Carbon fiber masculinity: Disability and surfaces of homosociality

In this paper I am concerned with instances in which carbon fiber extends performances of masculinity that are attached to particular kinds of hegemonic male bodies. In examining carbon fiber as a prosthetic form of masculinity, I advance three main arguments. Firstly, carbon fiber can be a site of the supersession of disability that is affected through masculinized technology. Disability can be ‘overcome’ through carbon fiber. Disability is often culturally coded as feminine (Pedersen, 2001; Meeuf, 2009; Garland-Thompson 1997). Building on this cultural construction of disability as feminine, in and as a technology of masculine homosociality (Sedgwick, 1985), carbon fiber reproduced disability as feminine when carbon fiber prosthetic lower legs allowed Oscar Pistorius to compete in the non-disabled Olympic games. Secondly, I argue that carbon fiber can be a homosocial surface; that is, carbon fiber becomes both a surface extension of the self and a third party mediator in homosocial relationships, a surface that facilitates intimacy between men in ways that devalue femininity in both male and female bodies. I examine surfaces as material extensions of subjectivity, and carbon fiber surfaces as vectors of the cultural economies of masculine competition to which I refer. Thirdly, the case of Oscar Pistorius is exemplary of the masculinization of carbon fire, and the associated binding of a psychic attitude of misogyny and power to a form of violent and competitive masculine subjectivity. In this article I explore the affects, economies and surfaces of what I call ‘carbon fiber masculinity’ and discusses Pistorius’ use of carbon fiber, homosociality and misogyny as forms of protest masculinity through which he unconsciously attempted to recuperate his gendered identity from emasculating discourses of disability

The wheat stem rust resistance gene Sr43 encodes an unusual protein kinase

To safeguard bread wheat against pests and diseases, breeders have introduced over 200 resistance genes into its genome, thus nearly doubling the number of designated resistance genes in the wheat gene pool1. Isolating these genes facilitates their fast-tracking in breeding programs and incorporation into polygene stacks for more durable resistance. We cloned the stem rust resistance gene Sr43, which was crossed into bread wheat from the wild grass Thinopyrum elongatum 2,3. Sr43 encodes an active protein kinase fused to two domains of unknown function. The gene, which is unique to the Triticeae, appears to have arisen through a gene fusion event 6.7 to 11.6 million years ago. Transgenic expression of Sr43 in wheat conferred high levels of resistance to a wide range of isolates of the pathogen causing stem rust, highlighting the potential value of Sr43 in resistance breeding and engineering

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

La fertilisation en pépinière affecte la tolérance au froid et la qualité des plants bouturés d’Eucalyptus globulus Labill

International audienc

The effect of buyer pressure on suppliers in SMEs to demonstrate CSR: an added incentive or counter productive?

Those promoting the corporate social responsibility agenda to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are interested in the potential of supply chain drivers as an incentive. This paper presents results from an empirical study into the attitudes and behaviours of 103 UK SME owner/managers in response to buyer pressure to demonstrate CSR activities. Most said that the inclusion of social and environmental requirements as preconditions to supply would increase their motivation to engage in CSR (82% for environmental criteria and 55% for social criteria). However, a quarter would be put off tendering and 12% thought that such criteria would be counter productive

The effect of buyer pressure on suppliers to demonstrate CSR: an added incentive or counterproductive?

Those promoting the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda to SMEs are interested in the potential of supply chain drivers as an incentive. This paper presents results from an empirical study into the attitudes and behaviours of 103 UK SME owner/managers in response to buyer pressure to demonstrate CSR. Most said that the inclusion of social and environmental requirements as preconditions to supply would increase their motivation to engage in CSR (82% for environmental criteria and 55% for social criteria). However a quarter would be put off by tendering and 12% thought that such criteria would be counterproductive. <br/

Economics in Action: An Educational Experience For Youth

Economics in Action is a short-term, high impact program designed to acquaint youth with the realities of their economic environment. It combines concepts from the economists and the real-world of business and government leaders with the questioning minds of young people to achieve impressive educational results