'Dressage Is Full of Queens!' Masculinity, Sexuality and Equestrian Sport

Attitudes towards sexuality are changing and levels of cultural homophobia decreasing, yet there remain very few openly gay men within sport. As a proving ground for heteromasculinity, sport has traditionally been a hostile environment for gay men. This article is based on an ethnographic study within a sporting subworld in which gay men do appear to be accepted: equestrian sport. Drawing on inclusive masculinity theory, equestrian sport is shown to offer an unusually tolerant environment for gay men in which heterosexual men of all ages demonstrate low levels of homophobia. Inclusive masculinity theory is a useful framework for exploring the changing nature of masculinities and this study demonstrates that gay men are becoming increasingly visible and accepted within once unreceptive locales, such as sport and rural communities. However, this more tolerant attitude is purchased at the expense of a subordinated feminine Other, perpetuating the dominance of men within competitive sport. © The Author(s) 2012

A chromatographic approach to distinguish Gram-positive from Gram-negative bacteria using exogenous volatile organic compound metabolites

This paper utilized L-alanine aminopeptidase activity as a useful approach to distinguish between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. This was done using two enzyme substrates, specifically 2-amino-N-phenylpropanamide and 2-amino-N-(4-methylphenyl)propanamide which liberated the volatile compounds aniline and p-toluidine, respectively. Two complementary analytical techniques have been used to identify and quantify the VOCs, specifically static headspace multicapillary column gas chromatography ion mobility spectrometry (SHS-MCC-GC-IMS) and headspace solid phase microextraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). Superior limits of detection were obtained using HS-SPME-GC-MS, typically by a factor of x6 such that the LOD for aniline was 0.02 μg/mL and 0.01 μg/mL for p-toluidine. In addition, it was also possible to determine indole interference-free by HS-SPME-GC-MS at an LOD of 0.01 μg/mL. The approach was applied to a range of selected bacteria: 15 Gram-negative and 7 Gram-positive bacteria. Use of pattern recognition, in the form of Principal Component Analysis, confirmed that it is possible to differentiate between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using the enzyme generated VOCs, aniline and p-toluidine. The exception was Stenotrophomonas maltophilia which showed negligible VOC concentrations for both aniline and p-toluidine, irrespective of the analytical techniques used and hence was not characteristic of the other Gram-negative bacteria investigated. The developed methodology has the potential to be applied for clinical and food applications

Atomic-Scale Picture of the Composition, Decay, and Oxidation of Two-Dimensional Radioactive Films

Two-dimensional radioactive (125)I monolayers are a recent development that combines the fields of radiochemistry and nanoscience. These Au-supported monolayers show great promise for understanding the local interaction of radiation with 2D molecular layers, offer different directions for surface patterning, and enhance the emission of chemically and biologically relevant low-energy electrons. However, the elemental composition of these monolayers is in constant flux due to the nuclear transmutation of (125)I to (125)Te, and their precise composition and stability under ambient conditions has yet to be elucidated. Unlike I, which is stable and unreactive when bound to Au, the newly formed Te atoms would be expected to be more reactive. We have used electron emission and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to quantify the emitted electron energies and to track the film composition in vacuum and the effect of exposure to ambient conditions. Our results reveal that the Auger electrons emitted during the ultrafast radioactive decay process have a kinetic energy corresponding to neutral Te. By combining XPS and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments with density functional theory, we are able to identify the reaction of newly formed Te to TeO2 and its subsequent dimerization. The fact that the Te2O4 units stay intact during major lateral rearrangement of the monolayer illustrates their stability. These results provide an atomic-scale picture of the composition and mobility of surface species in a radioactive monolayer as well as an understanding of the stability of the films under ambient conditions, which is a critical aspect in their future applications

Critical Exponent for the Density of Percolating Flux

This paper is a study of some of the critical properties of a simple model for flux. The model is motivated by gauge theory and is equivalent to the Ising model in three dimensions. The phase with condensed flux is studied. This is the ordered phase of the Ising model and the high temperature, deconfined phase of the gauge theory. The flux picture will be used in this phase. Near the transition, the density is low enough so that flux variables remain useful. There is a finite density of finite flux clusters on both sides of the phase transition. In the deconfined phase, there is also an infinite, percolating network of flux with a density that vanishes as $T \rightarrow T_{c}^{+}$. On both sides of the critical point, the nonanalyticity in the total flux density is characterized by the exponent $(1-\alpha)$. The main result of this paper is a calculation of the critical exponent for the percolating network. The exponent for the density of the percolating cluster is $\zeta = (1-\alpha) - (\varphi-1)$. The specific heat exponent $\alpha$ and the crossover exponent $\varphi$ can be computed in the $\epsilon$-expansion. Since $\zeta < (1-\alpha)$, the variation in the separate densities is much more rapid than that of the total. Flux is moving from the infinite cluster to the finite clusters much more rapidly than the total density is decreasing.Comment: 20 pages, no figures, Latex/Revtex 3, UCD-93-2

Micro-pharmacokinetics: quantifying local drug concentration at live cell membranes

Fundamental equations for determining pharmacological parameters, such as the binding afnity of a ligand for its target receptor, assume a homogeneous distribution of ligand, with concentrations in the immediate vicinity of the receptor being the same as those in the bulk aqueous phase. It is, however, known that drugs are able to interact directly with the plasma membrane, potentially increasing local ligand concentrations around the receptor. We have previously reported an infuence of ligand-phospholipid interactions on ligand binding kinetics at the β2-adrenoceptor, which resulted in distinct “micro-pharmacokinetic” ligand profles. Here, we directly quantifed the local concentration of BODIPY630/650-PEG8-S-propranolol (BY-propranolol), a fuorescent derivative of the classical β-blocker propranolol, at various distances above membranes of single living cells using fuorescence correlation spectroscopy. We show for the frst time a signifcantly increased ligand concentration immediatel adjacent to the cell membrane compared to the bulk aqueous phase. We further show a clear role of both the cell membrane and the β2-adrenoceptor in determining high local BY-propranolol concentrations at the cell surface. These data suggest that the true binding afnity of BY-propranolol for the β2-adrenoceptor is likely far lower than previously reported and highlights the critical importance of understanding the “micro-pharmacokinetic” profles of ligands for membrane-associated proteins

Microscopic model approaches to fragmentation of nuclei and phase transitions in nuclear matter

The properties of excited nuclear matter and the quest for a phase transition which is expected to exist in this system are the subject of intensive investigations. High energy nuclear collisions between finite nuclei which lead to matter fragmentation are used to investigate these properties. The present report covers effective work done on the subject over the two last decades. The analysis of experimental data is confronted with two major problems, the setting up of thermodynamic equilibrium in a time-dependent fragmentation process and the finite size of nuclei. The present status concerning the first point is presented. Simple classical models of disordered systems are derived starting with the generic bond percolation approach. These lattice and cellular equilibrium models, like percolation approaches, describe successfully experimental fragment multiplicity distributions. They also show the properties of systems which undergo a thermodynamic phase transition. Physical observables which are devised to show the existence and to fix the order of critical behaviour are presented. Applications to the models are shown. Thermodynamic properties of finite systems undergoing critical behaviour are advantageously described in the framework of the microcanonical ensemble. Applications to the designed models and to experimental data are presented and analysed. Perspectives of further developments of the field are suggested.Comment: 150 pages including 28 figures. To be published in Phys. Rep. Corrected discussion in section 3.2.3 and new Fig.5. New caption of Fig.2

Electronic structure of Co_xTiSe_2 and Cr_xTiSe_2

The results of investigations of intercalated compounds Cr_xTiSe_2 and Co_xTiSe_2 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) are presented. The data obtained are compared with theoretical results of spin-polarized band structure calculations. A good agreement between theoretical and experimental data for the electronic structure of the investigated materials has been observed. The interplay between the M3d--Ti3d hybridization (M=Cr, Co) and the magnetic moment at the M site is discussed. A 0.9 eV large splitting of the core Cr2p{3/2} level was observed, which reveals a strong exchange magnetic interaction of 3d-2p electrons of Cr. In the case of a strong localization of the Cr3d electrons (for x<0.25), the broadening of the CrL spectra into the region of the states above the nominal Fermi level was observed and attributed to X-ray re-emission. The measured kinetic properties are in good accordance with spectral investigations and band calculation results.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Phys.Rev.