Shakespeare’s Portia: A Feminist Icon but Figure of Hierarchy

In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Portia achieves a level of agency that few Shakespearean women do with her wealth and wit despite having to conform to her father’s wishes for her marriage with the casket test. Through dressing as a man during Antonio’s trial, Portia even assumes a physical appearance that reflects her skill in gaining influence and gives her more power over the men. Because of her ability to assert control in her home and the courtroom, literary critics often present Portia as a feminist icon. However, Portia restricts other characters like the Prince of Morocco and Shylock in the same way that the men in the play restrict her. She does not stop the cycle of abuse but simply becomes the oppressor instead of the victim–a fact that many critics hint at but often fail to analyze further. In analyzing Portia\u27s agency as the product of discrimination in this article, I recognize that Portia’s character illustrates the way one subjugated character can gain power over her oppressors by subjugating others, and while Portia rightfully remains a hero for many of the characters, audience members, and literary critics as a woman who gains agency, she manipulates hierarchies to suit her needs

Discrimination and Perceived Cultural Mismatch Increase Status-Based Identity Uncertainty.

Periods of social mobility, such as attending college, can challenge ones status-based identity, leading to uncertainty around ones status in society. Status uncertainty is associated with poorer well-being and academic outcomes. Little is known, however, about what experiences lead to status uncertainty. The current longitudinal study investigated discrimination experiences and cultural mismatch as predictors of status uncertainty. We propose that discrimination indirectly predicts increased status uncertainty by increasing perceived cultural mismatch with the university. Participants were Latinx college students, all of whom were low-income and/or first generation to college. Discrimination experiences were measured at the end of participants first year. Cultural mismatch and status uncertainty were measured at the end of Year 2. Status uncertainty was measured again at the end of Year 3. Results indicated that students who experienced more frequent discrimination felt more cultural mismatch 1 year later, and, in turn, reported increased status uncertainty over the following year

Sincere Allies or Ulterior Motives? Black Americans’ Perceptions of White vs. Latino Ally Motives

An ally is traditionally defined as a member of an advantaged group who holds strong egalitarian values and engages in actions intended to support a disadvantaged target group (e.g., White allies supporting the Black community). However, this definition excludes allies from other disadvantaged groups (e.g., Latino allies supporting the Black community) and assumes that all allies are driven by sincere motives. The current research expands the definition of allyship to include both advantaged and disadvantaged group allies and examines how the motives of these different groups of allies are perceived by the target group receiving support. I developed a model of the antecedents and consequences of target group perceptions of advantaged and disadvantaged group allies’ motives. I hypothesized that target group members perceive disadvantaged group allies as being driven by more sincere motives (motives that align with the target group’s goals) and less ulterior motives (motives that are misaligned with the target group’s goals) than advantaged group allies. Further, I expected that this relationship is mediated by common fate between the target and allied groups; target group members perceive disadvantaged group allies as more sincerely motivated because the target group shares societal outcomes and experiences with the disadvantaged ally group. In turn, I hypothesized that perceived ally motives impact ally effectiveness from the perspective of the target group, measured as ally contributions to target group goals, target group members’ self-esteem, feelings of empowerment, and collective action intentions. I tested the proposed model in the context of Black Americans' perceptions of the motives White and Latino allies supporting the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. I first developed a new measure of perceived ally motives to test the proposed model. In Study 1, I experimentally manipulated ally race/ethnicity to examine its impact on perceived ally motives. Study 1 also provided an initial test of common fate as a mediator of the effect of ally race/ethnicity on perceived motives, and the associations between perceived motives and measures of ally effectiveness. Results revealed no significant differences in Black Americans’ perceptions of White and Latino allies’ motives. However, there was a significant indirect effect of ally race/ethnicity on perceived sincere motives via common fate. Black Americans perceived that their own group shared greater common fate with Latino Americans than with White Americans, which was then associated with greater perceived sincere motives. Perceived sincere motives were, in turn, associated with greater perceived ally effectiveness, including more favorable evaluations of the allies’ contributions to the BLM movement, higher self-esteem, greater feelings of empowerment, and greater collective action intentions among Black American participants. In Study 2, I tested the generalization of the proposed model to a new population, Latino Americans perceiving White and Latino allies supporting BLM, and replicated Study 1 results with a new sample of Black American perceivers. Results supported Study 1 findings and revealed that the proposed model was consistent across the Black and Latino American samples, indicating that both groups responded similarly when perceiving Latino allies supporting BLM. In Study 3, I examined the causal relationship between common fate and perceived motives by experimentally manipulating common fate between Black and Latino Americans. Findings revealed no significant effects of manipulated common fate on perceived ally motives. However, Study 3 results replicated the associations between ally motives and perceived ally effectiveness, such that sincere motives were positively associated with measures of ally effectiveness. Together, these studies demonstrate that target group members are sensitive to the motives of both advantaged and disadvantaged group allies and highlight the importance of allies reducing ambiguity by clearly communicating sincere motives when engaging in allyship behaviors

Profiles of Personal Agency: Ethnocultural Variations in Self -Efficacy Beliefs

145 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999.The findings presented call into question assumptions about the universal nature of self-efficacy appraisal and suggest some of the potential consequences of different cultural value orientations for the experience of personal agency. Discussion centers on within-group patterns of individualist and collectivist value orientations, implications for measuring individualism and collectivism among ethnocultural groups in the U.S., considerations relevant to the measurement of collective efficacy, and the consequences of individualism and collectivism for the development and experience of personal agency.Ope

Got Stress? A Wellness Neuman Model Approach: Teambuilding between Upper and Underclassmen

Session presented on Saturday, November 7, 2015 and Sunday, November 8, 2015: Stress is commonly experienced by college students; the pressure to maintain good grades while balancing family, work, and social responsibilities can either hinder or aid in a student\u27s academic success. The challenge students often face is in obtaining adequate resources that will aid in maintaining a balance between the beneficial and the excessive and often debilitating amounts of stress. Nursing students have reported that stress is associated with a fear of making mistakes in clinical experiences that may result in patient harm, committing medication errors, feelings of inadequacy when interacting with nurses and other members of the healthcare team, meeting high testing standards, the loss of leisure time, and the pressures of paying for school (Alzayyat & Al-Gamal, 2014). During a 400 level Bachelor of Science Program leadership course, six pre licensure nursing students were assigned with clinical faculty preceptors for a 90 hour clinical. The clinical faculty were in charge of 100, 200, and 300 level students in clinical settings. Nursing student stressors reported in a literature review informed the project. The Neuman Systems Model (Neuman & Fawcett, 2011) provided the framework and guided the nursing process. Stressors identified by current underclassmen were similar to those reported in the literature; therefore stressors were prioritized with student input leading to six prioritized stressors. During phase one of this project, each leadership student targeted their small group of seven to nine students to develop learner-centered (Weimer, 2013) teaching and learning resources under the guidance of clinical preceptors and course professor. A resource board was constructed that contains resource cards for the identified stressors: APA, Medication Math, Surviving Nursing School, Reducing Stress, Your Health, and Test Taking Skills. A resource book, three ring binder with sleeves, was developed and served as a hardcopy presentation method which can be easily transported to the clinical setting as needed. The resource board and book were placed in the student nurses lounge for easy student access. Targeting millennial students, informatics skills were applied creatively to construct a Facebook page, Blackboard discussion groups, and webpage. These social media resources contained tutorials, videos and additional resources offering online asynchronous access to the information anytime, or anyplace with a computer or mobile device. Phase two of the project intentionally united the six leadership students into a group to develop the Little/Big project. The leadership students advanced the project beyond the teaching and learning resources to include opportunities to build collegial relationships between under and upperclassmen. Underclassmen (Littles) can seek assistance from upperclassmen (Bigs) regarding topics such as class assignments, class schedules, specific study tips, emotional support, etc. Phase three involved a report to the faculty, intended to secure buy-in for future application of the teaching learning resources within courses as faculty deemed appropriate. Following the presentation, success was experienced as permission was granted for the student created resources to be made accessible for faculty use. Phase four, here at the STTI convention, allows for professional networking of the project for application and replication beyond our university. Outcomes of the Little/Big program, student testimonials, and handoff strategies for sustainability will be reported

SOX4 interacts with plakoglobin in a Wnt3a-dependent manner in prostate cancer cells

AbstractBackgroundSOX4 is a developmental transcription factor that is required for differentiation and proliferation in multiple tissues. SOX4 is overexpressed in many human malignancies, but the precise role of SOX4 in cancer progression is still not well understood. Thus, the identification of additional SOX4 binding partners is essential for elucidating the mechanism of SOX4-mediated effects in cancer progression.ResultsHere, we have adapted a one-step affinity purification method that enables rapid purification of SOX4 complexes via intracellular biotinylation of the amino-terminus of SOX4 to perform large-scale proteomics analysis. We have discovered that junction plakoglobin (JUP) interacts with SOX4 in both the cytosol and the nucleus and the interaction between SOX4 and plakoglobin is significantly increased when prostate and breast cancer cells are stimulated with WNT3A. Interactions between SOX4 and plakoglobin were further enhanced by the nuclear export inhibitor leptomycin B (LMB), suggesting that plakoglobin promotes nuclear export of SOX4. The SOX4-plakoglobin complex affected the expression of Wnt pathway target genes and SOX4 downstream targets, such asAXIN2,DICER1, andDHX9. In addition, SOX4 DNA binding activity to the promoters ofDICER1,AXIN2,DHX9andSOX4itself was reduced by conditions that promote SOX4-plakoglobin complex formation. Conditions that enhanced SOX4-plakoglobin interactions resulted in reduced transcriptional activity of β-catenin luciferase reporters.ConclusionsThese data suggest that this newly identified interaction between SOX4 and plakoglobin is inhibitory and provides new insights into the role of SOX4 in key pathways in cell proliferation, development, and cancer progression.</jats:sec

A Fatal Twist: Volvulus of the Small Intestine in a 46-Year-Old Woman

A 46-year-old woman presented to two emergency departments within 12 hours because of acute abdominal pain. Physical exam demonstrated tenderness and epigastric guarding. An ultrasound was interpreted as negative; she was discharged home. Later that evening, she was found dead. Postmortem exam revealed acute hemorrhagic necrosis of a segment of jejunum secondary to volvulus. Clinical clues suggesting presentations of small bowel volvulus are usually nonspecific; the diagnosis is typically confirmed at surgery. Her unremitting abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, and absolute neutrophilia were consistent with an acute process. The etiology of this volvulus was caused by an elastic fibrous band at the root of the jejunal mesentery. While congenital fibrous bands are rare in adults, this interpretation is favored for two reasons. First, the band was located 20 cm superior to postsurgical adhesions in the lower abdomen and pelvis. Second, there was no history of trauma or previous surgery involving the site of volvulus

The Integrated Virtual Environment Rehabilitation Treadmill System

Slow gait speed and interlimb asymmetry are prevalent in a variety of disorders. Current approaches to locomotor retraining emphasize the need for appropriate feedback during intensive, task-specific practice. This paper describes the design and feasibility testing of the integrated virtual environment rehabilitation treadmill (IVERT) system intended to provide real-time, intuitive feedback regarding gait speed and asymmetry during training. The IVERT system integrates an instrumented, split-belt treadmill with a front-projection, immersive virtual environment. The novel adaptive control system uses only ground reaction force data from the treadmill to continuously update the speeds of the two treadmill belts independently, as well as to control the speed and heading in the virtual environment in real time. Feedback regarding gait asymmetry is presented 1) visually as walking a curved trajectory through the virtual environment and 2) proprioceptively in the form of different belt speeds on the split-belt treadmill. A feasibility study involving five individuals with asymmetric gait found that these individuals could effectively control the speed of locomotion and perceive gait asymmetry during the training session. Although minimal changes in overground gait symmetry were observed immediately following a single training session, further studies should be done to determine the IVERT’s potential as a tool for rehabilitation of asymmetric gait by providing patients with congruent visual and proprioceptive feedback

Review of the medical literature and assessment of current utilization patterns regarding the use of two common fluorescence in situ hybridization assays in the diagnosis of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and clear cell sarcoma

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146634/1/cup13345.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146634/2/cup13345_am.pd