Savages and Sable Subjects: White Fear, Racism, and the Demonization of Creole Voodoo in New Orleans in the 19th Century

Prior to the Haitian Revolution, the religion of Voodoo maintained a safe and uninterrupted presence in New Orleans. Practiced by free and enslaved Blacks, Voodoo thrived within the larger Creole culture of the Louisiana territory. However, after the rebellion, white slaveholders in New Orleans would come to regard Voodoo as an evil, savage superstition related to Haitian Vodou. The demonizing of New Orleans Voodoo would emerge from white slaveholders’ fears of slave uprisings inspired by the Haitian Revolution and a migration of Haitian rebels into New Orleans. Yet theological objections were not the primary impetus for white aggressions toward Creole Voodoo. Instead, this paper argues that anti-Black racism in New Orleans, not religious differences, contributed most to the demonizing of Voodoo. This paper uses primary sources such as letters from the Territorial Governor of Louisiana to both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and archival journals and newspapers from New Orleans. Also used are secondary resources from scholars in the field of 18th & 19th Century Haitian and Southern Louisiana Studies to chart the development of anti-Voodoo opinion in New Orleans following the Haitian Revolution. Critical to this paper is identifying the components of white slaveholding anxieties of African scared technologies and how these fears manifested into anti-Black rhetoric throughout the 19th century which mischaracterized Creole Voodoo not because it was a religion practiced by free and enslaved Blacks, but because of its connection to Haitian Vodou which whites feared would be weaponized as source of Black resistance resulting in a Haitian Revolution in the United States

Marketers’ Use Of Alternative Front-Of-Package Nutrition Symbols: An Examination Of Effects On Product Evaluations

How front-of-package (FOP) nutrition icon systems affect product evaluations for more and less healthful objective nutrition profiles is a critical question facing food marketers, consumers, and the public health community. We propose a conceptually-based hierarchical continuum to guide predictions regarding the effectiveness of several FOP systems currently used in the marketplace. In Studies 1a and 1b, we compare the effects of a broad set of FOP icons on nutrition evaluations linked to health, accuracy of evaluations, and purchase intentions for a single product. Based on these findings, Studies 2 and 3 test the effects of two conceptually-different FOP icon systems in a retail laboratory in which consumers make comparative evaluations of multiple products at the retail shelf. While there are favorable effects of each system beyond control conditions with no FOP icons, results show that icons with an evaluative component that aid consumers’ interpretations generally provide greater benefits (particularly in product comparison contexts). We offer implications for consumer packaged goods marketers, retailers, and the public policy and consumer health communities

Assessing and Modifying Bone Quality in Chronic Kidney Disease

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Chronic kidney disease (CKD) results in an increased fracture risk, partially due to elevations in parathyroid hormone (PTH) that lead to substantial bone loss. On its own, bone loss does not explain bone fragility in CKD, suggesting that changes in skeletal tissue (bone quality) may also be present. Understanding the factors that lead to fracture in these patients will have a substantial impact on patient care and could lead to a better understanding of how to reduce their fracture risk. Due to their suppression of PTH, calcitriol and its analogues are the current standard of care for bone disease in CKD. Yet, surprisingly little is known of their effects on bone. Agents effective in treating osteoporosis are not recommended in advanced CKD due to the lack of data regarding their efficacy and safety in these patients. The goals of the current study were to determine (1) the impact of CKD on bone quality, (2) the ability of calcitriol to improve skeletal parameters, and (3) the efficacy of various pharmacological interventions (calcium, bisphosphonates, anti-sclerostin antibody, and raloxifene) on bone mass, quality, and mechanical properties in CKD bone disease. Using a slowly progressive rat model of CKD, renal and mineral metabolism, bone morphology, bone quality, and bone mechanics (at several length scales) were assessed. Primarily due to elevated PTH, mechanical testing and tissue-level assessments revealed compromised bone quantity (high cortical porosity and low trabecular volume) and quality (high collagen cross-linking and low matrix bound water). Despite clinically relevant reductions in PTH, calcitriol treatment had no positive impact on skeletal properties. Most agents were only effective when PTH levels were normal. Raloxifene, however, led to greater whole bone and material toughness (the ability of bone to tolerate existing damage) despite modest PTH suppression. While the examination of bone quality in CKD is still in its infancy, these results indicate that enhancing bone quality with raloxifene may be an effective means to compensate for bone loss in CKD

Prenatal and Postnatal Sonographic Confirmation of Congenital Absence of the Ductus Venosus in a Child with Noonan Syndrome

The ductus venosus serves as an important vascular pathway for intrauterine circulation. This case presents a description of an absent ductus venosus in a female patient with Noonan syndrome, including both prenatal and postnatal imaging of the anomaly. In the setting of the anomalous vascular connection, the umbilical vein courses inferiorly to the iliac vein in parallel configuration with the umbilical artery. This finding was suspected based on prenatal imaging and the case was brought to attention when placement of an umbilical catheter was thought to be malpositioned given its appearance on radiography. Ultrasound imaging confirmed the anomalous course. This is in keeping with prior descriptions in the literature of an association between Noonan syndrome and aberrant umbilical venous drainage. This case illustrates the need for awareness of this condition by the radiologist, allowing for identification on radiographs and the recommendation for further confirmatory imaging. Further, the case illustrates the value of paying particular attention to the fetal course of the umbilical vessels in patients with suspected Noonan syndrome, as this population is particularly at risk for anomalous vasculature

The Timecourse of Activation Within the Cortical Network Associated with Visual Imagery

The current study examined the hemodynamic timecourse of activation within a network of regions that is thought to be associated with visual imagery. Two experimental conditions were examined that were designed to place differential demands on specific nodes within the visual imagery network. The two tasks were an object inspection task and a mental rotation task. The two conditions recruited overlapping cortical regions; however several regions revealed a differential response to object inspection and mental rotation. The mental rotation condition elicited greater activation in parietal cortex, lateral occipital/temporal regions, and bilateral prefrontal cortex. Conversely, the object inspection condition elicited greater activation in inferior extrastriate cortex, the inferior frontal gyrus, and the right cerebellum. When examining the timecourse of activation three different timecourse patterns were observed across cortical regions and conditions. The shape of the hemodynamic timecourse appears to correspond strongly with the cognitive processing taking place within the region, not the stimulus paradigm. The paper discusses the significance of those varying timecourse shapes and has implications for the appropriateness of using the canonical hrf during fMRI data analysis

Development of the Central Dogma Concept Inventory (CDCI) Assessment Tool

Scientific teaching requires scientifically constructed, field-tested instruments to accurately evaluate student thinking and gauge teacher effectiveness. We have developed a 23-question, multiple select–format assessment of student understanding of the essential concepts of the central dogma of molecular biology that is appropriate for all levels of undergraduate biology. Questions for the Central Dogma Concept Inventory (CDCI) tool were developed and iteratively revised based on student language and review by experts. The ability of the CDCI to discriminate between levels of understanding of the central dogma is supported by field testing (N = 54), and large-scale beta testing (N = 1733). Performance on the assessment increased with experience in biology; scores covered a broad range and showed no ceiling effect, even with senior biology majors, and pre/posttesting of a single class focused on the central dogma showed significant improvement. The multiple-select format reduces the chances of correct answers by random guessing, allows students at different levels to exhibit the extent of their knowledge, and provides deeper insight into the complexity of student thinking on each theme. To date, the CDCI is the first tool dedicated to measuring student thinking about the central dogma of molecular biology, and version 5 is ready to use

Variability of in vivo reference point indentation in skeletally mature inbred rats.

Bone Biology Laboratory [LINK]http://www.iupui.edu/~bonelab[/LINK]Reference point indentation (RPI) has emerged as a novel tool to measure material-level biomechanical properties in vivo. Human studies have been able to differentiate fracture versus non-fracture patients while a dog study has shown the technique can differentiate drug treatment effects. The goal of this study was to extend this technology to the in vivo measurement of rats, one of the most common animal models used to study bone, with assessment of intra- and inter-animal variability. Seventy-two skeletally mature male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to in vivo RPI on the region between the tibial diaphysis and proximal metaphysis. RPI data were assessed using a custom MATLAB program to determine several outcome parameters, including first cycle indentation distance (ID-1st), indentation distance increase (IDI), total indentation distance (TID), first cycle unloading slope (US-1st), and first cycle energy dissipation (ED-1st). Intra-animal variability ranged from 13-21% with US-1st and Tot Ed 1st-L being the least variable properties and IDI the most highly variable. Inter-animal variability ranged from 16% (US-1st) to 25% (ED-1st 31 and IDI). Based on these data, group size estimates would need to range from 9-18/group to achieve sufficient power for detecting a 25% difference in a two-group experiment. Repeat tests on the contralateral limb of a small cohort of animals (n=17) showed non-significant differences over 28 days ranging from -6% to -18%. These results provide important data on RPI variability (intra- and inter-animal) in rats that can be used to properly power future experiments using this technique.Funding for this study was provided by NIH (AR 62002 and DK100093) and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute fellowship program. The authors would like to thank Joey Wallace and David Burr for helpful comments on early drafts of this manuscript

Raloxifene neutralizes bone brittleness induced by anti-remodeling treatment and increases fatigue life through non-cell mediated mechanisms

Pre-clinical data have shown that tissue level effects stemming from bisphosphonateinduced suppression of bone remodeling can result in bone that is stronger yet more brittle. Raloxifene has been shown to reduce bone brittleness through non-cellular mechanisms. The goal of this work was to test the hypothesis that raloxifene can reverse the bone brittleness resulting from bisphosphonate treatment. Dog and mouse bone from multiple bisphosphonate dosing experiments were soaked in raloxifene and then assessed for mechanical properties. Mice treated with zoledronate in vivo had lower post-yield mechanical properties compared to controls. Raloxifene soaking had significant positive effects on select mechanical properties of bones from both vehicle and zoledronate treated mice. Although the effects were blunted in zoledronate bones relative to vehicle, the soaking was sufficient to normalize properties to control levels. Additional studies showed that raloxifene-soaked bones had a significant positive effect on cycles to failure (+114%) compared to control-soaked mouse bone. Finally, raloxifene soaking significantly improved select properties of ribs from dogs treated for 3 years with alendronate. These data show that ex vivo soaking in raloxifene can act through non-cellular mechanisms to enhance mechanical properties of bone previously treated with bisphosphonate. We also document that the positive effects of raloxifene soaking extend to enhancing fatigue properties of bone

X-ray Surface Brightness Profiles of Active Galactic Nuclei in the Extended Groth Strip: Implications for AGN Feedback

Using data from the All Wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS) we statistically detect the extended X-ray emission in the interstellar medium (ISM)/intra-cluster medium (ICM) in both active and normal galaxies at 0.3 <= z <= 1.3. For both active galactic nuclei (AGN) host galaxy and normal galaxy samples that are matched in restframe color, luminosity, and redshift distribution, we tentatively detect excess X-ray emission at scales of 1--10 arcsec at a few sigma significance in the surface brightness profiles. The exact significance of this detection is sensitive to the true characterization of Chandra's point spread function. The observed excess in the surface brightness profiles is suggestive of lower extended emission in AGN hosts compared to normal galaxies. This is qualitatively similar to theoretical predictions of the X-ray surface brightness profile from AGN feedback models, where feedback from AGN is likely to evacuate the gas from the center of the galaxy/cluster. We propose that AGN that are intrinsically under-luminous in X-rays, but have equivalent bolometric luminosities to our sources will be the ideal sample to study more robustly the effect of AGN feedback on diffuse ISM/ICM gas.Comment: Accepted in PAS

Changes in skeletal collagen crosslinks and matrix hydration in high and low turnover chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases fracture risk. The results of this work point to changes in bone collagen and bone hydration as playing a role in bone fragility associated with CKD. INTRODUCTION: Clinical data have documented a clear increase in fracture risk associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Preclinical studies have shown reductions in bone mechanical properties although the tissue-level mechanisms for these differences remain unclear. The goal of this study was to assess collagen cross-links and matrix hydration, two variables known to affect mechanical properties, in animals with either high- or low-turnover CKD. METHODS: At 35 weeks of age (>75 % reduction in kidney function), the femoral diaphysis of male Cy/+ rats with high or low bone turnover rates, along with normal littermate (NL) controls, were assessed for collagen cross-links (pyridinoline (Pyd), deoxypyridinoline (Dpd), and pentosidine (PE)) using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay as well as pore and bound water per volume (pw and bw) using a 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. Material-level biomechanical properties were calculated based on previously published whole bone mechanical tests. RESULTS: Cortical bone from animals with high-turnover disease had lower Pyd and Dpd cross-link levels (-21 % each), lower bw (-10 %), higher PE (+71 %), and higher pw (+46 %) compared to NL. Animals with low turnover had higher Dpd, PE (+71 %), and bw (+7 %) along with lower pw (-60 %) compared to NL. Both high- and low-turnover animals had reduced material-level bone toughness compared to NL animals as determined by three-point bending. CONCLUSIONS: These data document an increase in skeletal PE with advanced CKD that is independent of bone turnover rate and inversely related to decline in kidney function. Although hydration changes occur in both high- and low-turnover disease, the data suggest that nonenzymatic collagen cross-links may be a key factor in compromised mechanical properties of CKD.This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants AR58005 (SM), DL100093 (CN), AR063157 (JSN), and the Indiana Clinical Translational Science Institute grant TR000162 (CN). The cross-link analysis is the result of work supported with resources and the use of facilities at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. All authors were involved in the design, conduct and analyses of the study. The authors would like to thank Drew Brown, Shannon Roy, and Kali O’Neill for technical assistance. We would also like to acknowledge the late Dr. Vincent H. Gattone II (1951-2013), who was instrumental in developing this animal model