Exploring the Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Sign Language Interpreters Working in the Video Relay Service Setting

This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) sign language interpreters who have worked in the video relay service setting – more specifically targeting their experiences during interactions with consumers, both deaf and hearing. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and triangulated through a mixed methods approach using anonymous surveys (N=137) and semistructured interviews (N=8). Three themes emerged from the findings, including (a) the implications of consumer recognition of an interpreter’s LGBTQ identity, which correlates to the social construction of gender and the process of gender attribution – the way that people mentally place others into binary gender categories (Kessler & McKenna, 1978); (b) the experiences of interpreters whose LGBTQ status is not easily detected by consumers and how those interpreters approach the decision to disclose (or reveal) their identities; and (c) the role of the video relay service companies and the ways they cultivate either supportive or oppressive environments for LGBTQ interpreters, which can ultimately impact their interactions with consumers. Since there has been no research conducted on LGBTQ interpreters in the video relay service setting, this study can serve as foundational research regarding the experiences of those interpreters with the goal of generating future studies about the LGBTQ community in the field of interpreting

Move-minimizing puzzles, diamond-colored modular and distributive lattices, and poset models for Weyl group symmetric functions

The move-minimizing puzzles presented here are certain types of one-player combinatorial games that are shown to have explicit solutions whenever they can be encoded in a certain way as diamond-colored modular and distributive lattices. Such lattices can also arise naturally as models for certain algebraic objects, namely Weyl group symmetric functions and their companion semisimple Lie algebra representations. The motivation for this paper is therefore both diversional and algebraic: To show how some recreational move-minimizing puzzles can be solved explicitly within an order-theoretic context and also to realize some such puzzles as combinatorial models for symmetric functions associated with certain fundamental representations of the symplectic and odd orthogonal Lie algebras

The spatial distribution of galaxies of different spectral types in the massive intermediate-redshift cluster MACSJ0717.5+3745

We present the results of a wide-field spectroscopic analysis of the galaxy population of the massive cluster MACSJ0717.5+3745 and the surrounding filamentary structure (z=0.55), as part of our systematic study of the 12 most distant clusters in the MACS sample. Of 1368 galaxies spectroscopically observed in this field, 563 are identified as cluster members; of those, 203 are classified as emission-line galaxies, 260 as absorption-line galaxies, and 17 as E+A galaxies (defined by $\frac{H_{\delta}+H_{\gamma}}{2}>6$\AA and no detection of [OII] and $H_{\beta}$ in emission). The variation of the fraction of emission- and absorption-line galaxies as a function of local projected galaxy density confirms the well-known morphology-density relation, and becomes flat at projected galaxy densities less than $\sim 20Mpc^{-2}. Interestingly, 16 out of 17 E+A galaxies lie (in projection) within the ram-pressure stripping radius around the cluster core, which we take to be direct evidence of ram-pressure stripping being the primary mechanism that terminates star-formation in the E+A population of galaxy clusters. This conclusion is supported by the rarity of E+A galaxies in the filament which rules out galaxy mergers as the dominant driver of evolution for E+A galaxies in clusters. In addition, we find the 42 e(a) and 27 e(b) member galaxies, i.e., the dusty-starburst and starburst galaxies respectively, to be spread out across almost the entire study area. Their spatial distribution, which shows a strong preference for the filament region, suggests that starbursts are triggered in relatively low-density environments as galaxies are accreted from the field population.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures, accepted by Ap

A Review and Comparison of Mouse and Rat Responses to Micro Gravity, Hyper Gravity and Simulated Models of Partial Gravity; Species Differences, Gaps in the Available Data, and Consideration of the Advantages and Caveats of Each Model for Spaceflight

Laboratory strains of mice and rat are widely used to study mammalian responses to stimulus, and both have been studied under a variety of gravity conditions, including space flight. We compared results obtained from exposure to spaceflight and microgravity, hyper gravity via centrifugation, earth gravity, and models of simulated partial gravity (hind-limb unloading and partial weight bearing treatments). We examined the reported changes in survival, body mass, circadian rhythm (body temperature and activity levels), behavior, bone, muscle, immune, cardio-vasculature, vestibular, reproduction and neonate survival, microbiome, and the visual system. Not all categories have published data for both species, some have limited data, and there are variations in experiment design that allow for only relative comparisons to be considered. The data reveal species differences in both the level of gravity required to obtain a response, degree of response, and in temporal expression of responses. Examination of the data across the gravity levels allows consideration of the hypothesis that gravitational responses follow a continuum, and organ specific differences are noted. In summary, we present advantages and caveats of each model system as pertains to gravitational biology research and identify gaps in our knowledge of how these mammals respond to gravity

Regulation of Cell Growth and Virulence Gene Expression in Staphylococcus aureus by the Iron-Binding Proteins Lactoferrin and Hemin

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial infections in the United States, particularly in immune-suppressed patients and preterm infants. S. aureus requires free iron in its environment to thrive and reproduce. In mammals, free iron is sequestered away from pathogens by iron-binding proteins, including hemoglobin and lactoferrin. Lactoferrin has bacteriostatic properties and was shown in randomized controlled clinical trials and subsequent meta-analysis to reduced S. aureus septicemia in preterm infants. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that lactoferrin would reduce the growth of S. aureus in vitro and modulate the expression of iron-regulated surface determinate (Isd) proteins, which are used by S. aureus to cleave heme from the host’s hemoglobin, and gyrA, a marker of cell oxidative stress. S. aureus S54F9 cells were cultured in sow serum in the absence (control; Ctrl) or presence of subphysiological (1 μM), physiological (3 μM), or superphysiological (6 μM) serum concentrations of hemin (HM), lactoferrin (LF), and both proteins (Cmb). Cell growth was assessed every 12 hr. by optical density and cells were harvested after 96 hr. to assess mRNA expression of IsdG, IsdC, and gyrA. LF at both 3 μM and 6 μM and Cmb at 6 μM inhibited cell growth compared to Ctrl. LF and Cmb at 6 μM increased mRNA expression of IsdG and gyrA supporting bacterial adaptations in response to iron sequestration. These findings suggest potential mechanisms whereby lactoferrin prevents S. aureus infection in clinical settings.Ope

A Multi-Institutional Analysis of Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Radiation Sequence in Women With Stage IIIC Endometrial Cancer

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of sequence and type of adjuvant therapy for patients with stage IIIC endometrial carcinoma (EC) on outcomes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study, patients with stage IIIC EC who had surgical staging and received both adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) were included. Adjuvant treatment regimens were classified as adjuvant chemotherapy followed by sequential RT (upfront chemo), which was predominant sequence; RT with concurrent chemotherapy followed by chemotherapy (concurrent); systemic chemotherapy before and after RT (sandwich); adjuvant RT followed by chemotherapy (upfront RT); or chemotherapy concurrent with vaginal cuff brachytherapy alone (chemo-brachy). Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: A total of 686 eligible patients were included with a median follow-up of 45.3 months. The estimated 5-year OS and RFS rates were 74% and 66%, respectively. The sequence and type of adjuvant therapy were not correlated with OS or RFS (adjusted P = .68 and .84, respectively). On multivariate analysis, black race, nonendometrioid histology, grade 3 tumor, stage IIIC2, and presence of adnexal and cervical involvement were associated with worse OS and RFS (all P \u3c .05). Regardless of the sequence of treatment, the most common site of first recurrence was distant metastasis (20.1%). Vaginal only, pelvic only, and paraortic lymph node (PALN) recurrences occurred in 11 (1.6%),15 (2.2 %), and 43 (6.3 %) patients, respectively. Brachytherapy alone was associated with a higher rate of PALN recurrence (15%) compared with external beam radiation therapy (5%) P \u3c .0001. CONCLUSIONS: The sequence and type of combined adjuvant therapy did not affect OS or RFS rates. Brachytherapy alone was associated with a higher rate of PALN recurrence, emphasizing the role of nodal radiation for stage IIIC EC. The vast proportion of recurrences were distant despite systemic chemotherapy, highlighting the need for novel regimens

Financing Direct Democracy: Revisiting the Research on Campaign Spending and Citizen Initiatives

The conventional view in the direct democracy literature is that spending against a measure is more effective than spending in favor of a measure, but the empirical results underlying this conclusion have been questioned by recent research. We argue that the conventional finding is driven by the endogenous nature of campaign spending: initiative proponents spend more when their ballot measure is likely to fail. We address this endogeneity by using an instrumental variables approach to analyze a comprehensive dataset of ballot propositions in California from 1976 to 2004. We find that both support and opposition spending on citizen initiatives have strong, statistically significant, and countervailing effects. We confirm this finding by looking at time series data from early polling on a subset of these measures. Both analyses show that spending in favor of citizen initiatives substantially increases their chances of passage, just as opposition spending decreases this likelihood