Single-kernel ionomic profiles are highly heritable indicators of genetic and environmental influences on elemental accumulation in maize grain (Zea mays)

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Tanks, Guitars, and Wands: Feminine Subjectivity and Phallic Cultural Spaces in Three Contemporary Texts

Applying postmodern theory to three contemporary texts, Rachel Talay’s 1995 film Tank Girl, Patti Smith’s 1975 Horses album, and Hermione Granger’s character in the Harry Potter series, I argue that marginally feminist, or seemingly non-feminist texts can do feminist work when postmodern theories are applied. Through Tank Girl’s reversal of the male gaze, her co-optation of Water and Power’s tank, and mockery of traditional forms of overly-aggressive masculinity, Tank Girl is a critique of phallic power spaces and the social power we assign to them. On her album, Horses, Smith occupies the theoretical space of the archetypal male rock performer and in doing so breaks the archetype: as a women inhabiting male rock space successfully, Smith deconstructs the cultural notion of rock performers as only male. In representing various femininities through her musical performance, Smith opens up space for women’s subjecthood in rock outside the virgin/whore dichotomy that permeated the rock scene of the 1960’s and early 1970’s. In part three I examine the Golden Trio (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) using Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s theory of the “erotic triangle” as a basis for examining the interactions between the friends. I argue Rowling constructs Hermione as a subversive character who challenges traditional gender stereotypes. Like Smith, Hermione’s occupation of multiple, non-traditional feminine subject positions allows for readers to identify with a broader collection of subjectivities

Ghrelin is not Related to Hunger or Calories Consumed at Breakfast in Lean and Obese Women

poster abstractBackground: The mechanisms that result in greater caloric intake in obese individuals are incompletely understood. Ghrelin administration increases ad lib food intake in humans. We investigated the relationship of ghrelin to calorie consumption and hunger at breakfast on two separate occasions in lean and obese women. Methods: 23 lean (BMI 22.3±0.5 kg/m2, 26.5±1.0 yr) and 25 obese (BMI 36.9±0.7 kg/m2, 27.8±1.1 yr) women participated in a noncontiguous 2 day study. The minimum and maximum days between visits were 6 and 43 days. Participants were given the same breakfast on both days (turkey sausage, French toast with margarine/syrup, fruit cup, coffee, tea, diet soda, or water) with portions adjusted to provide 20% of the daily energy requirement for weight maintenance. Subjects were instructed to eat until full. Hunger was evaluated on a Satiety Labeled Intensity Magnitude Scale (SLIM) before and after the meal. Anchors were “greatest imaginable fullness” at 0 and “greatest imaginable hunger” at 100. Blood samples were collected over 120 minutes for measurement of active ghrelin. Results: Lean subjects consumed an equivalent number of calories on both days (380.0±14.6 vs 378.2±14.9 kcal), as did the obese (419.4±16.2 vs 428.8±15.4 kcal). On average for both days, obese consumed significantly more breakfast calories than lean (424.1±11.1 vs 379.1±10.3 kcal; P<0.01), but the same percentage of calories provided (85.7±1.8 vs 86.1±1.7 %kcal). Lean subjects rated hunger before breakfast the same on both days (69.2±1.6 vs 71.7±1.4), as did the obese (69.8±1.6 vs 69.6±1.8), and there was no difference between the groups. Lean subjects rated hunger after breakfast the same on both days (27.8±1.9 vs 30.3±2.4), as did the obese (25.0±1.7 vs 24.3±1.8). The reduction in hunger score following breakfast was significant for both groups (P<0.0001), with the obese reporting significantly less hunger/more fullness after breakfast than the lean (P=0.02). Fasting ghrelin was significantly greater in the lean than obese women (549.9±58.9 vs 231.0±29.1 pg/ml; P<0.0001). Ghrelin was significantly reduced at 60 min following breakfast in the lean (375.8±49.2 pg/ml; P=0.028) but not the obese (212.2±26.4 pg/ml). Ghrelin was not related to hunger score prior to breakfast, and there was no relationship between reduction in ghrelin and hunger score in the lean or obese. Conclusion: Caloric intake (as a percentage provided) and hunger scores before breakfast on two occasions were the same for both lean and obese women. Fasting ghrelin was significantly different between lean and obese women but did not predict hunger score or calories consumed. Our findings do not support a role for ghrelin in driving food intake at breakfast