31 research outputs found
Against limits: A post-structural theorizing of resistance in leisure
In its recognition of oppositional behavior as informed and political, resistance offers us a way to explore the interconnections between leisure and politics in meaningful ways. However, for the concept to have utility for theorizing theses interconnections, it needs to be located within broader theorizations of power. Drawing on the work of Foucault, this chapter offers a post-structural theorizing of power and resistance. In contrast to modernist binary conceptualizations of power and resistance, Foucault conceptualized power as circulating through a culture or a system and exercised at innumerable points and times. To Foucault, resistance was power exercised in the attempt to destabilize the limits of the present order. The chapter applies Foucaultâs perspective of resistance as âagainst limitsâ to leisure, and argues that we can think of leisure as resistance when it expands the possibilities for what we can do and who we might imagine ourselves to be
Risk, nostalgia, and the production of the ideal childhood in online commentary on childrenâs outdoor play
We use Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine comments posted online in response to news articles that reported on one Canadian neighbourhoodâs âbanâ on childrenâs outdoor play. Our analysis showed that reader comments, both for and against the ban on street play, accessed discourses of risk that produced an idealized childhood based on close parental supervision. Additionally, nostalgic discourse, the feeling that unfettered, wholesome outdoor play has been lost and cannot be reclaimed, also made claims about who the ideal childhood is for. While marginalized children continue to experience disadvantage that inherently exposes them to risks daily, White, middle class children already have access to safer streets, both parent presence or unquestioned but appropriate parental absence, and play in the streets can be part of their everyday lives. We consider how the idealized childhoods produced by discourses of risk and nostalgia influence the materiality of childrenâs outdoor play, including how childrenâs time is organized and who gets to organize it, how play is experienced and who gets to experience it; in ideal ways, in ideal spaces, and for the ideal child
Attaching DNA to Nanoceria: Regulating Oxidase Activity and Fluorescence Quenching
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Applied Materials and Interfaces copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by publisher. To access the final edited and published work see Pautler, R., Kelly, E. Y., Huang, P.-J. J., Cao, J., Liu, B., & Liu, J. (2013). Attaching DNA to Nanoceria: Regulating Oxidase Activity and Fluorescence Quenching. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 5(15), 6820â6825. https://doi.org/10.1021/am4018863Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) have recently emerged as a nanozyme with oxidase activity. In this work, we present a few important interfacial properties of nanoceria. First, the surface charge of nanoceria can be controlled not only by adjusting pH but also by adsorption of simple inorganic anions. Adsorption of phosphate and citrate gives negatively charged surface over a broad pH range. Second, nanoceria adsorbs DNA via the DNA phosphate backbone in a sequence-independent manner; DNA adsorption inhibits its oxidase activity. Other anionic polymers display much weaker inhibition effects. Adsorption of simple inorganic phosphate does not have the inhibition effect. Third, nanoceria is a quencher for many fluorophores. These discoveries provide an important understanding for further use of nanoceria in biosensor development, materials science, and nanotechnology.University of Waterloo ||
Canadian Foundation for Innovation ||
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council ||
Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation |
A randomised controlled feasibility trial for an educational school-based mental health intervention: study protocol
Background: With the burden of mental illness estimated to be costing the English economy alone around ÂŁ22.5 billion a year [1], coupled with growing evidence that many mental disorders have their origins in adolescence, there is increasing pressure for schools to address the emotional well-being of their students, alongside the stigma and discrimination of mental illness. A number of prior educational interventions have been developed and evaluated for this purpose, but inconsistency of findings, reporting standards, and methodologies have led the majority of reviewers to conclude that the evidence for the efficacy of these programmes remains inconclusive. Methods/Design: A cluster randomised controlled trial design has been employed to enable a feasibility study of 'SchoolSpace', an intervention in 7 UK secondary schools addressing stigma of mental illness, mental health literacy, and promotion of mental health. A central aspect of the intervention involves students in the experimental condition interacting with a young person with lived experience of mental illness, a stigma reducing technique designed to facilitate students' engagement in the project. The primary outcome is the level of stigma related to mental illness. Secondary outcomes include mental health literacy, resilience to mental illness, and emotional well-being. Outcomes will be measured pre and post intervention, as well as at 6 month follow-up. Discussion: The proposed intervention presents the potential for increased engagement due to its combination of education and contact with a young person with lived experience of mental illness. Contact as a technique to reduce discrimination has been evaluated previously in research with adults, but has been employed in only a minority of research trials investigating the impact on youth. Prior to this study, the effect of contact on mental health literacy, resilience, and emotional well-being has not been evaluated to the authors' knowledge. If efficacious the intervention could provide a reliable and cost-effective method to reduce stigma in young people, whilst increasing mental health literacy, and emotional well-being. Trial registration: ISRCTN: ISRCTN0740602
Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome
The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers âŒ99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of âŒ1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead
And gladly teche Celebrating teaching at Macquarie
This paper outlines the development of a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program for introduction into courses run by the Division of Environmental and Life Sciences (ELS) at Macquarie University. It explores the conceptual learning framework that underpins the approach, and supports such a learning environment. It reviews best practise models from across the world to initiate the development of a program with real stakeholder ownership and a structured curriculum framework that defines the expected learning outcomes for all students. The elements common to successful WIL programs are noted. Potential strategies addressing learning and managerial issues associated with WIL placements detail the way forward for the Division of ELS and possibly the wider university
Keynote: Components of the Outdoor Trip: What Really Happens
This paper has two goals. First is an exploration of the components and outcomes of an outdoor education trip upon participants. Second, is the utilization of a research team to examine these, outcomes and compare these imÂpacts with past experiences and previous reÂsearch. Thus, this paper is really a collection of several papers. The paper is structured in the following way; Jim Sibthorp, North Carolina State University and Erin Sharpe, Indiana UniÂversity, present findings from two studies conÂducted on a group of outdoor education students participating in the Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education (C.O.R.E.) program offered at Indiana University during the spring semester of 1999. The C.O.R.E. program is a semester-long experiential-based program that is focused on the development of outdoor leaderÂship skills. Following the presentations on the findings of these studies, Dr. Joel Meier, Indiana UniverÂsity, Dr. Leo McAvoy, University of Minnesota, and Dr. Ken Gilbertson, University of MinneÂsota-Duluth utilize their extensive past experiÂences to react to these findings. More specifiÂcally, in what ways were the findings from SibÂthorp and Sharpe congruent with these experts\u27 past experiences and in what ways were they divergent? Building on these reactions, Nina Roberts, Colorado State University and Shayne Galloway, Indiana University develop a long Âterm research agenda for continuing work in understanding the components and potential outÂcomes of an outdoor education trip. Following these remarks, Dr. Alan Ewert, Indiana UniverÂsity provides concluding comments regarding the future of research ·in outdoor education using the research team concept
PD-L1 has distinct functions in hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells in regulating T cell responses during chronic infection in mice
The inhibitory receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1) is upregulated on antigen-specific CD8+ T cells during persistent viral infections. Interaction with PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) contributes to functional exhaustion of responding T cells and may limit immunopathology during infection. PD-L1 is expressed on both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells in tissues. However, the exact roles of PD-L1 on hematopoietic versus nonhematopoietic cells in modulating immune responses are unclear. Here we used bone marrow chimeric mice to examine the effects of PD-L1 deficiency in hematopoietic or nonhematopoietic cells during lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus clone 13 (LCMV CL-13) infection. We found that PD-L1 expression on hematopoietic cells inhibited CD8+ T cell numbers and function after LCMV CL-13 infection. In contrast, PD-L1 expression on nonhematopoietic cells limited viral clearance and immunopathology in infected tissues. Together, these data demonstrate that there are distinct roles for PD-L1 on hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells in regulating CD8+ T cell responses and viral clearance during chronic viral infection