The impact of Vogue germany’s fashion images on female reader’s well-being

This internship report will discuss my experience as a trainee in the magazine Vogue Germany in Paris between September 2020 and May 2021. As an operational assistant in the fashion department, I was directly involved with the production of Vogue Germany’s fashion images, mostly picturing women. During the preparation for the shoots, the contact with multiple experts in the fashion industry made me aware of and impressed by the impact fashion paper magazines have on the configuration of women’s identity, and consequently, on their well-being. In this report I seek to understand how the processes underlying the production of fashion images representing women have psychological and behavioral implications for female readers. Drawing on neurological and sociological principles, I focus particularly on how images can reinforce society’s preconceived representations of and prejudices against women. Neurological principles have demonstrated the potential impact of images on well-being. Thus, through a selection of case studies found in the issues of Vogue Germany published during periods of confinement due to Covid-19, I examine how and to what extent the representation of women in the production of fashion images can lead to psychological changes in female readers, thereby impacting their well-being. To understand how women would like to be represented in fashion photography, I adopted the use of qualitative research through focus group interviews. Neuropsychological principles of mental imagery informed the causal link between the representation of women in fashion magazines and their impact on women’s identity.O presente relatório de estágio visa discutir a minha experiência como estagiária na revista Vogue Germany em Paris, de setembro de 2020 a maio de 2021. Como assistente operacional no departamento de moda, estive diretamente envolvida com a produção das fotografias de moda da Vogue Germany, a maioria das quais representando mulheres. Na preparação das sessões fotográficas, o contacto com vários especialistas da indústria da moda tornou-me consciente do impacto que as revistas de moda em suporte de papel tem na configuração da identidade das mulheres, e, consequentemente, no seu bem-estar. Neste relatório, procuro compreender como os processos subjacentes à produção de imagens de moda que representam mulheres têm implicações de ordem psicológica e comportamental para as leitoras. Lançando mão de princípios neurológicos e sociológicos, examino como as imagens podem reforçar representações sociais pré-concebidas e preconceitos vários contra as mulheres. Os princípios neurológicos têm demonstrado o potencial impacto das imagens sobre o bem-estar. Assim sendo, através de uma seleção de estudos de casos retirados dos números da Vogue Germany, que foram publicados no decorrer dos períodos de confinamento devido a Covid-19, reflito sobre como e em que medida a representação das mulheres na produção de imagens de moda pode levar a alterações psicológicas nas leitoras, com implicações no seu bem-estar. Para compreender como as mulheres gostariam de ser representadas nas fotografias de moda, utilizei como instrumento metodológico a investigação qualitativa através de entrevistas em focus groups. Princípios neuropsicológicos relativos a imagens mentais informaram o elo causal entre a representação das mulheres nas revistas de moda e o seu impacto na identidade das mulheres

Plasma Jet-Substrate Interaction in Low Pressure Plasma Spray-CVD Processes

Conventional equipment for plasma spraying can be adapted for operation at low pressure so that PECVD-like processing can be performed. The plasma jet generated by the torch is characterized by a high convective velocity and a high gas temperature. The influence of these properties on a deposition process are investigated in the framework of simple theoretical considerations and illustrated by various experimental results obtained with SiO x deposition. A conclusion of this study is that the deposition process is dominated by diffusion effects on the substrate surface: the deposition profiles and the deposition rates are determined by the precursor density and by the gas temperature on the substrate surface. The high velocity of the jet does not play a direct role in the deposition mechanism. On the other hand it strongly increases the precursor density available for the deposition since it efficiently transports the precursor up to the substrat

Fungi from symptomless strawberry plants in Switzerland

Forty symptomless strawberry plants (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) belonging to different cultivars were examined for fungal flora. All the plants had originally been imported as frigo plantlets from the same nursery. Assays were performed on frigo plantlets from one batch and on plants grown under field conditions from another batch. Fungal isolations were taken from different parts of the plants (roots, crowns, petioles, leaves, flowers and fruits). Some 40 different fungal species were isolated in all, about 20 from in frigo plantlets and 30 from field-grown plants (with some overlap). About half the fungi isolated were common fungal strawberry pathogens in Switzerland. This paper outlines the problems inherent in the large-scale import of certified planting material containing potential pathogenic fungi that are not detected by routine phytosanitary inspection

Behaviour of Horses in a Judgment Bias Test Associated with Positive or Negative Reinforcement

Moods can influence our judgment of ambiguous stimuli as positive or negative. Measuring judgment bias in animals is a promising method to objectively assess their emotional states. Our study aimed to develop a cognitive bias test in horses, in order to assess the effect of training using positive reinforcement (PR) or negative reinforcement (NR) on their emotional states. We trained 12 mares to discriminate between a rewarded and a non-rewarded location situated on each side of a paddock. The mares were then trained during five days to perform several exercises using PR (n = 6) for one group, and NR (n = 6) for the other (treatment). Finally, we compared the responses of the two groups to three ambiguous locations situated between the rewarded and non-rewarded locations (judgment bias test). During the training exercises, according to our predictions, behavioural measures suggested that NR mares experienced more negative emotions than PR mares. Surprisingly, the results of the judgment bias test suggest that NR mares were in a more optimistic mood compared to PR mares, despite previously experiencing more negative emotions during the treatment. NR mares could have been more motivated to obtain a food reward than PR mares, which had been rewarded throughout the treatment phase. Alternatively, NR mares could have developed optimistic bias triggered by release from the negative state experienced during treatment. This first attempt to test judgment bias in horses suggests that this is a promising method to measure horse mood. Knowledge about the effect of training methods on the mental health of domesticated animals can add a new dimension to animal welfare, in order to promote better ways to work with animals

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates

The corticospinal (CS) tract is the anatomical support of the exquisite motor ability to skillfully manipulate small objects, a prerogative mainly of primates1. In case of lesion affecting the CS projection system at its origin (lesion of motor cortical areas) or along its trajectory (cervical cord lesion), there is a dramatic loss of manual dexterity (hand paralysis), as seen in some tetraplegic or hemiplegic patients. Although there is some spontaneous functional recovery after such lesion, it remains very limited in the adult. Various therapeutic strategies are presently proposed (e.g. cell therapy, neutralization of inhibitory axonal growth molecules, application of growth factors, etc), which are mostly developed in rodents. However, before clinical application, it is often recommended to test the feasibility, efficacy, and security of the treatment in non-human primates. This is especially true when the goal is to restore manual dexterity after a lesion of the central nervous system, as the organization of the motor system of rodents is different from that of primates1,2. Macaque monkeys are illustrated here as a suitable behavioral model to quantify manual dexterity in primates, to reflect the deficits resulting from lesion of the motor cortex or cervical cord for instance, measure the extent of spontaneous functional recovery and, when a treatment is applied, evaluate how much it can enhance the functional recovery