Lovers and (Boy) Friends: Shifting Identities in Japanese BL Manga

As academic scholarship on the Japanese popular media genre known as Boys’ Love has been focused upon the genre’s fan culture and female readers, this thesis project aims to move away from the fans and to the texts in order to explore how the genre is in conversation with changes in societal understandings of same-sex sexuality in Japan. Following brief introductions of four portrayals of men that are commonly found in Japanese popular media, three contemporary manga titles are analyzed to explore how the authors negotiate the narrative conventions of the Boys’ Love genre with the shifting understandings of same-sex sexuality vis-à-vis the visual appearance of the characters, the role of these characters in their fictionalized societies, and the settings wherein the narratives take place

Policies on doctors’ declaration of interests in medical organisations : a thematic analysis

ObjectivesThere has been growing concern about doctors? conflicts of interests (COIs) but it is unclear what processes and tools exist to enable the consistent declaration and management of such interests. This study mapped existing policies across a variety of organisations and settings to better understand the degree of variation and identify opportunities for improvement.DesignThematic analysis.Setting and ParticipantsWe studied the COI policies of 31 UK and international organisations which set or influence professional standards or engage doctors in healthcare commissioning and provision settings.Main outcome measures:Organisational policy similarities and differences.ResultsMost policies (29/31) referred to the need for individuals to apply judgement when deciding whether an interest is a conflict, with just over half (18/31) advocating a low threshold. Policies differed on the perception of frequency of COI, the timings of declarations, the type of interests that needed to be declared, and how COI and policy breaches should be managed. Just 14/31 policies stated a duty to report concerns in relation to COI. Only 18/31 policies advised COI would be published, while three stated that any disclosures would remain confidential.ConclusionsThe analysis of organisational policies revealed wide variation in what interests should be declared, when and how. This variation suggests that the current system may not be adequate to maintain a high level of professional integrity in all settings and that there is a need for better standardisation that reduces the risk of errors while addressing the needs of doctors, organisations and the public.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Transpired solar collector installations in Wales and England

Transpired Solar Collectors (TSCs) are a relatively new solar energy technology to the UK building-integrated renewable energy market. Since the first UK TSC was integrated with a profiling mill in County Durham in 2005, a further 19 commercial installations have ensued and have a combined absorber area totaling over 12,500 m2. Wales and England are home to some architecturally and technically innovative TSC designs. These include one of the world’s largest TSCs, a Cassette-Panel TSC array with special high-absorptivity selective coating and a TSC integrated with diurnal thermal storage. To accelerate the development of TSCs in Wales, the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) funded Sustainable Building Envelope Demonstration (SBED) project will monitor eight full-scale TSCs over two years to generate robust data on the feasibility of the technology

Transpired solar collector installations in Wales and England

Transpired Solar Collectors (TSCs) are a relatively new solar energy technology to the UK building-integrated renewable energy market. Since the first UK TSC was integrated with a profiling mill in County Durham in 2005, a further 19 commercial installations have ensued and have a combined absorber area totaling over 12,500m². Wales and England are home to some architecturally and technically innovative TSC designs. These include one of the world’s largest TSCs, a Cassette-Panel TSC array with special high-absorptivity selective coating and a TSC integrated with diurnal thermal storage. To accelerate the development of TSCs in Wales, the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) funded Sustainable Building Envelope Demonstration (SBED) project will monitor eight full-scale TSCs over two years to generate robust data on the feasibility of the technology

A robust system for RNA interference in the chicken using a modified microRNA operon

AbstractRNA interference (RNAi) provides an effective method to silence gene expression and investigate gene function. However, RNAi tools for the chicken embryo have largely been adapted from vectors designed for mammalian cells. Here we present plasmid and retroviral RNAi vectors specifically designed for optimal gene silencing in chicken cells. The vectors use a chicken U6 promoter to express RNAs modelled on microRNA30, which are embedded within chicken microRNA operon sequences to ensure optimal Drosha and Dicer processing of transcripts. The chicken U6 promoter works significantly better than promoters of mammalian origin and in combination with a microRNA operon expression cassette (MOEC), achieves up to 90% silencing of target genes. By using a MOEC, we show that it is also possible to simultaneously silence two genes with a single vector. The vectors express either RFP or GFP markers, allowing simple in vivo tracking of vector delivery. Using these plasmids, we demonstrate effective silencing of Pax3, Pax6, Nkx2.1, Nkx2.2, Notch1 and Shh in discrete regions of the chicken embryonic nervous system. The efficiency and ease of use of this RNAi system paves the way for large-scale genetic screens in the chicken embryo

The Iowa Homemaker vol.23, no.10

Keeping Up With Today, Marilyn Clayton, page 2 Victory Canning Corps, Corinne Cunningham, page 3 Posters for South America, Frances Kerekes, page 4 Choosing Your College, Clara M. Brown, page 5 For Random Reading, Lila Mae Hummel, page 7 Wanted: More Home Economics, Victoria McKibben, page 9 Teaching Field Broadens in Scope, Norma Shellito, page 10 Food Customs from the Phillipines, Soledad Payawal, page 11 Sheer Simplicity, Josephine Ahern, page 12 Association Benefits Graduates, Zoe Wilson, page 14 Forecasting Textile Supply, Elizabeth Peterson, page 15 What’s New in Home Economics, Mildred Krogh, page 16 Packaging for Post War Foods, Virginia Carter, page 18 Challenge from Latin America, Delores Stewart, page 19 Designed for Individuality, Gertrude Richards, page 21 More Products from Plastics, Mary Elizabeth Lush, page 23 Fashions in Weeds, Marilyn Baker, page 24 Across Alumnae Desks, Harriet Keen, page 26 Rehabilitation Challenges Home Economist, Marian Hoppe, page 28 Alums in the News, Patricia Maddex, page 30 Electronics Change Food Flavors, Barbara Reader, page 3

Diet, physical activity and behavioural interventions for the treatment of overweight or obese children from the age of 6 to 11 years

Background: Child and adolescent overweight and obesity has increased globally, and can be associated with significant short- and longterm health consequences. This is an update of a Cochrane Review published first in 2003, and updated previously in 2009. However, the update has now been split into six reviews addressing different childhood obesity treatments at different ages. Objectives: To assess the effects of diet, physical activity and behavioural interventions (behaviour-changing interventions) for the treatment of overweight or obese children aged 6 to 11 years. Search methods: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, LILACS as well as trial registers ClinicalTrials.gov and RsdI1401 Diet, physical activity and behavioural interventions for the treatment of overweight or obese children from th... 2 / 499 ICTRP Search Portal. We checked references of studies and systematic reviews. We did not apply any language restrictions. The date of the last search was July 2016 for all databases. Selection criteria: We selected randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of diet, physical activity, and behavioural interventions (behaviour-changing interventions) for treating overweight or obese children aged 6 to 11 years, with a minimum of six months' follow-up. We excluded interventions that specifically dealt with the treatment of eating disorders or type 2 diabetes, or included participants with a secondary or syndromic cause of obesity. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently screened references, extracted data, assessed risk of bias, and evaluated the quality of the evidence using the GRADE instrument. We contacted study authors for additional information. We carried out metaanalyses according to the statistical guidelines in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Main results: We included 70 RCTs with a total of 8461 participants randomised to either the intervention or control groups. The number of participants per trial ranged from 16 to 686. Fifty-five trials compared a behaviour-changing intervention with no treatment/usual care control and 15 evaluated the effectiveness of adding an additional component to a behaviour-changing intervention. Sixty-four trials were parallel RCTs, and four were cluster RCTs. Sixty-four trials were multicomponent, two were diet only and four were physical activity only interventions. Ten trials had more than two arms. The overall quality of the evidence was low or very low and 62 trials had a high risk of bias for at least one criterion. Total duration of trials ranged from six months to three years. The median age of participants was 10 years old and the median BMI z score was 2.2. Primary analyses demonstrated that behaviour-changing interventions compared to no treatment/usual care control at longest follow-up reduced BMI, BMI z score and weight. Mean difference (MD) in BMI was -0.53 kg/m2 (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.82 to -0.24); P < 0.00001; 24 trials; 2785 participants; low-quality evidence. MD in BMI z score was -0.06 units (95% CI -0.10 to -0.02); P = 0.001; 37 trials; 4019 participants; low-quality evidence and MD in weight was -1.45 kg (95% CI -1.88 to -1.02); P < 0.00001; 17 trials; 1774 participants; low-quality evidence. Thirty-one trials reported on serious adverse events, with 29 trials reporting zero occurrences RR 0.57 (95% CI 0.17 to 1.93); P = 0.37; 4/2105 participants in the behaviour-changing intervention groups compared with 7/1991 participants in the comparator groups). Few trials reported health-related quality of life or behaviour change outcomes, and none of the analyses demonstrated a substantial difference in these outcomes between intervention and control. In two trials reporting on minutes per day of TV viewing, a small reduction of 6.6 minutes per day (95% CI -12.88 to -0.31), P = 0.04; 2 trials; 55 participants) was found in favour of the intervention. No trials reported on all-cause mortality, morbidity or socioeconomic effects, and few trials reported on participant views; none of which could be meta-analysed. As the meta-analyses revealed substantial heterogeneity, we conducted subgroup analyses to examine the impact of type of comparator, type of intervention, risk of attrition bias, setting, duration of post-intervention follow-up period, parental involvement and baseline BMI z score. No subgroup effects were shown for any of the subgroups on any of the outcomes. Some data indicated that a reduction in BMI immediately post-intervention was no longer evident at follow-up at less than six months, which has to be investigated in further trials. Authors' conclusions: Multi-component behaviour-changing interventions that incorporate diet, physical activity and behaviour change may be beneficial in achieving small, short-term reductions in BMI, BMI z score and weight in children aged 6 to 11 years. The evidence suggests a very low occurrence of adverse events. The quality of the evidence was low or very low. The heterogeneity observed across all outcomes was not explained by subgrouping. Further research is required of behaviourchanging interventions in lower income countries and in children from different ethnic groups; also on the impact of behaviour-changing interventions on health-related quality of life and comorbidities. The sustainability of reduction in BMI/BMI z score and weight is a key consideration and there is a need for longer-term follow-up and further research on the most appropriate forms of post-intervention maintenance in order to ensure intervention benefits are sustained over the longer term

Poor Potential Coverage for 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, Malawi

Streptococcus pneumoniae infections can be prevented by using new conjugate vaccines, but these vaccines have limited serogroup coverage. We report the first serogrouping data from carried and invasive isolates obtained from children and adults in Malawi. The 7-valent vaccine would cover 41% of invasive isolates from children and 25% from adults. A 9-valent vaccine, including types 1 and 5, would cover 66% of invasive isolates from children and 55% from adults

'To live and die [for] Dixie': Irish civilians and the Confederate States of America

Around 20,000 Irishmen served in the Confederate army in the Civil War. As a result, they left behind, in various Southern towns and cities, large numbers of friends, family, and community leaders. As with native-born Confederates, Irish civilian support was crucial to Irish participation in the Confederate military effort. Also, Irish civilians served in various supporting roles: in factories and hospitals, on railroads and diplomatic missions, and as boosters for the cause. They also, however, suffered in bombardments, sieges, and the blockade. Usually poorer than their native neighbours, they could not afford to become 'refugees' and move away from the centres of conflict. This essay, based on research from manuscript collections, contemporary newspapers, British Consular records, and Federal military records, will examine the role of Irish civilians in the Confederacy, and assess the role this activity had on their integration into Southern communities. It will also look at Irish civilians in the defeat of the Confederacy, particularly when they came under Union occupation. Initial research shows that Irish civilians were not as upset as other whites in the South about Union victory. They welcomed a return to normalcy, and often 'collaborated' with Union authorities. Also, Irish desertion rates in the Confederate army were particularly high, and I will attempt to gauge whether Irish civilians played a role in this. All of the research in this paper will thus be put in the context of the Drew Gilpin Faust/Gary Gallagher debate on the influence of the Confederate homefront on military performance. By studying the Irish civilian experience one can assess how strong the Confederate national experiment was. Was it a nation without a nationalism