‘Con el ropaje de la novela’: Margarita Práxedes Muñoz’s La evolución de Paulina as an attempt to (re)negotiate literary forms and contest normative subjectivities

This article examines a text by the nineteenth-century Peruvian writer Margarita Práxedes Muñoz to explore how she plays with the boundaries of the emerging form of the novel to bring together scientific knowledge and experiences that do not fit normative social models of womanhood. Through an analysis of the text as autobiographical fiction and its portrayal of the figure of the ángel del hogar (angel of the house), this article argues that we need to find new ways of reading this type of text that consider how the conditions of production both create and limit the spaces that nineteenth-century women writers have for expressing their lived realities

The Struggle to Imagine Higher Education Otherwise: The Transformative Potential of Diverse Gender Knowledges

Commentary on Renz

Psychological Adjustment and Caregive Attributes in Children Referred to Contact House

Child abuse and neglect (CAN) encompasses a heterogenous group of adverse practices with devastating personal, social, educational, health, legal and welfare consequences. The term child abuse and neglect covers four types maltreatment: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect, with many children experiencing a combination of these types. Australian child protection notifications have more than doubled in the 5-year period to 2004. Of most concern is that, of all the Australian States and Territories, Queensland has the highest rate of substantiated cases with 14.1 per 1,000 children (AIHW, 2006). Childhood abuse and neglect can have profound short- and long-term effects. Children with a history of abuse and neglect have been shown to experience insecure attachment, developmental delays, diminished social skills, violent behaviour and learning problems. Previous studies have also found that abused and neglected children frequently experience a higher incidence of a diverse range of adverse mental health outcomes including helplessness and sadness, lowered self-esteem and post traumatic stress disorder. However, relatively few studies have examined the psychological adjustment of children in more immediate terms especially within an Australian context. Furthermore, adults experiencing CAN during childhood frequently exhibit diverse psychopathologies. The variability in adverse consequences suggests the existence of mediating and moderating factors influencing the level of distress experienced by children. While associations have been made between factors surrounding the type of abuse, the child’s age and gender and negative outcomes, little is known about the role of the child’s non-offending caregiver and the relationship between caregiver attributes and the level of distress experienced by the child. A primary aim of this study was to investigate caregiver attributes and the psychological adjustment of children referred to a non-government treatment centre. This specific aims were: (i) to describe the psychological adjustment of children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect (ii) to compare the psychological functioning of children presenting for treatment with a community sample of children (iii) to describe the level of psychosocial functioning of the caregivers in the clinical group across a range of psychosocial and parenting practice variables and (iv) to explore the relationship between demographic variables, factors relating to the abuse and neglect, and caregiver variables, which may predict, mediate, or moderate the child’s psychological adjustment. In addition the study aimed to establish a database for future research into treatment outcomes. Through the inclusion of a comparison community sample, this study provided evidence to complement existing research and develop a more complete picture of families living with and without CAN. The findings also offer preliminary evidence regarding the effectiveness of treatment and underscore the need for ongoing evaluation of service outcomes to optimise the quality of life for children and families affected by CAN

The pathway of hepatitis C virus mRNA recruitment to the human ribosome.

Eukaryotic protein synthesis begins with mRNA positioning in the ribosomal decoding channel in a process typically controlled by translation-initiation factors. Some viruses use an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) in their mRNA to harness ribosomes independently of initiation factors. We show here that a ribosome conformational change that is induced upon hepatitis C viral IRES binding is necessary but not sufficient for correct mRNA positioning. Using directed hydroxyl radical probing to monitor the assembly of IRES-containing translation-initiation complexes, we have defined a crucial step in which mRNA is stabilized upon initiator tRNA binding. Unexpectedly, however, this stabilization occurs independently of the AUG codon, underscoring the importance of initiation factor-mediated interactions that influence the configuration of the decoding channel. These results reveal how an IRES RNA supplants some, but not all, of the functions normally carried out by protein factors during initiation of protein synthesis

The role of the dean in the pastoral care structure of a secondary school

Pastoral care structures in New Zealand schools often include a middle management role of dean. This position has existed in New Zealand schools for decades, influenced by the existing systems and structures adopted from the United Kingdom. The responsibilities included in this role are often defined by schools at the local level in order to satisfy growing expectations of schools’ responsibility for student well-being and achievement. There has been little research concerning this position within the pastoral care structure of schools. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of members of the school community on the role of the year-level deans within one New Zealand secondary school. Senior managers, deans, teachers, and students from a state co-educational, urban, secondary school were interviewed regarding their views on the role, responsibilities, and effectiveness of the position of the year-level dean within their school. Deans also completed a daily log to record the nature of their tasks completed pertaining to this responsibility. Participants’ responses were analysed for major themes. The themes discussed include the intention of the role of the dean, tensions between the management of academic and pastoral issues, the exploration of the challenge in providing care for all students, and how resources available to the school and the dean can impact their role. A difference in the role between the junior school (Years 9 and 10) and senior school (Years 11, 12, and 13) was reported by all participants. Deans reported engaging in reactive tasks more than proactive, preventative tasks. Defining the role of the dean and its relationship to other roles within the school proved challenging for the perspectives, and this confusion was evident through a lack of clarity around lines of authority described in the job descriptions. Deans reported some difficulty in understanding their role in relation to managing form teachers, particularly where that staff member may hold a position of responsibility in curriculum. The reactive nature of the role was revealed. This indicated that deans continue to provide predominantly reactive care concerned with individual students, often meaning that only a small group of students receive direct care from deans. The predominantly reactive nature of the role creates implications for schools in the challenge of delivering care to all students. A more collaborative approach to pastoral care from all staff members may improve the provision of pastoral care for students. A proposed job description that may reflect the role of the dean more accurately is presented

Queer desires and critical pedagogies in higher education: reflections on the transformative potential of non-normative learning desires in the classroom

This article considers what a queer approach might offer in addressing some of the challenges of higher education in the contemporary neoliberal landscape. Despite a rich literature on queer issues in the classroom, most of the existing scholarship has focused on engaging queer students, being a queer teacher, or teaching queer content in the curriculum. Very little work has focused on what it means to take a queer approach to pedagogic techniques or how such an approach might impact educational practices more broadly. We ask: What does it mean in theory and practice to “queer” our teaching methods? What role can queer pedagogic practices play in contesting the marketization of higher education and the shift towards more instrumentalist and consumer-based modes of learning? We argue that a queer approach to pedagogy, which explicitly seeks to open up spaces for non-normative educational desires to emerge, potentially offers fruitful strategies for fostering critical and transformative learning

Pathophysiological effects of oral in[n]oculation of growing pigs with Salmonella enterica serovars Typhimurium or Choleraesuis

Master of ScienceDepartment of Animal Sciences and IndustryJ. Ernest MintonEnteric pathogens are responsible for major economic losses in the swine industry. In the U.S., Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) and serovar Choleraesuis (SC) account for essentially all cases of salmonellosis in swine. Previous studies documented that oral ST eroded growth and produced unmistakable changes in the endocrine stress and somatotropic axis of young growing pigs. However, these effects occurred in the absence of elevated systemic inflammatory cytokines that were previously thought to accompany disease-associated growth retardation. In the current study, it was hypothesized that SC would produce very different systemic inflammatory cytokine responses compared to ST given the likelihood of SC to produce systemic disease in pigs. Weaned pigs were housed two per pen with free access to feed and water during a 14 d experiment. On d 0, pigs were fed either 108 CFU SC or 108 ST, and bacteria were re-fed twice weekly through the course of the experiment. Control pigs were fed dough without bacteria. Serum was collected on d 0, 7, and 14 for determination of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) were determined. Rectal temperatures (RT) were monitored daily beginning 2 d prior to challenge with bacteria and until 7 d following the first bacterial feeding. Pigs were weighed initially, and at the conclusion of the study. Daily body weight gain was reduced by 25.4% in pigs fed SC (P<.0001) compared to control, while growth was similar between control pigs and those fed ST. Pigs fed SC had increased RT beginning on d 2 and continuing though d 7 (P < 0.05) with the greatest elevation spike on d 3 (P < 0.001) when compared to controls. On d 7, pigs fed SC had reduced IGF-I when compared to both control (P < 0.01) and ST pigs (P = 0.01). Despite the obvious febrile response, and the reductions in body weight gain and serum IGF-I, circulating TNFα and IL-1β were not affected by treatment. It was concluded that elevated TNFα and IL-1β are not obligatory correlates of SC-induced pathology and growth retardation in weaned pigs

Catholic School Principal Job Satisfaction: Keys to Retention and Recruitment

This article presents a study on principal retention in New South Wales, Australia. Factors in job retention included economic security, role enjoyment, and the opportunity to contribute. Disincentives to the principalship included lack of support from the employing authority, inadequate pay, isolation, growing responsibilities, difficult parents, and interfering pastors. Findings suggested that the ideal principal role would include greater remuneration, a more supportive employing authority, clearly defined role expectations, and job recognition