Fashioning identities : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology at Massey University

This research addresses the way in which individual and collective identities are constructed through fashions in the contemporary western world. The reciprocal and interdependent relationship of processually emergent identities, and fashion as a system of cultural representation, is initially established. The argument maintains that certain theoretical explanations of fashion have marginalised this component of the fashion process, and the aim of the thesis is to place the often contradictory junctures of fashions and identities in positions of central importance in the consideration of fashion dynamics. The argument critically reviews different feminist explanations of fashion, and the implications these have for feminist debates around gender and gender identity. The thesis further examines the sociological debates around modernism and postmodernism, and evaluates the contributions of this debate for both the study of fashion, and feminist understandings of identities. The research concludes that contemporary theoretical shifts in the investigation of fashions and identities are the fruition of a 'long revolution' in sociological theory and practice, which indicate important developments for the future resolution of critical problems in the theory of style and politics

Cognitive–linguistic deficit and speech intelligibility in chronic progressive multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disabling neurological disease with varied symptoms, including dysarthria and cognitive and linguistic impairments. Association between dysarthria and cognitive-linguistic deficit has not been explored in clinical MS studies. In MS patients with chronic progressive (CP) MS, the study aimed to investigate the presence and nature of cognitive-linguistic deficit, association between levels of cognitive-linguistic ability and speech intelligibility and of both of these with functional disability and time since onset (TSO) of MS symptoms. The Arizona Battery for Communication Disorders of Dementia (ABCD) (Bayles and Tomoeda 1993), The Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (AIDS) Sentence Intelligibility Task (Yorkston and Beukelman 1984) and the Modified Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index (MBADLI) (Shah1998) were administered to 24 CP MS participants with dysarthria. 24 non neurologically impaired participants, matched for gender, age and education, formed a control group. For MS participants, linear regression analysis showed a strong association between ABCD and AIDS (Beta = .89, p = 0.005), no association between ABCD and either MBADLI or TSO, a strong association between AIDS and MBADLI (Beta = 0.60, p = .001), and a trend towards association between AIDS and TSO (Beta = -.29, p = 0.08). Correlations between the four included ABCD construct scores and between these and the total ABCD score were significant (r >.60, p .80). The results revealed a strong association between dysarthria, as measured by connected speech intelligibility testing, and cognitive-linguistic deficit, in people with CP type MS. While some of the impairments which are associated with MS, including motor speech disorder, may influence performance on the ABCD, the data support the conclusion that marked cognitive-linguistic deficit is present in CP type MS patients with dysarthria. Deterioration was global, rather than being indicative of a construct specific deficit, and encompassed language, both expression and comprehension. Episodic memory and linguistic expression were especially affected. Speech and language therapists who work with dysarthric patients with CP MS should monitor cognitive-linguistic impairment. Awareness of this may influence assessment, intervention and management, including the information and advice given to patients and their relatives

Liberalisation and divestiture in the UK energy sector

Over the past 10 years, the government has privatised two energy industries — gas and electricity — and is presently selling British Coal. Vickers and Yarrow (1988) point out that the privatisation of utilities has two components, for the sale of assets to the private sector may be accompanied by changes in industrial structure. It is possible to sell assets without liberalisation, just as it would be possible to liberalise a market without asset transfers.2 The three energy industries were privatised with very different structures and competitive environments. This paper examines the structures chosen in the light of the benefits to government, private producers and consumers, focusing on whether restructuring and liberalisation should occur before or after privatisation. A similar choice exists after flotation between divestiture and restructuring of the industry itself and changing the external competitive or regulatory environment. Within energy, we show that the structure chosen for one industry affects the options available for another, because of the complex interactions within the sector.

Delivering Research-Based Professional Development to Adult Educators: Innovative Online Options

Research demonstrates that an effective means of improving learner outcomes is by supporting instructors with professional development (PD), preferably job-embedded. Yet in California, the challenges of providing professional development to adult literacy providers are myriad and include funding issues, lack of job security, lack of adequate teacher preparation, etc. In light of these and other challenges, this paper highlights several innovative techniques used to deliver research-based PD to adult educators online

The Rad24 checkpoint protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: A complex problem

Rad24 functions in the DNA damage-dependent checkpoint pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against Rad24 and other components of this pathway in order to investigate their biochemical functions. Studies demonstrated that Rad24, Mec3 or Rad17 did not interact with each other and did not appear to be modified after DNA damage treatment or during the cell cycle. Analysis of Rad24 in whole cell extracts demonstrated that its mass was considerably greater than its predicted molecular weight, suggesting that Rad24 is a component of a protein complex. A protocol was developed to purify the Rad24 complex to homogeneity. In addition to Rad24, the complex included polypeptides of 40kDa and 35kDa. The 40kDa species was found to contain Rfc2 and Rfc3 by mass spectrometry. Rfc2 and Rfc3 are subunits of Replication Factor C (RFC), a five subunit protein which is required for the loading of polymerases onto DNA during replication and repair. We hypothesised that other RFC subunits, all of which share sequence homologies with Rad24, might also be components of the Rad24 complex. Reciprocal co-immunoprecipitation studies were performed using extracts prepared from strains constructed containing epitope tagged RFC genes. These experiments showed that the small RFC proteins, Rfc2, Rfc3, Rfc4 and Rfc5 interact with Rad24, whereas the Rfc1 subunit does not. We suggest that this RFC-like Rad24 complex may function as a structure-specific sensor in the DNA damage checkpoint pathway. In order to address this hypothesis, conditional mutants of small Rfc subunits were tested for intact DNA damage responses outside of S phase. The biochemical activities of the Rad24 complex were investigated using a variety of techniques including gel mobility shift and ATP hydrolysis assays

Understanding power, politics, and organizational culture in order to effectively develop interdisciplinary partnerships

There has been a consistent shift in how health professions education is viewed and a move to bring the fields of graduate medical education, continuing medical education, and adult education together in order to create more robust learning environments. We propose a conceptual model that addresses organizational differences and power dynamics that acknowledges how power, politics, organizational culture, team dynamics and individual interactions influence the development and implementation of health professions programs

Quantified vegetation change over 42 years at Cape Hallett, East Antarctica

This paper reports on the remapping of a carefully documented vegetation plot at Cape Hallett (72°19′S 170°16′E) to provide an assessment of the rates of vegetation change over decadal time scales. E.D. Rudolph, in 1962, mapped in detail the vegetation of a site approximately 28 m by 120 m at Cape Hallett, Victoria Land, Antarctica. This site was relocated and remapped in January 2004 and changes were assessed using GIS techniques. This appears to be the longest available time period for assessing vegetation change in Antarctica. The analysis indicated that considerable change had occurred in moss and algae distribution patterns and this seems to have been caused by increased water supply, particularly in wetter areas. There was also evidence of some change in lichen distribution. The extent of the change indicates that vegetation cover can be used for monitoring change in areas as extreme as the Ross Sea region. For this analysis to be successful it was important that the mapping techniques used were totally explicit and could easily be replicated. Fortunately, Rudolph had defined his cover classes and the site was also clearly marked. The application of GIS mapping techniques allows the mapping to be more explicitly defined and easily replicated

There’s an App for That: Information Resources for Disaster Preparedness and Response

Background: Quick and easy access to disaster health information is needed during all four phases of the emergency management cycle: Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation.1 Health professionals and responders need to be fully aware of the best disaster health information resources and tools. Several organizations, including the National Library of Medicine (NLM), develop and provide authoritative, high-quality health information and tools for disaster preparation and response.2 Purpose: To develop and provide access to health information resources and technology for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Description: The Texas A&M University’s Medical Sciences Library and the College of Nursing developed a web page (http://tamu.libguides.com/redirect) that categorizes high-quality health information resources and disaster preparedness/response tools according to disaster response roles. Categories include: First Responders/EMS; Healthcare Providers; Public Health/Planner; and General Public. The page is formatted to fit screen sizes of various devices, including phones and tablets. Impact or Results: Disaster responders and preparedness teams can easily access a focused set of apps and other resources with multiple functions. For example, WISER advises on hazardous substances, including substance identification, containment and suppression advice, radiological tools, and medical treatment information. The public can download preparedness tools to their devices and develop their digital “go-kits”. Apps are mapped to their corresponding emergency management cycle phase(s). Health professionals, responders, policymakers, and the public can access the right information at the right time to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. References 1. Grand Traverse County Emergency Management. (2019). What is emergency management? Retrieved from https://www.grandtraverse.org/379/What-is-Emergency-Management 2. Love C, Arnesen S, Phillips S, Windom R. National Library of Medicine Disaster Information Management Research Center: Achieving the vision, 2010–2013. Inf Serv Use. 2014;34(1-2):149-170. doi:10.3233/isu-140731ReDiReCT: Integrating NLM Resources into Disaster Preparedness and Response Cross-Disciplinary Training, has been supported in part or in full by Federal funds through the National Library of Medicine of the National Institute of Health under award number UG4LM012345 with the University of North Texas Health Science Center. The content is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH