Undoing ableism: disability as a category of historical and legal analysis

In this essay, I will apply disability as a category of legal and historical analysis to undo the different forms ableism can take in US history and law. My aim is to look at a specific time period in US history – the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century – in order to elucidate narratives of exclusion and marginalization of disabled people on the one hand and resistance and resilience on the other. My claim is that in this period, disability gains particular political and legal relevance as an intersectional, i.e. a gendered, classed, and racialized category of analysis, which leads to the cross-connection between ableism and other dominant ideologies, such as sexism, racism, and classism. In order to give my analysis historical and cultural specificity, I will look at two distinct historical and legal contexts. In the first part of this essay, I discuss the inter-relation of ableism and classism in the context of the industrialization and the subse-quent socioeconomic discrimination of disabled factory workers. As a legal subtext, the fellow servant rule will be discussed to understand how this particular law be-comes relevant for disability politics. In the second part of the essay, ableism is explored in the context of racism to understand how atavism and biological determinism contributed to the othering of disabled people, especially disabled women, in the context of eugenic ideology of the early twentieth century. Here I will discuss the US Supreme Court decision for the case Buck v. Bell in order to understand eugenic law as a reflection of an ideology that is both ableist and sexist at its core

Diagnosis of post-attenuation neurological signs syndrome in a cat with refractory status epilepticus and clinical response to therapeutic plasma exchange

Case summary An 8-year-old female spayed British Shorthair cat that underwent surgical portosystemic shunt (PSS) attenuation developed progressive neurological signs 7 days postoperatively. Neurological signs progressed, despite medical management, and seizure activity became rapidly refractory to anticonvulsants. The diagnosis of post-attenuation neurological signs (PANS) was made based on the timing of the occurrence of clinical signs following surgery, absence of hyperammonaemia and suggestive MRI findings of the brain. The cat developed status epilepticus that required treatment with general anaesthesia and mechanical ventilation, from which the cat could not be effectively weaned without the recurrence of seizures. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) was performed as a rescue therapy for PANS and associated refractory status epilepticus. A total of two plasma volumes were processed during one single TPE session. The seizure activity resolved immediately after the TPE session, the cat showed progressive improvement of neurological signs and remained stable thereafter. No significant complications associated with the TPE were observed. The cat was discharged 11 days after admission and was fully recovered. Relevance and novel information This is an unusual report of PANS diagnosed in a cat based on clinical and MRI findings. The cat developed refractory status epilepticus and had a positive outcome following TPE as rescue therapy. The MRI findings in this report could be useful for the diagnosis of PANS in cats. We speculate that TPE could be taken into consideration as a possible therapeutic intervention in PANS syndrome

Онтологическая функция мифа: миф как бытийная связь между "мифосом" и "логосом"

Показана необходимость пересмотра онтологического статуса мифа в связи с кризисом идеалов классического рационализма. Автор раскрывает смысл мифа как онтологической реальности на основе анализа взаимосвязи "мифоса" и "логоса". Выявляется роль "мифоса" в аспекте культурного смыслополагания

A Study of Language Learning Style and Teaching Style Preferences of Hong Kong Community College Students and Teachers in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Contexts

In English language classrooms, students use different approaches to carry out English learning tasks. Language learning styles, which generally refers to learners’ preferred modes of language learning, have been widely researched and discussed in the fields of second language acquisition (SLA) and educational psychology. Understanding the learning style preferences of students can help teachers cope with students’ course-related learning difficulties and ultimately help alleviate their frustration levels. Another important concept is teaching styles, which refers to teachers’ classroom behaviour based on their teaching beliefs, is commonly associated with learning styles in language education research. Teaching style is vital for providing students with good learning experiences and improving students’ academic outcomes. This study explores the English language learning and teaching style preferences in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classrooms at community college level in Hong Kong. The present study adopted a mixed method approach involving both questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews, in attempt to investigate the factors influencing learning styles and teaching styles, and the relationship between them. It aims at providing valuable information for curriculum design and teacher training in order to offer Hong Kong community college students adequate and effective academic English language learning support. A total of 637 students and 10 EAP teachers from two community colleges in Hong Kong participated in this research. The quantitative and qualitative findings of this study show that the community college students in EAP classrooms have multiple learning style preferences. A plethora of factors such as cultural and educational backgrounds are related to their development of learning styles. This research also explores the nature of teaching styles and the possible variables, including students’ English language proficiency and their learning styles, influencing their teaching styles in EAP classrooms. This study attempts to explain the relationship between learning styles and teaching styles in English language classrooms with reference to the interview findings from both students and teachers. It is argued that both learning styles and teaching styles are flexible and have a reciprocal influence on each other. Learners may adjust their learning styles in order to meet academic requirements, while teachers may adjust their teaching styles so as to provide students with an affective learning environment. When learners and teachers have more interaction with each other, their styles may become similar to each other. This study also identifies the importance of improving learners’ flexibility for developing learning styles and accepting unfamiliar teaching styles. Based on the evidence drawn from this research, educational implications on teaching and learning in EAP classrooms, and recommendations for future research on learning styles and teaching styles are proposed

Using Dual Regression to Investigate Network Shape and Amplitude in Functional Connectivity Analyses

Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is one of the most popular techniques for the analysis of resting state FMRI data because it has several advantageous properties when compared with other techniques. Most notably, in contrast to a conventional seed-based correlation analysis, it is model-free and multivariate, thus switching the focus from evaluating the functional connectivity of single brain regions identified a priori to evaluating brain connectivity in terms of all brain resting state networks (RSNs) that simultaneously engage in oscillatory activity. Furthermore, typical seed-based analysis characterizes RSNs in terms of spatially distributed patterns of correlation (typically by means of simple Pearson's coefficients) and thereby confounds together amplitude information of oscillatory activity and noise. ICA and other regression techniques, on the other hand, retain magnitude information and therefore can be sensitive to both changes in the spatially distributed nature of correlations (differences in the spatial pattern or “shape”) as well as the amplitude of the network activity. Furthermore, motion can mimic amplitude effects so it is crucial to use a technique that retains such information to ensure that connectivity differences are accurately localized. In this work, we investigate the dual regression approach that is frequently applied with group ICA to assess group differences in resting state functional connectivity of brain networks. We show how ignoring amplitude effects and how excessive motion corrupts connectivity maps and results in spurious connectivity differences. We also show how to implement the dual regression to retain amplitude information and how to use dual regression outputs to identify potential motion effects. Two key findings are that using a technique that retains magnitude information, e.g., dual regression, and using strict motion criteria are crucial for controlling both network amplitude and motion-related amplitude effects, respectively, in resting state connectivity analyses. We illustrate these concepts using realistic simulated resting state FMRI data and in vivo data acquired in healthy subjects and patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Финансовая диагностика предприятия (на примере ООО «СИБНИРПРОЕКТ»)

Объектом исследования является – финансовая диагностика предприятия ООО « СИБМИРПРОЕКТ». Исследования базируются на публикациях периодической печати и сети Интернет, законодательных актах Российской федерации, финансовые отчеты ООО «СИБМИРПРОЕКТ» за период с 2014 г. по 2015 г. Цель работы - провести анализ финансового состояния ООО «СИБМИРПРОЕКТ» В процессе исследования рассматривалась значимость и сущность анализа финансового состояния, его виды, классификация методов и приемов анализа, а также система показателей, которые характеризуют финансовое состояние предприятия. К таким показателям относится: показатели оценки имущественного положения, оценка ликвидности и платежеспособности, оценка финансовой устойчивости и деловой активности, а также рентабельности. Также была рассмотрена характеристика предприятия, вид деятельности, организационно-правовая форма, организационная структура, а также на основе бухгалтерской отчетности предприятия проведена оценка ее деятельности, рассчитаны показатели ликвидности, платежеспособности, финансовой устойчивости, расчеты динамики и структуры. В результате исследования предложен план по оздоровлению финансово-экономического состояния ООО «Сибмипроект» с целью повышения эффективности хозяйственной деятельности исследуемого предприятия. Область применения: разработанный план оздоровления финансово- экономического состояния может быть использован на предприятиях, основными видами деятельности которых являются предоставление услуг по монтажу, ремонту, техническому обслуживанию и перемотке электродвигателей, генераторов и трансформаторов. Экономическая эффективность/значимость работы заключается в том, что сформулированное направление позволит исследуемому предприятию преодолеть кризисное состояние и наращивать производственные мощиThe object of this study is - financial diagnostics of the enterprise "SIBMIRPROEKT" LLC. Research based on the publications of the periodical press and the Internet, the legislative acts of the Russian Federation, financial statements of "SIBMIRPROEKT" for the period from 2014 to 2015 The purpose of work - to analyze the financial condition of LLC "SIBMIRPROEKT" The study examined the importance and essence of financial analysis, its types, classification methods and analysis techniques, as well as a system of indicators that characterize the financial condition of the enterprise. These indicators include: Performance evaluation of property, assessment of liquidity and solvency assessment of financial stability and economic activity, as well as profitability. Also characteristic of the enterprise has been considered, type of activity, legal form, organizational structure, as well as on the basis of financial statements of the enterprise assessed its operations, liquidity ratios calculated solvency, financial stability, the calculations of the dynamics and structure. The study proposed a plan for the improvement of financial and economic state of "Sibmiproekt" to improve the efficiency of economic activities of the investigated companies. Scope: designed the plan of improvement of financial and economic state can be used in enterprises, the main activities of which are the provision of services in mounting, repairing, servicing and rewinding electric motors, generators and transformers. Cost-effectiveness / value of the work lies in the fact that the above direction will allow the study enterprises to overcome the crisis and to increase power productio

A Place to Stand

The first part of a novel submitted to the University of Canterbury to fulfil the requirements of the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Linked MRI signatures of the brain\u27s acute and persistent response to concussion in female varsity rugby players

Acute brain changes are expected after concussion, yet there is growing evidence of persistent abnormalities well beyond clinical recovery and clearance to return to play. Multiparametric MRI is a powerful approach to non-invasively study structure-function relationships in the brain, however it remains challenging to interpret the complex and heterogeneous cascade of brain changes that manifest after concussion. Emerging conjunctive, data-driven analysis approaches like linked independent component analysis can integrate structural and functional imaging data to produce linked components that describe the shared inter-subject variance across images. These linked components not only offer the potential of a more comprehensive understanding of the underlying neurobiology of concussion, but can also provide reliable information at the level of an individual athlete. In this study, we analyzed resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) within a cohort of female varsity rugby players (n = 52) through the in-and off-season, including concussed athletes (n = 21) who were studied longitudinally at three days, three months and six months after a diagnosed concussion. Linked components representing co-varying white matter microstructure and functional network connectivity characterized (a) the brain\u27s acute response to concussion and (b) persistent alterations beyond clinical recovery. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these long-term brain changes related to specific aspects of a concussion history and allowed us to monitor individual athletes before and longitudinally after a diagnosed concussion