The Ties That Bind: Women's Public Vision for Politics, Religion, and Civil Society

Based on a series of in-depth interviews with women involved in community activism around a variety of political, social, or civic causes. Determines what kinds of values and themes are central to their work and leadership

Phototrophic Fe(II) Oxidation Promotes Organic Carbon Acquisition by Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003

Anoxygenic phototrophic Fe(II) oxidation is usually considered to be a lithoautotrophic metabolism that contributes to primary production in Fe-based ecosystems. In this study, we employed Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003 as a model organism to test the hypothesis that phototrophic Fe(II) oxidation can be coupled to organic carbon acquisition. R. capsulatus SB1003 oxidized Fe(II) under anoxic conditions in a light-dependent manner, but failed to grow lithoautotrophically on soluble Fe(II). When provided with Fe(II)-citrate, however, growth was observed that was dependent upon microbially catalyzed Fe(II) oxidation, resulting in the formation of Fe(III)-citrate. Subsequent photochemical breakdown of Fe(III)-citrate yielded acetoacetic acid, that supported growth in the light but not the dark. Deletion of genes (RR00247-RR00248) that encode homologs of atoA and atoD, required for acetoacetic acid utilization, severely impaired the ability of R. capsulatus SB1003 to grow on Fe(II)-citrate. The growth yield achieved by R. capsulatus SB1003 in the presence of citrate cannot be explained by lithoautotrophic growth on Fe(II) enabled by indirect effects of the ligand (such as altering the thermodynamics of Fe(II) oxidation or preventing cell encrustation). Together, these results demonstrate that R. capsulatus SB1003 grows photoheterotrophically on Fe(II)-citrate. Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) also supported light-dependent growth on Fe(II), suggesting that Fe(II) oxidation may be a general mechanism whereby some Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria mine otherwise inaccessible organic carbon sources

Dying differently: designing a death-oriented psychedelic treatment center

In the context of therapeutic treatment for the terminally ill, psychedelic assisted therapy instigates a direct confrontation with a person’s experience of dying. Over the course of several weeks a patient will arrive at a facility, lay down in a room, and for up to eight hours at a time recommit themselves to the question: how do I comprehend death? Their answer will come in the form of sensations and sounds, visions and abstractions — things that are perhaps not immediately understood, but rather are immediately and vibrantly felt. The answer will follow a non-traditional logic unfamiliar to the empirical nature of other medical processes, and subsequently, challenge the institutional design of the medical environment hosting these moments of recognition. How can an interior environment support such an extreme experience of interiority, folded into the self? To meet this challenge we look to historic examples of psychedelic environments and attempt to combine lessons from the past with contemporary medical space. By doing this, we can harness the work of radical designers whose practices were overtly confrontational — to oppressive institutions, to societal norms, to the threat of death in the atomic age — and incorporate them into a therapeutic context which typically seeks to gloss discomfort or personal agency in favor of stability. In order to propose this new typology of space, this thesis seeks to adapt the pre-existing typology of the single-story brick industrial warehouse. With their ubiquity, material solidity, and residential context, these buildings provide a sense of familiarity and comfort to the user — a symbol of reassurance and structure. Once inside the perimeter, the patient is asked to condense the journey that is inherent to both death and psychedelics (from the known, across a threshold, and into to unknown) by traversing the space. The patient moves from an institutional environment across a nature-filled courtyard into a domestic scaled, private space of their choosing — resulting in a sense of stability and control, a sense of smallness in an expanse, and an environment which does not seek to neutralize their ability to discern or feel

What do foreigners want? Evidence from targets in bank cross-border M&As

Given the recent traumatic events in the world’s banking industry it is important to understand what drives bankers to create larger and larger, often multinational, banking groups. In this paper we investigate whether the targets in cross-border bank M&As are materially different from those banks targeted in domestic M&A deals. To address this question we use a sample of over 24,000 banks from more than 100 countries. We begin by estimating the probability that a bank will be a M&A target; this probability is based upon both bank specific and country specific characteristics. The sample also naturally includes banks that were not involved in any M&A deal, this set of banks acts as a control sample for the study. We then estimate a multinomial model that distinguishes between (i) targets in domestic operations, (ii) targets in cross-border operations and (iii) non-targets. The main message of the paper is that, with few exceptions, domestic and foreign investors target similar banks. In particular, contrary to what one might expect, bank size does not affect differently the probability of being a domestic or a cross-border target, but it has a positive and highly significant effect in both cases. What differs between national and international M&As are the characteristics of the countries where banks operate. On average, banking systems characterized by lower leverage, higher cost inefficiency and lower liquidity are more likely to be targets of cross-border acquisitions, while none of this characteristics affects the likelihood of being acquired domestically.M&As, M&Asbank internationalisation

Knock-out of STING causes impairment of antigen presentation and abolishes STAT1 activation in mouse macrophages

STimulator of INterferon Genes (STING) is a transmembrane ER resident protein involved in the interferon response to viral infection. Recent accumulating evidences show that the role of STING is not restricted to viral response but covers a broad range of processes. Here we assessed the role of STING in the MHC-I antigen presentation by generating mouse macrophages cell line, J774, STING KO. We observed an impaired OVA-derived SIINFEKL peptide presentation in STING KO cells. The defect is not caused by either uptake or processing of the ovalbumin. The analysis of the peptide loading complex showed an impaired gene expression of TAP1, TAP2 and TAPBP in STING KO though no differences in the protein expression were noticed. Co-IP assay upon OVA-treatment revealed no interaction between STING and TAP1. Cell surface levels of MHC-I were heavily decreased in STING KO macrophages. The mRNA expression of H2K1 heavy chain was not divergent between WT and KO whereas β2m light chain level was reduced in STING KO either at steady state and upon OVA treatment. Notably, STAT1 phosphorylation resulted impaired in KO upon OVA and LPS treatments. Moreover, the basal levels of STAT1 mRNA expression and protein were affected in the STING KO phenotype. Furthermore, OVA-induced STAT1 transcription was not observed in STING KO. We observed a reduction in CD11c cell surface levels in KO macrophages. In contrast, gene expression analysis revealed a basal higher level in STING KO and an OVA-induced increase. Finally, defects in Nf-κB activation and response to IFN-γ were observed in STING KO macrophages. Taken together these data confirm a role of STING in the antigen presentation that may occur either by regulating STAT1 signaling or by mediating the transport to the cell surface

DECOLONIZE YOUR MIND: A Critical Film Examination of Spoken Word Poetry in the Boulder/Denver Community

Decolonize Your Mind is a project that began in 2009 in Dr. Aldama’s Chicano Poetics class. The film documents the work of students and people within the Denver/Boulder poetry community. It explores the words of performers through visual and aural manipulation by digital mediums including music from the HipHop and Cumbia communities that include local artists from Denver, CO and Eugene, OR. The film follows a line, whose words speak of chaos, oppression, self-sacrifice and education. The film presents the poets of Denver’s Café Cultura as a progression from the campus to the community. The postproduction process was a key to the project because it guided me to editing. This honors project culminated my career at CU and serves as a bridge to careers outside of the academy as I graduate May 2011. Decolonize Your Mind is a critical recap and exploration of all I have retained from Ethnic Studies, Film Production Program of University of Colorado at Boulder community

The Status of Women in Rhode Island

Details how the state ranks on key indicators of women's political participation, employment and earnings, social and economic autonomy, reproductive rights, and health and well-being. Includes a resources and rights checklist and policy recommendations

A Looking of Another

A woman walks from one portrait to another. Meditations on grief, portraiture, and the female body

The spillover effect of enforcement actions on bank risk-taking

Enforcement actions (sanctions) aim to penalize guilty companies and provide examples to other com- panies that bad behavior will be penalized. A handful of papers analyze the consequences of sanctions in banking for sanctioned companies, while no papers have investigated the spillover effects on non- sanctioned banks. Focusing on credit-related sanctions, we show the existence of a spillover effect: non- sanctioned banks behave similar to sanctioned banks, depending on their degree of similarity, offloading problematic loans and reducing their lending activit

Contraceptive use and sexual function: a comparison of Italian female medical students and women attending family planning services

Objectives: The aims of the study were to understand how education relates to contraceptive choice and how sexual function can vary in relation to the use of a contraceptive method. Methods: We surveyed female medical students and women attending a family planning service (FPS) in Italy. Participants completed an online questionnaire which asked for information on sociodemographics, lifestyle, sexuality and contraceptive use and also included items of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Results: The questionnaire was completed by 413 women (362 students and 51 women attending the FPS) between the ages of 18 and 30 years. FSFI scores revealed a lower risk of sexual dysfunction among women in the control group who did not use oral hormonal contraception. The differences in FSFI total scores between the two study groups, when subdivided by the primary contraceptive method used, was statistically significant (p < 0.005). Women using the vaginal ring had the lowest risk of sexual dysfunction, compared with all other women, and had a positive sexual function profile. In particular, the highest FSFI domain scores were lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction, also among the control group. Expensive contraception, such as long-acting reversible contraception, was not preferred by this young population, even though such methods are more contemporary and manageable. Compared with controls, students had lower compliance with contraception and a negative attitude towards voluntary termination of pregnancy. Conclusion: Despite their scientific knowledge, Italian female medical students were found to need sexual and contraceptive assistance. A woman's sexual function responds to her awareness of her body and varies in relation to how she is guided in her contraceptive choice. Contraceptive counselling is an excellent means to improve female sexuality