Highlighting strengths in response to discrimination: Developing and testing an allyship positive psychology intervention

Allyship is gaining popularity as a tool to combat discrimination. We developed and tested a novel allyship positive psychology intervention (PPI). Importantly, we examined observers’ perceptions of intervention effectiveness given that observers represent the majority in many settings. Study 1 (N = 787) tested an intervention that highlighted a female employee’s identity-related strengths following a discrimination episode. Compared to communicating an organization’s diversity policy or confronting the transgressor, highlighting the target’s identity-related strengths was rated higher in terms of inclusion and vitality engendered in the target. Mediation analyses indicated that highlighting strengths was perceived as boosting the target’s vitality by signaling the ally’s sincerity and prompting inclusion. In Study 2 (N = 802), amongst various types of identity-related strengths, highlighting the target’s psychological and intellectual capital was as effective as highlighting all types of identity-related strengths combined, due to perceived sincerity. Thus, this research offers a quick, actionable and non-confrontational allyship PPI.&nbsp

The aerobraking space transfer vehicle

With the advent of the Space Station and the proposed Geosynchronous Operation Support Center (GeoShack) in the early 21st century, the need for a cost effective, reusable orbital transport vehicle has arisen. This transport vehicle will be used in conjunction with the Space Shuttle, the Space Station, and GeoShack. The vehicle will transfer mission crew and payloads between low earth and geosynchronous orbits with minimal cost. Recent technological advances in thermal protection systems such as those employed in the Space Shuttle have made it possible to incorporate and aerobrake on the transfer vehicle to further reduce transport costs. The research and final design configuration of the aerospace senior design team from VPISU, working in conjunction with NASA, are presented. The topic of aerobraking and focuses on the evolution of an Aerobraking Space Transfer Vehicle (ASTV), is addressed

Women's interpretation of and responses to potential gynaecological cancer symptoms: a qualitative interview study

OBJECTIVE: To explore women's experiences of symptoms potentially indicative of gynaecological cancer in a community-based sample without imposing a cancer perspective. DESIGN: A qualitative interview study with thematic analysis of transcripts. PARTICIPANTS: 26 women aged ≥30 years, who had experienced a symptom that might indicate gynaecological cancer in the past 3 months, were recruited using a screening questionnaire distributed online and in community settings. SETTING: London, UK. RESULTS: Women attributed gynaecological symptoms to existing illnesses/conditions or considered themselves to be predisposed to them, either through their 'genes' or previous personal experience. Normalising symptoms by attributing them to demographic characteristics (e.g., age, sex) was common, as was considering them a side effect of hormonal contraception. When women raised cancer as a possible cause, they often dismissed it as unlikely. Responses to symptoms included self-management (e.g., self-medicating, making lifestyle changes), adopting a 'lay system of care', or consulting a healthcare professional. Triggers to help-seeking included persistent, painful or debilitating symptoms, concern about symptom seriousness, and feeling that help-seeking was legitimised. Barriers to help-seeking included lack of concern, vague symptoms, unusual symptom location, competing time demands, previous negative experiences with the healthcare system, and not wanting to be perceived as a time-waster. CONCLUSIONS: Attributions of symptoms potentially indicative of a gynaecological cancer were varied, but most often involved women fitting symptoms into their expectations of what was 'normal'. Normalising acted as a barrier to seeking help from a healthcare professional, alongside competing time demands and negative attitudes towards help-seeking. These barriers may lead to later diagnosis and poorer cancer survival. Our findings could be used to inform the development of interventions to encourage appropriate help-seeking

Trust in financial services: Retrospect and prospect

Fostering and maintaining high levels of trust in the financial services sector is seen as crucial because of the characteristics of many financial service and in order to promote consumer engagement in the sector. In this article, we report evidence from a body of work and other commentary to provide an insight into trends in consumer trust in the sector as a whole, in comparison with other organisations and how different types of financial services provider have performed relative to each other. We show that the financial services sector as a whole is trusted more than some comparator institutions, and that aggregate levels of trust in the sector have fluctuated a relatively small amount subsequent to the financial crisis. However, important differences between provider types are apparent and these differences have become more profound in the recent past. We provide suggestions as to how trust in the sector may be improved and provider an analysis of current initiatives to improve trust levels in the sector in general and in banking in particular

Antigenic relations between pathogenic Paecilomyces lilacinus and P. variotii and other hyalohyphomycotic agents

AbstractObjective: The antigenic relations between Paecilomyces variotii and Paecilomyces lilacinus were studied by comparison of their exoantigens.Methods: Forty-one isolates of hyalohyphomycosis-causing fungi including P. lilacinus (n = 15) and P. variotii (n = 12), one isolate each of Paecilomyces inflatus, Paecilomyces marquandii, and Paecilomyces carneus, Fusarium species (n = 3), Neosartorya pseudofischeri (n = 5), and Penicillium species (n = 3), were studied using the exo-antigen test. Ten-day-old extracts derived from Sabouraud's dextrose agar slants were concentrated (25x), and reacted against rabbit anti-P. lilacinus and anti-P. variotii sera in the presence of partially purified homologous antigens (20x) prepared from 5-week-old shaken cultures. Extracts of isolates of P. lilacinus and P. variotii produced one to three lines of identity against the reference homologous antisera. No cross-reactivity or bands of non-identity were observed with other Paecilomyces isolates, N. pseudofischeri, Fusarium species, and Penicillium species isolates.Conclusion: The results of this investigation indicate that P. lilacinus and P. variotii are antigenically distinct and that they can be identified rapidly and accurately by their exoantigens. Exoantigen extracts of morphologically similar fungi and other species of Paecilomyces isolates studied did not possess antigens common to P. lilacinus and P. variotii

Expression of a putative \u3ci\u3eflavonoid 3\u27-hydroxylase\u3c/i\u3e in sorghum mesocotyls synthesizing 3-deoxyanthocyanidin phytoalexins

In sorghum, ingress of Cochliobolus heterostrophus stimulates the synthesis of 3-deoxyanthocyanidins that act as phytoalexins. Apigeninidin and luteolinidin are two major phytoalexins induced in the first 24 h after infection. In an attempt to understand genetic regulation of the biosynthesis of sorghum phytoalexins, we isolated a differentially expressed partial cDNA. Characterization and comparison showed that this cDNA sequence corresponds to a putative flavonoid 3’-hydroxylase. Full length sequence characterization allowed us to establish that the sorghum putative f3’h cDNA encodes a peptide of 517 amino acids that has domains conserved among cytochrome P450 proteins functioning in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Heterologous expression of the putative f3’h cDNA in Escherichia coli yielded a membrane preparation that catalyzed the hydroxylation of naringenin. We show here that transcription of the flavonoid 3’-hydroxylase was coordinately regulated with that of chalcone synthase and dihydroflavonol reductase, and expression of these genes was induced within the first 24 h of fungal challenge. Synthesis of apigeninidin and luteolinidin followed the induced expression of the f3’h gene, implicating its role in fungal induced expression of sorghum phytolaexins