A different appetite for sovereignty? Independence movements in subnational island jurisdictions

Local autonomy in a subnational jurisdiction is more likely to be gained, secured or enhanced where there are palpable movements or political parties agitating for independence in these smaller territories. A closer look at the fortunes, operations and dynamics of independence parties from subnational island jurisdictions can offer some interesting insights on the appetite for sovereignty and independence, but also the lack thereof, in the twenty-first century.peer-reviewe

Introduction

What are the strategies, modalities and aspirations of island-based, stateless nationalist and regionalist parties in the twenty-first century? Political independence is now easier to achieve, even by the smallest of territories; yet, it is not so likely to be pursued with any vigour by the world's various persisting sub-national (and mainly island) jurisdictions. Theirs is a pursuit of different expressions of sub-national autonomy, stopping short of independence. And yet, a number of independence referenda are scheduled, including one looming in Scotland in autumn 2014

Envisioning the Archipelago

Certain limitations arise from the persistent consideration of two common relations of islands in the humanities and social sciences: land and sea, and island and continent/mainland. What remains largely absent or silent are ways of being, knowing and doing—ontologies, epistemologies and methods—that illuminate island spaces as inter-related,mutually constituted and co-constructed: as island and island. Therefore, this paper seeks to map out and justify a research agenda proposing a robust and comprehensive exploration of this third and comparatively neglected nexus of relations. In advancing these aims, the paper’s goal is to (re)inscribe the theoretical, metaphorical, real and empirical power and potential of the archipelago: of seas studded with islands; island chains; relations that may embrace equivalence, mutual relation and difference in signification

CFD code comparison for 2D airfoil flows

The current paper presents the effort, in the EU AVATAR project, to establish the necessary requirements to obtain consistent lift over drag ratios among seven CFD codes. The flow around a 2D airfoil case is studied, for both transitional and fully turbulent conditions at Reynolds numbers of 3 × 106 and 15 × 106. The necessary grid resolution, domain size, and iterative convergence criteria to have consistent results are discussed, and suggestions are given for best practice. For the fully turbulent results four out of seven codes provide consistent results. For the laminar-turbulent transitional results only three out of seven provided results, and the agreement is generally lower than for the fully turbulent case

Decision support in addiction: the development of an e-health tool to assess and prevent risk of fatal overdose. The ORION project

Background and Objective. The application of e-health technology to the field of substance use disorders is at a relatively early stage, and methodological quality is still variable. Few have explored the extent of utilization of communication technology in exploring risk perception by patients enrolled in substance abuse services. The Overdose RIsk InfOrmatioN (ORION) project is a European Commission funded programme, aimed to develop and pilot an e-health psycho-educational tool to provide information to drug using individuals about the risks of suffering a drug overdose. Methods. In this article we report on phase 1 (risk estimation), phase 2 (design), and phase 3 (feasibility) of the ORION project. Results. The development of ORION e-health tool underlined the importance of an evidence-based intervention aimed in obtaining reliable evaluation of risk. The ORION tool supported a decision making process aimed at influencing the substance users' self-efficacy and the degree to which the substance users' understand risk factors. Therefore its innovative power consisted in translating risks combination into a clear estimation for the user who will then appear more likely to be interested in his/her risk perception. Conclusion. Exploratory field testing and validation confirmed the next stage of evaluation, namely, collection of routine patient samples in study clinics. The associations between risk perception of overdose, engagement with the ORION tool and willingness to alter overdose risk factors, in a clinical setting across various EU member states will further confirm the ORION tool's generalisability and effectiveness.PostprintPeer reviewe

Neuropsychological functioning and chronic methadone use:a systematic review and meta-analysis

The authors would like to thank the NHS Fife Research and Development Department for supporting this project.Introduction: There is a presumption that neurocognition is commonly impaired in chronicmethadone exposed individuals (CM) when compared with healthy controls (HP).Additionally, it remains unclear if short term (< 1 year) abstinence (AP) is associated with an altered cognitive profile when compared with CM. Method: A random effect model approach was used on data assembled into the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis programme.Cohen’s d effect sizes and a significance levels of p<0.01 were calculated for each domain. Results: Data from a total cohort of 1063 CM, 412 AP and 879 HP participants, from 23 independent studies indicate global impairments in neurocognitive function in CM relative to HP participants. The smaller body of evidence comparing CM to AP participants is inconclusive. Conclusion: Methodological issues such as small sample sizes, heterogeneity and poor quality limited the interpretation of the results and does not address whether the observed impairments reflect co-morbid functioning, methadone-related sedation and/or other factors. Only higher quality longitudinal studies will permit confident interpretation of the results observed in this meta-analysis.PostprintPeer reviewe

Deregulation of the phosphatase, PP2A is a common event in breast cancer, predicting sensitivity to FTY720

We would like to thank Professor Andrew Hanby, Professor Valerie Speirs and Dr Thomas A Hughes for the breast cancer cell lines used in this study. This research was supported by the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta.Background: The most commonly used biomarkers to predict the response of breast cancer patients to therapy are the oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Patients positive for these biomarkers are eligible for specific therapies such as endocrine treatment in the event of ER and PgR positivity, and the monoclonal antibody, trastuzumab, in the case of HER2-positive patients. Patients who are negative for these three biomarkers, the so-called triple negatives, however, derive little benefit from such therapies and are associated with a worse prognosis. Deregulation of the protein serine/threonine phosphatase type 2A (PP2A) and its regulatory subunits is a common event in breast cancer, providing a possible target for therapy. Methods: The data portal, cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics was used to investigate the incidence of conditions that are associated with low phosphatase activity. Four (4) adherent human breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-468, MDA-MB-436, Hs578T and BT-20 were cultured to assess their viability when exposed to various dosages of rapamycin or FTY720. In addition, RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesised to amplify the coding sequence of PPP2CA. Amplification was followed by high-resolution melting to identify variations. Results and conclusion: The sequence of PPP2CA was found to be conserved across a diverse panel of solid tumour and haematological cell lines, suggesting that low expression of PPP2CA and differential binding of inhibitory PPP2CA regulators are the main mechanisms of PP2A deregulation. Interestingly, the cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics shows that PP2A is deregulated in 59.6% of basal breast tumours. Viability assays performed to determine the sensitivity of a panel of breast cancer cell lines to FTY720, a PP2A activator, indicated that cell lines associated with ER loss are sensitive to lower doses of FTY720. The subset of patients with suppressed PP2A activity is potentially eligible for treatment using therapies which target the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, such as phosphatase activators.peer-reviewe

Maltese society : a sociological inquiry

It seems to be the destiny of a people to reflect upon itself, to look at itself critically, comparing itself, in space and time, with the fortunes and misfortunes of others. This it does in a myriad of ways and for different reasons. Occasionally narratives about the identity of a nation are woven popularly, with 'folk sociology' - encapsulated in sayings and proverbs - providing images reflecting fears, hopes, knowledge about how the system works, or about how to work the system. At other times, narratives are developed more formally, on command even, to celebrate particular events, to highlight landmarks of historical development, or to applaud or decry the ruler or the ruled, the rebellious or the domesticated.peer-reviewe

Predictive markers in cancer patient diagnosis, classification and prediction of therapy outcome using leukaemia as a model

The characterisation of the molecular mechanism of disease allows classification of patients into subtypes and potentially identifies specific targets for therapeutic intervention. Tyrosine kinase mutations are central to specific targeted therapy. Investigation of kinase deregulation within particular patient groups, has led to identification of mutant tyrosine kinases associated with disease progression and therapy modulation. Biomarker-specific therapies emerged, taking a leading role in guided-therapy. The extensive use of the specific kinase inhibitors and the longevity of the treatment protocols due to the uncertainty of residual disease, gave rise to new challenges, namely secondary resistance to therapy. Although there are various mechanisms of acquired resistance, mutations in the drug target itself play a dominant role.peer-reviewe