‘We may be falling apart but we still keep going’: Retired servicemen’s experiences of their ageing bodies

Currently, there is scant research that investigates in-depth retired servicemen’s perceptions and experiences of ageing and being physically active, particularly in relation to retirement experiences. In this article, we employ a novel theoretical combination of figurational sociology and symbolic interactionism to explore a topical life history of 20 retired servicemen’s experiences in relation to physical activity (PA), the ageing body and constructions of identity in later life. Participants were aged 60+ and members of the Royal British Legion in a city in the English Midlands. Three semi-structured focus-group interviews and follow-up conversations were completed, together with informal observations. Key findings revealed that although participants recognised the need for regular PA, their perceptions routinely centred upon the ‘felt’ limitations of the ageing body, often in stark contrast to their former ‘disciplined’, active, military bodies. Corporeal challenges and limitations discouraged some from taking part in PA altogether. Despite their perceived bodily limitations, however, many ex-service personnel still endeavoured to stay physically active. Findings highlight the salience of the temporal aspects of older adults’ lived experiences of exercise and PA, for past experiences of PA and exercise were identified as strongly shaping current-day motivations, attitudes and behaviours

Protein translocation:what’s the problem?

We came together in Leeds to commemorate and celebrate the life and achievements of Prof. Stephen Baldwin. For many years we, together with Sheena Radford and Roman Tuma (colleagues also of the University of Leeds), have worked together on the problem of protein translocation through the essential and ubiquitous Sec system. Inspired and helped by Steve we may finally be making progress. My seminar described our latest hypothesis for the molecular mechanism of protein translocation, supported by results collected in Bristol and Leeds on the tractable bacterial secretion process–commonly known as the Sec system; work that will be published elsewhere. Below is a description of the alternative and contested models for protein translocation that we all have been contemplating for many years. This review will consider their pros and cons

An ethnographic study of career aspirations amongst students studying level 3 sports courses at a further education college in England

There is currently a dearth of research into how sports students’ career aspirations are formed during their post-compulsory education. This paper is based on an ethnographic study of sport students’ habitus and career aspirations. Two first-year cohorts on two different courses at a Further Education College in England were selected to participate in the in-depth study. The paper provides an analysis of the contrasting subcultures emergent within these groups, and how specific cultural practices affect students’ career aspirations vis-à-vis the current global recession and economic crisis. Utilising a Bourdieusian framework, the study is based upon formal and informal (auto)ethnographic observations and semi-structured group interviews, and aims to unearth the internalised, often latent cultural practices that impact upon these students’ diverse career aspirations in the field of further education in sport. The paper reveals how the two cohorts are situated within a complex field of relations; where struggles for legitimisation, kudos, academic accomplishment and numerous forms of lucrative capital are habituated. Despite the two courses being of equivalent academic level, the scholastic and career aspirations of the two groups appear to differ considerably. One cohort is eager to demonstrate aspirations of progression into Higher Education, whereas the other cohort appears content with achieving the lowest grades “required” to pursue full-time employment. The study will offer academics and practitioners valuable insights into both the career aspirations of these students, and also their attitudes towards their educational field and their contrasting work ethics

Integrating multiple representations: fighting asthma

This paper seeks to engage debates about integrating pluralisms regarding multiple forms/representations and how they might function smoothly if they are closely aligned. This paper offers, narrative poetry with an artistic impression aimed at seeing how these might interact with each other. Like poetry, visual images are unique and can evoke particular kinds of emotional and visceral responses. By offering narrative poetry together with an artistic representation it is not meant to de-value the importance of either, but it is aimed at seeing how these arts-based methods and creative analytical practices might unite as a narrative to offer knew ways of ‘knowing’ and ‘seeing

The occupational role of the lay health trainer in England: a review of practice

Health Trainers constitute an emergent occupational group in the Public Health system in England with the key purpose to reduce health inequalities by helping or ‘nudging’ people in local communities to adopt healthier lifestyles. Whilst primarily supplying health-related information and support regarding smoking cessation, diet, alcohol, physical activity and mental wellbeing issues, the role also requires awareness of, and sensitivity toward the specific needs of local communities. This literature review charts current research on the occupational context of the Health Trainer role since its implementation in the English Public Health system. It provides a critical examination of current literature whilst highlighting the theoretical basis of Health Trainers’ roles, the potential boundary-crossing nature of their work, along with professional development issues

Refined measurement of SecA-driven protein secretion reveals that translocation is indirectly coupled to ATP turnover

The universally conserved Sec system is the primary method cells utilize to transport proteins across membranes. Until recently, measuring the activity—a prerequisite for understanding how biological systems work—has been limited to discontinuous protein transport assays with poor time resolution or reported by large, nonnatural tags that perturb the process. The development of an assay based on a split superbright luciferase (NanoLuc) changed this. Here, we exploit this technology to unpick the steps that constitute posttranslational protein transport in bacteria. Under the conditions deployed, the transport of a model preprotein substrate (proSpy) occurs at 200 amino acids (aa) per minute, with SecA able to dissociate and rebind during transport. Prior to that, there is no evidence for a distinct, rate-limiting initiation event. Kinetic modeling suggests that SecA-driven transport activity is best described by a series of large (∼30 aa) steps, each coupled to hundreds of ATP hydrolysis events. The features we describe are consistent with a nondeterministic motor mechanism, such as a Brownian ratchet

Feminist phenomenology and the woman in the running body

Modern phenomenology, with its roots in Husserlian philosophy, has been taken up and utilised in a myriad of ways within different disciplines, but until recently has remained relatively under-used within sports studies. A corpus of sociological-phenomenological work is now beginning to develop in this domain, alongside a longer standing literature in feminist phenomenology. These specific social-phenomenological forms explore the situatedness of lived-body experience within a particular social structure. After providing a brief overview of key strands of phenomenology, this article considers some of the ways in which sociological, and particularly feminist phenomenology, might be used to analyse female sporting embodiment. For illustrative purposes, data from an autophenomenographic project on female distance running are also included, in order briefly to demonstrate the application of phenomenology within sociology, as both theoretical framework and methodological approach

'Working out’ identity: distance runners and the management of disrupted identity

This article contributes fresh perspectives to the empirical literature on the sociology of the body, and of leisure and identity, by analysing the impact of long-term injury on the identities of two amateur but serious middle/long-distance runners. Employing a symbolic interactionist framework,and utilising data derived from a collaborative autoethnographic project, it explores the role of ‘identity work’ in providing continuity of identity during the liminality of long-term injury and rehabilitation, which poses a fundamental challenge to athletic identity. Specifically, the analysis applies Snow and Anderson’s (1995) and Perinbanayagam’s (2000) theoretical conceptualisations in order to examine the various forms of identity work undertaken by the injured participants, along the dimensions of materialistic, associative and vocabularic identifications. Such identity work was found to be crucial in sustaining a credible sporting identity in the face of disruption to the running self, and in generating momentum towards the goal of restitution to full running fitness and reengagement with a cherished form of leisure. KEYWORDS: identity work, symbolic interactionism, distance running, disrupted identit

Towards a molecular mechanism underlying mitochondrial protein import through the TOM and TIM23 complexes

Nearly all mitochondrial proteins need to be targeted for import from the cytosol. For the majority, the first port of call is the translocase of the outer membrane (TOM complex), followed by a procession of alternative molecular machines, conducting transport to their final destination. The pre-sequence translocase of the inner membrane (TIM23-complex) imports proteins with cleavable pre-sequences. Progress in understanding these transport mechanisms has been hampered by the poor sensitivity and time resolution of import assays. However, with the development of an assay based on split NanoLuc luciferase, we can now explore this process in greater detail. Here, we apply this new methodology to understand how ∆ψ and ATP hydrolysis, the two main driving forces for import into the matrix, contribute to the transport of pre-sequence-containing precursors (PCPs) with varying properties. Notably, we found that two major rate-limiting steps define PCP import time: passage of PCP across the outer membrane and initiation of inner membrane transport by the pre-sequence – the rates of which are influenced by PCP size and net charge. The apparent distinction between transport through the two membranes (passage through TOM is substantially complete before PCP-TIM engagement) is in contrast with the current view that import occurs through TOM and TIM in a single continuous step. Our results also indicate that PCPs spend very little time in the TIM23 channel – presumably rapid success or failure of import is critical for maintenance of mitochondrial fitness

Unlocking the bacterial SecY translocon

SummaryThe Sec translocon performs protein secretion and membrane protein insertion at the plasma membrane of bacteria and archaea (SecYEG/β), and the endoplasmic reticular membrane of eukaryotes (Sec61). Despite numerous structures of the complex, the mechanism underlying translocation of pre-proteins, driven by the ATPase SecA in bacteria, remains unresolved. Here we present a series of biochemical and computational analyses exploring the consequences of signal sequence binding to SecYEG. The data demonstrate that a signal sequence-induced movement of transmembrane helix 7 unlocks the translocon and that this conformational change is communicated to the cytoplasmic faces of SecY and SecE, involved in SecA binding. Our findings progress the current understanding of the dynamic action of the translocon during the translocation initiation process. The results suggest that the converging effects of the signal sequence and SecA at the cytoplasmic face of SecYEG are decisive for the intercalation and translocation of pre-protein through the SecY channel