Perceptions Of School By Two Teenage Boys With Asperger Syndrome And Their Mothers: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study aimed to develop an understanding of the challenges faced by teenage boys with Asperger syndrome and their mothers. A case study approach was used to collect data from two 13-year-old boys who have Asperger syndrome and their mothers in Queensland, Australia. Data were collected through the use of semi¬structured interviews. The words of the boys and their mothers provide a valuable insight into the personal experiences and feelings of the par¬ticipants. An inductive approach to data analysis identified four themes: (1) developmental differences; (2) problems associated with the general characteristics of Asperger syndrome (i.e. communication and social difficulties, restricted range of interests, a need for routine); (3) stress; and (4) 'masquerading'. The first three themes relate strongly to the current literature, but the emergence of masquerading is of particular interest in developing a fuller understanding of the experiences of individuals with Asperger syndrome at school

The organisational and human resource challenges facing primary care trusts : protocol of a multiple case study

BACKGROUND: The study is designed to assess the organisational and human resource challenges faced by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). Its objectives are to: specify the organisational and human resources challenges faced by PCTs in fulfilling the roles envisaged in government and local policy; examine how PCTs are addressing these challenges, in particular, to describe the organisational forms they have adopted, and the OD/HR strategies and initiatives they have planned or in place; assess how effective these structures, strategies and initiatives have been in enabling the PCTs to meet the organisational and human resources challenges they face; identify the factors, both internal to the PCT and in the wider health community, which have contributed to the success or failure of different structures, strategies and initiatives. METHODS: The study will be undertaken in three stages. In Stage 1 the key literature on public sector and NHS organisational development and human resources management will be reviewed, and discussions will be held with key researchers and policy makers working in this area. Stage 2 will focus on detailed case studies in six PCTs designed to examine the organisational and human resources challenges they face. Data will be collected using semi-structured interviews, group discussion, site visits, observation of key meetings and examination of local documentation. The findings from the case study PCTs will be cross checked with a Reference Group of up to 20 other PCG/Ts, and key officers working in organisational development or primary care at local, regional and national level. In Stage 3 analysis of findings from the preparatory work, the case studies and the feedback from the Reference Group will be used to identify practical lessons for PCTs, key messages for policy makers, and contributions to further theoretical development

Nanoimaging with a compact extreme-ultraviolet laser

Includes bibliographical references (page 2097).Images with a spatial resolution of 120-150 nm were obtained with 46.9 nm light from a compact capillary-discharge laser by use of the combination of a Sc-Si multilayer-coated Schwarzschild condenser and a freestanding imaging zone plate. The results are relevant to the development of compact extreme-ultraviolet laser-based imaging tools for nanoscience and nanotechnology

Therapists’ and non-therapists’ constructions of heterosex: A qualitative story completion study

© 2018 The British Psychological Society Objectives: Little research has examined the discourses that shape therapists’ sense-making around heterosex. This paper explores the discourses of sexuality and gender underpinning therapists’ and non-therapists’ responses to a sexual experimentation scenario in a heterosexual relationship. It also considers the value of the novel technique of story completion (SC), in which participants are asked to write a story in response to a hypothetical scenario, for qualitative psychology and psychotherapy research. Design: This research used a comparative SC design (Kitzinger & Powell,). Participants were sequentially presented with and invited to complete two story stems: one in which a male character suggested ‘trying something new’ to his female partner and one in which the female character made the suggestion. The stems were otherwise identical. Methods: A total of 100 SCs were written by 49 (28 female; 21 male) therapists and 51 (29 female; 22 male) non-therapists. Participants were recruited mainly via UK-based email lists and Facebook groups, and therapeutic training organizations, and the data were analysed using a feminist post-structuralist thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke,). Results: Both groups of participants drew on heteronormative discourses of sexuality and gender to make sense of the stem. Engaging in sexual experimentation was often depicted as a demonstration of being normal. In some stories written by women, sex was framed as a site for negotiating ‘equality’ and reciprocity in relationships. Therapists were more likely than non-therapists to frame ‘difficulties’ within relationships as opportunities for personal growth and increased emotional depth, and their stories included greater emotional complexity. Conclusion: These findings raise questions about practitioner training and whether it results in therapists drawing on narrow and restrictive discourses of heterosex in clinical practice. Practitioner points: Training on sexual issues is largely absent from non-specialist practitioner training courses, which potentially means therapists are ill-equipped to respond to clients’ anxiety about sexual issues. Evidence from this and other research indicates that therapists’ sense-making around heterosexual sexual relationships is underpinned by narrow and restrictive discourses that entrench traditional gender relations and limit sexual agency. Psychologists are increasingly taking up positions of clinical leadership and are looked to for models of best practice. Drawing on theorizations of sexual difficulties, and of anxieties about sexual practice, that challenge traditional gender and heteronorms, and the commodification and medicalization of sex, is important for effective psychological leadership relating to the treatment of sexual issues and the furthering of social justice agendas

Strong-field control of x-ray absorption

Strong optical laser fields modify the way x rays interact with matter. This allows us to use x rays to gain deeper insight into strong-field processes. Alternatively, optical lasers may be utilized to control the propagation of x rays through a medium. Gas-phase systems are particularly suitable for illustrating the basic principles underlying combined x-ray and laser interactions. Topics addressed include the impact of spin-orbit interaction on the alignment of atomic ions produced in a strong laser field, electromagnetically induced transparency in the x-ray regime, and laser-induced alignment of molecules.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, LaTe

Rebooting an Old Script by New Means: Teledildonics—The Technological Return to the ‘Coital Imperative’

Teledildonics, a form of digital-mediated sexual interaction, opens new possibilities for the understanding of sexual activity. At first glance, it disrupts conventional preconditions and assumptions about sexual interaction, by allowing the dimension of touch despite the physical distance between partners and, ultimately, promoting a sexual dimension definitely disconnected from the reproductive model of sexuality. However, by scrutinizing the design and functionality of the devices, as well as the discourses presented by three commercial companies—LovePalz, Lovense and Kiiroo—I suggest that this technology reinforces the ‘coital imperative’, by equating sexual interaction with penetration of the vagina by the penis. Although permitting other formulations, specifically for non-heterosexual couples, the penetrative act remains a presupposition. In spite of structurally disrupting the reproductive model of sex, teledildonics promotes its strongest corollary.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio