The age of racial profiling in the context of terrorism

Racial profiling refers to the law enforcement practice of using only race or ethnicity as probable cause to search or arrest an individual. The public has found racial profiling to be unjustified in the context of common crime, but tends to support the practice in the context of terrorism. The current study uses an explicit judgment survey to examine the expression of prejudice and factors that influence stereotyping. The study found that participants aged 18 to 24, and those who identified with a political party, were the participants most likely to racially profile individuals with stereotypical Middle-Eastern features to be potential terrorists

Understanding creativity and wellbeing in migrant communities by examining the role of community language radio in Australia

Introduction: Community language radio occupies an important place in Australia’s multicultural landscape. Members of many language communities arriving in Australia have been denied important opportunities in their home countries including outlets for self-representation and public creativity in their languages. Within Australia, radio provides an accessible means of creative expression, provides vital social connection for community members of all ages and generations, and supports social cohesion on a wider scale. This research explores how community language radio in Australia can play a critical role in supporting the wellbeing of both individuals and communities by providing an accessible and adaptable outlet for creative expression. Methodology: This case study examines the practices of presenters from Australia’s largest community language radio station, 3ZZZ, which reports broadcasting in around 70 languages weekly. In particular, the research questions asked, What are the programming practices and motivations of different language groups in ethnic community radio?; How does creativity feature in the practices of different language groups in ethnic community radio?; and How do these creative practices enhance individual and community wellbeing? A sample of 16 presenters from the station completed an online, mixed-methods survey. Thematic analyses were performed to identify patterns within the qualitative data and SPSSS was used to explore the quantitative data. Findings: For the 3ZZZ radio presenters, the three elements of language, culture, and community are central to their radio program involvement as well as the program’s impact on themselves, their listening audience, and their community. Indeed, it is hard to treat these themes separately given 3ZZZ is an ethnic community radio station that provides a platform for media representation for both presenters and listeners to connect to their culture, their language and their identity. Participants’ responses drew attention to acts of everyday (‘little c’) creativity. Thus, creativity in community language broadcasting is not simply referring to a trait a person might have, or the end products produced as new or innovative; rather, it refers to the process. Creativity in ethnic broadcasting emphasizes how the content is produced and intertwines with the fact that these radio presenters feel empowered from the level of autonomy they have in decision making. In examining the findings concerning wellbeing, it was apparent that being involved in ethnic community broadcasting gives presenters a sense of meaning, vitality, belonging and agency. Moreover, their involvement does not only promote personal wellbeing; in addition, the presenters act as conduits, helping to promote the wellbeing of others and their communities. The presenters’ focus on creating a community platform with their programming provides a way for listeners to connect, stay informed (of current affairs and local events), and actively participate in their communities. At the same time, the language programs are creating the opportunity for listeners to connect to their language, culture and heritage. This helps create a sense of belonging for those living in the community. Discussion: There is a nice synergy in the fact that radio participation facilitates both the presenters’ wellbeing and has benefits for and within the community. In this way, the benefits are not unidirectional. Indeed, it is thus clear to see how relatedness bolsters social capital, which, in turn, bolsters wellbeing. These findings are in line with Ruud’s (2017) theoretical framework of music as a ‘cultural immunogen’. Thus, we argue that, like music, ethnic community radio functions as a cultural immunogen. Strengths and Limitations: While a case station was chosen for the present research, a larger sample size across multiple community radio stations around Australia would enable a broader examination of trends, particularly given the differences in concentration of community languages between states. This would also facilitate a focus on new and emerging community languages, which were not represented in this case study. Additionally, while the findings indicate that these presenters’ practices are largely driven by considerations of their communities, and that the presenters are able to influence the wellbeing of their listeners and broader communities, it is important that future research delves more closely into listeners’ perspectives. For instance, further research could examine how the interaction between presenters and listeners (such as during talkback segments) enables listeners to feel a part of the creative process, and enhances their sense of competence, relatedness, and autonomy—thereby promoting their wellbeing. Conclusions and recommendations for future research: In this study, we aimed to explore the programming practices of different language groups in order to consider how the medium of ethnic community radio might provide a platform for creative practice and, thus, influence wellbeing. The findings highlight how the community broadcasting context allows for autonomy, relatedness and competence; how the process of preparing and presenting community language radio programming is creative in nature; and suggest that the practices lead to wellbeing benefits not only for the presenters but also for the listeners and their communities. Importantly, these findings indicate that the ethnic community broadcasting sector appears on many levels to be a mechanism for enhancing the wellbeing of migrants. Moreover, the results add to our understanding of creativity when considering ordinary individuals’ everyday psychological experiences and behaviours. One interesting avenue for future research is to consider an emerging stream of creativity research that focuses on innovative work around solving problems that communities and societies face (Amabile, 2017, p. 336). It may indeed be fruitful to examine the types of problem-solving practices that are utilised by community language groups when broadcasting during community events and emergencies (e.g., health pandemics, bushfires, floods), and to frame this through the lens of creativity

Therapeutic efficacy of anti-MMP9 antibody in combination with nab-paclitaxel-based chemotherapy in pre-clinical models of pancreatic cancer

Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) is involved in the proteolysis of extracellular proteins and plays a critical role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression, invasion and metastasis. The therapeutic potential of an anti-MMP9 antibody (αMMP9) was evaluated in combination with nab-paclitaxel (NPT)-based standard cytotoxic therapy in pre-clinical models of PDAC. Tumour progression and survival studies were performed in NOD/SCID mice. The mechanistic evaluation involved RNA-Seq, Luminex, IHC and Immunoblot analyses of tumour samples. Median animal survival compared to controls was significantly increased after 2-week therapy with NPT (59%), Gem (29%) and NPT+Gem (76%). Addition of αMMP9 antibody exhibited further extension in survival: NPT+αMMP9 (76%), Gem+αMMP9 (47%) and NPT+Gem+αMMP9 (94%). Six-week maintenance therapy revealed that median animal survival was significantly increased after NPT+Gem (186%) and further improved by the addition of αMMP9 antibody (218%). Qualitative assessment of mice exhibited that αMMP9 therapy led to a reduction in jaundice, bloody ascites and metastatic burden. Anti-MMP9 antibody increased the levels of tumour-associated IL-28 (1.5-fold) and decreased stromal markers (collagen I, αSMA) and the EMT marker vimentin. Subcutaneous tumours revealed low but detectable levels of MMP9 in all therapy groups but no difference in MMP9 expression. Anti-MMP9 antibody monotherapy resulted in more gene expression changes in the mouse stroma compared to the human tumour compartment. These findings suggest that anti-MMP9 antibody can exert specific stroma-directed effects that could be exploited in combination with currently used cytotoxics to improve clinical PDAC therapy

Age-Friendly Environments and Self-Rated Health: An Exploration of Detroit Elders

While a number of organizations and government entities have encouraged the development of more “age-friendly” environments, to date there has been limited research linking these environment features to elder outcomes. Using a representative sample of older adults living in Detroit, this study examined the association between age-friendly environment factors and self-rated health. Results indicated that access to health care, social support, and community engagement were each associated with better self-rated health, while neighborhood problems were associated with poorer self-rated health. Moreover, individual-level income and education no longer predicted self-rated health once age-friendly environment factors were taken into account. These findings highlight the need for more research documenting the effects of age-friendly environments, particularly across diverse contexts and populations

Do Age-Friendly Characteristics Influence the Expectation to Age in Place? A Comparison of Low-Income and Higher Income Detroit Elders

Currently there is limited evidence linking age-friendly characteristics to outcomes in elders. Using a representative sample of 1,376 adults aged 60 and older living in Detroit, this study examined the association between age-friendly social and physical environmental characteristics and the expectation to age in place, and the potential differences between low- and higher-income elders. Based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) age-friendly guide, we identified six factors reflecting age-friendly characteristics. Logistic regression models indicated that regardless of income level only neighborhood problems were significantly associated with expecting to age in place. Low-income elders were more likely to expect to age in place than their higher-income counterparts, and it is unclear whether this resulted from a desire to remain in the home or that there is no place else to go. Future research should address the ways in which financial resources affect the choices, expectations, and outcomes of aging in place

Conceptualizing age-friendly community characteristics in a sample of urban elders: An exploratory factor analysis

Accurate conceptualization and measurement of age-friendly community characteristics would help to reduce barriers to documenting the effects on elders of interventions to create such communities. This article contributes to the measurement of age-friendly communities through an exploratory factor analysis of items reflecting an existing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy framework. From a sample of urban elders (n =1,376), we identified six factors associated with demographic and health characteristics: Access to Business and Leisure, Social Interaction, Access to Health Care, Neighborhood Problems, Social Support, and Community Engagement. Future research should explore the effects of these factors across contexts and populations

World Health Organization infant and young child feeding indicators and their associations with child anthropometry: a synthesis of recent findings

As the World Health Organization (WHO) infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators are increasingly adopted, a comparison of country-specific analyses of the indicators\u27 associations with child growth is needed to examine the consistency of these relationships across contexts and to assess the strengths and potential limitations of the indicators. This study aims to determine cross-country patterns of associations of each of these indicators with child stunting, wasting, height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and weight-for-height z-score (WHZ). Eight studies using recent Demographic and Health Surveys data from a total of nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa (nine), Asia (three) and the Caribbean (one) were identified. The WHO indicators showed mixed associations with child anthropometric indicators across countries. Breastfeeding indicators demonstrated negative associations with HAZ, while indicators of diet diversity and overall diet quality were positively associated with HAZ in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India and Zambia (P \u3c 0.05). These same complementary feeding indicators did not show consistent relationships with child stunting. Exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months of age was associated with greater WHZ in Bangladesh and Zambia (P \u3c 0.05), although CF indicators did not show strong associations with WHZ or wasting. The lack of sensitivity and specificity of many of the IYCF indicators may contribute to the inconsistent associations observed. The WHO indicators are clearly valuable tools for broadly assessing the quality of child diets and for monitoring population trends in IYCF practices over time. However, additional measures of dietary quality and quantity may be necessary to understand how specific IYCF behaviours relate to child growth faltering

Antioxidative Properties of Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia) and Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo)

The enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidative capacities of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) were investigated in water extracts and chemical buffer extracts. Bitter gourd and zucchini fruits were purchased from a farmer’s market and homogenized separately in water and in a native enzyme extraction buffer. Total phenolic compounds, free radical DPPH scavenging activity, SOD activity and β- glucosidase activity were assayed in the extracts. The average total phenolic compounds recorded in bitter gourd were 13.28 GAE/g fresh weights while in zucchini, the average was 8.67GAE/g fresh weight. This study also found that bitter gourd was 82.05% as effective as ascorbic acid in inhibiting the free radical DPPH while zucchini was 12.19% as effective. The results indicated that bitter gourd was significantly higher in antioxidant content and in β-glucosidase activities than zucchini (P\u3c0.05). On the other hand, significantly higher SOD activities were recorded in zucchini than in bitter gourd extracts

Chemical abundances in giants stars of the tidally disrupted globular cluster NGC 6712 from high-resolution infrared spectroscopy

We present abundances of C, N, O, F, Na, and Fe in six giant stars of the tidally disrupted globular cluster NGC 6712. The abundances were derived by comparing synthetic spectra with high resolution infrared spectra obtained with the Phoenix spectrograph on the Gemini South telescope. We find large star-to-star abundance variations of the elements C, N, O, F, and Na. NGC 6712 and M4 are the only globular clusters in which F has been measured in more than two stars, and both clusters reveal F abundance variations whose amplitude is comparable to, or exceeds, that of O, a pattern which may be produced in M > 5M_sun AGB stars. Within the limited samples, the F abundance in globular clusters is lower than in field and bulge stars at the same metallicity. NGC 6712 and Pal 5 are tidally disrupted globular clusters whose red giant members exhibit O and Na abundance variations not seen in comparable metallicity field stars. Therefore, globular clusters like NGC 6712 and Pal 5 cannot contribute many field stars and/or field stars do not form in environments with chemical enrichment histories like that of NGC 6712 and Pal 5. Although our sample size is small, from the amplitude of the O and Na abundance variations, we infer a large initial cluster mass and tentatively confirm that NGC 6712 was once one of the most massive globular clusters in our Galaxy.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Genetic Analyses of Common Infections in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Cohort

The burden of infections on an individual and public health is profound. Many observational studies have shown a link between infections and the pathogenesis of disease; however a greater understanding of the role of host genetics is essential. Children from the longitudinal birth cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, had 14 antibodies measured in plasma at age 7: Alpha-casein protein, beta-casein protein, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, feline herpes virus, Helicobacter pylori, herpes simplex virus 1, influenza virus subtype H1N1, influenza virus subtype H3N2, measles virus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Theiler’s virus, Toxoplasma gondii, and SAG1 protein domain, a surface antigen of Toxoplasma gondii measured for greater precision. We performed genome-wide association analyses of antibody levels against these 14 infections (N = 357 – 5010) and identified three genome-wide signals (P < 5×10-8), two associated with measles virus antibodies and one with Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. In an association analysis focused on the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region of the genome, we further detected 15 HLA alleles at a two-digit resolution and 23 HLA alleles at a four-digit resolution associated with five antibodies, with eight HLA alleles associated with Epstein-Barr virus antibodies showing strong evidence of replication in UK Biobank. We discuss how our findings from antibody levels complement other studies using self-reported phenotypes in understanding the architecture of host genetics related to infections