10 research outputs found
White spaces, Asian faces: Onboarding for racialized academic librarians
No full textRacialized librarians experience vocational awe and the consequences of how vocational awe plays out with their white colleagues. Namely, racialized librarians witness the inconsistencies between library values and library practices (Ettarh, 2018). Through a series of vignettes, two racialized academic librarians, one mid-career and one early-career, will share their experiences and reflections on the hiring and onboarding of a racialized librarian at a predominantly white institution. These vignettes illustrate the gaps in the existing recruitment and onboarding processes and how these institutional failures cause harm to both new and existing employees. While libraries and librarians have made commitments to diversifying the field and decolonizing their teaching and external-facing practices, this attention has not been extended to inward-facing library policies and practices, as evidenced by the recent research on bureaucracy in libraries (Nataraj, Hampton, Matlin & Meulemans, 2020). The presenters pose areas for further investigation into onboarding practices for racialized librarians and propose that libraries treat onboarding not as a checklist but as a practice to intentionally retain BIPOC librarians.Onboarding; Academic Libraries; Retention; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Vocational Aw
Development of low loss soft nano magnetic system for antenna miniaturization at ultra high frequency
No full textA Study Assessing Gender Distribution Using Maxillary Sinus
No full textINTRODUCTION: Corpse recognition is a difficult procedure. Comparison of both ante mortem and post-mortem records is essential and assists in identification of corpses. Typical methods of identification however sometimes may be inconclusive. Gender determination is an important aspect in identification of corpses. Previously skull, pelvis and the long bones have been used in gender determination. It has been reported earlier that maxillary sinus remains intact even when skull and long bones may be badly disfigured in incarnated victims.AIM: The aim of this study was to examine whether the measurements of the maxillary sinuses may possibly be used for gender determination.MATERIAL AND METHODS: Computed tomography scans of total of 50 Adults patients within the age range of 25 to 65 years from the previous dental records were taken. Sample comprised of 25 (50%) males and 25 (50%) females. The width, height and length was measured in all cases using CT images.RESULTS: Maxillary sinus exhibits anatomic variability between genders. A significant difference in the length and height of maxillary sinus was observed with respect to males and females. (p<0.005)CONCLUSION: We conclude from the present study that the height and length of maxillary sinuses together with other bones can be used for gender determination when skeleton is not available
Cultural sensitivity: counselling Indo-Canadian clients
No full textThe purpose of this project is to develop a workshop to education and train mental health practitioners to effectively help Indo-Canadian (I am going to use interchangeable terms Indo-Canadian, East-Indians or/and South Asians throughout in my project) clients. A review of the literature on Indo-Canadian culture will be provided, including the social and psychosocial experiences of Indo-Canadian individuals in a Western society. Different identity models will be discussed in relevance to Indo-Canadian people. Then, client counsellor relationship and counselling theories that work best for this population will be discussed. Workshop format, target audience, and ethical concerns are presented. Detailed scenarios regarding Indo-Canadian culture and interactions will be included in this workshop. --Leaf ii.The original print copy of this thesis may be available here: http://wizard.unbc.ca/record=b200685
Comparison of expression of myofibroblasts in normal oral mucosa, oral epithelial dysplasia, and oral squamous cell carcinoma using α-SMA and vimentin: An immunohistochemical study
No full textFishing for meaning: creating a nature therapy guided fly-fishing program for students in the learning support center at Prince George Secondary School
No full textDeveloping high school curriculums that promote positive mental health by fostering connection and meaning is an important undertaking. This project explores the role that Nature Therapy and trauma informed practice can play in guiding curriculum development. To do this the contextual realities the Learning Support Center at Prince George Secondary School are explored and a brief literature review on the topics of Nature Therapy and adolescent based Trauma counselling is completed. The final component of this project is the completion of a School District 57 Board Authorized Course Template that integrates elements of Nature Therapy, trauma informed practice and school connectedness with curricular content
Effect of Rexinoids on Inducing Effector T Cell Chemotaxis
No full textabstract: The retinoid-X receptor (RXR) can form heterodimers with both the retinoic-acid
receptor (RAR) and vitamin D receptor (VDR). The RXR/RAR dimer is activated by ligand all
trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which culminates in gut-specific effector T cell migration. Similarly,
the VDR/RXR dimer binds 1,25(OH)2D3 to cause skin-specific effector T cell migration.
Targeted migration is a potent addition to current vaccines, as it would induce activated T cell
trafficking to appropriate areas of the immune system and ensure optimal stimulation (40).
ATRA, while in use clinically, is limited by toxicity and chemical instability. Rexinoids
are stable, synthetically developed ligands specific for the RXR. We have previously shown that
select rexinoids can enhance upregulation of gut tropic CCR9 receptors on effector T cells.
However, it is important to establish whether these cells can actually migrate, to show the
potential of rexinoids as vaccine adjuvants that can cause gut specific T cell migration.
Additionally, since the RXR is a major contributor to VDR-mediated transcription and
epidermotropism (15), it is worth investigating whether these compounds can also function as
adjuvants that promote migration by increasing expression of skin tropic CCR10 receptors on T
cells.
Prior experiments have demonstrated that select rexinoids can induce gut tropic migration
of CD8+ T cells in an in vitro assay and are comparable in effectiveness to ATRA (7). The effect
of rexinoids on CD4+ T cells is unknown however, so the aim of this project was to determine if
rexinoids can cause gut tropic migration in CD4+ T cells to a similar extent. A secondary aim
was to investigate whether varying concentrations in 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 can be linked to
increasing CCR10 upregulation on Jurkat CD4+ T cells, with the future aim to combine 1,25
Dihydroxyvitamin D3 with rexinoids.
These hypotheses were tested using murine splenocytes for the migration experiment, and
human Jurkat CD4+ T cells for the vitamin D experiment. Migration was assessed using a
Transwell chemotaxis assay. Our findings support the potential of rexinoids as compounds
capable of causing gut-tropic migration in murine CD4+ T cells in vitro, like ATRA. We did not
observe conclusive evidence that vitamin D3 causes upregulated CCR10 expression, but this
experiment must be repeated with a human primary T cell line
Emprego da geração fotoquímica de vapor para análise de especiação e determinação de elementos-traço por espectrmetria atômica e de massa
No full textTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências Físicas e Matemáticas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Florianópolis, 2015.Este trabalho abrange duas técnicas distintas para a determinação de elementos-traço com auxílio da geração fotoquímica de vapor: uma utilizando uma lâmpada de ultravioleta (UV) para a geração da radiação UV com detecção por espectrometria de massa com plasma indutivamente acoplado (ICP-MS) e outra utilizando uma interface micro-ondas/ultravioleta (MW/UV) para a geração da radiação UV e acoplamento com cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC) e espectrometria de fluorescência atômica (AFS) para fins de especiação de Hg. Para a análise por ICP-MS, foi desenvolvido um reator fotoquímico aplicável à determinação de Co, Ni e Te em bebidas alcoólicas e determinação de Fe, Sc, Hg e V em amostras de água de mar. Espécies voláteis de Co, Ni, Te, Fe, Sc, Hg e V foram geradas a partir da combinação entre as respectivas soluções padrão e uma mistura dos ácidos fórmico e acético após exposição a uma fonte de UV. Os limites de quantificação de 0,5, 0,1 e 0,4 ng mL-1 para Co, Ni e Te, respectivamente, foram obtidos para a análise de bebidas alcoólicas, os quais correspondem a ganhos de 9, 35 e 3 vezes em relação à análise com nebulização pneumática. Para Hg e V, os limites de quantificação foram de 1,5 e 5,0 ng mL-1, respectivamente, ao passo que Fe e Sc não puderam ser quantificados nas amostras de água do mar, embora a detecção tenha sido realizada com sucesso. Em um segundo projeto, a técnica de geração fotoquímica de vapor por meio de uma interface MW/UV foi acoplada à cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência e à espectrometria de fluorescência atômica (HPLC-AFS) para a quantificação de mercúrio inorgânico, metilmercúrio e etilmercúrio. Durante o processo de desenvolvimento da metodologia foram utilizados os ácidos fórmico, acético, malônico e cítrico para estudos, e o emprego de ácido fórmico como fase móvel mostrou-se mais eficiente para a foto-decomposição de compostos organometálicos de mercúrio e para a redução de Hg2+ a Hg0 sob as condições de MW/UV. Diversos parâmetros operacionais foram avaliados, incluindo o tipo de ácido orgânico e sua concentração, potência de MW, composição da fase móvel de HPLC e ação catalítica de nanopartículas de TiO2. Sob as condições otimizadas, os limites de detecção foram de 0,15, 0,15 e 0,35 ng mL-1 para o mercúrio inorgânico, metilmercúrio e etilmercúrio, respectivamente. O método desenvolvido foi aplicado à análise de três materiais de referência certificados, todos de procedência biológica. A interface online da cromatografia líquida com a fluorescência atômica e a geração fotoquímica de vapor para a determinação de mercúrio é simples, contribui para redução do impacto ambiental associado à análise e representa uma alternativa atraente para o sistema de geração química de vapor baseada no uso de tetraidroborato.Abstract : This work consists of two distinct approaches for the determination of trace elements by spectrometric techniques, following photochemical vapor generation: in the first approach, an ultraviolet lamp (UV) was used for the generation of volatile species prior to determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS); the second approach involved a microwave/ultraviolet (MW/UV) interface for the generation of UV radiation and coupling with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) to carry out speciation analysis. Firstly, a photochemical reactor was built and applied to the development of a new and sensitive method for the determination of Co, Ni and Te in alcoholic beverages and for the identification of Fe, Sc, Hg and V in seawater samples. For these applications, photochemical vapor generation was coupled to an ICP-MS instrument. The volatile species of Co, Ni, Te, Fe, Sc, Hg and V were generated from the combination of a mixture of formic and acetic acid after exposure to a UV source. Limits of quantification of 0.5, 0.1 and 0.4 ng mL-1 for Co, Ni and Te, respectively, were obtained for the analysis of alcoholic beverages, which correspond to 9 (Co), 35 (Ni), and 3 (Te) times improvements over those obtained with conventional pneumatic nebulization. The same setup was adopted for the detection of Hg and V, resulting in quantification limits of 1.5 and 5.0 ng mL-1, respectively. Iron and Sc could not be quantified in seawater samples, although both elements could be effectively detected. On a second project, the hyphenation of photochemical vapor generation with HPLC-AFS was described for the quantification of inorganic mercury, methylmercury and ethylmercury in biological tissues. Formic acid, which was chosen as the mobile phase, was used for the photodecomposition of organomercury compounds and for the reduction of Hg2 + to Hg0 vapor under MW/UV irradiation. The influence of several operating parameters on the response and chromatographic separation efficiency of the species were evaluated, including the type of organic acid and its concentration, MW power, composition of the HPLC mobile phase and catalytic action of TiO2 nanoparticles. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection were 0.15, 0.15 and 0.35 ng mL- 1 for inorganic mercury, methylmercury and ethylmercury, respectively. The main analytical figures of merit were determined and the method was applied to the analysis of three certified reference materials. The online interfacing of liquid chromatography with photochemical-vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry for mercury determination was proven relatively simple, environmentally friendly and represents an attractive alternative to the use of chemical vapor generation methods that adopt tetrahydroborate as a reagent
The dialectics of fetish capital in Karl Marx
No full textThe present thesis has its turning point in the appropriation of dialectics as fundamental heuristic key for the elucidation of the peculiarity of the economic categories contained in Capital, that is, how Marx manages to transfer the dialectical method from the philosophical sphere to the economic sphere and operate a forceful critique of political economy. The dialectical appropriation of the metamorphoses that constitute capital has, in the abstract form of the commodity, its essential mediation for the apprehension of the concreteness of the capital system. Commodity fetishism unfolds in multiple forms to obliterate the surplus labor time as the foundation of value that appreciates itself. The elucidation of the capital fetish, which manifests as a sort of "automaton subject," has its turning point in investigating the commodity as an abstract form of manifestation of wealth in the capitalist mode of production. The analysis of specific moments from Capital's first and third books allows us to capture the peculiarity of the antediluvian forms of capital and the capillarity of capital metamorphoses (usurious, commercial, and industrial). The ontological analysis of the vicissitudes of the commodity, money, and industrial capital finds its crowning in interest-bearing capital as the perfect manifestation of the capital fetish. The dialectical investigation of the metamorphosis of the capital fetish primarily aims to reveal the limits of the system, which repeatedly requires the obliteration of its foundations and needs to incessantly recycle the mechanisms for suppressing its relationship with living labor through the encrustation of new theological tricks and old metaphysical subtleties. Interest-bearing Capital represents the apex of the completeness of the fetish expressed in productive capital, shaping itself as a form devoid of concept, with a unique ability to invert the actual movement of things and transform Capital into a kind of cause of itself. It solidifies the understanding that the interests emanate from the very property of the capital and not from the sharing of the surplus value resulting from production. The development of interest-bearing capital serves as essential mediation for the exponential growth of fictitious capital. One will observe how the relationship of fictitious capital with productive capital tends to fray due to the dynamic of expansion and incessant accumulation of the capital system. The surplus value emanating from production cannot return to production and needs to go to the illusory, speculative, and parasitic forms expressed in the futures market, commodities market, stock market, and public debt. In an attempt to carry out the immanent reading of Capital, the thesis author resorted to valuable loans from thinkers such as István Mészáros (2006), G. Lukács (2012), Herbert Marcuse (1978), Rosdolsky (2001), Carlos Prado Eleutério (2011), Jesus Ranieri (2000), Jadir Antunes (2018; 2006), Jorge Grespan (2019), Marcelo Carcanholo (2011), José Chasin (1988), Marilda Iamamoto (2008), Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo (2013), Maria de Lourdes Rollemberg Mollo (2011), Hector Benoit (2008), M. Sabatini (2023), Boccega (2007; 2020), Reinaldo Carcanholo (2003; 2013), Enrique Dussel (2012), Marxhausen (1988), Freire (2021), Monfardini (2011) etc.A presente tese tem seu ponto de inflexão na apropriação da dialética como chave heurística fundamental para a elucidação da peculiaridade das categorias econômicas contidas em O capital, ou seja, como Marx consegue transportar o método dialético da esfera filosófica para a esfera econômica e operar uma crítica contundente à economia política. A apropriação dialética das metamorfoses que constituem o capital tem na forma abstrata da mercadoria sua mediação essencial para a apreensão da concretude do sistema do capital. O fetichismo da mercadoria desdobra-se em múltiplas formas na perspectiva de obliterar o tempo de trabalho excedente como fundamento do valor que se valoriza. A elucidação do capital fetiche, que se manifesta como uma espécie de “sujeito autômato”, tem seu ponto de inflexão na investigação da mercadoria, como forma abstrata de manifestação da riqueza no modo de produção capitalista. A análise de determinados momentos específicos do primeiro e do terceiro livros de O capital permite capturar a peculiaridade das formas antediluvianas do capital e a capilaridade das metamorfoses do capital (usurário, comercial e industrial). A análise ontológica das vicissitudes da mercadoria, do dinheiro e do capital industrial encontra seu coroamento no capital portador de juros, como forma perfeita de manifestação do capital fetiche. Já a investigação dialética da metamorfose do capital fetiche tem como vetor primordial a revelação dos limites do sistema, que carece reiteradamente da obliteração de seus fundamentos e que necessita reciclar incessantemente os mecanismos de supressão de sua relação com o trabalho vivo, mediante a incrustação de novas manhas teológicas e velhas sutilezas metafísicas. O capital portador de juros representa o ápice da completude do fetiche expresso no capital produtivo, plasmando-se como uma espécie de forma destituída de conceito, com capacidade sui generis de inverter o movimento efetivo das coisas e transformar o capital numa espécie de causa sui. Solidifica, assim, o entendimento de que os juros emanam da própria propriedade do capital e não da partilha do maisvalor decorrente da produção. O desenvolvimento do capital portador de juros funciona como mediação essencial para o crescimento exponencial do capital fictício. Observar-se-á como a relação do capital fictício com o capital produtivo tende a esgarçar-se pela própria dinâmica de expansão e acumulação incessante do sistema do capital. O mais-valor emanado da produção não pode retornar à produção e precisa ser deslocado para as formas ilusórias, especulativas e parasitárias expressas no mercado de futuros, no mercado de commodities, no mercado bursátil e na dívida pública. Na tentativa de realização da leitura imanente de O capital, o autor da tese recorreu aos empréstimos valiosos de pensadores como István Mészáros (2006), G. Lukács (2012), Herbert Marcuse (1978), Rosdolsky (2001), Carlos Prado Eleutério (2011), Jesus Ranieri (2000), Jadir Antunes (2018; 2006), Jorge Grespan (1999; 2019), Marcelo Carcanholo (2011), José Chasin (1988), Marilda Iamamoto (2008), Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo (2013), Maria de Lourdes Rollemberg Mollo (2011), Hector Benoit (2008), M. Sabatini (2023), Boccega (2007; 2020), Reinaldo Carcanholo (2003; 2013), Enrique Dussel (2012), Marxhausen (1988), Freire (2021), Monfardini (2011) etc
Development and characterisation of an in vitro human gut model to study the biofilm mode of growth of clostridium difficile and the indigenous gut microbiota
No full textClostridium difficile infection (CDI) is associated with significant patient morbidity, mortality and financial burden. Until recently, antimicrobial treatment options were limited to metronidazole and vancomycin, but both agents are associated with recurrence rates of approximately 20%.
The human gastrointestinal tract harbours a complex microbial community which exist in planktonic and sessile form. Sessile organisms are known to cause chronic infection such as cystic fibrosis. Mucosal biofilms exist on surfaces of the gastrointestinal tract, but the existence and role of C. difficile in these structures remains unknown.
The present study describes the process undertaken to adapt and validate an in vitro human gut model to study the planktonic and biofilm mode of growth of C. difficile and the indigenous gut microbiota. A triple stage chemostat gut model, primed with a human faecal emulsion was used to induce and treat simulated CDI. A glass rod system was incorporated into the third vessel to facilitate the formation and subsequent analysis of mixed-species biofilms.
Sessile and planktonic gut microbiota and C. difficile populations within an in vitro gut model are similar in the absence of antimicrobial intervention. Differences in behaviours of the two modes of growth are evident upon antimicrobial administration, with a delayed response in sessile populations. The sessile mode of growth of C. difficile within mature biofilm structures is complex and variable. Within the redesigned biofilm gut model, sessile C. difficile remained in spore form for the duration of the experiment, despite induction of simulated CDI, treatment of CDI and recurrence of disease evident within planktonic communities.
Recalcitrant spores within biofilms may be seeded into the planktonic fluid of the gut model after apparent successful initial treatment and contribute to recurrence of CDI. The role of sessile C. difficile in recurrent CDI should be further investigated
