Influences of Maternal Obesity on Induction of Labor Requiring Cervical Ripening

Statement of the Problem Although obese women are less likely to initiate spontaneous labor than normal weight women, have longer labors, and higher rates of cesarean birth, evidence suggests little is known about the most effective methods for labor induction requiring cervical ripening in women with obesity. Using a population-based sample we evaluated the relationships between maternal obesity and methods for induction of labor requiring cervical ripening. Methods This retrospective cohort study used data from 41,359 women in the nationally representative Consortium of Safe Labor (CSL) dataset, collected from 2006 to 2012. Women with a low risk pregnancy (cephalic, singleton, and term gestation), undergoing induction of labor were included. The primary outcome of this study was cesarean birth after the use of cervical ripening methods. The secondary outcome was the time to birth with the use of cervical ripening methods. Binomial regression models and a survival analysis were adjusted for age, parity, race, insurance, and hospital type. Results Of the 41,359 cases included in the study, 6,035 women received one or more cervical ripening methods for induction of labor. The odds for cesarean birth in the vi highest obesity category (obese cat 3) were lower after using misoprostol [aOR 3.44; CI 1.95-6.07] than using other prostaglandins [aOR 7.03; CI 3.98-12.43], and lower using mechanical means [aOR 3.69; CI 2.04-6.68} then using either prostaglandin [aOR 3.94; CI 2.67-2.54] compared to normal weight women. The time to birth in the highest obesity category (Obese Cat 3) had higher hazard after using other prostaglandins [aHR 1.62; CI 1.20-2.11] and lower hazard after using mechanical means [aHR .91; CI .65-1.28] when compared to the use of misoprostol. Conclusions These data suggest women with obesity have more cesarean births with the use of other prostaglandins for cervical ripening than with the use of mechanical means when misoprostol is the comparison group. Women with obesity also require a longer time to birth after using other prostaglandins and a shorter time to birth after using mechanical means when compared to using misoprostol. Clinicians can better support women with obesity requiring cervical ripening for induction of labor with careful consideration of cervical ripening method choice and effective counseling on length of labor induction, and risk for cesarean birth

Multi-Sector Analysis of the Progress and Challenges of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Eradication in Rural Udaipur

India is home to 240 million children currently at risk of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis, which is spread via unclean water, soil, and food, and causes acute pain and malnutrition. While acknowledging the research debates over WASH and mass drug administration, this study seeks to identify the systemic multidisciplinary issues affecting STH elimination efforts in rural Udaipur. Twenty-three interviews were conducted in villages, government departments, NGOs, and medical sectors to identify the challenges within each approach to deworming, and their experiences with multi-sectoral collaboration. The most recurring issues across disciplines were need for invested local leadership, increase in health literacy of adults, and coordination between NGO and government. Specifically there is a need for consistent communication and reporting between government health and education departments. The results of this study and further research hope to make deworming treatment and prevention more comprehensive and efficient so that India might achieve the WHO goal of eliminating STH-related mortality by 2020

The Psyche and Gender as a Multiplicity

Gender appears “unlocatable” because it is not a property of biology. At best, it is widely considered a “social construction” reinforced through institutional norms. This thesis contends that the underlying reason there is such difficulty in theorizing gender constitution is because much of Western philosophy is prefaced on an unrealizable contradiction. The subject is assumed to be constituted by multiple factors such as one’s biology as well as the influence of society. Such a multiplicitous constitution, however, cannot be expressed within an individualistic psyche. The work of Marx is predominately appealed to in order to explain traits of the individual psyche. In order to make sense of the way in which gender is multiply-constituted, the psyche must be theorized instead as multiply-constituted as well. Rather than presenting the psyche as individualistic, it is represented within these chapters as a collectivity. After consideration of what a potential psyche construed as a multiplicity may look like through the work of thinkers Mikhail Bakhtin and Luce Irigaray, it is easier to see where the confusion with constitution rests. The psyche is made up of our own thoughts, but these are traceable to the material world and others. The psyche is thus always a collectivity, not something closed-off from the influence of others. The multiple factors that are said to constitute gender are able to be traced through this new model of the psyche. This thesis concludes that gender is therefore not a mysterious property of an individual. Rather, different identities manifest as different types of embodied subjectivities, some of which share traits. This gives the illusion that there are immutable categories of gender identity

The causes and consequences of individual differences in cognitive performances in relation to the social environment in pheasants

Identifying the causes and consequences of intra-specific variation in cognitive abilities is fundamental to our understanding of the evolution of cognition. The social environment and cognitive abilities appear inextricably linked, yet evidence for how the social environment affects cognitive performances and further, how cognitive performances influence the social environment, has seldom been explored. Using the pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, I explore the relationships between individual variation in cognitive performances in relation to broad and fine-scale structure of the social environment and endeavour to separate cause and consequence. I demonstrate a positive causal effect of the broad-scale social environment on cognitive performances by observing increases in the accuracy of spatial discrimination performances when individuals are in larger groups (Chapter Two and Chapter Four). I show that the positive effects of larger group size occur over a relatively short period (less than one week), suggesting that cognitive performances are flexible in response to the social environment and I suggest four potential mechanisms. I show that while males are part of a social hierarchy, spatial discrimination performances are related to this fine-scale social structure and higher-ranking males outperform lower ranking males (Chapter Three). When attempting to determine cause and consequence, I found that spatial learning performances early in life did not predict adult cognitive performances on the same task or predict their adult social rank (Chapter Four). Hence, my results do not support that social rank is a consequence of spatial learning abilities in male pheasants. The relationship between spatial learning performances and social rank was found in adult males that had their social rank artificially elevated, suggesting that cognitive performances were not simply the result of the current social environment but remain closely related to past agonistic relationships. I did not find a relationship between early life aggression with performances on either a spatial or a non-spatial task in females or males (Chapter Five). This highlights the importance of investigating early life relationships and suggests that the relationship between spatial learning and aggression in adult males may become associated over time as a consequence of further spatial learning experiences, and, or, aggressive interactions. I then demonstrate a consequence of individual variation in cognitive abilities and show that adult foraging associations in the wild disassort by early life cognitive performances (Chapter Six). Individuals with good inhibitory control performance and poor visual discrimination performances were more central in social networks. I propose that differences in cognitive abilities manifest in foraging strategy and influence the resulting social structure. The implications of this predictable social structure remain to be explored. Finally, I discuss these results and how they contribute to our understanding of how the social environment causes individual differences in cognitive performances, as well as how variation in cognitive performances may shape the social environment. I suggest the potential implications of these findings and ideas for future work.European Research Council (ERC

Conversation Group Flyer 2008

This post contains the Conversation Group flyer for 2008 and the Ms Publisher file for it. Conversation Group Flyer 2008; Joseph A Santiago; Joe Santiago; Jessica Ellis; The GLBT Center offers weekly conversation groups which provide outreach and support to GLBTIQQ students, faculty, staff, and community members. Groups are designed to promote discussion in a safe, informal, and confidential environment. Conversation groups are held in the Center throughout the academic year most Monday and Thursday evenings from 7:30-9PM. The Center is open 24/7 for additional conversation and interaction. On the third Thursday of every month, the Center participates in Gay Bingo, which is a fundraiser for AIDS Project RI. Student initiated and other informal discussions are welcomed and supported in the Center

GLBT Conversation Group V Day party flyer 2010

These Valentines Day posters were placed around campus and in all of the residence halls. This social had 36 students in the GLBT Center lounge

Peroxisomal acyl-CoA synthetases

AbstractPeroxisomes carry out many essential lipid metabolic functions. Nearly all of these functions require that an acyl group—either a fatty acid or the acyl side chain of a steroid derivative—be thioesterified to coenzyme A (CoA) for subsequent reactions to proceed. This thioesterification, or “activation”, reaction, catalyzed by enzymes belonging to the acyl-CoA synthetase family, is thus central to cellular lipid metabolism. However, despite our rather thorough understanding of peroxisomal metabolic pathways, surprisingly little is known about the specific peroxisomal acyl-CoA synthetases that participate in these pathways. Of the 26 acyl-CoA synthetases encoded by the human and mouse genomes, only a few have been reported to be peroxisomal, including ACSL4, SLC27A2, and SLC27A4. In this review, we briefly describe the primary peroxisomal lipid metabolic pathways in which fatty acyl-CoAs participate. Then, we examine the evidence for presence and functions of acyl-CoA synthetases in peroxisomes, much of which was obtained before the existence of multiple acyl-CoA synthetase isoenzymes was known. Finally, we discuss the role(s) of peroxisome-specific acyl-CoA synthetase isoforms in lipid metabolism. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Metabolic Functions and Biogenesis of Peroxisomes in Health and Disease

Women 1.5 Times More Likely to Leave STEM Pipeline After Calculus Compared to Men: Lack of Mathematical Confidence a Potential Culprit

The substantial gender gap in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce can be traced back to the underrepresentation of women at various milestones in the career pathway. Calculus is a necessary step in this pathway and has been shown to often dissuade people from pursuing STEM fields. We examine the characteristics of students who begin college interested in STEM and either persist or switch out of the calculus sequence after taking Calculus I, and hence either continue to pursue a STEM major or are dissuaded from STEM disciplines. The data come from a unique, national survey focused on mainstream college calculus. Our analyses show that, while controlling for academic preparedness, career intentions, and instruction, the odds of a woman being dissuaded from continuing in calculus is 1.5 times greater than that for a man. Furthermore, women report they do not understand the course material well enough to continue significantly more often than men. When comparing women and men with above-average mathematical abilities and preparedness, we find women start and end the term with significantly lower mathematical confidence than men. This suggests a lack of mathematical confidence, rather than a lack of mathematically ability, may be responsible for the high departure rate of women. While it would be ideal to increase interest and participation of women in STEM at all stages of their careers, our findings indicate that simply increasing the retention of women starting in college calculus would almost double the number of women entering the STEM workforce.Comment: 27 pages, 3 figures, includes Supplemental Informatio

Lighting The Way To Solar: A Guide On Residential Solar Incentives For Those Who Call Normal, Il Home.

The path to installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on one’s own roof can be both confusing and expensive. Although the cost of solar is declining, it remains a barrier to many potential adopters. To combat this and promote clean energy, the government at both state and federal levels offer incentives including personal tax credits, direct cash payments, loan programs and solar renewable energy credits. This research study pertains to single family homeowners serviced by the Ameren utility company in Normal, IL. However, the framework of this study may be applicable to other residents within the United States who want to understand what incentive structures are available to them. After explaining the incentives that are available, this study works to match the most compatible incentives with single-family homeowners. These groups are then used as representatives in our System Advisor Models (SAM) which are generated for each group paired with each incentive with all other parameters equal at a specified standard. Through comparative analysis, financial feasibility is determined based on the incentives impact on initial costs of installation and simple payback period. The significance of this study is to show residents what the available options are, along with the benefits in hopes of increasing the rate of residential solar adoption in Normal, IL.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/urs2021tec/1003/thumbnail.jp