The Fallible Phallus: A discourse analysis of male sexuality in a South African men’s interest magazine

This article presents a discourse analysis of the constructions of male sexuality in the South African publication Men’s Health. The focus of the analysis was a series of monthly featured articles on best sexual practices and behaviour. Since the magazine’s content appears to confront men with, on the one hand, the construction of the ideal, potent phallus, and, on the other hand, the fallibility inherent in attempting to live up to this ideal, the overarching discourse in the texts was termed the ‘Fallible Phallus’. By stipulating ideal sexual experiences and then juxtaposing these descriptions with the threat of those moments not occurring, a paradox is created in the texts between the phallic dominance of masculinity and the anxieties and insecurities that may result from sexual failure. The Fallible Phallus discourse is a synthesis of four subsidiary themes derived from the texts, namely the male sexual drive theme, the inadequacies of male sexuality, the rule book of sexual practices, and the problematic nature of female sexuality. In the discussion of these themes, it is suggested that the texts use male sexual performance as a yardstick for assessing level of masculinity

Selection Of Independent Binary Features Using Probabilities: An Example From Veterinary Medicine

Supervised classification into c mutually exclusive classes based on n binary features is considered. The only information available is an n×c table with probabilities. Knowing that the best d features are not the d best, simulations were run for 4 feature selection methods and an application to diagnosing BSE in cattle and Scrapie in sheep is presented

Role of Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists in the Treatment of Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction: A Review

Asthma is a very common disorder that still causes significant morbidity and mortality. A high percentage of individuals with asthma also experience exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). This article reviews the current literature and updates the reader on the safety, efficacy, and clinical applications of leukotriene modifiers in the treatment of EIB

Control and Cooptation in Mexican Politics

The authors identify a structure of widely-shared,interrelated goals, including political stability, economic growth, public welfare, and economic nationalism in contemporary Mexico. They relate those goals to the contemporary structure of Mexican governments. They also describe patterns of oligarchy, cooptation, dissent, and repression, and relate those patterns to the goal structure

Vitamin D intake and risk of CVD and all-cause mortality: evidence from the Caerphilly Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: Prospective data on the associations between vitamin D intake and risk of CVD and all-cause mortality are limited and inconclusive. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between vitamin D intake and CVD risk and all-cause mortality in the Caerphilly Prospective Cohort Study. DESIGN: The associations of vitamin D intake with CVD risk markers were examined cross-sectionally at baseline and longitudinally at 5-year, 10-year and >20-year follow-ups. In addition, the predictive value of vitamin D intake for CVD events and all-cause mortality after >20 years of follow-up was examined. Logistic regression and general linear regression were used for data analysis. SETTING: Participants in the UK. SUBJECTS: Men (n 452) who were free from CVD and type 2 diabetes at recruitment. RESULTS: Higher vitamin D intake was associated with increased HDL cholesterol (P=0·003) and pulse pressure (P=0·04) and decreased total cholesterol:HDL cholesterol (P=0·008) cross-sectionally at baseline, but the associations were lost during follow-up. Furthermore, higher vitamin D intake was associated with decreased concentration of plasma TAG at baseline (P=0·01) and at the 5-year (P=0·01), but not the 10-year examination. After >20 years of follow-up, vitamin D was not associated with stroke (n 72), myocardial infarctions (n 142), heart failure (n 43) or all-cause mortality (n 281), but was positively associated with increased diastolic blood pressure (P=0·03). CONCLUSIONS: The study supports associations of higher vitamin D intake with lower fasting plasma TAG and higher diastolic blood pressure

Ring-fused dimethoxybenzimidazole-benzimidazolequinone (DMBBQ): tunable halogenation and quinone formation using NaX/Oxone.

Ring-fused benzimidazolequinones are well-known anti-tumour agents, but dimeric ring-fused adducts are new. The alicyclic [1,2-a] ring-fused dimethoxybenzimidazole-benzimidazolequinone (DMBBQ) intermediate allows late-stage functionalization of bis-p-benzimidazolequinones. DMBBQs are chlorinated and brominated at the p-dimethoxybenzene site using nontoxic sodium halide and Oxone in HFIP/water. X-ray crystallography is used to rationalize site preference in terms of the discontinuity in conjugation in the DMBBQ system. Quinone formation occurs by increasing in situ halogen generation and water. Conversely, radical trifluoromethylation occurs at the quinone of the DMBBQ

Police Training and Education: missed opportunities; future possibilities

This chapter reflects upon the relationship between the higher education sector and police services in England and Wales over recent years and considers ways in which the emergence of the College of Policing presents new opportunities for furthering the academic status of the learning that occurs within police training contexts. The chapter draws upon the lessons gained from Canterbury Christ Church University’s (CCCU) direct experiences of working with the police over the past 17 years in designing, developing and delivering bespoke academic programmes for serving police officers, initial police recruits and prospective police officers. Our starting point is an assumption that higher education (HE) has a positive role to play in helping to develop police training and we concentrate our attention on trying to explain why there is resistance to establishing academic levels of attainment for the learning that takes place within police training and education contexts. We present a number of recommendations regarding ways in which the College of Policing can help overcome such resistance in its efforts to professionalise and modernise policing. Importantly, we recognise the need for a period of transition; there are arguments to be won within all levels of policing and especially with the large number of officers who are, in our view, too often excluded from debates about the role HE can play within policing. We refer to this group of officers as the ‘excluded middle’, as will be explained below. We have adopted a ten year approach, akin to the approach taken within the Patten Report (1999), to allow for a gradual, but meaningful change in the way the police services in England and Wales view knowledge and its role within contemporary policing