Barbie As Cultural Compass: Embodiment, Representation, and Resistance Surrounding the World’s Most Iconized Doll

Since 1959 the Barbie doll has held the status of cultural icon in American society. In the past six decades Barbie has dominated the toy industry as an unmatched competitor among girls’ dolls, generating approximately $1 billion in annual sales. Originally intended by her creator Ruth Handler to “allow girls to project their future self,” Barbie continues to remain a household name, and it has been estimated that each American girl owns an average of eight Barbie dolls (Newman 2013). As a cultural object, Barbie continues to re-enter the “human circuit of discourse” (Griswold 1987) with each changing public appearance, just as critics challenge Mattel for marketing a doll unrepresentative of “the real woman.” In this sociology honors thesis I investigate the historical developments in the discourse surrounding the meaning and impact of Barbie’s representation. First I ask, what is Barbie purported to represent and how has her iconic status served as a location for changing discourse on the feminine ideal? And, how have various social actors found spaces for resistance and protest through contesting Barbie’s meaning and representation? Despite the ongoing problems that feminist and popular critics have with Barbie, the enduring popularity of the doll, and the particular ways it has changed in response to certain cultural concerns, speaks to how cultural icons both come to embody and transform social meaning and power. I seek to understand the collective process of both articulating and contesting Barbie as a cultural object and the discourse surrounding the social meaning of this cultural object as an exercise in demarcating gendered status and boundaries. On a general theoretical level, I ask, what are the processes driving divergent interpretations of cultural icons, and in the case of Barbie as a site for gendered contention, how do we use icons to work out attitudes about femininity? I explore both popular and scholarly discourse to understand the process of contesting and reorganizing the feminine self around Barbie. I conduct a discourse analysis of approximately 150 newspaper articles and approximately 40 journal articles exploring Barbie-related scholarship published since 1959. I explain that Barbie’s iconic status is achieved through her ongoing instruction and reproduction of social forms, while at the same time, her malleability is representative of the many ways that these social forms have the potential to change over time. I conclude by arguing that through an examination of the discursive circumstances surrounding the various stages of Barbie’s development, we can better understand how cultural icons like Barbie relate to the structure and transformation of social life

Характеристика структурних змін в яєчку при хронічній гіпертермії

Воздействие хронической гипертермии на яички экспериментальных животных приводит к изменению микроциркуляторного русла в виде венозного полнокровия и интерстициального отека. Появляются морфологические признаки замедления процессов сперматогенеза, которые сопровождаются изменениями структур извитых семенных канальцев.Laboratory animal testes influenced by chronic hyperthermia show changes in hemomicrocirculation bed structure manifested as venous hyperemia and interstitial edema. Morphological signs of spermatogenesis slowdown accompanied by changes in convoluted somniferous tubules are observed

Novel Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC8 Clone Identified in a Hospital Setting in Armenia

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been sparse in low- and middle-income countries, therefore, its population structure is unknown for many regions. We conducted a pilot surveillance of MRSA in the maternity ward of a teaching hospital in Armenia, to characterize the genotypes of circulating MRSA clones. In total, 10 MRSA isolates from a hospital environment (n = 4) and patients (n = 6) were recovered between March and May 2015 and April and May 2016, respectively. WGS analysis showed that the isolates belonged to two clonal complexes (CCs): CC8 (n = 8) and CC30 (n = 2). MRSA CC30 isolates carried staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IVa, whereas MRSA CC8 revealed a type-Vᴛ-related SCCmec, which contained a CRISPR/Cas array and showed a high similarity to SCCmec found in coagulase-negative staphylococci. All but one MRSA CC8 isolates carried a plasmid identical to the pSK67 and four also carried a pathogenicity island similar to SaPI5. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the MRSA CC8 isolates formed a monophyletic cluster, which emerged around 1995 and was distinct from representatives of globally-distributed MRSA CC8 lineages. WGS characterization of MRSA in countries with no previous S. aureus genomic surveillance can therefore reveal an unrecognized diversity of MRSA lineages

The limitations of in vitro experimentation in understanding biofilms and chronic infection

We have become increasingly aware that during infection, pathogenic bacteria often grow in multi- cellular biofilms which are often highly resistant to antibacterial strategies. In order to understand how biofilms form and contribute to infection, in vitro biofilm systems such as microtitre plate as- says and flow cells, have been heavily used by many research groups around the world. Whilst these methods have greatly increased our understanding of the biology of biofilms, it is becoming increasingly apparent that many of our in vitro methods do not accurately represent in vivo conditions. Here we present a systematic review of the most widely used in vitro biofilm systems, and we discuss why they are not always representative of the in vivo biofilms found in chronic infections. We present examples of methods that will help us to bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo biofilm work, so that our bench-side data can ultimately be used to improve bedside treatment

The prevalence, antibiotic resistance and mecA characterization of coagulase negative staphylococci recovered from non-healthcare settings in London, UK

Background Coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) are important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes and associated mobile genetic elements and are believed to contribute to the emergence of successful methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clones. Although, these bacteria have been linked to various ecological niches, little is known about the dissemination and genetic diversity of antibiotic resistant CoNS in general public settings. Methods Four hundred seventy-nine samples were collected from different non-healthcare/general public settings in various locations (n = 355) and from the hands of volunteers (n = 124) in London UK between April 2013 and Nov 2014. Results Six hundred forty-three staphylococcal isolates belonging to 19 staphylococcal species were identified. Five hundred seventy-two (94%) isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and only 34 isolates were fully susceptible. Sixty-eight (11%) mecA positive staphylococcal isolates were determined in this study. SCCmec types were fully determined for forty-six isolates. Thirteen staphylococci (19%) carried SCCmec V, followed by 8 isolates carrying SCCmec type I (2%), 5 SCCmec type IV (7%), 4 SCCmec type II (6%), 1 SCCmec type III (2%), 1 SCCmec type VI (2%), and 1 SCCmec type VIII (2%). In addition, three isolates harboured a new SCCmec type 1A, which carried combination of class A mec complex and ccr type 1. MLST typing revealed that all S. epidermidis strains possess new MLST types and were assigned the following new sequence types: ST599, ST600, ST600, ST600, ST601, ST602, ST602, ST603, ST604, ST605, ST606, ST607 and ST608. Conclusions The prevalence of antibiotic resistant staphylococci in general public settings demonstrates that antibiotics in the natural environments contribute to the selection of antibiotic resistant microorganisms. The finding of various SCCmec types in non-healthcare associated environments indicates the complexity of SCCmec. We also report on new MLST types that were assigned for all S. epidermidis isolates, which demonstrates the genetic variability of these isolates

Metallic nanomaterials for advanced applications

Artykuł jest przeglądem badań prowadzonych w Instytucie Inżynierii Materiałowej Politechniki Poznańskiej nad otrzymywaniem materiałów metalicznych z nanostrukturą. Materiały te otrzymywane są metodą mechanicznej syntezy a następnie konsolidowane za pomocą technologii metalurgii proszków. Przykładami otrzymanych nanomateriałów są: nanokompozyt tytan - hydroxyapatyt, nanokrystaliczna bez niklowa stal nierdzewna, mające zastosowanie jako biomateriały, oraz dwusiarczek molibdenu (MoS2) w postaci nanocząstek mający zastosowanie w materiałach inżynierskich. Wynik badań pokazują, iż materiały posiadające nanostrukturę wykazują lepsze właściwości w porównaniu do materiałów tradycyjnych.This paper reviews research at the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Poznań University of Technology, on the synthesis of nanoscale metallic materials. These materials were prepared by the combination of mechanical alloying and powder metallurgical process. Examples of the materials include a titanium-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite, a nanocrystalline nickel-free stainless steels, both for biomedical applications, and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles for engineering applications. The results show an enhancement of properties due to the nanoscale structures in bulk consolidated materials

Tribological Properties of Cu-MoS₂-WS₂-Ag-CNT Sintered Composite Materials

In this work, in order to produce Cu-MoS2-WS2-Ag-CNT self-lubricating materials, powder metallurgy was used. Several different compositions containing single solid lubricant MoS2, WS2, Ag and CNTs as well as multi-component lubricants in the copper matrix were prepared. Friction and wear tests were carried out using the pin-on-disc method at room temperature. Light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the wear mechanism of sintered materials. The tribofilm on the worn surfaces of sintered materials and counter-specimens was observed. The influence of single solid lubricants and the synergistic interaction of two, three or four solid lubricants on tribological properties of sintered composite materials were determined