Speaking about ghosts (cerita hantu melayu): Malay narratives-in-interaction.

This dissertation is divided into two parts. In Part One I discuss the literature associated with narrative to make a case for how narrative influences social reality. I find the monologic view of storytelling problematic as it tends to essentialize culture and regard reality as a fixed entity. My intention is to observe how social reality is exhibited in the intercises of performance, setting and interaction. The contribution of this study is to recognize the functional and organic associations between the monologic, interactive and performative spheres of storytelling. I also provide background information on the Malay world view along with accounts of Malaysian history and belief systems.My interest in Malay cerita hantu (ghost stories), for purposes of this dissertation, holds primarily to the way these narratives are used in everyday conversation by Malaysia's Malay community as a way to talk about their social reality. I choose to examine cerita hantu holistically---my exploration into ghost stories does not only attend to these stories' content or their semiotic, but also of the performative, interactive and contextual elements in the telling of the story.In Part Two, I discuss my research findings. My analysis is based on Goffman's dramaturgical metaphor (particularly his concept of the working consensus) and frame analysis. For my analysis, I use strips of talk from cerita hantu and talk about cerita hantu which I collected from interactions while in the field. I show how in interactive sequences, the interactants' working consensus (as situated in a particular interaction) and (in some cases keyed) primary frameworks operates both, as (1) a sense-making device for the interactants, and (2) an intervention for meanings as formulated in interaction. I found that items such as time and spatial arrangements; socio-cultural organizations such as age, locality and identity and belief systems; along with normative constructs around socialization; and, remnants of the colonial experience are all parts of the Malay world view that are constituted in talk. Such exhibitions of social order are made around and about (in many cases with extreme seriousness) the accounting for the presence of hantu in the Malay world

Manipulating Entitativity Affects Implicit Behavioral and Neural Attentional Biases Toward Gay Couples

This study investigated whether attentional bias toward homosexual couples differs as a function of the manipulation of perceived entitativity, the degree to which group members are perceived to share common values and pursue common goals. Across two experiments, heterosexual college students were randomly assigned to read statements that suggested that homosexual and heterosexual couples were either high or low in entitativity. Following this task, 199 participants completed a dot probe task in Experiment 1 and electroencephalogram (EEG) activity was recorded for 74 participants in Experiment 2 to measure the implicit attentional processing that resulted from viewing pictures of gay, lesbian, and straight couples. Results indicated that participants exposed to low entitativity statements directed less behavioral and neural attention toward gay relative to straight couples compared to those exposed to high entitativity statements. Given the apparent malleability of attentional biases, future research should strive to better understand the factors involved in reducing attentional bias, and by extension, discriminatory behaviors toward minority groups

Food Insecurity in Kalamazoo

Introduction: Food insecurity is both an inconvenience and problem. As of 2013, over 16 million children in the USA were food insecure. The consequences of food insecurity include health issues from nutritional deficits, developmental difficulties, and behavioral problems that manifest in educational, personal and professional challenges. Overall, food insecurity and its impact on individuals and families is under-recognized. Additionally, the extent to which physicians play a role in helping patients secure access to food assistance programs remains unclear. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and methodologies of current healthcare practices based in Kalamazoo County, MI, in identifying pediatric patients who are food insecure. Results will help local assistance resources, such as Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, improve outreach efforts and re-focus their programs. Furthermore, results could impact physician practices regarding identifying those who are food insecure. Methods: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) developed a 2-question survey with 97% sensitivity for identifying food insecurity. The questions are: Within the past 12 months, we worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more and Within the past 12 months, the food we bought just didn\u27t last and we didn\u27t have money to buy more. Using these questions as a foundation, we developed an electronically distributed 20-question survey that assessed awareness of food insecurity among Kalamazoo pediatric and family medicine physicians. Survey questions covered years of practice, usage of the AAP questions, level of formal training on food insecurity, mid-level and support staff, and resources recommended to patients. Results and Discussion: The 25 responses were analyzed for differences between groups. Although no significant relationships were found, 76% of respondents believed food insecurity directly related to their patient\u27s illness, though only 52% ask direct questions about food insecurity. Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program referrals were common and almost all respondents were willing to include the two AAP-validated food insecurity screening questions in their practice. A consensus emerged that a list of local resources would be helpful in addressing food insecurity. Conclusion: Kalamazoo pediatricians and family medicine physicians believe food insecurity directly relates to the problems affecting their patients. However, only half of physicians ask patients about food insecurity. Future work should focus on expanding physician-patient conversations about food insecurity, addition of validated food insecurity questions to patient questionnaires, and compiling a list of local resources for distribution to local providers

Developing and validating a questionnaire for mortality follow-back studies on end-of-life care and decision-making in a resource-poor Caribbean country

Background Palliative and end-of-life care development is hindered by a lack of information about the circumstances surrounding dying in developing and resource-poor countries. Our aims were to develop and obtain face and content validity for a self-administered questionnaire on end-of-life care provision and medical decision-making for use in population-based surveys. Methods Modelled on validated questionnaires from research in developed countries, our questionnaire was adapted to the cultural sensitivity and medico-legal context of Trinidad and Tobago. Two sets of semi-structured face-to-face cognitive interviews were done with a sample of physicians, sampling was purposive. Phase 1 assessed interpretation of the questions, terminology and content of the questionnaire. Phase 2 was tested on a heterogeneous group of physicians to identify and fix problematic questions or recurring issues. Adjustments were made incrementally and re-tested in successive interviews. Results Eighteen physicians were interviewed nationwide. Adaptations to questionnaires used in developed countries included: addition of a definition of palliative care, change of sensitive words like expedited to influenced, adjustments to question formulations, follow-up questions and answer options on medications used were added, the sequence, title and layout were changed and instructions for completion were included at the beginning of the questionnaire. Conclusion A new instrument for assessing and documenting end-of-life care and circumstances of dying in a small, resource-poor Caribbean country was developed and validated, and can be readily used as a mortality follow-back instrument. Our methods and procedures of development can be applied as a guide for similar studies in other small developing countries

Solubility of Pyrene in Binary Solvent Mixtures Containing Cyclohexane

This article discusses solubility of pyrene in binary solvent mixtures containing cyclohexane

Market-Driven Innovation

A new method for starting the iterative innovation process from the market side based on a sociological trend has been developed. It eliminates the traditional difference between the innovators and the sociological group that carries this trend, which can only be achieved by combining real-world innovation with innovation education. The method for market need discovery is presented as a step-by-step process with detailed reasoning, followed by a real-world example that details the outcomes at every step along the way. The example concludes with a detailed description of the outcome after the first innovation iteration cycle. The richness of the resulting concept demonstrates that an innovation process can be successfully started from the market side via the proposed method

Characterization of cleavage events in the multifunctional cilium adhesin Mhp684 (P146) reveals a mechanism by which mycoplasma hyopneumoniae regulates surface topography

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae causes enormous economic losses to swine production worldwide by colonizing the ciliated epithelium in the porcine respiratory tract, resulting in widespread damage to the mucociliary escalator, prolonged inflammation, reduced weight gain, and secondary infections. Protein Mhp684 (P146) comprises 1,317 amino acids, and while the N-terminal 400 residues display significant sequence identity to the archetype cilium adhesin P97, the remainder of the molecule is novel and displays unusual motifs. Proteome analysis shows that P146 preprotein is endogenously cleaved into three major fragments identified here as P50P146, P40P146, and P85P146 that reside on the cell surface. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identified a semitryptic peptide that delineated a major cleavage site in Mhp684. Cleavage occurred at the phenylalanine residue within sequence 672ATEF2QQ677, consistent with a cleavage motif resembling S/T-X-F2XD/E recently identified in Mhp683 and other P97/P102 family members. Biotinylated surface proteins recovered by avidin chromatography and separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-D GE) showed that more-extensive endoproteolytic cleavage of P146 occurs. Recombinant fragments F1P146-F3P146 that mimic P50P146, P40P146, and P85P146 were constructed and shown to bind porcine epithelial cilia and biotinylated heparin with physiologically relevant affinity. Recombinant versions of F3P146 generated from M. hyopneumoniae strain J and 232 sequences strongly bind porcine plasminogen, and the removal of their respective C-terminal lysine and arginine residues significantly reduces this interaction. These data reveal that P146 is an extensively processed, multifunctional adhesin of M. hyopneumoniae. Extensive cleavage coupled with variable cleavage efficiency provides a mechanism by which M. hyopneumoniae regulates protein topography

Menstrual cycle phase does not predict political conservatism

Recent authors have reported a relationship between women's fertility status, as indexed by menstrual cycle phase, and conservatism in moral, social and political values. We conducted a survey to test for the existence of a relationship between menstrual cycle day and conservatism. 2213 women reporting regular menstrual cycles provided data about their political views. Of these women, 2208 provided information about their cycle date, 1260 provided additional evidence of reliability in self-reported cycle date, and of these, 750 also indicated an absence of hormonal disruptors such as recent hormonal contraception use, breastfeeding or pregnancy. Cycle day was used to estimate day-specific fertility rate (probability of conception); political conservatism was measured via direct self-report and via responses to the "Moral Foundations” questionnaire. We also recorded relationship status, which has been reported to interact with menstrual cycle phase in determining political preferences. We found no evidence of a relationship between estimated cyclical fertility changes and conservatism, and no evidence of an interaction between relationship status and cyclical fertility in determining political attitudes. Our findings were robust to multiple inclusion/exclusion criteria and to different methods of estimating fertility and measuring conservatism. In summary, the relationship between cycle-linked reproductive parameters and conservatism may be weaker or less reliable than previously thought

Treatment of Terminal Peritoneal Carcinomatosis by a Transducible p53-Activating Peptide

Advanced-stage peritoneal carcinomatosis is resistant to current chemotherapy treatment and, in the case of metastatic ovarian cancer, results in a devastating 15%–20% survival rate. Therapeutics that restore genes inactivated during oncogenesis are predicted to be more potent and specific than current therapies. Experiments with viral vectors have demonstrated the theoretical utility of expressing the p53 tumor suppressor gene in cancer cells. However, clinically useful alternative approaches for introducing p53 activity into cancer cells are clearly needed. It has been hypothesized that direct reactivation of endogenous p53 protein in cancer cells will be therapeutically beneficial, but few tests of this hypothesis have been carried out in vivo. We report that a transducible D-isomer RI-TATp53C′ peptide activates the p53 protein in cancer cells, but not normal cells. RI-TATp53C′ peptide treatment of preclinical terminal peritoneal carcinomatosis and peritoneal lymphoma models results in significant increases in lifespan (greater than 6-fold) and the generation of disease-free animals. These proof-of-concept observations show that specific activation of endogenous p53 activity by a macromolecular agent is therapeutically effective in preclinical models of terminal human malignancy. Our results suggest that TAT-mediated transduction may be a useful strategy for the therapeutic delivery of large tumor suppressor molecules to malignant cells in vivo