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Subverting Norms and Shaping Perceptions: Strictly Come Dancing as a Site for Social Change?
No full textThis paper examines how the popular BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing and its casting and choreography challenge traditional norms of gender roles and body perceptions in dance. The research draws on dance theory, media studies, and social justice concepts to interrogate how the show's portrayal of diverse bodies can influence broader societal attitudes. We explore the evolving representation of gender and disability on Strictly with an emphasis on the inclusion of disabled participants and same-sex pairings. Strictly has sparked significant public discourse and media attention regarding these issues. By analysing archival footage and the outcomes of an AHRC-funded public engagement project, the paper evaluates the success and limitations of Strictly in fostering representation. Through the inclusion of non-normative bodies in mainstream entertainment, the show offers a platform for challenging traditional representations of masculinity, femininity, and physical ability. Ultimately, the paper draws attention to how dance on television can serve as a site of both resistance and reinforcement of societal norms, highlighting the importance of equitable representation in shaping public perceptions of gender and disability
Numerical analysis of the acoustic pressure inside blood vessel with exposure to high-intensity focused ultrasound
No full textThis study investigates acoustic pressure distribution in blood vessels under high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for sonothrombolysis (STL). A tissue-mimicking phantom (skin, fat, muscle, blood) was modeled, and pressure was calculated using the Westervelt equation. Results show peak pressure increases with frequency (0.5–2 MHz), while attenuation intensifies with higher power, frequency, and vessel depth (10–30 mm). Frequencies above 1.1 MHz caused greater attenuation, influenced by skin (1–5 mm) and fat (2–7 mm) thicknesses. Below 1.1 MHz, consistent HIFU power yields similar clinical outcomes across patients, aiding STL treatment optimization.</p
Surface treatment of Alfa fibers to improve mechanical performance and matrix compatibility in sustainable bio-composites
No full textAlfa fiber/unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) bio-composites were enhanced in this study using a dual chemical treatment consisting of sodium hydroxide (NaOH, 10%) and acetic acid (CH₃COOH, 20%). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis indicated reduced hemicellulose bands with partial wax persistence, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a roughened fiber surface. Composites (10–30 phr) were molded and post-cured at 45 °C. Relative to neat UPR (6.30 MPa), tensile strength peaked at 10.3 MPa at 15–20 phr ( ≈ + 63% vs. matrix), followed by a decline due to fiber agglomeration at higher loadings. Chemical treatment increased ductility, with elongation-at-break rising from 4.85% (10 phr, untreated) to 7.15% (10 phr, treated; ≈+47%). Unnotched Izod impact strength reached 2.5 kJ m⁻² at 20 phr, indicating optimal dispersion at intermediate contents. Treated composites exhibited lower water uptake than untreated ones at equal loading and showed increased Shore hardness with fiber addition. The results demonstrate that a simple alkali–acetylation sequence improves fiber/matrix compatibility and mechanical performance while defining processing windows (15–20 phr) that minimize clustering. This study brings something new by using a very simple dual treatment (NaOH + CH₃COOH) on Alfa fibers, which are still not much studied. The work shows that this approach can clearly improve the bond between fiber and resin, giving better tensile and impact strength. It also defines the best fiber loading range (15–20 phr), which can guide practical use of Alfa fibers in sustainable composites
James Ensor’s Veiled Modernity – Re-imagining a Liminal Urban Art
No full textJames Ensor’s omnivorous interest in the art of the past to rework modern art, as acknowledged, is a pivotal inspiration for his distinctive, uncanny vision of cultural modernity. His deep cross-temporal attraction to late medieval, Gothic art, especially from c. 1900s however, is less well treated, and is the core concern of this article. Discussion opens new insights into the allure of pre-modern art for Ensor’s creative practice, in the context of his exposure to the 1902 Bruges ‘Primitifs Flamands’ exhibition and its array of Flemish so-called ‘primitive’ and early German art, as well as in relation to Ensor’s interactions with a circle of artists and more globalizing interests beyond Belgium. Taking as its focus, Ensor’s evolving response to the late 19th-century urban-scape, the paper explores his potent re-workings of the medieval Dance of Death, cathedral, Christ as the Man of Sorrows and Marian iconographies, to transform the modern city and artistic experience of it into a site of liminality, alterity and difference. Turning first to Ensor’s oneiric vision of grotesques and rituals, overarched by a fantastical Gothic cathedral in his 1886 The Cathedral, discussion goes on to consider Ensor’s substantial development of these ideas in key later works: notably his 1898 Entry of Christ into Brussels and the darkly devotional, 1913 Furnes - Procession of Penitents. The paper’s final part sheds light on the close resonances between Ensor’s use of the Gothic and his contemporaries’, in particular, Edvard Munch’s and Max Klinger’s, to re-imagine the city as a space of veiled and uncanny pasts, the portals to a many-layered and different modernity
Joint Doctoral Programmes as a Platform for Global Citizenship Education Between the United Kingdom and South Africa
No full textThis chapter examines how a Global South-North joint doctoral degree programme between the UK and South Africa is serving as a platform for fostering Global Citizenship Education (GCE). Emphasizing the collaborative and cross-cultural dimensions of the programme, we present and discuss the complex interplay of factors (experienced as both opportunities and hurdles) to overcome in supporting international joint doctoral degrees. In particular our goals are to share a) how our joint doctorate degree programme is facilitating GCE across our global South-North contexts, b ) the broader implications in preparing doctorate candidates and supervisors for active participation in a globalized world, c) how joint doctoral degrees serve to develop early career researcher’s critical skills for civic literacy, and d) how our joint venture has created challenges and opportunities for challenging institutional hierarchies and establishments. We conclude with suggestions on ways institutions may think through the design and delivery of joint degree programmes of this nature as a useful conceptual tool through which to explore doctoral pedagogy from a more globally equitable perspective
What We See When Invited To Look Differently:Critical Reflections On Socially Engaged Photography
No full textThis in-conversation text is the result of multiple exchanges around different projects and contexts of practice undertaken by Anthony Luvera over the course of his career. Driven by a desire to explore Socially Engaged Photography (SEP) within an expanded critical framework, Gary Bratchford and Anthony Luvera discuss the logics of neoliberalism; representational responsibility; the use of data as a mode of address in the context of SEP; the politics of the ‘invitation’; and the triangulated partnership between subject, photographer, and audience as productive space for political engagement
Toxic:Critiquing an Infectious Error
No full textThe internet, we are told, is ‘toxic’ – an “implacable engine of addiction, loneliness, false hopes, cruelty, psychosis, indebtedness, squandered life, the corrosion of memory, and social disintegration.” This negative and widespread, and curiously biological, term for describing digital cultures and sociality is one that demands external intervention. Certainly, the internet has emerged as a discursive space in which misogyny, racism, and other forms of bigotry, are allowed to flourish; and it continues to offer users access to a range of content and services aimed more at eliciting ceaseless engagement than any positive mental or physical wellbeing outcomes. However, characterisations of such problematic digital phenomena – and often the internet as a whole - as ‘toxic’ serve a number of equally problematic social and political ends.Drawing on key critical research, etymologies of the term’s broader and longstanding use in public discourse, and a series of illustrative cases, in this chapter we interrogate uses of the term ‘toxic’ to describe the internet’s allegedly antisocial tendencies, even its very nature as a technology now fully embedded into every aspect of society. We explore what the metaphor is, and does, in debates over the role of the internet in our lives.<br/
S-acylation and neuroinflammation:the therapeutic potential of zDHHC and deacylase modulation
Full text linkNeuroinflammation is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, and infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Dynamic protein S-acylation, a reversible lipid post-translational modification, is an important regulator in these processes. S-acylation is catalysed by the zDHHC palmitoyl acyltransferases, and removal of the acyl groups is mediated by acyl-protein thioesterases. S-acylation controls the localisation, stability, and function of around 48 % of all proteins in the nervous system, including synaptic scaffolds, ion channels, immune receptors, and trafficking proteins. Moreover, dysregulated S-acylation contributes to synaptic loss, aberrant immune signalling, and neurodegeneration. This review examines proteins implicated in neuroinflammation with reported S-acylase or deacylase activity, outlines current knowledge on disease-related alterations in S-acylation, and assesses the therapeutic promise of available small-molecule modulators. Linking the activity of these enzymes with human disease highlights the potential of reversible S-acylation as a source of innovative targets for drug discovery in neuroinflammation.</p
Cognitive Processes of Signal Set from Entrepreneurs and the Importance of Herds in Equity Crowdfunding
No full textDrawing on a theoretical framework associated with the cognitive perspective, we propose that investors will rely on heuristic cognitive processes when signals from entrepreneurs are congruent or imbalanced incongruent. However, when signals are balanced incongruent, investors will engage in systematic cognitive processes that incorporate additional information from the herding behaviour of other investors. We find evidence supporting our hypotheses in a sample of campaigns listed on a UK equity crowdfunding platform. Further analysis employing advanced machine learning techniques reveals that investors engage more in systematic processes when signals from entrepreneurs are in a weak form of balanced incongruence rather than a strong form
“ … they can change their mind about anything”: temporality, citizenship, belonging and the Windrush Scandal
Full text linkGlobal attention was drawn to the social injustice of the Windrush Scandal. People who despite living in the UK for decades as British citizens, were categorised as “illegal immigrants”. Little scholarship attention is paid to temporality regarding the loss of citizenship after living as a British citizen. This article focuses on the temporal nature of citizenship and belonging. With a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 participants who directly experienced the Windrush Scandal. Four findings emerge. Firstly, the victims did not perceive the scandal as a single one-off experience but rather a cocktail mix of everyday bordering, experienced since arriving in the UK as children. Secondly, everyday life became precarious, changing behaviours of victims. Thirdly, victims were blamed by their families and friends as well as the state. Finally, victims believe that despite being granted their British citizenship, they fear for their future security