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This article argues that popular culture can make an important contribution to security studies, and especially critical security studies, either by offering alternative narratives that challenge the dominant view of security or by deconstructing the process of securitization. It then examines a genre of popular culture that until now has been largely ignored by security studies, noir police procedural novels, and shows how the contemporary police detective can no longer be viewed in the same way as the defender of the status quo depicted in the traditional police procedural. At the same time, he or she does not correspond to the portrait of the security professional, a member of those forces that contribute to the way security is officially defined. He or she has become, instead, a critic of prevailing security practices. To illustrate how this has happened, the article takes novels from two well-known authors of noir procedurals – Faceless Killers by Sweden’s Henning Mankell and Rounding the Mark by Italy’s Andrea Camilleri – and explores how their two very different police detectives, Kurt Wallander and Salvo Montalbano, treat the fears, anxieties and insecurities aroused by immigration in their respective societies and, in doing so, assume in their own way the role of critical security analyst. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Simulation models are an important tool used in health care and other disciplines to support operational research and decision-making. In the child protection literature, simulation models are an under-utilized source of research evidence. In this paper, we describe the rationale for and the development of an agent-based simulation of a child protection system in the US. Using the investigation, prevention service, and placement histories of 600,000 children served in an urban child welfare system, we walk the reader through the development of a prototype known as OSPEDALE. The governing equations built into OSPEDALE probabilistically simulate the onset of investigations. Then, drawing from empirical survival distributions, the governing equations trace the probability of subsequent interactions with the system (recurrence of maltreatment, service referrals, and placement) conditional on the characteristics of children, their assessed risk level, and prior child protection system involvement. As an initial test of OSPEDALE 's utility, we compare empirical admission counts with counts generated from OSPEDALE. Though the verification step is admittedly simple, the comparison shows that OSPEDALE replicates the empirical count of new admissions closely enough to justify further investment in OSPEDALE. Management of public child protection systems is increasingly research evidence-dependent. The emphasis on research evidence as a decision-support tool has elevated evidence acquired through randomized clinical trials. Though important, the evidence from clinical trials represents only one type of research evidence. Properly specified, simulation models are another source of evidence with real-world relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of current trabeculectomy surgery in the United Kingdom. Design: Cross-sectional, multicenter, retrospective follow-up. Participants: A total of 428 eyes of 395 patients. Methods: Consecutive trabeculectomy cases with open-angle glaucoma and no previous incisional glaucoma surgery from 9 glaucoma units were evaluated retrospectively. Follow-up was a minimum of 2 years. Main Outcome Measures: Surgical success, intraocular pressure (IOP), visual acuity, complications, and interventions. Success was stratified according to IOP, use of hypotensive medications, bleb needling, and resuturing/revision for hypotony. Reoperation for glaucoma and loss of perception of light were classified as failures. Results: Antifibrotics were used in 400 cases (93%): mitomycin C (MMC) in 271 (63%), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in 129 (30%), and no antifibrotic in 28 (7%). At 2 years, IOP (mean ± standard deviation) was 12.4±4 mmHg, and 342 patients (80%) achieved an IOP ≤21 mmHg and 20% reduction of preoperative IOP without IOP-lowering medication, whereas 374 patients (87%) achieved an IOP ≤21 mmHg and 20% reduction of preoperative IOP overall. An IOP ≤18 mmHg and 20% reduction of preoperative IOP were achieved by 337 trabeculectomies (78%) without IOP-lowering treatment and by 367 trabeculectomies (86%) including hypotensive medication. Postoperative treatments included suture manipulation in 184 patients (43%), resuturing or revision for hypotony in 30 patients (7%), bleb needling in 71 patients (17%), and cataract extraction in 111 of 363 patients (31%). Subconjunctival 5-FU injection was performed postoperatively in 119 patients (28%). Visual loss of >2 Snellen lines occurred in 24 of 428 patients (5.6%). A total of 31 of the 428 patients (7.2%) had late-onset hypotony (IOP <6 mmHg after 6 months). In 3 of these, visual acuity decreased by >2 Snellen lines. Bleb leaks were observed in 59 cases (14%), 56 (95%) of which occurred within 3 months. Two patients developed blebitis. Bleb-related endophthalmitis developed in 1 patient within 1 month postoperatively and in 1 patient at 3 years. There was an endophthalmitis associated with subsequent cataract surgery. Conclusions: This survey shows that good trabeculectomy outcomes with low rates of surgical complications can be achieved, but intensive proactive postoperative care is required. Financial Disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To investigate the intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering mechanisms of deep sclerectomy (DS) with anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Methods In a prospective cross-sectional study, AS-OCT parameters were compared between DS, trabeculectomy and control cases. Association with IOP and success (IOP⩽16 mm Hg without medication) was investigated. Results 18 DS (15 patients), 17 trabeculectomy (16 patients) and 15 controls (15 patients) were examined. Successful had a taller intrascleral lake (IL) and thicker conjunctival/Tenon's layer (CTL) than non-successful cases (513.3 vs 361.1 μm, p=0.027 and 586.7 vs 251.1 μm, p<0.001, respectively). CTL thickness correlated with IOP (r=-0.6407, p=0.004). CTL thickness was significantly different between controls, DS and trabeculectomy (mean (SD): 203.3 (62.6) vs 418.9 (261.9) vs 604.1 (220.7) μm, p<0.0001). Successful trabeculectomy cases had a taller bleb cavity (BC) than non-successful cases (607.5 vs 176.7 μm, p=0.041). CTL microcysts were detected in 50% of DS and 52.9% of trabeculectomy cases ( p=1). Conclusions Trans-conjunctival aqueous percolation was identified as a novel DS drainage route. DS had a fluid reservoir below the scleral flap, the IL, in analogy to the trabeculectomy BC. A postoperative tall IL and a thick CTL were associated with good outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses research into the genetic aspects of age-related macular degeneration. The genetic screening of British patients with age-related macular degeneration for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) that indicate possible genotypic contributors to the disease is described. The SNP of rs2511989 in intron six of the SERPING1 gene is presented as variation associated with age-related macular degeneration. the location of SNPs correlated with age-related macular degeneration on SERPING1 is considered. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction testing of mRNA from SERPING1 is used to indicate its association with retinal proteins.

Abstract: The ability of ultraviolet (UV) light to inactivate viruses is well established. However, attempts to apply this to the manufacture of pharmaceutical proteins have been limited by incomplete treatment, low capacity or excessive dilution. Effective processing of large-scale batches of UV-opaque protein solutions has been achieved using a continuous-flow device. The operation of this device has been modelled and a design equation derived to relate the processing conditions and product characteristics to the degree of virus inactivation obtained. Variables included in the model are UV-absorbance at 254nm (A 254), hydrodynamic properties of the protein solution, residence time, intensity of UV light and diameter and length of irradiation tube. With this information a specific constant was calculated for each virus which denotes its relative sensitivity to UV and from which the degree of virus inactivation expected can be estimated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]