If I Could Choose: Internalized Homophobia of the Queer Cinema Movement

This thesis offers a critical examination of essentialist and constructionist theories of queer identities, with emphasis on portrayals of internalized homophobia in film. The thesis examines three films released at the latter part of the first New Queer Cinema movement (1991 - 2000) - American Beauty (1999), Urbania (2000) and Velvet Goldmine (1998). Using criticisms of Queer as performativity, as theorized by Judith Butler, in addition to the works of Gregory M. Herek, Harry M. Benshoff, Jeffrey Weeks, and other theorists and academics, the thesis analyzes the use of characterization, mise-en-scene, and spatial and temporal relationships in these films as consideration for social, cultural, and psychological influences on the development of internalized homophobia in queer identities. The thesis also examines how these identities under discussion may have sustained or bolstered commonly held perceptions, or stereotypes, attributed to the behaviors and mannerisms of homosexual men during the time period

What Does the Future Hold for the Sustainability of GMOs in Our Environment?

This article talks about the effects of GMOs on food chains and whether or not they are sustainable in regards to the future. The advantages and disadvantages of GMOs are addressed and considered when deciding whether or not they are sustainable

Factors that Influence Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Implementation in Non-Medical Settings

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidenced-based intervention model designed to reduce substance use. While initially used in a variety of medical settings, SBIRT is increasingly implemented in non-medical settings. Unfortunately, very little is known about SBIRT implementation in non-medical settings. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory qualitative study is to understand if professionals recently trained in SBIRT are using it and factors that influence implementation of SBIRT from their perspective. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted using a purposive sampling frame, comprised of practitioners recently trained in SBIRT. Interviews were recorded, and then transcribed verbatim, transcripts were then analyzed with MAXQDA software. Several rounds of coding were completed to allow for the identification of themes concerning influencers of implementation to emerge. An additional coder was used to ensure the validity identified themes. Findings indicate that participants can be divided between high and low levels of implementation, depending upon the number of SBIRT components they are using. Overall implementation in these non-medical setting is best categorized as low with a large majority of the sample using just two of the SBIRT components, with participants using two of the four SBIRT components at significantly higher rates than the others. Eight factors were identified that influence implementation of SBIRT in non-medical settings. Several implications arise from the study. First further research is urgently needed into the larger extent of SBIRT implementation and use in non-medical settings. Training implications include; the need for training to help participants to anticipate challenges in the level of compatibility between their setting and SBIRT, the need to help participants understand the impact of other implementation factors, and the development of technical assistance products to support practitioners how have completed training who seek to implement all the components especially the screening component

Surveys of Southern Flying Squirrel Activity Following Timber Harvest in Southern Indiana

Southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) are gliding small mammals that are ecologically important seed dispersers and prey species across their wide range, which extends from southern Canada to Central America. Because of their reliance on forest structure for efficient movement and on forest composition for hard mast production to provide winter food items, habitat use by G. volans may be impacted by timber harvest. Responses of G. volans to timber harvests remains understudied throughout their range, and studies are especially lacking within the Central Hardwoods Region that includes Indiana. Our study in the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) in southern Indiana examined responses in G. volans activity to even- and uneven-aged forestry using passive acoustic sampling. We examined data from Anabat II recorders positioned within and around harvested areas for ultrasonic G. volans vocalizations to determine activity levels in uneven-aged, even-aged, and no harvest treatments in the year following treatment. We identified G. volans calls via comparison to a library of known calls. We used the mean number of calls per night as an estimate of G. volans activity. Our preliminary results found G. volans activity in the treatment area edge and surrounding forest for all treatment types. We found the greatest activity in the interior of uneven-aged patch cuts, whereas even-aged clearcuts and no harvest treatment interiors had lower levels of activity. We found no activity in the interior of even-aged shelterwoods. These results suggest that uneven-aged harvests have less impact on G. volans activity than even-aged forest management

Practice patterns for acute ischemic stroke workup: A longitudinal population‐based study

Background We examined practice patterns of inpatient testing to identify stroke etiologies and treatable risk factors for acute ischemic stroke recurrence. Methods and Results We identified stroke cases and related diagnostic testing from four 1‐year study periods (July 1993 to June 1994, 1999, 2005, and 2010) of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study. Patients aged ≥18 years were included. We focused on evaluation of extracranial arteries for carotid stenosis and assessment of atrial fibrillation because randomized controlled trials supported treatment of these conditions for stroke prevention across all 4 study periods. In each study period, we also recorded stroke etiology, as determined by diagnostic testing and physician adjudication. An increasing proportion of stroke patients received assessment of both extracranial arteries and the heart over time (50%, 58%, 74%, and 78% in the 1993–1994, 1999, 2005, and 2010 periods, respectively; P &lt;0.0001 for trend), with the most dramatic individual increases in echocardiography (57%, 63%, 77%, and 83%, respectively). Concurrently, we observed a decrease in strokes of unknown etiology (47%, 48%, 41%, and 38%, respectively; P &lt;0.0001 for trend). We also found a significant increase in strokes of other known causes (32%, 25%, 45% and 59%, respectively; P &lt;0.0001 for trend). Conclusions Stroke workup for treatable causes of stroke are being used more frequently over time, and this is associated with a decrease in cryptogenic strokes. Future study of whether better determination of treatable stroke etiologies translates to a decrease in stroke recurrence at the population level will be essential. </jats:sec

Reverse Chemical Genetics: Comprehensive Fitness Profiling Reveals the Spectrum of Drug Target Interactions

The emergence and prevalence of drug resistance demands streamlined strategies to identify drug resistant variants in a fast, systematic and cost-effective way. Methods commonly used to understand and predict drug resistance rely on limited clinical studies from patients who are refractory to drugs or on laborious evolution experiments with poor coverage of the gene variants. Here, we report an integrative functional variomics methodology combining deep sequencing and a Bayesian statistical model to provide a comprehensive list of drug resistance alleles from complex variant populations. Dihydrofolate reductase, the target of methotrexate chemotherapy drug, was used as a model to identify functional mutant alleles correlated with methotrexate resistance. This systematic approach identified previously reported resistance mutations, as well as novel point mutations that were validated in vivo. Use of this systematic strategy as a routine diagnostics tool widens the scope of successful drug research and development

Subarachnoid hemorrhage: tests of association with apolipoprotein E and elastin genes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Apolipoprotein E (<it>APOE</it>) and elastin (<it>ELN</it>) are plausible candidate genes involved in the pathogenesis of stroke. We tested for association of variants in <it>APOE </it>and <it>ELN </it>with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in a population-based study. We genotyped 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on <it>APOE </it>and 10 SNPs on <it>ELN </it>in a sample of 309 Caucasian individuals, of whom 107 are SAH cases and 202 are age-, race-, and gender-matched controls from the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region. Associations were tested at genotype, allele, and haplotype levels. A genomic control analysis was performed to check for spurious associations resulting from population substructure.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At the <it>APOE </it>locus, no individual SNP was associated with SAH after correction for multiple comparisons. Haplotype analysis revealed significant association of the major haplotype (Hap1) in <it>APOE </it>with SAH (<it>p </it>= 0.001). The association stemmed from both the 5' promoter and the 3' region of the <it>APOE </it>gene. <it>APOE </it>ε2 and ε 4 were not significantly associated with SAH. No association was observed for <it>ELN </it>at genotype, allele, or haplotype level and our study failed to confirm previous reports of <it>ELN </it>association with aneurysmal SAH.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study suggests a role of the <it>APOE </it>gene in the etiology of aneurysmal SAH.</p