Cortical and trabecular bone analysis of professional dancers using 3D-DXA: a case–control study

Given the lack of relevant data, the aim of this study was to examine femur cortical and trabecular bone in female and male professional ballet dancers. 40 professional ballet dancers and 40 sex- and age-matched non-exercising controls volunteered. Femoral bone density was scanned by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. A 3D-DXA software was used to analyse trabecular and cortical bone. Anthropometry, maturation (Tanner staging), menstrual parameters (age at menarche and primary amenorrhea), energy availability and nutritional analysis (3-day record) were also assessed.Compared to non-exercising participants, dancers exhibited significantly higher volumetric density for integral, cortical and trabecular bone, and thicker cortex at the femur. Ballet dancers demonstrated lower body weight compared to controls (p < 0.01). Female dancers had their menarche later than controls, and the prevalence of primary amenorrhea were significantly higher in dancers than controls (p < 0.01). Dancer’s energy availability was below the normal range (<30 kcal/kgFFM/day). Despite the presence of certain osteoporosis risk factors such as low energy availability, primary amenorrhoea and lower body weight, professional ballet dancers revealed higher bone density for both cortical and trabecular bone compartments compared to controls.     

Timing is everything: the demarcation of 'later' abortions in Scotland

Feminist STS analyses of contemporary reproductive medicine have illustrated the proliferation of practices that position fetuses as individual subjects, and have highlighted the major implications of such practices for pregnant women. In an attempt to challenge medicine's claims to 'know' the fetus, this body of literature has also demonstrated the renegotiable basis of pregnant/fetal subjectivity, using detailed empirical analyses of the practices through which particular pregnant and fetal subjects emerge in particular contexts. In this paper I contribute to this endeavour utilizing an empirical case study of an important, but neglected aspect of reproductive healthcare: the demarcation of temporal thresholds on abortion provision in the absence of diagnosed fetal abnormality. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with Scottish health professionals, I explore the discursive practices through which they demarcate 'later' abortion as a problematic decision. I argue that such practices are intimately dependent on particular co-constructions of temporality and pregnant/fetal subjectivity, and support this argument with reference to the counter-representations of the gestational timing of abortion that emerge from a minority of health professionals' accounts. I suggest that, collectively, this body of data illustrates the opportunities that (re)presenting temporality would afford those engaged in attempts to foster the construction of less oppressive pregnant/fetal subjectivities. My broader aim is to illustrate the insights that feminist theorizations of pregnant/fetal subjectivity gain from explicit engagement with another important theme of contemporary STS scholarship, namely, the constitutive role played by representations of temporality in technoscientific innovation and practice.     

Bodily practices and discourses of hetero‐femininity: girls' constitution of subjectivities in their social transition between childhood and adolescence

In foregrounding how girls use their bodies when negotiating subjectivities as adolescents, this paper explores possible ways of doing, being and becoming an adolescent girl in urban, multicultural school contexts. Drawing on interview material generated through a longitudinal qualitative study of children's social transitions between childhood and adolescence, the paper more specifically examines how girls constitute subjectivities through bodily practices which position them according to dominant discourses of hetero‐femininity. The paper goes on to argue that the way in which girls negotiate these discourses through practices on and with their bodies has a significant impact on how they subsequently experience their social transition between childhood and adolescence.     

“The Press Motivated Me”: Life Histories with the Media in Brazil

Brazil, with commercial broadcasting and a political press, moved from dictatorship to democracy during the transition after Franco in Spain, with its noncommercial system. This coincidence creates a natural experiment in how political and media systems relate to citizens' subjective experiences. Comparing limited life histories from Brazil to previous American and Spanish narratives suggests two relationships: between market-oriented broadcasting and a postmodern consumer stance, and between a politically committed press and an engaged citizen stance.     

How Gender and Age Affect Newscasters' Credibility—An Investigation in Switzerland

In an experimental study conducted in Switzerland the effects of newscasters' gender and age on credibility were analyzed using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design. Participants (N = 160) evaluated Swiss, German, and Austrian TV news items in terms of credibility of the newscaster and credibility of the message. News items read by female newscasters were perceived as being more credible. In contrast, male newscasters were considered to be more credible persons. Furthermore, a significant interaction between the newscasters' gender and age was observed: Age had no effect on the credibility of the younger newscasters, whereas older male newscasters were perceived as being the most credible.     

Discovering Open Access Art History: A Comparative Study of the Indexing of Open Access Art Journals

This article evaluates the indexing of open access art journals in four frequently utilized art indexes: Art Full Text, ARTBibliographies Modern, Art & Architecture Complete, and Bibliography of the History of Art/International Bibliography of Art. The authors also compare the indexing of open access journals in Google Scholar to that in the traditional indexes mentioned above and demonstrate that the commercial indexes currently lag behind Google Scholar in terms of content coverage. This article argues that increased indexing of open access art journals in the traditional, subject-specific indexes will be integral to their acceptance within the discipline of art history.     

Redesigning the scaffolding metaphor to suit pupils with Acquired Brain Injury

This paper extends and develops the metaphor of scaffolding to take account of the specific needs of pupils with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), drawing on observational evidence gathered for an empirical enquiry into the learning of pupils with ABI in mainstream classroom conditions. This is an area in which there are few published studies to date. After considering the needs of this particular group of pupils, the development of the scaffolding metaphor is outlined. The use of scaffolding for a group of pupils with ABI is illustrated and the need for modifications discussed, before suggesting the acronym PEDER (Point out, Explain, Demonstrate, Encourage, Repeat) to focus on the particular needs of this group. However, in practice, this acronym has been found to assist a wider group than just pupils with an ABI.