Karola Bloch en la Alemania del Este (RDA, 1950-55). La estandarización de guarderías como herramienta de emancipación para las mujeres

The architect Karola Bloch, who was working for the Deutsche Bauakademie in the GDR after World War II, aimed to meet the goal of gender equality according to socialist principles by realising numerous crèches and kindergartens through the development of schematic plans and guidelines for building construction. For the newly founded socialist state of the GDR, this was a way to free women from domestic unpaid care work in order to integrate them into wage-earning labour, which was considered crucial for women to become equal members of society. The implementation of a nationwide network of childcare centres via typification and standardisation promised to realise these ambitious goals quickly and cost-effectively. La arquitecta Karola Bloch, que trabajaba para la Deutsche Bauakademie en la RDA después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, se propuso cumplir el objetivo de la igualdad de género según los principios socialistas realizando numerosas guarderías y jardines de infancia mediante el desarrollo de planos esquemáticos y directrices para la construcción de estos edificios. Para el recién fundado Estado socialista de la RDA, esta era una forma de liberar a las mujeres del trabajo doméstico no remunerado de cuidados, e integrarlas en el trabajo asalariado, lo cual se consideraba crucial para que las mujeres se convieran en miembros iguales de la sociedad. La puesta en marcha de una red nacional de guarderías mediante su tipificación y estandarización prometía hacer realidad estos ambiciosos objetivos de forma rápida y rentable

We were all just trying to stay afloat : The Career Experiences of NCAA Division I Female Swimming Coaches

Although sport participation for women and girls is at an all-time high in the United States, female coaches are widely underrepresented. In the sport of swimming at the collegiate level, women hold just 18% of the head coaching positions of women’s teams. A qualitative research design was implemented to examine the career experiences of NCAA Division I female swimming coaches. Twenty-one current and recently retired Division I female swimming coaches were interviewed regarding their career experiences. Analysis of the data produced three themes: (a) Sexism, (b) The Career Path, and (c) Life as a Coach-Mom. These findings indicate that female coaches experience sexism from a variety of sources in their profession. Additionally, in a changing landscape of fewer opportunities available for female coaches, women are increasingly relying on mentoring and professional development to better position themselves in a competitive work environment. Finally, coaches with children need a wide support system, but also find balance through motherhood. These findings may help current coaches and potential coaches navigate their careers, as well as administrators who can provide support for the coaches’ careers

Gene expression from plasmids containing the araBAD promoter at subsaturating inducer concentrations represents mixed populations

Gene expression from plasmids containing the araBAD promoter can be regulated by the concentration of arabinose in the growth medium. Guzman et al. [Guzman, L.-M., Belin, D., Carson, M. J. & Beckwith, J. (1995) J. Bacteriol. 177, 4121–4130] showed that expression of a cloned gene could be modulated over several orders of magnitude in cultures grown in the presence of subsaturating concentrations of arabinose. We constructed plasmids expressing a fast-folding mutant Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein from the araBAD promoter to examine the distribution of expressed gene products in individual cells at intermediate induction levels. Microscopic examination of cells grown at low arabinose concentrations shows mixtures of brightly fluorescent and dark cells, suggesting that intermediate expression levels in cultures reflect a population average of induced and uninduced cells. The kinetics of green fluorescent protein induction suggest that this reflects an “autocatalytic” induction mechanism due to accumulation of the inducer by active transport. This mechanism, which is analogous to the induction of the lac operon at subsaturating inducer concentrations in lacY(+) cells, was described 40 years ago by Novick and Weiner [Novick, A. & Weiner, M. (1957) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 43, 553–566]

A Geometric Algorithm for the Factorization of Spinor Polynomials

We present a new algorithm to decompose generic spinor polynomials into linear factors. Spinor polynomials are certain polynomials with coefficients in the geometric algebra of dimension three that parametrize rational conformal motions. The factorization algorithm is based on the "kinematics at infinity" of the underlying rational motion. Factorizations exist generically but not generally and are typically not unique. We prove that generic multiples of non-factorizable spinor polynomials admit factorizations and we demonstrate at hand of an example how our ideas can be used to tackle the hitherto unsolved problem of "factorizing" algebraic motions

At a Crossroads: The Senior Woman Administrator Designation

The Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) designation was established by the NCAA to increase involvement of women in the management of collegiate athletics. However, research has found SWAs may not be afforded opportunities needed for further career advancement. This study explored the perceptions of NCAA Division I SWAs through role congruity theory. Interviews revealed two major themes: Unintended Consequences and Future of the Designation. Themes highlighted how the designation itself is problematic and accompanied with gender stereotypes. Furthermore, participants detailed the designation should be removed due to tokenism and marginalization. The women in the study believed the designation of SWA may limit ascension into leadership roles within collegiate athletics.