FEMININE SEXUALITIES IN CHICK LIT

Feminists have offered highly contested readings of whether the depiction of active feminine sexual subjectivities in some popular cultural genres is progressive or regressive in feminist terms. This article aims to contribute to these debates by exploring representations of women's sexualities in a selection of texts by Marian Keyes, a popular Irish writer of contemporary fiction for women, known as chick lit. Following Charlotte Brunsdon, our study looks specifically for evidence of feminine sexual agency in these texts. The analysis reveals that Keyes's women are proactive in trying to stake out their own sexual territory in an assertive and fun-loving way. Their final efforts, though, look remarkably conventional in the form of heterosexual monogamous relationships, suggesting in feminist terms that these cultural shifts in representations are neither straightforwardly progressive nor regressive.     

What Is the Hidden Figure of Delinquency in Girls? Scaling Up From Police Charges to Self-Reports

Research on males shows discrepancies between official records and self-reports of delinquency, thus creating a scaling-up factor. Comparable information for girls is still needed. We investigated discrepancies (scaling up factors) from official records to self-reports in a large sample of girls between ages 12 and 17 (N = 2,450). On average there were three self-reported juvenile female offenders for every individual charged by the police, and for every police charge there were four offenses that were committed. The scaling-up factor was highest in early adolescence, indicating that female offenders at a young age were more likely to stay undetected by the police. The scaling-up factor was significantly lower for African American than white girls: a higher proportion of African American delinquent girls were charged by the police. Racial differences in scaling up were significant only for prevalence, not for frequency of offending. Knowledge about scaling-up factors is important for the design and implementation of intervention programs. We discuss racial differences, implications for justice administration, and practical implications for intervention science.     

The couple relationship when the female partner has an acquired physical disability

ABSTRACT

‘Whereas the couple relationship is described to be the relationship which is typically the most impacted by disability, spousal support is presented to be the most important form of support following such. To date little is known about the exchange of support and the impact of an acquired physical disability on the couple relationship, especially when considering the perspectives of both partners. Taking a feminist, a resilience and a systemic perspective, this paper seeks to address these gaps by presenting the stories told by three heterosexual couples in whom the females sustained an acquired locomotor disability in the course of the relationship. Individual and joint semi-structured interviews were held with each participating couple. The aim was to systemically understand how the beliefs, ideas and attitudes of each partner mutually contributed to the resilience and maintenance of the couple unit over time, taking also into consideration the contextual factors which helped or hindered the couples in this process.Thematic narrative analysis of the stories told showed how coping post-disability was brought about by mutual and reciprocal circular patterns of interaction initiated and maintained within the couple relationship and influenced by the socio-cultural context. Whereas it was difficult to decipher which party had started off these processes, their occurrence over time limited the burden experienced by both parties because of the disability. The females in this study were empathic and endowed with a sense of gratitude whilst the males were caring and supportive. Both parties were determined to help each other in times of need and to survive the disability ordeal as a couple even if this entailed self-sacrifice and adjustment. Such research presents novel insights about couples impacted by an acquired locomotor disability and the practices and interventions which practitioners, clinicians and policy makers can adopt in supporting couples following such’.     

一起麻鸡鸡痘病毒与巴氏杆菌混合感染病例的诊断

为了对2011年10月长春市某鸡场的150多只60日龄麻鸡发生急性死亡,病死鸡在临床上出现食欲不振、精神委靡,鸡冠以及背部皮肤有结节状痘疹以及排黄绿色稀粪等临床症状的疾病进行确诊,通过细菌学检查、病毒分离鉴定、动物回归试验以及病理组织学观察等方法从病原学和病理学角度进行了系统的分析。病死鸡肝触片可见有典型的两极浓染的短杆菌;应用鸡痘病毒4b核心蛋白基因特异性引物的扩增结果为阳性;将痘疹病料处理上清液经尿囊绒毛膜途径接种9日龄SPF鸡胚,接种后第7天可见尿囊膜上形成有灰白色突起的痘斑;皮肤痘疹研磨处理上清液经电镜负染观察可见典型的痘病毒粒子。病理组织学观察结果表明,局部肝细胞发生变性、坏死,并伴有多量的异嗜性粒细胞浸润。根据上述实验室检测结果并结合临床症状进行综合分析,确诊该起病例为鸡痘病毒与巴氏杆菌混合感染所致。     

‘I Won't Go Back to It’: Irish Women Poets and the Iconic Feminine

This paper explores the dynamic interaction between contemporary Irish women poets and the notion of tradition in Irish poetry. Looking at the work of Eavan Boland, Susan Connolly, Paula Donlon, Mary Dorcey, Paula Meehan and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, the paper suggests that women poets today are subverting tradition and destabilizing a conventionally accepted fusion of the feminine with the national. This is achieved through direct challenge, through dislocation and through establishing a dialogue between the mythical and the real in the context of the lived experience of women in Ireland. Finally, the paper suggests the potential for civil and social effect of the work of women who engage consciously in the process of giving women an active voice.