Making Feminism Matter Again

"Making Feminism Matter Again" analyzes new shifts in gender and their social representations in feminist theory. I take as my point of departure the "crisis" of feminism and the loss of its explanatory and transformative effectivity in the wake of the cultural turn, which, I argue, was a class development in feminism brought on by the economic crisis of profit in capitalism in the late 20th century. I question its main assumptions of gender, articulated in texts by Derrida, Foucault, Negri, Fraser, Butler, Gibson-Graham, Sandoval, Probyn, Wiegman, Felski and others, for the way they culturally rewrite materialist concepts such as "class," "division of labor," "ideology," and "history" and represent cultural shifts in gender as "constitutive" of material change—and ultimately as progress—for women within capitalism. "Making Feminism Matter Again" re-examines the historical significance of cultural shifts, including shifts in feminist theory as well as new gendered forms of work ("caring" and "service labor"), family, consumption, diet, clothing, sexuality, and love. In analyzing gender now, I demonstrate that culturalism analytically dissolves gender into autonomous differences and "ethics," and uses cultural values to obscure over the crisis of transnational capitalism's class relations and deepening economic exploitation of women. As a result, cultural feminisms are not an intervention but an affirmation of the way things are. I argue for a historical materialist theory of gender in the tradition of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Rosa Luxemburg, Alexandra Kollontai, Eleanor Leacock, and such contemporary critics as Angela Davis, Delia Aguilar, Elizabeth Armstrong, and Teresa Ebert, which shows that permutations in gender are not new because the wage-labor/capital relations that exploit women have not changed. Instead the changes are an updating of gender to adjust women to changes in the division of labor under which surplus-value is extracted. In the intersection of labor theory and cultural theory, "Making Feminism Matter Again" maps the material relations of gender now. This map is also a materialist re-mapping of feminist theory and the development of a new model for a materialist analytics of gender as a way to contribute to restoring the explanatory and transformative effectivity of feminism now

Pillow Talk: The Epigenetic and Physiological Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Circadian rhythms, or the 24-hour biological cycles of living cells, function as the body’s internal clock. Although circadian rhythms and sleep are very different processes, they are closely related to one another as these cycles play an important role in sleeping and waking patterns. Recent studies have shown that lack of sleep or sleep of poor quality can disrupt circadian rhythms and may actually cause cognitive disorders and memory loss, facilitate false memory production, and even alter gene expression in humans. This literature review is focused on identifying the epigenetic and physiological effects of disruptions and desynchronization in circadian rhythms due to sleep deprivation with the intention of understanding the importance of sleep in human wellness

Understanding the Relationship between Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension: Fluency Strategies as a Focus for Instruction

Understanding the relationship between reading fluency and comprehension is important. Reading fluency strategies can be used to help increase overall reading comprehension in students. Five students and one parent participated in the study of how repeated readings impact overall reading comprehension. Students were exposed to a set of reading passages that were read each week, and data was collected. At the end of the school year, students were given a reading comprehension post assessment to compare the results from September. When analyzing the data, it was clear that the repeated reading strategy was successful in increasing reading comprehension among the students. These findings suggest that fluency strategies such as repeated reading should be a major focus of instruction for students

Subcellular localization of the FLT3-ITD oncogene plays a significant role in the production of NOX- and p22phox-derived reactive oxygen species in acute myeloid leukemia

Internal tandem duplication of the juxtamembrane domain of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3-ITD) receptor is the most prevalent FLT3 mutation accounting for 20% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. FLT3-ITD mutation results in ligand-independent constitutive activation of the receptor at the plasma membrane and ‘impaired trafficking’ of the receptor in compartments of the endomembrane system, such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). FLT3-ITD expressing cells have been shown to generate increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), in particular NADPH oxidase (NOX)-generated ROS which act as pro-survival signals. The purpose of this study is to investigate FLT3-ITD production of ROS at the plasma membrane and ER in the FLT3-ITD expressing AML cell line MV4-11. Receptor trafficking inhibitors; Tunicamycin and Brefeldin A induce ER retention of FLT3-ITD, resulting in a decrease in protein expression of NOX4 and its partner protein p22phox, thus demonstrating the critical importance of FLT3-ITD localization for the generation of pro-survival ROS. NOX-generated ROS contribute to total endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in AML as quantified by flow cytometry using the cell-permeable H2O2-probe Peroxy Orange 1 (PO1). We found that PI3K/AKT signaling only occurs when FLT3-ITD is expressed at the plasma membrane and is required for the production of NOX-generated ROS. ER retention of FLT3-ITD resulted in NOX4 deglycosylation and p22phox protein degradation

Affecting the Rules for the Prosecution of Rape and Other Gender-Based Violence Before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia: A Feminist Proposal and Critique

What follows is a proposal submitted to the judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (the International Tribunal or Tribunal”)l for the purpose of influencing the rules adopted by the Tribunal for the prosecution of rape and other sex crimes. Prepared by feminist human rights lawyers and scholars, it is based upon decades of feminist work - psychological, rehabilitative, political, and legal – with women survivors of sexual torture and abuse. The proposal advocates rules to enhance the possibility that what may be the first international prosecution of rape will be effective, tolerable, and just for survivors without sacrificing the legitimate rights of the accused

Implementing a Clinical Practice Guideline for Pediatric Appendicitis Safely Reduced Health Care Use and Improved Antimicrobial Stewardship

Introduction: Appendicitis is the most common emergency surgical disease in children. Those with perforated appendicitis have a more complicated and varied course. Through a clinical practice guideline (CPG), we sought to reduce computed tomography scans, laboratory draws, and exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics without adversely affecting length of stay, hospital readmission, or repeat antibiotic administration. Methods: Electronic records were retrospectively reviewed before and after CPG implementation, and data was collected in REDCap. Results were reported as mean or percent incidence, and statistical analysis was done using a Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, or Pearson’s χ2 with P \u3c .05 considered significant. Results: One hundred patients with a perforated appendix (50 before and 50 after CPG implementation) were included in our analysis. Length of stay (4.98 vs 4.46 days; P = .25), hospital readmission rate (10% vs 14%; P = .54), and additional antibiotic administration (2% vs 4%; P = .56) did not change. We observed no difference in the Pediatric Appendicitis Score (9 vs 9; P = .48) and a trending increase in evaluation at an outside hospital (56% vs 74%; P = .06). Rates of computed tomography scans did not differ overall (50% vs 40%; P = .31), but showed a decreasing trend at our institution (30% vs 12%; P = .06). We also found fewer post-operative laboratory studies (90% vs 38%; P \u3c .01) and patients who received broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics (92% vs 18%; P \u3c .01). Discussion: Through implementing the CPG we were able to understand our practice patterns and identify opportunities for improvement. Patients with perforated appendicitis were selected for study because they were affected by all components of the CPG and allowed for total adherence to be our primary outcome. Total adherence was set as the primary outcome knowing it would be difficult to achieve, but would also better identify opportunity for improvement and provide comprehensive assessment of the guideline. Conclusions: Implementing a multidisciplinary CPG reduced health care use and improved antimicrobial stewardship without increasing complications in pediatric acute appendicitis

Medication Calculations Dimensional Analysis Tutorial

Tutorial on medication calculations from The Barbara H Hagan School of Nursing and Allied Sciences

Educating Nursing Students for Practice in the 21st Century

Nurses face a number of challenges in the 21st century. One major challenge pertains to nursing education, specifically to the entry into practice preparation of undergraduate nursing students. Not only do nurses need to be adequately prepared to care for an ever increasing complex patient population, but they are called upon to be leaders in healthcare. The ways in which nurses were educated during the 20th century are no longer adequate for dealing with the realities of health care today; and having a baccalaureate degree alone does not always prepare new graduate nurses for the complexities of today’s health care environment and regulatory oversight. Academia and service alike, play a vital role in the future of nursing in the U.S. and globally. Together they are responsible to provide aspiring nurses with the tools necessary to not only meet today’s, but tomorrow’s complexities of health care and to demand the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are consistent with professional practice. Academia and service areas must work together to improve the educational preparation of nursing students today