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‘The embodiment of a prayer’: queer photography and visual culture as ordinary theology
No full textThis is a thesis about the survival of queer Christian symbols, their appearance where they might not be expected, and of how they accrete varied meanings as they travel through time, developing alternative histories. It is also a thesis about queer temporalities, about how the relationship between Christianity and queerness can illuminate the continuities between two queer moment, both at the Foucauldian nineteenth-century “birth” of our modern categories of sexuality and at their late-twentieth century post-modern deconstruction. It is about exploring the influence of Christianity, its images, symbols and narrative, on how queer people have understood, and continue to understand, themselves, but also on how the modern concept of homosexuality has been a formative “other” which has shaped and influenced Christianity. And it is about certain visual strategies of resistance, decadence, kitsch, camp, reframing and citation, through which queer artists at the end of both centuries have staked a claim upon the Christian tradition, not simply to assert their right to one of the principal representational languages of Western society, but to look for and to reveal moments in the history of Western art, culture and religion, past and present, which have been, and remain, powerfully and subversively queer.</p
Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing: contrasting approaches to evaluation of factor structure
No full textObjectives: Cognitive theories and previous research on cognitive performance suggest a hierarchical pattern of interrelationships among cognitive tests, but the psychometric properties of the same tests may change when adapted for a different context or applied to a different population. We evaluated the factor structure of a cognitive battery of tests using an exploratory, data-driven approach and a confirmatory, theory-driven approach. Design: We estimated exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Agreement between the results based on the EFA and CFA approaches was evaluated by contrasting the identified domains and their corresponding items. Setting: Epidemiologic cohort study in England. Participants: Adults aged 65+ in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Measurements: Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol battery of cognitive tests, adapted for the English context. Results: Both the EFA and CFA solutions yielded adequate model fit (RMSEA's 0.92; SRMRʼsConclusions: This study provides an important cautionary tale for factor analytic approaches to evaluating domain structures when the tests available for factor analysis do not encompass a broad enough content of the construct: a factor solution is only as good as the bank of available items.</p
“I’m Not as Gay as Some Other Queer People”: Exploring Bi + Men’s Perceptions of Masculinity and Sexual Identity
No full textResearch has highlighted the constraints imposed on bi + people as they navigate sexual and romantic encounters within a society which privileges exclusive attraction to one gender. For bi + men, these expectations are complicated by hegemonic masculine norms which dictate the boundaries of gender expression. This qualitative study explores how bi + men navigate the boundaries of normative gender and sexual expression in constructing a bisexual-masculine identity. Twenty-two cisgender bi + men participated in semi-structured interviews, where they were invited to discuss their beliefs about bisexuality and masculinity. The findings explore the ways that bi + men navigate the borders of hetero- and queer masculinities in constructing a bisexual-masculine identity, identifying traits and characteristics which affirm a sense of masculinity. The findings also identify the barriers bi + men experience in aligning their masculine and bisexual identities, which often led to a feeling of liminality and erasure of their bisexual identity.</p
Four-centre, multielectron monding in rare-earth germole sandwich complexes
No full textReduction of the germole-ligated sandwich complexes [(η5-CpGe)M(η5-Cpttt)]2 (1M, M = Y, Gd, Dy) with one or two equivalents of KC8/2.2.2-cryptand produces [{(η5-CpGe)M(η5-Cpttt)}2]− (2M) and [{(η5-CpGe)M(η5-Cpttt)}2]2− (3M), respectively, as salts of [K(2.2.2-cryptand)]+ (CpGe = [GeC4-2,5-(SiMe3)2–3,4-Me2]2−, Cpttt = 1,2,4-C5tBu3H2. X-ray crystallography shows that the bond lengths within the central {M2Ge2} rings contract markedly with each reduction. Computational analysis reveals the presence of unusual four-center, multielectron {M2Ge2} bonds, with the reduction increasing the germanium–germanium and metal–germanium bond orders while reducing the metal-Cpttt bond order. Analysis of 2Y by EPR spectroscopy reveals delocalization of the unpaired spin across both yttrium centers. Magnetic measurements on radical-bridged 2Gd show a large exchange coupling constant of −95 cm−1 (−2 J formalism). Single-molecule magnet behavior is found for the dysprosium–germole complexes. Complexes 1Y, 2Y, and 3Y can be interconverted by one-electron oxidation or reduction reactions of 2Y, which itself can also be formed by comproportionation of 1Y and 3Y. The masked divalent reactivity of 3Y is demonstrated through one-electron reduction of 2,2′-bipyridyl to give [(η5-CpGe)Y(η5-Cpttt)(2,2′-bipy)]− (4Y) and activation of Ph2Se2 to give [(η5-CpGe)Y(η5-Cpttt)(SePh)]− (5Y).</p
Peripheral ephaptic interactions during rapid odour onset asynchrony in the olfactory system of<i> Drosophila melanogaster</i>
No full textInsects, like many animals, rely heavily on olfaction to locate food sources and mates, and to avoid predators. Flying insects such as Drosophila melanogaster exhibit a particularly refined ability to interpret complex odour plumes. In addition to identifying individual odorants and their intensities, effective plume navigation also depends on interpreting the temporal dynamics embedded within them. This capacity is typically attributed to lateral inhibition in the antennal lobe. However, lateral inhibition mediated by non-synaptic “ephaptic” interactions (NSIs) between co-housed olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) has also been proposed as a complementary mechanism contributing to early olfactory processing. This project investigates the hypothesis that NSIs constitute a peripheral mechanism critical for interpreting the rapid temporal fluctuations characteristic of natural, mixed odour stimuli. To test this, I developed methods for acquiring electro- physiological, behavioural, and computational data. First, to deliver precisely timed, ORN-selective odour stimuli, I contributed to the development of an open- source, dual-channel high-precision olfactometer. Second, I established protocols for extracellular single sensillum recordings (SSRs). To address the technical challenge of sorting overlapping spikes from co-housed neurons, I also developed methods for validating spike sorting accuracy and contributed to the development of a spike- sorting software extension capable of deconstructing overlapping waveforms. Using these tools, I show that NSIs are elicited by rapidly fluctuating stimuli typical of natural plumes, not only by steady-state background odours as previously reported. However, the effective strength of NSIs diminishes under high-speed stimulation, with minimal evidence of inhibition during simultaneous odour delivery. Computational modelling confirms these findings are consistent with the electrical properties of the sensillum and suggests NSI magnitude is largely determined by the adaptation state of the inhibited ORN. Overall, these results indicate that substantial NSI- mediated inhibition arises mainly when one ORN is adapted, and that NSIs are therefore unlikely to encode high-speed temporal features of complex odour stimuli. Instead, they may contribute more to the peripheral processing of slower odour components, supporting functions such as novelty detection.</p
Food quality is associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among recovered COVID-19 patients: finding from a case-control study.
No full textFollowing up with recovered coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is necessary. Given the importance of psychological function accompanied by significant effects of food quality, we want to examine the association between food quality score (FQS) and mental disorders among recovered COVID-19 patients. This case-control study was performed on 246 eligible adults. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to evaluate dietary intake. We using Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaires to evaluate the psychological function. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for score categories of the FQS index and psychological function in multivariate-adjusted models. Only in case subjects, we found significant associations between adherence to the FQS diet and depression, anxiety, and stress in the crude model (OR, 0.796, 95% CI, 0.661-0.958, p = 0.016; OR, 0.824, 95% CI, 0.707-0.960, p = 0.013; OR, 0.824, 95% CI, 0.709-0.956, p = 0.011, respectively). These associations remained significant in all two adjusted models. However, no significant associations were found between FQS and psychological functions in the control group. Our data suggests that overall food quality intake is associated with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms during the post-infection period. Also, adequate daily intakes of fruits, legumes, nuts, and whole grains are associated with reduced risks of psychological impairment and sleep disorders which are common among recovered patients.</p
Under-served groups and myalgic encephalomyelitis research workshop; multiple barriers to effective healthcare, research and public participation
No full textPublic involvement in research and other initiatives for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) (also known as chronic fatigue syndrome) has been crucial in raising awareness of the disease and exposing inadequate healthcare and research funding. An online workshop on ME research and under-served groups took place in July 2024, organised by the first author, a person with ME. The workshop illustrated very low prevalence and thus barriers to healthcare as well as limited research in people from under-served groups, who appear doubly disadvantaged by their illness and their socioeconomic and/or ethnic background. Three particular challenges were suggested to account for these disparities: stigma, lack of knowledge (within the general public, amongst healthcare workers and policy makers) and lack of power, particularly in improving current deficiencies. These challenges appear to be significant factors in preventing increased research funding and healthcare provision for ME generally. We call on government and funding bodies to provide strategic funding to correct years of systemic under-resourcing. Widespread educational initiatives should alert healthcare workers and the public to the possible presence of ME in people from under-served groups. Research is now urgently needed to understand the barriers to diagnosis and care for people with this illness, particularly for those from under-served groups. Patient or Public Contribution: The first author, a person with ME, was a patient representative on the government-initiated Research Working Group. As a result, she organised a series of online workshops on ME clinical research, attended by researchers, clinicians, charity representatives and people with ME. She directed the workshops and people with ME actively participated in the discussions. The last workshop examined ME research and under-served groups. The workshop was chaired by the third author and attended by the second author. The first author conceived the article and wrote it in consultation with the second and third authors.</p
Animal feeding stuffs and the transition to dairy farming in UK agriculture, 1870 to 1918
No full textThis article explores the early development of the commercial animal feed industry and its relationship with dairy farming in Britain. The UK animal feed industry developed rapidly from the 1850s to 1914, in particular with the invention of the novel product of compound feeds. Compound feeds are one of the foundation technologies of modern intensive rearing, yet historians know relatively little of their origins. Compound feeds were invented and popularised first in the UK, notably as mechanisms to permit the early weaning of calves, thus releasing more liquid milk for human consumption. From 1870 to 1914 compound feeds contributed to increased milk yield and greater stocking densities in the UK dairy herd. This permitted the UK to continue to be self-sufficient in fresh milk and to meet the rapid increase in consumer demand for fresh milk. But during the First World War, the imposition of controls by the UK government over the animal feed industry led to a reduction in supplies of feedstuffs, which in turn led to a significant fall in milk yields, thus providing confirmation of the significance of animal feeds’ contribution to the prewar increase in milk yields in UK dairy farming.</p
Addressing cognitive symptoms in people with HIV: outcomes from a holistic screening and management pathway
No full textObjective: To describe the implementation and outcomes of a cognitive screening and management pathway in people living with HIV within a large UK HIV service.Methods: Since 2021, cognitive symptoms have been screened during routine HIV appointments using the cognitive screening questions endorsed by the European AIDS Clinical Society. Symptomatic individuals underwent the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); scores Results: Of the 2662 individuals attending the HIV service, 1518 (57%) received screening; 155 (10%) reported symptoms (mean age was 59.5 ± 11.6; 93.5% VL Conclusions: Implementing a cognitive screening and management pathway in routine HIV care is feasible. In individuals receiving management, cognitive performance generally remained stable or improved, highlighting the potential benefit of personalised interventions addressing holistic factors associated with cognitive impairment in people with HIV.</p
Recognition and integration: examining multiculturalism’s role in preventing radicalisation
No full textThis paper examines the relationship between sentiments of disenfranchisement and the radicalisation process among certain groups within society. Systematic social, economic and political discrimination, particularly against minorities, is argued to be among the primary driving factors in the radicalisation process. Multiculturalism, as a concept that recognises the differences amongst various segments of society whilst simultaneously requiring these diverse groups to integrate into existing societal structures. The notions of difference and diversity are pertinent in determining whether an individual or group experiences inclusion or exclusion from the broader society. This paper explores how Jürgen Habermas’s concept of the politics of recognition could be applied within the framework of multiculturalism to prevent radicalisation. Specifically, the outcomes of multiculturalism will be assessed in light of the progressive recognition of different views and ideologies in ensuring universal human rights. In doing so, the paper will first critically examine the view that cultural differences associated with political identity do not necessarily facilitate the building of a coherent society. Secondly, it will consider the implications of multifarious elements of political recognition in preventing radicalisation. Finally, it will explore the ways in which multiculturalism can sustainably address the challenges of integration and assimilation within multicultural societies.</p