The Capitalist Hijacking of International Women\u27s Day: Russian and American Considerations

What are the origins and purpose of International Women’s Day (IWD) as a gender equality platform and what is the symbolic significance of IWD in and outside the United States (U.S.)? Of particular interest is IWD as comparatively observed in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia where the day, born in Sweden and Germany under socialist ideals, gained contextual ground. Using the 2011 IWD centenary as a research lens, analyzed within feminist theoretical frameworks and via Soviet historians, this paper provides a historic synopsis of IWD and of women in Russia, then considers the neoliberal and materialist backlash of IWD in the U.S and Russia. In comparative analysis, we argue that IWD eludes agency to Mohanty’s (2003) vision of global feminism, and instead serves as lip-service to what Eisenstein (2007) assesses as hegemonic ways of seeing and narrating feminist activism and gains

Program Coordinator Works Year-Round on Annual Botanicals Conference

Event draws participants from around the glob

Marvin C. Wilson Retires as Pharmacy School\u27s Associate Dean

Administrator retiring after nearly 43 years of service to the schoo

American Sign Language Competency: Comparing Student Readiness for Entry into a Four-Year Interpreter Degree Program

Foundational language competence is directly related to a student interpreters’ success in interpreter education and ultimately, certification readiness upon graduation. This study focused on the American Sign Language (ASL) expressive competence of applicants to a four-year ASL English interpretation major through a pre-program screening of 250 applicants over eight years. Applicants’ ASL expressive competence compared scores of those who held two-year interpreting degrees to those who had completed four semesters of ASL. Data showed that applicants from two-year interpreting programs and applicants who have taken four semesters of ASL possessed similar expressive ASL competence. This study further examined if applicants with a two-year degree in interpreting were able to transfer into a four-year interpreting program with year three language skills. This study provided quantifiable evidence for addressing inefficiencies in interpreter education that negatively impacted both the student interpreters and the quality of services provided to stakeholders

Embracing the Next Generation of Interpreters: A Call to Action for the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf

The founding members of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) felt strongly about recruiting, training, and confirming the competence of interpreters. As a result, for over 50 years RID has been the national leader for the profession of ASL-English interpreting. At the same time, the next generation of American Sign Language (ASL)-English interpreters continue to face challenges pertaining to pre-service education, practicum experiences, and professional support after graduation as they enter the field. This article describes these challenges and offers suggested recommendations toward proactive organizational investment in this next generation of interpreters that will improve the quality of services provided to stakeholders and empower a stronger network of new professionals connected to and engaged in the preservation and furtherance of RID’s vital legacy

Dark–dark and dark–bright soliton interactions in the two-component defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation

We use the Inverse Scattering Transform machinery to construct multisoliton solutions to the 2-component defocusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation. Such solutions include dark–dark solitons, which have dark solitonic behaviour in both components, as well as dark–bright soliton solutions, with one dark and one bright component. We then derive the explicit expressions of two soliton solutions for all possible cases: two dark–dark solitons, two dark–bright solitons, and one dark–dark and one dark–bright soliton. Finally, we determine the long-time asymptotic behaviours of these solutions, which allows us to obtain explicit expressions for the shifts in the phases and in the soliton centers due to the interactions

Improving transition domains by examining self-determination proficiency among gender and race of secondary adolescents with specific learning disabilities

Doctor of PhilosophyCurriculum and Instruction ProgramsJohn A. HortinSecondary adolescents with disabilities (AWD) have been mandated participants in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Individual Transition Plan (ITP) meetings since 1990, yet overprotective and well-meaning adults have assumed their advocacy role (Janiga & Costenbader, 2002). This has weakened their (secondary AWD) ability to become self-determined. Secondary AWD should be involved with the development, implementation and execution of services and supports in their IEP/ITP in order to benefit from their participation in general education as well as develop self-determination skills. To improve transition outcomes, this study examined self-determination and socio-cultural factors (race/ethnic and gender groups) among secondary adolescents with disabilities by differentiating baseline skills among race and gender groups. The two independent variables were race/ethnicity and gender. The dependent variables were the self-determination total score and each of four domain total scores (Autonomy, Self-Regulation, Psychological Empowerment, and Self-Realization) of the Arc’s Self-Determination Scale. The literature revealed that there was not a standard for self-determination training programs for students with disabilities and teachers (Brunello-Prudencio, 2001). However, empirical data has emphasized that socio-cultural development (i.e. gender and race) could impact self-determination. Understanding the socio-cultural perspective of race/ethnicity and gender on self-determination has the potential to improve transition practices as well as highlight the importance for self-determination (Trainor, 2005). This study utilized information from the Arc’s Self-Determination Scale (Wehmeyer & Kelchner, 1995) score of secondary adolescents with disabilities to determine whether differences existed among race/ethnic and gender groups. Research findings from this study indicated significant differences in total scores among race/ethnic groups for: (1) the autonomy domain (the ability to express personal preferences or beliefs); (2) self-determination; and (3) there was no significant difference for gender on either domain score or self-determination total scores. This research revealed that a self-determination assessment instrument could be used to isolate essential abilities and behaviors by gender and race for secondary adolescents with disabilities. To promote positive outcomes among deficit areas of self-determination for secondary adolescents with disabilities, this researcher recommended differentiated strategies for educational practitioners. Differentiated strategies could focus on collaborative learning communities, experiential learning options, and reduced emphasis on competitive learning environments

Deep learning model for automatic contouring of cardiovascular substructures on radiotherapy planning CT images:Dosimetric validation and reader study based clinical acceptability testing

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Oral tolerance to cancer can be abrogated by T regulatory cell inhibition

Oral administration of tumour cells induces an immune hypo-responsiveness known as oral tolerance. We have previously shown that oral tolerance to a cancer is tumour antigen specific, non-cross-reactive and confers a tumour growth advantage. We investigated the utilisation of regulatory T cell (Treg) depletion on oral tolerance to a cancer and its ability to control tumour growth. Balb/C mice were gavage fed homogenised tumour tissue – JBS fibrosarcoma (to induce oral tolerance to a cancer), or PBS as control. Growth of subcutaneous JBS tumours were measured; splenic tissue excised and flow cytometry used to quantify and compare systemic Tregs and T effector (Teff) cell populations. Prior to and/or following tumour feeding, mice were intraperitoneally administered anti-CD25, to inactivate systemic Tregs, or given isotype antibody as a control. Mice which were orally tolerised prior to subcutaneous tumour induction, displayed significantly higher systemic Treg levels (14% vs 6%) and faster tumour growth rates than controls (p<0.05). Complete regression of tumours were only seen after Treg inactivation and occurred in all groups - this was not inhibited by tumour feeding. The cure rates for Treg inactivation were 60% during tolerisation, 75% during tumour growth and 100% during inactivation for both tolerisation and tumour growth. Depletion of Tregs gave rise to an increased number of Teff cells. Treg depletion post-tolerisation and post-tumour induction led to the complete regression of all tumours on tumour bearing mice. Oral administration of tumour tissue, confers a tumour growth advantage and is accompanied by an increase in systemic Treg levels. The administration of anti-CD25 Ab decreased Treg numbers and caused an increase in Teffs. Most notably Treg cell inhibition overcame established oral tolerance with consequent tumor regression, especially relevant to foregut cancers where oral tolerance is likely to be induced by the shedding of tumour tissue into the gut