Considering a spectrum of necropolitical harms: geographies of asylum in Nottingham, Calais and beyond

This thesis explores the experiences of violence for refugees and asylum seekers in Nottingham and Calais and beyond. I situate these experiences of violence in relation to Mbembe’s (2003) postcolonial theory of necropolitics. I argue that necropolitics is a suitable framework to view this violence because the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers involve harms which can be considered either outright killing or being kept “alive but in a state of injury” (Mbembe, 2003:21). These harms occur as an expression of necropower wielded by the sovereign in ways which reflect colonial power relations and hierarchical conceptions of race. I argue that there is value in considering necropolitics as a spectrum of harms which range in temporality and visibility (Mayblin, 2019a). The contribution that this thesis makes is that I argue there is a need to consider how necropolitical harms across this spectrum combine over the course of a lifetime rather than viewing them each in isolation

Considering a spectrum of necropolitical harms: geographies of asylum in Nottingham, Calais and beyond

This thesis explores the experiences of violence for refugees and asylum seekers in Nottingham and Calais and beyond. I situate these experiences of violence in relation to Mbembe’s (2003) postcolonial theory of necropolitics. I argue that necropolitics is a suitable framework to view this violence because the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers involve harms which can be considered either outright killing or being kept “alive but in a state of injury” (Mbembe, 2003:21). These harms occur as an expression of necropower wielded by the sovereign in ways which reflect colonial power relations and hierarchical conceptions of race. I argue that there is value in considering necropolitics as a spectrum of harms which range in temporality and visibility (Mayblin, 2019a). The contribution that this thesis makes is that I argue there is a need to consider how necropolitical harms across this spectrum combine over the course of a lifetime rather than viewing them each in isolation

Necropolitics and geography

This paper reviews the rapidly growing body of geographical work on necropolitics. We argue that thinking carefully and spatially with and about necropolitics is useful for analysing widespread and uneven racialised suffering, particularly relating to the environment and borders. However, we note and caution against a tendency towards the ‘necro-everything’ and the ‘everything-necro’, which can both overstate and understate the role of death, potentially depoliticising necropolitical analyses. We therefore argue that focus should be placed on Mbembe’s contrapuntal theorisation and that future research should foreground how the spatiality of necropolitics emerges from its engagement with race, coloniality, and resistance

Blood levels of trace metals and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Some trace metals may increase risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), whereas others may be beneficial. Our goal was to examine associations of ALS with blood levels of selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn). We conducted a case-control study of 163 neurologist confirmed patients from the National Registry of Veterans with ALS and 229 frequency-matched veteran controls. We measured metal levels in blood using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between ALS and a doubling of metal levels using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender, and race/ethnicity. ALS was inversely associated with both Se (OR=0.4, 95% CI: 0.2–0.8) and Zn (OR=0.4, 95% CI: 0.2–0.8). Inverse associations with Se were stronger in patients with bulbar compared to spinal onset, worse function, longer diagnostic delay, and longer collection delay; inverse associations with Zn were stronger for those with worse function and longer collection delay. In contrast, ALS was positively associated with Cu (OR=3.4, 95% CI: 1.5–7.9). For Mn, no linear trend was evident (OR=0.9, 95% CI: 0.6–1.3, Ptrend=0.51). Associations of Se, Zn, Cu, and Mn with ALS were independent of one another. Adjustment for lead levels attenuated the positive association of ALS with Cu but did not change associations with Se, Zn, or Mn. In conclusion, Se and Zn were inversely associated with ALS, particularly among those with worse function, suggesting that supplementation with these metals may benefit such patients, while Cu was positively associated with ALS. Deficiencies of Se and Zn and excess Cu may have a role in ALS etiology

Body Mass Index and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Study of US Military Veterans

Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be associated with low body mass index (BMI) at the time of diagnosis. However, the role of premorbid BMI in the development of ALS and survival after diagnosis remains unclear. In 2005–2010, we interviewed 467 patients with ALS from the US National Registry of Veterans with ALS and 975 frequency-matched veteran controls. In this sample, we evaluated the association of BMI and BMI change at different ages with ALS risk using unconditional logistic models and with survival after ALS diagnosis using Cox proportional hazards models. After adjustment for confounders, compared with a moderate increase in BMI between ages 25 and 40 years, stable or decreasing BMI was positively associated with ALS risk (odds ratio (OR) = 1.61, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20, 2.16). A 1-unit increase in BMI at age 40 years (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.98) but not at age 25 years (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.95, 1.03) was inversely associated with ALS. These associations were similar for bulbar and spinal ALS but stronger for those with a delay of less than 1 year between symptom onset and diagnosis. We found no association between prediagnosis BMI and survival. A decreasing BMI from early to middle age and a low BMI in middle age may be positively associated with ALS risk

Assessment and communication strategies for health promotion

Many of the major chronic diseases, accidents and premature deaths in Canada are preventable, indeed, by actions well within the control of each individual. Therefore, the central theme of health promotion, appropriately, is to inform, educate and motivate people to take personal responsibility for their own health, and in particular, to undertake relevant programs for lifestyle change. The intent of this thesis is to make recommendations for the integration of health risk assessment and communication strategies in the planning of effective health promotion programs for the people of British Columbia. A review of the diverse literature examines what is already known about these topics, and draws conclusions. Also, interviews and correspondence have been conducted with Canadian, American and Australian experts in the fields of health promotion, health risk assessment and communications. The main topics of this study have been: 1. The definition of health and health promotion, the obstacles and benefits involved in promoting healthful lifestyle behaviors, and the current federal and provincial health promotion policies are addressed in Chapter 1. 2. Health risk assessment, an approach to screening, educating and motivating people to change behaviors in order to improve their health, is reviewed in Chapter 2, using a matrix of selected characteristics. 3. Since all available pathways should be used to reach individuals of different populations, Chapter 3 addresses the need for a consumer-oriented marketing approach to health promotion. A model for planning communication strategies for health promotion aimed at influencing attitudes, knowledge and lifestyle behaviors is presented. This plan discusses in particular, the use of interactive computer technology and mass communication strategies for the promotion of lifestyle reform. 4. A major means of initiating health promotion policy, directions is through cooperative efforts between federal, provincial and local governments, and with professional and voluntary associations, business and labour. Thus Chapter 4 attempts to marry the concepts of risk reduction and communications by proposing five policy initiatives for health promotion in British Columbia. These initiatives attempt to address the following objectives: - to develop a coordinated public/private sector effort and funding mechanisms for health promotion; - to design, implement and evaluate a package of comprehensive health risk assessment instruments for use with different target populations; and - to develop, implement and evaluate a sound marketing strategy which uses these instruments in various health promotion settings. A health promotion coordinating agency is proposed, comprising a partnership of consumers, public and private health care providers, and the mass media. Criteria for designing comprehensive health assessment instruments are developed. It is anticipated that this study will offer planners and policy-makers relevant and useful recommendations and guidelines for the integration of risk reduction and communication strategies into effective health promotion programs.Medicine, Faculty ofPopulation and Public Health (SPPH), School ofGraduat