‘I don’t want my parents’ respect going down the drain’: South Asian, Muslim young women negotiating family and physical activity.

Young women’s relationship with physical activity has been explored extensively, yet the focus is often upon young women who are White. This paper considers South Asian, Muslim young women’s experiences of physical activity and how these are influenced by family. A ‘middle ground’ feminist approach is used, drawing upon the work of Hill Collins [(2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. London: Routledge] and Hamzeh [(2012). Pedagogies of deveiling: Muslim girls and the hijab discourse (critical AQ2 construction). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing were generated with 13 young women using participatory approaches in focus group settings, and individual interviews. This research highlights how the young women’s families can both enable and challenge opportunities and involvement in physical activity. The paper discusses how gender and religion intersect with family and wider community to influence experiences in multiple, diverse and fluid ways. The young women’s narratives suggest that experiences are not determined solely by these influences; rather, they emerge as active agents negotiating different contextual challenges in their quest to be physically active

Enhancement of rare-earth--transition-metal exchange interaction in Pr2_{2}Fe17_{17} probed by inelastic neutron scattering

The fundamental magnetic interactions of Pr$_{2}$Fe$_{17}$ are studied by inelastic neutron scattering and anisotropy field measurements. Data analysis confirms the presence of three magnetically inequivalent sites, and reveals an exceptionally large value of the exchange field. The unexpected importance of $J$-mixing effects in the description of the ground-state properties of Pr$_{2}$Fe$_{17}$ is evidenced, and possible applications of related compounds are envisaged.Comment: 4 RevTeX pages, 4 EPS figures. Accepted for publication by Appl. Phys. Lett. (will be found at http://apl.aip.org

The socialization and participation of Deaflympians in sport

D/deaf people are often ignored within sports research. This paper centralizes the experiences of four D/deaf athletes who have competed in the Deaflympics and offers some insights about their socialization into sport. The key questions addressed are: (1) What are the key factors enabling D/deaf athletes’ involvement and progression in elite D/deaf sport? (2) What are the key challenges D/deaf athletes face when participating and progressing in D/deaf sport? Findings from the interviews suggest that early specialization into sport does not include exposure to Deaf sport

Messy methods: Making sense of participatory research with young people in PE and sport

Participatory research with young people has become an approach increasingly adopted by researchers within PE and sport. In this paper, we draw on our research diaries to collectively reflect on our experiences of attempting to work in participatory ways. Although we each work with different young people and have adopted differing participatory approaches, there are similarities in our research experiences. This includes recurring accounts of ‘muddling through’ and messiness occupying our reflections. We are also struck by the absence of concern within the literature to reveal the messiness of research. In light of our shared musings about participatory research with different young people, this paper offers some preliminary thoughts about our experiences of dealing with this messiness. We take as our focus the increasing concerns to support rights-based research that advocates inclusion, participation and empowerment, and draw on our research to explore how these features were worked towards. In these discussions we are open about the limitations of the research, challenges encountered and the resultant messiness arising. Our conclusion turns to what it might mean if researchers were more transparent about the usually unpredictable, messy and confusing situations that arise in the practice of doing participatory research with young people

Electrosprayed nanoparticle delivery system for controlled release

This study utilises an electrohydrodynamic technique to prepare core-shell lipid nanoparticles with a tunable size and high active ingredient loading capacity, encapsulation efficiency and controlled release. Using stearic acid and ethylvanillin as model shell and active ingredients respectively, we identify the processing conditions and ratios of lipid:ethylvanillin required to form nanoparticles. Nanoparticles with a mean size ranging from 60 to 70 nm at the rate of 1.37 × 109 nanoparticles per minute were prepared with different lipid:ethylvanillin ratios. The polydispersity index was ≈ 21% and the encapsulation efficiency ≈ 70%. It was found that the rate of ethylvanillin release was a function of the nanoparticle size, and lipid:ethylvanillin ratio. The internal structure of the lipid nanoparticles was studied by transmission electron microscopy which confirmed that the ethylvanillin was encapsulated within a stearic acid shell. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated that the ethylvanillin had not been affected. Extensive analysis of the release of ethylvanillin was performed using several existing models and a new diffusive release model incorporating a tanh function. The results were consistent with a core-shell structure

Development of a Nanodroplet Formulation for Triggered Release of BIO for Bone Fracture Healing

Impaired fracture healing impacts patients’ quality of life and imposes a financial burden on healthcare services. Up to 10% of bone fractures result in delayed/non-union fractures, for which new treatments are urgently required. However, systemic delivery of bone anabolic molecules is often sub-optimal and can lead to significant side effects. In this study, we developed ultrasound (US) responsive nano-sized vehicles in the form of perfluorocarbon nanodroplets (NDs), as a means of targeting delivery of drugs to localised tissues. We tested the hypothesis that NDs could stably encapsulate BIO (GSK-3β inhibitor), which could then be released upon US stimulation to activate Wnt signalling and induce ossification. NDs (~280 nm) were prepared from phospholipids and liquid perfluorocarbon and their stability and drug loading was studied by NTA (Nano Tracking Analysis) and HPLC. ND cytotoxicity was assessed in patient-derived bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) with Alamar Blue (24 h), and in vitro bioactivity of BIO-NDs was evaluated in a 3T3 Wnt-pathway reporter cell line with luciferase readout. To investigate the acoustic behaviour of NDs, 2% agarose (LM) containing NDs was injected into a bespoke bone fracture model (Sawbones) of various geometries and stimulated by US (1 MHz, 5% duty cycle, 1 MPa, 30 s), allowing the simultaneous capture of optical images and acoustic emissions. Femoral bone hole defects (1–2 mm) were made in WT-MF1 mice (age: 8–12 wks) and DiR-labelled NDs (100 µL, 109 NDs/mL, i.v.) were injected post-fracture to determine biodistribution by IVIS imaging. NDs were stable (4 and 37 °C) and retained >90% BIO until US was applied, which caused ~100% release. ND exposure up to a concentration of 109 NDs/mL showed no cytotoxicity (24 h). BIO-loaded NDs induced Wnt pathway activation in a dose dependent manner. Biodistribution of DiR-NDs in a femoral bone hole defect model in mice demonstrated increased localisation at the fracture site (~2-fold relative to that found in healthy mice or contralateral femurs at 48 h)

Misguided and Modest: Reflections of Our Youth Voice Research

In recent years, Physical Education (PE) has seen a growth in the commitment to youth voice research. This approach foregrounds the practice of researching with young people, rather than conducting research on or about them. Whilst we are cognisant of the many possibilities youth voice research offers, we are also concerned that there is a tendency to overlook the challenges of supporting youth voice activities. This paper draws on our collective reflections to bring to the fore some of the complexities we have encountered when attempting to engage in school-based youth voice research. We explore the following questions: How can youth voice research engage with different young people to capture a diversity of voices? What are the challenges of undertaking youth voice research? What are the possibilities of change through youth voice research? We consider these questions by drawing upon four principles of student voice work including communication as dialogue, participation and democratic inclusivity, unequal power relations, and change and transformation. We use these principles to critique our own research and, in doing so, draw on entries from our research diaries. The paper questions whether young people need help to share their insights and experiences about PE, or whether it is us - researchers, teachers and schools - who need help to more readily recognize and be attentive to young people's voices. We also point to the importance of recognizing modest change through youth voice research and the need to secure adult allies to support activities and potential outcomes. Engaging in youth voice research is an immersive and messy encounter that involves navigating a journey that is anything but straightforward. Even though this is the case, our moral and ethical compass continues to point us in this direction and we remain firm advocates of youth voice work. This paper offers a starting point for others to begin to grapple with the pitfalls and possibilities when supporting youth voice research