Society and the suppression of vice: The sociology of moral indignation

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This study is an exploration of the nature and formation of moral sentiments concerning what constitutes deviance and how deviants should be treated. These sentiments establish the general climate of moral tolerance or intolerance within which reactions to particular instances of deviance take shape. The study is based upon the assumption that differences between people in terms of such moral sentiments reflect further differences in other areas of their lives, in the roles in which they find themselves and the distinctive ideologies to they adhere. The thesis starts from an examination of the work undertaken in this area by Ranulf in developing his theory of moral indignation. This holds that a repressive morality embracing hostility towards hedonism and punitiveness towards deviants is characteristic of the lower middle class as the indirect result of the restraints forced upon its members by their position in the class structure. The present thesis employs the critical appraisal of Ranulf's theory as an opportunity to draw together evidence which serves as a means of elaborating a more comprehensive theory of moral indignation. This evidence is culled from the examination of a number of studies taken from the fields of sociology, social psychology and social anthropology. A study of three "moral crusades" - the Responsible Society, the Nationwide Festival of Light, and the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association – is undertaken to investigate the nature of moral indignation in a contemporary setting. The study concludes by setting forth an explanation of the nature and origin of moral authoritarianism as the product of social constraints

Proposal for a low cost close air support aircraft for the year 2000: The Raptor

The Raptor is a proposed low cost Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft for the U.S. Military. The Raptor incorporates a 'cranked arrow' wing planform, and uses canards instead of a traditional horizontal tail. The Raptor is designed to be capable of responsive delivery of effective ordnance in close proximity to friendly ground forces during the day, night, and 'under the weather' conditions. Details are presented of the Raptor's mission, configuration, performance, stability and control, ground support, manufacturing, and overall cost to permit engineering evaluation of the proposed design. A description of the design process and analysis methods used is also provided

Is resilience relevant to smoking abstinence for Indigenous Australians?

This article is under embargo for 12 months from the date of publication, in accordance with the publisher's policy. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in HEALTH PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL following peer review. The version of record [Tsourtos G, Ward P, Lawn S, Winefield A, Hersh D and Coveney J (2014) Is resilience relevant to smoking abstinence for Indigenous Australians? . Health Promotion International 30 (1): pp. 64-76] is available online at: http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/30/1/64The prevalence rate of tobacco smoking remains high for Australian Indigenous people despite declining rates in other Australian populations. Given many Indigenous Australians continue to experience a range of social and economic structural problems, stress could be a significant contributing factor to preventing smoking abstinence. The reasons why some Indigenous people have remained resilient to stressful adverse conditions, and not rely on smoking to cope as a consequence, may provide important insights and lessons for health promotion policy and practice. In-depth interviews were employed to collect oral histories from 31 Indigenous adults who live in metropolitan Adelaide. Participants were recruited according to smoking status (non-smokers were compared to current smokers to gain a greater depth of understanding of how some participants have abstained from smoking). Perceived levels of stress were associated with encouraging smoking behaviour. Many participants reported having different stresses compared to non-Indigenous Australians, with some participants reporting having additional stressors such as constantly experiencing racism. Resilience often occurred when participants reported drawing upon internal psychological assets such as being motivated to quit and where external social support was available. These findings are discussed in relation to a recently developed psycho-social interactive model of resilience, and how this resilience model can be improved regarding the historical and cultural context of Indigenous Australians’ experience of smoking

Low-Voltage Polymer/Small-Molecule Blend Organic Thin-Film Transistors and Circuits Fabricated via Spray Deposition

Organic thin-film electronics have long been considered an enticing candidate in achieving high-throughput manufacturing of low-power ubiquitous electronics. However, to achieve this goal, more work is required to reduce operating voltages and develop suitable mass-manufacture techniques. Here, we demonstrate low-voltage spray-cast organic thin-film transistors based on a semiconductor blend of 2,8-difluoro- 5,11-bis (triethylsilylethynyl) anthradithiophene and poly(triarylamine). Both semiconductor and dielectric films are deposited via successive spray deposition in ambient conditions (air with 40%–60% relative humidity) without any special precautions. Despite the simplicity of the deposition method, p-channel transistors with hole mobilities of \u3e1 cm2/Vs are realized at −4 V operation, and unipolar inverters operating at −6 V are demonstrated

Identification of an immunodominant CD4+ T cell epitope in the VP6 protein of rotavirus following intranasal immunization of BALB/c mice

AbstractThe only lymphocytes required for protection against fecal rotavirus shedding after intranasal immunization of BALB/c (H-2d) mice with a chimeric rotavirus VP6 protein (MBP∷VP6) and the mucosal adjuvant LT(R192G) are CD4+ T cells. The purpose of this study was to identify CD4+ T cell epitopes within VP6 that might be responsible for this protection. To make this determination, spleen cells obtained from BALB/c mice following intranasal immunization with MBP∷VP6/LT(R192G) were stimulated in vitro with either MBP∷VP6 or overlapping VP6 peptides containing ≤30 amino acids (AA). The numbers of memory (CD44high) CD4+ T cells stimulated to produce TH1 and TH17 cytokines (IFNγ and IL-17), as well as the quantities of these cytokines released into the cell supernatants, were then measured relative to those produced in mock-stimulated cells from the same animals. One epitope expected to be found was the VP6 14-mer AA289–302, previously identified as a CD4+ T cell epitope in H-2d mice. This was not observed but instead the only VP6 epitope identified was AA242–259, the dominant CD4+ T cell epitope previously reported after oral, live rotavirus immunization

Developing Core Sets for Persons With Traumatic Brain Injury Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health

The authors outline the process for developing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Core Sets for traumatic brain injury (TBI). ICF Core Sets are selections of categories of the ICF that identify relevant categories of patients affected by specific diseases. Comprehensive and brief ICF Core Sets for TBI should become useful for clinical practice and for research. The final definition of the ICF Core Sets for TBI will be determined at an ICF Core Sets Consensus Conference, which will integrate evidence from preliminary studies. The development of ICF Core Sets is an inclusive and open process and rehabilitation professionals are invited to participate

The Burden of Hepatitis C Infection–Related Liver Fibrosis in the United States

Background. Knowledge of the estimated proportion of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected persons with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis is critical to estimating healthcare needs. Methods. We analyzed HCV-related testing conducted by Quest Diagnostics from January 2010 through December 2013. Tests included hepatitis C antibody, HCV RNA, HCV genotype (nucleic acid tests [NAT]), liver function tests, and platelet counts; patient age was also determined. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)-to-platelet ratio (APRI) was calculated as = 100*(aspartate aminotransferase [AST]/upper limit of AST)/platelet. Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) was calculated as (age × AST)/(platelet ×√ alanine aminotransferase [ALT]). Persons were “currently infected” if they had ≥1 positive HCV NAT; “in care” if a positive RNA test was followed \u3c6 months by ≥1 additional NAT(s), or ALT, AST, and platelets \u3c90 days, or any test ordered by an infectious diseases or gastroenterology specialist; and “evaluated for treatment” if they had a genotype test. Results. Approximately 10 million HCV test results were analyzed, representing 5.6 million unique patients. Of the 2.6 million patients with data to estimate liver disease, 5% were currently infected. Among those currently infected, APRI and FIB-4 scores indicated that 23% overall—and 27% among the cohort born during 1945–1965—had advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis at first diagnosis. A total of 54% of infected were in care and 51% of infected with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis were evaluated for treatment. Conclusions. Testing from a large US commercial laboratory indicates that about 1 in 4 HCV-infected persons have levels of liver disease put them at highest risk for complications and could benefit from immediate antiviral therapy

Low-Temperature Phase Transitions in a Soluble Oligoacene and Their Effect on Device Performance and Stability

The use of organic semiconductors in high-performance organic field-effect transistors requires a thorough understanding of the effects that processing conditions, thermal, and bias-stress history have on device operation. Here, we evaluate the temperature dependence of the electrical properties of transistors fabricated with 2,8-difluoro-5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene, a material that has attracted much attention recently due to its exceptional electrical properties. We have discovered a phase transition at T = 205 K and discuss its implications on device performance and stability. We examined the impact of this low-temperature phase transition on the thermodynamic, electrical, and structural properties of both single crystals and thin films of this material. Our results show that while the changes to the crystal structure are reversible, the induced thermal stress yields irreversible degradation of the devices

Quantitative Analysis of the Density of Trap States at the Semiconductor-Dielectric Interface in Organic Field-Effect Transistors

The electrical properties of organic field-effect transistors are governed by the quality of the constituting layers, and the resulting interfaces. We compare the properties of the same organic semiconductor film, 2,8-difluoro- 5,11-bis (triethylsilylethynyl) anthradithiophene, with bottom SiO2 dielectric and top Cytop dielectric and find a 10× increase in charge carrier mobility, from 0.17 ± 0.19 cm2 V−1 s−1 to 1.5 ± 0.70 cm2 V−1 s−1, when the polymer dielectric is used. This results from a significant reduction of the trap density of states in the semiconductor band-gap, and a decrease in the contact resistance

The United Kingdom and British Empire: A Figurational Approach

Drawing upon the work of Norbert Elias and the process [figurational] sociology perspective, this article examines how state formation processes are related to, and, affected by, expanding and declining chains of international interdependence. In contrast to civic and ethnic conceptions, this approach focuses on the emergence of the nation/nation-state as grounded in broader processes of historical and social development. In doing so, state formation processes within the United Kingdom are related to the expansion and decline of the British Empire. That is, by focusing on the functional dynamics that are embedded in collective groups, one is able to consider how the UK’s ‘state’ and ‘imperial’ figurations were interdependently related to changes in both the UK and the former British Empire. Consequently, by locating contemporary UK relations in the historical context of former imperial relationships, nationalism studies can go ‘beyond’ the nation/nation-state in order to include broader processes of imperial expansion and decline. Here, the relationship between empire and nationalism can offer a valuable insight into contemporary political movements, especially within former imperial groups