Remembering the Falklands War: subjectivity and identification

This paper explores the ways in which remembering is enacted, performed and contested with media and how this becomes intrinsically linked to issues of power, agency and identity. Drawing on ethnographic data collected with Falkland Islanders during the 30th Anniversary of the 1982 Falklands War I critically consider the context, motivation and agency involved in how and why Islanders remember through and with the media, and the potentially profound implications this may be having on their understanding, negotiation and performance of identity, that is (at times) at odds with their everyday existence. The result of the analysis raises critical questions about what societies remember, and want to be remembered for, the implications of which extend far beyond the Falklands

Virtual learning environments – help or hindrance for the ‘disengaged’ student?

The introduction of virtual learning environments (VLEs) has been regarded by some as a panacea for many of the problems in today’s mass numbers modular higher education system. This paper demonstrates that VLEs can help or hinder student engagement and performance, and that they should be adapted to the different types of learner. A project is described that aimed to investigate whether the introduction of a VLE can assist ‘disengaged’ students, drawing on click count tracking data and student performance. The project took place in the context of two very large undergraduate modules (850 and 567 students) in a Business School of a new university in the UK. In an adaptation of a model of learner engagement in Web-enhanced environments, four distinct learner types have emerged: model, traditionalist, geek and disengaged. There was evidence that use of the VLE exacerbated, rather than moderated, the differences between these learner types

'Beyond' pseudonymity: the socio-technical structure of online military forums

This article explores the tensions apparent in anonymous military online forums as sites of publicly visible yet discursively intimate performances of military identity and sites of distinct power relations. This article draws on data collected from British military forums and the organisations that own and manage them. We consider the discursive online practices within the forums and the extent to which the technological affordances of ‘anonymity’ (or what we define as pseudonymity) act as a critical interface between the military community who contribute to the content and non-military observers who read, access, mine and appropriate the content. In so doing, we raise critical questions about the nature of ‘anonymity’ and the complex tensions in and negotiations of private and public, visibility and invisibility that occur through it and the framing and monetising of particular online communities for economic and political purpose

Capability in the digital: institutional media management and its dis/contents

This paper explores how social media spaces are occupied, utilized and negotiated by the British Military in relation to the Ministry of Defence’s concerns and conceptualizations of risk. It draws on data from the DUN Project to investigate the content and form of social media about defence through the lens of ‘capability’, a term that captures and describes the meaning behind multiple representations of the military institution. But ‘capability’ is also a term that we hijack and extend here, not only in relation to the dominant presence of ‘capability’ as a representational trope and the extent to which it is revealing of a particular management of social media spaces, but also in relation to what our research reveals for the wider digital media landscape and ‘capable’ digital methods. What emerges from our analysis is the existence of powerful, successful and critically long-standing media and reputation management strategies occurring within the techno-economic online structures where the exercising of ‘control’ over the individual – as opposed to the technology – is highly effective. These findings raise critical questions regarding the extent to which ‘control’ and management of social media – both within and beyond the defence sector – may be determined as much by cultural, social, institutional and political influence and infrastructure as the technological economies. At a key moment in social media analysis, then, when attention is turning to the affordances, criticisms and possibilities of data, our research is a pertinent reminder that we should not forget the active management of content that is being similarly, if not equally, effective

What is the role of activism in air pollution politics? Understanding policy change in Poland

There has been growing awareness across the world of the negative health effects of air pollution. Poland is the European country that is worst affected by this problem, and the Polish government has in recent years adopted a number of measures designed to reduce coal use. This paper explores the role of civil society activism in this shift, investigating the extent to which local activists played a catalytic role in shaping popular awareness of air pollution and accounting for policy developments in this area. We draw on individual-level data from two Eurobarometer surveys together with qualitative data from a series of original elite interviews and the analysis of related policy documents, and we find little evidence that activism was a driver of variations in local popular awareness of air pollution, but support for the supposition that activism played a major role in shaping policy change at local level

Investigating the impact of a clinical pharmacist on the health outcomes of a paediatric pharmacists

Background: Recent fiscal scrutiny and changes in health care financing have necessitated that health care providers justify a clinical and economical basis for their involvement in patient care. Although clinical pharmacists have been shown to enhance patient health outcomes and reduce costs among adult patients, the impact of a pharmacist in paediatric patient care has not been extensively documented. Method: A team of pharmacists was established to conduct a systematic review of the literature. A title scan of papers in 5 databases was performed by 14 pharmacists using the MeSH terms Pharmacists, Medical Intervention, Paediatrics and Cost-Benefit Analysis. The underpinning research question was: "How do the professional activities of a clinical pharmacist impact the health outcomes of paediatric in-patients?" The abstracts of suitable titles were scanned and articles were read to assess relevance. Relevant articles were then evaluated independently by at least two members of the team, using critical appraisal tools suitable for quantitative, qualitative or systematic review studies. Results: The initial search identified 327 citations which after full text review and application of the scoring tool, resulted in 12 studies included in the systematic review. The average number of interventions reported varied from study to study. Dosing recommendations, pharmacokinetics and drug allergy alerts were the most commonly recorded interventions by pharmacists for a paediatric population. Evidence from this review will be used to formulate improvements to in-patient paediatric care. Conclusion: Clinical pharmacists have a positive impact on inpatient paediatric care

The digital mundane, social media and the military

This article draws on empirical data with British military personnel in order to investigate what we call the digital mundane in military life. We argue that social media and smartphone technologies within the military offer a unique environment in which to investigate the ways individual’s position themselves within certain axes of institutional and cultural identities. At the same time, the convolutions, mediatory practices, and mundane social media rituals that service personnel employ through their smartphones resonates widely with, for example, youth culture, digital mobile cultures. Together they suggest complex mediations with social and mobile media, that draws on, and extends non-military practice into new (and increasingly normative) terrains

Redefining the timing and circumstances of the chicken's introduction to Europe and north-west Africa

Little is known about the early history of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), including the timing and circumstances of its introduction into new cultural environments. To evaluate its spatio-temporal spread across Eurasia and north-west Africa, the authors radiocarbon dated 23 chicken bones from presumed early contexts. Three-quarters returned dates later than those suggested by stratigraphy, indicating the importance of direct dating. The results indicate that chickens did not arrive in Europe until the first millennium BC. Moreover, a consistent time-lag between the introduction of chickens and their consumption by humans suggests that these animals were initially regarded as exotica and only several centuries later recognised as a source of ‘food’

Multi-centre national audit of juvenile localised scleroderma:Describing current UK practice in disease assessment and management

OBJECTIVE: To describe current United Kingdom practice in assessment and management of patients with juvenile localised scleroderma (JLS) compared to Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PRES) scleroderma working party recommendations. METHODS: Patients were included if they were diagnosed with JLS and were under the care of paediatric rheumatology between 04/2015-04/2016. Retrospective data was collected in eleven UK centres using a standardised proforma and collated centrally. RESULTS: 149 patients were included with a median age of 12.5 years. The outcome measures recommended by the PRES scleroderma working party were not utilised widely. The localised scleroderma cutaneous assessment tool was only used in 37.6% of patients. Screening for extracutaneous manifestations did not meet recommendations that patients with head involvement have regular screening for uveitis and baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain: only 38.5% of these patients were ever screened for uveitis; 71.2% had a MRI brain. Systemic treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or biologics was widely used (96.0%). In keeping with the recommendations, 95.5% of patients were treated with methotrexate as first-line therapy. 82.6% received systemic corticosteroids and 34.2% of patients required two or more DMARDs/biologics, highlighting the significant treatment burden. Second-line treatment was mycophenolate mofetil in 89.5%. CONCLUSION: There is wide variation in assessment and screening of patients with JLS but a consistent approach to systemic treatment within UK paediatric rheumatology. Improved awareness of PRES recommendations is required to ensure standardised care. As recommendations are based on low level evidence and consensus opinion, further studies are needed to better define outcome measures and treatment regimens for JLS