Modelling of contact and friction in deep drawing processes

In Sheet Metal Forming (SMF) processes, such as deep drawing, friction plays an important role. Together with the deformation of the sheet, the friction determines the required punch force and the blankholder force. Consequently, the friction in uences the energy which is needed to deform a sheet material. Friction also in uences the stresses and strains in the workpiece material and, hence, the quality of the product. Therefore, it is important to control the friction between the tools and the workpiece

Reproductive Health and Bodily Integrity in Tanzania

Several policy initiatives support the empowerment of women to improve their reproductive health. Little is known, however, about the inverse effect that reproductive health might have on women’s empowerment. Women are pressured to conform to their reproductive role, and an inability to do so might affect their empowerment, including control over their own body. This study uses a panel dataset of 504 married women in Northern Tanzania. We find that women who suffered a pregnancy loss show more tolerant views of partner violence (regr. coefficient -0.363; p-value: 0.001), and that child mortality lowers their perceived control over the sexual relationship with their spouse (odds ratio 0.262; p-value: 0.016). The number of children alive did not affect bodily integrity. These results confirm that women’s bodily integrity is partly dependent on the ability to fulfil their reproductive role. They strengthen the case for policies and programmes that improve women’s reproductive health, and underline the importance of counselling after pregnancy or child loss

How Economic Empowerment Reduces Women’s Reproductive Health Vulnerability: Evidence from Northern Tanzania

This article uses data from Northern Tanzania to analyse how economic empowerment helps women reduce their reproductive health (RH) vulnerability. It analyses the effect of women’s employment and economic contribution to their household on health care use at three phases in the reproductive cycle: before pregnancy, during pregnancy and at child birth. Economic empowerment shows a positive effect on health seeking behaviour during pregnancy and at child birth, which remains robust after controlling for bargaining power and selection bias. This indicates that any policy that increases women’s economic empowerment can have a direct positive impact on women’s RH

"I didn't need to know that!" : the regulation of women with endometriosis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology (endorsement in Health Psychology) at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Endometriosis is a condition that primarily affects women of reproductive age and has the potential to impact upon every facet of women’s lives. The relevance of gender to endometriosis is frequently acknowledged within the literature, although only a small number of studies have taken a gendered and critical stance to the topic. Using online illness narratives in the form of blog posts, this study uses a feminist post-structuralist perspective to explore how women construct their endometriosis experiences, drawing upon discourses that regulate the female body. This study found that women are regulated by discourses of Ideal Femininity, which encompasses discursive constructions of ‘silencing’, ‘sacrifice’, and a ‘disordered body’. Discourses of Legitimation involves the construction of an ‘open body’ and ‘dismissal’. These finding suggest that women with endometriosis have limited control over their bodies due to the negative and dominant representations of the female body. Therefore, representations of the female body should be considered when positioning endometriosis as an individual and pathologised issue for women. It is imperative that we challenge discourses that position women as responsible for their condition by way of being female and where endometriosis is constructed as a reproductive disorder; this could go some way to address the unjust social power relations that govern women’s bodies

Part 2: A Pilot Ethnomethodological Study

This second paper reports on a small ethnographic study of Argentine psychiatrists. A carefully selected group of six psychiatrists currently practicing in Buenos Aires par- ticipated in an in-depth semi-structured interview. The transcripts of the interviews were coded and a thematic analysis method was applied to construct a local theory of the professional values constructed by Argentine psy- chiatrists, and the circumstances in which such values were constructed. Our analysis indicated that Argentine psychia- trists constructed a number of values, frequently perceived as obligations to their professional group and the needs of their patients. The two main strategies employed by Ar- gentine psychiatrists were the diagnostic act and advocacy. We also identify that these values emerge in the context of recent broad historical and cultural influences upon the profession of psychiatry in Argentina, and the Argentine population in general

MRI-guided histology of TDP-43 knock-in mice implicates parvalbumin interneuron loss, impaired neurogenesis and aberrant neurodevelopment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia are overlapping diseases in which MRI reveals brain structural changes in advance of symptom onset. Recapitulating these changes in preclinical models would help to improve our understanding of the molecular causes underlying regionally selective brain atrophy in early disease. We therefore investigated the translational potential of the TDP-43Q331K knock-in mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia using MRI. We performed in vivo MRI of TDP-43Q331K knock-in mice. Regions of significant volume change were chosen for post-mortem brain tissue analyses. Ex vivo computed tomography was performed to investigate skull shape. Parvalbumin neuron density was quantified in post-mortem amyotrophic lateral sclerosis frontal cortex. Adult mutants demonstrated parenchymal volume reductions affecting the frontal lobe and entorhinal cortex in a manner reminiscent of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia. Subcortical, cerebellar and brain stem regions were also affected in line with observations in pre-symptomatic carriers of mutations in C9orf72, the commonest genetic cause of both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Volume loss was also observed in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, along with ventricular enlargement. Immunohistochemistry revealed reduced parvalbumin interneurons as a potential cellular correlate of MRI changes in mutant mice. By contrast, microglia was in a disease activated state even in the absence of brain volume loss. A reduction in immature neurons was found in the dentate gyrus, indicative of impaired adult neurogenesis, while a paucity of parvalbumin interneurons in P14 mutant mice suggests that TDP-43Q331K disrupts neurodevelopment. Computerized tomography imaging showed altered skull morphology in mutants, further suggesting a role for TDP-43Q331K in development. Finally, analysis of human post-mortem brains confirmed a paucity of parvalbumin interneurons in the prefrontal cortex in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis linked to C9orf72 mutations. Regional brain MRI changes seen in human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia are recapitulated in TDP-43Q331K knock-in mice. By marrying in vivo imaging with targeted histology, we can unravel cellular and molecular processes underlying selective brain vulnerability in human disease. As well as helping to understand the earliest causes of disease, our MRI and histological markers will be valuable in assessing the efficacy of putative therapeutics in TDP-43Q331K knock-in mice

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in uveitis

Abstract Background Retinal detachment is more common among uveitis patients than in the general population. Here, we aimed to assess the prevalence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in a uveitis population. Methods We retrospectively studied 851 uveitis patients, recording characteristics such as uveitis duration, anatomical location, and cause; RRD occurrence; proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) at presentation; surgical approach; reattachment rate; and initial and final visual acuity (VA). Results RRD occurred in 26 patients (3.1%; 29 affected eyes) and was significantly associated with posterior uveitis (p < 0.001), infectious uveitis (p < 0.001), and male gender (p = 0.012). Among cases of infectious uveitis, cytomegalovirus and varicella zoster virus were most commonly associated with RRD development. RRD in non-infectious uveitis was not found to be associated with any specific uveitis entity. The rate of single-operation reattachment was 48%, and the rate of final reattachment was 83%. Mean final VA was 20/125, with 41% of eyes ultimately having a VA of less than 20/200. Conclusion Uveitis is a risk factor for RRD development, which carries a poor prognosis

Reproductive Health and Bodily Integrity in Tanzania

Several policy initiatives support the empowerment of women to improve their reproductive health. Little is known, however, about the inverse effect that reproductive health might have on women’s empowerment. Women are pressured to conform to their reproductive role, and an inability to do so might affect their empowerment, including control over their own body. This study uses a panel dataset of 504 married women in Northern Tanzania. We find that women who suffered a pregnancy loss show more tolerant views of partner violence (regr. coefficient -0.363; p-value: 0.001), and that child mortality lowers their perceived control over the sexual relationship with their spouse (odds ratio 0.262; p-value: 0.016). The number of children alive did not affect bodily integrity. These results confirm that women’s bodily integrity is partly dependent on the ability to fulfil their reproductive role. They strengthen the case for policies and programmes that improve women’s reproductive health, and underline the importance of counselling after pregnancy or child loss