Animals, Affect and Annihilation: Campaigns against Canids in Postwar Canada

Abstract This essay suggests that culling campaigns against canids in postwar Canada have striking affective dimensions. Drawing on examples of canid management in the 1950s and 60s from Nunavik, Alberta, and Ontario, we contend that the killing of supposedly rabid dogs and wild canids was predominantly about affective excess and emotional management. The wildness of these animals was perceived to lead to excessive nonhuman affectivity, which was seemingly exacerbated by rabies. Human encounters with these animals were characterised by excessive affective responses, a result of long-standing fears of rabies, anxieties about northernness and assertions of ‘civilisation’ in the context of settler colonialism. This fear was then channelled into round ups and killings of canids. The killing was what Monique Scheer calls an ‘emotional practice’ designed to soothe anxieties, to cleanse and to civilise. Drawing on archival and other documentary sources, we aim to show the value in exploring more fully the intersections between affect and animal histories.</jats:p

Munchausen by internet: current research and future directions.

The Internet has revolutionized the health world, enabling self-diagnosis and online support to take place irrespective of time or location. Alongside the positive aspects for an individual's health from making use of the Internet, debate has intensified on how the increasing use of Web technology might have a negative impact on patients, caregivers, and practitioners. One such negative health-related behavior is Munchausen by Internet

A feasibility randomised controlled trial of a fibromyalgia self-management programme in a community setting with a nested qualitative study (FALCON): Study protocol

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex long-term condition associated with chronic widespread pain, fatigue, sleep problems, memory and concentration difficulties and irritable bowel syndrome. Current guidelines for the treatment of FM recommend nonpharmacological interventions. The Fibromyalgia Self-Management Programme (FSMP) is a nonpharmacological, multidisciplinary exercise and education group intervention. It aims to provide education and teach core skills, enabling those affected by FM to self-manage. The FSMP is currently codelivered by a multidisciplinary team within a secondary care service. The aim of this feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) is to determine the practicality and acceptability of delivering the FSMP in a community setting, informing a future RCT of effectiveness. Methods: The feasibility RCT aims to recruit 70 people with FM. Participants will be randomised to either a community FSMP or control arm. All participants will be asked to complete six patient-reported outcome measures and one health economics questionnaire on three occasions; baseline, 6 weeks (end of the intervention) and 6 months. Between 12 and 16 participants and four therapists delivering the FSMP will be invited to take part in a semi-structured interview to explore their experiences of the FSMP. Patient participants will be purposively selected based upon key characteristics. Analysis: Quantitative data will be analysed descriptively to summarise recruitment and attendance, participant reported outcomes and health economic data. Semi-structured interviews will be transcribed, anonymised and inductively coded. The codes will be grouped into categories and theoretically thematically analysed, comparing the results to existing literature. Trial registration: The trial is registered with ISRCTN registry and was assigned on 29th of April 2020. The registration number is ISRCTN10824225

Groundwater Laws and Regulations: A Preliminary Survey of Thirteen U.S. States (First Edition)

This report presents preliminary results of a study investigating the groundwater laws and regulations of thirteen U.S. states. The purpose of the project is eventually to compile and present the groundwater laws and regulations of every state in the United States that could then be used in a series of comparisons of groundwater governance principles, strategies, issues, and challenges. Professor Gabriel Eckstein at Texas A&M University School of Law and Professor Amy Hardberger at Saint Mary’s University Law School developed a matrix to ascertain chief components and characteristics of the groundwater legal regime of each state. Student researchers then used the matrix to respond to a standardized set of questions about the groundwater laws and regulations of a selection of states. Before continuing with assessments of the remaining states, Professors Eckstein and Hardberger present in this report the results developed thus far, and now seek feedback about the overall project, including its objectives, methodology, and preliminary results

Gliadin Nanoparticles Induce Immune Tolerance to Gliadin in Mouse Models of Celiac Disease

Peer reviewe

No straight lines – young women’s perceptions of their mental health and wellbeing during and after pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-ethnography

Background: Young mothers face mental health challenges during and after pregnancy including increased rates of depression compared to older mothers. While the prevention of teenage pregnancy in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom has been a focus for policy and research in recent decades, the need to understand young women’s own experiences has been highlighted. The aim of this meta-ethnography was to examine young women’s perceptions of their mental health and wellbeing during and after pregnancy to provide new understandings of those experiences. Methods: A systematic review and meta-ethnographic synthesis of qualitative research was conducted. Seven databases were systematically searched and forward and backward searching conducted. Papers were included if they were from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and explored mental health and wellbeing experiences of young mothers (age under 20 in pregnancy; under 25 at time of research) as a primary research question – or where evidence about mental health and wellbeing from participants was foregrounded. Nineteen papers were identified and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for qualitative research used to appraise the evidence. Following the seven-step process of meta-ethnography, key constructs were examined within each study and then translated into one another. Results: Seven translated themes were identified forming a new line of argument wherein mental health and wellbeing was analysed as relating to individual bodily experiences; tied into past and present relationships; underpinned by economic insecurity and entangled with feelings of societal surveillance. There were ‘no straight lines’ in young women’s experiences, which were more complex than dominant narratives around overcoming adversity suggest. Conclusions: The synthesis concludes that health and social care professionals need to reflect on the operation of power and stigma in young women’s lives and its impact on wellbeing. It adds to understanding of young women’s mental health and wellbeing during and after pregnancy as located in physical and structural factors rather than individual capacities alone

Use of divalent metal ions in the DNA cleavage reaction of topoisomerase IV

It has long been known that type II topoisomerases require divalent metal ions in order to cleave DNA. Kinetic, mutagenesis and structural studies indicate that the eukaryotic enzymes utilize a novel variant of the canonical two-metal-ion mechanism to promote DNA scission. However, the role of metal ions in the cleavage reaction mediated by bacterial type II enzymes has been controversial. Therefore, to resolve this critical issue, this study characterized the DNA cleavage reaction of Escherichia coli topoisomerase IV. We utilized a series of divalent metal ions with varying thiophilicities in conjunction with oligonucleotides that replaced bridging and non-bridging oxygen atoms at (and near) the scissile bond with sulfur atoms. DNA scission was enhanced when thiophilic metal ions were used with substrates that contained bridging sulfur atoms. In addition, the metal-ion dependence of DNA cleavage was sigmoidal in nature, and rates and levels of DNA cleavage increased when metal ion mixtures were used in reactions. Based on these findings, we propose that topoisomerase IV cleaves DNA using a two-metal-ion mechanism in which one of the metal ions makes a critical interaction with the 3′-bridging atom of the scissile phosphate and facilitates DNA scission by the bacterial type II enzyme

The bashful and the boastful : prestigious leaders and social change in Mesolithic Societies

The creation and maintenance of influential leaders and authorities is one of the key themes of archaeological and historical enquiry. However the social dynamics of authorities and leaders in the Mesolithic remains a largely unexplored area of study. The role and influence of authorities can be remarkably different in different situations yet they exist in all societies and in almost all social contexts from playgrounds to parliaments. Here we explore the literature on the dynamics of authority creation, maintenance and contestation in egalitarian societies, and discuss the implications for our interpretation and understanding of the formation of authorities and leaders and changing social relationships within the Mesolithic

TElehealth in CHronic disease: mixed-methods study to develop the TECH conceptual model for intervention design and evaluation

Objective To develop a conceptual model for effective use of telehealth in the management of chronic health conditions, and to use this to develop and evaluate an intervention for people with two exemplar conditions: raised cardiovascular disease risk and depression. Design The model was based on several strands of evidence: a metareview and realist synthesis of quantitative and qualitative evidence on telehealth for chronic conditions; a qualitative study of patients’ and health professionals’ experience of telehealth; a quantitative survey of patients’ interest in using telehealth; and review of existing models of chronic condition management and evidence-based treatment guidelines. Based on these evidence strands, a model was developed and then refined at a stakeholder workshop. Then a telehealth intervention (‘Healthlines’) was designed by incorporating strategies to address each of the model components. The model also provided a framework for evaluation of this intervention within parallel randomised controlled trials in the two exemplar conditions, and the accompanying process evaluations and economic evaluations. Setting Primary care. Results The TElehealth in CHronic Disease (TECH) model proposes that attention to four components will offer interventions the best chance of success: (1) engagement of patients and health professionals, (2) effective chronic disease management (including subcomponents of self-management, optimisation of treatment, care coordination), (3) partnership between providers and (4) patient, social and health system context. Key intended outcomes are improved health, access to care, patient experience and cost-effective care. Conclusions A conceptual model has been developed based on multiple sources of evidence which articulates how telehealth may best provide benefits for patients with chronic health conditions. It can be used to structure the design and evaluation of telehealth programmes which aim to be acceptable to patients and providers, and cost-effective