Gender segregation, underemployment and subjective well-being in the UK labour market

This article argues that gender segregation influences patterns of underemployment and the relationships that underemployment has with the subjective well-being of men and women. Previous studies have paid little attention to how gender segregation shapes underemployment, an increasingly prominent feature of the UK and European labour markets since the economic crisis of 2008. Using data from the UK Annual Population Surveys, this article examines time-related underemployment: people working part time because they cannot find a full-time job. The article asks whether there are gender differences in underemployment trends and in the links between underemployment and subjective well-being. The results suggest that the probability of underemployment is growing at a faster rate among women rather than men and that underemployment is most common in the jobs that women are more likely to perform, namely in femaledominated occupations, the public sector and small organizations. Underemployment is least common in male-dominated occupations and industries and in the private sector. Moreover, for employees with longer tenures, underemployment has more negative relationships with the subjective well-being of women than with that of men. These findings imply that gender segregation in labour markets is a crucial factor to consider when researching underemployment and its consequences

The Megafobia V-armchair thrill-seeking experience for older audiences - An artistic intervention at Age UK Barnet

This demonstration session presents the artistic and experimental explorations of using VR technology and a motion simulator to allow older people to experience the thrill of roller coasters

Jinn, psychiatry and contested notions of misfortune among East London Bangladeshis

This study examines understandings of misfortune among east London Bangladeshis, particularly with respect to the role of jinn spirits. It reports on the findings of ethnographic interviews among 40 members of this community. Appeal to jinn explanations is commonplace at times of psychological disturbance and unexplained physical symptoms. Resort to traditional healers is frequent. These explanations are contested by different groups in the community. The findings are examined within the context of a discourse on tradition and modernity with particular emphasis on Islam and modernity. Copyright 2008 SAGE Publications. All rights reserved. Not for commercial use or unauthorized distribution

How men step back – and recover – from suicide attempts: A relational and gendered account

Men account for three-quarters of suicide deaths in the UK, yet we know little about how at-risk men construct their experiences of moving towards - and then subsequently stepping back from - suicide, nor the part played by relational factors therein. An inductive thematic analysis was used to examine narrative interviews with eleven UK men who self-reported serious thoughts, plans and up-to and including suicide attempts in progress, but who consciously decided against carrying out an attempt. Their accounts suggest a highly social process of movements towards and away from suicide (e.g. frustrated help-seeking). Stepping back from suicide represents not a discrete issue, but a linked process in suicidality and wider recovery. Here, the use of military metaphors in particular (e.g. waging war, fighting back) highlights the gendered nature of the issue. Additionally, our article illuminates a range of social relations and forces that circulate in and around suicidality, which itself is embedded in varying forms of relationality, normativity and gendered practices. [Abstract copyright: © 2020 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

Recovery or stagnation?: Britain’s older industrial towns since the recession

Britain’s older industrial towns have long been known to face economic problems. However, in the aftermath of the recession triggered by the 2008 financial crisis, recorded unemployment in the towns has fallen to relatively low levels. This paper deploys labour market accounts to measure the contributions of changing levels of employment, population, national and international migration, commuting, and labour market participation to the pattern of change in the towns between 2010 to 2016. The paper also places older industrial towns in their regional context by comparing recent trends in the towns with those in the main regional cities, London, and the UK as a whole. The paper concludes that the reduction in recorded unemployment since 2010 paints an overly positive picture of labour market trends in Britain’s older industrial towns

Chronic exposure to glyphosate induces transcriptional changes in honey bee larva : A toxicogenomic study

The honey bee Apis mellifera is the most abundant managed pollinator in diverse crops worldwide. Consequently, it is exposed to a plethora of environmental stressors, among which are the agrochemicals. In agroecosystems, the herbicide glyphosate (GLY) is one of the most applied. In laboratory assessments, GLY affects the honey bee larval development by delaying its moulting, among other negative effects. However, it is still unknown how GLY affects larval physiology when there are no observable signs of toxicity. We carried out a longitudinal experimental design using the in vitro rearing procedure. Larvae were fed with food containing or not a sub-lethal dose of GLY in chronic exposure (120 h). Individuals without observable signs of toxicity were sampled and their gene expression profile was analyzed with a transcriptomic approach to compare between treatments. Even though 29% of larvae were asymptomatic in the exposed group, they showed transcriptional changes in several genes after the GLY chronic intake. A total of 19 transcripts were found to be differentially expressed in the RNA-Seq experiment, mainly linked with defensive response and intermediary metabolism processes. Furthermore, the enriched functional categories in the transcriptome of the exposed asymptomatic larvae were linked with enzymes with catalytic and redox activity. Our results suggest an enhanced catabolism and oxidative metabolism in honey bee larvae as a consequence of the sub-lethal exposure to GLY, even in the absence of observable symptoms.Centro Regional de Estudios Genómico

Genome of Rhodnius prolixus, an insect vector of Chagas disease, reveals unique adaptations to hematophagy and parasite infection

Rhodnius prolixus not only has served as a model organism for the study of insect physiology, but also is a major vector of Chagas disease, an illness that affects approximately seven million people worldwide. We sequenced the genome of R. prolixus, generated assembled sequences covering 95% of the genome (∼702 Mb), including 15,456 putative protein-coding genes, and completed comprehensive genomic analyses of this obligate blood-feeding insect. Although immunedeficiency (IMD)-mediated immune responses were observed, R. prolixus putatively lacks key components of the IMD pathway, suggesting a reorganization of the canonical immune signaling network. Although both Toll and IMD effectors controlled intestinal microbiota, neither affected Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease, implying the existence of evasion or tolerance mechanisms. R. prolixus has experienced an extensive loss of selenoprotein genes, with its repertoire reduced to only two proteins, one of which is a selenocysteine-based glutathione peroxidase, the first found in insects. The genome contained actively transcribed, horizontally transferred genes from Wolbachia sp., which showed evidence of codon use evolution toward the insect use pattern. Comparative protein analyses revealed many lineage-specific expansions and putative gene absences in R. prolixus, including tandem expansions of genes related to chemoreception, feeding, and digestion that possibly contributed to the evolution of a blood-feeding lifestyle. The genome assembly and these associated analyses provide critical information on the physiology and evolution of this important vector species and should be instrumental for the development of innovative disease control methods.La lista completa de autores que integran el documento puede consultarse en el archivoEste documento tiene una corrección (ver documento relacionado).Centro Regional de Estudios GenómicosInstituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plat

Parametrizing Brexit: Mapping Twitter Political Space to Parliamentary Constituencies

In this paper, a proof of concept study is performed to validate the use of social media signal to model the ideological coordinates underpinning the Brexit debate . We rely on geographically - en rich ed Twitter data and a purpose - built , deep learning algorithm to map the political value space of users tweeting the referendum onto Parliamentary Constituencies. We find a significant incidence of nationalist sentiments and economic views expressed on Twitter , which pers ist throughout the campaign and are only offset in the last days when a globalist upsurge brings the British Twittersphere closer to a divide between nationalis t and globalis t standpoints . Upon combining demographic variables with the classifier scores , we f i nd that the model explains 41% of the variance in the referendum vote, an indi cation that not only material inequality, but also ideological readjustments have contributed to the outcome of the referendum . We conclude with a discussion of conceptual and methodological challenges in signal - processing social media data as a source for the measurement of public opinion

New Ways of Being a Man: "Positive" Hegemonic Masculinity in Meditation-based Communities of Practice

Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity is often reduced to a singular construct, consisting of “toxic” traits viewed as detrimental to well-being. However, the concept allows for variation in hegemony, including the possibility of forms more conducive to well-being. Through in-depth interviews with thirty male meditators in the United Kingdom, we explored the social dimensions of meditation practice to examine its potential implications for well-being. Most participants became involved with “communities of practice” centered on meditation that promoted new local hegemonies, and these included ideals experienced as conducive to well-being, like abstinence. However, social processes associated with hegemony, like hierarchy and marginalization, were not overturned. Moreover, participants faced challenges enacting new practices in relation to the broader system of hegemonic masculinity—outside these communities—reporting censure. Our findings are cautionary for professionals seeking to encourage well-being behaviors: that is, there is potential for adaptation in men, yet complex social processes influence this change