Re-Imagining the Victorian Woman: Female Representations in Four Neo-Victorian Novels from 1990 to 2010

Neo-Victorian literature is a subgenre of historical fiction that is set during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 until 1901. There are divergent opinions on the emergence of the genre; however, the time frame established in this dissertation spans from 1990 until the present moment. One of the principal characteristic of neo-Victorian novels is that through their Victorian setting they display their involvement with contemporary issues. Such an engagement can be expressed in a variety of ways, yet a common approach involves a reimagining of marginalized voices. This paper will focus on representations of real and fictitious Victorian women in four neo-Victorian novels: Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet(1998); Belinda Starling's The Journal of Dora Damage (2006); Jude Morgan's Charlotte and Emily: A novel of the Brontës (2010); and A.S. Byatt's Possession: A Romance (1990). The analysis of each novel is divided into three parts, which focus on authorship/autobiography, sexuality, as well as independence and occupation. This division seems to both highlight similarities between the novels, as well as draw attention to their differences. Through an emphasis on issues regarding a large group, that was generally repressed during the Victorian era, it is revealed that contrary to the statements of certain critics, neo-Victorian texts are more critical than nostalgic towards their historical setting

Views of Icelandic women towards genetic counseling - and testing of BRCA2 mutations

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked FilesTILGANGUR Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að kanna viðhorf íslenskra kvenna til erfðaupplýsinga, erfðaráðgjafar og erfðaprófs vegna stökkbreytinga í BRCA-genum sem auka verulega áhættuna á illvígum krabbameinum. EFNIVIÐUR OG AÐFERÐIR Konum sem komu í krabbameinsskoðun á Leitarstöð Krabbameins­félagsins frá 12. október til 20. nóvember 2015 var boðin þátttaka. Þátttaka fólst í svörun á stuttum rafrænum spurningalista um bakgrunn, fjölskyldusögu um krabbamein ásamt þekkingu og áhuga á erfða­ráðgjöf, erfðaprófi vegna BRCA-stökkbreytinga og hvort upplýsa ætti konur sem vitað er, til dæmis vegna vísindarannsókna, að eru arfberar. Notast var við lýsandi tölfræði og kíkvaðratpróf til að skoða viðhorf kvennanna til ofangreindra þátta. NIÐURSTÖÐUR 1129 konur (69% svarhlutfall) svöruðu spurningalistanum. Meðal­aldur var 47 ár (spönn: 21-76 ára) og tæplega helmingur (47%) þekkti til BRCA-stökkbreytinga. Óháð ættarsögu um krabbamein hafði meirihluti kvenna áhuga á að fara í erfðaráðgjöf (79%) og í erfðapróf (83%), sérstaklega yngri konur (ráðgjöf: p<0,0001, erfðapróf: p<0,0001). Hins vegar höfðu einungis 4% kvennanna þegar farið í erfðaráðgjöf og 7% í erfðapróf. Konur með ættarsögu um krabbamein höfðu meiri vitneskju um BRCA-stökkbreytingarnar (p<0,0001) og virtust síður hræðast afleiðingar þess að hafa slíka stökkbreytingu (p<0,0001) samanborið við konur með litla ættarsögu. Óháð ættarsögu hafði helmingur (49%) áhyggjur af því að niðurstöður erfðaprófa hefðu áhrif á sjúkratryggingar. Nær allar konurnar (97%) voru hlynntar eða mjög hlynntar því að erfðaupplýsingar sem liggja fyrir vegna vísinda­rannsókna séu nýttar til að upplýsa arfbera stökkbreytinganna. ÁLYKTUN Viðhorf íslenskra kvenna er jákvætt gagnvart erfðaráðgjöf og erfðaprófs vegna BRCA-stökkbreytinga en um helmingur virðist hafa áhyggjur af skertum rétti til sjúkratrygginga í kjölfar jákvæðrar niðurstöðu. Þrátt fyrir það er skýr vilji fyrir því að upplýsa skuli arfbera um stöðu sína í forvarnarskyni.Introduction The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of Icelandic women towards existing genetic information, genetic counseling and genetic testing for BRCA mutations which dramatically increase risk for aggressive cancers. Materials and methods Women attending the cancer prevention clinic in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland, from October 12th until November 20th 2015 received an invitation to participate. Participation involved answering a short online questionnaire about background, family history of cancer as well as attitudes towards genetic counseling, BRCA testing and preventive use of such information. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to describe differences in attitudes towards those questions between subgroups of women. Results 1129 women (69% response rate) answered the questionnaire. Mean age was 47 years (span 21-76 years). Around half (47%) had heard fairly much about the mutations. Independent of family history of cancer, the majority of women were positive towards receiving genetic counseling (79%) and to undergo genetic testing (83%) for BRCA mutation with younger women being more interested than older women. On the other hand, only 4% of the women had already received genetic counseling and 7% undergone genetic testing. Women with family history of cancer were more knowledgeable about BRCA mutations (p<0.0001) and were less afraid of the consequence of being a mutation carrier (p<0.0001) compared to those with little or no family history. Regardless of family history, half (49%) worried that results from genetic testing could influence their health insurance. Almost all, or 97% of the women, were positive or very positive toward using existing genetic information obtained through scientific work, to inform affected indi­viduals of their mutation status. Conclusion Icelandic women are positive towards genetic counseling and testing for BRCA mutations although half of them worry that a positive result might affect their health insurance. Nevertheless, almost all women believe that existing genetic information should be used to inform carriers for preventive purposes

Examining the Contextual Effects of Racial Profiling, and the Long-Term Consequences of Punitive Interventions: Testing Labeling Theory with the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health Data

The overrepresentation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system has been well documented. More research has, however, been needed on levels of discrimination, particularly on potential biases in the earliest point of contact, such as police decisions to stop and arrest young people. Further, few studies have examined individual and neighborhood characteristics simultaneously, which has limited the understanding of citizens’ experiences with the police. Focusing on potential biases in the juvenile justice system is essential as recent studies indicate that most types of interventions have different negative consequences for the lives of young people, such as increasing the probability of crime in adulthood. The current study addresses some of the limitations of previous research and uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to test several hypotheses related to the probability of having been stopped or arrested by the police in youth, and the long-term impact of punitive interventions by the police and school authorities. Results generated from the multilevel analyses fail to show that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely than White youth to be stopped by the police. Independent of differences in behavior, Black youth are, however, more likely to be arrested than White adolescents. There is no significant difference between the probability of police stops or arrest for Hispanic and White youth. The probability of arrest also increases with increased concentrated disadvantage (concentrated poverty, a high proportion of single-parent households, and a high proportion of residents without a high school diploma). Interventions in adolescence (being arrested or suspended/expelled from high school) do not decrease subsequent crime but instead lead to more crime in adulthood. The findings indicate that this is partly because these interventions have decrease adult SES, particularly interventions by school authorities. The current study also indicates that Black youth and young women are more vulnerable to the negative consequences of interventions than other groups

The influences of gender and income inequality on cross-national variations in lethal violence

The current research examines the cross-national relationship between income and gender inequality as well as their interconnected influences on both female and male homicide victimization. Using a sample of 127 heterogeneous countries, this research supports previous studies that economically stratified societies tend to have high levels of lethal violence. The study also finds that economically stratified societies tend to be male-dominated, which is also associated with increased violence against women as well as increased male-onmale violence.Peer Reviewe

Stress-related disorders – a major challenge of 21st century medical sciences

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Economic crisis and smoking behaviour: prospective cohort study in Iceland

Objective: To examine the associations between the 2008 economic collapse in Iceland and smoking behaviour at the national and individual levels. Design: A population-based, prospective cohort study based on a mail survey (Health and Wellbeing in Iceland) assessed in 2007 and 2009. Setting: National mail survey. Participants: Representative cohort (n=3755) of Icelandic adults. Main outcome measure: Smoking status. Results: A significant reduction in the prevalence of smoking was observed from 2007 (pre-economic collapse) to 2009 (postcollapse) in both males (17.4–14.8%; p 0.01) and females (20.0–17.5%; p 0.01) in the cohort (n=3755). At the individual level of analysis, male former smokers experiencing a reduction in income during the same period were less likely to relapse (OR 0.37; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.85). Female smokers were less likely to quit over time compared to males (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.93). Among male former smokers who experienced an increase in income between 2007 and 2009, we observed an elevated risk of smoking relapse (OR 4.02; 95% CI 1.15 to 14.00). Conclusions: The national prevalence of smoking in Iceland declined following the 2008 economic crisis. This could be due to the procyclical relationship between macro-economic conditions and smoking behaviour (ie, hard times lead to less smoking because of lower affordability), or it may simply reflect a continuation of trends already in place prior to the crisis. In individual-level analysis, we find that former smokers who experienced a decline in income were less likely to relapse; and conversely, an increase in income raises the risk. However, caution is warranted since these findings are based on small numbers

The frequency of some factors in pregnancy and delivery for Icelandic children with ADHD

Hægt er að lesa greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenOBJECTIVE: ADHD is a well known psychiatric disorder that begins in childhood and frequently persists into adulthood. In the last decade numerous studies have shown the importance of genetic factors in the etiology of ADHD. However other etiological factors seem to be involved. The aim of this study was to examine the frequency of some possible etiological factors for ADHD in Icelandic children diagnosed with ADHD. The study is descriptive. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The participants were 196 children referred for suspected ADHD to the outpatient unit of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Landspitali University Hospital during a 2 year period 1998-1999. The participants had either ICD-10 or DSM-IV hyperkinetic disorder and/or ADHD and the information was obtained from patient case notes. Information provided by parents in a questionnaire concerning health in pregnancy and the perinatal period was retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: The main results show statistically significant increased risk for ADHD associated with several factors such as low birthweight, young age of the mother at the time of the child's birth and Caesarean section, compared with reference groups such as mean values in all of the community. Other factors such as birthweight, alcohol or tobacco use in pregnancy, use of medication in pregnancy or vacuum extraction did not show statistically significant association with ADHD. CONCLUSION: The results indicate as some studies from other countries have suggested that an association exists between a number of factors in pregnancy, delivery and perinatal period and ADHD, even though there is still not enough evidence to confirm definite etiological factors.Tilgangur: Ofvirkniröskun (athyglisbrestur með ofvirkni) er vel þekkt klínískt heilkenni athyglisbrests, hreyfiofvirkni og hvatvísi. Einkenni heilkennisins koma fram á barnsaldri og geta haldist fram á fullorðinsár. Rannsóknir benda til að um samspil ýmissa orsakaþátta sé að ræða en að erfðaþátturinn vegi þyngst. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna tengsl vissra þátta á meðgöngu og í fæðingu við ofvirkniröskun hjá börnum og unglingum á Íslandi. Um er að ræða lýsandi, afturvirka rannsókn. Efniviður og aðferðir: Upplýsingar voru fengnar úr sjúkraskrám þeirra barna sem komu til greiningar vegna gruns um ofvirkni á göngudeild Barna- og unglingageðdeildar Landspítala (BUGL) 1998 og 1999. Í rannsóknarhópnum voru 196 börn sem fengu ofvirknigreiningu samkvæmt greiningarkerfunum ICD-10 eða DSM-IV. Foreldrar fylltu út spurningalista þar sem meðal annars var spurt um heilsufar barnsins, meðgöngu og fæðingu og byggjast niðurstöðurnar á upplýsingum úr þessum listum. Niðurstöður: Fram komu marktæk tengsl milli ofvirkniröskunar hjá barni og þáttanna: aldur móður innan við tvítugt við fæðingu barns, að barnið hafi verið fyrirburi eða hafi verið tekið með keisaraskurði eða töngum. Einnig voru þættirnir: fæðingarþyngd barns, áfengisnotkun, reykingar, lyfjanotkun og sogklukkufæðingar athugaðir en ekki var hægt að sýna fram á marktæk tengsl þessa við ofvirkniröskun. Ályktanir: Niðurstöðurnar eru áþekkar niðurstöðum nokkurra erlendra rannsókna og benda til þess að tengsl séu milli nokkrurra þátta á meðgöngu og í fæðingu og þess að börn greinist með ofvirkni-röskun. Um er að ræða lýsandi rannsókn en enn eru ekki nægar forsendur til staðar til að draga ályktanir um orsakasamhengi áhættuþátta

Validation of an Icelandic version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenObjective: The GDS is a widely used tool world wide, both in clinical practice and in research of the elderly. The objective was to translate and validate the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in Iceland. The short version of the GDS was also studied. Material and methods: GDS was translated from English to Icelandic and backtranslated. Individuals, both hospitalised and healthy, born 1933 or before were included in the study. Those who had MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination) score under 23 were excluded. Seventy-one individuals were examined for depression both with a structured interview, Composite International Diagnostic Interview; 1993 (CIDI-a) and with the GDS. Results: The GDS results were comparable to the results from the interview. The cutoff score for depression was chosen 13/14 according to the most favorable values of sensitivity (0.77), specificity (0.95), positive predictive value (0.77) and kappa (0.72). One cutoff was chosen because in our study there were persons with moderate or severe depression but no one with mild depression was detected. Our cutoff score for depression was identical with the cutoff score in the original american GDS version, but the original american version included a cutoff for mild depression also. Conclusions: The Icelandic GDS is a reliable method to screen for depression among the elderly. We conclude that GDS is an useful tool in unravelling depressive illness amongst the elderly although not diagnostic per se.Markmið: Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að þýða og staðfæra Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) spurningalistann, en hann gefur vísbendingu um þunglyndi aldraðra og er mikið notaður erlendis bæði við lækningar og rannsóknir. Listinn samanstendur af 30 spurningum og er þægilegur í notkun, þar sem sjúklingurinn krossar við já eða nei eftir því sem við á. Stytt útgáfa GDS byggist á 15 af spurningum löngu útgáfunnar. Efniviður og aðferðir: GDS var þýddur yfir á íslensku og aftur yfir á ensku. Einstaklingar fæddir 1933 eða fyrr voru valdir til þátttöku í rannsókninni. Sjúklingar með heilabilun voru útilokaðir með MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination) prófi. Að lokum var 71 einstaklingur á aldrinum 65-87 ára metinn með tilliti til þunglyndis, annars vegar með stöðluðu geðgreiningarviðtali (CIDI-a, Composite International Diagnostic Interview; 1993) þar sem stuðst var við greiningu á þunglyndi samkvæmt alþjóðlegri tölfræðiflokkun sjúkdóma og skyldra heilbrigðisvandamála, 10. endurskoðuðu útgáfu, ICD 10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision), og DSM III (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 3. útgáfa) og hins vegar með GDS spurningalistanum. Niðurstöður: Niðurstöður sem fengnar voru með GDS spurningalistanum voru sambærilegar við niðurstöður úr viðtali. Viðmiðunargildi 13/14 var valið samkvæmt hagstæðustu gildum á næmi (0,77), sértæki (0,95), jákvæðu forspárgildi (0,77) og kappa (0,72). Í rannsókninni greindust 13 einstkalingar með meðalalvarlegt og alvarlegt þunglyndi, en enginn með vægt þunglyndi. Ályktun: Íslensk útgáfa GDS er áreiðanleg aðferð til að leita að þunglyndi hjá öldruðu

Etiology of ADHD/hyperkinetic disorder--a review

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenHyperkinetic disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a developmental syndrome that affects approximately 7% of children and can sustain into adulthood. In this review current research on the etiology of the syndrome is reviewed.Ofvirkniröskun eða athyglisbrestur með ofvirkni, kemur fram á barnsaldri og hefur algengi verið metið um 7 %. Heilkennið einkennist af einbeitingarerfiðleikum, hreyfiofvirkni og hvatvísi. Einkennin geta haldist fram á fullorðinsár og er algengi hjá fullorðnum talin um 4,5 %. Orsakir ofvirkniröskunar eru margþættar en áætlað er að erfðir skýri heilkennið í 70-95 % tilfella. Erfðafræðilegur breytileiki í ýmsum boðefnakerfum í heila er talinn hafa mikla þýðingu og hefur dópamínerga kerfið mest verið rannsakað. Þar hafa erfðarannsóknir sýnt fylgni ofvirkniröskunar við erfðabreytileika í genunum DR4, DR5 og DAT-1. Hlutverk annara boðefnakerfa í ofvirkniröskun eru óljósari svo sem hlutverk noradrenalíns og serotónins. Vísbendingar eru um að reykingar, áfengisneysla á meðgöngu, lág fæðingarþyngd og fæðingaráverkar eigi hlut að máli varðandi orsakir ofvirkniröskunar en frekari rannsókna er þörf. Fleiri þættir hafa verið nefndir til sögunnar, svo sem blýeitrun og heilaskaði. Eins og þekkingin stendur í dag eru erfðir sá orsakaþáttur sem hefur mest vægi. Í greininni er farið yfir stöðu rannsókna á orsökum ofvirkniröskunar