Encounters with the military : toward an ethics of feminist critique?

This conversation developed from a panel titled “Interrogating the Militarized Masculine: Reflections on Research, Ethics and Access” held at the May 2013 International Feminist Journal of Politics conference at the University of Sussex, UK

Enterococcus innesii sp. nov., isolated from the wax moth Galleria mellonella

Four bacterial strains were isolated from two different colony sources of the wax moth Galleria mellonella. They were characterized by a polyphasic approach including 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, core-genome analysis, average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis, digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH), determination of G+C content, screening of antibiotic resistance genes, and various phenotypic analyses. Initial analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence identities indicated that strain GAL7T was potentially very closely related to Enterococcus casseliflavus and Enterococcus gallinarum, having 99.5–99.9 % sequence similarity. However, further analysis of whole genome sequences revealed a genome size of 3.69 Mb, DNA G+C content of 42.35 mol%, and low dDDH and ANI values between the genomes of strain GAL7T and closest phylogenetic relative E. casseliflavus NBRC 100478T of 59.0 and 94.5 %, respectively, indicating identification of a putative new Enterococcus species. In addition, all novel strains encoded the atypical vancomycin-resistance gene vanC-4. Results of phylogenomic, physiological and phenotypic characterization confirmed that strain GAL7T represented a novel species within the genus Enterococcus, for which the name Enterococcus innesii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GAL7T (=DSM 112306T=NCTC 14608T)

Genetic variation in TLR genes in Ugandan and South African populations and comparison with HapMap data

Genetic epidemiological studies of complex diseases often rely on data from the International HapMap Consortium for identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), particularly those that tag haplotypes. However, little is known about the relevance of the African populations used to collect HapMap data for study populations conducted elsewhere in Africa. Toll-like receptor (TLR) genes play a key role in susceptibility to various infectious diseases, including tuberculosis. We conducted full-exon sequencing in samples obtained from Uganda (n = 48) and South Africa (n = 48), in four genes in the TLR pathway: TLR2, TLR4, TLR6, and TIRAP. We identified one novel TIRAP SNP (with minor allele frequency [MAF] 3.2%) and a novel TLR6 SNP (MAF 8%) in the Ugandan population, and a TLR6 SNP that is unique to the South African population (MAF 14%). These SNPs were also not present in the 1000 Genomes data. Genotype and haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium patterns in Uganda and South Africa were similar to African populations in the HapMap datasets. Multidimensional scaling analysis of polymorphisms in all four genes suggested broad overlap of all of the examined African populations. Based on these data, we propose that there is enough similarity among African populations represented in the HapMap database to justify initial SNP selection for genetic epidemiological studies in Uganda and South Africa. We also discovered three novel polymorphisms that appear to be population-specific and would only be detected by sequencing efforts

The Iowa Homemaker vol.23, no.10

Keeping Up With Today, Marilyn Clayton, page 2 Victory Canning Corps, Corinne Cunningham, page 3 Posters for South America, Frances Kerekes, page 4 Choosing Your College, Clara M. Brown, page 5 For Random Reading, Lila Mae Hummel, page 7 Wanted: More Home Economics, Victoria McKibben, page 9 Teaching Field Broadens in Scope, Norma Shellito, page 10 Food Customs from the Phillipines, Soledad Payawal, page 11 Sheer Simplicity, Josephine Ahern, page 12 Association Benefits Graduates, Zoe Wilson, page 14 Forecasting Textile Supply, Elizabeth Peterson, page 15 What’s New in Home Economics, Mildred Krogh, page 16 Packaging for Post War Foods, Virginia Carter, page 18 Challenge from Latin America, Delores Stewart, page 19 Designed for Individuality, Gertrude Richards, page 21 More Products from Plastics, Mary Elizabeth Lush, page 23 Fashions in Weeds, Marilyn Baker, page 24 Across Alumnae Desks, Harriet Keen, page 26 Rehabilitation Challenges Home Economist, Marian Hoppe, page 28 Alums in the News, Patricia Maddex, page 30 Electronics Change Food Flavors, Barbara Reader, page 3

Human-animal elision: a Darwinian universe in George Eliot’s novels

No abstract available

Sex differences in discriminating between cues predicting threat and safety

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more prevalent in women than men. PTSD is characterized by overgeneralization of fear to innocuous stimuli and involves impaired inhibition of learned fear by cues that predict safety. While evidence indicates that learned fear inhibition through extinction differs in males and females, less is known about sex differences in fear discrimination and safety learning. Here we examined auditory fear discrimination in male and female rats. In Experiment 1A, rats underwent 1-3 days of discrimination training consisting of one tone predicting threat (CS+; presented with footshock) and another tone predicting safety (CS-; presented alone). Females, but not males, discriminated between the CS+ and CS- after one day of training. After 2-3 days of training, however, males discriminated whereas females generalized between the CS+ and CS-. In Experiment 1B, females showed enhanced anxiety-like behaviour and locomotor activity in the open field, although these results were unlikely to explain the sex differences in fear discrimination. In Experiment 2, we found no differences in shock sensitivity between males and females. In Experiment 3, males and females again discriminated and generalized, respectively, after three days of training. Moreover, fear generalization in females resulted from impaired safety learning, as shown by a retardation test. Whereas subsequent fear conditioning to the previous CS- retarded learning in males, females showed no such retardation. These results suggest that, while females show fear discrimination with limited training, they show fear generalization with extended training due to impaired safety learning

Investigating Sex Differences in Emotion Recognition, Learning, and Regulation among Youths with Conduct Disorder

Objective: Conduct disorder (CD) is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder marked by notably higher prevalence rates for boys than girls. Converging evidence suggests that CD is associated with impairments in emotion recognition, learning, and regulation. However, it is not known whether there are sex differences in the relationship between CD and emotion dysfunction. Prior studies on emotion functioning in CD have so far been underpowered for investigating sex differences. Therefore, our primary aim was to characterize emotion processing skills in a large sample of girls and boys with CD compared to typically developing controls (TDCs) using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Method: We included 542 youths with CD (317 girls) and 710 TDCs (479 girls), 9 to 18 years of age, from a European multisite study (FemNAT-CD). Participants completed three experimental tasks assessing emotion recognition, learning, and regulation, respectively. Data were analyzed to test for effects of group and sex, and group-by-sex interactions, while controlling for potentially confounding factors. Results: Relative to TDCs, youths with CD showed impaired emotion recognition (that was related to more physical and proactive aggression, and higher CU traits), emotional learning (specifically from punishment), and emotion regulation. Boys and girls with CD, however, displayed similar impairments in emotion processing. Conclusion: This study provides compelling evidence for a relationship between CD and deficient neurocognitive functioning across three emotional domains that have previously been linked to CD etiology. However, there was no support for sex-specific profiles of emotion dysfunction, suggesting that current neurocognitive models of CD apply equally to both sexes.</p

Supplementation with Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements Does Not Increase Child Morbidity in a Semiurban Setting in Ghana: A Secondary Outcome Noninferiority Analysis of the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (iLiNS)–DYAD Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Adequate knowledge about the safety of consumption of small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNSs) is needed. Objective We aimed to test the hypothesis that SQ-LNS consumption is noninferior to control with respect to child morbidity. Methods Women (n = 1320) ≤20 wk pregnant were assigned to iron and folic acid until delivery with no supplementation for offspring; or multiple micronutrient supplements until 6 mo postpartum with no supplementation for offspring; or SQ-LNSs until 6 mo postpartum, and SQ-LNSs for offspring (6 mg Fe/d) from 6 to 18 mo of age [the lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) group]. We assessed noninferiority (margin ≤20%) between any 2 groups during 0–6 mo of age, and between the non-LNS and LNS groups during 6–18 mo of age for caregiver-reported acute respiratory infection, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, fever/suspected malaria, poor appetite, and “other illnesses.” Results During 0–6 mo of age, 1197 infants contributed 190,503 infant-days. For all morbidity combined, overall mean incidence (per 100 infant-days) was 3.3 episodes, overall mean prevalence (percentage of infant-days) was 19.3%, and the 95% CIs of the incidence rate ratio (IRR) and longitudinal prevalence rate ratio (LPRR) between any 2 groups were ≤1.20. During 6–18 mo, there were 240,097 infant-days for the non-LNS group and 118,698 for the LNS group. For all morbidity combined, group mean incidences were 4.3 and 4.3, respectively (IRR: 1.0; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.1), and mean prevalences were 28.2% and 29.3%, respectively (LPRR: 1.0; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.1). Noninferiority was inconclusive for diarrhea, fever/suspected malaria, and poor appetite. Conclusions SQ-LNS consumption does not increase reported overall child morbidity in this population compared with the 2 other treatments. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00970866

Risk of COVID-19 death for people with a pre-existing cancer diagnosis prior to COVID-19-vaccination : A systematic review and meta-analysis

Research Funding National Health and Medical Research Council. Grant Number: APP1194679 World Health Organization Article Funding Open access publishing facilitated by The University of Sydney, as part of the Wiley - The University of Sydney agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.Peer reviewedPublisher PD