The Postmodern Turn as a Linguistic Turn in Women´s Experimental Writing

Kornelia Freitag's contribution to the study of women's experimental writing investigates how contemporary American women poets have developed a critique of culture and representation that is strictly related to postmodern theory. After sketching a general overview of the development and reception of women's experimental poetry from the '60s to the present, Freitag concentrates on the poetry of Rosemary Waldrop, Lyn Hejinian and Susan Howe. The three poets, whose work is analysed through accurate close-readings, are presented in the light of their interventions in the deconstruction of three normative discourses: philosophy, genre theory and history

The causes for geographical variations in OS187/OS186 at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary

Researchers at Yale has approached the problem of the osmium isotopic composition of marine deposits formed in contact with both oxidized and reduced bottom waters. The measured (187) Os/(186) Os ratios of modern bulk sediment can be explained using mixing equations involving continental detrital, volcaniclastic, cosmogenic and hydrogeneous components. These studies show that sediments deposited under reducing marine conditions contain a hydrogenous component which is enriched in Re and has a radiogenic (187) Os/(186) Os ratio. The presence of such a hydrogenous component in the marine fish clay at Stevns Klint can account for the elevation of its (187) Os/(186) Os ration above the expected meteoritic value. Mass balance considerations require the Re/Os ratio of the phase precipitated from the terminal Cretaceous sea at Stevns Klint to have been about one tenth the value observed in contemporary deposits in the Black Sea, assuming Re has not been lost (or Os gained) subsequent to precipitation. In continental sections, the elevation of the (187) Os/(186) Os ratio in boundary layers may be due to precipitation from continental waters of crustally-derived radiogenic osmium either contemporaneous with the meteoritic (or mantle) osmium deposition or later during diagenesis

Exploration of the ordering for a sequential airport ground movement algorithm

Guiding aircraft around the airport's surface while ensuring conflict-free routings is an important problem at airports. Sequential routing and scheduling algorithms can be advantageous for providing fast online solutions for decision support systems to help controllers. However, the effectiveness of such algorithms can depend upon the sequence of consideration of the aircraft, which is often chosen to be first-come-first-served. This research analyses the effects of different heuristics to find better sequences. Results are presented, utilising real data from Zurich Airport. These show that sophisticated heuristics can substantially improve the solution with comparatively little additional computational time. Furthermore, one approach aims to modify relatively few existing routes as it progresses, in order to minimise the workload of the controllers in communicating changes in an online environment

First record of Mermithidae (Nematoda) parasitic in Plecoptera

The first record of Nematoda Mermithidae in adults and larvae of two Protonemura species (Plecoptera Nemouridae) and of Isoperla rivulorum (Pictet) (Plecoptera Perlodidae) from North Italy and Bavaria (Germany) is presented. The malformed genitalia of several parasitically castrated adults are described and illustrated. Primi reperti di Mermithidae (Nematoda) endoparassiti di Plecoptera. Viene segnalata per la prima volta la presenza di Mermithidae (Nematoda) nell’addome di adulti e di ninfe di due specie di Protonemura (Plecoptera Nemouridae) e di Isoperla rivulorum (Pictet) (Plecoptera Perlodidae), raccolte rispettivamente nell’Italia settentrionale ed in Baviera (Germania). I genitali malformati di alcuni adulti, deformità causate da castrazione parassitaria, sono descritti e illustrati

Motherhood and Tenure: Can Catholic Universities Support Both?

This paper presents a plan for the implementation of more family-friendly policies at Catholic colleges and universities, both as a matter of justice for women and on behalf of the well being of families. It is motivated by the teachings of the Catholic social tradition that emphasize the equality and dignity of women; the importance of the dual vocations of Christian parents, who are called to raise children and to work more publicly on behalf of the common good; and the inherent value of children and their right to be properly nutured and educated within the Christian family. Our starting point is the condition of families in the U.S. today as they struggle to thrive in spite of tremendous demands placed on parents who also work outside the home. We examine the negative effects on women and families that result from a refusal to accommodate parents with young children in the workplace. We are concerned in particular with the challenges faced by women academics at colleges and universities who are also mothers. We argue that, by and large, these women are not adequately supported in academia, even at Catholic universities, in spite of that tradition’s professed commitment to the health and well being of families. Finally we offer several concrete suggestions by which universities may better support women academics who are mothers, thereby contributing to the well being of women and families

Linalool, a plant-derived monoterpene alcohol, reverses doxorubicin resistance in human breast adenocarcinoma cells

Essential oils from various aromatic plants have been reported to exert chemopreventive and/or antitumor effects. In addition, a number of studies have shown the ability of chemopreventive phytochemicals to increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to conventional anticancer drugs. The success of chemotherapeutic agents is often hindered by the development of drug resistance, with multidrug resistant (MDR) phenotypes reported in a number of tumors, generally involving reduced intracellular drug accumulation due to increased drug efflux by membrane transporters. In the present study, the effects of linalool (LIN), a monoterpene alcohol found in the essential oils from many aromatic plants, on the growth of two human breast adenocarcinoma cell lines, MCF7 WT and multidrug resistant MCF7 AdrR, were investigated, both as a single agent and in combination with doxorubicin (DOX). The results reported here show that LIN only moderately inhibits cell proliferation; interestingly, however, subtoxic concentrations of LIN potentiate DOX-induced cytotoxicity and pro-apoptotic effects in both cell lines. A significant synergism can be observed in MCF7 AdrR cells, which may be due, at least in part, to the ability of LIN to increase DOX accumulation and to induce a decrease in Bcl-xL levels. In summary, the results of the present study suggest that LIN may improve the therapeutic index of anthracyclines in the management of breast cancer, especially in MDR tumors

Methods for preclinical validation of software as a medical device

Software as a medical device is subject to dedicated regulatory requirements before it can be used on human beings. The certification process in Europe requires that sufficient data on clinical benefits are available before the device is CE marked. This position paper describes our proposal of a risk-based approach to technical and preclinical validation of software as medical devices. This approach ensures that all technical solutions for safety are implemented in the software and that all information for safe use is consistent before the software can be made available to patients. This approach is compliant to the main international standards ISO 13485 on quality systems and ISO 14971 on risk management and therefore ensures regulatory compliance as well as patient protection. This integrated approach allows the designers of the software to integrate regulatory and safety testing in the technical testing of the candidate release version of the device. This approach ensures patient safety and regulatory compliance at the same time as technical functionality