Constance Maynard's life-writing considered as spiritual autobiography

Viewing Constance Maynard’s unwieldy life-writings within the tradition of spiritual autobiography reveals many of the irresolvable tensions with which she wrestled. Although she chose to see her public role as spearheading a crusade against modern rationalism, her inner life was as much concerned with the struggle to repudiate her parents’ ascetic Evangelical piety in favour of a more emotionally intense spirituality. Her conviction of conversion’s centrality fostered a sense of mission which bolstered a sense of her own exceptionality as a ‘prophet’ chosen by God. This in turn nourished her belief that she was justified in exempting herself from the roles and relationships conventionally assigned to her gender, by pursuing same-sex desire and sexless motherhood

Assessing the Third Transition in Latin American Democratization: Representational Regimes and Civil Society in Argentina and Brazil

Recent political and economic transitions in Latin America have shaped a third transition in the nature of civil society and democratic representation. The conceptual territory of democratic representational regimes can be mapped out in four theoretical patterns of state-society relations: adversarial, delegative, deliberative, and cooptive. A comparison of representational regimes in state-society relations in Argentina and Brazil shows a shift in civil society towards organization in nongovernmental organizations, in addition to social movements. Despite this common characteristic, the different emerging representational regimes in these two countries carry different implications for the quality of democracy

#NiUnaMenos: Not One Woman Less, Not One More Death!

On October 19, hundreds of thousands of women across Argentina [3] braved a torrential downpour to participate in two extraordinary protests: an unprecedented women’s strike and a massive demonstration against femicide (femicidio)—that is, the killing of cis-gender and transwomen because of their gender. Reacting in rage and sorrow to the October 9, 2016, murder of Lucía Pérez [4], a 16-year-old high school student from the city of Mar de Plata who had been abducted, drugged, and gang-raped so viciously that she died of her injuries, Argentine feminist organizers relied on social media to organize the strike and orchestrate the protest in less than a week. Dubbing the demonstrations “Black Wednesday,” the protests were notable not only for their rapid organization and widespread diffusion, but also for their framing of gendered violence as inextricably linked to gendered structures of power— a point that was exemplified in the signs, slogans, and speeches that accompanied the demonstrators on city streets across Argentina. “Not even one woman less! We want us all alive!,” thousands marched and sang, drummed and yelled.Fil: Friedman, Elisabeth Jay. University of San Francisco; Estados UnidosFil: Tabbush, Constanza. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Estudios de Género; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

A Nonpolymorphic Class I Gene in the Murine Major Histocompatibility Complex

DNA sequence analysis of a class I gene (QlO), which maps to the Qa2,3 locus in the C57BL/lO (H- 2b haplotype) mouse, reveals that it is almost identical to a cDNA clone (pH16) isolated from a SWR/J (H-2q haplotype) mouse liver cDNA library. Exon 5, in particular, has an unusual structure such that a polypeptide product is unlikely to be anchored in the cell membrane. Our findings suggest that the two sequences are derived from allelic class I genes, which are nonpolymorphic, in contrast to H-2K allelic sequences from the same mice, and they may encode liver-specific polypeptides of unknown function. Our previous studies indicate that the QlO gene is a potential donor gene for the generation of mutations at the H-2K locus by inter-gene transfer of genetic information. Thus the lack of polymorphism in class I genes at the QlO locus implies either that they are not recipients for such exchanges or that selective pressure prevents the accumulation of mutations in genes at this locus

"A spectre is haunting Europe": Napoleon’s reappearance in British literature of the 1840s

This article considers the resurgence of British interest in their former foe, Napoleon Bonaparte, apparent in literature of the 1840s. The circumstances surrounding his death and interment on St Helena had already given him mythical status. The British government’s formal approval in May 1840 for the repatriation of his mortal remains to Paris prompted a renewed interest in this heroic figure on British shores. Thackeray, who had attended the Parisian ceremony and familiarized himself with ensuing fictional and historical re-appraisals of the Napoleonic wars, had recognized the potential of this material for anti-heroic treatment by the time he began Vanity Fair. However, by the April 1848 serial episode, in which the novel’s narrative chronology closes down for a ten-year break, the contemporary political framework in which the novel was being written had changed. That March Thackeray had dined at the same table as Louis-Napoleon, the Emperor’s heir, who had just returned from a premature attempt to claim his political inheritance. When Becky dons the exiled Emperor’s mantle at the start of chapter LXIV, she serves as a reminder to Thackeray’s initial readers that the Napoleonic legacy was still very much alive as a spectre haunting European politics

Sovereign Limits and Regional Opportunities for Global Civil Society in Latin America

In this article, we evaluate whether Latin American participation in international arenas reinforces traditional divides between state and society in global politics or transforms state-society relations in ways compatible with the concept of global civil society. We examine the participation and interaction of Latin American nongovernmental organizations and states at three recent United Nations conferences: the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights, and the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. We conclude that Latin Americans are full participants in any emerging global civil society. Their experiences at the 1990s issue conferences closely track those of NGOs of the Northern Hemisphere, notwithstanding the much more recent appearance of NGOs in Latin America. At the same time, Latin Americans bring a regional sensibility to their participation in global processes that reflects recent political developments and debates in the region

Addition-substitution reactions of 2-thio-3-chloroacrylamides with carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and selenium nucleophiles

Synthetically versatile conjugate addition of a range of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and selenium nucleophiles to the highly functionalised 2-thio-3-chloroacrylamides is described. The stereochemical and synthetic features of this transformation are discussed in detail. In most instances, the nucleophile replaces the chloro substituent with retention of stereochemistry. With the oxygen nucleophiles, a second addition can occur leading to acetals, while with the nitrogen nucleophiles, E-Z isomerism occurs in the resulting enamine derivatives. The ratio of the E/Z isomers can be rationalised on the basis of the substituent and the level of oxidation

Interaction of the mu-opioid receptor with GPR177 (Wntless) inhibits Wnt secretion: potential implications for opioid dependence

BACKGROUND: Opioid agonist drugs produce analgesia. However, long-term exposure to opioid agonists may lead to opioid dependence. The analgesic and addictive properties of opioid agonist drugs are mediated primarily via the mu-opioid receptor (MOR). Opioid agonists appear to alter neuronal morphology in key brain regions implicated in the development of opioid dependence. However, the precise role of the MOR in the development of these neuronal alterations remains elusive. We hypothesize that identifying and characterizing novel MOR interacting proteins (MORIPs) may help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved in the development of opioid dependence. RESULTS: GPR177, the mammalian ortholog of Drosophila Wntless/Evi/Sprinter, was identified as a MORIP in a modified split ubiquitin yeast two-hybrid screen. GPR177 is an evolutionarily conserved protein that plays a critical role in mediating Wnt protein secretion from Wnt producing cells. The MOR/GPR177 interaction was validated in pulldown, coimmunoprecipitation, and colocalization studies using mammalian tissue culture cells. The interaction was also observed in rodent brain, where MOR and GPR177 were coexpressed in close spatial proximity within striatal neurons. At the cellular level, morphine treatment caused a shift in the distribution of GPR177 from cytosol to the cell surface, leading to enhanced MOR/GPR177 complex formation at the cell periphery and the inhibition of Wnt protein secretion. CONCLUSIONS: It is known that chronic morphine treatment decreases dendritic arborization and hippocampal neurogenesis, and Wnt proteins are essential for these processes. We therefore propose that the morphine-mediated MOR/GPR177 interaction may result in decreased Wnt secretion in the CNS, resulting in atrophy of dendritic arbors and decreased neurogenesis. Our results demonstrate a previously unrecognized role for GPR177 in regulating cellular response to opioid drugs