Sport Separation, Past Experiences and Pre Event Expectations; Conversations with the Para-Equestrian Dressage Riders.

Introduction: The multi-sport structure of the Paralympic Games is one of the main elements that differentiate the Paralympics from other major sporting competitions for Para-Equestrian Dressage athletes. Para-Equestrian Dressage made its Paralympic debut in Atlanta in 1996 and as such is a relatively new Paralympic event (de Haan & Winfield, 2008). As equestrian sports require unique venues and facilities, they are often situated varying distances away of the athletics stadium which is often seen as the most iconic Paralympic image and a symbol of the heart of the Games. Beijing and London will be polar opposites in terms of the location of the equestrian events relative to other sports. In 2008 the equestrian team were based in Hong Kong approximately 1225 miles away from the Paralympic Stadium in Beijing, in 2012 the distance between the equestrian venue (Greenwich) and the Paralympic stadium (Stratford) is approximately 6 miles. It is unknown whether these different levels of physical separation affect an athlete’s sense of belonging and inclusion and ultimately their personal ‘Paralympic experience’. Aim: The am of this study was to explore if past experiences would influence future expectations of ‘Paralympic experience’ specifically in relation to the physical separation of equestrian sport at Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Participants: Five members of the British Para-Equestrian Dressage team were interviewed post selection but prior to going out to Hong Kong. One rider had experienced all previous Paralympic Games starting in Atlanta, one rider had experienced both Sydney and Athens, one rider had only experienced Athens and for two riders Beijing was to be their first Paralympic Games. Both male and female athletes were included, and the age of participants ranged from 21 – 44 years. Methods: Where applicable riders where asked about their previous Paralympic experience and all riders were asked about their expectations of what life would be like for them based in Hong Kong during the 2008 Paralympic Games. All participants voluntarily agreed to participate and the interviews took place at a training centre regularly used by the team. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and validated by the participants. Transcripts were then exposed to content analysis to indentify key themes (Gubrium & Holstein, 2001). Results: All riders regardless of previous Paralympic experience were focussed on the competition itself, the fact that the competition was taking place in Hong Kong rather than Beijing did not concern them. The three riders who had previous Paralympic experience did however discuss the ‘uniqueness of the Paralympic Games’, whilst one of the riders for whom Beijing was his first Paralympics, felt that the Games ‘would be like any other major Para-Equestrian Dressage Competition’ because they ‘would just be with other Para-Equestrian Dressage riders’. All riders expressed a sense of ‘missing out from the main Paralympic experience’ as a result of being in Hong Kong, they all said they were ‘looking forward to spending some time in Beijing and experiencing the closing ceremony’. Conclusion: Paralympics GB is a team made up of teams. A team’s success is measured by medals, but the Paralympic experience goes beyond competition results. Prior to competition the concept of sport separation did not distract the Para-Equestrian Dressage riders from their medal focus. They appeared to be able to separate ‘competition expectations’ from ‘Paralympic experience’. However, it was felt that the ‘Paralympic experience’ would be different in Hong Kong compared to Beijing with a sense of separation during the competition and an anticipated sense of inclusion when in Beijing for the closing ceremony. Faced with a situation of sport separation, it would appear that the opportunity to join the rest of the Paralympic GB team at some point during the Games is fundamental to the separated teams’ sense of inclusion and overall ‘Paralympic experience’

Psychic expression through image-making

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Bouncing back from stress:Unraveling longitudinal linkages between stress, child emotional and behavioral outcomes, and resilience

This dissertation focuses on the relation between stress exposure and children’s emotional and behavioral (mal)adjustment over time across developmental periods and subgroups. Additionally, it is examined what individual and family factors are protective in the relation between stress and children’s maladjustment, i.e., contribute to resilience to stress

Evaluating the experience of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the career histories of elite equestrian athletes.

Equestrian sport has been present on the Modern Olympic programme since 1900 with Para-Equestrian Dressage making its debut at the 1996 Paralympic Games. Due to the combined governance of Olympic and Paralympic versions of the sport, the mixed gender of competition and the potential age range of competitors, equestrian sport provides an opportunity through which to understand a unique context of athlete experience. This thesis has sought to identify and evaluate athlete experience within the context of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and to place this experience within the wider career histories of members of the British Equestrian Team. This study utilised a combination of a systematic literature review methodology and ethnographic data collection and analysis with a critical realist approach, creating a framework that values interpretive insights into how the subjects perceive and construct their world whilst at the same time considering ways in which the literature and individual subjects identify, comment on, and frame the reality of the world of equestrian sport. This study has resulted in the emergence of six themes pertaining to experiencing the games; equestrian sporting culture, identity, values, challenges, performance support and success. Results show many similarities and shared experiences for both the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian athletes. The differences regarding the lived experience for these athletes are predominantly associated with the development of the sport, the relative short Paralympic history of equestrian sport in comparison to the Olympic disciplines, and the place of the Games in the context of the riders career histories. Recognising and understanding the kinds of satisfactions and challenges that individuals experience, the significant features of their athlete identity, and the structural constraints and opportunities of their environment may help identify and design the services and provision required to support the athletes through this elite sporting experience

La santé mentale et l’exposition aux solvants organiques en milieu de travail

Grâce à leurs propriétés chimiques, les solvants organiques ont une affinité particulière avec le système nerveux, de sorte qu'ils peuvent interférer avec le fonctionnement d'un élément ou d'un ensemble d'éléments de ce système. Des études de cas et des études épidémiologiques ont démontré une association entre l'exposition à long terme à certains solvants et le risque de neuropathies, d'encéphalopathies et de troubles psychiatriques. Mais entre l'état de bien-être et la maladie, il existe un continuum de détérioration de la santé mentale. Le présent article vise à poser le problème de la détérioration du bien-être chez des personnes exposées à des agents neurotoxiques, à partir d'une étude menée auprès de 71 traavilleurs exposés professionnellement à l'éther éthylique ou l'éthanol dans une usine d'explosifs et de 74 travailleurs non exposés. Il s'agit d'une étude de nature exploratoire, portant sur la prévalence de symptômes qui pourraient résulter de l'expositon professionnelle à ces agents neurotoxiques. Les résultats montrent que les personnes exposées, comparées aux personnes non exposées, manifestent davantage de symptômes prénarcotiques durant le travail, tels que des sensations d'ivresse, des difficultés à articuler les mots... Ces personnes rapportent également une fréquence plus élevée de symptômes généraux reflétant l'instabilité de l'humeur, des problèmes de fatigue, de sommeil, de mémoire et de concentration. Le nombre rapporté de symptômes prénarcotiques et de symptômes généraux augmente avec le degré d'exposition. La discussion porte sur la signification de ces résultats pour la santé mentale des personnes impliquées.Organic solvents, due to their chemical properties have a particular affinity with the nervous system, giving them the power to interfere with the functioning of an element. Case histories and epidemiological studies have shown a relationship between a long term exposure to certain solvents and the danger of neuropathies, encephalopathies and psychiatric troubles. This article's aim is to expose the problem of the deterioration of the well being of persons exposed to neurotoxic agents. A study was made in an explosives factory with workers who were exposed to ethylic ether or ethanol and a control of 74 workers who were not exposed. This is an exploratory study which mostly looks into the prevalence of symptoms that could result from a professional contact with theses neurotoxic agents. The results show that the exposed workers, compared to those who were not exposed, are afflicted with more prenarcotic symptoms at work : such as feelings of drunkeness and difficulties in articulating words. The workers also show more frequently general symptoms such as changes of mood, problems of fatigue, sleep, memory and concentration. The reported numbers of prenarcotic symptoms increase with the degree of exposure. The significance of these results on the mental health of the persons involved is studied

“Mejoramiento de la educación médica en la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo”

La Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, después de un proceso de autoevaluación en 1994-95, realizó un cambio curricular muy importante en su carrera de medicina, que se inició en el ciclo lectivo 1997. Los principios que guiaron el nuevo diseño curricular fueron: Enfoque científico-antropológico-social, Integración, Significación, Flexibilización, Protagonismo en el aprendizaje y Evaluación continua. El curriculum incluye: Cursos Biomédicos intensivos, integrados por varias disciplinas y trabajado con la metodología de Aprendizaje Basado Sobre Problemas; Cursos Longitudinales de formación humanística; Rotaciones Clínicas intensivas y un año de Práctica Final Obligatoria en internación, atención ambulatoria y emergencias. La mayor parte del tiempo de clases se trabaja en grupos pequeños de alumnos y hasta en una relación docente/alumno = 1/1, sin haber aumentado la planta de personal docente. El Plan de Estudios incluye dos Pruebas Globales: una al finalizar el ciclo básico de tres años –sin aprobar la cual, el alumno no puede ingresar al ciclo clínico- y otra al finalizar el ciclo clínico, cuya aprobación es indispensable para obtener el diploma. El rendimiento de los alumnos en el nuevo curriculum es superior (diferencias altamente significativas) al que se observaba en el tradicional, dado que un muy alto porcentaje de alumnos comienza cada año de la carrera habiendo aprobado todas las asignaturas del año anterior. En marzo de 2003 han recibido su diploma de Médico los primeros 46 egresados del nuevo Plan de Estudios (37,40 % de los ingresantes en 1997). De los restantes, el 28,45 % rendirán la Prueba Global final el próximo octubre, cuando sumarán un 65,85 % los estudiantes graduados durante el año siguiente a la finalización teórica de la carrera. Estas cifras reducen el desgranamiento de la cohorte a un 34,15 % y mejoran por amplio margen las cifras de duración real de la carrera, desgranamiento y deserción, obtenidas durante la autoevaluación de 1994-95. Por otra parte, las Pruebas Globales son instancias integradoras, que evalúan las estructuras de conocimiento, trabajadas en redes, a través de la necesidad de recuperar la información y aplicarla a la solución de casos clínicos complejos. Además, la Prueba Global de Ciclo Clínico incluye una instancia oral estructurada con pacientes estandarizados, que evalúa las habilidades clínicas, actitudes y destrezas de los alumnos. De modo que estas pruebas son, además, garantía de calidad de los futuros médicos

Stress-induced nuclear accumulation is dispensable for Hog1-dependent gene expression and virulence in a fungal pathogen

The authors thank E. Veal for intellectual input. This work was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Research Council [J.Q. BB/K016393/1; A.J.P.B. BB/K017365/1], the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) [D.M.M. NC/N002482/1] and the Wellcome Trust Strategic Award in Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology [097377]). D.M.M. and A.J.P.B. are also supported by the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Aberdeen (MR/N006364/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD