Call Me Caitlyn: Making and making over the 'authentic' transgender body in Anglo-American popular culture

A conception of transgender identity as an ‘authentic’ gendered core ‘trapped’ within a mismatched corporeality, and made tangible through corporeal transformations, has attained unprecedented legibility in contemporary Anglo-American media. Whilst pop-cultural articulations of this discourse have received some scholarly attention, the question of why this 'wrong body' paradigm has solidified as the normative explanation for gender transition within the popular media remains underexplored. This paper argues that this discourse has attained cultural pre-eminence through its convergence with a broader media and commercial zeitgeist, in which corporeal alteration and maintenance are perceived as means of accessing one’s ‘authentic’ self. I analyse the media representations of two transgender celebrities: Caitlyn Jenner and Nadia Almada, alongside the reality TV show TRANSform Me, exploring how these women’s gender transitions have been discursively aligned with a cultural imperative for all women, cisgender or trans, to display their authentic femininity through bodily work. This demonstrates how established tropes of authenticity-via-bodily transformation, have enabled transgender to become culturally legible through the wrong body trope. Problematically, I argue, this process has worked to demarcate ideals of ‘acceptable’ transgender subjectivity: self-sufficient, normatively feminine, and eager to embrace the possibilities for happiness and social integration provided by the commercial domain

Critical state theory for nonparallel flux line lattices in type-II superconductors

Coarse-grained flux density profiles in type-II superconductors with non-parallel vortex configurations are obtained by a proposed phenomenological least action principle. We introduce a functional $C[H(x)]$, which is minimized under a constraint of the kind $J$ belongs to $Delta$ for the current density vector, where $Delta$ is a bounded set. This generalizes the concept of critical current density introduced by C. P. Bean for parallel vortex configurations. In particular, we choose the isotropic case ($Delta$ is a circle), for which the field penetration profiles $H(x,t)$ are derived when a changing external excitation is applied. Faraday's law, and the principle of minimum entropy production rate for stationary thermodynamic processes dictate the evolution of the system. Calculations based on the model can reproduce the physical phenomena of flux transport and consumption, and the striking effect of magnetization collapse in crossed field measurements.Comment: The compiled TeX document length is 10 pages. Two figures (one page each) are also included The paper is accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Genotype characterisation of Giardia duodenalis isolates from domestic and farm animals by SSU-rRNA gene sequencing

In order to investigate the genotypes of Giardia duodenalis from domestic and farm animals in Italy, 21 Giardia isolates, 17 from dogs, 1 from cat and 3 from dairy calves, were genetically characterised by SSU-rRNA gene sequencing. Among dogs, 76.5% of isolates showed the dog-specific genotypes (Assemblages C, D and C/D mixed Assemblage) and 23.5% exhibit potential zoonotic genotypes (Assemblage A and A/C mixed Assemblages). The cat isolate belonged to assemblage A, whereas the sequences among the isolates from calves were found to correspond to hoofed-livestock genotype, namely Assemblage E. These findings suggest that infection of humans by zoonotic genotypes from domestic animals could be of low epidemiological significance, although possible. The present study represents the first contribute to the knowledge of G. duodenalis genotypes in domestic and farm animals from Italy. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The Mersey Estuary : sediment geochemistry

This report describes a study of the geochemistry of the Mersey estuary carried out between April 2000 and December 2002. The study was the first in a new programme of surveys of the geochemistry of major British estuaries aimed at enhancing our knowledge and understanding of the distribution of contaminants in estuarine sediments. The report first summarises the physical setting, historical development, geology, hydrography and bathymetry of the Mersey estuary and its catchment. Details of the sampling and analytical programmes are then given followed by a discussion of the sedimentology and geochemistry. The chemistry of the water column and suspended particulate matter have not been studied, the chief concern being with the geochemistry of the surface and near-surface sediments of the Mersey estuary and an examination of their likely sources and present state of contamination

Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients and Potential Risk for Vincristine Side Effects with Concomitant Fluconazole

Background: Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) patients undergoing intensive treatment are considered at high risk for opportunistic infections. To prevent invasive fungal infection, some patients receive antifungal prophylaxis such as fluconazole. As a consequence, an increase in vincristine toxicity has been associated with the co-administration of antifungal prophylaxis. We analyzed whether the use of fluconazole prophylaxis impacts vincristine’s side effects during induction therapy. Method: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all pediatric (age 0-18 years) patients diagnosed with ALL at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska from July 2013-May 2021. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether or not they received fluconazole. Incidence of fungal infection, rate and grade of peripheral neuropathy, and prescription for gabapentin (treatment for peripheral neuropathy) were collected for both groups. Results: We had 157 ALL patients, of which 72 patients received fluconazole, and 85 patients did not receive fluconazole. There was no significant difference between fluconazole use and increased incidence of peripheral neuropathy (p value= 0.28) or incidence of hyponatremia (p value =Conclusion: We did not find a statistically significant difference that the use of concomitant fluconazole with vincristine increased the risk of peripheral neuropathy or hyponatremia.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2021/1037/thumbnail.jp

A study of the prevalence and genotypes of Giardia duodenalis infecting kennelled dogs

Giardia duodenalis is a protozoan parasite of animals that is zoonotic. Given the capacity of this organism to spread via the faecal–oral route, animals held in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions are at high risk of infection. Faecal samples from dogs in three kennels in Rome were examined by microscopy and PCR for G. duodenalis, and the prevalence data generated were correlated with variables such as kennel identity, age of dog, length of time the dog had been kennelled and clinical signs. The overall prevalence of the parasite in the faecal samples was 20.5% and was higher in samples from the largest kennel, which had the greatest turnover of dogs, and in faecal samples from younger animals. Giardia cysts were found more frequently in diarrhoeic animals but were also found in dogs with no clinical signs. Although the finding that the majority of isolates were dog-specific rather than zoonotic genotypes suggests that the zoonotic risk from this pathogen is less than previously thought, the higher prevalence of infection in younger dogs may pose a specific public health issue as such animals are more frequently re-homed with families. 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Vincristine Side Effects with Concomitant Fluconazole Use during Induction Chemotherapy in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

As a mainstay of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), vincristine’s side effect profile is well known. Parallel administration of the antifungal fluconazole has been shown to interfere with the metabolism of vincristine, potentially resulting in increased side effects. We conducted a retrospective chart review to determine whether concomitant administration of vincristine and fluconazole during pediatric ALL therapy impacted side effects of vincristine, namely, hyponatremia and peripheral neuropathy. We also evaluated whether the incidence of opportunistic fungal infections was impacted by fluconazole prophylaxis. Medical charts of all pediatric ALL patients treated with induction chemotherapy at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, NE from 2013-2021 were retrospectively reviewed. We found no correlation between fluconazole use and increased incidence of peripheral neuropathy or hyponatremia. Additionally, the rate of fungal infections was not impacted by fluconazole prophylaxis. Empiric fungal prophylaxis with fluconazole during pediatric ALL induction, although safe, may not be necessary.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/chri_forum/1039/thumbnail.jp

Vector magnetic hysteresis of hard superconductors

Critical state problems which incorporate more than one component for the magnetization vector of hard superconductors are investigated. The theory is based on the minimization of a cost functional ${\cal C}[\vec{H}(\vec{x})]$ which weighs the changes of the magnetic field vector within the sample. We show that Bean's simplest prescription of choosing the correct sign for the critical current density $J_c$ in one dimensional problems is just a particular case of finding the components of the vector $\vec{J}_c$. $\vec{J}_c$ is determined by minimizing ${\cal C}$ under the constraint $\vec{J}\in\Delta (\vec{H},\vec{x})$, with $\Delta$ a bounded set. Upon the selection of different sets $\Delta$ we discuss existing crossed field measurements and predict new observable features. It is shown that a complex behavior in the magnetization curves may be controlled by a single external parameter, i.e.: the maximum value of the applied magnetic field $H_m$.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev.

Didemnin B: Comparative study and conformational approach in solution

A comparative study of isodideimnine-1 and didemnin B is presented using spcctroecopic methods, partial degradation and partial synthesis. This leads to the conclusion of the presence of a single depsipeptide, namely didemnin B, with (3S,4R,5S) isostatine instead of the previous statine residue. An attempt to determine the whole conformation in solution of didemnin B by using 2D-NMR is also described

Geochemistry, mineralogy, solid-phase fractionation and oral bioaccessibility of lead in urban soils of Lisbon

An urban survey of Lisbon, the largest city in Portugal, was carried out to investigate its environmental burden, emphasizing metallic elements and their public health impacts. This paper examines the geochemistry of lead (Pb) and its influence on human health data. A total of 51 soil samples were collected from urban recreational areas used by children to play outdoors. The semi-quantitative analysis of Pb was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after an acid digestion. X-ray diffraction was used to characterize the soil mineralogy. The solid-phase distribution of Pb in the urban soils was investigated on a subset of 7 soils, out of a total of 51 samples, using a non-specific sequential extraction method coupled with chemometric analysis. Oral bioaccessibility measurements were obtained using the Unified BARGE Method developed by the Bioaccessibility Research Group of Europe. The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) investigation of Pb solid-phase distribution; (2) interpretation of Pb oral bioaccessibility measurements; (3) integration of metal geochemistry with human health data; and (4) understanding the influence of geochemistry and mineralogy on oral bioaccessibility. The results show that the bioaccessible fraction of Pb is lower when major metal fractions are associated with less soluble soil phases such as Fe oxyhydroxides, and more increased when the metal is in the highly soluble carbonate phase. However, there is some evidence that the proportion of carbonates in the soil environment is also a key control over the oral bioaccessibility of Pb, irrespective of its solid-phase fractionation