Banal nationalism and the imagining of politics

Banal nationalism and the imagining of politic

Medical and professional homoeopathy in the UK: a study of tensions in a heterodox healthcare profession

Homoeopathic practitioners in the United Kingdom can be divided into two groups,those with medical qualifications and those without, professional homoeopaths. This study examines these two groups to discover how they practise homoeopathy and why. Also examined are any tensions that may exist, both between the two groups and within the groups. Collecting qualitative and quantitative data using questionnaires and interviews, a randomly selected sample of homoeopaths was studied. All subjects were members of either the Faculty of Homoeopathy or the Society of Homoeopaths. The study starts by examining the development of homoeopathy over its almost 200 year history. Following this section data regarding the practice of homoeopathy and the opinions of homoeopaths on this practice are discussed. The homoeopath's opinions regarding their opposite numbers are also discussed, that is professional homoeopath's opinions of medically qualified homoeopaths and vice versa. The data highlighted a number of tensions that exist between medically qualified homoeopaths and professional homoeopaths. Medically qualified homoeopaths questioned the wisdom of allowing non-medically qualified people to practice homoeopathy and the professional homoeopaths questioned the validity of the homoeopathic methods used by medically qualified homoeopaths. Tensions within professional homoeopathy were also identified between pro and anti professionalisation and registration subgroups. Another tension identified was between those professional homoeopaths who claim to use the original, 'classical' formulation of homoeopathy and those using a more eclectic therapeutic regime with changes to the original method incorporated into their practices.Finally, the utility of the concept of heresy when describing both medically qualified homoeopaths and professional homoeopaths in the United Kingdom was addressed. Although the labelling of heretics is properly reserved for those members of the orthodoxy, not for researchers, a small number of homoeopaths were identified as holding potentially heretical ideas. On the whole the medically qualified homoeopaths and the majority of professional homoeopaths could not be regarded as heretics or dissenters in any way. In the light of the tensions that were identified, and the policies being promoted by the professional bodies, the conclusion examines the possible future of homoeopathy in the United Kingdom in the first years of the new millennium. A thoroughly modernist medicine in a possibly postmodern era

‘I don't think I can catch it’: women, confidence and responsibility in football coach education

Whilst women’s participation in sport continues to increase, their presence remains ideologically challenging given the significance of sport for the construction of gendered identities. As a hegmonically masculine institution, leadership roles across sport remain male-dominated and the entry of women into positions of authority (such as coaching) routinely contested. But in powerful male-typed sports, like football, women’s participation remains particularly challenging. Consequently, constructions of gender inequity in coaching were explored at a regional division of the English Football Association through unstructured interviews and coaching course observation. Using critical discourse analysis we identified the consistent re/production of women as unconfident in their own skills and abilities, and the framing of women themselves as responsible for the gendered inequities in football coaching. Women were thereby strategically positioned as deservedly on the periphery of the football category,whilst the organization was positioned as progressive and liberal

‘We’re not all dangerous and crazy’. Negotiating the voice hearing identity: A critical discursive approach

A critical discursive approach examined how the voice hearing identity is negotiated. Conflicting constructions identified voice hearing not only as distressing but also as a normal experience. The discursive strategies reveal that when individuals who hear voices construct their identity, they must either disavow their own distress to avoid stigma or accept the stigmatising accounts of their identity imposed on them if they are to have their distress recognised. The study points to the value and importance of discursive approaches in uncovering unspoken distress in individuals and society, and towards the need to address identity issues in clinical and social interventions

Sunglass Filter Transmission and Its Operational Effect in Solar Protection for Civilian Pilots.

INTRODUCTION: The ocular effects of excess solar radiation exposure are well documented. Recent evidence suggests that ocular ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure to professional pilots may fall outside international guideline limits unless eye protection is used. Nonprescription sunglasses should be manufactured to meet either international or national standards. The mean increase in UVR and blue light hazards at altitude has been quantified and the aim of this research was to assess the effectiveness of typical pilot sunglasses in reducing UVR and blue light hazard exposure in flight. METHOD: A series of sunglass filter transmittance measurements were taken from personal sunglasses (N = 20) used by pilots together with a series of new sunglasses (N = 18). RESULTS: All nonprescription sunglasses measured conformed to international standards for UVR transmittance and offered sufficient UVR protection for pilots. There was no difference between right and left lenses or between new and used sunglasses. All sunglasses offered sufficient attenuation to counter the mean increase in blue light exposure that pilots experience at altitude, although used sunglasses with scratched lenses were marginally less effective. One pair of prescription sunglasses offered insufficient UVR attenuation for some flights, but would have met requirements of international and national standards for UV-A transmittance. This was likely due to insufficient UVR blocking properties of the lens material. CONCLUSIONS: Lenses manufactured to minimally comply with standards for UVR transmittance could result in excess UVR exposure to a pilot based on in-flight irradiance data; an additional requirement of less than 10% transmittance at 380 nm is recommended

Reliability of resting-state EEG modulation by continuous and intermittent theta burst stimulation of the primary motor cortex:a sham-controlled study

Theta burst stimulation (TBS) is a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation designed to induce changes of cortical excitability that outlast the period of TBS application. In this study, we explored the effects of continuous TBS (cTBS) and intermittent TBS (iTBS) versus sham TBS stimulation, applied to the left primary motor cortex, on modulation of resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) power. We first conducted hypothesis-driven region-of-interest (ROI) analyses examining changes in alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (13-21 Hz) bands over the left and right motor cortex. Additionally, we performed data-driven whole-brain analyses across a wide range of frequencies (1-50 Hz) and all electrodes. Finally, we assessed the reliability of TBS effects across two sessions approximately 1 month apart. None of the protocols produced significant group-level effects in the ROI. Whole-brain analysis revealed that cTBS significantly enhanced relative power between 19 and 43 Hz over multiple sites in both hemispheres. However, these results were not reliable across visits. There were no significant differences between EEG modulation by active and sham TBS protocols. Between-visit reliability of TBS-induced neuromodulatory effects was generally low-to-moderate. We discuss confounding factors and potential approaches for improving the reliability of TBS-induced rsEEG modulation.</p

Magazine and reader constructions of 'metrosexuality' and masculinity: a membership categorisation analysis

Since the launch of men's lifestyle magazines in the 1980s, academic literature has predominantly focused on them as a cultural phenomenon arising from entrepreneurial and commercial initiatives and/or as cultural texts that proffer representations of masculinity such as 'new lad' and 'new dad'. This paper steps aside from the focus on culture and, instead, treats magazine content as a discursive space in which gender and sexuality are oriented to, negotiated, and accomplished within and beyond the magazine itself (i.e. through readers' responses). Specifically, membership categorisation analysis is deployed to explore how the relatively new (and perhaps alternative) category for men - 'metrosexual' - is presented and received. Our analysis suggests that masculinity concerns are central in debates about 'metrosexuality', with self-identified 'metrosexuals' invoking heterosexual prowess and self-respect on the one hand, and critics (e.g. selfidentified 'real men') lamenting 'metrosexuality' for its perceived effeminacy and lack of authenticity on the other. Implications for understanding contemporary masculinities are discussed

Final design of the SLAC P2 Marx klystron modulator

The SLAC P2 Marx has been under development for two years, and follows on the P1 Marx as an alternative to the baseline klystron modulator for the International Linear Collider. The P2 Marx utilizes a redundant architecture, air-insulation, a control system with abundant diagnostic access, and a novel nested droop correction scheme. This paper is an overview of the design of this modulator. There are several points of emphasis for the P2 Marx design. First, the modulator must be compatible with the ILC two-tunnel design. In this scheme, the modulator and klystron are located within a service tunnel with limited access and available footprint for a modulator. Access to the modulator is only practical from one side. Second, the modulator must have high availability. Robust components are not sufficient alone to achieve availability much higher than 99%. Therefore, redundant architectures are necessary. Third, the modulator must be relatively low cost. Because of the large number of stations in the ILC, the investment needed for the modulator components is significant. High-volume construction techniques which take advantage of an economy of scale must be utilized. Fourth, the modulator must be simple and efficient to maintain. If a modulator does become inoperable, the MTTR must be small. Fifth, even though the present application for the modulator is for the ILC, future accelerators can also take advantage of this development effort. The hardware, software, and concepts developed in this project should be designed such that further development time necessary for other applications is minimal