Military culture in Senegambia and the origins of the tirailleurs Sénégalais army, 1750-1910

This project traces the historical evolution of warfare and military recruitment in the Senegambia region. It investigates the conscription and recruitment of indigenous troops and their service in royal and jihādist forces, irregular armed groups, and the French colonial military. Whether through the ceɗɗo armies protecting the states of the former Jolof Empire, the sòfa soldiers who fought in jihāds in the interior, or the French-recruited tirailleurs sénégalais, engaging in regular warfare was one of few paths to personal autonomy. Men who embraced a corporate military identity within the caste systems of Senegambia gained power through complex patron-client relationships with civil and religious authorities. For those whose lives were defined by kinship networks, soldiers formed their own stable social category. A second line of inquiry identifies a subset of soldiers known as volontaires sénégalais, professional soldiers who were so integral to the success of the French colonial army in campaigns in the region that they were given compensation and rations on par with European troops, a de facto admission of their military importance. Enlisted Senegalese men became interpreters, porters, recruiters, spies, policemen, soldiers, and non-commissioned officers, playing a decisive role in combat in the territory that would become modern-day Senegal as well as other West African states and kingdoms, particularly Dahomey. Further, this study asks questions about colonial as well as indigenous power relations and caste identity, examining the ways in which access to political and military power structures affected ethnic, caste, and class relationships. It considers the caste identity of Senegalese men who fought in the various realms that make up present-day Senegal and provides a re-examination of their status as “slaves.” Moreover, it focuses on the development of military culture within these groups, the tactics employed in inter-state conflicts and between indigenous states and a burgeoning French colonial army, and the emergence of war making as a vocation. Drawing on studies of martial and organizational culture, this project reorients our understanding of patron-client relationships and provides a new lens through which to view the development of military identity among indigenous troops from Senegambia

Associations between grandparental involvement and psychological outcomes in adolescents facing family adversity

With an increase in life expectancy, there is greater potential for grandparents to be involved in the lives of their grandchildren. The aim of this study was to investigate whether grandparental involvement was related to fewer negative psychological outcomes (i.e. peer, emotional, hyperactivity and conduct problems), and whether this association remained as a protective effect when adolescents faced high levels of family adversity. A cross--‐sectional study consisting of 536 Black and Coloured adolescents (ages 13--‐15 years) from two schools located in the greater Cape Town area was conducted. The results of bivariate and SEM analyses demonstrated that grandparental involvement was associated with a reduction in the presence of all negative psychological outcomes, which shows that grandparental involvement can play a compensatory role in adolescents' lives. The results of a path analysis indicated that grandparental involvement only has a protective effect for reducing peer problems for female adolescents who are experiencing high levels of family adversity. No other association between grandparental involvement and negative psychological outcomes was significant when the adolescent was facing high levels of family adversity. Together the results of this study suggest that grandparental involvement can have a positive effect in adolescents' lives, and therefore future research should move beyond simply looking at an adolescent's immediate family as a source of support

Support workers as agents for health behaviour change: An Australian study of the perceptions of clients with complex needs, support workers and care coordinators

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.An expanding aging population has placed increased demands on health care resources in many countries. Enhancing community aged care support workers’ role to support greater client self-management and reablement is therefore timely. This article presents perceptions of the impact of an Australian practice change initiative designed to enhance knowledge, skills, and confidence of support workers to support behavior change in clients with complex health care needs. A comprehensive training program was delivered in 2013. Methods included thematic analysis of interviews with clients, focus groups with support workers and coordinators, and collection of case studies of client/support worker behavior change interactions. Client, support worker, and coordinator responses were highly positive, reporting improvement in the quality of interactions with clients, client health outcomes, care coordination, communication, and teamwork. Mental health literacy remained the biggest knowledge gap. This research showed that support workers are ideally placed to be more actively involved in motivating clients to achieve behavior change goals

Plasma protein biomarkers for the prediction of CSF amyloid and Tau and [18F]-Flutemetamol PET scan result

Background: Blood biomarkers may aid in recruitment to clinical trials of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) modifying therapeutics by triaging potential trials participants for amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ and tau tests. Objective: To discover a plasma proteomic signature associated with CSF and PET measures of AD pathology. Methods: Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based proteomics were performed in plasma from participants with subjective memory impairment (SMC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD, recruited to the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort, stratified by CSF Tau/Aβ42 (n=50). Technical replication and independent validation were performed by immunoassay in plasma from SMC, MCI and AD participants recruited to the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort with CSF measures (n=100), MCI participants enrolled in the GE067-005 study with [18F] Flutemetamol PET amyloid measures (n=173), and AD, MCI and cognitively healthy participants from the EMIF 500 study with CSF Aβ42 measurements (n=494). Results: 25 discovery proteins were nominally associated with CSF Tau/Aβ42 (P < 0.05) with associations of ficolin-2 (FCN2), apolipoprotein C-IV and fibrinogen β chain confirmed by immunoassay (P < 0.05). In the GE067-005 cohort, FCN2 was nominally associated with PET amyloid (P < 0.05) replicating the association with CSF Tau/Aβ42. There were nominally significant associations of complement component 3 with PET amyloid, and apolipoprotein(a), apolipoprotein A-I, ceruloplasmin, and PPY with MCI conversion to AD (all P < 0.05). In the EMIF 500 cohort FCN2 was trending towards a significant relationship with CSF Aβ42 (P ≈ 0.05), while both A1AT and clusterin were nominally significantly associated with CSF Aβ42 (both P < 0.05). Conclusion: Associations of plasma proteins with multiple measures of AD pathology and progression are demonstrated. To our knowledge this is the first study to report an association of FCN2 with AD pathology. Further testing of the proteins in larger independent cohorts will be important

Discussion on 'Script for the playing of a 7' phonograph record prepared for readthrough’

This article records an email discussion between Martin Westwood and Sarah Jones the protagonist for which was the reading aloud of the "Script for the playing of a 7" phonograph record prepared for readthrough" at the symposium Headstone to Hard Drive 2 on 7th February 2015 at Central Saint Martins, London. The script that was read from is printed here. In identifying the potential of documentation, not in the realm of representation but as interception, the discussion posits how the protocols of a script maybe expanded as both a record and a proposition. It goes on to consider how the form of the riddle and riddling inhabits a double-mindedness of oral and aural register alongside the graphic, creating a doubled sense of hearing and seeing

Vitamin D attenuates sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)-mediated inhibition of extravillous trophoblast migration.

Failure of trophoblast invasion and remodelling of maternal blood vessels leads to the pregnancy complication pre-eclampsia (PE). In other systems, the sphingolipid, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), controls cell migration therefore this study determined its effect on extravillous trophoblast (EVT) function.A transwell migration system was used to assess the behaviour of three trophoblast cell lines, Swan-71, SGHPL-4, and JEG3, and primary human trophoblasts in the presence or absence of S1P, S1P pathway inhibitors and 1,25(OH)2D3. QPCR and immunolocalisation were used to demonstrate EVT S1P receptor expression.EVTs express S1P receptors 1, 2 and 3. S1P inhibited EVT migration. This effect was abolished in the presence of the specific S1PR2 inhibitor, JTE-013 (p < 0.05 versus S1P alone) whereas treatment with the S1R1/3 inhibitor, FTY720, had no effect. In other cell types S1PR2 is regulated by vitamin D; here we found that treatment with 1,25(OH)2D3 for 48 or 72 h reduces S1PR2 (4-fold; <0.05), but not R1 and R3, expression. Moreover, S1P did not inhibit the migration of cells exposed to 1,25(OH)2D3 (p < 0.05).This study demonstrates that although EVT express three S1P receptor isoforms, S1P predominantly signals through S1PR2/Gα12/13 to activate Rho and thereby acts as potent inhibitor of EVT migration. Importantly, expression of S1PR2, and therefore S1P function, can be down-regulated by vitamin D. Our data suggest that vitamin D deficiency, which is known to be associated with PE, may contribute to the impaired trophoblast migration that underlies this condition

Machine learning reveals singing rhythms of male Pacific field crickets are clock controlled

Circadian rhythms are ubiquitous in nature and endogenous circadian clocks drive the daily expression of many fitness-related behaviors. However, little is known about whether such traits are targets of selection imposed by natural enemies. In Hawaiian populations of the nocturnally active Pacific field cricket (Teleogryllus oceanicus), males sing to attract mates, yet sexually selected singing rhythms are also subject to natural selection from the acoustically orienting and deadly parasitoid fly, Ormia ochracea. Here, we use T. oceanicus to test whether singing rhythms are endogenous and scheduled by circadian clocks, making them possible targets of se lection imposed by flies. We also develop a novel audio-to-circadian analysis pipeline, capable of extracting useful parameters from which to train machine learning algorithms and process large quantities of audio data. Singing rhythms fulfilled all criteria for endogenous circadian clock control, including being driven by photoschedule, self-sustained periodicity of approximately 24 h, and being robust to variation in temperature. Furthermore, singing rhythms varied across individuals, which might suggest genetic variation on which natural and sexual selection pressures can act. Sexual signals and ornaments are well-known targets of selection by natural enemies, but our findings indicate that the circadian timing of those traits’ expression may also determine fitnes

Vitamin D, the placenta and early pregnancy:effects on trophoblast function

Pregnancy is associated with significant changes in vitamin D metabolism, notably increased maternal serum levels of active vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin (1,25(OH)2D). This appears to be due primarily to increased renal activity of the enzyme 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1α-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) that catalyzes synthesis of 1,25(OH)2D, but CYP27B1 expression is also prominent in both the maternal decidua and fetal trophoblast components of the placenta. The precise function of placental synthesis of 1,25(OH)2D remains unclear, but is likely to involve localised tissue-specific responses with both decidua and trophoblast also expressing the vitamin D receptor (VDR) for 1,25(OH)2D. We have previously described immunomodulatory responses to 1,25(OH)2D by diverse populations of VDR-expressing cells within the decidua. The aim of the current review is to detail the role of vitamin D in pregnancy from a trophoblast perspective, with particular emphasis on the potential role of 1,25(OH)2D as a regulator of trophoblast invasion in early pregnancy. Vitamin D-deficiency is common in pregnant women, and a wide range of studies have linked low vitamin D status to adverse events in pregnancy. To date most of these studies have focused on adverse events later in pregnancy, but the current review will explore the potential impact of vitamin D on early pregnancy, and how this may influence implantation and miscarriage