Her Choice: Identity Formation and Dress Among Iranian, Muslim Women Living in the United States

The purpose of the present study was to explore how a first generation, female, Iranian, Muslim, immigrant to the United States forms an identity through dress. To investigate women’s identity formation, I used macro and micro-sociological theory as well as feminist theory to guide my understanding of what influences the women’s identity to form or reform after immigration to the United States. For each participant in the study, a symbolic meaning of veiling played a prominent role in understanding how individual and societal influences impact her dress on a daily basis

Learning Professional Dress through Peer-Evaluation

Aspects of professional attire/dress and its influence have been examined in both the educational and nonacademic settings, suggesting the importance of appearance management in the work environment (Okoro & Washington, 2011; Cardon & Okoro, 2009). Furthermore, there has been much discourse on pedagogical aspects of teaching professionalism, including what is usually deemed ‘appropriate’ for one’s profession. However, our literature review suggests a gap in research addressing what and how college students entering the general apparel and textiles industries should wear to internships and networking events. For the last three years, I have been teaching a 300 level course focusing on the creating, marketing, manufacturing and retailing of textiles/apparel/home fashion goods; the business of fashion

Investigation of Micro-blogging marketing strategy of Fashion brand: via big data and machine learning methodology

There is limited research on how fashion brands use micro-blogging to communicate with and engage consumers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how fashion brands use micro-blogging to market and what sentiments they have in the micro-blogs environment in Chinese Fashion market

Choice Overload, Attitude Formation Hierarchy, and Online Approach/Avoidance Behavior

This study examined how the number of choices offered on a website influences consumers’ attitude formation and their approach/avoidance behavior (email subscription) and whether the presentation consistency can mitigate the effect of choice overload during online apparel shopping

1000 Norms Project: Protocol of a cross-sectional study cataloging human variation

Background Clinical decision-making regarding diagnosis and management largely depends on comparison with healthy or ‘normal’ values. Physiotherapists and researchers therefore need access to robust patient-centred outcome measures and appropriate reference values. However there is a lack of high-quality reference data for many clinical measures. The aim of the 1000 Norms Project is to generate a freely accessible database of musculoskeletal and neurological reference values representative of the healthy population across the lifespan. Methods/design In 2012 the 1000 Norms Project Consortium defined the concept of ‘normal’, established a sampling strategy and selected measures based on clinical significance, psychometric properties and the need for reference data. Musculoskeletal and neurological items tapping the constructs of dexterity, balance, ambulation, joint range of motion, strength and power, endurance and motor planning will be collected in this cross-sectional study. Standardised questionnaires will evaluate quality of life, physical activity, and musculoskeletal health. Saliva DNA will be analysed for the ACTN3 genotype (‘gene for speed’). A volunteer cohort of 1000 participants aged 3 to 100 years will be recruited according to a set of self-reported health criteria. Descriptive statistics will be generated, creating tables of mean values and standard deviations stratified for age and gender. Quantile regression equations will be used to generate age charts and age-specific centile values. Discussion This project will be a powerful resource to assist physiotherapists and clinicians across all areas of healthcare to diagnose pathology, track disease progression and evaluate treatment response. This reference dataset will also contribute to the development of robust patient-centred clinical trial outcome measures

Loss of ELK1 has differential effects on age-dependent organ fibrosis and integrin expression

ETS domain-containing protein-1 (ELK1) is a transcription factor important in regulating αvβ6 integrin expression. αvβ6 integrins activate the profibrotic cytokine Transforming Growth Factor β1 (TGFβ1) and are increased in the alveolar epithelium in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a disease associated with aging and therefore we hypothesised that aged animals lacking Elk1 globally would develop spontaneous fibrosis in organs where αvβ6 mediated TGFβ activation has been implicated. Here we identify that Elk1-knockout (Elk1−/0) mice aged to one year developed spontaneous fibrosis in the absence of injury in both the lung and the liver but not in the heart or kidneys. The lungs of Elk1−/0 aged mice demonstrated increased collagen deposition, in particular collagen 3α1, located in small fibrotic foci and thickened alveolar walls. Despite the liver having relatively low global levels of ELK1 expression, Elk1−/0 animals developed hepatosteatosis and fibrosis. The loss of Elk1 also had differential effects on Itgb1, Itgb5 and Itgb6 expression in the four organs potentially explaining the phenotypic differences in these organs. To understand the potential causes of reduced ELK1 in human disease we exposed human lung epithelial cells and murine lung slices to cigarette smoke extract, which lead to reduced ELK1 expression andmay explain the loss of ELK1 in human disease. These data support a fundamental role for ELK1 in protecting against the development of progressive fibrosis via transcriptional regulation of beta integrin subunit genes, and demonstrate that loss of ELK1 can be caused by cigarette smoke

Contextual Predictors of Mental Health Service Use Among Children Opento Child Welfare

Children involved with child welfare systems are at high risk for emotional and behavioral problems. Many children with identified mental health problems do not receive care, especially ethnic/minority children

From polyps to pixels: understanding coral reef resilience to local and global change across scales

Abstract Context Coral reef resilience is the product of multiple interacting processes that occur across various interacting scales. This complexity presents challenges for identifying solutions to the ongoing worldwide decline of coral reef ecosystems that are threatened by both local and global human stressors. Objectives We highlight how coral reef resilience is studied at spatial, temporal, and functional scales, and explore emerging technologies that are bringing new insights to our understanding of reef resilience. We then provide a framework for integrating insights across scales by using new and existing technological and analytical tools. We also discuss the implications of scale on both the ecological processes that lead to declines of reefs, and how we study those mechanisms. Methods To illustrate, we present a case study from Kāneʻohe Bay, Hawaiʻi, USA, linking remotely sensed hyperspectral imagery to within-colony symbiont communities that show differential responses to stress. Results In doing so, we transform the scale at which we can study coral resilience from a few individuals to entire ecosystems. Conclusions Together, these perspectives guide best practices for designing management solutions that scale from individuals to ecosystems by integrating multiple levels of biological organization from cellular processes to global patterns of coral degradation and resilience

Biological effects of sodium phenylbutyrate and taurursodiol in Alzheimer's disease

INTRODUCTION: Sodium phenylbutyrate and taurursodiol (PB and TURSO) is hypothesized to mitigate endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, two of many mechanisms implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology. METHODS: The first‐in‐indication phase 2a PEGASUS trial was designed to gain insight into PB and TURSO effects on mechanistic targets of engagement and disease biology in AD. The primary clinical efficacy outcome was a global statistical test combining three endpoints relevant to disease trajectory (cognition [Mild/Moderate Alzheimer's Disease Composite Score], function [Functional Activities Questionnaire], and total hippocampal volume on magnetic resonance imaging). Secondary clinical outcomes included various cognitive, functional, and neuropsychiatric assessments. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers spanning multiple pathophysiological pathways in AD were evaluated in participants with both baseline and Week 24 samples (exploratory outcome). RESULTS: PEGASUS enrolled 95 participants (intent‐to‐treat [ITT] cohort); cognitive assessments indicated significantly greater baseline cognitive impairment in the PB and TURSO (n = 51) versus placebo (n = 44) group. Clinical efficacy outcomes did not significantly differ between treatment groups in the ITT cohort. CSF interleukin‐15 increased from baseline to Week 24 within the placebo group (n = 34). In the PB and TURSO group (n = 33), reductions were observed in core AD biomarkers phosphorylated tau‐181 (p‐tau181) and total tau; synaptic and neuronal degeneration biomarkers neurogranin and fatty acid binding protein‐3 (FABP3); and gliosis biomarker chitinase 3‐like protein 1 (YKL‐40), while the oxidative stress marker 8‐hydroxy‐2‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG) increased. Between‐group differences were observed for the Aβ42/40 ratio, p‐tau181, total tau, neurogranin, FABP3, YKL‐40, interleukin‐15, and 8‐OHdG. Additional neurodegeneration, inflammation, and metabolic biomarkers showed no differences between groups. DISCUSSION: While between‐group differences in clinical outcomes were not observed, most likely due to the small sample size and relatively short treatment duration, exploratory biomarker analyses suggested that PB and TURSO engages multiple pathophysiologic pathways in AD. Highlights: Proteostasis and mitochondrial stress play key roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sodium phenylbutyrate and taurursodiol (PB and TURSO) targets these mechanisms. The PEGASUS trial was designed to assess PB and TURSO effects on biologic AD targets. PB and TURSO reduced exploratory biomarkers of AD and neurodegeneration. Supports further clinical development of PB and TURSO in neurodegenerative diseases