Active Viewership and Ethical Representation: Responsible Spectatorship in Alfredo Jaar’s “Real Pictures” and Gil Courtemanche’s Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali

In its discussion of Gil Courtemanche’s Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali and Alfredo Jaar’s installation of “Real Pictures,” both of which are representations of the Rwandan Genocide, this analysis contributes to a larger discussion on ethical representations of violence. Generally the discussion of the ethics of representation analyzes the ways in which the author or artist portrays the violent events. It focuses on the importance of the historical and political context when describing the events, as well as on the ways in which the author or artist avoids the potential objectifying or dehumanizing effects of representations on the victims, as well as, the perpetrators. This article highlights another important element to be considered in the study of ethical representations- that of how the reader is engaged in the representation and as a result may or may not contribute to stereotypes, objectification, and other negative consequences possible when representing violence. Those who represent violence must not only consider ethical implications with their own interactions with the event and text or image, but also how they encourage their audience to interact with them.  

Die Bedeutung von Gap Junctions bei der interzellulären Ausbreitung von Calciumsignalen in humanen Endothelzellen

Das Gefäßendothel hat eine wichtige Funktion in der lokalen Regulation des Gefäßtonus. Veränderungen im Blutfluss („shear stress“) und/oder die Bindung von vasoaktiven Substanzen (Histamin, ATP) führen über einen endothelialen Calciumanstieg zur Bildung von Stickstoffmonoxid (NO), das in der benachbarten glatten Gefäßmuskulatur zur Relaxation der Zellen und damit zur Dilatation des Gefäßes führt. Für eine wirkungsvolle Endothelfunktion ist dabei ein synchrones Verhalten aller Endothelzellen - als Folge eines synchronen zytosolischen Calciumanstiegs – eine wichtige Voraussetzung. Für die vorliegende Arbeit wurde postuliert, dass eine synchrone Calciumantwort nach Stimulation der Endothelzellen mit Histamin oder ATP entscheidend von der Gap Junction Kopplung zwischen den Zellen abhängt. Dieser Kopplung käme somit eine neue modulierende Rolle für die Reaktion des Endothels auf vasodilatierende Substanzen zu. Kultivierte humane Nabelschnurvenenendothelzellen (HUVEC) wurden mit Histamin oder ATP vor, während und nach pharmakologischer Gap Junction Blockade stimuliert und der zeitliche Verlauf des Calciumanstiegs in allen individuellen Zellen eines Sichtfeldes wurde mit Hilfe eines Mikroskop-basierten Kamerasystems analysiert. Als Maß für die calciumabhängige NO-Bildung wurde der Histamin-induzierte cGMP Anstieg in Endothelzellen unter Kontrollbedingungen und nach Gap Junction Inhibition untersucht. Die Verteilung von Histamin- und ATP-Rezeptoren innerhalb der HUVECPopulation wurde mit Durchflusszytometrie bzw. Immunfluoreszenz analysiert. Zusätzlich wurde nach mechanischer Stimulation von Einzelzellen untersucht, ob der von Gap Junctions abhängige zytosolische Calciumanstieg in Nachbarzellen („Calciumwelle“) auf der Ausbreitung von Ca2+ und/oder der Ausbreitung des calciumfreisetzenden Signalstoffs IP3 beruht. Ausgehend von initial reagierenden Zellen erfolgte der Calciumanstieg nach Zugabe von Histamin und ATP zeitlich verzögert in deren Nachbarzellen. Während einer Blockade der gap-junctionalen Kommunikation konnte nur in etwa 40 % der Zellen eine Calciumreaktion beobachtet werden. Diese Beobachtungen an HUVEC wurden zudem in ersten Versuchen am isolierten Gefäß nach Stimulation mit ATP bestätigt. Die Histaminrezeptoren waren in HUVEC-Kulturen inhomogen verteilt und nur in einem Teil der Zellen nachweisbar. Außerdem war nach einer Gap Junction Blockade die cGMP-Konzentration (als Maß für die NO-Bildung) in HUVEC-Zelllysat nach Stimulation mit Histamin deutlich verringert. Es konnte weiterhin gezeigt werden, dass IP3 eine wichtige Rolle für die Ausbreitung der Calciumwelle über Gap Junctions spielt. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die interzelluläre Kommunikation über Gap Junctions für eine synchrone Antwort des Endothels auf die vasoaktiven Substanzen Histamin und ATP wesentlich ist. Eine Inhibition der interzellulären Kommunikation führt zu einem verminderten Calciumanstieg und verminderter NO-Produktion in der Endothelschicht. Gap Junctions modulieren somit die Sensitivität des Endothels auf vasoaktive Substanzen. Eine gezielte Beeinflussung der Gap Junction-Permeabilität des Endothels könnte somit ein vielversprechender Ansatzpunkt für die Therapie von pathophysiologischen Gefäßveränderungen wie Atherosklerose oder Diabetes darstellen, die mit vasomotorischen Endothelfunktionsstörungen einhergehen

EXILE’S SHIFTING NARRATIVE: DISASSOCIATION, CO-HABITATION, AND INTRUSION IN FRENCH LITERATURE’S CORPOREAL SPACES

Migration has touched French-speaking countries and has inspired a large body of literature recounting migrant experiences in the francophone world. Much of the scholarship on this literature has focused on questions of exile and foreignness in relation to geographical border-crossing as well as on France’s policies toward immigrants in relation to philosophies of hospitality. Yet, authors are also thinking about “home” in ways that transcend geopolitical borders. My dissertation, “Exile’s Shifting Narrative: Disassociation, Co-habitation, and Intrusion in French Literature’s Corporeal Spaces,” examines a set of creative works that displace and theorize the politics of exile and of welcome in terms of the borders of the human body. Considering contemporary French and francophone literature, performance, and film by authors Claire Denis, Wajdi Mouawad, Jean-Luc Nancy, and Marie NDiaye whose works are linked through their staging of dispossessed bodies, my dissertation offers a reconsideration of what it means to have or own a body, demonstrates the blurred boundaries between the Self and the Other, and reveals the possibility of being exiled from one’s own body or to someone else’s body. Furthermore, I present the body in these works as a space that can be entered and serve as a place of encounter, which thus also renders it a potential space for reconciliation, which leads me to argue that culture, past events, and memories—traumatic or not—may be shared between Selves and bodies, as part of a radical, embodied hospitality, and that he healing that needs to occur when reconciling trauma cannot happen in isolation.Doctor of Philosoph

Synthesis of N-Heterocylic Carbene-Containing Metal Complexes from 2-(Pentafluorophenyl)imidazolidines

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-containing metal complexes are prepared through a simple, base-free method involving the decomposition of 2-(pentafluorophenyl)imidazolidines under mild thermolytic conditions. Ruthenium, iridium, and rhodium complexes containing NHC ligands with different electronic and steric parameters are reported

Promises Fulfilled? A Systematic Review of the Impacts of Promise Programs

This review examines the existing evidence on the impacts of Promise Programs on community development, K-12 academic achievement, and student postsecondary outcomes. Promise Programs are place-based, guaranteed college scholarships offered to all students who graduate from a certain school or district while meeting the minimum thresholds of the program. We delineate Promise Programs by their design - whether the scholarships are available to all students, are awarded based on merit, or are awarded based on need. We also note the applicability of Promise Programs - whether the funds be used at a wide range of postsecondary institutions, or if they are narrowly targeted towards certain institutions. We find suggestive evidence that Promise Programs are successful at improving housing prices, attracting residents to Promise zones, improving student K-12 academic outcomes, and increasing postsecondary enrollment. However, the number of studies examining Promise Programs remains limited, and skewed towards particular programs

As mulheres na ciência: o interesse das estudantes brasileiras pela carreira científica

AbstractIn the years 2010 and 2011 we conducted a national survey on the perception of Science and Technology of Brazilian students. This survey was conducted using the sampling method for the Brazilian region, in which various aspects were analyzed. One such aspect concerns the intention of students' to be a scientist. We did a diagnosis of intentionality students to follow a career in science, with the prospect analysis focused on females. The objective was to assess the probability of girls enrolling in future scientific career, in relation to boys. The results reveal that the intention of the girls in “to be a scientist” is higher in the South and Midwest, but that number is very small. It is stressed that the intention of “being a scientist” is small in both sexes.ResumoNos anos de 2010 e 2011 realizamos uma pesquisa nacional sobre a percepção de Ciência e Tecnologia dos estudantes brasileiros. Essa pesquisa foi realizada utilizando o método de amostragem por região brasileira, na qual vários aspectos foram analisados. Um destes aspectos é relativo à intenção dos estudantes em “ser cientista”. Assim, neste trabalho, traremos um diagnóstico da intencionalidade dos estudantes em seguir a carreira científica, tendo como perspectiva uma análise focada no gênero feminino, ou seja, o objetivo foi verificar qual a probabilidade de as meninas ingressarem futuramente na carreira científica, em relação aos meninos. Os resultados revelam que a intenção das meninas em “ser cientista” é maior nas regiões Sul e Centro-Oeste, mas esse número é muito pequeno. Entretanto, salienta-se que a intenção de “ser cientista” é pequena em ambos os sexos

A ciência e a tecnologia para os estudantes brasileiros : percepções

Nos anos de 2010 e 2011 realizamos uma pesquisa nacional para verificar as percepções dos estudantes brasileiros sobre temas relacionados à ciência e tecnologia. Esta investigação buscou averiguar como os jovens em idade escolar (Ensino Médio) percebem a ciência e a tecnologia em suas vidas, considerando-se que estas percepções têm influencia na formação dos conceitos científicos escolares e na forma como os jovens relacionam-se com a ciência (Teoria Sociocultural de Vygotsky). Os resultados obtidos em análises qualitativas e quantitativas demonstram percepções ligadas a Mídia, tendo pouca influencia escolar. Assim é necessário que a escola valorize as percepções trazidas pelos estudantes para a formação conceitual destes, possibilitando também uma melhor visão de ciência e tecnologia

Loss of key EMT-regulating miRNAs highlight the role of ZEB1 in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant NSCLC

Despite recent advances in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), acquired drug resistance to targeted therapy remains a major obstacle. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been identified as a key resistance mechanism in NSCLC. Here, we investigated the mechanistic role of key EMT-regulating small non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) in sublines of the NSCLC cell line HCC4006 adapted to afatinib, erlotinib, gefitinib, or osimertinib. The most differentially expressed miRNAs derived from extracellular vesicles were associated with EMT, and their predicted target ZEB1 was significantly overexpressed in all resistant cell lines. Transfection of a miR-205-5p mimic partially reversed EMT by inhibiting ZEB1, restoring CDH1 expression, and inhibiting migration in erlotinib-resistant cells. Gene expression of EMT-markers, transcription factors, and miRNAs were correlated during stepwise osimertinib adaptation of HCC4006 cells. Temporally relieving cells of osimertinib reversed transition trends, suggesting that the implementation of treatment pauses could provide prolonged benefits for patients. Our results provide new insights into the contribution of miRNAs to drug-resistant NSCLC harboring EGFR-activating mutations and highlight their role as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets

The Lantern Vol. 53, No. 2, Spring 1987

• The One • Homecoming-1946 • Puff • Victory • The Prelude • Playtime • There\u27s a Killer in My Heart • Who is Keats? • Relationships • It\u27s OK • Rasping • Wearers of Underwear • Conjecture • Look Her in the Eye • Counterpoint • When the Air is Biting • A Stream of Consciousness • Bach\u27s Concerto in E • Tomorrow Morn • Ruminations on Bob Dylan • Last Night a Dream • Stephen • A Baseball Story • I Am Sorry • And Baby Makes Two • Next on Mr. Steinbeck\u27s Itinerary • Upon Visiting the Nursing Home • Taps for Ralph • Yes, I Believe • The Morning After • Conversation • Dear Man • Autumn Leaveshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1130/thumbnail.jp

The Lantern Vol. 52, No. 1, Fall 1985

• Nudes • Orion • Fragments of an Epic • Sunrise • The Planting Season • Nursing Home • Hope Chest • Childhood Swing • Relationships • Elroy, Leopold, and Max • Urban Dragon • The Farmer\u27s Wife • A Ballad of Two Lovers • Betrayal • Choices • Letting Go • Emergence of a Butterfly • Poem for Every Man • Friction • Genesis • All\u27s Well • The Willow Tree • White Wasteland • Moe\u27s Happy Christmas • Rare Bird • Carnivalhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1127/thumbnail.jp