Better No Longer to Be

David Benatar argues that coming into existence is always a harm, and that – for all of us unfortunate enough to have come into existence – it would be better had we never come to be. We contend that if one accepts Benatar’s arguments for the asymmetry between the presence and absence of pleasure and pain, and the poor quality of life, one must also accept that suicide is preferable to continued existence, and that his view therefore implies both anti-natalism and pro-mortalism. This conclusion has been argued for before by Elizabeth Harman – she takes it that because Benatar claims that our lives are ‘awful’, it follows that ‘we would be better off to kill ourselves’. Though we agree with Harman’s conclusion, we think that her argument is too quick, and that Benatar’s arguments for non-pro-mortalism deserve more serious consideration than she gives them. We make our case using a tripartite structure. We start by examining the prima facie case for the claim that pro-mortalism follows from Benatar’s position, presenting his response to the contrary, and furthering the dialectic by showing that Benatar’s position is not just that coming into existence is a harm, but that existence itself is a harm. We then look to Benatar’s treatment of the Epicurean line, which is important for him as it undermines his anti-death argument for non-pro-mortalism. We demonstrate that he fails to address the concern that the Epicurean line raises, and that he cannot therefore use the harm of death as an argument for non-pro-mortalism. Finally, we turn to Benatar’s ro-life argument for non-pro-mortalism, built upon his notion of interests, and argue that while the interest in continued existence may indeed have moral relevance, it is almost always irrational. Given that neither Benatar’s anti-death nor pro-life arguments for non-pro-mortalism work, we conclude that pro-mortalism follows from his anti-natalism, As such, if it is better never to have been, then it is better no longer to be

Making a difference - the appropriate use of web technology

Much has been written elsewhere about how, different Information Technology tools, can in principle be used by groups or communities to make their web sites more effective for Continued Professional Development. In practice, complex use is not often the case. In particular, three sites were studied in Scotland, which provided web facilities for the over 60s. The sites, and the communities they served, used only simple Information Technology. Nevertheless, they enabled their communities to participate effectively, on the 'right side', of the European population's 'digital divide'

Differences in physical activity time-use composition associated with cardiometabolic risks

This study investigates the association between the overall physical activity composition of the day (sedentary behavior (SB), light intensity physical activity (LIPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) and cardiometabolic health, and examines whether improved health can be associated with replacing SB with LIPA. A cross-sectional analysis of the Health Survey for England 2008 on N = 1411 adults was undertaken using a compositional analysis approach to examine the relationship between cardiometabolic risk biomarkers and physical activity accounting for co-dependency between relative amounts of time spent in different behavior. Daily time spent in SB, LIPA and MVPA was determined from waist-mounted accelerometry data (Actigraph GT1M) and modelled against BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, blood pressure, total and HDL cholesterol, HbA1c, and VO2 maximum. The composition of time spent in SB, LIPA and MVPA was statistically significantly associated with BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hips ratio, HDL cholesterol and VO2 maximum (p < 0.001), but not HbA1c, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, or total cholesterol. Increase of relative time spent in MVPA was beneficially associated with obesity markers, HDL cholesterol, and VO2 maximum, and SB with poorer outcomes. The association of changes in LIPA depended on whether it displaced MVPA or SB. Increasing the proportion of MVPA alone may have the strongest potential association with adiposity outcomes and HDL cholesterol but similar outcomes could also be associated with a lower quantity of MVPA provided a greater quantity of SB is replaced overall with LIPA (around 10.5 min of LIPA is equivalent to 1 min of MVPA). Keywords: MVPA, Sedentary behavior, Physical activity, Compositional data analysis, Cardiometabolic health, Adipoisit

A Biomechanical Investigation of Load Sharing at the Distal Forearm

Loading at the distal forearm has been previously examined under static loads, however there remains no consensus on how loading is affected by active wrist and forearm motion. This work examines load magnitudes and load sharing at the distal radius and ulna during of active wrist and forearm motion. Two instrumented implants were designed to measure in vitro loading in cadaveric specimen. The implants were evaluated and found reliable for use in further biomechanical studies. An in vitro study investigated the effect of joint angle and direction of joint motion on loads in the distal radius and ulna during active flexion-extension, radioulnar deviation and dart throw motion. Loads through the distal radius and ulna were significantly greater in extension and reverse dart throw motion than in flexion and forward dart throw motion. A subsequent study examined the effect of radial length changes, joint angle and direction of motion on distal radius and ulna loading during active forearm rotation. Load magnitudes through the distal radius were greater in supination than in pronation. Radial lengthening found to increase radial loading and decrease ulnar loading and radial shortening decreased distal radius loading and increased distal ulna loading throughout forearm rotation, in a quasilinear fashion. This work improves the understanding of forearm bone loading and will assist clinicians in the development of rehabilitation techniques, surgical protocols and implant designs

Differential expression and detection of transcripts in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) using cDNA microarrays

Microarray protocols were developed for sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) and then used to study issues of importance in sweetpotato physiology and production. The effect of replication number and image analysis software was compared with results obtained by quantitative real-time PCR. The results indicated that reliable results could be obtained using six replicates and UCSF Spot image analysis software. These methodologies were employed to elucidate aspects of sweetpotato development, physiology and response to virus infection. Storage root formation is the most economically important process in sweetpotato development. Gene expression levels were compared between fibrous and storage roots of the cultivar Jewel. Sucrose synthase, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, and fructokinase were up-regulated in storage roots, while hexokinase was not differentially expressed. A variety of transcription factors were differentially expressed as well as several auxin-related genes. The orange flesh color of sweetpotato is due to β-carotene stored in chromoplasts of root cells. β-carotene is important because of its role in human health. To elucidate biosynthesis and storage of β-carotene in sweetpotato roots, microarray analysis was used to investigate genes differentially expressed between ‘White Jewel’ and ‘Jewel’ storage roots. β-carotene content calculated for ‘Jewel’ and ‘White Jewel’ were 20.66 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW) and 1.68 mg/100 g FW, respectively. Isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase was down-regulated in ‘White Jewel’, but three other genes in the β-carotene biosynthetic pathway were not differentially expressed. Several genes associated with chloroplasts were differentially expressed, indicating probable differences in chromoplast development of ‘White Jewel’ and ‘Jewel’. Sweet potato virus disease (SPVD) is caused by the co-infection of plants with a potyvirus, Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), and a crinivirus, Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV). Expression analysis revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes in plants infected with SPFMV alone and SPCSV alone compared to virus-tested plants was only three and 14, respectively. In contrast, more than 200 genes from various functional categories were differentially expressed between virus-tested and SPVD-affected plants. Microarray analysis has proved to be a useful tool to study important aspects of sweetpotato physiology and production

DIgital Security and Source Protection for Journalists

In order to maintain the confidence of–and therefore the access to–our sources, it is imperative that the journalistic profession as a whole develops a coherent set of professional practices around their protection. While judicial decisions and statutes in 49 states and the District of Columbia provide some form of reportorial “privilege,” the legal and technical realities of digital communications systems today are such that many journalists will never have the opportunity to invoke it. For robust journalistic security practices to be effective, they must both offer the real protections that sources deserve and be reasonable enough to integrate into the process of newsgathering and publication. To achieve these ends, any approach must be grounded in a fundamental understanding of the technical and legal frameworks in which our digital communications exist, and how their sometimes strange intersections influence the way that journalists must operate. The goal of this paper is to provide a coherent and salient introduction to these frameworks, as a foundation for developing supportable security practices for the journalism industry. The remainder of this paper is organized into four sections. First and second, I present overviews of the current state of law and technology as they exist in and shape the realities of digital communications, privacy, and security with a focus on the needs of source protection for journalists. Third, I present some models for conceptualizing and implementing digital communications practices for journalists and newsrooms, in the context of current tools and communities. Finally, I offer recommendations for both industry development and academic research in the areas of digital privacy and security

Entangled Resurgence: Investigating \u27Reconciliation\u27 and the Politics of Language Revitalization in the Oneida Nation of the Thames

The conclusion of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 has initiated numerous conversations about Canada’s renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples, and elicited questions about what it means to ‘reconcile’. I use ethnographic methods to examine these issues in the context of language revitalization, at the nexus of government policy, university-community partnerships, and the experiences of individual language learners within the Oneida Nation of the Thames. This thesis re-evaluates the relationship between Indigenous language revitalization and the political process of reconciliation through the framework of Indigenous resurgence, an emerging theory and practice that seeks to regenerate Indigenous communities through self-recognition. By examining three different on-going language projects through a resurgence lens, this thesis argues that a politics of resurgence offers a necessary meta-framework for a new relationship between the Settler state and Indigenous peoples, by providing a common basis for Settler and Indigenous people together to work on resurgent projects