Shinty, nationalism and cultural identity, 1835 - 1939: a critical analysis

The significance of sport is now emerging as an important dimension of the broader scholarship that examines the social, cultural and political aspects of Scottish society. A prominent facet of this emerging body of literature has examined the multiple ways in which sport contributes to and is constitutive of Scottish nationalism and culture. This thesis builds upon previous studies of sport to examine the connections between shinty, nationalism and cultural identity. The rationale that underpins the thesis asserts that in order to understand more fully expressions of nationalism, it is necessary to examine the social and cultural forces that have contributed to different ideas about the nation in specific historical circumstances. At the heart of the thesis it is argued that the sport-nationalism-identity axis in Scotland has sought to assert different forms of autonomy. The concept of autonomy, articulated through civil society, provides an original conceptual framework for the critical analysis of shinty, nationalism and cultural identity between 1835 and 1939. The development of shinty during this period coincided with the emergence of a number of cultural and political movements that were par of a relatively autonomous Highland civil society, and which became the repository of a paricular strand of Celtic radicalism. A number of the leading proponents of Celtic radicalism were advocates of various aspects of Scottish nationalism that oscilated on the political landscape of Britain after 1886. Using a multi-methodological research approach, the thesis examines the extent to which the development of shinty intersected with key elements of Celtic radicalism and nationalism. It is concluded that shinty provided the terrain upon which paricular cultural identities could be ariculated, and was also a vehicle for paricular expressions of nationalism that reinforced different aspects of the autonomy of the Highlands within Scotland. This original and unique synthesis provided in this thesis makes a small contrbution to our understanding of sport in Scottish culture

Women and sport

Women and girls participate in sport and physical recreation significantly less than men and boys. Irene A Reid examines why this is the case and argues that sport should be viewed as a gendered cultural practice

Korea’s first unified Olympic team is an uneasy truce of diplomacy and sexism

First paragraph: TheXXIII Olympic Winter Gamesin PyeongChang provides a fascinating opportunity to consider the complex relationship between sport and national identity, especially as North and South Korea will be fielding a joint women’s ice hockey team. The last-minute teamdecisionwas announced on January 17 as part of theOlympic Korean Peninsula Declaration, and generated considerabledebate, especially among younger South Koreans who view the move to be North Korea hitching a ride on the coat-tails of their own team

Shinty, Nationalism and National Autonomy in Scotland, 1887-1928

Studies of the relationships between sport and nationalism have often overlooked how different sports may depict alternative expressions of nationalism. This paper examines how social, cultural and political ideas associated with nationalism and national autonomy in Scotland touched the sport of shinty between 1887 and 1928. During this period, the transformation of shinty from a traditional folk game to a modern sport was consolidated within Scottish Highland society. The paper probes some of the ways that shinty was contoured by, and connected to wider social, cultural and political circumstances of the period. Three strands are considered in the analysis: (i) the place of shinty as a conduit for aspirations of national autonomy, (ii) the different expressions of nationalism in Scotland that oscillated on the landscape of culture and politics and (iii) the connections between shinty and Gaelic sports in Ireland, and the relationship with expressions of nationalism. The analysis is developed using the concepts of national autonomy and civil society. These conceptual components help to probe how shinty symbolised alternative aspirations and expressions of nationalism between 1887 and 1928

Improving statistical skills through students’ participation in the development of resources

This paper summarizes the evaluation of a project that involved undergraduate mathematics students in the development of teaching and learning resources for statistics modules taught in various departments of a university. This evaluation regards students’ participation in the project and its impact on their learning of statistics, as characterized in terms of statistical reasoning, statistical thinking, and skills for statistical consultancy. The participation of students is evaluated from the viewpoint of communities of practice. The evaluation resulted in a characterization of the benefits of such a project and suggestions for implementations of future projects, and in addition brought to light new theoretical elements both as regards the learning of statistics and as regards communities of practice. In particular, the analysis highlighted contributions of the students involved to resource development practice in the community of university statistics teachers, as well as contributions to students’ learning as a result of participation in this community

A Novel Strategy for Determining Protective Antigens of the Parapoxvirus, Orf Virus

AbstractWe investigated the feasibility of using vaccinia virus (VAC) recombinants containing large multigene fragments of orf virus DNA to identify protective antigens of orf virus (OV). Sixteen OV strain NZ2 DNA fragments with an average size of 11.4 kb were recombined into VAC strain Lister. Each fragment was mapped relative to OV restriction endonuclease maps but was otherwise uncharacterized. Together the recombinants represent 95% of the OV genome in an overlapping manner. Immunofluorescence showed all 16 constructs expressed products recognized by OV antiserum and radioimmune precipitation with the same antiserum allowed the localization of the major antigens of OV to specific recombinants. These data indicated the approximate genomic locations of the genes encoding the OV major antigens and showed that their expression was authentic rather than resulting from read through from VAC sequences adjacent to the site of recombination. Vaccination of OV-naive sheep with the recombinant library provided protection against a subsequent challenge with virulent OV. These data confirm the feasibility of the proposed strategy

Inhibition of beta-Catenin/CREB Binding Protein Signaling Attenuates House Dust Mite-Induced Goblet Cell Metaplasia in Mice

Excessive mucus production is a major feature of allergic asthma. Disruption of epithelial junctions by allergens such as house dust mite (HDM) results in the activation of β-catenin signaling, which has been reported to stimulate goblet cell differentiation. β-catenin interacts with various co-activators including CREB binding protein (CBP) and p300, thereby regulating the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, respectively. We specifically investigated the role of the β-catenin/CBP signaling pathway in goblet cell metaplasia in a HDM-induced allergic airway disease model in mice using ICG-001, a small molecule inhibitor that blocks the binding of CBP to β-catenin. Female 6- 8-week-old BALB/c mice were sensitized to HDM/saline on days 0, 1, and 2, followed by intranasal challenge with HDM/saline with or without subcutaneous ICG-001/vehicle treatment from days 14 to 17, and samples harvested 24 h after the last challenge/treatment. Differential inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were enumerated. Alcian blue (AB)/Periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) staining was used to identify goblet cells/mucus production, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) was assessed using invasive plethysmography. Exposure to HDM induced airway inflammation, goblet cell metaplasia and increased AHR, with increased airway resistance in response to the non-specific spasmogen methacholine. Inhibition of the β-catenin/CBP pathway using treatment with ICG-001 significantly attenuated the HDM-induced goblet cell metaplasia and infiltration of macrophages, but had no effect on eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes or AHR. Increased β-catenin/CBP signaling may promote HDM-induced goblet cell metaplasia in mice

'An outsider in our midst': narratives of Neil Lennon, soccer and ethno-religious igotry in the Scottish press

This essay offers a critique of media narratives concerning soccer and those of 'difference' in contemporary Scotland, in particular those who have Irishness as their different identity. It examines certain newspaper narratives concerning Neil Lennon of Celtic FC during autumn 2005. During this period Lennon was characterized as a soccer villain. The commentaries drew on existing perceptions concerning his personality and style of play. More importantly Lennon's national identity (Irish) and his religious background (Catholic) were integrated into the narratives, marking him as an outsider in Scotland. These narratives resonate with public and private discourses of 'otherness' concerning the Irish Catholic diaspora community in Scotland. These broader discourses are manifest as ethno-religious prejudices directed against this community. The discourses of 'outsider' and 'otherness' that surround Lennon, Celtic FC and the Irish Catholic community expose the myth of Scotland's collective self-image as an egalitarian and inclusive society

Molecular basis for increased susceptibility of Indigenous North Americans to seropositive rheumatoid arthritis

Objective The pathogenetic mechanisms by which HLA-DRB1 alleles are associated with anticitrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA)-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are incompletely understood. RA high-risk HLA-DRB1 alleles are known to share a common motif, the ‘shared susceptibility epitope (SE)’. Here, the electropositive P4 pocket of HLA-DRB1 accommodates self-peptide residues containing citrulline but not arginine. HLA-DRB1 His/Phe13β stratifies with ACPA-positive RA, while His13βSer polymorphisms stratify with ACPA-negative RA and RA protection. Indigenous North American (INA) populations have high risk of early-onset ACPA-positive RA, whereby HLA-DRB1*04:04 and HLA-DRB1*14:02 are implicated as risk factors for RA in INA. However, HLA-DRB1*14:02 has a His13βSer polymorphism. Therefore, we aimed to verify this association and determine its molecular mechanism. Methods HLA genotype was compared in 344 INA patients with RA and 352 controls. Structures of HLA-DRB1*1402-class II loaded with vimentin-64Arg59-71, vimentin-64Cit59-71 and fibrinogen β−74Cit69-81 were solved using X-ray crystallography. Vimentin-64Cit59-71-specific and vimentin59-71-specific CD4+ T cells were characterised by flow cytometry using peptide-histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (pHLA) tetramers. After sorting of antigen-specific T cells, TCRα and β-chains were analysed using multiplex, nested PCR and sequencing. Results ACPA+ RA in INA was independently associated with HLA-DRB1*14:02. Consequent to the His13βSer polymorphism and altered P4 pocket of HLA-DRB1*14:02, both citrulline and arginine were accommodated in opposite orientations. Oligoclonal autoreactive CD4+ effector T cells reactive with both citrulline and arginine forms of vimentin59-71 were observed in patients with HLA-DRB1*14:02+ RA and at-risk ACPA- first-degree relatives. HLA-DRB1*14:02-vimentin59-71-specific and HLA-DRB1*14:02-vimentin-64Cit59-71-specific CD4+ memory T cells were phenotypically distinct populations. Conclusion HLA-DRB1*14:02 broadens the capacity for citrullinated and native self-peptide presentation and T cell expansion, increasing risk of ACPA+ RA