A journey of disruption with Discovery Communications

Michelle Russo, Executive Vice President for Global Communications knows a thing or two about leading a global company through disruption, as well as taking that approach to her own career path

Book review: masculinity, femininity and american political behavior by Monika McDermott

In Masculinity, Femininity and American Political Behavior, Monika McDermott presents research that fundamentally questions longstanding assumptions regarding the influence of biological sex when it comes to US voting behaviour. Arguing that it is gendered personality traits that have greater implications when it comes to political preference, this offers a valuable challenge to reductive understandings as to how we behave politically, writes Christine Sweeney

Book Review: Basic Income: And How We Can Make It Happen by Guy Standing

In Water: Abundance, Scarcity and Security in the Age of Humanity, Jeremy J. Schmidt details the intellectual history of US water management philosophy, tracing the shift towards considering water a resource to be brought under the watch of the state as well as the transformation from a discourse of abundance to scarcity. In showing how water resources are far from a neutral category, this well researched and enlightening book is an important read for understanding how we perceive water today, writes Kathleen Chiappetta

LSE Lit Fest 2017 book review: step up: confidence, success and your stellar career in 10 minutes a day by Phanella Mayall Fine and Alice Olins

In The Conversational Firm: Rethinking Bureaucracy in the Age of Social Media, Catherine J. Turco offers a ethnographic study of a fast-growing social media marketing company, anonymised as ‘TechCo’, that has sought to foster a different corporate culture through its use of social media to facilitate dialogue between employees across the hierarchy. The book offers an empathetic and nuanced understanding of the benefits and challenges of ‘the conversational firm’ that underscores the value of being seen to have a voice, whether in the workplace or the wider world, writes Michael Warren

Following the US elections from London: an expat’s view

By LSE MSc student Christine Sweeney @csweenez 2am quarrels, anxiety, doubt, ambivalence, feeling disconnected, refreshing the phone for updates. No, this is not a long-distance relationship on the rocks, it is the life of an American expat following the U.S. presidential elections from London. Two weeks ahead of Election Day, U.S. voters living in London cannot escape the soundbites, “bad hombres,” hot mics, and rehearsed economic taglines that have become the defining moments of the 2016 race to the White House

Britain’s paper tigers: past, present, and future of journalism

Does the last newspaper leaving behind its offices on Fleet Street signal the end of Britain’s press? Can quality journalism cohabitate with “jaw-dropping” cat video listicles on the same website? What really holds more influence: the news found on the front-page or on clickbait? Polis hosted two top journalists at LSE to discuss the battle for the soul of journalism as part of the LSE Literary Festival. This article by Christine Sweeney, Global Media and Communications MSc student at LSE. (@csweenez

Book review: how to do nothing: resisting the attention economy by Jenny Odell

In a frenetic world obsessed with deliverables and results, Jenny Odell makes the case for How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, arguing not for passivity, wilful ignorance or sloth, but rather for the potential we create by refusing productivity and redirecting our attention to active modes of listening and contemplation. By shining a critical light on the ways in which our identities have become entangled with our occupations and advocating modes of reclaiming the power of our own curiosity, this book will be ideal for all those who feel off-kilter in the attention-seeking economy, writes Christine Sweeney

Book review: A comedian and an activist walk into a bar: the serious role of comedy in social justice by Caty Borum Chattoo and Lauren Feldman

In A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice, Caty Borum Chattoo and Lauren Feldman explore how comedy can serve to advance a social justice agenda. Drawing on her own experience of writing and producing comedy shows in Berlin, Christine Sweeney finds that this book offers answers to questions she has long been pondering: how do we open up social research and discourse to wider audiences; how do we highlight the absurdities of our world, making us laugh and think

Predictors of Postpartum Depression: Body Dissatisfaction, Disordered Eating, and Perfectionism

Eighty percent of women with postpartum depression are undetected and untreated. The literature suggests that disturbances in body image and eating behavior during pregnancy may predict the development of postpartum depression. Early research also suggests that maladaptive perfectionism may play a role in this relationship. This study assessed body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and maladaptive perfectionism in an ethnically diverse sample of 46 women during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Postpartum depression was assessed at least 2 months postpartum using the EPDS. Findings revealed that body dissatisfaction predicted symptoms of postpartum depression, after controlling for previously established risk factors. Body disparagement, a component of body dissatisfaction, accounted for the most variance in symptoms of postpartum depression and this relationship was moderated by maladaptive perfectionism. Contrary to hypotheses, in this sample, maladaptive perfectionism served as a protective factor. No significant relationships emerged between disordered eating, maladaptive perfectionism, and postpartum depression. The findings of this study provide additional information regarding risk factors for postpartum depression in a diverse sample of women

Lactoferrin affects the adherence and invasion of Streptococcus dysgalactiae ssp. dysgalactiae in mammary epithelial cells

This research was funded by the Food Institutional Research Measure (Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Ireland) Projects 06RDTMFRC437 and 06RDTMFRC445, the Irish Dairy Research Trust and the Teagasc Retooling Program under the National Development Plan. Christine Beecher was in receipt of a Teagasc Walsh Fellowship.peer-reviewedStreptococcus dysgalactiae ssp. dysgalactiae is an important causative agent of bovine mastitis worldwide. Lactoferrin is an innate immune protein that is associated with many functions including immunomodulatory, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial properties. This study aimed to investigate the interactions between lactoferrin and a clinical bovine mastitis isolate, Strep. dysgalactiae ssp. dysgalactiae DPC5345. Initially a deliberate in vivo bovine intramammary challenge was performed with Strep. dysgalactiae DPC5345. Results demonstrated a significant difference in lactoferrin mRNA levels in milk cells between the control and infused quarters 7 h postinfusion. Milk lactoferrin levels in the Strep. dysgalactiae DPC5345 infused quarters were significantly increased compared with control quarters at 48 h postinfusion. In vitro studies demonstrated that lactoferrin had a bacteriostatic effect on the growth of Strep. dysgalactiae DPC5345 and significantly decreased the ability of the bacteria to internalize into HC-11 mammary epithelial cells. Confocal microscopy images of HC-11 cells exposed to Strep. dysgalactiae and lactoferrin further supported this effect by demonstrating reduced invasion of bacteria to HC-11 cells. The combined data suggest that a bovine immune response to Strep. dysgalactiae infection includes a significant increase in lactoferrin expression in vivo, and based on in vitro data, lactoferrin limits mammary cell invasion of this pathogen by binding to the bacteria and preventing its adherence.Irish Dairy Research TrustTeagasc Walsh Fellowship ProgrammeDepartment of Agriculture, Food and the Marin