situation that removes all aspects of choosing. They depict an impasse that can only be traversed by self-appraisal and self-evaluation. This is because the choice to self-sacrifice is invariably set up by a previous infection or disadvantage and survival is, by definition, operative in scenarios that restrict a character’s propensity to survive. The winners survive and everyone else dies out. Again, this can be related to constructions of social competition and its tendency to reinforce the positions of those at the pinnacle of cultural hierarchies. This thesis also examines the illusion of choice to various degrees in interactive media, weighing up how the concept of self-sacrifice can represent a disruption to reestablished socioeconomic hierarchies through incremental self-enrichment