Commitment in Polyamorous Relationships

Polyamory, or having multiple loving, sexual relationships concurrently without deception or betrayal, has had little scholarly attention. This paper uses interviews with 7 long term polyamorous couples to explore the nature of a commitment that is not defined by sexual exclusivity. The author describes the nature of the relationships that respondents are involved in, their conceptualization of the nature of commitment, the ways that they maintain their primary bond, and the benefits of polyamory as perceived by the participants. The common elements leading to a successful primary relationship were mutual appreciation, emotional closeness, caring, honesty, good communication, and flexibility. The respondents were oriented towards personal growth. ii

Host Determinants of Protection and Pathogenesis during Chikungunya Virus Infection

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes acute and chronic polyarthritis. The virus has rapidly emerged over the last decade, and in 2013, CHIKV spread to the Western Hemisphere for the first time, infecting more than 1.8 million people. CHIKV targets the joints and musculoskeletal tissues, resulting in severe myalgia and symmetric polyarthritis that clinically mimics rheumatoid arthritis. Currently, no approved treatment is effective in preventing or controlling CHIKV infection or disease. Pathogenesis of CHIKV is still poorly understood but is thought to reflect an interplay between viral replication and detrimental immune responses. CHIKV patients have increased numbers of circulating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and mice lacking or depleted of CD4+ T cells show reduced foot swelling and arthritis during acute CHIKV infection, suggesting that CD4+ T cells contribute to the pathology of arthritis. Additionally, monocytes and/or macrophages are also thought to promote disease because depletion of macrophages with clodronate liposomes or inhibiting production of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) with bindarit improved symptoms. Though immunopathology appears to play an important role in CHIKV pathogenesis, not all host responses are detrimental. Central to controlling CHIKV and other alphavirus infections is the type I interferon (IFN-I) response, as mice lacking the IFN-I receptor rapidly succumb to infection. IFN-I are well known for their antiviral and immunomodulatory properties, but their mechanism of action during CHIKV infection is poorly understood. IFN-Is are composed of 14 IFN-α subtypes and single forms of IFN-β, IFN-ε, IFN-κ, and IFN-ω, and despite their central role in protection against a number of viruses, little is known about the biological roles of individual IFN-I subtypes during viral infection. To address this issue we used genetic deletion mutants and blockade with antibodies targeting specific IFN subtypes to determine the contributions of IFN-α and IFN-β during acute CHIKV infection. We found that both IFN-α and IFN-β play important protective roles in limiting clinical CHIKV disease, but they do so by distinct mechanisms. The loss of IFN-α (through IRF7 knockout or IFN-α blocking Abs) resulted in increased CHIKV replication and dissemination. In contrast, a loss of IFN-β (through IFN-β knockout or IFN-β blocking Abs) had minimal impact on viral replication and dissemination. Instead, the loss of IFN-β lead to increased neutrophil recruitment and elevated IL-9 induction. Further, the increased clinical disease observed in IFN-β knockout mice could be rescued with neutrophil depletion. Thus, our findings suggest distinct protective roles for the IFN-I subtypes during CHIKV infection, with IFN-α functioning to limit early viral replication and spread and IFN-β modulating neutrophil-mediated immunopathology. Previous data have shown that immune cells and proinflammatory cytokines contribute to CHIKV arthritis in mice. Because chronic CHIKV arthritis is clinically similar to seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, we examined the efficacy of several U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved rheumatoid arthritis therapies in a mouse model of CHIKV infection. We identified CTLA4-Ig (abatacept) as a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) with efficacy during acute CHIKV arthritis. CTLA4-Ig, which blocks T cell activation, reduced T cell accumulation in the joints of infected animals without affecting viral replication. When paired with the neutralizing anti-CHIKV human monoclonal antibody, 4N12, it was highly effective at reducing joint inflammation, periarticular swelling, migration of inflammatory leukocytes, and infection, even when administered several days after virus inoculation. Thus, combination of anti-inflammatory and antibody-based antiviral therapy may serve as a model for treating humans with arthritis caused by CHIKV or other related viruses. Collectively, these data provide important mechanistic insight into the host factors that control and promote CHIKV pathogenesis. Continued pursuit of defining interactions between CHIKV and the host immune responses will be paramount in developing effective therapeutics and vaccines to combat CHIKV and other emerging tropical diseases, which remain a global health and economic burden

The Challenges of Leading the Attainment Agenda: Framing the Role and Practices of the New Secondary Headteacher

Scottish institutions within the educational networks, including Government, local authorities, and schools, are entangled in performative activities dedicated to improvements in student attainment. Secondary school performance in Scotland is measured nationally predominantly by the number and level of national qualifications achieved. The thesis makes the case that this attainment agenda places enormous pressures on Headteachers to ensure student outcomes are maximised and that the culture of performativity is a major factor in shaping the roles and practices of Headteachers. The study is based on four new secondary school Headteachers in a single Scottish local authority. It is through an examination of their work practices that the formation of subjectivities within a range of power relations and discursive regimes are explored. Performativity and accountability influence the role and actions of the Headteacher in many ways which are unanticipated. There is an ongoing power struggle engendered by the pressures and controls imposed on new Headteachers which modify and discipline their behaviours. In this thesis, a case study methodology is employed and the concepts of Michel Foucault are applied to provide an alternative means of understanding the practices of Headteachers. A Foucauldian approach also provides a different perspective on the problematic conceptualisation of school leadership. The aim of this study is to make a research-based contribution to our understanding of the complexities and competing priorities negotiated by new Headteachers. The research evidences the dominance of the attainment agenda on the lived lives of the new Headteachers. This study should enable the development of additional ways to assist with Headteacher preparation and the provision of improved support in the early years of Headship

ROBOSIM, a simulator for robotic systems

ROBOSIM, a simulator for robotic systems, was developed by NASA to aid in the rapid prototyping of automation. ROBOSIM has allowed the development of improved robotic systems concepts for both earth-based and proposed on-orbit applications while significantly reducing development costs. In a cooperative effort with an area university, ROBOSIM was further developed for use in the classroom as a safe and cost-effective way of allowing students to study robotic systems. Students have used ROBOSIM to study existing robotic systems and systems which they have designed in the classroom. Since an advanced simulator/trainer of this type is beneficial not only to NASA projects and programs but industry and academia as well, NASA is in the process of developing this technology for wider public use. An update on the simulators's new application areas, the improvements made to the simulator's design, and current efforts to ensure the timely transfer of this technology are presented

A preliminary assessment of age at death determination using the nuclear weapons testing 14C activity of dentine and enamel

Calibration (using CALIBomb) of radiocarbon measurements made on the enamel of human teeth from people born during the nuclear era typically produce 2 possible age ranges that potentially reflect the period of tooth formation. These ranges correspond to periods before and after the 1963 atmospheric 14C maximum. Further measurements made on the collagen component of the combined dentine and cementum from the roots of the same teeth enable the appropriate age range to be selected. Using this range and the formation times for individual teeth, we estimated the year of birth of the individuals and compared these to the known dates of birth. The results were relatively accurate and confirmed those of a previous study by another research group. The present study demonstrates that it is possible to produce a good estimate of the year of birth from a single tooth

Improving attainment? Interventions in education by the New Deal for Communities Programme

"The New Deal for Communities (NDC) Programme was announced in 1998 and designed to reduce gaps between some of the most deprived areas in England and the rest of the country... This report presents the findings of one element of the second phase of the evaluation of the NDC Programme: research in four case study NDC partnerships focusing on interventions and outcomes under the theme of education." - introduction

The Lived Experience of Cultural Immersion

This article presents the findings of a grounded theory study of 3 graduate students\u27 lived experience of cultural immersion. Results indicated that participants experienced 3 phases (goal setting, interaction, and evaluation) and 4 themes (bias, gender, barriers, and self-awareness) during immersion. Recommendations for the implementation of immersion experiences are discussed

Meningiomas in Ancient Human Populations

Meningiomas are the most common tumor of the central nervous system and can result in skeletal manifestations, including hyperostosis of the adjacent cranial bone, enostoses, depressions, and enhanced vascular impressions. However, their identification in the paleopathological literature has been rare and few cases have received broad acceptance of the diagnosis. A review of the literature identified some 43 cases in which individuals were argued to have suffered from meningiomas. Most were seen in older individuals but were more likely to affect males. Eleven individuals exhibited hyperostosis, the most easily recognized indicator, usually located on the parietal bone; the hyperostotic region averaged 8 cm in diameter and 3.0 cm in height. Seven displayed lytic lesions with areas much smaller in size than the hyperostosis, and many had vascular changes. The other cases had indicators that varied greatly in terms of location and expression and included both sclerotic lesions and hollow areas. Several authors also suggested other possible causes of the lesions. The findings reflect the non-pathognomonic nature of the effects of meningiomas. However, given their likely frequency and potentially severe effects in ancient people, it is argued that they should be taken into consideration more frequently when performing differential diagnoses

Holocene variations in the Scottish marine radiocarbon reservoir effect

We assessed the evidence for variations in the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect (MRE) at coastal, archaeological Iron Age sites in north and west Scotland by comparing AMS measurements of paired marine and terrestrial materials (4 pairs per context). DeltaR values were calculated from measurements on material from 3 sites using 6 sets of samples, all of which were deposited around 2000 BP. The weighted mean of the DeltaR determinations was -79 +/- 17 C-14 yr, which indicates a consistent, reduced offset between atmospheric and surface ocean C-14 specific activity for these sites during this period, relative to the present day (DeltaR = similar to0 C-14 yr). We discuss the significance of this revised AR correction by using the example of wheelhouse chronologies at Hornish Point and their development in relation to brochs. In addition, we assess the importance of using the concepts of MRE correction and AR variations when constructing chronologies using C-14 measurements made on materials that contain marine- derived carbon

The Himmelfarb Library Annual Art Show: Celebrating the Creative Abilities of Faculty, Staff, and Students

Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library at the George Washington University has held an annual art show since 1987. Students, staff, faculty, and clinicians from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the School of Public Health and Health Services, the School of Nursing, the GW Hospital, and Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library are invited to submit artwork to be displayed throughout the first floor of the library in a month-long display. The talent of the artists is celebrated at an opening reception where light refreshments are served and students, staff, and faculty mingle and view the art. Library art shows serve as an opportunity to share and celebrate talents outside of the health sciences and as an avenue for networking between all members of the library and medical academic arena. The Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library Annual Art Show fosters a sense of community; the spirit of creativity and imagination weaves its way through the opening reception as well as throughout the library during the span of the show. In addition, the art show helps to promote the visibility of the library, not only through art show marketing efforts but also by attracting new and returning patrons to visit and view the art