An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experience of forced marriage for diasporic south Asian women who have left

Forced marriage (FM) was criminalised in the UK in 2014 as it was described as little more than slavery by the Prime Minister. The consequences of FM can include physical, emotional, and financial abuse, disruption to education, damage to career opportunities, enforced pregnancy, rape, abortion, abduction, mutilation, and murder. The UK is supplementing the criminalization of FM with interagency protocols to protect women involving healthcare and other professionals as victims of FM may not get another opportunity to tell someone what is happening to them. The “one chance rule” guidelines stress the importance of acting swiftly to secure endangered individual’s safety by removing them from their families. The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experience of eight diasporic south-Asian adult females who experienced FM in the past? Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) analysed interview data from which Six major themes were identified: In theme one participants described how they learnt about their unexpected impending FM and felt disappointed that their dreams of a fairy tale wedding had been shattered. The second theme explored how participants experienced inequality against patriarchy because they felt that the hegemonic system which favoured males was heavily tilted against females. The third theme explored how after participants became aware of patriarchal domination and realised, they were the victims of such subjugation, each participant looked for ways to challenge patriarchal hegemony. In theme four participants expressed a desire for sexual equality from their patriarchs; but were sorely disappointed to learn that the sharing of power was simply not an option open to them; this impasse led to confusion and conflation between arranged marriage (AM) and forced marriage (FM). In theme five participants came to conclude that they would be better off accepting their AM/FM rather than exiting their community/culture. In the final theme Patriarchy was identified as the root cause of FM; participants rejected hegemonic male patriarchy leading to hard-won emancipation. Participants finally felt courageous enough to speak their mind and defend their individual interests over and above that of their family/clan. Since participants confused and conflated arranged marriage with forced marriage, it was concluded the ‘one chance rule’ is a dangerous strategy as it deprives women of choice. A psychotherapeutic framework for counselling clients who presented for FM was devised for clinicians to screen for FM, HBV or DV based on insights gained from this dissertation. Furthermore, the research process showed that the problem of FM was inextricably linked to the historic role of British colonial Empire and subsequent conflict in disputed Kashmir. The phenomenon of FM turned out to be a complex but relatively rare practice since all participants had conflated AM/FM and the Forced Marriage Unit had only secured three convictions since 2014. Recommendations included withdrawal of ‘one chance rule’, apologising to the south Asian people for Britain’s direct rule of south Asia, resolving the conflict in Kashmir with a power sharing agreement between India and Pakistan and providing Existential counselling on NHS for women who believe they experienced FM

Impact of Cytotoxin-Associated Gene Product-A Positive Helicobacter Pylori Strains on Micro-albuminuria in Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction: Available data on the possible association between Helicobacter Pylori (H. pylori) infection and diabetes mellitus (DM) are contradictory. The prevalence of cytotoxin associated gene product A (cagA) positive H. pylori is high in Egypt. This study aims to examine its association with type 2 DM, and its effect on glycemic control and the occurrence of microalbuminuria. Methods: The study involved 98 dyspeptic type 2 diabetic patients and 102 dyspeptic non-diabetic subjects who underwent upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy in Zagazig university hospital. H. pylori infection was diagnosed by histopathology and/or culture. The presence of cagA positive strains was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and urinary albumin excretion ratio (UAER) were compared between infected and non-infected diabetic patients. Results: Diabetic patients had similar age and gender distribution but significantly higher body mass index (BMI) compared to controls. The prevalence of H. pylori infection (54.1% versus 56.9%, P = 0.3) and the prevalence of cagA positive H. pylori strains (40.8% versus 36.3%, P =0.1) were not significantly different between the two groups. Diabetic patients infected with cagA positive H. pylori strains had higher mean FBS (199±22 versus 163±20, P=0.00), higher mean HbA1c (8.6±0.8 versus 6.3±0.8, P=0.00) and higher rate of microalbuminuria (67.5% versus 10.3%, P=0.00) than non infected diabetic patients. Conclusion: H. pylori infection with cagA positive strains was similarly common in dyspeptic diabetic patients and controls. It was associated with poorer glycemic control and higher rates of microalbuminuria in diabetic subjects. Key words: cagA positive strains; Diabetes mellitus; Helicobatcer pylori; Microalbuminuri

Indoor Built Environment and Older Adults’ Activity: A Systematic Review

Bien que l’environnement physique puisse influencer l’activité des individus, peu de synthèses de connaissances portent sur les environnements intérieurs et les routines de la vie quotidienne des personnes âgées. Nous avons donc procédé à un examen systématique de publications revues par des pairs afin de guider les recherches et les pratiques futures. Les critères d’inclusion suivants ont été utilisés : études sans restriction quant au devis de recherche, à la date ou à la langue, portant sur les personnes âgées de 60 ans et plus, sur l’activité physique ou le comportement sédentaire, et l’environnement intérieur. Après avoir effectué des recherches dans cinq bases de données, deux des auteurs ont examiné les titres, les résumés et le texte intégral. La dernière recherche a été effectuée le 19 décembre 2020. Nous avons passé en revue 1367 citations et inclus 23 études se rapportant à des logements privés ou collectifs (p. ex. résidences avec services). Les caractéristiques intérieures favorisant l’activité physique étaient associées à trois domaines : les environs (p. ex. les commodités, les chemins), le bâtiment (p. ex. la superficie, le niveau de l’étage) et les équipements (p. ex. les ascenseurs, les couloirs). La connaissance des facteurs environnementaux intérieurs qui favorisent la participation des personnes âgées aux activités quotidiennes peut orienter les recherches et les politiques futures en matière de conception de logements.Although the physical environment can influence people’s activity, there are few knowledge syntheses for indoor environments and older adults’ daily life routines. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed evidence to inform future research and practice. Inclusion criteria were studies with any research designs, across all years and languages focused on older adults 60 years of age or more, on physical activity/sedentary behaviour and the indoor environment. After searching five databases, two authors completed title/abstract and full-text screening. The last search was on December 19, 2020. We screened 1,367 citations, and included 23 studies situated in private or collective dwellings (e.g., assisted living). We identified physical activity-supportive indoor features across three domains: campus (e.g., amenities, pathways), building (e.g., area, floor level), and fixtures (e.g., elevators, hallways). Knowledge of indoor environmental factors for older adults’ engagement in daily activities can guide future research and policy on housing design.Canada Research Chair

Mobile Computing in Physics Analysis - An Indicator for eScience

This paper presents the design and implementation of a Grid-enabled physics analysis environment for handheld and other resource-limited computing devices as one example of the use of mobile devices in eScience. Handheld devices offer great potential because they provide ubiquitous access to data and round-the-clock connectivity over wireless links. Our solution aims to provide users of handheld devices the capability to launch heavy computational tasks on computational and data Grids, monitor the jobs status during execution, and retrieve results after job completion. Users carry their jobs on their handheld devices in the form of executables (and associated libraries). Users can transparently view the status of their jobs and get back their outputs without having to know where they are being executed. In this way, our system is able to act as a high-throughput computing environment where devices ranging from powerful desktop machines to small handhelds can employ the power of the Grid. The results shown in this paper are readily applicable to the wider eScience community.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures. Presented at the 3rd Int Conf on Mobile Computing & Ubiquitous Networking (ICMU06. London October 200

Effect of heat, pH and coating process with stearic acid using a fluidized bed granulator on viability of probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri C 10

This study was conducted to investigate the use of a fluidized bed granulator to coat a probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri C 10 with stearic acid with a view to enhance its survival rate during storage. L reuteri C 10 cells of two treatments, namely, freeze-dried cells incorporated with trehalose and sucrose as cryoprotectants prior to freeze-drying, and freeze-dried cells without any incorporation of cryoprotectants were evaluated. Since the pH of stearic acid is 5.5 and the melting point is 57.23°C, and the inlet temperature of the fluidized bed granulator could be as high as 70°C, a preliminary study was initiated to determine the tolerance of L. reuteri C 10 cells to heat exposure from 58 to 70°C and acidic conditions of pH 4 to 6 for 60 min, during which the cell viabilities were determined every 15 min. In the coating process, 2:3 ratio of freeze-dried L. reuteri C 10 cells and stearic acid, fluidization air of 20 to 50 rpm, coating rate of 40 to 80 g/min and inlet and outlet temperatures of between 50 to 70°C were assessed for optimization of the fluidized bed granulator. Results of the  preliminary study showed that freeze-dried L. reuteri C 10 cells incorporated with cryoprotectants exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) less cell loss than cells without cryoprotectants when exposed to 62°C for 15 to 60 min, 64 °C for 15 to 30 min, 66°C for 30 min and 68°C for 15 to 30 min. Freeze-dried L. reuteri C 10 cells with cryoprotectants were also able to survive for 15 min at 70°C, but not freeze-dried L. reuteri C 10 cells without cryoprotectants. Freeze-dried L. reuteri C 10 cells with or without cryoprotectants could tolerate acidic conditions and there was growth and increase in cell viability at pH 4, 5 and 6. However, cells with cryoprotectants had significantly (P < 0.05) more growth when exposed to pH 5 for 30 to 60 min, and pH 6 for 15 to 60 min than cells without cryoprotectants. The application of a fluidized bed granulator to coat L. reuteri C 10 cells with or without cryoprotectants with melted stearic was not successful in this study because the fluidized bed granulator could not maintain the temperature of stearic acid above its melting point which led to clogging of the tube and spray nozzle of the fluidized bed granulator or resulted in the formation of a big lump of stearic acid and L. reuteri C 10 cells instead of uniform coated cell granules. Installation of a temperature jacket on the fluidized bed granulator may be necessary to control the temperature of stearic acid in the tube and spray nozzle above melting point.Key words: Coating, fluidized bed granulator, Lactobacillus reuteri C10, stearic acid

Readiness of HIF Using the Single Pass RF Driver

Readiness for a concerted push to power production was the underlying theme from the inaugural HIF Workshop in 1976 through the review of ICF programs by DOE’s Energy Research and Advisory Board in 1979. Using John Lawson’s 1987 paper “Whither Heavy Ion Fusion?” [1] as a foil, this paper discusses the continuing vitality of the argument for HIF’s readiness against the backdrop that this vision is not in evidence today, having been occluded by political policies causing diversion of the HIF community into peripheral science that, although excellent, is in fact not required to complete the development of a HIF energy source..

Benefits of facebook fan/brand page marketing and its influence on relationship commitment among generation Y: empirical evidence from Malaysia

This study aims to understand the influence of relational benefits of Facebook brand/fan page towards relationship commitment among Generation Y. Additionally, this study also investigates the mediating effect of customer satisfaction on the relationship between relational benefits and relationship commitment. A total of 195 sets of online questionnaire were collected using snowball sampling method for the statistical data requirement of SmartPLS. The analysis found significant positive relationships between relational benefits and relationship commitment, however, only on social, functional, and special treatment benefits. Surprisingly, the findings also showed an insignificant mediation effect of customer satisfaction on the relationship between relational benefits and relationship commitment. The research findings are valuable to both the theoretical and businesses adopting social media as a marketing strategy. Marketers employing the Facebook or other social media in catering and reacting to the Generation Y needs will benefit the most; securing their confidence and loyalty towards purchasing a certain brand

Caesium on Si(100) Studied by Biassed Secondary Electron Microscopy

An ultra-high vacuum scanning electron microscope (UHV-SEM) has been used to study sub-monolayers of Cs on Si(100) surface. Cs adsorption on the surface causes a considerable change in the work function. Coverages below 1/2 monolayer (ML) have been estimated by correlating the work function changes with the secondary electron (SE) signal. It has been found that this signal is sensitive down to ~ 0.005 ML when the sample is biassed to a few hundred volts. Electron trajectories from a biassed sample have been simulated for electrons originating from different areas with different work functions across the sample. This indicates that variations in coverage can be determined by secondary electron imaging provided these coverages are less than 1/2 ML. The diffusion of Cs (\u3c 1/2 ML) above room temperature has been studied using the biassed-SE imaging technique. Observed diffusion profiles have unusual features including two linear regions. These can be explained by a model which contains two competing adsorption sites, and includes blocking of the diffusion paths by other Cs atoms

Remyelination of the corpus callosum by olfactory ensheathing cell in an experimental model of multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) causes loss of the myelin sheath, which leads to loss of neurons. Regeneration of myelin sheath stimulates axon regeneration and neurons� survival. In this study, olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation is investigated to restore myelin sheath in an experimental model of MS in male mice.OECs were isolated from the olfactory mucosa of seven-day-old infant rats and cultured. Then, cells were evaluated and approved by flow cytometry by p75 and GFAP markers. A total of 32 mice (C57BL /6) were studied in four groups; 1) without any treatment (control), 2) Sham (receiving PBS), 3) MS model and 4) MS and OEC transplantation. MS was induced by adding Cuprizon in the diet of animals for six weeks. After the expiration of 20 days, histologic analysis was performed with approval of the presence of cells in the graft area and the removal of myelin and myelin regeneration with two types of luxal fast blue (LFB) staining and immunohistochemistry. The purity of the cells ensheathing the olfactory was 90. There was a significant difference in Myelin percentage of PBS and OEC recipient groups (P�0.05). MBP and PLP of the myelin sheath in the group receiving OECs were more than MS group.According to the findings, in MS model MBP and PLP of the myelin sheath is reduced. In the group receiving OECs, it was returned to a normal level significantly compared to the sham group received only PBS significant differences were observed. The OECs transplantation can improve myelin restoration. © 2015 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved