A Little Bit of Stress does you Good? Rethinking the Meaning of Stress for Health and Well-Being in Children and Adults Dr. Julie Turner-Cobb
This talk will examine the notion of the popular concept of stress. As well as looking at the science behind how stress can contribute to physical illness, I will also challenge the view that stress is always bad for you. The talk draws from studies of adults across a range of different physical health conditions and takes a life course perspective drawing from research on stress and health in children. I will present a number of different...
How to help the brain see cancer Dr William Simpson, University of Plymouth
Breast cancer is detected by radiologists who view mammograms (X-ray images of the breasts). No matter how sophisticated the imaging equipment used to create the mammograms, a limiting factor in cancer detection is the visual system of the radiologist. Therefore, if we can present mammogram images to the radiologist in a way tailored to the capabilities of the visual system, we can improve cancer detection. Visual perception is at the very core of psychology, and a great deal is known about it. I will...
How sexual desire works. The range of sexual desires and behaviour is vast (e.g. fetishes, voyeurism, exhibitionism, pornography, addictive and violent desire). Trying to understand this can be daunting. This talk will argue that considerable insight can be gained by seeing how a few underlying component processes that are features of ‘normal desire’ can get out of normal alignment and contribute to such deviations from normal. The role of dopamine, learning and arousal will be discussed.
Prejudice: can we cure it? Dr. Sylvia Terbeck, University of Plymouth
The social psychology of intergroup relations plays a significant role in theory as well as in application. For this presentation Dr. Terbeck will focus on prejudice; racial prejudice, religious prejudice, and specifically on – Stigma against people with mental and physical disabilities. One common theme within prejudice is out-group anxiety; the uneasy feeling of not knowing the person and therefore being “careful”, or even aggressive? Previously Dr Terbeck has demonstrated how fight-or flight responses might be...
Plans to change the funding arrangements for school crossing patrols will be considered by Devon County Council’s Cabinet next week (Wednesday 14 January).
The authority is facing a £50 million reduction in its funding in the next financial year and, as part of that, it is looking to reduce its school crossing patrol budget by around £100,000 per year in the next two financial years.
Councillors are being asked to approve the criteria that determines whether an existing school crossing patrol qualifies for funding from the County Council. They are also being asked to...
The latest trend in south west corporate activity is likely to be an increase in Family and Management Buy-Outs or FAMBOs.
FAMBOs are an efficient method of transferring company ownership between generations while allowing senior managers to be part of the buy-out team ensuring continuity of the family line and the retention of key operational skills.
According to Andrew Killick, an experienced FAMBO adviser with chartered accountants Francis Clark, this type of deal structure is very appropriate for many Westcountry businesses where owner/managed businesses predominate....
Police are asking for the public’s help to identify two men in connection with the theft of a valuable bike from a hospital car park in Exeter.
The white Trek Cobia mountain bike, valued at £1,100, was stolen from the car park at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital last November.
Offenders cut the security chain with bolt cutters to steal the bike which had been left locked and secure at the cycle rack.
Police have released a CCTV image of two men they would like to speak to in connection with this incident and are appealing to the public to come forward with any...
Devon County Council and the Open Innovation Project are inviting ambitious Devon entrepreneurs to apply for just 12 places on their Game Change programme.
This unique workshop is FREE to attend and will be held at Exeter Library on 28, 29 January and 5 February.
The Game Change events will be used to demonstrate to European partners how the UK delivers best practice in innovative business support.
Past attendees brought along issues including plateaued sales growth, getting the best from new Directors and planning for succession.
Answer: Woodbury Common... after two troops of Royal Marine recruits scoured the area picking up litter.
Recruits based at the Royal Marines’ Commando Training Centre at nearby Lympstone regularly use the commons for military exercises. The land is also visited by thousands of people daily for recreational reasons, such as running or dog-walking.
And that means that over time a fair amount of rubbish is generated.
So, armed with plastic bags alongside their SA80 rifles, the recruits, working in conjunction with landowners Clinton Devon Estates, conducted a sweep of...
