Duvet Woman versus Action Man: The Gendered Aetiology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome According to English Newspapers

The media is a potent source of information and meanings where the unfamiliar and uncertain is concerned, this includes medical professionals. So portrayals of conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) are worthy of exploration in that they inform public and professional understandings. In the study reported here, we explore representations of CFS/ME within UK print media (1998-2015) using thematic analysis informed by a constructionist feminist perspective. We found that portrayals of CFS/ME differs meaningfully, depending on whether the sufferer is identified as a man or a woman. More specifically, the psychological and emotional tended to be foregrounded where women were concerned and the scepticism surrounding CFS/ME as a ‘non disease’ was much more evident. On some occasions this was dealt with directly, whilst on others it was ‘leaked in’ or hinted at. This serves to delegitimise the illness in women. In contrast, the physical was usually foregrounded in the case of men suffering from the condition and their experiences were accredited greater legitimacy. We problematize these representations and discuss the potential impact upon public and professional sympathy, treatment options and long-standing, gendered constructions of illness

Mental toughness and transitions to high school and to undergraduate study

Mental toughness can be conceptualised as a set of attributes that allow people to deal effectively with challenges, stressors and pressure. Recent work has suggested that it may be a valuable construct to consider within educational settings. The current studies explored the associations between mental toughness and educational transitions. Study 1 examined the relationships between mental toughness and concerns about moving to a new school in 105 children aged 12–13 years of age. The results revealed significant relationships between several aspects of mental toughness, but particularly confidence in abilities, and children’s concerns. Study 2 examined the relationships between mental toughness and adjustment to university in 200 undergraduate students at various stages of their course. The results revealed a role for several aspects of mental toughness; commitment, control of life, control of emotion, confidence in abilities and interpersonal confidence. The results are discussed in terms of implications for educational practice. It is suggested that measures of mental toughness could be used to identify individuals who may benefit from additional support during transition to a new school or to university, and that future research should explore the potential benefits of mental toughness training. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Significance of Cuscutain, a cysteine protease from Cuscuta reflexa, in host-parasite interactions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plant infestation with parasitic weeds like <it>Cuscuta reflexa </it>induces morphological as well as biochemical changes in the host and the parasite. These modifications could be caused by a change in protein or gene activity. Using a comparative macroarray approach <it>Cuscuta </it>genes specifically upregulated at the host attachment site were identified.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One of the infestation specific <it>Cuscuta </it>genes encodes a cysteine protease. The protein and its intrinsic inhibitory peptide were heterologously expressed, purified and biochemically characterized. The haustoria specific enzyme was named cuscutain in accordance with similar proteins from other plants, e.g. papaya. The role of cuscutain and its inhibitor during the host parasite interaction was studied by external application of an inhibitor suspension, which induced a significant reduction of successful infection events.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The study provides new information about molecular events during the parasitic plant - host interaction. Inhibition of cuscutain cysteine proteinase could provide means for antagonizing parasitic plants.</p

Belongingness in early secondary school: Key factors that primary and secondary schools need to consider

© 2015 Vaz et al. It is unknown if, and how, students redefine their sense of school belongingness after negotiating the transition to secondary school. The current study used longitudinal data from 266 students with, and without, disabilities who negotiated the transition from 52 primary schools to 152 secondary schools. The study presents the 13 most significant personal student and contextual factors associated with belongingness in the first year of secondary school. Student perception of school belongingness was found to be stable across the transition. No variability in school belongingness due to gender, disability or household-socio-economic status (SES) was noted. Primary school belongingness accounted for 22% of the variability in secondary school belongingness. Several personal student factors (competence, coping skills) and school factors (low-level classroom task-goal orientation), which influenced belongingness in primary school, continued to influence belongingness in secondary school. In secondary school, effort-goal orientation of the student and perception of their school's tolerance to disability were each associated with perception of school belongingness. Family factors did not influence belongingness in secondary school. Findings of the current study highlight the need for primary schools to foster belongingness among their students at an early age, and transfer students' belongingness profiles as part of the handover documentation. Most of the factors that influenced school belongingness before and after the transition to secondary are amenable to change

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Desarrolla el cumplimiento de los requisitos exigidos por la Autoridad Nacional (AUNA) para que junto a otros 9 capítulos justifiquen la modificación del núcleo debido al cambio del tipo de elementos combustibles de U3O8 por elementos combustibles del tipo U3Si2. Estas modificaciones cambian las condiciones del diseño original y afecta solo a algunos parámetros de seguridad alrededor del núcleo, sin embargo los informes denominados IAS (Informe de Análisis de Seguridad) que acompañan a todo diseño de un reactor nuclear deberán ser revaluados y actualizados como medida para incrementar la confiabilidad del uso de la instalación. Este trabajo concluye con resultados que cumplen tanto con los requerimientos de AUNA y con los requerimientos actuales del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica, la cual lo hace aceptable para los trámites de modificación del núcleo considerando el cambio de elementos combustibles de U3O8 a U3Si2

Transition to postgraduate study: postgraduate ecological systems and identity

This paper explores and examines the distal and proximal systems which construct social science postgraduate study in the UK and analyses the emergent identities of postgraduate students as they negotiate the multiple and interacting practices in their transition to study. The data represent part of a one-year research project, funded by the Higher Education Academy, in which staff and students from five UK universities participated. The paper takes a socio-cultural perspective and situates staff and students in the wider macro context of policy and practice surrounding postgraduate study as well as exploring the micro processes which construct the proximal experience of the transition. We argue that the silence surrounding postgraduate transition in the literature must be addressed in light of existing literature and the present research, both of which suggest that the systems which construct postgraduate study are complex and challenging to students, who do not always receive the support they require. We discuss the practices which implicitly assume expertise in postgraduate students in contrast to student self-identification as confused and struggling. Commonalities with other educational transitions are identified but we argue that there are distinct aspects to postgraduate transition which require greater breadth of research with both successful and unsuccessful postgraduate students

Transition to postgraduate study: Practice, participation and the widening participation agenda

This article explores transition to postgraduate (PG) study in terms of the widening participation (WP) agenda. The research is located within a Communities of Practice framework, allowing for explanations of transition in terms of learning, identity and participation in practices. A qualitative ethnographic methodology is employed, and analysis reveals two themes: the heterogeneity of PG students, and the nature of PG teaching and learning. It is argued that the imperatives that the WP agenda generates are as compatible with PG as with undergraduate study, and that this may have been overlooked previously owing to assumptions of the homogeneity of postgraduates. However, students' experiences of academic practices do not always reflect the dogma of how teaching and learning should occur at PG level, and this may prevent full participation in PG study by those who might otherwise be included