Incels, Compulsory Sexuality, and Fascist Masculinity

Incel, the now-widely circulated portmanteau for involuntary celibacy, denotes a growing community of mostly cisgender men who are unable to find sexual partners or forge romantic relationships. Organizing in online networks, these men blame their exile from sexual relations on everything from feminism and sexual liberation to genetics and natural laws of attraction. In this essay, we offer an asexual critique of compulsory sexuality in online incel communities to illustrate how the sexual imperatives that animate fascism and the politics of the alt-right rest on myths of an insatiable male sex drive. We argue that incel discourse repurposes liberal conceptions of sexual liberation as well as alternative theories of intimacy crafted by queer and asexual communities to advance an abject and fascist form of masculinity. Rather than understand incels as sexually repressed and unable to assimilate hegemonic masculinity, we theorize incel discourse as a white militant extension of compulsory sexuality that transforms alternative intimacies into violent masculinist fantasies of invulnerability and the sexual will-to-power. Content warning: this essay examines potentially traumatizing discourses concerning sexual assault, racial violence, and discriminatory beliefs. Please read with caution

Use of susceptibility scoring in conjunction with the genotypic transmission disequilibrium test

We explored the utility of selecting a genetically predisposed subgroup to increase the finding of a genetic signal in the Genetic Analysis Workshop 14 Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism dataset. A subgroup of affected probands with low environmental risk exposures was defined using a susceptibility score calculated from an environmental risk model. Thirty-nine probands with highly positive scores were selected, along with their parents, for use in a genotypic transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) test. We compared the results of the genotypic TDT in this subgroup to the TDT results using all probands and their parents. For some markers, the susceptibility scoring approach resulted in smaller p-values, while for other markers, evidence for a genetic signal weakened. Further explorations into genetic and environmental population characteristics that benefit from this approach are warranted

Management of flabby ridges using liquid supported denture: a case report

Flabby ridges commonly occur in edentulous patients. Inadequate retention and stability of a complete denture are the often encountered problems in these patients. A liquid supported denture due to its flexible tissue surface allows better distribution of stress and hence provides an alternate treatment modality in such cases. This case report presents the use of a liquid supported denture in a patient with completely edentulous maxillary arch with flabby tissue in anterior region opposing a partially edentulous mandibular arch

Inactivity/sleep in two wild free-roaming African elephant matriarchs - Does large body size make elephants the shortest mammalian sleepers?

The current study provides details of sleep (or inactivity) in two wild, free-roaming African elephant matriarchs studied in their natural habitat with remote monitoring using an actiwatch subcutaneously implanted in the trunk, a standard elephant collar equipped with a GPS system and gyroscope, and a portable weather station. We found that these two elephants were polyphasic sleepers, had an average daily total sleep time of 2 h, mostly between 02:00 and 06:00, and displayed the shortest daily sleep time of any mammal recorded to date. Moreover, these two elephants exhibited both standing and recumbent sleep, but only exhibited recumbent sleep every third or fourth day, potentially limiting their ability to enter REM sleep on a daily basis. In addition, we observed on five occasions that the elephants went without sleep for up to 46 h and traversed around 30 km in 10 h, possibly due to disturbances such as potential predation or poaching events, or a bull elephant in musth. They exhibited no form of sleep rebound following a night without sleep. Environmental conditions, especially ambient air temperature and relative humidity, analysed as wet-bulb globe temperature, reliably predict sleep onset and offset times. The elephants selected novel sleep sites each night and the amount of activity between sleep periods did not affect the amount of sleep. A number of similarities and differences to studies of elephant sleep in captivity are noted, and specific factors shaping sleep architecture in elephants, on various temporal scales, are discussed

Senior Recital: Savannah English, oboe

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degrees Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Bachelor of Music in Performance. Ms. English studies oboe with Elizabeth Koch Tiscione.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/2218/thumbnail.jp

PCSK9 Inhibitors in Secondary Prevention – An Opportunity for Personalized Therapy

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is the primary cause of ASCVD and reducing LDL-C levels with statin therapy significantly reduces ASCVD risk; however, significant residual risk remains. Two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), alirocumab and evolocumab, that target proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin-type 9 (PCSK9), reduce LDL-C levels by up to 60% when used in combination with statins and significantly reduce the risk of recurrent ASCVD events in both stable secondary prevention and acute coronary syndrome populations. Pre-specified analyses of recent randomized controlled trials have shed light on how best to prioritize these therapies to maximize their value in select high risk groups. These data have also informed recent clinical practice guidelines and scientific statements resulting in an expanded role for PCSK9-mAbs compared to previous guidelines, albeit there are notable differences between these recommendations. Ongoing research is exploring the long-term safety of PCSK9-mAbs and their role in the acute setting as well as patients without prior myocardial infarction or stroke. Novel therapies that inhibit PCSK9 synthesis via small interfering RNA, such as inclisiran, are also in development and may reduce LDL-C levels similar to PCSK9-mAbs but with less frequent administration. Nonetheless, the PCSK9-mAbs are a breakthrough therapy and warrant consideration in very-high risk patients who are most likely to benefit. Such a personalized approach can help to ensure cost-effectiveness and maximize their value

"Tied together like a woven hat:" Protective pathways to Alaska native sobriety

BACKGROUND: The People Awakening Project (1RO1 AA 11446-03) had two purposes, completed in Phase I and Phase II of the project. The purpose of Phase I was to complete a qualitative study; the research objective was discovery oriented with the specific aim of identification of protective and recovery factors in Alaska Native sobriety. Results were used to develop a heuristic model of protective and recovery factors, and measures based on these factors. The research objective of Phase II was to pilot these measures and provide initial validity data. METHODS: Phase I utilized a life history methodology. People Awakening interviewed a convenience sample of 101 Alaska Natives who had either recovered from alcoholism (n = 58) or never had a drinking problem (n = 43). This later group included both lifetime abstainers (LAs) and non-problem drinkers (NPs). Life histories were transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory and consensual data analytic procedures within a participatory action research framework. Analyses were utilized to generate heuristic models of protection and recovery from alcohol abuse among Alaska Natives. RESULTS: Analyses generated a heuristic model of protective factors from alcohol abuse. The resulting multilevel and multi-factorial model describes interactive and reciprocal influences of (a) individual, family, and community characteristics; (b) trauma and the individual and contextual response to trauma, (c) experimental substance use and the person's social environment; and (d) reflective processes associated with a turning point, or a life decision regarding sobriety. The importance of cultural factors mediating all these protective processes is emphasized. For NPs, the resilience process drew from personal stores of self-confidence, self-efficacy, and self-mastery that derived from ability to successfully maneuver within stressful or potentially traumatizing environments. In contrast, for many LAs, efficacy was instead described in more socially embedded terms better understood as communal mastery. One style of mastery is more associated with individualistic orientations, the other with more collectivistic. Future research is needed regarding the generalizeability of this group difference. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that preventative interventions should focus on intervening simultaneously at the community, family, and individual levels to build resilience and protective factors at each level. Of particular importance is the building of reflexivity along with other cognitive processes that allow the individual to think through problems and to reach a life decision to not abuse alcohol

Always on my mind: Cross-brain associations of mental health symptoms during simultaneous parent-child scanning.

How parents manifest symptoms of anxiety or depression may affect how children learn to modulate their own distress, thereby influencing the children's risk for developing an anxiety or mood disorder. Conversely, children's mental health symptoms may impact parents' experiences of negative emotions. Therefore, mental health symptoms can have bidirectional effects in parent-child relationships, particularly during moments of distress or frustration (e.g., when a parent or child makes a costly mistake). The present study used simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of parent-adolescent dyads to examine how brain activity when responding to each other's costly errors (i.e., dyadic error processing) may be associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. While undergoing simultaneous fMRI scans, healthy dyads completed a task involving feigned errors that indicated their family member made a costly mistake. Inter-brain, random-effects multivariate modeling revealed that parents who exhibited decreased medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex activation when viewing their child's costly error response had children with more symptoms of depression and anxiety. Adolescents with increased anterior insula activation when viewing a costly error made by their parent had more anxious parents. These results reveal cross-brain associations between mental health symptomatology and brain activity during parent-child dyadic error processing

An integrated strain improvement and process development program for the production of UK-2A, the precursor of the fungicide InatreqTM active

Secondary metabolites produced by Actinobacteria serve a variety of functions including molecules having agricultural applications. Streptomyces sp. 517-02 produces a novel fungicidal compound called UK-2A, which through a single step chemical reaction is converted to Inatreq™ active. Inatreq utilizes a unique target site of action, ubiquinone reductase Qi site (inner side of membrane), and is intended for use in cereals and banana markets with strong residual protectant and curative activity in wheat against Zymoseptoria tritici, with additional activity on rust and other diseases. To achieve a commercially viable process an integrated multidiscipline approach was applied in parallel including mutagenesis, high-throughput (HTP) screening, fermentation process optimization, and targeted genetic engineering. The presentation will review how the integrated approach contributed to a rapid acceleration in productivity gains resulting in a 75% improvement in titer over a one-year period, more than a 2 fold improvement in 4 years and successful scale-up to the final commercial production plant. Examples of topics to be discussed: Development, deployment, and optimization of the mutagenesis and high-throughput screening process for the selection of improved strains. Deployment of targeted genetic engineering to alleviate biosynthesis bottlenecks identified using approaches such as biosynthetic gene overexpression and precursor feeding. Use of “omics” tools to identify native promoters which permit temporal gene expression suitable for enhanced precursor production and increased UK-2A production. Vetting of new strains and fermentation process improvements both in bioreactors at multiple scales and in the downstream process for product recovery. Use of experimental results from across the integrated program to guide prioritization of strain and process improvement targets. Incorporation of final product design and performance requirements into the program with a line of sight to manufacturing process constraints. ™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ( Dow ) or an affiliated company of Do

H2 activation using the first 1:1:1 hetero-tri(aryl)borane

The novel 1:1:1 hetero-tri(aryl)borane (pentafluorophenyl){3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl}(pentachlorophenyl)borane has been synthesised and structurally characterised. This has been show to act as the Lewis acidic component in FLPs for the heterolytic cleavage of H2 with three Lewis bases