Collecting Older Lesbians' and Gay Men's Stories of Rural Life in South West England and Wales: "We Were Obviously Gay Girls ... (So) He Removed His Cow From Our Field"

The emerging recollections, perceptions and storied biographies of older lesbians and gay men and their experiences in rural Britain are presented in the article, alongside consideration of the multiple qualitative methodologies used in a unique multi-method participatory action research project. The project aimed to empower older lesbians and gay men in rural areas through a collaborative design and meaningful participation in the research process itself. Methods included the core Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) (JONES, 2001, 2004; WENGRAF, 2001) with its interpretation of data by panels of citizens. In addition, visual ethnographic site visits, a focus group and two days of theatrical improvisation of interview data to explore action within the texts were used. The project embraced the principles of a performative social science (GERGEN & JONES, 2008; JONES, 2006, 2012a, 2012b) in its dissemination plan. Four of the collected stories are elaborated on here. These and other stories, reports and observations contributed to the creation of the main output of the project—a short professionally made film (Rufus Stone). The film is used to encourage community dialogue and inform service providers, opening up new possibilities of connectivity, communication and common ground at both macro and micro levels

Simultaneous quantification of actin monomer and filament dynamics with modelling assisted analysis of photoactivation

Photoactivation allows one to pulse-label molecules and obtain quantitative data about their behavior. We have devised a new modeling-based analysis for photoactivatable actin experiments that simultaneously measures properties of monomeric and filamentous actin in a three-dimensional cellular environment. We use this method to determine differences in the dynamic behavior of β- and γ-actin isoforms, showing that both inhabit filaments that depolymerize at equal rates but that β-actin exists in a higher monomer-to-filament ratio. We also demonstrate that cofilin (cofilin 1) equally accelerates depolymerization of filaments made from both isoforms, but is only required to maintain the β-actin monomer pool. Finally, we used modeling-based analysis to assess actin dynamics in axon-like projections of differentiating neuroblastoma cells, showing that the actin monomer concentration is significantly depleted as the axon develops. Importantly, these results would not have been obtained using traditional half-time analysis. Given that parameters of the publicly available modeling platform can be adjusted to suit the experimental system of the user, this method can easily be used to quantify actin dynamics in many different cell types and subcellular compartments

Land use change as a contributing factor to sedimentation rates in the Hazelmere Catchment, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.Hazelmere Dam situated on the Mdloti River in KwaZulu-Natal has, since its completion in 1977, lost 25 % of its original design capacity through sedimentation. This storage loss has brought about an environmental concern as well as a socio -economic threat to the region. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of land use change on the sedimentation rate in the catchment. This was undertaken to obtain a better understanding of the processes and leads towards an integrated catchment management strategy. Geographical information systems afforded the opportunity to determine land use change from a number of sequential land use maps and to run statistical analyses and overlays. It was determined that a large change in land use had taken place between subsistence cultivation/small-scale agriculture and subsistence grazing. The rainfall, soil and slope conditions cause the catchment to have a naturally high erosion potential. As a result of the interrelated nature of all these factors in the catchment the most effective manner in which to deal with the sedimentation problem is through a multidisciplinary approach such as is afforded by integrated catchment management strategies. In terms of controlling the sedimentation problem in the Hazelmere Dam recommendations concerning conservation practices necessary in minimising the impact of the land use practices and changes are made for inclusion in such a management approach

Toward Equations of Galactic Structure

We find that all classes of galaxies, ranging from disks to spheroids and from dwarf spheroidals to brightest cluster galaxies, lie on a two dimensional surface within the space defined by the logarithms of the half-light radius, r_e, mean surface brightness within r_e, I_e, and internal velocity, V^2 = (1/2)v_c^2 + sigma^2, where v_c is the rotational velocity and sigma is the velocity dispersion. If these quantities are expressed in terms of kpc, L_solar/pc^2, and km/s, then log r_e - log V^2 + log I_e + log Upsilon_e + 0.8 = 0, where we provide a fitting function for Upsilon_e, the mass-to-light ratio within r_e in units of M_solar/L_solar, that depends only on V and I_e. The scatter about this surface for our heterogeneous sample of 1925 galaxies is small (< 0.1 dex) and could be as low as ~ 0.05 dex, or 10%. This small scatter has three possible implications for how gross galactic structure is affected by internal factors, such as stellar orbital structure, and by external factors, such as environment. These factors either 1) play no role beyond generating some of the observed scatter, 2) move galaxies along the surface, or 3) balance each other to maintain this surface as the locus of galactic structure equilibria. We cast the behavior of Upsilon_e in terms of the fraction of baryons converted to stars, eta, and the concentration of those stars within the dark matter halo, xi = R_{200}/r_e. We derive eta = 1.9 x 10^{-5} (L/L^*) Upsilon_* V^{-3} and xi = 1.4 V/r_e. Finally, we present and discuss the distributions of eta and xi for the full range of galaxies. For systems with internal velocities comparable to that of the Milky Way (149 < V < 163 km/s), eta = 0.14 +- 0.05, and xi is, on average, ~ 5 times greater for spheroids than for disks. (Abridged)Comment: submitted to Ap

A Rare Pathology, Vulval Leiomyoma: Case Report and Literature Review

This is a case of a vulval leiomyoma in a 50-year-old parous patient. There are fewer than a hundred and twenty cases of vulval smooth muscle tumour reported in literature. This case offers more evidence for this rarely reported condition, and as a learning point to avoid misdiagnosis

The Medical Library Association Data Services Competency: A Framework for Data Science and Open Science Skills Development

Increasingly, users of health and biomedical libraries need assistance with challenges they face in working with their own and others' data. Librarians have a unique opportunity to provide valuable support and assistance in data science and open science but may need to add to their expertise and skill set to have the most impact. This article describes the rationale for and development of the Medical Library Association Data Services Competency, which outlines a set of five key skills for data services and provides a course of study for gaining these skills

The Iowa Homemaker vol.21, no.1

Fabric Personality, Editor, page 1 The Fate of Textiles, Ann Koebel, page 2 In a War Torn World, Betty Ann Brady, page 3 Sizes Turn to Tapelines, Gertrude Dieken, page 4 Wardrobe with a Plan, page 5 Sally Finds Fashion, Ida Halpin, page 6 Flower Etiquette, Doris Plagge, page 7 Enriched Flour, Clara Gebhard Snyder, page 8 Textiles and Clothing Department, Margaret Read, page 9 What’s New in Home Economics, page 10 Behind Bright Jackets, Marjorie Thomas, page 14 The Homemaker Celebrates, Mrs. Fred E. Ferguson, page 15 Home Economics and Kitty Foyle, Allan Beegle, page 16 Journalistic Spindles, Patricia Craven, page 17 Alums in the News, Bette Simpson, page 1