The Underrepresentation of African Americans and the Role of Casting Directors

Films are cultural products, which reflect the existing ideologies in a culture. In the American culture the two dominant ideologies are white normativity and patriarchy. With the Oscars right around the corner, the world is anticipating this year\u27s nominees and winners. Hopes are high that this year the Academy Award for best actor will go to someone who is diverse. If films are reconstructions of culture, then can we really expect to see change at the Oscars? Through thorough qualitative research and interviews with industry professionals, a detailed picture of the role of casting directors in the casting process for lead roles in Hollywood has been painted. Based on the research the primary findings are first, that casting directors don\u27t make final decisions. Second, studios have great power as financiers of content and third, distribution influences casting

Ergebnisse zur Perspektive der Beschäftigten im Übergangsmanagement sowie der Anstaltsleitungen Ende 2014

Seit Jahren gehört die Vorbereitung von Gefangenen auf die Entlassung und die Klärung wichtiger Aspekte der sozialen Integration zu den Schwerpunkten der Steuerung des Justizvollzugs sowie der ambulanten sozialen Dienste in Niedersachsen. Zur Verbesserung der Reintegration Straffälliger wurde daher eine Reihe von Maßnahmen initiiert. Zur Begleitung dieser Reformen wurde 2010 eine Struktur- und Prozessevaluation in Auftrag gegeben (siehe Abschlussbericht Hollmann & Haas, 2012). Der Kriminologische Dienst hat darauf aufbauend Ende 2014 eine erneute Studie zur Zusammenarbeit zwischen Justizvollzug, Ambulantem Justizsozialdienst und den Anlaufstellen für Straffälligenhilfe durchgeführt. Die Gesamterhebung bei allen Personen, die im Übergangsmanagement (ÜM) tätig sind, ermöglicht ein aktuelles Bild der Prozesse rund um das ÜM und der Zusammenarbeit zwischen den Akteuren. Darüber hinaus ist der Kriminologische Dienst in die Evaluation verschiedener Projekte im Bereich des Übergangsmanagements eingebunden (z.B. „JobAktiv" in Uelzen sowie Projekten von bfw und Grone-Schulen)

Fluorescence probe techniques to monitor protein adsorption-induced conformation changes on biodegradable polymers

The study of protein adsorption and any associated conformational changes on interaction with biomaterials is of great importance in the area of implants and tissue constructs. This study aimed to evaluate some fluorescent techniques to probe protein conformation on a selection of biodegradable polymers currently under investigation for biomedical applications. Because of the fluorescence emanating from the polymers, the use of monitoring intrinsic protein fluorescence was precluded. A highly solvatochromic fluorescent dye, Nile red, and a well-known protein label, fluorescein isothiocyanate, were employed to study the adsorption of serum albumin to polycaprolactone and to some extent also to two starch-containing polymer blends (SPCL and SEVA-C). A variety of fluorescence techniques, steady state, time resolved, and imaging were employed. Nile red was found to leach from the protein, while fluorescein isothiocyanate proved useful in elucidating a conformational change in the protein and the observation of protein aggregates adsorbed to the polymer surface. These effects were seen by making use of the phenomenon of energy migration between the fluorescent tags to monitor interprobe distance and the use of fluorescence lifetime imaging to ascertain the surface packing of the protein on polymer

Steigende Gefangenenzahlen: Probleme und mögliche Ursachen

'Wachsende Belegungen der deutschen Gefängnisse stellen den Justizvollzug in den letzten Jahren vor große Probleme. Dieser Beitrag widmet sich einem Teil der möglichen Ursachen des Phänomens. In Betracht gezogen werden die Kriminalitätsentwicklung, aber auch Veränderungen in der staatsanwaltschaftlichen und gerichtlichen Entscheidungspraxis. Auch die Rolle und Genese der Strafeinstellungen der Bevölkerung und das Wechselspiel mit diesbezüglichen Vorstellungen der Politik und der Justiz werden thematisiert. Der Beitrag schließt mit Desiderata für zukünftige Forschung auf diesem Gebiet.' (Autorenreferat)'Rising imprisonment has caused many problems in German custodial institutions. This article addresses some possible causes of the changes that have taken place. Developments of crime, but also the practices of prosecutional and judicial decision-making are considered. Further, the role and generic processes of penal attitudes of the general public and their interaction with the respective conceptions of criminal justice policies and perspectives of the judiciary are discussed. This article concludes with suggestions for future research in this field.' (author's abstract)

Emotionale Reaktionen auf Straftaten: eine explorative Studie zu Unterschieden zwischen intuitiven und rationalen Strafurteilen

'Im Zusammenhang mit spektakulären Verbrechen werden die Strafbedürfnisse der Bevölkerung viel diskutiert. Auch die wissenschaftliche Forschung interessiert sich für diese Einstellungen, hat aber bislang dem Einfluss von Gefühlen auf Strafwünsche wenig Aufmerksamkeit gewidmet. Dieser Artikel nähert sich dem Thema vom Blickwinkel des Social Intuitionist Modells (Haidt, 2001) an. Es werden die Ergebnisse einer Studie zu intuitiven und rationalen Strafurteilen vorgestellt. In einem Messwiederholungsdesign wurden in mehreren Fallgeschichten vier fallbezogene Variablen variiert: Deliktart, Ausmaß des Schadens, Alter des Täters und Vorstrafenregister des Täters. Es wurden einerseits spontane andererseits rationale Strafreaktionen erhoben. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass spontane Strafreaktionen insgesamt härter ausfielen als rationale. Zwei der vier fallbezogenen Variablen zeigten eine signifikante Wechselwirkung mit dem Antwortmodus.' (Autorenreferat

The interactions between a small molecule and G-quadruplexes are visualised by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

Guanine-rich oligonucleotides can fold into quadruple-stranded helical structures known as G-quadruplexes. Mounting experimental evidence has gathered suggesting that these non-canonical nucleic acid structures form in vivo and play essential biological roles. However, to date, there are no small-molecule optical probes to image G-quadruplexes in live cells. Herein, we report the design and development of a small fluorescent molecule, which can be used as an optical probe for G-quadruplexes. We demonstrate that the fluorescence lifetime of this new probe changes considerably upon interaction with different nucleic acid topologies. Specifically, longer fluorescence lifetimes are observed in vitro for G-quadruplexes than for double- and single-stranded nucleic acids. Cellular studies confirm that this molecule is cell permeable, has low cytotoxicity and localizes primarily in the cell nucleus. Furthermore, using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, live-cell imaging suggests that the probe can be used to study the interaction of small molecules with G-quadruplexes in vivo

Application of fluorescence techniques to the study of protein adsorption and packing on biomaterial surfaces

[Excerpt] The ways proteins compete for the surface of biomaterials and change conformation are believed to be important for the host response to implants. It is possible to elucidate information on packing and any induced conformational change by making use of different fluorescence techniques on fluorescently labelled proteins. Employing probe-probe resonance energy transfer (RET) allows inter and intra protein interactions to be distinguished. Homo resonance energy transfer (hRET) avoids many problems with having two different probes and means that labelling and subsequent purification can be done in one step. [...]Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, project PROTEOLIGHT (PTDC/FIS/68517/2006) and J.B. grant SFRH/BPD/17584/2004. European Union NoE EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283) and European Union FP6 STREP project HIPPOCRATES (NMP3-CT-2003-505758).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy and molecular dynamics analysis of a novel GFP homo-FRET dimer

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a powerful tool to investigate the interaction between proteins in living cells. Fluorescence proteins, such as the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its derivatives, are coexpressed in cells linked to proteins of interest. Time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy is a popular tool to study homo-FRET of fluorescent proteins as an indicator of dimerization, in which its signature consists of a very short component at the beginning of the anisotropy decay. In this work, we present an approach to study GFP homo-FRET via a combination of time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy, the stretched exponential decay model, and molecular dynamics simulations. We characterize a new, to our knowledge, FRET standard formed by two enhanced GFPs (eGFPs) and a flexible linker of 15 aminoacids (eGFP15eGFP) with this protocol, which is validated by using an eGFP monomer as a reference. An excellent agreement is found between the FRET efficiency calculated from the fit of the eGFP15eGFP fluorescence anisotropy decays with a stretched exponential decay model (〈E FRET exp〉 = 0.25 ± 0.05) and those calculated from the molecular dynamics simulations (〈E FRET MD〉 = 0.18 ± 0.14). The relative dipole orientation between the GFPs is best described by the orientation factors 〈κ 2〉 = 0.17 ± 0.16 and 〈|κ|〉 = 0.35 ± 0.20, contextualized within a static framework in which the linker hinders the free rotation of the fluorophores and excludes certain configurations. The combination of time- and polarization-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy with molecular dynamics simulations is shown to be a powerful tool for the study and interpretation of homo-FRET. </p

Mapping the rotational diffusion of fluorophores in cells with time-resolved wide-field fluorescence anisotropy imaging

CLEO/EUROPE ; EQEC European Quantum Electronics Conference, Munich ICM, Germany, 22-27 June, 2003N