Citizenship and feminism: the importance of political process

The notion of Citizenship has become a focal point during the 1990s with both politicians and theorists appealing to its virtues as a methodology solving the problems of disenfranchised communities. In many ways feminist theory and practice have already anticipated such debates with theoretical notions of a feminised, caring community, and forms of non-hierarchical, localised, participative political practice. However unlike mainstream deliberation which seems to focus on the citizens themselves, feminists have developed an effective analysis and criticism of the political processes of representative democracy and also the embedded concept of citizenship. This thesis follows such a tradition using both theoretical concerns and practical motivation. The theoretical strand presents an endorsement of liberal feminism, particularly political citizenship, and the practical route uses a case study of local women councillors based in South Tyneside. In examining why women in the area have so little impact upon representation, the thesis hopes to further our understanding of the difficulties in practical terms and to enhance a better theoretical definition of citizenship which is woman friendly

The Development of Orphan Drugs; A Financial and Ethical Decision

This paper explores the decision faced by a firm to invest in an orphan drug development project. Two primary areas of concern are considered: financial and ethical. In order to properly understand these two areas, the paper first summarizes the current development landscape for non-orphan and orphan drugs. Once the basic development structure is established, a discussion regarding the differences in the Net Present Value equation for a non-orphan and orphan product may occur. Once the differences in the financial decision are established, the paper will discuss the ethical considerations surrounding drug development and drug pricing. The combination of the financial model and the ethical guidelines for drug pricing form the argument for an increase in social corporate responsibility in the drug development industry to increase treatment accessibility for patients of rare diseases

ConversationPiece II: Displaced and Rehacked

Abstract: Conversations are amazing! Although we usually find the experience enjoyable and even relaxing, when one considers the difficulties of simultaneously generating sig- nals that convey an intended message while at the same time trying to understand the messages of another, then the pleasures of conversation may seem rather surprising. We manage to communicate with each other without knowing quite what will happen next. We quickly manufacture precisely timed sounds and gestures on the fly, which we exchange with each other without clashing—even managing to slip in some imita- tions as we go along! Yet usually meaning is all we really notice. In the Conversa- tionPiece project, we aim to transform conversations into musical sounds using neuro-inspired technology to expose the amazing world of sounds people create when talking with others. Sounds from a microphone are separated into different fre- quency bands by a computer-simulated “ear” (more precisely “basilar membrane”) and analyzed for tone onsets using a lateral-inhibition network, similar to some cor- tical neural networks. The detected events are used to generate musical notes played on a synthesizer either instantaneously or delayed. The first option allows for ex- changing timed sound events between two speakers with a speech-like structure, but without conveying (much) meaning. Delayed feedback further allows self-exploration of one’s own speech. We discuss the current setup (ConversationPiece version II), in- sights from first experiments, and options for future applications

Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis for Launch Vehicles with Varying Payloads and Adapters for Structural Dynamics and Loads

This paper examines Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis (PSA) methods and tools in an effort to understand their utility in vehicle loads and dynamic analysis. Specifically, this study addresses how these methods may be used to establish limits on payload mass and cg location and requirements on adaptor stiffnesses while maintaining vehicle loads and frequencies within established bounds. To this end, PSA methods and tools are applied to a realistic, but manageable, integrated launch vehicle analysis where payload and payload adaptor parameters are modeled as random variables. This analysis is used to study both Regional Response PSA (RRPSA) and Global Response PSA (GRPSA) methods, with a primary focus on sampling based techniques. For contrast, some MPP based approaches are also examined

Assessment of GFR by four methods in adults in Ashanti, Ghana: the need for an eGFR equation for lean African populations

Background. Equations for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) have not been validated in Sub-Saharan African populations, and data on GFR are few. Methods. GFR by creatinine clearance (Ccr) using 24-hour urine collections and estimated GFR (eGFR) using the four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD-4)[creatinine calibrated to isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) standard], Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) and Cockcroft–Gault equations were obtained in Ghanaians aged 40–75. The population comprised 1013 inhabitants in 12 villages; 944 provided a serum creatinine and two 24-hour urines. The mean weight was 54.4 kg; mean body mass index was 21.1 kg/m2. Results. Mean GFR by Ccr was 84.1 ml/min/1.73m2; 86.8% of participants had a GFR of 60 ml/min/1.73m2. Mean MDRD-4 eGFR was 102.3 ml/min/1.73m2 (difference vs. Ccr, 18.2: 95% CI: 16.8–19.5); when the factor for black race was omitted, the value (mean 84.6 ml/min/1.73m2) was close to Ccr. Mean CKD-EPI eGFR was 103.1 ml/min/1.73m2, and 89.4 ml/min/1.73m2 when the factor for race was omitted. The Cockcroft–Gault equation underestimated GFR compared with Ccr by 9.4 ml/min/1.73m2 (CI: 8.3–10.6); particularly in older age groups. GFR by Ccr, and eGFR by MDRD-4, CKD-EPI and Cockcroft–Gault showed falls with age: MDRD-4 5.5, Ccr 7.7, CKD-EPI 8.8 and Cockcroft–Gault 11.0 ml/min/1.73m2/10 years. The percentage of individuals identified with CKD stages 3–5 depended on the method used: MDRD-4 1.6% (7.2 % without factor for black race; CKD-EPI 1.7% (4.7% without factor for black race), Ccr 13.2% and Cockcroft–Gault 21.0%. Conclusions. Mean eGFR by both MDRD-4 and CKD-EPI was considerably higher than GFR by Ccr and Cockcroft–Gault, a difference that may be attributable to leanness. MDRD-4 appeared to underestimate the fall in GFR with age compared with the three other measurements; the fall with CKD-EPI without the adjustment for race was the closest to that of Ccr. An equation tailored specifically to the needs of the lean populations of Africa is urgently needed. For the present, the CKD-EPI equation without the adjustment for black race appears to be the most useful

Biodiversity, host specificity, and dominance by eusocial species among sponge-dwelling alpheid shrimp on the Belize Barrier Reef

Alpheid shrimp represent an abundant and diverse, but poorly characterized, component of the cryptic biodiversity of coral reefs worldwide. Sponge-inhabiting alpheids provide a promising model system for exploring patterns of cryptic reef biodiversity because their habitats (hosts) are discrete and qualitatively distinct units. We tabulated data from 14 years of collections at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize to quantify patterns of diversity, host specificity, and dominance among sponge-dwelling shrimp (Synalpheus), with special attention to eusocial species. From \u3e 600 sampled sponges of 17 species, we recognized at least 36 Synalpheus shrimp species. Of these, 15 (42%) were new to science. Species accumulation curves suggest that we have sampled most of the Synalpheus diversity at Carrie Bow Cay. Diversity of sponge-dwelling Synalpheus was slightly higher in shallow water, probably because of greater habitat diversity, than in deep water. Host specificity was surprisingly high, with \u3e 50% of all shrimp species found in only a single sponge species each, although some shrimp species used as many as six hosts. Cohabitation of individual sponges by multiple shrimp species was rarer than expected by chance, supporting previous distributional and behavioural evidence that competition for hosts is strong and moulds patterns of host association. The fauna of most well-sampled sponge species was dominated, both in numbers of individuals and in frequency of occurrence, by eusocial species. Eusocial shrimp species also inhabited a significantly greater number of sponge species than did non-social shrimp. Consequently, \u3e 65% of shrimp in our quantitative samples belonged to the four eusocial species, and on a per-species basis, eusocial species were 17 times as abundant as non-social species. Our data suggest that the highly diverse sponge-dwelling shrimp assemblage of the Belize Barrier Reef is structured by competition, and that eusociality has allowed a small number of species to dominate the sponge resource