Postclassic ceramics from La Laguna, Tlaxcala, Mexico

This thesis presents an analysis of the Epiclassic and Postclassic period ceramic assemblages from the site of La Laguna, Tlaxcala, Mexico. Almost all of the sherds come from Feature 185, a sheet midden context deposited in c. 1200 CE. During this period, central Mexico was not dominated by a single polity, but the many smaller altepemeh (central Mexican city-states) were tied together economically and culturally. This interconnected system has been described as the Postclassic International World System by Smith and Berdan (2000; 2003). Although La Laguna was a small rural settlement on the periphery of this society, the wares and iconography present in the ceramic assemblage show that its inhabitants were involved with the regional economic and intellectual interactions of the time. I present the assemblage in terms of ware, vessel form, and iconography, and suggest avenues for future research on Postclassic ceramics in Tlaxcala

Diversity, identity, and oppression in the production of archaeological knowledge

This dissertation investigates diversity in archaeology using quantitative and qualitative methods drawn from sociology and building on previous studies of gender equity issues in the discipline. I address two major research questions: (1) Who (with regard to race, gender, and sexual orientation) produces archaeological knowledge? (2) How do the identities and experiences of archaeologists affect the knowledge they produce? I addressed the first through a quantitative study of journal authorship patterns, expanding a long tradition of feminist publication equity studies. My study is the first to look intersectionally at the demographics of publication. I surveyed 5645 scholars who had published in major archaeology journals over a ten-year period. Results show that although archaeology is approaching gender parity, the field remains overwhelmingly white and straight. Straight white male domination is pervasive in almost all subfields and methods, despite the common perception that some subfields are feminine. The second part of the study was qualitative and based on in-depth interviews with a diverse sample of 72 archaeologists. My interviews showed that the primary methods of recruitment of archaeologists are directed at (or most accessible to) people with race and class privilege. Archaeologists from marginalized groups face pervasive oppression, ranging from microaggressions to abuse from mentors and colleagues. These hurdles lead some to abandon archaeology, while others must face setbacks to find safety. The knowledge archaeologists create is shaped by their personal interests and political commitments; their experiences and standpoint in society; and the ways their mentors, funding agencies, and the job market encourage or discourage particular paths. All of these forces are, in turn, structured by interlocking social systems of gender, race, and sexuality. The two studies work together to elucidate the race, gender, and sexuality problems in archaeology. The quantitative study provides a broad overview of the demographics of the discipline, contextualizing the more specific interview study. The interviews provide detail concerning the trends shown in the journal study. By understanding the demographics of archaeology and how they affect knowledge production, we can diversify our discipline and build a more complete and nuanced understanding of the human past

The Layers of Collequitable Learning: Learning Inquiry while Learning to Teach

This article is co-written by a high school teacher and a faculty member from a university-based teacher education program. The high school teacher is a graduate of the university\u27s master’s degree program, and this article is a reflection of the inquiry he engaged in while he was simultaneously a student and teaching fellow. By asking questions, engaging with literature, implementing new pedagogical strategies, and collecting and analyzing data with the support of faculty and his cohort of teacher education students, this teacher began to see the ways in which inquiry and teaching are inseparable. Specifically, through the inquiry process, he developed a deeper understanding of collaborative and equitable learning (which he came to call “collequitable learning”) and as he continued to develop his inquiry stance over the course of his first few years of teaching, he began to see deeper connections between his own collaborative learning and that of his students

The political use of victimhood : Spanish collective memory of ETA through the war on terror paradigm

Victims have become a topic of scholarly debate in conflict studies, especially regarding the impact of their activism on the evolution and termination of violence. Victims of terrorism are now enlisted within counterterrorism, given their moral authority as spokespeople for counter-narratives and de-escalation. Our research explores how Spanish terrorism Victims’ Associations have evolved across eras of political violence and how they mediate the translation of international War on Terror discourses into Spanish counterterrorism. We offer a topography of how the War on Terror has opened a ‘social front’ in Spanish counter-terrorism, with Spanish political elites prominently employing the Victims’ Associations to this end. Contemporary terrorism discourses are read back onto the memory of ETA, with Victims’ Associations assisting the equation of ETA with Al Qaeda and ISIS. Collective memory of the defeat of ETA has also contributed the veneer of ‘lessons learned’ to contemporary counterterrorism measures. Our research explores the fluidity of terrorism-memory and the importation of global terrorism discourses into Spanish politics, relying upon interviews with key stakeholders in Victims’ Associations, local politics, and the research director of the new Centre for the Memory of Victims of Terrorism in Vitoria

Association of intestinal alkaline phosphatase with necrotizing enterocolitis among premature infants

Importance: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants is an often-fatal gastrointestinal tract emergency. A robust NEC biomarker that is not confounded by sepsis could improve bedside management, lead to lower morbidity and mortality, and permit patient selection in randomized clinical trials of possible therapeutic approaches. Objective: To evaluate whether aberrant intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) biochemistry in infant stool is a molecular biomarker for NEC and not associated with sepsis. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter diagnostic study enrolled 136 premature infants (gestational age, \u3c37 weeks) in 2 hospitals in Louisiana and 1 hospital in Missouri. Data were collected and analyzed from May 2015 to November 2018. Exposures: Infant stool samples were collected between 24 and 40 or more weeks postconceptual age. Enrolled infants underwent abdominal radiography at physician and hospital site discretion. Main Outcomes and Measures: Enzyme activity and relative abundance of IAP were measured using fluorometric detection and immunoassays, respectively. After measurements were performed, biochemical data were evaluated against clinical entries from infants\u27 hospital stay. Results: Of 136 infants, 68 (50.0%) were male infants, median (interquartile range [IQR]) birth weight was 1050 (790-1350) g, and median (IQR) gestational age was 28.4 (26.0-30.9) weeks. A total of 25 infants (18.4%) were diagnosed with severe NEC, 19 (14.0%) were suspected of having NEC, and 92 (66.9%) did not have NEC; 26 patients (19.1%) were diagnosed with late-onset sepsis, and 14 (10.3%) had other non-gastrointestinal tract infections. For severe NEC, suspected NEC, and no NEC samples, median (IQR) fecal IAP content, relative to the amount of IAP in human small intestinal lysate, was 99.0% (51.0%-187.8%) (95% CI, 54.0%-163.0%), 123.0% (31.0%-224.0%) (95% CI, 31.0%-224.0%), and 4.8% (2.4%-9.8%) (95% CI, 3.4%-5.9%), respectively. For severe NEC, suspected NEC, and no NEC samples, median (IQR) enzyme activity was 183 (56-507) μmol/min/g (95% CI, 63-478 μmol/min/g) of stool protein, 355 (172-608) μmol/min/g (95% CI, 172-608 μmol/min/g) of stool protein, and 613 (210-1465) μmol/min/g (95% CI, 386-723 μmol/min/g) of stool protein, respectively. Mean (SE) area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for IAP content measurements were 0.97 (0.02) (95% CI, 0.93-1.00; P \u3c .001) at time of severe NEC, 0.97 (0.02) (95% CI, 0.93-1.00; P \u3c .001) at time of suspected NEC, 0.52 (0.07) (95% CI, 0.38-0.66; P = .75) at time of sepsis, and 0.58 (0.08) (95% CI, 0.42-0.75; P = .06) at time of other non-gastrointestinal tract infections. Mean (SE) area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for IAP activity were 0.76 (0.06) (95% CI, 0.64-0.86; P \u3c .001), 0.62 (0.07) (95% CI, 0.48-0.77; P = .13), 0.52 (0.07) (95% CI, 0.39-0.67; P = .68), and 0.57 (0.08) (95% CI, 0.39-0.69; P = .66), respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: In this diagnostic study, high amounts of IAP protein in stool and low IAP enzyme activity were associated with diagnosis of NEC and may serve as useful biomarkers for NEC. Our findings indicated that IAP biochemistry was uniquely able to distinguish NEC from sepsis

Development of stigma-related support for autistic adults:Insights from the autism community.

Many autistic adults experience public stigma and some internalise this stigma with negative effects on their mental health. While efforts to reduce public stigma are paramount, change can be slow, and interventions to prevent internalised stigma may also be needed. Using a mixed methods online survey, we gathered the views of 144 autistic adults and parents/caregivers of autistic people in the United Kingdom on whether a stigma-related support programme for autistic adults is needed and, if so, what it should ‘look’ like. Quantitative data (summarised descriptively) showed that most participants felt it was important for autistic adults to have support in managing stigma and revealed diverse preferences in terms of programme delivery, underscoring the need for flexibility. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four main themes were identified from the qualitative data: (1) ‘We need to change society not autistic people’, (2) ‘Stigma is difficult to manage alone’, (3) ‘Focus on positive, practical support’, and (4) ‘There is no one size fits all approach’. We discuss the important implications our findings have for how future interventions in this area are framed and delivered

Development of stigma-related support for autistic adults: insights from the autism community

Many autistic adults experience public stigma and some internalise this stigma with negative effects on their mental health. While efforts to reduce public stigma are paramount, change can be slow, and interventions to prevent internalised stigma may also be needed. Using a mixed methods online survey, we gathered the views of 144 autistic adults and parents/caregivers of autistic people in the UK on whether a stigma-related support programme for autistic adults is needed and, if so, what it should ‘look’ like. Quantitative data (summarised descriptively) showed that most participants felt it was important for autistic adults to have support in managing stigma and revealed diverse preferences in terms of programme delivery, underscoring the need for flexibility. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four main themes were identified from the qualitative data: (1) ‘We need to change society not autistic people’; (2) ‘Stigma is difficult to manage alone’; (3) ‘Focus on positive, practical support’; and (4) ‘There is no one size fits all approach’. We discuss the important implications our findings have for how future interventions in this area are framed and delivered

Spred2 interaction with the late endosomal protein NBR1 down-regulates fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling

Neighbor of BRCA1 (NBR1) suppresses growth factor responses by redirecting activated receptors to lysosomes for degradation

A paradigm shift in cystic fibrosis nutritional care: clinicians' views on the management of patients with overweight and obesity

Background Overweight and obesity among people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) has become more prevalent since the widespread adoption of CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapies and presents a new challenge for nutritional care. We aimed to explore how clinicians working in CF care approach the management of adults with overweight and obesity. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with n = 20 clinicians (n = 6 physiotherapists, n = 6 doctors and n = 8 dietitians) working in 15 adult CF centres in the United Kingdom. The interviews explored their perspectives and current practices caring for people with CF and overweight/obesity. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Four main themes were identified: 1) challenges of raising the topic of overweight and obesity in the CF clinic (e.g., clinician-patient rapport and concerns around weight stigma); 2) the changing landscape of assessment due to CF-specific causes of weight gain: (e.g., impact of CFTR modulators and CF legacy diet) 3) presence of clinical equipoise for weight management due to the lack of CF-specific evidence on the consequences of obesity and intentional weight loss (e.g., unclear consequences on respiratory outcomes and risk of weight related co-morbidities) and 4) opportunities for a safe, effective, and acceptable weight management treatment for people with CF (e.g., working collaboratively with current multidisciplinary CF care). Conclusions Approaching weight management in the CF setting is complex. Trials are needed to assess the equipoise of weight management interventions in this group and CF-specific issues should be considered when developing such interventions

Quantum algorithmic solutions to the shortest vector problem on simulated coherent Ising machines

Quantum computing poses a threat to contemporary cryptosystems, with advances to a state in which it will cause problems predicted for the next few decades. Many of the proposed cryptosystems designed to be quantum-secure are based on the Shortest Vector Problem and related problems. In this paper we use the Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimisation formulation of the Shortest Vector Problem implemented as a quantum Ising model on a simulated Coherent Ising Machine, showing progress towards solving SVP for three variants of the algorithm.Comment: 15 page