Uncommon Ecology: Reading the Romantic Oikos

This project contributes to the field of ecocriticism by reconsidering the idea of nature in the Romantic period in order to explore a new mode of artistic ecological thought. Ecocriticism develops in tandem with the environmental urgency of recent decades, responding mostly with an intense focus upon material nature in order to remind an increasingly artificial society of its earthy foundations and to encourage, in some kind or degree, a return to nature. Though the call for return is a powerful story, modern scientific and philosophical developments indicate that it is not ecologically sound. The return narrative requires a stable nature to which to return; modern ecology, however, reveals nature as an unstable and uncertain process. It is therefore time to rethink the stories at the heart of our relationship with nature. This project looks to British Romanticism as the return story’s most influential incarnation. Romantic ecocriticism often hails the Romantic “return to nature” as ecologically progressive: an assumption I aim to destabilize. Pairing close readings of works by William Wordsworth, John Clare, and Percy Bysshe Shelley with the post-structuralist theory often disregarded by ecocriticism, especially the community theory of Jean-Luc Nancy, I question the construction of Romantic nature. Community theory questions the ethics of reunion and instead posits difference as the basis of relation. Given that ecology is essentially the study of natural relationships, community theory enables a new mode of ecological consciousness that is both thought and felt. In Romanticism, community theory reveals an uncertain nature that is paradoxically and proleptically faithful to modern ecological thought, advocating not return or reunion but relation: specifically, a passionate relation experienced as joy. Navigating key concepts such as identity and difference, work and play, productivity and creativity, economy and ecology, and ecstasy and joy, I explore a Romantic imagination of ecology as joyful community: I term this uncommon ecological imagination the Romantic oikos, calling upon the etymological root of ecology as home to think through the complexity of being together in place. The Romantic oikos creatively re-imagines humanity’s place in nature: a creative task we are called to perform today

Psychopathy and Gender of Serial Killers: A Comparison Using the PCL-R.

Psychopathy and serial murder are 2 of society\u27s most devastating and least understood tribulations. Even less is comprehended with regards to the differences in the way these ills are expressed between the genders. In this study, psychopathic personality traits are considered in a sample comparison of male and female serial murderers. Traits are measured using questions derived from Hare\u27s Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R, 1991). A content analysis was performed to score the components for each subject, using known and accepted biographical and personal interview materials. Findings showed a distinct difference between the sexes, with females scoring lower than their male counterparts, indicating that factor structure of the PCL-R may need to be restructured in regards to females. Implications for public policy including the way female psychopathy is viewed and diagnosed are reviewed

Working with children suffering from abuse and neglect

This paper examines the history of advocacy for the rights and safety of children suffering from abuse and neglect in the United States and more specifically in the state of Iowa. It looks at statistical data concerning the incidence of child abuse and its correlation to age and ability level. It addresses the developmental, psychological, emotional, and physical effects of child abuse. This paper also outlines the role of the school counselor in helping children who are victims of abuse and neglect, as well as gives interventions that may be used to assist this population

Smoking, particulate fuel use, increasing BMI (but not betel use) increase the probability of obstructive airway conditions in adults fron National Capital District, PNG

Exposure to tobacco smoke and particulates from biomass fuel smoke are a risk factors for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Papua New Guinea has a high prevalence of smoking, which is a leading cause of COPD. In addition to tobacco use, many families in PNG also use fuels producing particulate smoke for cooking (e.g. wood, charcoal or kerosene) which may further increase the risk of developing lung disease. The chewing of Betel nut (Areca catechu) is also prevalent in PNG, and has been shown to cause bronchoconstriction in asthmatic patients. This study was conducted to determine the relative contribution of smoking, particulate fuel use, and betel use have on the probability of developing obstructive lung disease. A prospective cross-sectional study measured the lung function of apparently healthy adults residing in the National Capital District. Lung function was assessed using spirometry, which was conducted according to the American Thoracic Society guidelines. Seventy-six subjects met the inclusion criteria out of hundred and forty volunteers. Smoking and biomass smoke inhalation both independently increased the probability of decreased lung function as measured by a %FEV1/FVC less than 80% of the predicted value. The use of betel was not found to significantly alter the probability of lowering %FEV1/FVC below 80% of predicted values. Interesting, increasing BMI was found to increase the probability of decreasing lung function in smokers who did not use particulate fuels and in particulate fuel users who did not smoke, and was most significant in smokers who used particulate fuels. Understanding the interactive effects between COPD risk factors will help predict health outcomes in PNG and increase public education on COPD prevention

Till Death Do Us Part: Lived Experiences of HIV-Positive Married African American Women

HIV/AIDS disease continues to be an escalating health problem, particularly among women. However, African American women are among the leading demographic groups for HIV prevalence in the United States. The typical woman with HIV/AIDS is young, in her late twenties, economically challenged, and of childbearing age. Participants were recruited from an HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic to explore their perceptions of social support, life experiences and marriage. Data were collected through tape-recorded interviews using a semi-structured guide and journaling. Participants reported that most of their time was spent providing care for their husbands who were HIV-positive. Very often their health and well-being were compromised by providing care to others. Participants reported a lack of social support and challenges managing their self-care

PfeIK1, a eukaryotic initiation factor 2α kinase of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, regulates stress-response to amino-acid starvation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Post-transcriptional control of gene expression is suspected to play an important role in malaria parasites. In yeast and metazoans, part of the stress response is mediated through phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), which results in the selective translation of mRNAs encoding stress-response proteins.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The impact of starvation on the phosphorylation state of PfeIF2α was examined. Bioinformatic methods were used to identify plasmodial eIF2α kinases. The activity of one of these, PfeIK1, was investigated using recombinant protein with non-physiological substrates and recombinant PfeIF2α. Reverse genetic techniques were used to disrupt the <it>pfeik1 </it>gene.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The data demonstrate that the <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>eIF2α orthologue is phosphorylated in response to starvation, and provide bioinformatic evidence for the presence of three eIF2α kinases in <it>P. falciparum</it>, only one of which (PfPK4) had been described previously. Evidence is provided that one of the novel eIF2α kinases, PfeIK1, is able to phosphorylate the <it>P. falciparum </it>eIF2α orthologue <it>in vitro</it>. PfeIK1 is not required for asexual or sexual development of the parasite, as shown by the ability of <it>pfeik1</it>^-parasites to develop into sporozoites. However, eIF2α phosphorylation in response to starvation is abolished in <it>pfeik1</it>^-asexual parasites</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study strongly suggests that a mechanism for versatile regulation of translation by several kinases with a similar catalytic domain but distinct regulatory domains, is conserved in <it>P. falciparum</it>.</p

El Control Interno y Su Incidencia En La Gestión de Inventarios de LA EMPRESA INVERSIONES DARIO SAC EN EL PERIODO 2016

El presente trabajo que tiene como título EL CONTROL INTERNO Y SU INCIDENCIA EN LA GESTION DE INVENTARIOS DE LA EMPRESA INVERSIONES DARIO S.A.C tiene como tema central analizar el control interno dentro del almacén para promover y asegurar la optimización de los recursos empleados de esta empresa. El control interno es un factor clave para lograr un adecuado manejo del negocio, pues proporciona la seguridad respecto al logro de los objetivos y metas trazadas dentro del marco de la eficiencia, eficacia y economía; éstos se constituyen como los tres pilares que sostienen y resguardan los recursos y bienes de la empresa. Como ya se ha reconocido la complejidad y evolución de los negocios, actualmente, requiere que el control interno sea cada vez más agudo; pues las empresas se ven presionadas a lograr mejores resultados con menos recursos. La optimización de los recursos requiere del empleo adecuado del tiempo, personal, dinero y activos; y es reconocido como el principal objetivo de las empresas. La combinación de estos factores agudiza la necesidad de optimizar los recursos, haciendo que el control interno sea una característica inherente; pues influye directamente en el desarrollo durante todas las etapas. La identificación de objetivos constituye un requisito imprescindible, ya que el proceso fundamental del control está basado en la aplicación de instrumentos que permitan analizar nuestra realidad con lo que deseamos obtener. Por último, la optimización está relacionada estrechamente con la productividad, haciendo posible el aprovechamiento máximo de cada recurso.The present work that has as title THE INTERNAL CONTROL AND ITS INCIDENCE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INVENTORIES OF THE COMPANY INVERSIONES DARIO S.A.C has like central subject to analyze the internal control inside the warehouse to promote and to assure the optimization of the employed resources of this company. The internal control is a key factor to achieve an adequate management of the business, because it provides security with respect to the achievement of the objectives and goals set within the framework of efficiency, effectiveness and economy; these are constituted as the three pillars that sustain and protect the resources and assets of the company. As the complexity and evolution of the businesses have already been recognized, currently, it requires that internal control be increasingly acute; Companies are being pressured to achieve better results with fewer resources. The optimization of resources requires the proper use of time, personnel, money and assets; and it is recognized as the main objective of the companies. The combination of these factors exacerbates the need to optimize resources, making internal control an inherent characteristic; because it directly influences development during all stages. The identification of objectives is an essential requirement, since the fundamental process of control is based on the application of instruments that allow us to analyze our reality with what we want to obtain. Finally, optimization is closely related to productivity, making possible the maximum use of each resource.Trabajo de investigació

Transient protein-protein interface prediction: datasets, features, algorithms, and the RAD-T predictor

BACKGROUND: Transient protein-protein interactions (PPIs), which underly most biological processes, are a prime target for therapeutic development. Immense progress has been made towards computational prediction of PPIs using methods such as protein docking and sequence analysis. However, docking generally requires high resolution structures of both of the binding partners and sequence analysis requires that a significant number of recurrent patterns exist for the identification of a potential binding site. Researchers have turned to machine learning to overcome some of the other methods’ restrictions by generalising interface sites with sets of descriptive features. Best practices for dataset generation, features, and learning algorithms have not yet been identified or agreed upon, and an analysis of the overall efficacy of machine learning based PPI predictors is due, in order to highlight potential areas for improvement. RESULTS: The presence of unknown interaction sites as a result of limited knowledge about protein interactions in the testing set dramatically reduces prediction accuracy. Greater accuracy in labelling the data by enforcing higher interface site rates per domain resulted in an average 44% improvement across multiple machine learning algorithms. A set of 10 biologically unrelated proteins that were consistently predicted on with high accuracy emerged through our analysis. We identify seven features with the most predictive power over multiple datasets and machine learning algorithms. Through our analysis, we created a new predictor, RAD-T, that outperforms existing non-structurally specializing machine learning protein interface predictors, with an average 59% increase in MCC score on a dataset with a high number of interactions. CONCLUSION: Current methods of evaluating machine-learning based PPI predictors tend to undervalue their performance, which may be artificially decreased by the presence of un-identified interaction sites. Changes to predictors’ training sets will be integral to the future progress of interface prediction by machine learning methods. We reveal the need for a larger test set of well studied proteins or domain-specific scoring algorithms to compensate for poor interaction site identification on proteins in general