Representational tactics: approaching two Scottish performances of mental illness through the work of Michel de Certeau

This article uses the ideas of ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ drawn from Michel de Certeau’s The Practice of Everyday Life in order to examine two specific Scottish performances and determine their conception of mental illness, their approach to performance, and how these performances relate to the structures surrounding them. The first, The Wonderful World of Dissocia, was written by Anthony Neilson, premièred at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2004, and was directly supported by the Scottish Executive’s National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well Being. The second, Does Anyone Know, is a short film resulting from work with prisoners with mental health problems in the High Dependency Unit at HMP Edinburgh by the charity Theatre NEMO, and includes performances by prisoners themselves. Taken together, these performances give some sense of the contingent position of performances of mental illness, the ways in which actors, writers, and service users act within the structures of theatres, prisons, and hospitals, to work around and within the ‘strategies’ which constitute psychiatric discourse.Publisher PD

Stability of matter-wave solitons in a density-dependent gauge theory

We consider the linear stability of chiral matter-wave solitons described by a density-dependent gauge theory. By studying the associated Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations both numerically and analytically, we find that the stability problem effectively reduces to that of the standard Gross-Pitaevskii equation, proving that the solitons are stable to linear perturbations. In addition, we formulate the stability problem in the framework of the Vakhitov-Kolokolov criterion and provide supplementary numerical simulations which illustrate the absence of instabilities when the soliton is initially perturbed.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. Comments are welcom

Face masks for the public during Covid-19: an appeal for caution in policy

As the Covid-19 crisis deepens, some researchers have argued for the widespread routine use of face masks in community settings, despite acknowledged gaps in the evidence base for the effectiveness of such a measure. We argue that such calls are premature, and risk neglecting important potential harms and negative consequences, known and unknown. We identify potential unintended consequences at multiple levels, from individual-behavioural to macrosocial, and suggest that it is far from clear that the benefits of widespread uptake of face masks, whether encouraged or enforced by public authorities, outweigh the downsides. Finally, we make the case for caution in communicating unequivocal messages about the scientific evidence for face mask use to policy, practitioner and public audiences, given continued scientific disagreement on the questio

Generic Ethics Principles in Social Science Research

The written output of a series of three symposia held in the spring of 2013 on the topic of Generic Ethics Principles in Social Science Research. The format for each symposium was the same: a main speaker introduced a paper that had been circulated in advance and this was followed by two formal discussants and then participation from the floor. Discussion in groups took place in the afternoon and there was then a brief plenary session. The stimulus paper from each event is reproduced in this publication along with papers from discussants and a summary of each discussion

Quantification of apolipoprotein E receptors in human brain-derived cell lines by real-time polymerase chain reaction

Apolipoprotein (apo) E4 is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases, compared to wild-type apoE3. The mechanism(s) is unknown. One possibility, demonstrated in peripheral tissue cell lines, is that apoE stimulates nitric oxide synthase (NOS) via a receptor-dependent signalling pathway and that apoE4 generates inappropriate amounts of nitric oxide (NO) compared to apoE3. Prior to biochemical investigations, we have quantified the expression of several candidate receptor genes, including low-density lipoprotein-receptor (LDL-r) family members and scavenger receptor class B, types I and II (SR-BI/II), as well as the three NOS isoenzymes and protein kinase B (Akt), in 38 human cell lines, of which 12 derive from brain. Expression of apoE receptor 2 (apoER2), a known signalling receptor in brain, was readily detected in SH-SY-5Y and CCF-STTG1 cells, common models of neurons and astrocytes, respectively, and was highest in H4 neuroglioma, NT-2 precursor cells and IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells. Transcripts of the other lipoprotein receptors were widely, but variably, distributed across the different cell types. Of particular note was the predominant expression of SR-BII over SR-BI in many of the brain-derived cells. As the C-terminus of SR-BII, like apoER2, contains potential SH3 signalling motifs, we suggest that in brain SR-BII functions as a signal transducer receptor. (c) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Rational and intuitive approaches to music composition: The impact of individual differences in thinking/learning styles on compositional processes

This study explores the idea that there are two different types of composers, those that use a rational process of composition involving pre-planning and use of external systems and those that use an intuitive process that involves trial and error or other exploratory means for composing. It focuses on further understanding these patterns of thought as they are found in the compositional processes of student composers as well as investigating their learning preferences. The study examines the compositional processes of five composition students from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music selected using their results on the SOLAT (Style Of Learning And Thinking) measure (Torrance, McCarthy & Kolesinski, 1988). After interviewing the five participants, a model was developed that explained how rational and intuitive patterns of thought were used at different levels. The macroprocesses of participants were found to sit on a continuum between rational and intuitive whilst at the micro-level participants were seen to use a mixture of both processes. The interview participants were also asked to comment on their preferred activities for learning composition. It was found that the participants believed their compositional processes were something that they developed themselves and they wanted a more personal approach to learning. The findings have implications for both teachers of composition and their students