Good Working Mothers as Jugglers: A Critical Look at Two Work-Family Balance Films

We examine the portrayals of two good working mothers in popular work–family balance films—Melanie in One Fine Day (1996) and Kate in I Don’t Know How She Does It (2011). Using a critical standpoint, we build on communication work–family/life scholarship to extend theoretical understanding of underlying ideological notions of the good working mother. In particular, we analyze Melanie and Kate’s performances that reflect the underlying cultural ideologies of being an ideal worker, a true domestic woman, and an intensive mother. Further, we explicate how this juggling of identities portrays good working mothers as perpetually defensive. We go beyond the analysis of ideologies to lay out some of the consequences of the performance portrayals of the good working mother, in that she should (a) accept “punishments” from her children, (b) conceptualize fathers as secondary parents, (c) solve problems on her own, and (d) choose family over work.Citation: Kirby, E. L., Riforgiate, S. E., Anderson, I. K., Lahman, M. P., & Lietzenmayer, A. M. (2016). Good Working Mothers as Jugglers: A Critical Look at Two Work-Family Balance Films. Journal of Family Communication, 16, 76-93. doi:10.1080/15267431.2015.111121

Stratigraphic control of landscape response to base-level fall, Young Womans Creek, Pennsylvania, USA

Landscapes are thought to respond to changes in relative base level through the upstream propagation of a boundary that delineates relict from adjusting topography. However, spatially-variable rock strength can influence the topographic expression of such transient landscapes, especially in layered rocks, where strength variations can mask topographic signals expected due to changes in climate or tectonics. Here, we analyze the landscape response to base-level fall in Young Womans Creek, a 220 km2 catchment on the Appalachian Plateau, USA underlain by gently folded Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. We measured in situ 10Be concentrations in stream sands from 17 nested watersheds, and used a spatially-distributed model of sediment and 10Be production to constrain a threefold increase in the rate of base-level fall propagating upstream from the catchment outlet. Using lidar topography and a nearby detailed stratigraphic section, we map the extent of continuous, blocky, resistant sandstone strata that act as a caprock overlying more easily erodible sandstones and siltstones. The caprock influences landscape response in two ways. First, it serves as a boundary between slowly eroding (11.5 m Myr−1), low-sloping (3–5°) areas of relict topography and lower, steeper portions of the landscape adjusting to base-level fall. Second, hillslopes supported by the overlying caprock are armored with coarse sediment and are significantly steeper (20–30°) than hillslopes where the caprock has been eroded (10°), despite having similar erosion rates (36 m Myr−1) and bedrock substrate. Our results illustrate how gently dipping, layered rocks engender complicated relationships between lithology, topography and erosion rate, highlighting the importance of understanding how rock material properties influence surface processes and landscape evolution

The Development of a Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Assessment of Genital Psoriasis Symptoms: The Genital Psoriasis Symptoms Scale (GPSS)

INTRODUCTION: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) specific for genital psoriasis (GenPs) have not been described. METHODS: In this cross-sectional, qualitative study in patients with moderate-to-severe GenPs, we sought to develop a PRO useful for GenPs symptom assessment. A literature review was performed to identify relevant psoriasis or GenPs symptoms and existing PROs that may be useful in the evaluation of symptom severity in GenPs patients. The literature review findings were discussed with clinicians, and then patients with GenPs. RESULTS: Relevant psoriasis or GenPs symptoms from the literature review included itch, pain, scaling, redness/erythema, and stinging/burning. The validity of these symptoms for GenPs and potentially relevant PROs was corroborated by clinical experts. After gap analysis, a draft symptom scale consisting of Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) items was constructed. We then conducted interviews with GenPs patients (n = 20) to support content validity and use of the draft symptom NRS items in routine practice and in clinical trials. Participants identified and confirmed relevant symptoms and evaluated the utility of the draft PRO. A new PRO was developed: the Genital Psoriasis Symptoms Scale (GPSS). Cognitive debriefing and cultural adaptation/translation interviews with a second group of patients confirmed cultural appropriateness of the GPSS. CONCLUSION: The GPSS may be useful for assessing symptoms before, during, and after treatment in routine clinical practice and in clinical trials involving patients with GenPs. FUNDING: Eli Lilly & Company. Plain language summary available for this article

The Development of the Genital Psoriasis Sexual Frequency Questionnaire (GenPs-SFQ) to Assess the Impact of Genital Psoriasis on Sexual Health

INTRODUCTION: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) exist for psoriasis but not genital psoriasis (GenPs). METHODS: This cross-sectional, qualitative study in patients with moderate-to-severe GenPs was conducted to support development of a PRO for measuring the impact of GenPs on sexual activity and to establish content validity. The impacts of GenPs were identified in a literature review. Findings from the literature review were discussed with clinicians, and then patients with GenPs were interviewed. RESULTS: From the literature review, 52 articles, 44 abstracts, and 41 clinical trials met predefined search criteria. Of these, 11 concepts emerged as having theoretical support for use as measurable impacts of psoriasis symptoms on patients; these concepts included sexual functioning and general health-related quality of life (HRQoL). These concepts were confirmed and expanded upon by two clinicians who routinely care for patients with GenPs. Interviews were then conducted with GenPs patients (n = 20) to discuss the impact of GenPs on their HRQoL. Eighty percent of patients reported that GenPs impacted sexual frequency. The two-item GenPs Sexual Frequency Questionnaire (GenPs-SFQ) was developed to assess limitations on sexual activity frequency because of GenPs. Cognitive debriefing with an additional 50 patients with GenPs confirmed the utility and understandability of the GenPs-SFQ. CONCLUSION: The GenPs-SFQ may have utility in clinical trials involving GenPs patients and in routine clinical practice. FUNDING: Eli Lilly and Company. Plain language summary available for this article

Cosmogenic nuclides indicate that boulder fields are dynamic, ancient, multigenerational features

Boulder fields are found throughout the world; yet, the history of these features, as well as the processes that form them, remain poorly understood. In high and mid-latitudes, boulder fields are thought to form and be active during glacial periods; however, few quantitative data support this assertion. Here, we use in situ cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al to quantify the near-surface history of 52 samples in and around the largest boulder field in North America, Hickory Run, in central Pennsylvania, USA. Boulder surface 10Be concentrations (n = 43) increase downslope, indicate minimum near-surface histories of 70-600 k.y., and are not correlated with lithology or boulder size. Measurements of samples from the top and bottom of one boulder and three underlying clasts as well as 26Al/10Be ratios (n = 25) suggest that at least some boulders have complex exposure histories caused by flipping and/or cover by other rocks, soil, or ice. Cosmogenic nuclide data demonstrate that Hickory Run, and likely other boulder fields, are dynamic features that persist through multiple glacial-interglacial cycles because of boulder resistance to weathering and erosion. Long and complex boulder histories suggest that climatic interpretations based on the presence of these rocky landforms are likely over simplifications

Low-temperature thermochronometry along the Kunlun and Haiyuan Faults, NE Tibetan Plateau: Evidence for kinematic change during late-stage orogenesis

The Tibetan Plateau is a prime example of a collisional orogen with widespread strike-slip faults whose age and tectonic significance remain controversial. We present new low-temperature thermochronometry to date periods of exhumation associated with Kunlun and Haiyuan faulting, two major strike-slip faults within the northeastern margin of Tibet. Apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He and apatite fission-track ages, which record exhumation from ~2 to 6 km crustal depths, provide minimum bounds on fault timing. Results from Kunlun samples show increased exhumation rates along the western fault segment at circa 12–8 Ma with a possible earlier phase of motion from ~30–20 Ma, along the central fault segment at circa 20–15 Ma, and along the eastern fault segment at circa 8–5 Ma. Combined with previous studies, our results suggest that motion along the Haiyuan fault may have occurred as early as ~15 Ma along the western/central fault segment before initiating at least by 10–8 Ma along the eastern fault tip. We relate an ~250 km wide zone of transpressional shear to synchronous Kunlun and Haiyuan fault motion and suggest that the present-day configuration of active faults along the northeastern margin of Tibet was likely established since middle Miocene time. We interpret the onset of transpression to relate to the progressive confinement of Tibet against rigid crustal blocks to the north and expansion of crustal thickening to the east during the later stages of orogen development

Historical mystery solved: A multi-analytical approach to the identification of a key marker for the historical use of brazilwood (Caesalpinia spp.) in paintings and textiles

Brazilwood-derived pigments and dyes are found in many historical objects, from European paintings to North American First Nations textiles.</p

Cobalt ions recruit inflammatory cells in vitro through human Toll-like receptor 4

AbstractMetal-on-metal (MoM) hip replacements, often manufactured from a cobalt-chrome alloy, are associated with adverse reactions including soft tissue necrosis and osteolysis. Histopathological analysis of MoM peri-implant tissues reveals an inflammatory cell infiltrate that includes macrophages, monocytes and neutrophils.Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is an innate immune receptor activated by bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Recent studies have demonstrated that cobalt ions from metal-on-metal joints also activate human TLR4, increasing cellular secretion of inflammatory chemokines including interleukin-8 (IL-8, CXCL8) and CCL2. Chemokines recruit immune cells to the site of inflammation, and their overall effect depends on the chemokine profile produced.This study investigated the effect of cobalt on the secretion of inflammatory cytokines CCL20 and IL-6. The chemotactic potential of conditioned media from a cobalt-stimulated human monocyte cell line on primary monocytes and neutrophils was investigated using an in vitro transwell migration assay. The role of TLR4 in observed effects was studied using a small molecule TLR4-specific antagonist.Cobalt ions significantly increased release of CCL2 and IL-6 by MonoMac 6 cells (P<0.001). Conditioned media from cobalt-stimulated cells significantly increased monocyte and neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro (P<0.001). These effects were abrogated by the TLR4 antagonist (P<0.001) suggesting that they occur through cobalt activation of TLR4.This study demonstrates the role of TLR4 in cobalt-mediated immune cell chemotaxis and provides a potential mechanism by which cobalt ions may contribute to the immune cell infiltrate surrounding failed metal hip replacements. It also highlights the TLR4 signalling pathway as a potential therapeutic target in preventing cobalt-mediated inflammation

Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease surveillance and patient care in the United Kingdom

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) is lethal and transmissible. We assessed the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on UK CJD surveillance. We hypothesized that (i) disruptions prolonged diagnostic latency; (ii) autopsy rates declined; and (iii) COVID‐19 infection negatively affected diagnosis, care, and survival. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated the first year of the pandemic, using the preceding year as a comparator, quantifying numbers of individuals assessed by the UK National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit for suspected CJD, time to diagnosis, disease duration, and autopsy rates. We evaluated the impact of COVID‐19 status on diagnosis, care, and survival in CJD. RESULTS: A total of 148 individuals were diagnosed with CJD in the pandemic (from a total of 166 individuals assessed) compared to 141 in the comparator (from 145 assessed). No differences were identified in disease duration or time to diagnosis. Autopsy rates were unchanged. Twenty individuals had COVID‐19; 60% were symptomatic, and 10% had severe disease. Disruptions in diagnosis and care were frequently identified. Forty percent of COVID‐19‐positive individuals died; however, COVID‐19 status did not significantly alter survival duration in CJD. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID‐19 pandemic has not impacted UK CJD case ascertainment or survival, but diagnostic evaluation and clinical care of individuals have been affected

Improving Delivery of Secondary Prophylaxis for Rheumatic Heart Disease in a High-Burden Setting: Outcome of a Stepped-Wedge, Community, Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND Health system strengthening is needed to improve delivery of secondary prophylaxis against rheumatic heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS We undertook a stepped-wedge, randomized trial in northern Australia. Five pairs of Indigenous community clinics entered the study at 3-month steps. Study phases comprised a 12 month baseline phase, 3 month transition phase, 12 month intensive phase and a 3- to 12-month maintenance phase. Clinics received a multicomponent intervention supporting activities to improve penicillin delivery, aligned with the chronic care model, with continuous quality-improvement feedback on adherence. The primary outcome was the proportion receiving ≥80% of scheduled penicillin injections. Secondary outcomes included "days at risk" of acute rheumatic fever recurrence related to late penicillin and acute rheumatic fever recurrence rates. Overall, 304 patients requiring prophylaxis were eligible. The proportion receiving ≥80% of scheduled injections during baseline was 141 of 304 (46%)-higher than anticipated. No effect attributable to the study was evident: in the intensive phase, 126 of 304 (41%) received ≥80% of scheduled injections (odds ratio compared with baseline: 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-1.11). There was modest improvement in the maintenance phase among high-adhering patients (43% received ≥90% of injections versus 30% [baseline] and 28% [intensive], P<0.001). Also, the proportion of days at risk in the whole cohort decreased in the maintenance phase (0.28 versus 0.32 [baseline] and 0.34 [intensive], P=0.001). Acute rheumatic fever recurrence rates did not differ between study sites during the intensive phase and the whole jurisdiction (3.0 versus 3.5 recurrences per 100 patient-years, P=0.65). CONCLUSIONS This strategy did not improve adherence to rheumatic heart disease secondary prophylaxis within the study time frame. Longer term primary care strengthening strategies are needed. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: www.anzctr.org.au. Unique identifier: ACTRN12613000223730