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Glass ceilings and stone floors: an intersectional approach to challenges UK geographers face across the career lifecycle
While there has been a steady growth of women working in geography in UK universities since the mid-Twentieth Century, there are continuing challenges in gendered career progression and professional interactions within the contemporary discipline. These range from problems associated with employment precarity and inflexible work practices, life choices and obligations in the domestic arena, discrimination and bullying, to less tangible gendered norms and cultures in the workplace. This paper discusses these challenges and inequalities in the light of a brief overview of sector-wide statistical data on appointments by gender and career-stage and with the analysis of some 250 in-depth responses to a nationwide qualitative survey of gender and career experience in UK universities (Maddrell et al 2016). While the term âglass ceilingâ still has significant relevance, findings show a more complicated picture which also includes âstone floorsâ and stumbling blocks. It also shows how career experience varies by institution and individual: challenges in career progression can be compounded by institutional protocols and intersectional factors, and vary with career stage. The intersection of early-career job precarity, reproductive decisions and associated family responsibilities were particularly highlighted in this study. These âpinch pointsâ in career development disproportionately affect, but are not limited to, female early career scholars. Early career progress may be stalled in mid-career in multi-staged promotional systems such as that in UK universities; some from minorities face compound barriers; men with caring responsibilities may face prejudice. The paper concludes with suggested strategies for change, highlighting the importance of individual university and department protocols and practices; line manager and other senior colleaguesâ attitudes and leadership in creating workplaces with an equality-driven ethos and structures that allow individuals to flourish
P2X7 receptor contributes to long-term neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in sepsis-surviving mice
Introduction: sepsis is defined as a multifactorial debilitating condition with high risks of death. The intense inflammatory response causes deleterious effects on the brain, a condition called sepsis-associated encephalopathy. Neuroinflammation or pathogen recognition are able to stress cells, resulting in ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) release and P2X7 receptor activation, which is abundantly expressed in the brain. The P2X7 receptor contributes to chronic neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases; however, its function in long-term neurological impairment caused by sepsis remains unclear. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the effects of P2X7 receptor activation in neuroinflammatory and behavioral changes in sepsis-surviving mice. Methods: sepsis was induced in wild-type (WT), P2X7â/â , and BBG (Brilliant Blue G)-treated mice by cecal ligation and perforation (CLP). On the thirteenth day after the surgery, the cognitive function of mice was assessed using the novel recognition object and Water T-maze tests. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, microglial and astrocytic activation markers, and cytokine production were also evaluated. Results: Initially, we observed that both WT and P2X7â/â sepsis-surviving mice showed memory impairment 13 days after surgery, once they did not differentiate between novel and familiar objects. Both groups of animals presented increased AChE activity in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. However, the absence of P2X7 prevented partly this increase in the cerebral cortex. Likewise, P2X7 absence decreased ionized calcium-binding protein 1 (Ibaâ1 ) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) upregulation in the cerebral cortex of sepsis-surviving animals. There was an increase in GFAP protein levels in the cerebral cortex but not in the hippocampus of both WT and P2X7â/â sepsis-surviving animals. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic deletion of P2X7 receptor attenuated the production of Interleukin-1ÎČ (IL-1ÎČ), Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and Interleukin-10 (IL-10). Conclusion: the modulation of the P2X7 receptor in sepsis-surviving animals may reduce neuroinflammation and prevent cognitive impairment due to sepsisassociated encephalopathy, being considered an important therapeutic target
The GALAH Survey: Chemical tagging and chrono-chemodynamics of accreted halo stars with GALAH+ DR3 and eDR3
© 2021 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab3504Since the advent of astrometry, it is possible to identify massive accreted systems within the Galaxy through their unique dynamical signatures. One such system, -Sausage-Enceladus (GSE), appears to be an early "building block" given its virial mass at infall (). In order to separate the progenitor population from the background stars, we investigate its chemical properties with up to 30 element abundances from the GALAH+ Survey Data Release 3 (DR3). To inform our choice of elements for purely chemically selecting accreted stars, we analyse 4164 stars with low- abundances and halo kinematics. These are most different to the Milky Way stars for abundances of Mg, Si, Na, Al, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Cu. Based on the significance of abundance differences and detection rates, we apply Gaussian mixture models to various element abundance combinations. We find the most populated and least contaminated component, which we confirm to represent GSE, contains 1049 stars selected via [Na/Fe] vs. [Mg/Mn] in GALAH+ DR3. We provide tables of our selections and report the chrono-chemodynamical properties (age, chemistry, and dynamics). Through a previously reported clean dynamical selection of GSE stars, including , we can characterise an unprecedented 24 abundances of this structure with GALAH+ DR3. Our chemical selection allows us to prevent circular reasoning and characterise the dynamical properties of the GSE, for example mean . We find only of the GSE stars within the clean dynamical selection region. Our methodology will improve future studies of accreted structures and their importance for the formation of the Milky Way.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
The Milky Way Tomography with SDSS: I. Stellar Number Density Distribution
Abridged: We estimate the distances to ~48 million stars detected by the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey and map their 3D number density distribution in 100 <
D < 20 kpc range over 6,500 deg^2 of sky. The data show strong evidence for a
Galaxy consisting of an oblate halo, a disk component, and a number of
localized overdensities with exponential disk parameters (bias-corrected for an
assumed 35% binary fraction) H_1 = 300 pc, L_1 = 2600 pc, H_2 = 900 pc, L_2 =
3600 pc, and local density normalization of 12%. We find the halo to be oblate,
with best-fit axis ratio c/a = 0.64, r^{-2.8} profile, and the local
halo-to-thin disk normalization of 0.5%. We estimate the errors of derived
model parameters to be no larger than ~20% (disk scales) and ~10% (thick disk
normalization). While generally consistent with the above model, the density
distribution shows a number of statistically significant localized deviations.
We detect two overdensities in the thick disk region at (R, Z) ~ (6.5, 1.5)kpc
and (R, Z) ~ (9.5, 0.8) kpc, and a remarkable density enhancement in the halo
covering >1000deg^2 of sky towards the constellation of Virgo, at distances of
~6-20 kpc. Compared to a region symmetric with respect to the l=0 line, the
Virgo overdensity is responsible for a factor of 2 number density excess and
may be a nearby tidal stream or a low-surface brightness dwarf galaxy merging
with the Milky Way. After removal of the resolved overdensities, the remaining
data are consistent with a smooth density distribution; we detect no evidence
of further unresolved clumpy substructure at scales ranging from ~50pc in the
disk, to ~1 - 2 kpc in the halo.Comment: 60 pages, 46 figures (reduced resolution; see the ApJ for hi-res
version
The Milky Way Tomography with SDSS: II. Stellar Metallicity
Using effective temperature and metallicity derived from SDSS spectra for
~60,000 F and G type main sequence stars (0.2<g-r<0.6), we develop polynomial
models for estimating these parameters from the SDSS u-g and g-r colors. We
apply this method to SDSS photometric data for about 2 million F/G stars and
measure the unbiased metallicity distribution for a complete volume-limited
sample of stars at distances between 500 pc and 8 kpc. The metallicity
distribution can be exquisitely modeled using two components with a spatially
varying number ratio, that correspond to disk and halo. The two components also
possess the kinematics expected for disk and halo stars. The metallicity of the
halo component is spatially invariant, while the median disk metallicity
smoothly decreases with distance from the Galactic plane from -0.6 at 500 pc to
-0.8 beyond several kpc. The absence of a correlation between metallicity and
kinematics for disk stars is in a conflict with the traditional decomposition
in terms of thin and thick disks. We detect coherent substructures in the
kinematics--metallicity space, such as the Monoceros stream, which rotates
faster than the LSR, and has a median metallicity of [Fe/H]=-0.96, with an rms
scatter of only ~0.15 dex. We extrapolate our results to the performance
expected from the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and estimate that the
LSST will obtain metallicity measurements accurate to 0.2 dex or better, with
proper motion measurements accurate to ~0.2 mas/yr, for about 200 million F/G
dwarf stars within a distance limit of ~100 kpc (g<23.5). [abridged]Comment: 40 pages, 21 figures, emulateApJ style, accepted to ApJ, high
resolution figures are available from
http://www.astro.washington.edu/ivezic/sdss/mw/astroph0804.385
Colonising her cultural identity : geographies of a hybrid identity in colonial Turanga : a thesis presented to Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography
This thesis is a feminist historical geography of the construction of a woman's identity in Turanga (now known as Gisborne), New Zealand from 1840 to 1893. Using textual analysis of private and public documents from the time period, it reveals socio-spatial power structures, cultural relations, and gender relations of the place and time, and the ways in which they contribute to the conditions necessary for a fluid cultural identity. The research finds that three key conditions of cultural hybridity proposed by Homi K. Bhabha are applicable to a subject of the place and time period, Keita Wyllie. The thesis further argues that a fourth condition is necessary, namely the role of space as an active and constituent agent in the process of identity formation. The research complements previous histories of the East Coast/Turanga region by examining issues of cross-cultural identity, power structures and gender relations previously absent from historical accounts of the area
The need for calibration in the disciplines : a case study from geography
The debate about degree outcomes and comparability of academic standards in Higher Education has become increasingly prominent in academic, political and media discussions internationally. This chapter reports on work undertaken as part of the UK Degree Standards Project in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society (with Institute of British Geographers). The intent of the work was for the geography community in the UK, supported by its learned society and professional body, to respond to public concerns about âgrade inflationâ in relation to degree outcomes. The chapter first presents data on degree outcomes in the UK and with respect to the subject of geography more specifically. It goes on to report the results of training activities within the discipline across a range of geographical scales to increase the use of calibration as a means of providing transparent assurance about the quality of assessment practices. Despite the collaborative process engendering a sense of ownership and willingness to engage with standards issues, the chapter also highlights the challenges of sustaining such activities. The chapter concludes that adopting calibration, at a variety of scales, might help to secure a sustainable process that can help to ensure consistency, reliability and clarity in academic standards, reassuring the public that âgoodâ degree outcomes in geography represent improved teaching and student learning
Probing Halos of Galaxies at Very Large Radii Using Background QSOs.
Gaseous halos of nine nearby galaxies (with redshifts cz < 6000 km s-1) were probed at large galactocentric radii using background quasars observed with the Hubble Space Telescope Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. The projected quasar-galaxy separations range from 55 to 387 h75-1 kpc. Lyα absorption lines were successfully detected in the spectra of five quasars, at impact parameters of up to âŒ170 h75-1 kpc from the center of the nearby galaxy, and in each case at wavelengths consistent with the galaxy's redshift. Our observations include the lowest redshift Lyα lines detected to date. H I velocity fields were obtained at the Very Large Array for three of the galaxies in our sample (in one case the velocity field was available from the literature) to derive their rotation curves. When comparing the inner rotation curves of the galaxies with the velocity at large radius provided by the Lyα line, it is apparent that it is very difficult to explain the observed Lyα velocity as due to gas in an extended rotating disk. In most cases, one would need to invoke large warps in the outer gas disks and also thick gas disks to reconcile the observed velocities with the predicted ones. Indeed, in one case, the Lyα line velocity indicates, in fact, counterrotation with respect to the inner disk rotation. In light of these results, we conclude that in a typical galaxy there is no longer detectable atomic gas corotating in an extended disk at radii greater than 35α-1, where α-1 is the stellar disk exponential scale length. The cosmic web is the most likely origin for the detected Lyα lines. Our observations confirm the recent Bowen et al. correlation of equivalent widths with the local volume density of galaxies around the sight line, and the observed equivalent widths of the lines are consistent with expectations of the cosmic web