Artemisia: A Reflection of Women’s Rights

This thesis will analyze and document the historiographic perspective of Artemisia Gentileschi and the changing perspective of the artist and her artwork since the 1960s. The research will explore the changing of perception of Artemisia through various methodologies to understand the evolution of her story. By looking at the change from modernism to postmodernism, I will explain how the latter opened up the feminist movement and methodology, and how the four waves of feminism have directly impacted the perception of her life and her body of work. Without these changes, scholarship would not have developed a greater understanding of Artemisia and the understanding of her work that continues to be celebrated in the twenty-first century. Though this celebration was long overdue as her work and life was scrutinized prior to the 1970s. This work is significant to the field of study regarding Artemisia because it differs from the typical scholarship connected to the artist. Typical scholarship that is connected to Artemisia explores the influence of her personal experiences, more specifically the rape and trial. Others explore the impact of her gender or the comparison of her father’s work. More recently, scholarship has begun to focus on the recent understanding of her intellect and possible feminist ideals. However, there has been little focus on how we have arrived at this modern-day Artemisia. Furthermore, I will connect the perception of Artemisia’s work to the development of women\u27s rights as they expanded throughout the 1970s, 1980s and though modern day. Each wave of feminism, and the expansion of women’s rights, has provided a new, more in-depth understanding of Artemisia that is reflective of the current political situation. The thesis will also explore her depictions of Judith, Susanna, Cleopatra, and Lucretia as they have been viewed throughout the course of history. In reviewing these works we can gain a deeper understanding of her voice in a broader spectrum by looking at four heroines. The understanding of each has come with the growth of the female voice and the understanding of women in society

The Relationship between Resilience and Body Image in College Women

Possessing a negative body image is associated with unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders in college women and has been linked to depression and negative feelings of self worth. Limited research exists on protective factors that have the potential to mitigate body image dissatisfaction. This paper examines the relationship of resilience to body image dissatisfaction in college women. Female, undergraduate college students were studied using previously validated measures. Results indicate that increased resilience is associated with improved body image

What Impact Can a Global Network Have on Collaborative Research?

There are a number of barriers to doing collaborative research in a global context. The Refugee Research Network has been trying to support collaborative research. Their members still experience challenges in building relationships and collaborating. People working on global projects should remember that partners have access to different resources, communication may not always be easy and shared goal development is needed but difficult to accomplish.York’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit provides services and funding for faculty, graduate students, and community organizations seeking to maximize the impact of academic research and expertise on public policy, social programming, and professional practice. It is supported by SSHRC and CIHR grants, and by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation. [email protected] www.researchimpact.c

Students\u27 Perspectives Following Involvement in a Constraint Induced Aphasia Therapy Research Project

The purpose of this project was to provide a reflection on four students’ collaborative research experience implementing Constraint-Induced Aphasia Therapy and highlight the importance of student involvement in research opportunities. Guided reflections were completed and analyzed through a collaborative model to generate common themes of: 1) increased confidence in cuing and 2) adapting individualized treatment. Student engagement in clinical research enhances the quality of their educational experience by fostering clinical competence and confidence

Gender, Research, and Advocacy: What We’ve Learned and What Work Lies Ahead

From the global Women’s Marches to the #metoo movement and SDG 5, women’s rights and gender equality are clearly among the most urgent issues for the international human rights movement today. Long-held commitments and established language on women’s rights and gender equality are under threat at all levels of governance and in issue areas ranging from sexual violence to reproductive health to political participation. If history has made one thing clear, it’s that women’s rights are fragile and constantly at risk of being extinguished for political purposes. This panel will explore the following four themes from the conference in light of this global reality: Connecting Scholars and Practitioners: What are the opportunities and limitations of connecting research and advocacy when working on women’s rights and/or gender equality issues? Which research methods are ideal for bridging scholars and practitioners on these issues? Movements: To what extent do we or should we distinguish between studying (and doing) women’s activism and using a gender perspective in human rights advocacy? Are there ways in which greater visibility to women’s issues has narrowed our understandings of women? To the exclusion of other gender-related issues? Technology: What role does technology play in creating visibility for gender issues and voices? For sharing research on human rights advocacy or aiding mobilization? Neoliberal Solutions: What is the status of philanthropy and funding for work on gender issues? Have market-based solutions to raise funds for NGOs become dominant in ways that perpetuate stereotypes

What are the information needs of people with dementia and their family caregivers when they are admitted to a mental health ward and do current ward patient information leaflets meet their needs?

Introduction: An admission to a mental health ward is an uncertain and unexpected part of a person’s journey with dementia and consequently, families require information about what to expect and how to prepare. This study aimed to establish the information needs of people with dementia and their families at the point of admission to a mental health ward and to collate existing ward information leaflets to explore if they meet these information needs. Methods: This research was in two parts, (1) a qualitative study using focus groups, one with people with dementia and family carers with lived experience of such an admission (n=6) and another with Admiral Nurses (n=6) to explore information needs at the point of admission. (2) Each NHS mental health trust (n=67) was asked to provide a copy of their ward information shared at admission. A total of 30 leaflets were received from 15 NHS trusts, after removing duplicates 22 were included. A content analysis was conducted to evaluate to what extent leaflets met the information needs identified from focus groups. Results:Two main categories ‘honest, accurate and up to date information’ and ‘who is the information for’ and four subcategories were derived from focus group data. Participants felt that people with dementia and families were likely to have different information needs. Material for people with dementia needed to be in an accessible format. Information should cover the aim of the admission, a timeline of what to expect and details about how families will be involved in care. Practical information about what to pack and ward facilities was valued. Participants spoke about the need to consider the tone of the information given people are likely to be distressed. The information leaflets reviewed did not meet the information needs identified by focus group participants. Conclusions: People with dementia and family carers have different information needs at the point of admission to a mental health ward. Information provided to people with dementia needs to be in an accessible format with content relevant to these needs. Wards should aim to co-create information to ensure they meet people’s information need

Incidental Findings on LDCT for Lung Cancer Screening: Prevalence and Clinical Management

Objectives To define the frequency of incidental findings on low-dose CT (LDCT) scans among patients undergoing lung cancer screening. To determine the current reporting methods for incidental findings and measure the frequency of clinical follow-up

Immune Cell Abundance and T-cell Receptor Landscapes Suggest New Patient Stratification Strategies in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a molecularly and spatially heterogeneous disease frequently characterized by impairment of immunosurveillance mechanisms. Despite recent success with immunotherapy treatment, disease progression still occurs quickly after treatment in the majority of cases, suggesting the need to improve patient selection strategies. In the quest for biomarkers that may help inform response to checkpoint blockade, we characterized the tumor microenvironment (TME) of 162 HNSCC primary tumors of diverse etiologic and spatial origin, through gene expression and IHC profiling of relevant immune proteins, T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire analysis, and whole-exome sequencing. We identified five HNSCC TME categories based on immune/stromal composition: (i) cytotoxic, (ii) plasma cell rich, (iii) dendritic cell rich, (iv) macrophage rich, and (v) immune-excluded. Remarkably, the cytotoxic and plasma cell rich subgroups exhibited a phenotype similar to tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), which have been previously linked to immunotherapy response. We also found an increased richness of the TCR repertoire in these two subgroups and in never smokers. Mutational patterns evidencing APOBEC activity were enriched in the plasma cell high subgroup. Furthermore, specific signal propagation patterns within the Ras/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways associated with distinct immune phenotypes. While traditionally CD8/CD3 T-cell infiltration and immune checkpoint expression (e.g., PD-L1) have been used in the patient selection process for checkpoint blockade treatment, we suggest that additional biomarkers, such as TCR productive clonality, smoking history, and TLS index, may have the ability to pull out potential responders to benefit from immunotherapeutic agents. // Significance: Here we present our findings on the genomic and immune landscape of primary disease in a cohort of 162 patients with HNSCC, benefitting from detailed molecular and clinical characterization. By employing whole-exome sequencing and gene expression analysis of relevant immune markers, TCR profiling, and staining of relevant proteins involved in immune response, we highlight how distinct etiologies, cell intrinsic, and environmental factors combine to shape the landscape of HNSCC primary disease

Activated gliosis, accumulation of amyloid β, and hyperphosphorylation of tau in aging canines with and without cognitive decline

Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) syndrome is a well-recognized naturally occurring disease in aged dogs, with a remarkably similar disease course, both in its clinical presentation and neuropathological changes, as humans with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Similar to human AD patients this naturally occurring disease is found in the aging canine population however, there is little understanding of how the canine brain ages pathologically. It is well known that in neurodegenerative diseases, there is an increase in inflamed glial cells as well as an accumulation of hyperphosphorylation of tau (P-tau) and amyloid beta (Aβ1-42). These pathologies increase neurotoxic signaling and eventual neuronal loss. We assessed these brain pathologies in aged canines and found an increase in the number of glial cells, both astrocytes and microglia, and the activation of astrocytes indicative of neuroinflammation. A rise in the aggregated protein Aβ1-42 and hyperphosphorylated tau, at Threonine 181 and 217, in the cortical brain regions of aging canines. We then asked if any of these aged canines had CCD utilizing the only current diagnostic, owner questionnaires, verifying positive or severe CCD had pathologies of gliosis and accumulation of Aβ1-42 like their aged, matched controls. However uniquely the CCD dogs had P-tau at T217. Therefore, this phosphorylation site of tau at threonine 217 may be a predictor for CCD

A prospective study of androgen levels, hormone-related genes and risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is more common in females than males and sex steroid hormones may in part explain this difference. We conducted a case–control study nested within two prospective studies to determine the associations between plasma steroid hormones measured prior to RA onset and polymorphisms in the androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2), aromatase (CYP19) and progesterone receptor (PGR) genes and RA risk. Methods We genotyped AR, ESR2, CYP19, PGR SNPs and the AR CAG repeat in RA case–control studies nested within the Nurses\u27 Health Study (NHS), NHS II (449 RA cases, 449 controls) and the Women\u27s Health Study (72 cases, and 202 controls). All controls were matched on cohort, age, Caucasian race, menopausal status, and postmenopausal hormone use. We measured plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin in 132 pre-RA samples and 396 matched controls in the NHS cohorts. We used conditional logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders to assess RA risk. Results Mean age of RA diagnosis was 55 years in both cohorts; 58% of cases were rheumatoid factor positive at diagnosis. There was no significant association between plasma DHEAS, total testosterone, or calculated free testosterone and risk of future RA. There was no association between individual variants or haplotypes in any of the genes and RA or seropositive RA, nor any association for the AR CAG repeat. Conclusions Steroid hormone levels measured at a single time point prior to RA onset were not associated with RA risk in this study. Our findings do not suggest that androgens or the AR, ESR2, PGR, and CYP19 genes are important to RA risk in women