African women of the screen at the digital turn

When I conceptualised the Sisters of the Screen project as a book and film, I envisioned an “imagined community” of kindred spirits, a “sisterhood” where the screen was their ultimate point of convergence. The screen is where their images are read; whether it’s a movie screen, television set, video monitor, computer screen, tablet or mobile phone, for a director, producer, film festival organiser, actor, critic or spectator the screen is the ultimate site where the moving image is viewed, interpreted and understood

Looking Back, Looking Forward: How the Economic Downturn Continues to Impact School Districts

This study is the fourth in a series of studies conducted by the American Association of School Administrators on the impact of the economic downturn on schools. Collectively, the findings of the AASA Economic Impact Study series demonstrate that school districts in every part of the country are subject to the realities of the economic downturn. While this benchmark data cannot predict a trend, it is difficult to deny that the financial crisis is increasingly threatening the progress schools have obtained and the stability they have enjoyed in the past. This latest study, “Looking Back, Looking Forward: How the Economic Downturn Continues to Impact School Districts,” is based on a study of school administrators conducted in February and March 2009. This survey asked many of the same questions as the “AASA Study of the Impact of the Economic Downturn on Schools,” conducted in October 2008. Therefore, it is possible to compare and contrast key findings from the two studies

Initial Feasibility of a Woman-Focused Intervention for Pregnant African-American Women

African-American women who use crack are vulnerable to HIV because of the complex social circumstances in which they live. Drug-abuse treatment for these women during pregnancy may provide time for changing risk behaviors. This paper examines the initial 6-month feasibility of a women-focused HIV intervention, the Women's CoOp, adapted for pregnant women, relative to treatment-as-usual among 59 pregnant African-American women enrolled in drug-abuse treatment. At treatment entry, the women were largely homeless, unemployed, practicing unsafe sex, and involved in violence. Results indicated marked reductions in homelessness, use of cocaine and illegal drugs, involvement in physical violence, and an increase in knowledge of HIV from baseline to 6-month followup for both conditions. Findings suggest that the Women's CoOp intervention could be successfully adapted to treat this hard-to-reach population. Future studies should examine the efficacy of the pregnancy-adapted Women's CoOp for women not enrolled in drug-abuse treatment

Impact of the Economic Downturn on Schools

In Fall 2008, in response to the recent economic downturn, as evidenced in state budget shortfalls, federal buy‐outs and interventions, and a series of additional events characterizing a slowing, stagnant economy, AASA examined the impact on school districts across the nation. While there are regional differences, the findings of AASA’s Economic Impact Survey, presented here, demonstrate that superintendents in every part of the country are subject to the realities of the economic downturn. While this benchmark data cannot predict a trend, it is difficult to deny that superintendents, in increasing numbers, are confronted by the looming financial crisis that threatens the progress schools have obtained and the stability they have enjoyed in the past

Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women in Cape Town, South Africa: Drug Use, Sexual Behavior, and the Need for Comprehensive Services

The multiple risks associated with methamphetamine use are of serious concern for women. These risks and consequences are magnified during pregnancy. This secondary analysis of a parent study compared 26 pregnant to 356 nonpregnant women in Cape Town, South Africa, on selected demographic, psychosocial, and HIV-risk domains to identify their treatment service needs. Proportionally, more pregnant than nonpregnant women are using methamphetamine, P = .01, although a very high rate of women used methamphetamine. Women reported similar monthly rates of sexual intercourse, but pregnant women were significantly less likely to report condom use, P < .0001, maintaining their risky behavior. Both groups reported elevated Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale CES-D means, suggesting a need for depression treatment. Results demonstrate a pervasive need for women's comprehensive treatment, regardless of pregnancy status. Moreover, findings support the urgent need for women-focused and pregnancy-specific treatment services for methamphetamine use. Finally, a job-skills training/employment component focus is suggested

Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women in Cape Town, South Africa: Drug Use, Sexual Behavior, and the Need for Comprehensive Services

The multiple risks associated with methamphetamine use are of serious concern for women. These risks and consequences are magnified during pregnancy. This secondary analysis of a parent study compared 26 pregnant to 356 nonpregnant women in Cape Town, South Africa, on selected demographic, psychosocial, and HIV-risk domains to identify their treatment service needs. Proportionally, more pregnant than nonpregnant women are using methamphetamine, P = .01, although a very high rate of women used methamphetamine. Women reported similar monthly rates of sexual intercourse, but pregnant women were significantly less likely to report condom use, P < .0001, maintaining their risky behavior. Both groups reported elevated Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale CES-D means, suggesting a need for depression treatment. Results demonstrate a pervasive need for women's comprehensive treatment, regardless of pregnancy status. Moreover, findings support the urgent need for women-focused and pregnancy-specific treatment services for methamphetamine use. Finally, a job-skills training/employment component focus is suggested

Dimerization of Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein Is Essential For Its Cytokine-Like Activity

BACKGROUND:Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein (TCTP) found in nasal lavage fluids of allergic patients was named IgE-dependent histamine-releasing factor (HRF). Human recombinant HRF (HrHRF) has been recently reported to be much less effective than HRF produced from activated mononuclear cells (HRFmn). METHODS AND FINDINGS:We found that only NH(2)-terminal truncated, but not C-terminal truncated, TCTP shows cytokine releasing activity compared to full-length TCTP. Interestingly, only NH(2)-terminal truncated TCTP, unlike full-length TCTP, forms dimers through intermolecular disulfide bonds. We tested the activity of dimerized full-length TCTP generated by fusing it to rabbit Fc region. The untruncated-full length protein (Fc-HrTCTP) was more active than HrTCTP in BEAS-2B cells, suggesting that dimerization of TCTP, rather than truncation, is essential for the activation of TCTP in allergic responses. We used confocal microscopy to evaluate the affinity of TCTPs to its putative receptor. We detected stronger fluorescence in the plasma membrane of BEAS-2B cells incubated with Del-N11TCTP than those incubated with rat recombinant TCTP (RrTCTP). Allergenic activity of Del-N11TCTP prompted us to see whether the NH(2)-terminal truncated TCTP can induce allergic airway inflammation in vivo. While RrTCTP had no influence on airway inflammation, Del-N11TCTP increased goblet cell hyperplasia in both lung and rhinal cavity. The dimerized protein was found in sera from allergic patients, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from airway inflamed mice. CONCLUSIONS:Dimerization of TCTP seems to be essential for its cytokine-like activity. Our study has potential to enhance the understanding of pathogenesis of allergic disease and provide a target for allergic drug development

Confronting the Obstacles: African Americans' Quest for Higher Education

125 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006.The results indicated that African Americans (64%) were the third largest group from this cohort to attend a four-year institution falling behind Asian/Pacific Islanders (82%) and Whites (72%). However, the racial disparity that existed for African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics compared to Asians and Whites was relatively close ranging from 11% to 2% difference. These results mirrored those of current national trends showing a similar gap in four-year college attendance. Furthermore, a logistic regression analysis revealed that socio-economic status, ability, school quality, parental expectations, teacher expectations, GPA, and students' self reported estimation of how far they were likely to go in school were both statistically significant and increased the odds of going to college. The results indicated that social demographic factors such as race, socio-economic status, and family structure support several findings that are consistent with previous studies. Whereas previous studies indicated that being African American was viewed as a hindrance to educational attainment, this study suggested that race played a vital role in the college going process. In this study, being African American, controlling for other critical factors, was an asset in predicting college attendance. Regardless of an individual's environment this study revealed that if African Americans have and display the ability they would attend college. In essence these few individuals beat the odds.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD