Obscuring Gender-Based Violence: Marriage Promotion and Teen Dating Violence Research

This article argues that United States public policies have prioritized marriage and healthy relationship promotion over research and education about gendered violence in adult and teen relationships, despite evidence of the prevalence of intimate partner and teen dating violence that disproportionately impacts women and girls. The lack of a gender-based analysis reflects a shift from a feminist framing of violence that focuses on the safety and well-being of women and girls based on an analysis of gender, power, and structural inequalities, to ward a conservative focus on individualistic solutions to gendered social problems like poverty and violence

Research & Action Report, Spring/Summer 2005

In this issue: Jean Baker Miller Training Institute: 10th Anniversary Jean Baker Miller Training Institute Yet again? Women and science, the discussion goes on...and on... Reaffirming Rights in Our Nation\u27s Schools Q&A with WCW Postdoctoral Research Fellowshttps://repository.wellesley.edu/researchandactionreport/1006/thumbnail.jp

Research & Action Report, Fall/Winter 2010

In this issue: Q&A: The Changing World of Work and Family BalanceWork, Families, and Children Commentary: Sexual Harassment Left Behind: What the bullying framework is doing to the civil rights laws and framework Global Connections: WCW scholars connect and collaborate with colleagues across the globehttps://repository.wellesley.edu/researchandactionreport/1017/thumbnail.jp

Research & Action Spring/Summer 2013

In this issue: Commentary: Women, Employment, & Health by Nancy Marshall Open Circle: Celebrating 25 Years of Getting to the Heart of Learning Q&A with Nan Stein, Ed.D.https://repository.wellesley.edu/researchandactionreport/1022/thumbnail.jp

The influence of 3-D interfacial structure and morphology on the mechanical behavior of nanocomposites

2-dimensional (2D) sharp interfaces with distinct boundaries demarcating an abrupt discontinuity in material properties in nanolayered composites have been studied for almost twenty years and are responsible for enhanced behaviors such as strength, radiation damage tolerance, and deformability. However, 2-D interfaces have their limitations with respect to deformability and toughness. 3D interfaces are defined as heterophase interfaces that extend out of plane into the two crystals on either side and are chemically, crystallographically, and/or topologically divergent, in three dimensions, from both crystals they join. Here, we present the mechanical behavior of two different classes of nanocomposites: 1.) nanolayered Cu/Nb containing interfaces with 3D character and 2.) Tungsten-based 3D ordered mesoporous composites consisting of a porous W scaffolding with silicon carbide or silicon nitride infill. Micropillar compression results show that the strength of Cu/Nb nanocomposites containing 3D interfaces is significantly greater than those containing 2D interfaces. Shear banding in 3D Cu/Nb is observed during pillar compression with retention of continuous layers across the shear band. We will present our recent results on deformation of such 3-D interfaces and structures, and describe this evolution mechanistically through the use of atomistic simulations. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Inhibition of Hepatitis E Virus Replication by Peptide-Conjugated Morpholino Oligomers

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a cause of hepatitis in humans worldwide. Recently, persistent and chronic HEV infections have been recognized as a serious clinical problem, especially in immunocompromised individuals. To date, there are no FDA-approved HEV-specific antiviral drugs. In this study, we designed and evaluated antisense peptide-conjugated morpholino oligomers (PPMO) as potential HEV-specific antiviral compounds. Two genetically-distinct strains of human HEV, genotype 1 Sar55 and genotype 3 Kernow C1, which cause acute and chronic hepatitis, respectively, were used to evaluate PPMO inhibition of viral replication in liver cells. Four anti-HEV PPMOs tested led to a significant reduction in the levels of viral RNA and HEV capsid protein as well as luciferase yield from Sar55 replicons in S10-3 liver cells, indicating an effective inhibition of HEV replication. PPMO HP1, which targets the ORF1 translation initiation region, was also effective against the genotype 3 Kernow C1 strain in stably-infected HepG2/C3A liver cells. The antiviral activity observed was specific, dose-responsive, potent and effective, suggesting that further exploration of HP1 as a potential HEV-specific antiviral agent is warranted

Hominin reactions to herbivore distribution in the Lower Palaeolithic of the Southern Levant

We explore the relationship between the edaphic potential of soils and the mineral properties of the underlying geology as a means of mapping the differential productivity of different areas of the Pleistocene landscape for large herbivores. These factors strongly control the health of grazing animals irrespective of the particular types of vegetation growing on them, but they have generally been neglected in palaeoanthropological studies in favour of a more general emphasis on water and vegetation, which provide an incomplete picture. Taking the Carmel-Galilee-Golan region as an example, we show how an understanding of edaphic potential provides insight into how animals might have exploited the environment. In order to simplify the analysis, we concentrate on the Lower Palaeolithic period and the very large animals that dominate the archaeofaunal assemblages of this period. Topography and the ability of soils to retain water also contribute to the differential productivity and accessibility of different regions and to patterns of seasonal movements of the animals, which are essential to ensure a supply of healthy fodder throughout the year, especially for large animals such as elephants, which require substantial regions of good grazing and browsing. Other animals migrating in groups have similar needs. The complex topography of the Southern Levant with frequent sudden and severe changes in gradient, and a wide variety of landforms including rocky outcrops, cliffs, gorges, and ridges, places major limits on these patterns of seasonal movements. We develop methods of mapping these variables, based on the geology and our substantial field experience, in order to create a framework of landscape variation that can be compared with the locations and contents of archaeological sites to suggest ways in which early hominins used the variable features of the landscape to target animal prey, and we extend the analysis to the consideration of smaller mammals that were exploited more intensively after the disappearance of the elephants. We consider some of the ways in which this regional-scale approach can be further tested and refined, and advocate the development of such studies as an essential contribution to understanding the wider pattern of hominin dispersal

DNA methylation, the early-life social environment and behavioral disorders

One of the outstanding questions in behavioral disorders is untangling the complex relationship between nurture and nature. Although epidemiological data provide evidence that there is an interaction between genetics (nature) and the social and physical environments (nurture) in a spectrum of behavioral disorders, the main open question remains the mechanism. Emerging data support the hypothesis that DNA methylation, a covalent modification of the DNA molecule that is a component of its chemical structure, serves as an interface between the dynamic environment and the fixed genome. We propose that modulation of DNA methylation in response to environmental cues early in life serves as a mechanism of life-long genome adaptation. Under certain contexts, this adaptation can turn maladaptive resulting in behavioral disorders. This hypothesis has important implications on understanding, predicting, preventing, and treating behavioral disorders including autism that will be discussed