Which Side Are You on? : Prosthetic Vaginas, Cross-dressing Madonnas, and Queer Theology in Virgin of the Flames and Narcopolis

Chris Abani describes a scene where his main character Black and Sweet Girl, a transsexual dancer, have intercourse for the first time. Black hesitates as he begins to penetrate her anally because, “he couldn’t become her this way. He knew this thing, this intimacy he craved wasn’t about love, or even sex, but about filling himself.” (275). Black does not want sex, he wants, as Sweet Girl does, to transcend boundaries of gender and the physical dimensions of sex. Similarly Thayil’s narrator Dimple, a castrated biological male prostitute living as a woman, expounds on the nature of sex after a customer asks, “What I want to know, do you feel pleasure or not?” (124). Dimple responds, “Not like you do and not the way a woman does […] I feel pleasure but not, what’s the word? relief?” (124). The lack of sexual fulfillment for both characters functions as a metaphor for widespread economic, racial and sexual disempowerment within the narratives. This paper will perform a comparative analysis of two novels: Chris Abani’s Virgin of the Flames and Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil. In particular, it will deal with two principal characters: Black in Virgin of the Flames and Dimple in Narcopolis. Both these characters straddle various divides: cultural, racial, sexual and spiritual.This paper will examine the ways both characters inhabit migratory spaces between polarities and fluidly move between them, as well as seek to contextualize questions about how queer theology in tandem with the material study of othered bodies can inform a post-colonial understanding of power structures in the contemporary age. I intend to ground the critical analysis of the project in the theory of Argentinian theologian, Marcella Althaus-Reid. Althaus-Reid’s work The Queer God addresses the way that, “[b]odies in love add many theological insights to the quest for God and truth, but doing theology from other contexts needs to consider the experiences and reflection of Others too” (2). This queer theology also seeks to dismantle heterosexual readings of the Scriptures through rejecting normative presentations of human bodies and heterosexuality. I will begin my project with a materialist analysis of the transgendered bodies of both Dimple and Black to question how their sexual hermeneutics informs their spiritual ones. In so doing, I hope to reach an understanding of how the deviant theology of these characters challenges what Althaus-Reid terms T-theology, a methodology which is, “still colonially based, its covenants are still similar to the covenants of colonial industrial landscapes” (31). In this context the physical spaces within and without Dimple and Black’s bodies, as well as their deviant gender performances become sites of post-colonial resistance

Augustana Seniors Fall 1885: Nicanor Benelius

Nicanor A. Benelius was a senior at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois in the fall of 1885. His name appears in the college catalog of 1885-1886, along with his birthplace, the year of his birth, and a few other facts, From this start, we researched the genealogy and family history of Nicanor A. Benelius. This paper contains a short biography of Nicanor, a report on his ancestors, a report on his decedents, and some open questions for further research

One-pot Conversion of Carboxylic Acids to Aldhydes

There are many different ways to convert a carboxylic acid to an aldehyde.1 A common way to accomplish this transformation is to use multiple steps (e.g., reduction of the carboxylic acid to the corresponding alcohol followed by selective oxidation to the aldehyde). Our success in reducing the diacid muconic acid (1) to muconaldehyde (4) in a relatively mild, one-pot process2 has led us to examine whether the method can be expanded to other carboxylic acids. We report here our findings using benzoic acid as a representative substrate

Diurnal rhythm of plasma EPA and DHA in healthy adults

Knowledge of the diurnal variation in circulating omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) may be an important consideration for the development of dosing protocols designed to optimise tissue delivery of these fatty acids. The objective of the current study was to examine the variation in plasma concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) over a 24-h period in healthy adults under eating and sleeping conditions generally approximate to a free-living environment. Twenty-one healthy participants aged 25–44 years took part in a single laboratory visit encompassing an overnight stay. EPA and DHA were measured in plasma samples collected every two hours from 22:00 until 22:00 the following day, with all meals being provided at conventional times. Cosinor analysis was used to estimate the diurnal variation in each fatty acid from pooled data across all participants. A significant diurnal variation in the pooled plasma concentrations of both fatty acids was detected. However, evidence of distinct rhythmicity was strongest for DHA. The timing of the peak concentration of DHA was 17:43 with a corresponding nadir at 05:43. In comparison, the observed acrophase for EPA was delayed by three hours, occurring at 20:41, with a nadir at 08:41. This is the first time that the diurnal variation in these important bioactive fatty acids has been described in a sample of healthy adults following a normal pattern of eating and sleeping. In the absence of any dietary intake of EPA and DHA, circulating levels of these fatty acids fall during the overnight period and reach their lowest point in the morning. Consumption of n-3 PUFAs at night time, which counteracts this pattern, may have functional significance

Response of P(VDF-TrFE) sensor to force and temperature

Responses of a tactile sensor to force (0 to 9 N) and temperature (15 to 47°C) are investigated. The sensor is based on ferroelectric polyvinylidene fluoride – trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) copolymer. The 2.5-µm-thick copolymer layer was sandwiched between aluminum and gold electrodes and the active sensing area was 25 mm2. The response of the sensor was measured in a form of capacitance recorded at 2 kHz. The capacitance was measured in a steady-state condition, i.e. after the force and temperature have stabilized. We have found that the sensor’s sensitivity to temperature is comparable to that of force, and even greatly exceeds the force sensitivity when dealing with forces larger than 3 N. This is because the response of the sensor to temperature is approximately linear, while the response to the applied force is logarithmic. Consequently, at the lower end of applied forces (< 0.5 N), the sensitivity is 7.5 pF/N while the temperature sensitivity is about 7 pF/°C within the whole temperature range

Evaluation of alternative surfactants as stabilizers for therapeutical protein formulations

Surfactants are potent stabilizers of proteins, preventing protein unfolding and aggregation presumably by competitive adsorption to interfaces. Due to limited data on e.g. performance and safety, only three surfactants are routinely found within marketed formulations of parenteral protein products: polysorbate 20 (PS20), polysorbate 80 (PS80), or poloxamer 188 (Px188). These molecules are well-established and safe for parenteral administration but possess liabilities such as degradation of the surfactant itself and/or chemical inhomogeneity (PS) or show decreased stabilizing effects at silicone oil-water interfaces (Px188). Thus, there is a need to evaluate alternative surfactants to expand the toolbox for product development and to ensure optimal drug product stability and quality. In our studies, potential alternative surfactants were evaluated and compared to PS20 and Px188 (e.g. during real-time and stress stability studies using a model mAb). Data from these efforts will be presented

Prevalence and characteristics of resistant hypertensive patients in an Asian population

Background: Resistant hypertension is a well-recognized clinical challenge yet there are no reported data on its prevalence in Pakistan. These patients are subjected to a higher risk of developing hypertensive complications. The objective of our study was to evaluate the prevalence and determinants of resistant hypertension in an Asian cohort of hypertensive patients.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among hypertensive patients visiting a tertiary care hospital in Karachi from September-December 2015. Patient data and characteristics were recorded using a pre-coded questionnaire. Morisky and Berlin questionnaires were used to assess compliance to medications and determine the risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea, respectively. Pearson\u27s chi-square test was used to analyze statistical differences between hypertensive patients and related factors.Results: A total of 515 patients were included in the study. Overall, 12% of the total patients (n=62) were resistant hypertensives and 25% (n=129) had pseudo-resistant hypertension. Resistant patients were more often females, older and had a higher body mass index (all P\u3c0.001). Use of painkillers and noncompliance to dietary recommendations were found to be significant determinants of resistant hypertension. Prevalence of comorbid conditions, including diabetes (p=0.33), hyperlipidemia (p=0.46), and chronic kidney disease (p=0.23), was not significantly higher in patients with resistant hypertension.Conclusion: Nearly one in ten hypertensive patients had true resistant hypertension, and twenty-five percent of patients had pseudo-resistance. Resistance hypertensions is significantly associated with female gender, older age, obesity, dietary noncompliance and increased use of NSAIDs

Retinal Morphometric Markers of Crystallized and Fluid Intelligence Among Adults With Overweight and Obesity

Objective: To investigate the relationship between retinal morphometric measures and intellectual abilities among adults with overweight and obesity.Methods: Adults between 25 and 45 years (N = 55, 38 females) with overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2) underwent an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan to assess retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) volume, ganglion cell layer (GCL) volume, macular volume, and central foveal thickness. Dual-Energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to assess whole-body adiposity (% Fat). The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test-2 was used to assess general intelligence (IQ), fluid, and crystallized intelligence. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to examine relationships between adiposity and intelligence measures following adjustment of relevant demographic characteristics and degree of adiposity (i.e., % Fat).Results: Although initial bivariate correlations indicated that % Fat was inversely related to fluid intelligence, this relationship was mitigated by inclusion of other demographic factors, including age, sex, and education level. Regression analyses for primary outcomes revealed that RNFL was positively related to IQ and fluid intelligence. However, only GCL was positively related to crystallized intelligence.Conclusion: This work provides novel data linking specific retinal morphometric measures – assessed using OCT – to intellectual abilities among adults with overweight and obesity.Clinical Trial Registration:www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT02740439

A mutation in the major autophagy gene, WIPI2, associated with global developmental abnormalities

We describe a large consanguineous pedigree from a remote area of Northern Pakistan, with a complex developmental disorder associated with wide-ranging symptoms, including mental retardation, speech and language impairment and other neurological, psychiatric, skeletal and cardiac abnormalities. We initially carried out a genetic study using the HumanCytoSNP-12 v2.1 Illumina gene chip on nine family members and identified a single region of homozygosity shared amongst four affected individuals on chromosome 7p22 (positions 3059377–5478971). We performed whole-exome sequencing on two affected individuals from two separate branches of the extended pedigree and identified a novel nonsynonymous homozygous mutation in exon 9 of the WIPI2 (WD-repeat protein interacting with phosphoinositide 2) gene at position 5265458 (c.G745A;pV249M). WIPI2 plays a critical role in autophagy, an evolutionary conserved cellular pathway implicated in a growing number of medical conditions. The mutation is situated in a highly conserved and critically important region of WIPI2, responsible for binding PI(3)P and PI(3,5)P2, an essential requirement for autophagy to proceed. The mutation is absent in all public databases, is predicted to be damaging and segregates with the disease phenotype. We performed functional studies in vitro to determine the potential effects of the mutation on downstream pathways leading to autophagosome assembly. Binding of the V231M mutant of WIPI2b to ATG16L1 (as well as ATG5–12) is significantly reduced in GFP pull-down experiments, and fibroblasts derived from the patients show reduced WIPI2 puncta, reduced LC3 lipidation and reduced autophagic flux

How can we improve priority-setting for investments in health research? A case study of tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Although enhanced priority-setting for investments in health research for development is essential to tackling inequalities in global health, there is a lack of consensus on an optimal priority-setting process. In light of the current surge in tuberculosis (TB) research investment, we use TB as a case study. METHODS: We investigated two critical aspects of a research prioritisation process, namely the criteria that should be used to rank alternative research options and which stakeholders should be involved in priority-setting. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 key informants purposively selected from four distinct groups - academia, funding bodies, international policy or technical agencies, and national disease control programmes. Interview transcripts were analysed verbatim using a framework approach. We also performed a systematic analysis of seven diverse TB research prioritisation processes. RESULTS: There was consensus that well-defined and transparent criteria for assessing research options need to be agreed at the outset of any prioritisation process. It was recommended that criteria should select for research that is likely to have the greatest public health impact in affected countries rather than research that mainly fills scientific knowledge gaps. Some interviewees expressed strong views about the need - and reluctance - to make politically challenging decisions that place some research areas at a lower priority for funding. The importance of taking input from stakeholders from countries with high disease burden was emphasised; such stakeholders were notably absent from the majority of prioritisation processes we analysed. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated two critical areas for improvement of research prioritisation processes such that inequalities in health are better addressed - the need to deprioritise some research areas to generate a specific and meaningful list for investment, and greater involvement of experts working in high disease-burden countries