Feminist Aims and A Trans-Inclusive Definition of Woman

Katharine Jenkins argues that Sally Haslanger’s focal analysis of gender problematically excludes non-passing trans women from the category “woman.” However, Jenkins does not explain why this exclusion contradicts the feminist aims of Haslanger’s account. In this paper, I advance two arguments that suggest that a trans-inclusive account of “woman” is crucial to the aims of feminism. I claim that the aims of feminism are to understand and combat women’s oppression. First, I argue that denial of trans identities reinforces cultural ideas that perpetuate both transphobic violence and sexual violence against women. Consequently, a feminist account of “woman” that fails to respect trans identities indirectly contributes to the oppression of women. Second, I prove that non-passing trans women are oppressed as women through the internalization of sexual objectification. I then conclude that an account of “woman” that excludes non-passing trans women cannot successfully advance a complete understanding of women’s oppression

Exploring UK medical school differences: the MedDifs study of selection, teaching, student and F1 perceptions, postgraduate outcomes and fitness to practise.

BACKGROUND: Medical schools differ, particularly in their teaching, but it is unclear whether such differences matter, although influential claims are often made. The Medical School Differences (MedDifs) study brings together a wide range of measures of UK medical schools, including postgraduate performance, fitness to practise issues, specialty choice, preparedness, satisfaction, teaching styles, entry criteria and institutional factors. METHOD: Aggregated data were collected for 50 measures across 29 UK medical schools. Data include institutional history (e.g. rate of production of hospital and GP specialists in the past), curricular influences (e.g. PBL schools, spend per student, staff-student ratio), selection measures (e.g. entry grades), teaching and assessment (e.g. traditional vs PBL, specialty teaching, self-regulated learning), student satisfaction, Foundation selection scores, Foundation satisfaction, postgraduate examination performance and fitness to practise (postgraduate progression, GMC sanctions). Six specialties (General Practice, Psychiatry, Anaesthetics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Internal Medicine, Surgery) were examined in more detail. RESULTS: Medical school differences are stable across time (median alpha = 0.835). The 50 measures were highly correlated, 395 (32.2%) of 1225 correlations being significant with p < 0.05, and 201 (16.4%) reached a Tukey-adjusted criterion of p < 0.0025. Problem-based learning (PBL) schools differ on many measures, including lower performance on postgraduate assessments. While these are in part explained by lower entry grades, a surprising finding is that schools such as PBL schools which reported greater student satisfaction with feedback also showed lower performance at postgraduate examinations. More medical school teaching of psychiatry, surgery and anaesthetics did not result in more specialist trainees. Schools that taught more general practice did have more graduates entering GP training, but those graduates performed less well in MRCGP examinations, the negative correlation resulting from numbers of GP trainees and exam outcomes being affected both by non-traditional teaching and by greater historical production of GPs. Postgraduate exam outcomes were also higher in schools with more self-regulated learning, but lower in larger medical schools. A path model for 29 measures found a complex causal nexus, most measures causing or being caused by other measures. Postgraduate exam performance was influenced by earlier attainment, at entry to Foundation and entry to medical school (the so-called academic backbone), and by self-regulated learning. Foundation measures of satisfaction, including preparedness, had no subsequent influence on outcomes. Fitness to practise issues were more frequent in schools producing more male graduates and more GPs. CONCLUSIONS: Medical schools differ in large numbers of ways that are causally interconnected. Differences between schools in postgraduate examination performance, training problems and GMC sanctions have important implications for the quality of patient care and patient safety

The Analysis of Teaching of Medical Schools (AToMS) survey: an analysis of 47,258 timetabled teaching events in 25 UK medical schools relating to timing, duration, teaching formats, teaching content, and problem-based learning.

BACKGROUND: What subjects UK medical schools teach, what ways they teach subjects, and how much they teach those subjects is unclear. Whether teaching differences matter is a separate, important question. This study provides a detailed picture of timetabled undergraduate teaching activity at 25 UK medical schools, particularly in relation to problem-based learning (PBL). METHOD: The Analysis of Teaching of Medical Schools (AToMS) survey used detailed timetables provided by 25 schools with standard 5-year courses. Timetabled teaching events were coded in terms of course year, duration, teaching format, and teaching content. Ten schools used PBL. Teaching times from timetables were validated against two other studies that had assessed GP teaching and lecture, seminar, and tutorial times. RESULTS: A total of 47,258 timetabled teaching events in the academic year 2014/2015 were analysed, including SSCs (student-selected components) and elective studies. A typical UK medical student receives 3960 timetabled hours of teaching during their 5-year course. There was a clear difference between the initial 2 years which mostly contained basic medical science content and the later 3 years which mostly consisted of clinical teaching, although some clinical teaching occurs in the first 2 years. Medical schools differed in duration, format, and content of teaching. Two main factors underlay most of the variation between schools, Traditional vs PBL teaching and Structured vs Unstructured teaching. A curriculum map comparing medical schools was constructed using those factors. PBL schools differed on a number of measures, having more PBL teaching time, fewer lectures, more GP teaching, less surgery, less formal teaching of basic science, and more sessions with unspecified content. DISCUSSION: UK medical schools differ in both format and content of teaching. PBL and non-PBL schools clearly differ, albeit with substantial variation within groups, and overlap in the middle. The important question of whether differences in teaching matter in terms of outcomes is analysed in a companion study (MedDifs) which examines how teaching differences relate to university infrastructure, entry requirements, student perceptions, and outcomes in Foundation Programme and postgraduate training

Assessing values and attitudes of university students regarding online fitness classes and social connection

This research project examines the current levels of social connection experienced by online fitness class participants with the goal of recommending potential ways to improve social connection in virtual UBC Recreation (Rec) fitness programming. There is little literature available regarding online fitness classes in university-aged populations, and few studies have addressed how social connection can be promoted in online fitness classes. Therefore, this study aimed to understand how social connection can be fostered in a virtual fitness setting. In this study, we assessed the following three research questions: 1. Do university students value social connection during online fitness programming? 2. What do university students value in their current online fitness classes? 3. What future recommendations do university students believe will increase their social connection during online fitness programming? A cross-sectional survey consisting of both open and close-ended questions was administered through Qualtrics. Survey questions were aimed at capturing participants' current attitudes regarding social connection in online fitness programming, and their preferences regarding several recommendations of how this may be improved. The target population and inclusion criteria were UBC undergraduate students over the age of 18, who have participated in online fitness programming in the past 12 months. Fifty-one participants' responses were collected, analyzed and contributed to the final data set. Based on these participants’ responses, several key findings were generated. A majority of individuals who completed the survey believed that social connection is important during virtual fitness classes, although very few that they currently felt a sense of social connection with other participants and instructors. Individuals that engaged in live virtual programming had stronger feelings of social connection than those who only completed pre-recorded programming. While most respondents participated in pre-recorded classes, the preferred format was a mix of both live and pre-recorded classes. Furthermore, many survey respondents alluded to feeling disconnected from other participants and having a lack of motivation to complete workouts. Finally, a majority of participants were interested in completing fitness-related challenges and entering competitions, believing that this would improve their feelings of social connection in virtual fitness classes. These results led to three recommendations being put forward to be considered in order to increase feelings of social connection between participants in a virtual setting. Firstly, as a long-term recommendation, UBC Rec should start providing live virtual classes to increase social connection by allowing a setting for individuals to connect with others in classes, and with the instructor. Related to this recommendation, a second consideration would be to allow for time prior to, or after these live sessions, for participants to socialize and meet other individuals in their fitness classes. Additionally, group chats and social media groups could be created so communication can continue outside of fitness programming. A final, short-term recommendation is for UBC Rec to create challenges and competitions with interactive leaderboards to improve social connection, motivation, and provide an incentive to participate. By implementing these recommendations, based on the survey results, it is believed that social connection in UBC Rec’s online fitness classes would be increased in the university-aged population. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Education, Faculty ofKinesiology, School ofUnreviewedUndergraduat

Atomic-scale detection of organic molecules coupled to single-walled carbon nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) functionalized with organic molecules bearing high-scattering element tags have allowed direct visualization of modification on the atomic scale. The inclusion of these tags in protecting groups allowed their subsequent removal and reincorporation to allow visualization of corresponding protection and deprotection of organic molecules on the SWNT. This method, in conjunction with direct-Staudinger ligation of glycosyl azides to surface carboxylates allowed precise incorporation of glycans to the surface of SWNTs. Resulting glyco-SWNTs interacted successfully with carbohydrate-active enzymes for the first time, allowing elaboration of the carbohydrate structure on the surface of the SWNT and demonstrating utility of these glyco-SWNTs as potential probes. Moreover, the glycosyltransferase-catalyzed transfer of [6-H-3]-D-galactosyl to the surface of the SWNT allowed site-selective radiolabeling.close371

Demographic characteristics by influenza vaccination status: Participants aged 65 years and older (N = 23,226).

Demographic characteristics by influenza vaccination status: Participants aged 65 years and older (N = 23,226).</p