Beyond Self: Strategic Essentialism in Ana Mendieta\u27s La Maja de Yerba

Artist Ana Mendieta frequently conjoined the female body with nature to express her search for personal identity and support for feminist topics. Her last intended and least scholarly examined work, La Maja de Yerba (Grass Goddess), continues specific visual and thematic elements of her previous Silueta Series (Silhouette) yet also presents an aesthetically unique creation. Despite its incompletion as a result of her premature death, the preserved maquette directly stipulates a female form to be planted in grass on the Bard College campus grounds. This alignment of women and nature garners criticism for its reliance on universalism and categorizations of women’s experiences; however, Mendieta’s use of essentialism in public art contributes to circulating feminist discourse to a wider audience. This paper considers the artistic influences, thematic concepts, and employment of strategic essentialism in Mendieta’s La Maja de Yerba

Bacteriophage-mediated competition in Bordetella bacteria

Apparent competition between species is believed to be one of the principle driving forces that structure ecological communities, although the precise mecha nisms have yet to be characterized. Here we develop a model system that isolates phage-mediated interactions by neutralizing resource competition using two genetically identical Bordetella bronchiseptica strains that differ only in that one is the carrier of a phage and the other is susceptible to the phage. We observe and quantify the competitive advantage of the bacterial strain bearing the prophage in both invading and in resisting invasion by bacteria susceptible to the phage, and use our measurements to develop a mathematical model of phage-mediated competition. The model predicts, and experimental evidence confirms, that the competitive advantage conferred by the phage depends only on the relative phage pathology and is independent of other phage and host parameters. This work combines experimental and mathematical approaches to the study of phage-driven competition, and provides an experimentally tested framework for evaluation of the effects of pathogens/parasites on interspecific competition.Comment: 10pages, 8 figure

Research Data Services at Yale University

Context: Yale University has a long tradition of data services in the social sciences. To keep up with funding agency requirements, disciplinary community standards, and researcher needs, Yale expanded its research data service offerings to the sciences and medicine. Background: In 2012, Yale University Library and ITS participated jointly in the eScience Institute offered by the DLF, ARL, and CLIR. This poster summarizes the strategic agenda from that project as well as the formation of our Research Data Consultation Group (RDCG). Current Services: The Research Data Consultation Group is a collaborative, university-wide group charged with responding to service requests and inquiries from researchers at any stage in the data lifecycle in order to work together on best practices, implement data management services, and help link users to resources. We consult on data management planning; finding and using data; data collection, analysis, and processing; and distributing, sharing, and archiving data. Aim: The aim of RDCG is to meet the needs of researchers who wish to follow and inform disciplinary best practices, meet funder, university, or contract requirements, and also to streamline consultative workflows across several organizations and departments at Yale. Future Directions: Future projects for RDCG include expanded education and training offerings for library, ITS, teaching and learning support staff, and departmental staff, in addition to Yale students, faculty, postdocs, and other researchers. Simultaneously, we will continue our efforts to clarify and support university and other requirements for data management, sharing, and preservation

The use of non-human primates in biomedical research: addressing the replacement impasse through the social dynamics of science

Non-human primate experimentation provokes passionate and opposing exchanges, particularly in the UK. This disagreement contributes to an impasse which in turn has prevented the exploration of the important question, if and how primate research could be ended. This project aims to support the examination of this question of impasse presenting data on how it might be overcome by providing a novel and challenging perspective using a multi-method approach, and insights from science and technology studies, to better understand the animal research controversy. The project primarily draws on data from face-to-face semi-structured interviews with primate users and with scientists who do not use primates across two areas of research, namely schistosomiasis and Parkinson’s disease. This multiple-case study method was combined with a documentary analysis of primate reports produced by key stakeholders. The dataset was then analysed using a semi-inductive, thematic approach to identify how aspects of the social dynamics of science can help to explain the different viewpoints provided by participants. The analysis showed that issues of (i) competition and reputation, (ii) expectations, core sets and publications, (iii) entrenchment and policy, and (iv) ethics and speciesism are centrally relevant to a better understanding of the apparent stalemate in replacing primate experiments. The key finding is therefore that the social dynamics of science play a critical role in explaining why the primate impasse persists, and can also help to understand how to overcome it. Constructive recommendations to achieve progress are made, focussing on improved collaboration and communication, increasing flexibility and explicit examination of the ethical considerations. The thesis also draws conclusions on how best to ensure the necessary involvement of key stakeholders. Recommendations from this project also have wider implications for scientific practice particularly for those involved in alternatives to animal research, and for the field of science communication

The Telehealth Skills, Training, and Implementation Project: An evaluation protocol

External stabilization is reported to improve reliability of hand held dynamometry, yet this has not been tested in burns. We aimed to assess the reliability of dynamometry using an external system of stabilization in people with moderate burn injury and explore construct validity of strength assessment using dynamometry. Participants were assessed on muscle and grip strength three times on each side. Assessment occurred three times per week for up to four weeks. Within session reliability was assessed using intraclass correlations calculated for within session data grouped prior to surgery, immediately after surgery and in the sub-acute phase of injury. Minimum detectable differences were also calculated. In the same timeframe categories, construct validity was explored using regression analysis incorporating burn severity and demographic characteristics. Thirty-eight participants with total burn surface area 5 – 40% were recruited. Reliability was determined to be clinically applicable for the assessment method (intraclass correlation coefficient \u3e0.75) at all phases after injury. Muscle strength was associated with sex and burn location during injury and wound healing. Burn size in the immediate period after surgery and age in the sub-acute phase of injury were also associated with muscle strength assessment results. Hand held dynamometry is a reliable assessment tool for evaluating within session muscle strength in the acute and sub-acute phase of injury in burns up to 40% total burn surface area. External stabilization may assist to eliminate reliability issues related to patient and assessor strength

How a smartphone App could improve health outcomes for HIV positive MSM

Receiving an HIV diagnosis can be experienced as traumatic and may be associated with depression and/or anxiety [1,2]. Additionally, there is evidence that a considerable number of people living with HIV have already experienced trauma prior to their HIV diagnosis [3]. Therefore, pre-existing mental health issues may be exacerbated by the prospect, and reality, of living with a lifelong chronic condition where stigma and discrimination are significant issues. The connection between HIV and poor mental health is well documented within the literature and one of the potential reasons that has been identified for this is the internal and external stigma faced by HIV-positive individuals [4–6]. HIV-related stigma is identified as a key factor associated with reduced adherence to HIV medications [7], reduced levels of health literacy [8,9], poor health outcomes and quality of life issues for people living with HIV. It is widely acknowledged that HIV is, historically, a challenging area to work in [10]; however, caring for people living with HIV has changed significantly over the last 20 years as a result of effective antiretroviral therapy. Encouraging patients to self-manage their condition by improving health literacy and offering care and support to promote positive mental, emotional and cognitive well-being has been identified within two of the 12 standards of care for people living with HIV [11]. This article discusses the development and thinking behind a smartphone application (app), called Positive Thinking that aims to promote improved health outcomes, such as medication adherence, through the use of technology-based education and to support newly diagnosed men who have sex with men (MSM)