The Ties That Bind: Women's Public Vision for Politics, Religion, and Civil Society

Based on a series of in-depth interviews with women involved in community activism around a variety of political, social, or civic causes. Determines what kinds of values and themes are central to their work and leadership

What do foreigners want? Evidence from targets in bank cross-border M&As

Given the recent traumatic events in the world’s banking industry it is important to understand what drives bankers to create larger and larger, often multinational, banking groups. In this paper we investigate whether the targets in cross-border bank M&As are materially different from those banks targeted in domestic M&A deals. To address this question we use a sample of over 24,000 banks from more than 100 countries. We begin by estimating the probability that a bank will be a M&A target; this probability is based upon both bank specific and country specific characteristics. The sample also naturally includes banks that were not involved in any M&A deal, this set of banks acts as a control sample for the study. We then estimate a multinomial model that distinguishes between (i) targets in domestic operations, (ii) targets in cross-border operations and (iii) non-targets. The main message of the paper is that, with few exceptions, domestic and foreign investors target similar banks. In particular, contrary to what one might expect, bank size does not affect differently the probability of being a domestic or a cross-border target, but it has a positive and highly significant effect in both cases. What differs between national and international M&As are the characteristics of the countries where banks operate. On average, banking systems characterized by lower leverage, higher cost inefficiency and lower liquidity are more likely to be targets of cross-border acquisitions, while none of this characteristics affects the likelihood of being acquired domestically.M&As, M&Asbank internationalisation

Phototrophic Fe(II) Oxidation Promotes Organic Carbon Acquisition by Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003

Anoxygenic phototrophic Fe(II) oxidation is usually considered to be a lithoautotrophic metabolism that contributes to primary production in Fe-based ecosystems. In this study, we employed Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003 as a model organism to test the hypothesis that phototrophic Fe(II) oxidation can be coupled to organic carbon acquisition. R. capsulatus SB1003 oxidized Fe(II) under anoxic conditions in a light-dependent manner, but failed to grow lithoautotrophically on soluble Fe(II). When provided with Fe(II)-citrate, however, growth was observed that was dependent upon microbially catalyzed Fe(II) oxidation, resulting in the formation of Fe(III)-citrate. Subsequent photochemical breakdown of Fe(III)-citrate yielded acetoacetic acid, that supported growth in the light but not the dark. Deletion of genes (RR00247-RR00248) that encode homologs of atoA and atoD, required for acetoacetic acid utilization, severely impaired the ability of R. capsulatus SB1003 to grow on Fe(II)-citrate. The growth yield achieved by R. capsulatus SB1003 in the presence of citrate cannot be explained by lithoautotrophic growth on Fe(II) enabled by indirect effects of the ligand (such as altering the thermodynamics of Fe(II) oxidation or preventing cell encrustation). Together, these results demonstrate that R. capsulatus SB1003 grows photoheterotrophically on Fe(II)-citrate. Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) also supported light-dependent growth on Fe(II), suggesting that Fe(II) oxidation may be a general mechanism whereby some Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria mine otherwise inaccessible organic carbon sources

DECOLONIZE YOUR MIND: A Critical Film Examination of Spoken Word Poetry in the Boulder/Denver Community

Decolonize Your Mind is a project that began in 2009 in Dr. Aldama’s Chicano Poetics class. The film documents the work of students and people within the Denver/Boulder poetry community. It explores the words of performers through visual and aural manipulation by digital mediums including music from the HipHop and Cumbia communities that include local artists from Denver, CO and Eugene, OR. The film follows a line, whose words speak of chaos, oppression, self-sacrifice and education. The film presents the poets of Denver’s Café Cultura as a progression from the campus to the community. The postproduction process was a key to the project because it guided me to editing. This honors project culminated my career at CU and serves as a bridge to careers outside of the academy as I graduate May 2011. Decolonize Your Mind is a critical recap and exploration of all I have retained from Ethnic Studies, Film Production Program of University of Colorado at Boulder community

Contraceptive use and sexual function: a comparison of Italian female medical students and women attending family planning services

Objectives: The aims of the study were to understand how education relates to contraceptive choice and how sexual function can vary in relation to the use of a contraceptive method. Methods: We surveyed female medical students and women attending a family planning service (FPS) in Italy. Participants completed an online questionnaire which asked for information on sociodemographics, lifestyle, sexuality and contraceptive use and also included items of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Results: The questionnaire was completed by 413 women (362 students and 51 women attending the FPS) between the ages of 18 and 30 years. FSFI scores revealed a lower risk of sexual dysfunction among women in the control group who did not use oral hormonal contraception. The differences in FSFI total scores between the two study groups, when subdivided by the primary contraceptive method used, was statistically significant (p < 0.005). Women using the vaginal ring had the lowest risk of sexual dysfunction, compared with all other women, and had a positive sexual function profile. In particular, the highest FSFI domain scores were lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction, also among the control group. Expensive contraception, such as long-acting reversible contraception, was not preferred by this young population, even though such methods are more contemporary and manageable. Compared with controls, students had lower compliance with contraception and a negative attitude towards voluntary termination of pregnancy. Conclusion: Despite their scientific knowledge, Italian female medical students were found to need sexual and contraceptive assistance. A woman's sexual function responds to her awareness of her body and varies in relation to how she is guided in her contraceptive choice. Contraceptive counselling is an excellent means to improve female sexuality

Knowledge frontiers and boundaries in entrepreneurship research

While the disruptive potential of knowledge has been receiving growing attention in small business economics and entrepreneurship research and application over the last decade, its boundaries and frontiers, including technological, spatial, institutional, cognitive, and cultural has not been fully explored. Here we present some reflections and a collection of papers on the role of knowledge investment across different cultural, institutional, geographical, and industrial contexts for this emerging area in entrepreneurship and management research. While being careful of the swift changes in knowledge creation, dissemination, and testing in a digital age, geography of knowledge diffusion, knowledge embeddedness into industries and places, skills, and strategies continue to change the way firms assimilate, absorb, create, and transfer knowledge. In this special issue, we extend our knowledge boundaries through knowledge collaboration theory, resource theory, open innovation theory, knowledge and creativity spillover of entrepreneurship theory, economic geography, and creative class and institutional theories. We give researchers and practitioners future directions for a very relevant and fast-growing area of entrepreneurship and small business research

Altered expression of caspases-4 and -5 during inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer : diagnostic and therapeutic potential

Caspases are a group of proteolytic enzymes involved in the co-ordination of cellular processes, including cellular homeostasis, inflammation and apoptosis. Altered activity of caspases, particularly caspase-1, has been implicated in the development of intestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the involvement of two related inflammatory caspase members, caspases-4 and -5, during intestinal homeostasis and disease has not yet been established. This study demonstrates that caspases-4 and -5 are involved in IBD-associated intestinal inflammation. Furthermore, we found a clear correlation between stromal caspase-4 and -5 expression levels, inflammation and disease activity in ulcerative colitis patients. Deregulated intestinal inflammation in IBD patients is associated with an increased risk of developing CRC. We found robust expression of caspases-4 and -5 within intestinal epithelial cells, exclusively within neoplastic tissue, of colorectal tumours. An examination of adjacent normal, inflamed and tumour tissue from patients with colitis-associated CRC confirmed that stromal expression of caspases-4 and -5 is increased in inflamed and dysplastic tissue, while epithelial expression is restricted to neoplastic tissue. In addition to identifying caspases-4 and -5 as potential targets for limiting intestinal inflammation, this study has identified epithelial-expressed caspases-4 and -5 as biomarkers with diagnostic and therapeutic potential in CRC

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 activation correlates with HER2 overexpression and mediates estrogen-dependent breast cancer cell growth.

Cytosolic phospholipase A(2)alpha (cPLA(2)alpha) catalyzes the hydrolysis of membrane glycerol-phospholipids to release arachidonic acid as the first step of the eicosanoid signaling pathway. This pathway contributes to proliferation in breast cancer, and numerous studies have demonstrated a crucial role of cyclooxygenase 2 and prostaglandin E(2) release in breast cancer progression. The role of cPLA(2)alpha activation is less clear, and we recently showed that 17beta-estradiol (E2) can rapidly activate cPLA(2)alpha in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Overexpression or gene amplification of HER2 is found in approximately 30% of breast cancer patients and correlates with a poor clinical outcome and resistance to endocrine therapy. This study reports the first evidence for a correlation between cPLA(2)alpha enzymatic activity and overexpression of the HER2 receptor. The activation of cPLA(2)alpha in response to E2 treatment was biphasic with the first phase dependent on trans-activation through the matrix metalloproteinase-dependent release of heparin-bound epidermal growth factor. EGFR/HER2 heterodimerization resulted in downstream signaling through the ERK1/2 cascade to promote cPLA(2)alpha phosphorylation at Ser505. There was a correlation between HER2 and cPLA(2)alpha expression in six breast cancer cell lines examined, and inhibition of HER2 activation or expression in the SKBR3 cell line using herceptin or HER2-specific small interfering RNA, respectively, resulted in decreased activation and expression of cPLA(2)alpha. Pharmacological blockade of cPLA(2)alpha using a specific antagonist suppressed the growth of both MCF-7 and SKBR3 cells by reducing E2-induced proliferation and by stimulating cellular apoptosis and necrosis. This study highlights cPLAalpha(2) as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in endocrine-dependent and endocrine-independent breast cancer

Building strategic resilience in food supply chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the concept of strategic business resilience in order to postulate innovative mechanisms to drive business performance in the food supply chain. Design/methodology/approach – The research included a literature review and the development of a resilience model that can be adopted in the food supply chain at both a strategic and an operational level. Findings – Conflicts of interest exist for organisations that are seeking to strategically and effectively manage the pluralistic nature of internal and external supply chain risks. The model derived in this research can be used in the food supply chain to drive supply chain agility, organisational stability and longevity, and as a result continuous improvement. Originality/value – This research is of academic value and of value to policy makers and practitioners in the food supply chai

The Deep South Network for Cancer Control

Alabama has a glorious history of strong women struggling to overcome obstacles, sometimes as movements but often in individual fights for dignity, autonomy, and survival. Imagine the strength and ingenuity it took— and takes—for a slave woman, a sharecropper, a battered wife, or a domestic worker to survive. Women in this state have also fought on behalf of others, through social movements such as the abolitionist, anti-lynching, trade unionist, prison reform, suffrage, anti-poll tax, literacy, and civil rights movements. More recently, such battles have focused on equal rights for women, protection from rape and domestic violence, child support, reproductive rights, child care, educational equity, and inheritance equity. Currently, attempts to improve the status of Alabama women are particularly focused on the continuing problems associated with poverty and relative powerlessness. Alabama organizations are examining poverty, the lack of women in decision-making positions, violence against women in the home and on the streets, and the poor health of women. So far, these contemporary efforts have at times been fragmented and lacked coordination. Now we have a guide. After these many years of struggle, The Status of Women in Alabama examines the progress that we have made and compares the position of Alabama’s women to that of women in the rest of the United States. Specifically, the report examines political, economic, social, and health measures. We can be proud of ou