A Classification of Feminist Theories

In this paper I criticize Alison Jaggar’s descriptions of feminist political theories. I propose an alternative classification of feminist theories that I think more accurately reflects the multiplication of feminist theories and philosophies. There are two main categories, “street theory” and academic theories, each with two sub-divisions, political spectrum and “differences” under street theory, and directly and indirectly political analyses under academic theories. My view explains why there are no radical feminists outside of North America and why there are so few socialist feminists inside North America. I argue, controversially, that radical feminism is a radical version of liberalism. I argue that “difference” feminist theories – theory by and about feminists of colour, queer feminists, feminists with disabilities and so on – belong in a separate sub-category of street theory, because they’ve had profound effects on feminist activism not tracked by traditional left-to-right classifications. Finally, I argue that, while academic feminist theories such as feminist existentialism or feminist sociological theory are generally unconnected to movement activism, they provide important feminist insights that may become importanby showing the advantages of my classification over Jaggar’s views.Une analyse critique de la description des théories politiques féministes révèle qu’une classification alternative à celle de Jaggar permettrait de répertorier plus adéquatement les différents courants féministes qui ont évolués au cours des dernières décennies. La nouvelle cartographie que nous proposons comprend deux familles de féminisme : activiste et académique. Cette nouvelle manière de localiser et situer les féminismes aide à comprendre pourquoi il n’y a pas de féminisme radical à l’extérieur de l’Amérique du Nord et aussi pourquoi il y a si peu de féministes socialistes en Amérique du Nord. Dans ce nouveau schème, le féminisme de la «différence» devient une sous-catégorie du féminisme activiste car ce courant a eu une influence importante sur le féminisme activiste. Même si les courants de féminisme académique n’ont pas de rapports directs avec les mouvements activistes, ils jouent un rôle important dans l’énonciation et l’élaboration de certaines problématiques qui, ensuite, peuvent s’avérer cruciales pour les activistes. Nous concluons en démontrant que cette nouvelle classification représente plus clairement les différents féminismes et faciinfluencé le féminisme

Methods to detect volatile organic compounds using selected-ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry

The results described in this dissertation detail several methods for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using selected-ion chemical ionization (SICI) in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer (QITMS). In this work, various reagent ions were generated using constant or pulsed glow discharge ionization in a custom glow discharge source. The reagent ions were then brought into the quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer where VOCs analytes could be ionized by a selected reagent ion species. Many of the current methods to detect VOCs utilize chemical ionization with hydronium reagent ions. The hydronium reagent ionizes most VOCs via proton transfer ionization. Analyte fragmentation is minimal so most VOCs are detected as [M + H]+ ions. The limitation of this method, however, is that isomeric or isobaric VOCs cannot be distinguished in the mass spectrum. Six VOCs were the primary focus of this work: isomers isoprene and cyclopentene, isomers methyl vinyl ketone and methacrolein, and isobars 2-methylfuran and cyclohexene. The results described in this dissertation focus on two methods to detect and distinguish VOCs. First, several different reagent ion species were used to ionize the VOCs. The hydronium reagent ionized all six VOCs via proton transfer. Nitric oxide (NO+) reagent ions were used to ionize isoprene, cyclopentene, 2-methylfuran, and cyclohexene via charge-transfer ionization. When methacrolein was ionized, [M – H]+ ions were formed. Protonated acetone reagent ions were used to selectively ionize isoprene, methyl vinyl ketone, and 2-methylfuran. Second, the VOC ions were dissociated using collision-induced dissociation (CID) or infrared multiphoton photodissociation (IRMPD). In general, dissociating isomers or isobars produced product ions having indistinguishable mass-tocharge ratios. Dissociation of the molecular ions of 2-methylfuran and cyclohexene, however, produced diagnostic product ions. Using IRMPD for a 50 ms irradiation time to dissociate protonated methyl vinyl ketone, methacrolein, and a third isomer, crotonaldehyde, produced an unexpected result: methacrolein remained essentially undissociated while the other two isomers dissociated to products having different mass-to-charge ratios. The ability of SICI-QITMS to detect VOCs using a variety of reagents and to study VOC ions using dissociation methods shows that SICI is a promising alternative to current VOC detection methods

Human and mouse essentiality screens as a resource for disease gene discovery

The identification of causal variants in sequencing studies remains a considerable challenge that can be partially addressed by new gene-specific knowledge. Here, we integrate measures of how essential a gene is to supporting life, as inferred from viability and phenotyping screens performed on knockout mice by the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium and essentiality screens carried out on human cell lines. We propose a cross-species gene classification across the Full Spectrum of Intolerance to Loss-of-function (FUSIL) and demonstrate that genes in five mutually exclusive FUSIL categories have differing biological properties. Most notably, Mendelian disease genes, particularly those associated with developmental disorders, are highly overrepresented among genes non-essential for cell survival but required for organism development. After screening developmental disorder cases from three independent disease sequencing consortia, we identify potentially pathogenic variants in genes not previously associated with rare diseases. We therefore propose FUSIL as an efficient approach for disease gene discovery. Discovery of causal variants for monogenic disorders has been facilitated by whole exome and genome sequencing, but does not provide a diagnosis for all patients. Here, the authors propose a Full Spectrum of Intolerance to Loss-of-Function (FUSIL) categorization that integrates gene essentiality information to aid disease gene discovery

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) Antagonists-S(+)-ketamine, Dextrorphan, and Dextromethorphan-Act as Calcium Antagonists on Bovine Cerebral Arteries

Ketamine an intravenous anesthetic and a major drug of abuse, is a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. Ketamine's enantiomer. S(+)-ketamine, acts stereoselectively on neuronal NMDA receptors. The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the direct effects of S(+)-ketamine. 2 other noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonists (dextrorphan and dextromethorphan), and the calcium entry blocker nimodipine on the cerebral vasculature, using bovine middle cerebral arterics as an experimental model. Arterial rings were mounted in isolated tissue chambers equipped with isometric tension transducers to obtain pharmacologic dose-response curves. In the absence of exogenous vasoconstrictor, the NMDA antagonists or nimodipine had negligible effects oil cerebral arterial tone. When rings were preconstricted with either potassium or the stable thromboxane A(2) mimetic U46619. the NMDA antagonists and nimodipine each produced dose-dependent relaxation. Prior endothelial stripping had no effect on subsequent drug-induced relaxation of K+-constricted rings. In Ca2+-deficient media containing either potassium or U46619. the NMDA antagonists and nimodipine each produced competitive inhibition of subsequent Ca2+ induced constriction. In additional experiments, arterial strips were mounted in isolated tissue chambers to directly measure calcium uptake, using (45)calcium (Ca-45) as a radioactive tracer. The NMDA antagonists and nimodipine each blocked potasium-stimulated or U46619-stilmulated Ca-45 uptake into arterial strips. These results indicate that S(+)-ketamine, dextrorphan, arteries by acting as calcium antagonists; they all inhibit Ca-45 uptake through both potential-operated (potassium) and receptor-operated (U46619) channels in cerebrovascular smooth muscle

Population differences in susceptibility to salinity stress in the green mussel Perna viridis from contaminated and uncontaminated sites in West-Java, Indonesia

The consequences of global change on marine biota, particularly the interactions between human impacts and warming, are not well understood. An increasing frequency of extreme weather events will lead to pronounced short-term fluctuations in environmental parameters such as temperature, salinity and sedimentation in coastal ecosystems. At the same time, human populations are growing and coastal waters are increasingly loaded with nutrients and heavy metals. Direct effects of and interactions among these stressors will presumably alter the structure and functioning of ecosystems with negative consequences for the economical and social systems that depend upon them. In this context, we investigated the stress tolerance of populations of the Indopacific green mussel (Perna viridis, Linn. 1758) stemming from two coastal locations in West Java. P. viridis is a habitat forming species and can determine the composition of benthic assemblages in these systems. The two study sites differ in their abiotic conditions: Jakarta Bay is highly impacted by organic matter input and pollution, while Tanjung Lesung at the Sunda Strait represents a benign environment with low turbidity and almost no pollution. In laboratory experiments, we determined the mean tolerance of the two populations towards reduced salinity by 13 and 18 units, by measuring fluctuations in oxygen consumption and survival rates. Our results reveal that under reduced ambient salinity both responses were significantly different between populations. Mussels stemming from Jakarta Bay showed no mortality under reduced salinity levels within 21 days, whereas individuals from the benign site exhibited a mortality of 50 % at 15 psu and 20 % at 20 psu, respectively. Furthermore, the deviation in oxygen consumption under salinity stress from the normal performance was significantly smaller in mussels from Jakarta Bay than in mussels from Tanjung Lesung. Significant differences in survival and metabolic rates in the face of salinity stress suggest that the origin of a population contributes substantially to its tolerance towards increasing environmental stress. We discuss possible mechanisms that could underlie these differences in stress tolerance of two populations stemming from different coastal habitats

Anthropogenic Impact Determines Stress Tolerance of the Green Mussel P. Viridis

The consequences of global change and particularly the interactions between human impacts and warming will presumably alter the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems. In this context, we investigated the stress tolerance of populations of the green mussel (Perna viridis) stemming from two coastal locations in West Java, with different levels of human impact: Jakarta Bay is highly contaminated by nutrient input and pollution, while Tanjung Lesung represents a benign environment with less human influence. In laboratory stress experiments, we determined the mean stress tolerance of the two populations towards reduced salinity by 13 and 18 units, by measuring fluctuations in oxygen consumption, feces production and survival rates. Our results reveal that under reduced salinity responses were significantly different between both populations. In the face of salinity stress mussels from Jakarta Bay showed significantly higher survival and metabolic rates than mussels from Tanjung Lesung, suggesting that the origin of a population contributes substantially to its tolerance towards increasing environmental stress. We discuss possible mechanisms that could underlie these differences in stress tolerance of two populations stemming from different coastal habitat

Habitat degradation correlates with tolerance to climate-change related stressors in the green mussel Perna viridis from West Java, Indonesia

It is unclear whether habitat degradation correlates with tolerance of marine invertebrates to abiotic stress. We therefore tested whether resistance to climate change-related stressors differs between populations of the green mussel Perna viridis from a heavily impacted and a mostly pristine site in West Java, Indonesia. In laboratory experiments, we compared their oxygen consumption and mortality under lowered salinity (�13 and �18 units, both responses), hypoxia (0.5 mg/l, mortality only) and thermal stress (+7 �C, mortality only). Mussels from the eutrophied and polluted Jakarta Bay showed a significantly smaller deviation from their normal oxygen consumption and higher survival rates when stressed than their conspecifics from the unaffected Lada Bay. This shows that human induced habitat degradation correlates with mussel tolerance to environmental stress. We discuss possible mechanisms – e.g. the selection of tolerant genotypes or habitat-specific differences in the nutritional status of the mussels – that could explain our observation