2,4-Dinitrophenol, the inferno drug: a netnographic study of user experiences in the quest for leanness.

Background: Despite not being licensed for human consumption, the Internet has triggered renewed, widespread interest and availability of 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP). DNP, a cellular metabolic poison, causes thermogenesis resulting in fat burning and weight loss. Whilst extensively available for purchase online, research on user experiences of DNP is limited. Methods: A netnographic approach was used to describe user experiences of DNP via online public websites. Public websites discussing DNP were identified and a purposeful sample selected. Discussion threads were downloaded and a textual qualitative analysis conducted. Four themes containing 71 categories were generated. Results: There exists a plethora of communal folk pharmacological advice and recommendations for DNP manufacture and use, together with associated harms and outcomes. The efficacy and untoward effects of DNP were described and discussed alongside the notion that DNP should only be used by experienced bodybuilders. Dosage and regimes for optimal use were also described. Conclusion: This unique study provides a rich examination of the knowledge, attitudes, and motivations of DNP users, illustrating the significant role of online public websites in sharing information. Further understanding of DNP users and the online communities in which they reside is warranted to facilitate engagement and formulate appropriate and effective policy responses

Stakeholder perspectives on shale gas fracking: A Q-method study of environmental discourses

The rapid expansion of shale gas exploration worldwide is a significant source of environmental controversy. Successful shale gas policymaking is dependent upon a clear understanding of the dynamics of competing stakeholder perspectives on these issues, and so methods are needed to delineate the areas of agreement and conflict that emerge. This empirical study, based in the United Kingdom, examines emergent perspectives on a range of environmental, health and socio-economic impacts associated with shale gas fracking using Q- methodology: a combined qualitative-quantitative approach. The analysis reveals three typologies of perspectives amongst key industry, civil society and non-affiliated citizen stakeholders; subsequently contextualised in relation to Dryzek’s typology of environmental discourses. These are labelled A) “Don’t trust the fossil fuels industry: campaign for renewables” (mediating between sustainable development and democratic pragmatism discourses); B) “Shale gas is a bridge fuel: economic growth and environmental scepticism” (mediating between economic rationalism and ecological modernisation discourses); and C) “Take place protective action and legislate in the public interest” (reflecting a discourse of administrative rationalism). The implications of these competing discourses for nascent shale gas policy in the UK are discussed in light of recent Government public consultation on changes to national planning policy

Effects of Tetrapleura Tetraptera (Taub) Fruit Extract On Some Isolated Tissues: Possible Mechanism(S) of Antihypertensive Action

Hypotensive activities of the alcoholic extract of T. tetraptera fruits have been earlier demonstrated in cats, rats and rabbits. In the present study, we demonstrate myorelaxant actions of the extract in isolated smooth muscle preparations. Relaxations were dose-dependent: EC50s were 0.3 ± 0.01, 2.4 ± 0.1 and 4.3 ± 0.01 mg/ml for rat anococcygeus, rat uterus and guinea-pig taenia coli respectively. Also, spasmogenic actions of noradrenaline, carbachol, Ca2+ and K+ in the rat anococcygeus and uterus were all suppressed by the extract. The effect of the extract on Ca2+-induced contractions were investigated in guinea-pig isolated taenia coli and atria preparations and compared to nifedipine, a calcium- channel blocker . Pre-treatment with T. tetraptera (1-10 mg/ml) and nifedipine (0.01-0.1 μg/ml) for 15 minutes in Ca2+-free K+ (100 mM) medium caused a right ward shift of the concentrationresponse curves for CaCl2-induced contractions in atria and taenia coli with depressed maximal response, suggestive of a non-competitive interaction. In all tissues investigated, the extract nonspecifically reduced both the natural tone and agonist-induced contractions. Thus smooth muscle relaxant actions of the extract may partly account for the hypotensive actions of T. tetraptera fruits. Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 28 (1) 2008 pp. 23-3

Women acting for women: Gender-responsive budgeting in Timor-Leste

In the new country of Timor-Leste, women constituted in 2011 32 per cent of the parliament, a relatively high figure in the world and in the region. But to what extent has the presence of women in parliament contributed to progress towards gender equality? In this article we argue that the passage of a parliamentary resolution on gender-responsive budgeting in Timor-Leste was an act of substantive representation, and we draw on a range of data to examine what made it possible. We find that while newness, international norms, women's movement unity, women's machinery in government and parliament and networks linking them were important, it was the development of a cross-party parliamentary women's caucus that was crucial to success. The role of gender-focused parliamentary institutions in supporting critical actors has rarely been examined in the literature on substantive representation. This is in contrast to the rich literature on institutions such as women's policy agencies. Our study suggests that more focus on parliamentary institutions is needed to discover what enables women parliamentarians to become critical actors. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC