23 research outputs found
The challenge of feminism in Kenya : towards an Afrocentric worldview
Get PDFThis study deals with African women's literature, and specifically creative writing by Kenyan women, in the context of feminism and Afrocentricity. In the words of Obioma Nnaemeka (1995) critics of African women's literature have tended to rename, misname or silence women's voices in an attempt to make them fit into a feminist! Afrocentricity either or mould. This thesis argues that when attention is paid to African women
themselves, and the cultures from which and within which they write, it is clear that they embrace both feminism and Afrocentricity. By feminism I refer to African women's vision and activism for sexual equality and women's liberation while by Afrocentricity I am thinking of their commitment and pride in their African cultures and
traditions.
The first chapter argues that Kenyan women, in pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial times, have been active and voiced in their stance against oppression of any kind. In the second chapter, I explore the relationship between feminism and Afrocentricity in a wider sense. I pay attention to the ways in which the two concepts have manifested themselves in Africa and her Diaspora as well as in the western world. In chapter three, domestic violence, rape, poverty, and a gender insensitive legal and judiciary
system are the dominant issues of concern to short stories writers from Kenya. In the fourth chapter, Ogot is seen as a liberal Afrocentric feminist in her call for African
women to create room for themselves within African systems of thought and practice. Chapter five, on Oludhe Macgoye, argues that to be Afrocentric is cultural rather than
racial. In Chapter six Rebeka Njau and Margaret Ogola are seen as Afrocentric while Tsitsi Dangarembga and Alice Walker are seen as Eurocentric. The thesis concludes that feminism in practice is not necessarily an occidental phenomenon. An African woman writer can be both feminist and Afrocentric
Genetic association study of QT interval highlights role for calcium signaling pathways in myocardial repolarization.
Get PDFThe QT interval, an electrocardiographic measure reflecting myocardial repolarization, is a heritable trait. QT prolongation is a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) and could indicate the presence of the potentially lethal mendelian long-QT syndrome (LQTS). Using a genome-wide association and replication study in up to 100,000 individuals, we identified 35 common variant loci associated with QT interval that collectively explain ∼8-10% of QT-interval variation and highlight the importance of calcium regulation in myocardial repolarization. Rare variant analysis of 6 new QT interval-associated loci in 298 unrelated probands with LQTS identified coding variants not found in controls but of uncertain causality and therefore requiring validation. Several newly identified loci encode proteins that physically interact with other recognized repolarization proteins. Our integration of common variant association, expression and orthogonal protein-protein interaction screens provides new insights into cardiac electrophysiology and identifies new candidate genes for ventricular arrhythmias, LQTS and SCD
Retradução comentada de Corinne ou l'Italie de Mme de Staël
Get PDFTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Estudos da Tradução, Florianópolis, 2014.Esta tese, vinculada à linha da "Teoria, crítica e história da tradução" objetiva a retradução comentada de Corinne ou l'Italie (1807) de Madame de Staël. No primeiro capítulo, descrevem-se a vida e as obras da autora, com ênfase para Corinne ou l'Italie, que foi traduzida e retraduzida em outras línguas, principalmente o inglês, italiano e alemão. Em seguida, no capítulo 2, apresenta-se a primeira tradução para o português do Brasil Corina ou a Itália (1945, Edições Cultura). Como terceira etapa, comenta-se a retradução com base nas reflexões teóricas de Berman, Pym, Venuti, Gambier. Apresentam-se exemplos dos aspectos semânticos, culturais, estilísticos presentes ao longo dos XX livros, a partir do original e da retradução. Os comentários do processo de tradução permitem uma frutífera troca literária e cultural e a tradução, o estudo e conhecimento da obra de Madame de Staël, por consequência, enriquecem o cânone da literatura francesa traduzida no Brasil.Abstract : This thesis, linked to the research field "Theory, criticism and history of translation" attempts to do a commented retranslation of Mme de Staël's Corinne ou l'Italie (1807). The first chapter describes the life and the works of the author, with emphasis on Corinne ou l'Italie, which was translated and retranslated into other languages, mainly English, Italian and German. In Chapter 2, the first translation of Corinne ou l'Italie into Brazilina Portuguese (1945, Cultura Printings) is presented. In chapter 3 the retranslation is analyzed through comments based on theoretical reflections of Berman, Pym, Venuti and Gambier. Examples of semantic, cultural and stylistics aspects of the XX books (original and retranslated version) are presented. The comments of the translation process allow a rich literary and cultural exchange. As well as a deeper investigation about Madame de Staël's work enriches the standard of French literature in Brazil
Meta-analyses identify 13 loci associated with age at menopause and highlight DNA repair and immune pathways
Get PDFTo newly identify loci for age at natural menopause, we carried out a meta-analysis of 22 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 38,968 women of European descent, with replication in up to 14,435 women. In addition to four known loci, we identified 13 loci newly associated with age at natural menopause (at P < 5 × 10(-8)). Candidate genes located at these newly associated loci include genes implicated in DNA repair (EXO1, HELQ, UIMC1, FAM175A, FANCI, TLK1, POLG and PRIM1) and immune function (IL11, NLRP11 and PRRC2A (also known as BAT2)). Gene-set enrichment pathway analyses using the full GWAS data set identified exoDNase, NF-κB signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction as biological processes related to timing of menopause
An exploration of the ethical implications of the digitisation and dissemination of Mātauranga Māori (with special reference to the Pei te Hurinui Jones Collection)
No full textAt the core of this thesis is the ethical implications involved in the digitising of Mātauranga Māori. It investigated how Kaupapa Māori theory can inform this process and how issues relating to access were considered. It is intended that this information should provide whānau, hapū, iwi and institutions with a solid foundation for the development of their own digital collections. The research reported here tracks the processes and procedures undertaken by a Research Team on a Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga research funded project that is being conducted to research and develop ethical processes for the digitisation of the manuscripts, works and collected taonga of one of Māoridom’s prominent scholars, the late Dr. Pei te Hurinui Jones.
The thesis begins with an outline of the scope of the research and the approaches and methods used (Chapter 1). This is followed by selected literature reviews on museums, libraries and archives and the influence of writing in the Aotearoa /New Zealand context (see Chapter 2), digitisation, digital libraries and Mātauranga Māori (see Chapter 3), and ethics, ethics in practice and Kaupapa Māori theory (see Chapter 4). Chapter 5 describes the Pei te Hurinui Jones’ collections, the processes that were undertaken during the initial negotiation stages, the development of tikanga in the archiving, cataloguing, physical layout and conservation of the collection and the drafting and development of the Deed of Gift under the principle of takoha. Chapter 6 discusses the research ethics approval process, the methodology applied, and the development and analysis of the thematic categories that emerged from the focus group discussion. A conceptual model of the digitisation process is then presented. Chapter 7 provides an overview of the research and a summary of the findings, together with an indication of its limitations, research contribution, and suggestions for future research
Katherine Drexel: Mystery, mission, spirituality and sainthood
Get PDFKatherine Drexel (1858-1955), the founder of the sisters of the blessed. Sacrament, was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000. This thesis analyzes Drexel’s life and virtues to establish why she became a saint. The examination of Drexel’s life begins in Chapter 2, which discloses the family life of a wealthy Philadelphia debutante, who, nonetheless, learned charity and philanthropy from her banker father and her religious mother. Following the deaths of her parents, Drexel wanted to enter a Catholic convent to spend her life in prayer and contemplation. Chapter 3 details the process of her vocational discernment that was carried out over several years in an epistolary argument with her spiritual director, Bishop O'Connor of Omaha. While he first believed that her vocation was to remain a single woman dedicated to serving the poor through judicial disbursement of her large inheritance, he later decided that she should found a new order of missionary nuns dedicated to the needs of the Native- Americans and African-Americans. Chapter 3 details the difficulties she encountered in the establishing of her new order at a time when the United States was racially divided by both law and custom. Drexel's order grew slowly in the face of open hostility towards her mission, including that of the Ku Klux Klan, and it then declined following the upheavals that came in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. Chapter 4 addresses the spirituality that sustained Drexel throughout her long life. Her deep spirituality was both kenotic and Eucharistie, and it allowed her to face daunting challenges in the mission field. Chapter 5 analyzes why the pope chose to canonize Drexel and entails a study of the process of saint-making as it evolved over the centuries
Patient-important outcomes in clinical trials of atopic diseases and asthma in the last decade: A systematic review
No full textBackground: Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) are important tools to establish the effects of a given intervention. Investigators should focus on outcomes that patients perceive: patient-important outcomes (PIOs), clinical endpoints that patients value directly and reflect how they feel, function, or survive. However, it is easier to consider surrogated outcomes to reduce costs and achieve better-looking results. The problem with these outcomes is that they indirectly measure PIOs, which might not correlate linearly or translate reliably into a positive PIO. Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE for atopic disease RCTs rated among the top 10 allergic diseases and general internal medicine journals from the last 10 years. Two independent reviewers worked in duplicate and independently to collect data from all eligible articles. We gathered information regarding the type of study, title, author information, journal, intervention type, atopic disease, and primary and secondary outcomes. We assessed the outcomes investigators used in RCTs of atopic diseases and asthma. Results: This quantitative analysis included n = 135 randomized clinical trials. The most studied atopic disease during the period selected was asthma (n = 69), followed by allergic rhinitis (n = 51). When divided by atopic disease, primary outcomes in RCTs valuing allergic rhinitis had the most significant proportion of PIOs (76.7), asthma surrogated outcomes (38), and asthma/allergic rhinitis laboratory outcomes (42.9). PIOs in allergic rhinitis trials had the most significant proportion of PIOs favoring the intervention (81.4), asthma had the greatest proportion of surrogated outcomes (33.3), and asthma/allergic rhinitis laboratory outcomes (40). When divided by atopic disease, trials studying atopic dermatitis and urticaria had the same proportion of PIOs (64.7) as their secondary outcomes. Asthma had the highest (37.5) surrogate outcomes. Journals of general/internal medicine had a greater proportion of PIOs, and a post hoc analysis showed a significant difference in the proportion and secondary outcomes that favored the intervention between PIOs and laboratory outcomes. Conclusion: Approximately 7.5 out of 10 primary outcomes in RCTs published in general/internal medicine are PIOs compared to 5 out of 10 primary outcomes in atopic disease journals. Investigators should focus on selecting patient-important outcomes in their clinical trials to establish clinical guidelines with better-quality recommendations that impact patients’ life and values. Registration: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, NIHR) ID: CRD42021259256
Society and the inquisition in Malta 1743-1798
Get PDFThe thesis falls into two main sections. It endeavours to analyse the major aspects of Maltese society in the second half of the eighteenth century as they emerge from a close scrutiny of the Archives of the Inquisition in Malta. The approach is mainly that of the ethnologist, a social history written 'from below'. The ultimate purpose was to try to arrive at as clear and accurate a picture of the Maltese mentalite as the archives permitted. Unfortunately, the Archives of the Inquisition in Malta have hardly ever been seriously studied by the social historian. Their richness and diversity not only cast enormous insight into the mental habits and frame of mind of a wide cross-section of Maltese society; they even shed sufficient light on a wide range of the social life of the Maltese. The subject is also approached from the point of view of the legal historian. The Inquisition was a Tribunal of Faith set up to stop the onslaught of Protestantism, as well as to reform the superstitious accretions to popular religion practised by the remaining part of the Catholic Church. The thesis examines the events leading to the charge and possibly arrest of the accused. Most of the reports were self-accusations and those arrested were taken into custody only after much deliberation. If the Inquisitors did make use of torture the accused was assisted by the defence counsel and produced his own witnesses. No instance of death sentences are encountered with in the second half of the eighteenth century and those found guilty were kindly dealt with, the Inquisitors being only after their conversion
"Monarchy as it should be"? : British perceptions of Poland-Lithuania in the long seventeenth century
No full textEarly modern Poland-Lithuania figured significantly in the political perceptions of Europeans in the long seventeenth century – not only due to its considerable size and enormous commercial and military resources, but also, and just as importantly, due to its exceptional religious and political situation. This interest in Poland-Lithuania was shared by many Britons. However, a detailed examination of how Britons perceived Poland-Lithuania at that time and how they treated Poland-Lithuania in their political debates has never been undertaken.
This thesis utilises a wide range of the previously neglected source material and considers the patterns of transmission of information to determine Britons’ awareness of Poland-Lithuania and their employment of the Polish-Lithuanian example in the British political discourse during the seventeenth century. It looks at a variety of geographical and historical information, English and Latin descriptions of Poland-Lithuania’s physical topography and boundaries, and its ethnic and cultural make-up presented in histories, atlases and maps, to establish what, where and who Poland-Lithuania was for Britons. Poland-Lithuania’s political framework, with its composite structure and unique relationship between the crown and nobility, elicited a spectrum of reactions, and so this thesis evaluates the role that both criticism and praise of Poland-Lithuania played in British constitutional debates.
Consequently, the study argues that Britons’ perceptions of Poland-Lithuania were characterised by great plasticity. It claims that Britons’ impressions of the country were shaped by multiple – real or imagined - borders, whether cultural, economic or political, but also that Britons were affected by the exposure to a uniform, idealised historiography of this country. Crucially, the thesis asserts that references to Poland-Lithuania constituted an ingenious ideological and polemical device that was eagerly used throughout the period by Britons of diverse political sympathies. Moreover, through the examination of the kingdom’s geopolitical role, particularly its fluctuating position as a “bulwark of Christendom”, side by side its engagement against Protestants, the thesis challenges the assumption that anti-Catholicism dominated seventeenth-century British perceptions of the world
Parent-of-origin-specific allelic associations among 106 genomic loci for age at menarche.
Get PDFAge at menarche is a marker of timing of puberty in females. It varies widely between individuals, is a heritable trait and is associated with risks for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and all-cause mortality. Studies of rare human disorders of puberty and animal models point to a complex hypothalamic-pituitary-hormonal regulation, but the mechanisms that determine pubertal timing and underlie its links to disease risk remain unclear. Here, using genome-wide and custom-genotyping arrays in up to 182,416 women of European descent from 57 studies, we found robust evidence (P < 5 × 10(-8)) for 123 signals at 106 genomic loci associated with age at menarche. Many loci were associated with other pubertal traits in both sexes, and there was substantial overlap with genes implicated in body mass index and various diseases, including rare disorders of puberty. Menarche signals were enriched in imprinted regions, with three loci (DLK1-WDR25, MKRN3-MAGEL2 and KCNK9) demonstrating parent-of-origin-specific associations concordant with known parental expression patterns. Pathway analyses implicated nuclear hormone receptors, particularly retinoic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid-B2 receptor signalling, among novel mechanisms that regulate pubertal timing in humans. Our findings suggest a genetic architecture involving at least hundreds of common variants in the coordinated timing of the pubertal transition
