188 research outputs found
Leslie, Ryan, Grace, and Bill Peyton Christmas card
No full textThis 1964 Christmas card photograph shows two children from the Peyton family and signed “Leslie, Ryan, Grace and Bill Peyton”. Founder and director of the Mountain Youth Jamboree, Hubert H. Hayes (1901-1964) auditioned and directed youth to perform in folk dance, music, and folk and ballad singing. The jamboree was held in the Asheville City Auditorium (now known as Thomas Wolfe Auditorium) from 1948 to 1973, and Hayes’ wife, Leona Trantham Hayes (1913-1989) continued to direct the program after his death in 1964. Hubert Hayes was an author, playwright, and alumni of Duke University
The Sarmatian Review, Vol., 34, No. 3
No full textIn this issue: Sarmatian Review Data -- Bronislaw M.J. Kamiski, Reflections on the Ukrainian Maydan -- Sally Boss, Germany's Wild East: Constructing Poland as Colonial Space (review) -- Ewa Wampuszyc, Narrating Migration (review) -- Bozena Karwowska, Reprezentacje Europy w prozie polskiej (review) -- Maciej B. Stepie, The Lost German East (review) -- Farrah Madanay, The Forgotten Holocaust (review) -- MORE BOOKS -- Richard J. Hunter, Jr. and Leo V. Ryan, C.S.V., A Report from Poland on the Economy -- Translating Cyprian Kamil Norwid: Patrick Corness and Agata Brajerska-Mazur -- Chesterton Review anniversary -- Thank You Note -- About the Author
Historic Webster Vol. 7 No. 4
No full textHistoric Webster is a newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc., created at the Society’s founding in 1974. The publication helped to serve the Society's mission of collecting and preserving the history of Webster, North Carolina. Webster, established in 1851, was the original county seat for Jackson County.newsletter of the Webster Historical Society, Inc.
VOLUME VII, NUMBER 4 WEBSTER, NORTH CAROLINA WINTER, 1981
National Leaders Come From Jackson County
From The Asheville Citizen, J anua ry I, 1932
Cullowhee, Dec. 31. (Special)-Jackson county has contributed some of Western
North Carolina ·s most distinguished native sons. These sons have gone out into
several sections of the nation and are now blessing their fellow men in several fields of
work.
The Rev. Dr. Fred Brown, for many years pastor of the First Baptist church,
Knoxville, Tenn., and at present president of the Southern Baptist convention, was
born at Glenville, in the heart of Jackson county's famous cabbage country. Dr.
Brown is the son of Horace A. and Laura Woodard Brown and is descended from fine
old mountain stock. Both his grandparents were pioneer Baptist preachers.
Dr. Brown received his early education in a semi-private school conducted at
Tuckaseegee, near here, by A. M. Dawson, a graduate of Western Reserve
University. His later education was received at Mars Hill college, Wake Forest
college, the Southern Baptist Theological seminary, and other institutions of higher
learning.
Dr. John Brinkley, of Milford, Kan., twice candidate for the governorship of the
Sunflower State, was born and reared near East La Porte, Jackson county. A
movement is now under way to change the name of his adopted home town in Kansas
from Milford to Brinkley in his honor.
Others have gone out from Jackson county to make distinguished names for
themselves. They include Wood Middleton, president of Draughton's Business
college, Winston-Salem. Holmes Bryson, form er head of the Ashe ville Chamber of
Commerce, Dr. Ed Bryson, mayor of Liberty, S. C., and Felix E. Alley, or
Waynesville, prominent lawyer and Democratic orator. Sara Whitesides Norton, the
mother of Felix Alley, was the first white child born within a radius of 40 miles of
Cashiers Valley, in Jackson county's beautiful Sapphire country.
Many of the natives of the county who still live within its borders are known far and
wide for their distinguished public services. Mrs. E. L. McKee, of Sylva, is North
Carolina 's first woman state senator and is former president of the North Carolina
United Daughters of the Confederacy, former president of the State Federation of
Women's clubs, and former head of the Southeastern Council of Federated Women 's
clubs. Mrs. McKee was a delegate this year to the national Democratic convention.
Judge Walter E. Moore, of Sylva, a member of the North Carolina superior court
bench and former grand master of North Carolina Masons, is not a native of Jackson
county, but has lived here for many years. Other distinguished adopted sons are Col.
Charles J . Harris, of Dillsboro, president of the Jackson County bank, owner of
extensive mining interests, and former candidate for governor of North Carolina on
the Republican ticket; Robert Lee Madison, of Cullowhee, founder of Western
Carolina Teachers college here; and Dr. H. T. Hunter. for ten years president of
Western Carolina Teachers college and prominent leader in the Western North
Carolina Live-a t-Home movement.
W. E. Bird, dean of Western Carolina Teachers college, and E. H. Stillwell, head of
the history department and author of a history of Western North Carolina, are both
natives of Jackson county. Dean Bird \\'as born at Qualls and Professor Stillwell was
born near Webster, the old county seat.
FRED BROWN JOHN BRINKLEY WOOD MIDDLETON HOLMES BRYSON ED BRYSON FELIX ALLEY MRS. E. L. McKEE
WALTER MOORE HARRIS MADISON H. T. HUNTER W. E. BIRD E . II. STILLWELL
Photogra ph s from
Rachel Brown Phillips,
The Asheville-CitizenTimes,
Woodrow Midd
le ton , Marshall R .
Bryson, Hannah Moore,
We bster Histori ca l
Society, C. J. Harris
Community Hospita l,
and the Special Collec·
tions of Hunter Library .
Western Carolin a
University.
Page 2, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Winter, 1981
Buchanan Loop Opens New Vistas
Spring. summer , and fall th r loo)l
is lined with the wildflowr•·s of
Western North Carolina .
The sort and rolling mountains of the Blue Ridge surround th e village and provide a constantly chan ging and inS)liring
panorama to the Webster residents .
Barns. old and no longer used. stand in meadows Filled
with b.-iars th a t de light th e sum me •· ben.y picker.
By AnneS. and John W.
McFadden, Jr.
Kate, George, Frank, Roythe
neighbors of the Webster
loop, and the loop itself, have
been an integral part of our
lives for the past nine years.
When it was narrower and
ditt carpeted we pushed little
Anmarie around it in her
stroller. It was a time of
evening marvel. We saw and
. tasted wild fruits-blackberries,
blueberries, crabapples,
plums, and s.trawberries. Bird
varieties abounded and wild
flowers entertained us with
ever changing and vibrant
colors.
About five years ago the
road was widened and paved
and the activities on it increased.
Websterites took to it
Webster Promenade
in numbers and joyously embraced
its potential. Joggers,
strollers, fast walkers, bike
and horseback riders , and
skate hoarders siezed the
opportunities the newly paved
road provided.
The wider cut opened a larger
panorama of natural
beauty. In the summer we
pass through the morning mist
grateful for its coolness.
Flowery shows are extrava·
gent and tasty wild fruits
tempt us to gather them. The
box turtles, snakes, cattle,
horses, cats, and dogs observe
our passing. Oftentimes, as
many as eight dogs will join
our jog ; glad to see each
other, rolling and playing all
the while like kids playing tag.
The fall brings cooler, crisper
more invirgorating air; a
peaceful stillness, and a burst
of color carpeting to cover the
hills. Sunsets are spectacular.
Wooly worms cross the road in
determined numbers and the
dogs still happily greet us.
In winter the loop has the
sparkle and color of crystal
coldness. It offers a time for
solitude and escape from over
heated houses. The dog escort
is smaller, the flowers are
resting and the birds are
quiet. It's time for the winter
star of the show, the skyline,
to captivate us .
Spring knows we are ready
for her, and the loop, like
nature, bursts once again into
activity. Leaves shyly begin to
cover bare trees. The pave·
ment and air mellow. Seasonal
friends return, newcom·
ers build, and gardens are
planted. Woodpeckers, hummingbirds,
and bluebirds join
the crows, jays and redbirds.
Little Ryan calls from his
The Don llens ley home in Kin~ ·s Mounta in
shadow. one of many new houses along
Bucha na n Loop. has •·eplaced the Nathan
Coward house.
play, " Hi, where are you
going?",and neighbors ex·
change smiles, waves, and
breathless greetings as they
pass.
The centerstone in the loop's
glitterin g_ .ring is the cemetery
on the knoll. Throughout all
the Seasons it reminds us of
the ·natural order of life. This
well kept hillside cradles residents
from ahtiquity to those
newly missed. We like to think
they are watching the loop's
promenade from their special
place.
The loop is a wonderous
slice of life. A turn around it
refreshes one both ))hysica lly
and emotionally and gives
nourishment to the roots of his
life.
Anne and .John McFadden .
as a vid We bs tt> •· joggers. know
th(' loop intim a t e ly .
\
\
WEB
CEME
!
KING'S MOUNTAII\.l
OL.O
~\J C.H.ANAN:
HOvS!l
FAANK.
Buc.I-\/INAN 'S
GARDEN
HISTORIC WEBSTER, Winter. 1981, Pa ge:~
Dirt roads and drives go off the loop in a ll directions and ofrer
the wa lker new pa ths to explore .
Along the village ma in street a re houses new and old . showing hi stor y and change. The
McKee l-louse. now owned by Lona McKee and R. L. ll askett . r eflects the Webster of the
nineteenth century.
Near the top of the loop is the Webs ter Cemetery where r est many town citi zens.
leader s of loca l. st ate. and na tiona l events.
Ml11 Lucy .. . without a doubt, no generation of Webster's
young people "escaped" the opportu:lity to break in their knees
on her hardwood floors!
None of us was immune to being approached by Miss Lucy
with the proposition to help clean her beautiful large two-story
house. It's important to understand this was not just any
ordinary cleaning job; it was an education in housekeeping as
there was ·a defiDlte way to clean everything, especially her
hardwood floors. These· floors had to be mopped across the
woodgrain-to minimize pulling up splinters.
Naturally, hovering close by on all the various jobs was Miss
Lucy herself, seeing that we did a meticulous job in every
respect ; if we didn't, we didn't lack for proper instruction for
improvement. But then, what better way for us to get an inside
look into the dozen or so rooms of the big historical home on the
corner which housed only one little white headed lady? And,
after all-the pay was good: a cookie (or two-GOOD
HOMEMADE ONES)-and a glas8 of Kool-aid. In those days.
that was not bad; at lea st we didn 't compla in . If we did a good
job, we might even be rehired at a later date, usua ll .v the next
summer for as I was growing up, Miss Lucy generally was only
in Webster during the summers. She spent the rest of the year at
the Crossnore School working daily with young people from all
over the country, and out of the . country as well.
Sometimes· Miss Lucy brought one of the Crossnore students
with her to Webster in the summer. I remember in particular a
German girl named Marion Ufinger, with whom I became good
friends. She was a very large girl and since I was large for my
age too, I concluded I must be of German " stock" as well.
"Miss Lucy's back," was a familiar comment among the
Webster folks in the spring as she returned to open and air her
house for summer living .. Soon a lawnmower could be heard
getting the yard in shape and the familiar vase of Queen Ann's
lace would appear on the front porch. Miss Lucy loved flowers
and would quickly be seen in her yard giving her flowers and
shrubs loving attention. For years, she had a beautiful mixture
of tame and wild flowers across the road from her house by the
road up the hill to Ha lls ' . Her peonies and roses wer e always
healthy and lovely as well. Many of the flowers are still there for
neighbors to enjoy and remember Miss Lucy by.
One of Webster's loviest southern ladies, Miss Lucy had
absolutely beautiful white hair which was always soft and clean
and neatly styled on top of her head. Generally dressed in a
clean pressed cotton dress, she spent the summer working in her
yard, walking up and down the street chatting with her neighbors,
and visiting both the Methodist and Baptist churches; by
the time she became a familiar sight in the village, she was gone
again for the winter.
Even though Miss Lucy never married or had children of her
own, upon reflection, I realize that young people really played a
major part in her life. At Crossnore or in Webster, she seemed to
relate to youngsters. I can recall my sister, Joyce, telling how as
she was growing up, Miss Lucy was their scout leader. She tOOk
them on camping, swimming, and hiking excursions and apparently
enjoyed working with them. As I was growing up, she 'was
older, and I'm not so sure my generation was such a joy to her! I
recall once Nell (Enslh Bryson) and I were lucky enough to
persuade her to let us play in the little "house" attached to her
garage. We had a ball that morning because the place was like a
real kitchen, with cooking utensils, flour , and everything. Well,
neediess to say, when Miss Lucy checked on us only to find both
us and the whole room snow white with flour from the cake we
we re in the process or ba king. She wasn 't very happy! For some
reason, she never did let up play there again; we just had to be
content trying to P"!!P through the window to see the room that
for one day had allowed us to be "ladies of the house."
To me, the Grove and "Big Lot" are synonymous with Miss
Lucy. She was the proprietor of both, and each of them offered
very special childhood environments for us youngsters. The
Grove was a wonderland all its own : cool, private, and intriguing.
We could play in the tall deep pines, and sit on the cool green
moss, with our childish imaginations taking care of the rest, unbeknown
to anyone, and no one (not even Miss Lucy) seemed to
object. Now, the Big Lot was another matter. It was a perfect
place (in fact, the only place other than the school playground)
for Webster youth to gather and play hall. Our chances of using
the Big Lot undisturbed for our ball games obviously were much
better when Miss Lucy was away! Being a partic.ular yard lady,
she didn't exactly appreciate her nice green grass being
s tomped out by dozens of active running and sliding feet.
Miss Lucy doesn't return to Webster anymore now, even in the
summers, and I'm sure her familiar presence is missed by the
rema ining neighbors who knew her so we ll. The beautiful old
house is still there, tall and distinguished from recent renovation
by its new owner, but the present generation of young folks
will miss the opportunity to wander through the house with
imaginations of yesteryear and to scrub the hardwood floors
with a little white headed lady as their overseer. Too bad, for
while they might have been a little awed by Miss Lucy, they
would have liked and admired her as alt other generations of
Webster youth did.
Page 4, HISTORIC WEBSTER, Winter, 1981
Making the Mountains of North Carolina Home
Webster Becomes Home
By Arnold R. Denker!
It all began while reading an
advertisement in our local
Florida newspaper describing
a vacation lodge in the mountains
of Western North Carolina.
The lodge was owned by
Mr. Ward of Wards' Cabins
located on the Tuckasegee
River near Dillsboro.
A telephone call to Mr. Ward
secrued the lodge for the first
week of August 1970 and we
could now show our five
grandchildren, who had never
been outside Florida, and who
had never seen a hill, much
less a mountain, the Great
Smoky Mountains!
The five grandchildren,
three boys and two girls, at
that time ranging in ages from
seven to fifteen years, were
greatly excited and their
minds were filled with
thoughts and dreams of expectation,
as their parents
gave their consents for the trip
and all proceeded to make
preparations for the motor
trip to the far away state of
North Carolina.
The trip was estimated as
about eight hundred miles,
and would involve two days of
travel time.
Our daughter, Jane joined
the party at Atlanta and soon
we entered the Great Smoky
Mountain State. A beautiful
sign at the border, just beyond
Clayton, · Georgia, bids us
"Welcome" . . and from there
a detailed hand drawn map by
Mr. Ward directed us to our
lodge.
Then followed a busy week
of sight seeing, picnicing, wading
the Tuckasegee, trying
out Sliding Rock, exploring
the Blue Ridge Parkway and
Water Rock Knob, and hiking.
This then was our introduction
to North Carolina and
having fallen in love with our
surroundings, we returned the
following year for the entire
month of August, and again
the third and the fourth year.
We decided that we should
spend the entire summer in
North Carolina and we purchased
a lot and built our
home across the street from
the old elementary school.
Thus was our second home
established in the quiet and
picturesque setting of historic
Webster, Jackson County.
Since this time we have
acquired some acreage nearby,
where we are presently
growing several thousand pine
trees, some of which are no~
five years old, and which we
shall market this fall for landscaping
purposes and for
Christmas trees.
Our garden plot is also
flourishing and helps to keep
our freezer and our pantry
filled with all sorts of vegetables,
both fresh and canned;
we also have strawberries,
grapes and blackberries
which we convert into jams
and jellies for our sweet teeth.
We have but one peach tree
and last year it was loaded
with the most delicious large
Maxine and Arnold Denkert show their daughter J ane Fohl
<center ) of Gaither sburg. Mar yland, the beapty of their new
homeland .
fruit that we were able to
supply the entire neighborhood.
Besides a house and garden
plot on our lot, we have two
other houses-actually they
are small apartments, consisting
of twelve compartments
each. And who do you think
occupies them? Why- Purple
Martins, of course! They keep
us entertained from March
until August each year, as well
as keep our yard and garden
free of flys, mosquitos, and
other flying insects.
Now this August 198 1 is the
eleventh anniversary of our
first visit to this s ta te. We love
our home and We bst er and the
many friendly, neighborly,
and helpful people. We shall
forgo naming them for fear of
overlooking someone, and besides
the list would be too long
for this column. Suffice to say,
we love them all and wish all
much joy, health, prosperity
and happiness.
In conclusion, may we add
the words of a church choir
anthem:
"Purge, from our hearts all
bitter thoughts of hatred.
Clense, Thou our minds
from every stain of sin.
That we may live ·in brotherly
affection, worthy to
have Thy Spirit dwell within."
Webster Historical Society
officers for 1981-1982 are:
MOdred Cowan, President
Box 186
Webster, NC 28788
Dale Coward, Vice President
Norton Road
Cashiers. NC 28717
Mary Morris, Secretary
Box 3
Webster, NC 28788
Jim Simpson, Treasurer
Box 126
Webster, NC 28788
Kate Rhinehart, Membership
Court House Square
Webster, NC 28788
Joe P . RhiDehart, Editor
1325 13th Street, NW No. 60Z
Washington, DC 20005
The officers would be glad to
hear from the society members
and the editor of Historic
Webster would be pleased to
receive manuscripts, photographs,
and story suggestions
for future editions of the
newspaper. When correspOnding
with the society, it would
be helpful if members would
identify themselves with their
relationship to Webster.
~/'. HISTORIC~
WEB8TE:R
Winter . 1981
Editor:
••• , }.. .. , ., ..• , 'I "' · ...
We bs ter. North Ca rolina 28788
Joe P . Rhinehart
Co n~ributor s: J anice Monteith Blanton . Arnold Denkert. J en·
ny Hunter. Anne McFadden. J ohn McFadden. J r .. Florencf'
S. Rhinehart
Published qua rterly by the Webster Historical Society and
printed by the Herald Publishing Company, Sylva, North
Carolina
Erasmian Pedagogy from Pearl to The Governness: Literary Learning Spaces and Models for Virtuous Behavior
No full textThis dissertation argues that English literature -- from the late medieval Pearl manuscript to the canonical Protestant texts of the seventeenth century and into the rise of the novel in the eighteenth century – often used scenes staging the moral improvement of characters within a text to educate the readers of the text. I explore how literature becomes, in effect, a sort of conduct manual for the readers, inasmuch as it strove to inculcate various forms of virtue – including table manners, bodily cleanliness, and freedom from sin – within the reading subject. Furthermore, the dissertation argues that the lessons within a text are often created in the story’s plot, and that these lessons are often not limited to the immediate readers but are intended for generations of future readers to come. This generational impact is an important discovery this dissertation makes, since the pre-modern period is inundated with conduct manuals for princes, housewives, gentlemen, and children, and didactic texts appear everywhere. One particular work was Erasmus’s conduct manual, De Civilitate Morum Puerilium Libellus (“A Handbook on Good Manners for Children”) which was written to a particular prince but also for other children, who might seek to be like him. Erasmus’s conduct manual is a central concern for this dissertation because Erasmus was one of the first humanists to interrogate the nature between reading and virtue, and to show how a child might read and improve himself or herself through an alignment with humanistic priorities – such as private reading, knowledge of genres, and mastery of rhetorical styles.
I argue that the conduct manual Erasmus wrote became, in effect, a classroom where a child could read the text and then learn how to behave appropriately via the text’s guidelines. This conduct manual was published in the mid-sixteenth century, but Erasmus’s legacy endured far longer. In the major publications which followed, we can discern that authors applied this very technique, whereby reading the text became a means of self-correcting. This could occur whether the text was explicitly conduct-related or not. Consequently, I suggest that the conduct manual genre offers scholars a new way of understanding literature in this period. There is a direct address from the author to the reader – in the form of conduct advice – that has never been fully excavated, and which my project hopes to consider in full.
Using this relationship between author and reader as a measurable display of the text’s moral effectiveness, I argue that we can consider “generational readings” as a map of the literature’s moral and pedagogic aims – both for the author’s own generation of readers and for subsequent generations. Each author I discuss depicts reading – specifically, reading for the purpose of obtaining virtue – as a generational process, much as, for instance, when in Paradise Lost, God the Father conveys information to the angels, and they then later teach Adam. Such models of generational reading are completely indebted to conduct literature, I suggest, which centered on the notion that instruction of all different sorts could be handed down from one age to the next. Ultimately, then, this dissertation argues for considering reading and conduct in the early periods as a generational – rather than an individual – experience, in which authors were instilling literature with information about morality and the body that could be shared for decades, or even centuries, to come
Application of Ce for scavenging Cu impurities in A356 Al alloys
No full textSecondary (recycled) Al is increasingly used in castings due to its lower cost and carbon footprint relative to primary Al. However, the presence of certain impurity elements in secondary Al degrades its properties, often requiring dilution or downgrading. Scavenging impurities with reactive alloying additions can limit impurity impact and broaden the use of secondary Al. This report will detail the initial results of using Ce to microstructurally tie up Cu impurities present in a model secondary Al alloy (A356) with high Cu impurity. The results show that targeted Ce additions to A356 can be used to scavenge Cu impurities by forming complex intermetallics and inhibit intergranular corrosion susceptibility associated with Cu impurities.This article is published as Sims, Zachary C., Hunter B. Henderson, Michael J. Thompson, Rakesh P. Chaudhary, Joshua A. Hammons, Jan Ilavsky, David Weiss, Kevin Anderson, Ryan Ott, and Orlando Rios. "Application of Ce for scavenging Cu impurities in A356 Al alloys." European Journal of Materials 1, no. 1 (2022): 3-18.
DOI: 10.1080/26889277.2021.1974801.
Copyright 2021 The Author(s).
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
DOE Contract Number(s): AC02-07CH11358; AC52-07NA27344; AC05-00OR22725.
Posted with permission
Folk Traditions in the Solo Piano Music of Geirr Tveitt
No full textabstract: Geirr Tveitt (1908-1981) was a central figure of the national movement in Norwegian cultural life during the 1930s. He studied composition with masters such as Arthur Honegger, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Nadia Boulanger, achieving international acclaim for many of his works. However, his native Norway was slow to follow this praise, as post-World War II intellectuals disregarded anything that resembled nationalism. Tveitt's music was considered obsolete. He became isolated and withdrawn and died in 1981 after a house fire destroyed the manuscripts of nearly three hundred opuses, leaving only a handful of works, some of which were not yet published. Tveitt was raised in a remote part of Norway where the folk tradition was strong. Because of his close ties with the Hardanger community, he was able to bring to light many undiscovered folk tunes and exceptional practices. Tveitt utilizes this first-hand knowledge in his works for solo piano, and successfully combines them with his roots in both Germanic and Nordic traditions, eventually becoming a well-known and respected composer to the Norwegian people. However, he remains virtually unknown to the rest of the world. All of his music was deeply influenced by folk traditions and instruments. Techniques such as planing, drones, modal scales and passages, ornamentation, and simple melodies are pervasive in each piece, and are often the building blocks of main themes and motives. Because of the ambiguity of the status of many works, this paper examines only his published works for solo piano. Discussions of each piece will focus on folk influences within each work, including basic form, texture, and pianistic concerns.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Performance 201
Investigating the Role of DIS3L2 in Perlman Syndrome and Wilms Tumor
No full textThe general metadata -- e.g., title, author, abstract, subject headings, etc. -- is publicly available, but access to the submitted files is restricted to UT Southwestern campus access and/or authorized UT Southwestern users.Wilms tumor, while the most common pediatric kidney tumor, has a poorly understood etiology. Several recent studies have uncovered a role for loss of let-7 in its pathogenesis. One crucial mechanism through which let-7 expression is controlled is via the activity of the RNA-binding protein LIN28, which binds the precursor of let-7 and mediates the addition of a series of uridines to the 3′ end. This oligouridylation marks pre-let-7 for degradation by the exoribonuclease DIS3L2. Loss-of-function mutations in DIS3L2 lead to the Perlman congenital overgrowth syndrome, characterized by high neonatal mortality and, interestingly, a strong predisposition to Wilms tumor. Furthermore, DIS3L2 has been found to be deleted or mutated in some cases of sporadic Wilms tumor. The importance of let-7 in Wilms tumorigenesis and a purported role for DIS3L2 in the LIN28-let-7 pathway have led to speculation that aberrant let-7 expression underlies Wilms tumor susceptibility in DIS3L2-deficient contexts.
It is still unclear, though, how loss of DIS3L2 could lead to altered let-7 levels, as the uridylated pre-let-7 species that DIS3L2 degrades is believed to be a dead-end product that cannot be further processed by DICER into mature let-7. Thus far, regulation of mature let-7 levels by DIS3L2 has only been examined in a limited number of cell lines. To determine whether DIS3L2 regulation of let-7 differs in a broader set of cell types, we used genome-editing to knockout DIS3L2 in a wide-ranging panel of cell lines with differing levels of LIN28 expression. Consistent with prior reports, loss of DIS3L2 had no effect on mature let-7 expression in these cell lines.
However, it remained possible that the regulation of let-7 by DIS3L2 differed in cell populations relevant to Wilms tumor pathogenesis in vivo. Thus, to examine DIS3L2 function in these contexts, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to generate mouse lines harboring either Dis3l2-null alleles or mutations commonly observed in Perlman syndrome. Interestingly, Dis3l2 mutants recapitulated some aspects of Perlman syndrome, including neonatal mortality and genitourinary abnormalities, but not overgrowth or Wilms tumor. Moreover, the phenotype that results from the most common Perlman mutation is the same as that seen in the Dis3l2 loss-of-function mouse model, suggesting that the DIS3L2 mutations reported in Perlman syndrome are indeed loss-of-function.
Finally, we examined the molecular function of DIS3L2 in isolated primary nephron progenitor cells (NPCs), a likely cell of origin of Wilms tumors, from Dis3l2-null and wild-type embryos. Consistent with our findings in the cell lines, loss of DIS3L2 in NPCs does not affect let-7 expression or activity, yet leads to upregulation of Igf2, which is reported to be overexpressed in 70-80% of Wilms tumors. Therefore, Igf2 poses an attractive candidate for both overgrowth and oncogenesis associated with DIS3L2 loss
Overlapping montage: a comparative study of mainstream film and moving-image installations
No full textThis dissertation develops a discussion on the need for a comparative approach to the study of film and moving- image installations. It addresses the lack of critical attention given to moving-image installations within film studies generally and academic teaching programmes in particular. The development of a comparative approach requires researching a number of interlinking and independent fields of study such as film studies, art history/criticism, photography, literary theory, critical theory, anthropology and philosophy. While arguing against traditional disciplinary boundaries, the discussion critiques the accepted articulations of current interdisciplinary approaches.
The dissertation discusses how an expanded field of comparative film studies needs to concern itself with both diachronic and synchronic axes, requiring a longer historical framework to analyse shifts in technologies of representation and related theories of subjectivity within particular capitalist formations. It is argued that this type of comparative model elaborates a more critically productive and conceptually expansive discussion of cultural products, whether they are mainstream film or moving-image installations. As such it aligns itself with an awareness of the political importance of history, memory and personal experience.
The theoretical ground for a comparative approach is developed through exploring montage and fragmentation. While articulating the significance of theories of fragmentation to discussions of modernity and modernism, the thesis foregrounds the significance of understanding all cultural production as ‘montages’ - as elaborations of a number of competing discourses, both when they are made and when they are read. A reconceptualization of montage as a dominant component in cultural meaning making moves away from montage as an aesthetics of form. Rather than understanding film and moving-image installations as rigidly delineated objects, they are explored through hybridity and overlap, for example through the multiple scopic regimes, which shape and form them. In this enterprise, the significance of an anthropological materialist’ approach to cinema and moving-image installations is articulated as a means of developing a critical cognitive engagement with our varied cultural and ever changing social environment
Challenging Male Hegemony: A Case History of Women's Experiences in British and US Higher Education, 1970-2002
No full textThis thesis is located within the discipline of history, and centres around the
experiences of women in US and British universities. Higher education in both the US and
the UK, as throughout the world, has historically been male-led and male-controlled. This
male hegemony of higher education continues to the present, as evidenced by the low
percentage of women in the upper echelons of academia (for example, professors).
Women in the US and the UK have been challenging this male hegemony since their
admittance to higher education institutions in the nineteenth century. They faced fierce
opposition in their efforts to open higher education to women. This opposition was later
echoed in the resistance to twentieth-century feminists' efforts to found women's studies
programmes.
The male hegemony of higher education is evident in the case histories of the
experiences of women at Appalachian State University (ASU) and the University of
Gloucestershire (UG) in the latter part of the twentieth century. ASU and UG, although
located in different countries, have similarities which make a comparison interesting. The
male hegemony of the institutions, and women's challenges to it, is especially illustrated
when analysing three areas: residence hall life (living), staff issues (working), and the
women's studies programmes (teaching and learning).
Women students at both institutions experienced, and successfully challenged,
strict residence rules through the 1960s. National influences, such as the change in the age
of majority, and pressure from the students themselves brought a loosening of these rules
in the 1970s and 1980s. The conservative nature of the institutions also influenced the
experience of women academic staff. Institutional management was not proactive
regarding women's issues, and there is strong evidence of a `glass ceiling' at both
institutions. The male hegemony of the institutions was also illustrated in the struggle to
found and maintain women's studies programmes
Angiotensin II induces soluble fms-Like tyrosine kinase-1 release via calcineurin signaling pathway in pregnancy
No full textMaternal endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia is associated with increased soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), a circulating antagonist of vascular endothelial growth factor and placental growth factor. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a potent vasoconstrictor that increases concomitant with sFlt-1 during pregnancy. Therefore, we speculated that Ang II may promote the expression of sFlt-1 in pregnancy. Here we report that infusion of Ang II significantly increases circulating levels of sFlt-1 in pregnant mice, thereby demonstrating that Ang II is a regulator of sFlt-1 secretion in vivo. Furthermore, Ang II stimulated sFlt-1 production in a dose- and time-dependent manner from human villous explants and cultured trophoblasts but not from endothelial cells, suggesting that trophoblasts are the primary source of sFlt-1 during pregnancy. As expected, Ang II-induced sFlt-1 secretion resulted in the inhibition of endothelial cell migration and in vitro tube formation. In vitro and in vivo studies with losartan, small interfering RNA specific for calcineurin and FK506 demonstrated that Ang II-mediated sFlt-1 release was via Ang II type 1 receptor activation and calcineurin signaling, respectively. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized regulatory role for Ang II on sFlt-1 expression in murine and human pregnancy and suggest that elevated sFlt-1 levels in preeclampsia may be caused by a dysregulation of the local renin/angiotensin system
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