Survivor Accounts of Sexual Violence in the Holocaust and Rwandan Genocide: A Comparative History

This research seeks to analyze and understand the approach and treatment of victims of sexual assaults stories and accounts using case studies of the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide. Research was conducted by collecting and reading first-hand accounts of survivors and their experiences of sexual assault, then analyzing the historical response following the events. The two case studies are synthesized and compared in this project to understand which attributes of political and social policy effected the reception of stories of victims and witnesses of rape and assault. Both genocides are affected by unique struggles in collecting witness accounts, as well as stigma around traumatic data of this nature, and approaches to these stories shifted widely between the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda. This research advocates for a treatment of sexual violence and rape in genocide as an unavoidable part of human history, not just a woman’s issue, and an area that demands more attention than has been given to it

VCAM1 modulation on endothelial cells – implications for vasculopathy in sickle cell anemia

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a highly heterogeneous and multifactorial-like monogenic disease that arises from homozygosity for the c.20A>T mutation in the HBB gene. Vascular disease is systemic in SCA, with profound effects in organs like the brain, where stroke is the most severe end of the cerebral vasculopathy (CVA) spectrum. Endothelial dysfunction plays a major role in vasculopathy with several adhesion molecules, such as VCAM1, being produced by the endothelium altered as a response to inflammatory cytokine (e.g., TNF-α) signalling. In previous association studies, we found positive associations between the presence of four specific VCAM1 gene promoter haplotypes and i) high blood flow velocities in the median cerebral artery, and ii) a chronic hemolysis biochemical marker. In this study, we aimed to assess the functional role of those VCAM1 promoter haplotypes in endothelial cell response following endothelial activation through TNF-α stimulation. After molecular cloning of 3 haplotype constructs, using a pGL4 promoterless vector, haplotype sequence was confirmed, by Sanger sequencing, prior to transfection. We used EAhy926, HUVEC and HBEC as different endothelial cell models, and performed transfection experiments for each construct, with and without TNF-α stimulation. Differences in promoter activity were assessed by luciferase reporter assay. All haplotypes showed differences in promoter activity, after TNF-α stimulation, in all cell models. Haplotype 1 showed decreased promoter activity, while haplotypes 7 and 8 showed increased activity after TNF-α stimulation, in all cell models. These results are consistent with lower VCAM1 expression due to haplotype 1, and therefore a protective effect. Conversely, a higher expression due to haplotypes 7 and 8, suggests an increased vasculopathy risk, in a pro-inflammatory milieu. The association between specific haplotypes and endothelial cell response further enhances the modifier effect of VCAM1 on endothelial dysfunction and its impact in SCA pathophysiology, as well as its potential role as a biomarker of SCA vasculopathy risk, severity and prognosis.This work was partially supported by INSA_202DGH720 project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tumores malignos sincrônicos de cólon e reto.

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Clínica Cirúrgica, Curso de Medicina, Florianópolis, 199

Relações íntimas, regulação emocional e ferimentos autoinfligidos em estudantes universitários

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Psicologia (área de especialização de Psicologia Clínica)O presente estudo sustenta como principal objetivo avaliar a influência da qualidade das relações íntimas e regulação emocional no envolvimento em ferimentos autoinfligidos. Apresenta ainda como objetivos específicos: 1) caracterizar os ferimentos autoinfligidos numa amostra da comunidade constituída por jovens adultos estudantes universitários; 2) aferir a existência de relações entre os ferimentos autoinfligidos e o sexo dos participantes; 3) aferir a relação entre ferimentos autoinfligidos e o envolvimento em comportamentos de risco; 4) avaliar diferenças entre indivíduos com e sem ferimentos autoinfligidos ao nível das dificuldades de regulação emocional; 5) aferir a relação entre o estilo de vinculação nas relações íntimas e o envolvimento em ferimentos autoinfligidos e comparar indivíduos com e sem ferimentos ao nível de dimensões relevantes para a vinculação; 6) aferir relações entre ferimentos autoinfligidos e estratégias de resolução de conflitos (abuso e negociação) e 7) determinar os fatores preditores do envolvimento em ferimentos autoinfligidos. Para a concretização destes objetivos foram utilizados instrumentos de autorrelato para a caraterização dos ferimentos autoinfligidos, avaliação das dificuldades de regulação emocional, avaliação da vinculação e presença de violência e negociação nas relações íntimas. A amostra foi constituída por 616 jovens adultos estudantes universitários com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 35 anos, sendo 442 (71.8%) dos participantes do sexo feminino e 174 (28.2%) do sexo masculino. Relativamente aos resultados, verificou-se que 15.3% (n = 94) dos participantes haviam realizado, nalgum momento das suas vidas, algum tipo de ferimento autoinfligido e que 50.0% daqueles que os realizaram recorreram a mais de um método. No que respeita à frequência, a maioria dos ferimentos foi realizada “de um a cinco dias por mês” e “menos de uma vez por dia”. Não foi encontrada uma associação entre a presença de ferimentos e o sexo dos participantes. Relativamente às dificuldades de regulação emocional, foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre indivíduos sem e com ferimentos, com estes últimos a apresentarem mais dificuldades de regulação emocional. Verificou-se uma associação significativa entre a presença de ferimentos e os estilos de vinculação, assim como diferenças entre indivíduos com e sem ferimentos ao nível de dimensões relevantes para a vinculação. Foi ainda verificada uma associação entre a experiência e perpetração de diferentes tipos de abuso e os ferimentos autoinfligidos. A dificuldade no controlo de impulsos emergiu como um preditor marginalmente significativo do envolvimento em ferimentos autoinfligidos. Estes resultados são discutidos com recurso a uma interseção da literatura respeitante aos ferimentos autoinfligidos, à qualidade das relações íntimas em termos de vinculação e violência e as dificuldades de regulação emocional.The present study has the main objective to examine the impact of romantic relationships and emotional regulation on non-suicidal self-injury. The study encompasses as specific purposes: 1) to describe non-suicidal self injury in a community sample of young adults college students; 2) to assess the existence of relationships between non-suicidal self-injury and the sex of participants; 3) to assess the existence of relationships between non-suicidal self-injury and risk taking behaviors: 4) to explore differences between self-injurers and non self-injurers in terms of difficulties in emotion regulation; 5) to assess the relationship between the presence of non-suicidal self-injury and romantic attachment and compare self-injurers and non self-injurers on attachment relevant measures; 6) to assess the existence of relationships between non-suicidal self-injury and strategies to solve conflicts (abuse and negotiation) and 7) to determine what predicts the engagement in non-suicidal self-injury. In order to fulfill these purposes, participants filled in self-report measures of non-suicidal self injury, difficulties in emotion regulation, romantic attachment and the presence of intimate partner violence and negotiation in romantic relationships. The sample was composed by 616 young adults college students, ages ranging from 18 to 35 years old, 442 (71.8%) female and 174 (28.2%) male participants. Results revealed that 15.3% (n = 94) of participants reported having injured themselves in some moment of their lives and 50.0% out of these 94 participants used more than one method. In what concerns behavior frequency, the majority of the reported injuries were inflicted “from one to five days per month” and “less than once a day”. No association was found between non-suicidal self injury and the sex of participants. Significant differences were found between non-suicidal selfinjurers and self-injurers on emotion regulation difficulties, these having scored higher on all emotional dysregulation subscales. An association between non-suicidal self-injury and attachment styles and significant differences between self-injurers and non self-injurers on relevant attachment measures were demonstrated. It was also verified an association between the experience and perpetration of different kinds of abusive behavior and non-suicidal self-injury. Impulse control difficulties emerged as a marginally significant predictor of non-suicidal self-injury. These results are discussed by means of an intercrossing of non suicidal self-injury, intimate relationship quality in what concerns of romantic attachment and violence and difficulties in emotion regulation

Junior Recital:Marisa De Silva, Soprano

Kemp Recital Hall Friday Afternoon April 25, 2003 5:30p.m

Participation and deliberation: a case study of readers’ comments to news stories on the Brazilian presidential campaign

The Internet has created new “dialogical spaces” (Oblak, 2005) where issues of common concern can be discussed, serving to democratize the public sphere. As a potential deliberative section and a civic forum, readers’ comments in newspapers’ websites constitute a locus for public debate and ideas exchange provided by the mainstream media. As a case study, this article intends to assess the quality of audience participation in online news sites, by analysing the readers’ comments in the news about the Brazilian presidential campaign (September-November 2010) in the online versions of two Portuguese newspapers