'This is the Word of God': Acceptance Theatre and the Validation of a Gay Religious Sensibility - An Analysis of Terrence McNally's Corpus Christi

The term 'Acceptance Theatre' represents the fulfilment of a gay religious sensibility on stage and has emerged from the discourses of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) activism and queer theology. A combination of political theatre, queer theology and the movement for LGBT Christian rights, Acceptance Theatre challenges the more conservative and heterosexist elements of religious dogma and in doing so expands the notion of orthodoxy: theological heterosexism is diminished and LGBT individuals are accepted - hence the term . This can be exemplified in a Judeo-Christian context through an examination of McNally's play 'Corpus Christi' (1998). This play is a representation of a Christian God being ventriloquised to disrupt Christian heterosexism and free God’s voice from orthodox rigidity. The purpose of this paper then, is to examine McNally's play for its demonstration of the praxis of Acceptance Theatre, which is the theatrical promotion of a gay Christian religious sensibility

Patterns of paid work among higher education students: Implication for the Bradley Reforms

The Bradley review suggests that students with low socio-economic status (SES) need greater financial support than that which is currently offered to them if they are to take up university places and remain at university throughout their courses (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent, & Scales, 2008). This recommendation is, in part, based on research into the necessity for low SES students to maintain paid, term-time employment throughout their higher education to meet their basic needs. This study has been undertaken to explore the connection between SES status and paid term-time employment on a suburban satellite campus of a regional Australian university in order to determine the extent to which this holds true for this site. This research used a four page questionnaire to establish average hours of employment, types of employment, the necessity for employment, the expenditure of the money earned, and the potential for interference between study and paid employment for the full time undergraduate students studying at this site. Overall there was a remarkable level of similarity between the responses of the two SES cohorts studied (low and mid/high), although some differences indicated that the mid/high SES cohort may be slightly more dependent on their earnings than the low SES cohort and that the low SES cohort appeared more likely to view their employment as a preparation for their future careers. Implications for universities’ timetabling, student support services, and efforts to attract low SES students need to consider the site-specific reasons for low SES enrolment rates and the reasons for students’ term-time employment

'This is the Word of God': Acceptance Theatre and the Validation of a Gay Religious Sensibility

The term 'Acceptance Theatre' represents the fulfilment of a gay religious sensibility on stage and has emerged from the discourses of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) activism and queer theology. A combination of political theatre, queer theology and the movement for LGBT Christian rights, Acceptance Theatre challenges the more conservative and heterosexist elements of religious dogma and in doing so expands the notion of orthodoxy: theological heterosexism is diminished and LGBT individuals are accepted - hence the term . This can be exemplified in a Judeo-Christian context through an examination of McNally's play 'Corpus Christi' (1998). This play is a representation of a Christian God being ventriloquised to disrupt Christian heterosexism and free God’s voice from orthodox rigidity. The purpose of this paper then, is to examine McNally's play for its demonstration of the praxis of Acceptance Theatre, which is the theatrical promotion of a gay Christian religious sensibility

In vivo validation of a miniaturized electrochemical oxygen sensor for measuring intestinal oxygen tension

Recent advances in the fields of electronics and microfabrication techniques have led to the development of implantable medical devices for use within the field of precision medicine. Monitoring visceral surface tissue O2 tension (ptO2) by means of an implantable sensor is potentially useful in many clinical situations including the peri-operative management of patients undergoing intestinal resection and anastomosis. This concept could provide a means by which treatment could be tailored to individual patients. This study describes the in vivo validation of a novel miniaturised electrochemical O2 sensor to provide real-time data on intestinal ptO2. A single O2 sensor was placed onto the serosal surface of the small intestine of anaesthetised rats that were exposed to ischaemic (superior mesenteric artery occlusion) and hypoxaemic (alterations in inspired fractional O2 concentrations) insults. Control experiments demonstrated that the sensors function and remain stable in an in vivo environment. Intestinal ptO2 decreased following superior mesenteric artery occlusion and with reductions in inspired O2 concentrations. These results were reversible after reinstating blood flow or increasing inspired O2 concentrations. We have successfully developed an anaesthetised rat intestinal ischaemic and hypoxic model for validation of a miniaturised O2 sensor to provide real-time measurement of intestinal ptO2. Our results support further validation of the sensors in physiological conditions using a large animal model to provide evidence of their use in clinical applications where monitoring visceral surface tissue O2 tension is important

Test Structures for Characterising the Silver Chlorination Process During Integrated Ag/AgCl Reference Electrode Fabrication

Robust and repeatable processes are required to fabricate reference electrodes for micro-scale integrated electrochemical sensors. One method for this is to produce a “silver/silver chloride” (Ag/Agel) electrode through chemical chlorination of a thin film silver layer. This paper presents test structures, which can electrically characterise the process to aid process development and in-line control of the chlorination process

Implications of "peak oil" for atmospheric CO2 and climate

Unconstrained CO2 emission from fossil fuel burning has been the dominant cause of observed anthropogenic global warming. The amounts of "proven" and potential fossil fuel reserves are uncertain and debated. Regardless of the true values, society has flexibility in the degree to which it chooses to exploit these reserves, especially unconventional fossil fuels and those located in extreme or pristine environments. If conventional oil production peaks within the next few decades, it may have a large effect on future atmospheric CO2 and climate change, depending upon subsequent energy choices. Assuming that proven oil and gas reserves do not greatly exceed estimates of the Energy Information Administration, and recent trends are toward lower estimates, we show that it is feasible to keep atmospheric CO2 from exceeding about 450 ppm by 2100, provided that emissions from coal, unconventional fossil fuels, and land use are constrained. Coal-fired power plants without sequestration must be phased out before mid-century to achieve this CO2 limit. It is also important to "stretch" conventional oil reserves via energy conservation and efficiency, thus averting strong pressures to extract liquid fuels from coal or unconventional fossil fuels while clean technologies are being developed for the era "beyond fossil fuels". We argue that a rising price on carbon emissions is needed to discourage conversion of the vast fossil resources into usable reserves, and to keep CO2 beneath the 450 ppm ceiling.Comment: (22 pages, 7 figures; final version accepted by Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Wafer Level Characterisation of Microelectrodes for Electrochemical Sensing Applications

This work presents a system for the in-line wafer-level characterisation of electrochemical sensors. Typically, such sensors are first diced and packaged before being electro-chemically tested. By integrating their characterisation into the manufacturing process, the production of electrochemical sensors becomes more efficient and less expensive as they can be parametrically tested midway through the fabrication process, without the need to package them. This enables malfunctioning or failed devices to be identified before dicing and reduces costs as only functional devices are packaged (in many cases this can be more expensive than the sensor fabrication). This study describes wafer-level characterisation of a simple electrochemical sensor design using a photoresist hydrophobic corralling film for the electrolyte and a probe station for contacting to individual dies

Facilitating Pupil Thinking About Information Literacy

Whilst information literacy is frequently taught through the imposition on learners of an established framework, this paper suggests a different approach by taking a lead from James Herring’s ideas. Specifically, it provides guidance to school-based information professionals who would like to encourage their pupils to devise their own flexible, information literacy models which are unique to them. Drawing on existing material in information science and wider thought, it proposes areas for coverage and considers how information professionals may support the dynamic process of model construction. It is recommended that those who are intent on facilitating the creation of personal information literacy models help pupils to identify the roles they take on in their lives, to reflect on the information needs that result, to ascertain the information they require in particular situations, to explore their information-seeking activities, to consider means by which information can be captured and to give thought as to how the information they have accessed may be used. This framework is, however, by no means rigid and readers are, of course, free to make their own adjustments

An exploration of the influences on under-representation of male pre-registration nursing students

Background:- Worldwide, men are under-represented in the nursing profession. In Scotland less than 10% of pre-registration nursing students are male. Reasons for this imbalance need to be understood. Objectives:- To explore the views of male pre-registration nursing students, nursing lecturers and school teachers about this imbalance. Design:- Mixed methods study using focus groups and online survey. Settings:- Focus groups in four locations across Scotland. Online survey sent to teachers across Scotland. Participants and methods:- Eight focus groups with 33 male nursing students; four focus groups with 21 university and college nursing lecturers; 46 school teachers returned the online survey. Results:- Although nursing was considered a worthwhile career with job stability and many opportunities, it was also viewed as not being a career for men. Assumptions about the profession and femininity were challenging for men and use of the term ‘male nurse’ was felt to be anomalous. In some circumstances the provision of intimate care to particular patient groups caused difficulty. Positive encouragement from others, a positive role model or knowledge of nursing from significant others could be helpful. However concerns about low earning potential and negative media publicity about the NHS could be a disincentive. Being mature and having resilience were important to cope with being a male nursing student in a mainly female workplace. Some more ‘technical’ specialties were felt to be more attractive to men. Conclusions:- Nursing is viewed as a worthwhile career choice for men, but the gendered assumptions about the feminine nature of nursing can be a deterrent

Trends in the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide

Efforts to control climate change require the stabilization of atmospheric CO2 concentrations. This can only be achieved through a drastic reduction of global CO2 emissions. Yet fossil fuel emissions increased by 29% between 2000 and 2008, in conjunction with increased contributions from emerging economies, from the production and international trade of goods and services, and from the use of coal as a fuel source. In contrast, emissions from land-use changes were nearly constant. Between 1959 and 2008, 43% of each year's CO2 emissions remained in the atmosphere on average; the rest was absorbed by carbon sinks on land and in the oceans. In the past 50 years, the fraction of CO2 emissions that remains in the atmosphere each year has likely increased, from about 40% to 45%, and models suggest that this trend was caused by a decrease in the uptake of CO2 by the carbon sinks in response to climate change and variability. Changes in the CO2 sinks are highly uncertain, but they could have a significant influence on future atmospheric CO2 levels. It is therefore crucial to reduce the uncertainties