The Casualization of Intimacy: Consensual Non-Monogamy and the New Sexual Ethos

This dissertation explores the discursive construction of consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships. The focus is limited to non-monogamists involved in primary, committed dyadic relationships who also pursue secondary, more casual partners. Using the framework of casualization, the dissertation carries out a discourse analysis of 25 in-depth interviews with straight and LGBT individuals and couples involved in CNM relationships. The term casualization of intimacy makes an analogy between the evolving norms of private life and the casualization of labor. For scholars of work in a global economy, the casualization of labor refers to decreasing job security for workers, coupled with increasing productivity and the demand for new skills. The casualization of intimacy means that our personal lives, like our work lives, are characterized by precarity, the need for flexibility, the feminization of communication, and the valorization of individual hard work. Analysis of interviews with non-monogamists demonstrates a construction of CNM in line with casualization. Non-monogamists portray their lifestyle as protective of partners\u27 autonomy and uniquely accommodating of change; individual adaptability to changing expectations is construed as a necessary virtue. The feminization of communication norms is demonstrated in interview subjects\u27 construction of verbal communication, particularly self-disclosure, as central to and distinctive of CNM relationships. Frequent communication about emotionally-fraught topics - jealousy, desire, insecurity - is considered essential to the success of CNM partnerships; interview participants often argued communication was more important than sex in distinguishing CNM and monogamous partnerships. This emphasis on communication suggests one reason CNM appeals to some women; it also disrupts an understanding of non-monogamy as inevitably sexist. Additionally, by framing the self-disclosure required by CNM as hard work, interview subjects align their lifestyle with the ethos of casualization. In sum, non-monogamists contrast an image of traditional, rigid, hierarchal, and monologic relationships with their construction of non-monogamy as a modern ethic of intimacy, one that is flexible, egalitarian, and dialogic, while also deemphasizing the instability and insecurity inherent in CNM. In trading predictability for excitement and security for freedom, the discourse of consensual non-monogamy highlights the promise and peril offered by the casualization of intimate life

Predictors of Urinary and Fecal Continence Status After Stroke

Urinary incontinence (UI) and fecal incontinence (FI) commonly occur after stroke. The causes are multifactorial. Both conditions can negatively impact recovery, care needs, and health-related quality of life. This study examined if clinical characteristics assessed within two weeks after stroke (baseline) predicted continence at 6 months. The Kansas City Stroke Study, a prospective cohort of 459 subjects examined longitudinally for 6 months using validated functional assessment tools, was used for this analysis. Baseline predictor variables were compared to final continence outcomes assessed with the Barthel Index. Of the 321 eligible subjects who were continent of bladder and bowel pre-stroke, 64 had UI, 48 had FI, and 28 had both at 6 months. Multiple logistic regression models showed age and UI at baseline to be independent predictors for UI. Age, stroke severity, visual impairment, and lack of independence for dressing at baseline were independent predictors for FI at 6 months

The structure of the PapD-PapGII pilin complex reveals an open and flexible P5 pocket

P pili are hairlike polymeric structures that mediate binding of uropathogenic Escherichia coli to the surface of the kidney via the PapG adhesin at their tips. PapG is composed of two domains: a lectin domain at the tip of the pilus followed by a pilin domain that comprises the initial polymerizing subunit of the 1,000-plus-subunit heteropolymeric pilus fiber. Prior to assembly, periplasmic pilin domains bind to a chaperone, PapD. PapD mediates donor strand complementation, in which a beta strand of PapD temporarily completes the pilin domain's fold, preventing premature, nonproductive interactions with other pilin subunits and facilitating subunit folding. Chaperone-subunit complexes are delivered to the outer membrane usher where donor strand exchange (DSE) replaces PapD's donated beta strand with an amino-terminal extension on the next incoming pilin subunit. This occurs via a zip-in-zip-out mechanism that initiates at a relatively accessible hydrophobic space termed the P5 pocket on the terminally incorporated pilus subunit. Here, we solve the structure of PapD in complex with the pilin domain of isoform II of PapG (PapGIIp). Our data revealed that PapGIIp adopts an immunoglobulin fold with a missing seventh strand, complemented in parallel by the G1 PapD strand, typical of pilin subunits. Comparisons with other chaperone-pilin complexes indicated that the interactive surfaces are highly conserved. Interestingly, the PapGIIp P5 pocket was in an open conformation, which, as molecular dynamics simulations revealed, switches between an open and a closed conformation due to the flexibility of the surrounding loops. Our study reveals the structural details of the DSE mechanism

Essential Elements for Preparing Future Teachers in Early Childhood Education Using Common Core Standards--RESEARCH

The purpose of this paper is to discuss suggestions on what pre-service teachers need to know in order to be ready to teach in today’s kindergartens where the implementation of the Common Core State Standards reflects best practice. The introduction of the Common Core State Standards in Kentucky has ushered a new culture in kindergarten. Kindergarten used to be seen as a preparation year in which children could be equipped in listening, walking in lines, getting along with others and learning letters. Today, children in kindergarten are expected to begin reading, writing, adding and subtracting. Rigor begins early in the school year as kindergarten children are screened and assessed to determine groupings and which children will need additional supports to meet the CCSS expectations. Teacher education programs, in turn, need to ascertain how to resolve the challenges of this new culture. The teacher candidates will need to be prepared for what they will experience or face in schools. In this paper, the authors will provide suggestions on what pre-service teachers need to know in order to be ready to teach in today’s kindergartens where the implementation of the Common Core State Standards reflects best practice. lines, getting along with others and learning lette rs. Today, children in kindergarten are expected to begin reading, writing, adding and subtracting. Rigor begins early in the school year as kindergarten children are sc reened and assessed to determine groupings and which children will need additional supports to meet the CCSS expe ctations. Teacher education programs, in turn, need to ascert ain how to resolve the challenges of this new cultu re. The teacher candidates will need to be prepared for what they w ill experience or face in schools. In this paper, t he authors will provide suggestions on what pre-service teachers ne ed to know in order to be ready to teach in today’s kindergartens where the implementation of the Common Core State S tandards reflects best practice

Using Wikis to Promote Reflective Teaching and Collaboration among Higher Education Institutions

The purpose of this article is to describe how teacher educators from different higher education institutions used Web 2.0 technology to facilitate collaboration in a small pedagogy group. Faculty from three different institutions participated in monthly face-to-face group meetings. They used technology to facilitate reflection on practice and scholarship. In addition, they were engaged in interactive journaling and collaborative writing activities. Wikis provided useful supports, and enhanced their learning. The group used a hybrid format that allowed increased opportunities to meet group and individual goals and extend benefits to students. Some themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of reflections in response to prompts regarding the impact of using Wikis. These included co-ownership, communication, organization, sharing resources, accessibility, and community. The authors offered some suggestions for facilitating the successful use of this technology in collaborative efforts. Each member of a Wiki must clearly understand the purpose of his or her involvement. Wiki communities participate in social negotiation. This means that each individual should have a clear role, and a sense of belonging. The group used Wikis as extensions and supports that assist group members to reach shared goals. Wiki selfefficacy, or how capable members feel while using wikis, depend on perceived ease of use and decreased sense of user anxiety

Immune modulation by group B Streptococcus influences host susceptibility to urinary tract infection by uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is most often caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). UPEC inoculation into the female urinary tract (UT) can occur through physical activities that expose the UT to an inherently polymicrobial periurethral, vaginal, or gastrointestinal flora. We report that a common urogenital inhabitant and opportunistic pathogen, group B Streptococcus (GBS), when present at the time of UPEC exposure, undergoes rapid UPEC-dependent exclusion from the murine urinary tract, yet it influences acute UPEC-host interactions and alters host susceptibility to persistent outcomes of bladder and kidney infection. GBS presence results in increased UPEC titers in the bladder lumen during acute infection and reduced inflammatory responses of murine macrophages to live UPEC or purified lipopolysaccharide (LPS), phenotypes that require GBS mimicry of host sialic acid residues. Taken together, these studies suggest that despite low titers, the presence of GBS at the time of polymicrobial UT exposure may be an overlooked risk factor for chronic pyelonephritis and recurrent UTI in susceptible groups, even if it is outcompeted and thus absent by the time of diagnosis

Innovative solutions to sticky situations: Antiadhesive strategies for treating bacterial infections

ABSTRACT Bacterial adherence to host tissue is an essential process in pathogenesis, necessary for invasion and colonization and often required for the efficient delivery of toxins and other bacterial effectors. As existing treatment options for common bacterial infections dwindle, we find ourselves rapidly approaching a tipping point in our confrontation with antibiotic-resistant strains and in desperate need of new treatment options. Bacterial strains defective in adherence are typically avirulent and unable to cause infection in animal models. The importance of this initial binding event in the pathogenic cascade highlights its potential as a novel therapeutic target. This article seeks to highlight a variety of strategies being employed to treat and prevent infection by targeting the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion. Advancements in this area include the development of novel antivirulence therapies using small molecules, vaccines, and peptides to target a variety of bacterial infections. These therapies target bacterial adhesion through a number of mechanisms, including inhibition of pathogen receptor biogenesis, competition-based strategies with receptor and adhesin analogs, and the inhibition of binding through neutralizing antibodies. While this article is not an exhaustive description of every advancement in the field, we hope it will highlight several promising examples of the therapeutic potential of antiadhesive strategies.</jats:p

Quantification of Stream Depletion Due to Aquifer Pumping Using Adjoint Methodology

Water availability for humans and the environment faces increasing threats from expanding populations and potential reduction in supply due to changes in climactic patterns. In light of these threats, the need to minimize stream depletion, defined as the depletion of flows in streams and rivers caused by groundwater pumping, becomes paramount. Stream depletion associated with pumping wells has been quantified by both analytical and numerical approaches; however, methods for identifying the stream depletion caused by new wells remain inefficient and require separate simulations for each potential well location. In this work, we develop adjoint equations of a coupled groundwater and surface water system that can be solved to calculate stream depletion. We use MODFLOW with the stream package to solve the adjoint equations, and, unlike previous work, we allow the head and resulting flow in the river to change as a result of depletion. With only one simulation of the adjoint equations, stream depletions can be calculated for a well at any location in the aquifer, making it an efficient method for siting future wells

Perception, knowledge, and interest of urologic surgery: A medical student survey

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Background Although only a limited number of medical schools require a formal educational rotation in urologic surgery, urology as a medical specialty continues to attract a large number of students into the match each year. The purpose of this study was to describe medical student awareness, perception, and knowledge of urology, to determine factors influencing students’ consideration of urology as a career, and to determine if prior urology clerkship experience is associated with differences in these variables. Methods In this cross-sectional study, medical students were electronically surveyed in 07/2016. Self-reported and question-based knowledge of urology were determined. A total of 25 factors were assessed with a five-point Likert scale to determine their influence on students’ consideration of urology as a career. Data analysis was performed using R. Results The survey was completed by 114 students (13.5% of all medical students). A total of 11(9.65%)students had previously participated in a urology clerkship. All students reported awareness of urology; however, only 74 students (64.9%) correctly identified the training pathway and job duties of urologists. Self-perceived knowledge of urology was poor but improved with increased medical school training. Question-based assessment also demonstrated increased knowledge with advanced medical school training (27% per year; p < 0.01). Prior urology clerkship experience appeared to be associated with increased urologic knowledge; however, this was confounded by year in medical school training. When assessing factors impacting students’ consideration of a career in urology, ‘combination of medicine and surgery’ was the most positively influential and ‘competitiveness of the specialty’ was the most negatively influential. Conclusions Although medical students are aware of urology as a specialty, they perceive their knowledge of urology as poor. However, knowledge of urology increases throughout medical school training. Multiple factors influence students’ consideration of urology as a career choice. Additional studies are needed to further explore how participation in a formal urology experience alters students’ perceptions and influences their consideration of urology as a career choice

Early severe inflammatory responses to uropathogenic E. coli predispose to chronic and recurrent urinary tract infection

Chronic infections are an increasing problem due to the aging population and the increase in antibiotic resistant organisms. Therefore, understanding the host-pathogen interactions that result in chronic infection is of great importance. Here, we investigate the molecular basis of chronic bacterial cystitis. We establish that introduction of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) into the bladders of C3H mice results in two distinct disease outcomes: resolution of acute infection or development of chronic cystitis lasting months. The incidence of chronic cystitis is both host strain and infectious dose-dependent. Further, development of chronic cystitis is preceded by biomarkers of local and systemic acute inflammation at 24 hours post-infection, including severe pyuria and bladder inflammation with mucosal injury, and a distinct serum cytokine signature consisting of elevated IL-5, IL-6, G-CSF, and the IL-8 analog KC. Mice deficient in TLR4 signaling or lymphocytes lack these innate responses and are resistant, to varying degrees, to developing chronic cystitis. Treatment of C3H mice with the glucocorticoid anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone prior to UPEC infection also suppresses the development of chronic cystitis. Finally, individuals with a history of chronic cystitis, lasting at least 14 days, are significantly more susceptible to redeveloping severe, chronic cystitis upon bacterial challenge. Thus, we have discovered that the development of chronic cystitis in C3H mice by UPEC is facilitated by severe acute inflammatory responses early in infection, which subsequently are predisposing to recurrent cystitis, an insidious problem in women. Overall, these results have significant implications for our understanding of how early host-pathogen interactions at the mucosal surface determines the fate of disease