Increases in salience of ethnic identity at work: the roles of ethnic assignation and ethnic identification

To better understand how ethnicity is actually experienced within organisations, we examined reported increases in ethnic identity salience at work and responses to such increases. Thirty British black Caribbean graduate employees were interviewed about how and when they experienced their ethnic identity at work. The findings demonstrated that increased salience in ethnic identity was experienced in two key ways: through ‘ethnic assignation’ (a ‘push’ towards ethnic identity) and ‘ethnic identification’ (a ‘pull’ towards ethnic identity). We explore how and when ethnic assignation and ethnic identification occur at work, and their relevance to how workplaces are experienced by this group of minority ethnic employees. The findings suggest the need for further research attention to the dynamic and episodic nature of social identity, including ethnic identity, within organisations, and to the impact of such increases in salience of social identities on behaviour at work

Climate change mitigation: A training manual

The Energy Research Centre (ERC) has developed a training manual on climate change mitigation courses. The manual covers the following modules: Greenhouse gas inventories (GHGI), Mitigation (MIT), and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). These modules have been developed in response to the need for capacity building initiatives that are country driven and regionally focused, address specific needs and conditions of the country, and involve stakeholders. In doing so, the overall aim is to assist non-Annex 1 countries to participate effectively in the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol, and to ensure the sustainability of these programmes. There are two important points to note. Firstly, the training manual is tailored to the specific needs and contexts of those being targeted, but with sufficient flexibility to avoid a ‘one-size-fitsall’ training programme. Secondly, although the manual is prepared in South Africa, it is designed in a flexible form and can be modified by using case studies and exercises relevant to the country teams with diverse backgrounds

ESSENTIAL OIL COMPOSITION OF ARTEMISIA VULGARIS GROWN IN EGYPT

Objective: The objective of this research was to evaluate the significance of the plant's origin and to assess the essential oil composition of Artemisia vulgaris grown in Egypt simultaneously evaluating the effect of environmental conditions on essential oil composition.Methods: Seeds were planted and the essential oils extracted, using hydrodistillation, from the plants that grew. The resulting essential oils were examined, using gas chromatography linked to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thus also evaluating the essential oil chemotype fingerprint†in A. vulgarisResults:  The study identified: the most abundant compounds being camphor, 3, 5-dimethylcyclohexane, germacrene D, cubebene, yomogi alcohol, artemisia alcohol, caryophyllene, while is lower concentrations thujopsene, muurolene, borneol, terpinen-4-ol, valencene, elemene and humulene. Despite the origins of the seeds, the chemical profile was very similar to those of plants grown in Egypt, thus suggesting essential oil composition was significantly influenced by the environmental conditions.Conclusion: Based on the present study, It is suggested that seed origin may play a less significant part if the seed is planted in an environment different to that of its origin, this study proved that and favors the plant-environment interaction to influence the secondary metabolite composition. This supports that plant metabolite profiles are greatly affected by the environment they are grown in.Â

High-sensitivity troponin I concentrations are a marker of an advanced hypertrophic response and adverse outcomes in patients with aortic stenosis

Aims: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (cTnI) assays hold promise in detecting the transition from hypertrophy to heart failure in aortic stenosis. We sought to investigate the mechanism for troponin release in patients with aortic stenosis and whether plasma cTnI concentrations are associated with long-term outcome. Methods and results: Plasma cTnI concentrations were measured in two patient cohorts using a high-sensitivity assay. First, in the Mechanism Cohort, 122 patients with aortic stenosis (median age 71, 67% male, aortic valve area 1.0 ± 0.4 cm2) underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance and echocardiography to assess left ventricular (LV) myocardial mass, function, and fibrosis. The indexed LV mass and measures of replacement fibrosis (late gadolinium enhancement) were associated with cTnI concentrations independent of age, sex, coronary artery disease, aortic stenosis severity, and diastolic function. In the separate Outcome Cohort, 131 patients originally recruited into the Scottish Aortic Stenosis and Lipid Lowering Trial, Impact of REgression (SALTIRE) study, had long-term follow-up for the occurrence of aortic valve replacement (AVR) and cardiovascular deaths. Over a median follow-up of 10.6 years (1178 patient-years), 24 patients died from a cardiovascular cause and 60 patients had an AVR. Plasma cTnI concentrations were associated with AVR or cardiovascular death HR 1.77 (95% CI, 1.22 to 2.55) independent of age, sex, systolic ejection fraction, and aortic stenosis severity. Conclusions: In patients with aortic stenosis, plasma cTnI concentration is associated with advanced hypertrophy and replacement myocardial fibrosis as well as AVR or cardiovascular death

In Praise of Shadows: Exploring the hidden (responsibility) curriculum

We frame this special issue on the hidden responsibility curriculum through the lens of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s 1933 essay, In Praise of Shadows, which recognises the subtlety, modesty and dignity of shadows that are highly prized in Japanese culture. We do this to embody the themes both present and absent from the seven articles in this special issue. The articles share flecks and flickers, suggesting that (1) salient things happen in the shadows when it comes to responsibility learning – for better or worse, (2) students can play a role in illuminating and challenging the shadow sides of learning environments and (3) discernible symbols provide navigational possibilities in the shadows. Our tribute to Tanizaki reflects both the involuntary absence, in our Special Issue, of contributions beyond dominant White, Northern European perspectives and the lack of methodological apparatus that can effectively capture the implicit, shadow side of educational life – and life beyond – that evades conventional academic approaches. We also share reflections from the shadows of our own curation of this special issue, as an invite to shine a light on how curational ecosystems might be reimagined

In Praise of Shadows: exploring the hidden (responsibility) curriculum

We frame this special issue on the hidden responsibility curriculum through the lens of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki’s 1933 essay, In Praise of Shadows, which recognises the subtlety, modesty and dignity of shadows that are highly prized in Japanese culture. We do this to embody the themes both present and absent from the seven papers in this special issue. The papers share flecks and flickers, suggesting that (1) salient things happen in the shadows when it comes to responsibility learning - for better or worse, (2) students can play a role in illuminating and challenging the shadow sides of learning environments, and (3) discernible symbols provide navigational possibilities in the shadows. Our tribute to Tanizaki reflects both the involuntary absence, in our Special Issue, of contributions beyond dominant White, Northern European perspectives, and the lack of methodological apparatus that can effectively capture the implicit, shadow side of educational life - and life beyond - that evades conventional academic approaches. We also share reflections from the shadows of our own curation of this special issue, as an invite to shine a light on how curational ecosystems might be reimagined

Children's daily travel to school in Johannesburg-Soweto, South Africa: geography and school choice in the Birth to Twenty cohort study

This paper has two aims: to explore approaches to the measurement of children’s daily travel to school in a context of limited geospatial data availability, and to provide data regarding school choice and distance travelled to school in Soweto-Johannesburg, South Africa. The paper makes use of data from the Birth to Twenty cohort study (n=1428) to explore three different approaches to estimating school choice and travel to school. Firstly, straight-line distance between home and school is calculated. Secondly, census geography is used to determine whether a child's home and school fall in the same area. Thirdly, distance data are used to determine whether a child attends the nearest school. Each of these approaches highlights a different aspect of mobility, and all provide valuable data. Overall, primary school aged children in Soweto-Johannesburg are shown to be travelling substantial distances to school on a daily basis. Over a third travel more than 3km, one-way, to school, 60% attend schools outside of the suburb in which they live, and only 18% attend their nearest school. These data provide evidence for high levels of school choice in Johannesburg-Soweto, and that families and children are making substantial investments in pursuit of high quality educational opportunities. Additionally, these data suggest that two patterns of school choice are evident: one pattern involving travel of substantial distances and requiring a higher level of financial investment, and a second pattern, involving choice between more local schools, requiring less travel and a more limited financial investment

Everyday Experiences of Sexism in Male-dominated Professions: A Bourdieusian Perspective

The under-representation of women in the UK engineering and construction sectors seems resolute. Using a Bourdieusian lens, this article examines the persistence of everyday sexism and gender inequality in male-dominated professions. Bringing together findings from three research projects with engineering and construction industry students and professionals, we find that women experience gendered treatment in everyday interactions with peers. Patterns of(mis)recognition and resistance are complex, with some women expressing views which reproduce and naturalise gender inequality. In contrast, other women recognise and resist such essentialism through a range of actions including gender equity campaigning. Through a Bourdieusian analysis of the everyday, this article calls into question existing policy recommendations that argue women have different skills that can be brought to the sector. Such recommendations reinforce the gendered nature of the engineering and construction sectors’ habitus and fail to recognise how the underlying structures and practices of the sector reproduce gendered working practices. © 2015, © The Author(s) 2015