“Our biggest killer”: multimodal discourse representations of dementia in the British press

A recent (2016) Office for National Statistics report stated that dementia is now “the leading cause of death” in England and Wales. Ever fixated with the syndrome (an unfailingly newsworthy topic), the British press was quick to respond to the bulletin, consistently headlining that dementia was the nation’s “biggest killer,” while (re)formulating other aspects of the report in distorting and emotive metaphorical terms. In this paper we examine how the media, through use of a recurring set of linguistic and visual semiotic tropes, portrayed dementia as an agentive entity, a “killer,” which remorselessly attacks its “victims.” Such a broadly loaded and sensationalist representation, we argue, not only construed dementia as a direful and pernicious disease, but also, crucially, obscured the personal and social contexts in which the syndrome is understood and experienced (not least by people with dementia themselves). This intensely lurid type of representation not only fails to address the ageist misinformation and common misunderstandings that all too commonly surround dementia, but is also likely to exacerbate the stress and depression frequently experienced by people with dementia and their families.     

The sounds of silence: American history textbook representations of non-violence and the Abolition Movement

In this paper we examine how the Abolition Movement’s approach to non-violent resistance has been silenced in four American history textbooks. Despite extensive research that reveals an extensive network of groups dedicated to the peaceful abolishment of slavery little of this historical record is included in the textbooks. Instead, a skewed representation of the movement is conveyed to the reader, one that conveys an image of a movement that contributes to a climate of social violence. Through a critical discourse analytical approach to the data we carefully deconstruct how this process of misrepresentation occurs. By employing the discursive tools of narrative framing, positioning, and stance we lift up what is often hidden from the reader and demonstrate how language use communicates powerful social messaging to the reader. We argue that student readers are left with an impoverished sense of how non-violent democratic change has occurred when presented with a limited portrayal of the Abolition Movement. We therefore emphasize the importance of equipping students with the skills needed to critically interrogate both historical and contemporary sources that purports to convey the inevitability of war to resolve complex social problems; we maintain this is both an educational imperative and a civic obligation.     

FluMag-SELEX技术体外筛选识别氯胺酮的DNA适体

目的 利用FluMag-SELEX技术筛选出能特异性识别氯胺酮的DNA适体. 方法 体外合成78 bp的随机ssDNA文库,氯胺酮作为靶分子,表面修饰甲苯磺酰基的磁珠作为固相载体筛选特异性识别氯胺酮的适体.经过13轮筛选后进行DNA克隆测序,并进行一、二级结构分析.通过对荧光强度的分析检测适体的亲和性、特异性和Kd值. 结果 获得2条ssDNA适体Apt#4和Apt#8,能够特异性地与靶分子氯胺酮结合,Kd值分别为0.59和0.66 μmol/L.二级结构预测以茎环和G-四聚体为主,茎结构可能是适体结构稳定的基础,环和G-四聚体结构可能是与氯胺酮特异性结合的关键. 结论 FluMag-SELEX技术可以较好地提高适体的筛选效率,得到能特异性识别氯胺酮的DNA适体,有望用于氯胺酮的快速检测.     

指纹中化学成分免疫分析技术热点研究

指纹上覆盖着一排排的汗孔,分泌有特殊化学成分,诸如药物及其代谢物等,则反映着人体的生活习惯和代谢规律。在案件侦查和司法鉴定中,可以通过分析指纹中化学成分对指纹遗留者的过往行为进行刻画。指纹中化学成分的检测可以采用多种分析技术,主要包括红外光谱及红外光谱成像技术、拉曼光谱及拉曼成像技术、质谱技术、气相色谱法、液相色谱法以及色谱-质谱联用分析技术、免疫分析技术等,其中免疫分析技术是通过制备抗体并与纳米材料相结合,这种功能化的免疫材料显现含有特殊成分的指纹,在获得指纹形态的同时能分析指纹中化学成分,具有专属性好、灵敏度高、可视化等特点,有利于获得更多来源于指纹的个体信息。本文着重介绍了免疫技术在指纹中毒品、违禁药物,以及氨基酸成分的分析应用和进展。     

宗教批判之图式:知性、理性和实践

从启蒙思想家的理智性宗教到黑格尔的理性宗教再到马克思对宗教的解构,宗教批判图式经历了从知性、理性再到实践的深度延展。启蒙思想家和黑格尔对宗教之批判仍停驻于观念的王国中,费尔巴哈使批判从天国下降到尘世,实现了神学世俗化之还原,马克思以生产实践为解读依据,通过对宗教奥秘的经济学解码,敞开了被宗教遮蔽的历史内容,完成了宗教批判的实践转向。启蒙对宗教采取知性形而上学之批判方法,规避了宗教中飘忽不定的非理性要素,避居于理智之无可辩驳、永恒的自然法则中,建立了理智性宗教。黑格尔站在理性辩证批判之立场上,从宗教中汲取了人性最深刻的灵感和富源,克服了理智性宗教的道德缺位,把全部理智力量和道德力量扩展到上帝的概念中,使神学置于绝对理性辩证演化之下,建立了真正的理性宗教。马克思在实践基础上廓清了宗教史上对宗教本质的迷雾般幻象,以经济科学为依据,深度解读了经济异化与宗教异化之间的隐秘链接,显示了历史决定论的方法论力量。     

More women in the Tanzanian legislature: Do numbers matter?

This study examines the changes that followed the rise in the number of female parliamentarians in the Tanzanian legislature and the contextual factors undermining the potential power of the increased number of female MPs. As found in a number of other countries, with more women in parliament, women's interests, concerns and perspective have been better incorporated into parliamentary debates and policy-making in Tanzania. However, the increase in female parliamentary representation challenges the existence of the special-seat system that helped women reach a large minority. The effectiveness of female MPs in Tanzania will improve only with a stronger legislature and a sturdier opposition. If the special-seat system is to remain, a new selection mechanism that allows direct cross-party competition among special-seat candidates should be considered to bring better qualified women into parliament.     

An Exploratory Study into the Understandings and Awareness of Leadership Ethos and Its Inherent Critical Success Factors by Public Sector Officials in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Ministry of the National Economy (ECONAT)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to examine the understandings of public sector leaders about Leadership Ethos (LE) and its inherent Critical Success Factors(CSFs) looking at their application in the public policy implementation process. The study applied an adapted theoretical paradigm on leadership that borrows from the Western and African contexts. In the light of the aim and objective of the study, both the interview schedule and survey questionnaires were used to gather information with regard to LE and its inherent CSFs. In this view, a semi-structured interview schedule was used to guide both interviews with senior public officials - one in the DTI and one in the ECONAT. A survey questionnaire was administered to public officials at middle and lower management levels working and reporting directly to the interviewed senior public officials. The purpose of the questionnaire was to reduce personal biases inherent in the responses of the senior officials, which appear to be a challenge emerging from self-perception assessments. Research findings suggest that leaders at the DTI and the ECONAT do not sufficiently demonstrate an awareness of LE and its inherent CSFs in the practice of leadership. LE enables leaders garner followers’ trust and obtain their consent; encourage followers’ commitment to organisational goals; and introduce and encourage participatory decision making processes as key factors to successful public policy implementation.     

Women and (in)security: The case of the Philippines

Abstract

This paper takes as its starting point the need to address a gender void and northern‐centrism in the new/critical security agenda. Basing the paper on the security priorities of women in the Philippines, presented in the form of a ‘Security Pillar’, the paper examines how far new/critical security, and feminist security literature incorporates the concerns of women in Southeast Asia in the reconceptualization of security, and considers the ways in which security can be reformulated to address the security needs of women in Southeast Asia.     

基于网络技术的党校系统研究式教学探索

党校系统的研究式教学是倡导以学员的自主性学习为基础的一种全新的教学模式,基于网络技术的党校系统研究式教学以网络技术为媒介和手段,充分发挥网络技术在研究式教学中的作用,旨在培养学员的学习力和创造力。文章拟通过论述党校主体班教学如何在基于网络技术条件下进行研究式教学,探索适合党校主体班教学的新的教学模式。