Regulating desire : the nature of exhaustion in Ali Smith’s Hotel World and Ewan Morrison’s Tales from the Mall

This article offers an ecocritical analysis of Ali Smith’s Hotel World (2001) and Ewan Morrison’s Tales from the Mall (2012). Through a combination of the world-ecology paradigm, feminist approaches, and queer theory, I argue that these texts connect normative desires to capitalism’s “organization of nature.” The opening section of the article links Nancy Fraser’s work on social reproduction to Jason Moore’s argument that nature, in world-ecological terms, provides the “free gifts” (of work, energy, and even care) necessary for capitalist productivity. Morrison’s and Smith’s texts register this dynamic, positioning hierarchy, sexism, and the uneven experience of neoliberal violence in relation to enclosure, attacks on women, and environmental destruction. I detail how Hotel World binds suburban ecology to normative regulation, while Tales from the Mall connects land clearance to the geographical organization of class inequality. I then contend that the psychological and physical exhaustion of women in both works can be understood in relation to capitalism’s reduction of nature to an appropriable resource that provides comfort and pleasure for wealthy consumers. The article ends with an examination of how the texts reject liberal fantasies of benevolent capitalist globalization in the context of Scotland specifically, indicating the need for new narratives that challenge capitalism’s ecological regime

La contribution des enseignants du secondaire à l’enseignement supérieur en France:Effectifs, affectations, carrières (1984-2014)

La relation de complémentarité fonctionnelle entre les tâches d’enseignement et de recherche dans le travail académique varie beaucoup selon les pays. Les travaux sur le cas français suggèrent que l’organisation des corps d’enseignants-chercheurs et le système des carrières académiques n’ont pas connu d’évolution profonde depuis trois décennies. En analysant la composition des corps universitaires français et les séquences de leurs carrières, nous mettons en évidence le développement d’une catégorie de personnels trop négligée par la littérature : les enseignants du secondaire affectés dans le supérieur, qui composent un cinquième des effectifs titulaires universitaires. L’affectation de ces personnels exclusivement enseignants obéit à trois logiques distinctes : le soutien à l’enseignement dans les filières et les institutions à fort investissement pédagogique ; l’apport en personnel à des filières nouvelles ; la sélection probatoire pour l’accès à des postes d’enseignant-chercheur. Ces trois usages de l’affectation interviennent à des degrés variables dans les différentes filières disciplinaires et institutionnelles de l’enseignement supérieur français, selon que l’enseignement y est complémentaire ou exclusif de l’activité de recherche.Die Beziehung der funktionellen Komplementarität zwischen den Lehraufgaben und der Forschung in der akademischen Arbeit ist entsprechend den Ländern unterschiedlich. Die Arbeiten zum Falle Frankreich legen nahe, dass die Organisation der „Lehrer-Forscher“ Berufskräfte und das System der akademischen Laufbahnen in den letzten dreißig Jahren keine grundlegende Entwicklung zeigen. Durch die Untersuchung der Zusammensetzung des französischen akademischen Körpers und dessen Ablauf der Berufskarrieren unterstreichen wir die Entwicklung einer Personalkategorie, die von der Fachliteratur ungenügend behandelt wurde: das sind die Lehrkräfte der Sekundarstufe, die der Oberstufe zugewiesen werden und die ein Fünftel des Universitätspersonals darstellen. Die Einstellung dieser Lehrkräfte, die bisher ausschließlich Lehraufgaben zugewiesen waren, unterliegt drei verschiedenen Logiken: Unterstützung zu Lehraufgaben in den Studiengängen und Institutionen mit starkem pädagogischem Einschlag; Personalzuweisung für neue Studiengänge; Probeauswahl zur Einstellung von Lehrern mit Forschungsaufgaben. Diese drei üblichen Zuweisungen werden unterschiedlich in den verschiedenen Disziplinen des höheren Bildungswesens in Frankreich angewendet, angepasst an die komplementäre oder ausschließlich Forschungsaktivität.La relación de complementaridad funcional entre tareas de docencia y de investigación en la labor académica varía mucho según los países. Los trabajos sobre el caso francés sugieren que la organización de los cuerpos de docentes universitarios y el sistema de las carreras académicas no han conocido evoluciones fundamentales en las últimas tres décadas. Nuestro análisis de la composición de los cuerpos universitarios franceses y las secuencias de sus carreras evidencia el desarrollo de una categoría de personal que la literatura ha dejado de lado: los profesores de secundaria destinados en la enseñanza universitaria, que representan la quinta parte de los efectivos de docentes universitarios. El destino de estas personas que sólo ejercen la docencia responde a tres lógicas distintas: el refuerzo de la docencia en carreras académicas e instituciones que requieren un fuerte compromiso pedagógico; la necesidad de docentes para desarrollar carreras académicas nuevas; una selección probatoria para acceder a puestos de profesor titular. Estos tres usos del destino intervienen en grado variable en las distintas carreras disciplinarias e institucionales de la enseñanza universitaria francesa, según si la docencia es complementaria o exclusiva de la actividad investigativa.The relationship of functional complementarity between teaching and research tasks in academic work varies greatly across countries. Work on the French case suggests that the organization of the categories of teaching and research staff and the system of academic careers has not changed dramatically in the last three decades. By analyzing the composition of the different groups of French academic personnel and the stages of their careers, we highlight the development of a category of staff neglected by the literature: those with secondary school teacher qualifications assigned to higher education, which make up a fifth of the university workforce. The assignment of staff with teaching-only status follows three distinct logics: to provide support for teaching in the fields and institutions with high educational investment; to supply personnel to new fields; and as part of the process of probationary selection for acceeding “teaching and research” positions. These three uses of assignment occur to varying extents in the various disciplinary and institutional fields of French higher education, depending on whether teaching is complementary to or exclusive of research work

Formations et identités professionnelles dans la fabrique de l’action publique : Quelle place pour le droit et les juristes ? Regards de politologues

Le présent article rend compte des travaux du Séminaire interdisciplinaire d’études juridiques (SIEJ) de l’Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles portant sur le thème « Quelle(s) formation(s) – et quelle(s) recherche(s) – pour quel(s) juriste(s) et pour quel droit ? ». Rédigée par des politologues, la contribution s’interroge sur l’évolution de la place des juristes dans la fabrique de l’action publique dans la Belgique contemporaine. Elle pose l’hypothèse d’une perte de monopole des juristes dans l’activité politique, et ce, tant dans les représentations (des professionnels de l’action publique) que dans la réalité (des profils de formation de ces mêmes professionnels). Elle esquisse deux lignes d’explication. La première, située dans du « temps court », renvoie à de « nouvelles » caractéristiques dans les pratiques de gouvernement qui impliquent de « nouvelles » fonctions et compétences. La seconde, située dans du « temps long », se réfère à un processus de déconnexion dans la relation mutuelle entre les praticiens du droit et le champ politique : relation au sein de laquelle le droit s’est constitué comme la « science de l’État »

The Effect of Embryonic Arsenic Exposure on the Sensorimotor Behavior of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio)

The goal of this study is to determine the effect of arsenic exposure on vision in zebrafish (Danio rerio). The optic system of D. rerio is ideal for examining visual defects. Their eyes are similar to eyes of humans and can therefore be useful models in studies of human eye disease. Their optic system functions similarly to humans, so it is beneficial to observe how zebrafish are affected by contaminants in the environment. Arsenic is ubiquitous in groundwater, due to its natural presence in bed rock, but is elevated by human activities. In order to see any immediate effects on vision by arsenic, a behavioral assay was used. Due to accumulation in eye tissues, we predict that visual acuity will decrease with increased exposure to arsenic. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0, 10, 50, and 500 parts per billion of arsenic. At five days post hatch, a striped, rotating cylindrical drum created a pattern designed to elicit the optomotor response in zebrafish. Time spent following and going against the striped pattern was calculated to determine if the optomotor response was evoked in the zebrafish. A positive value would indicate an optomotor response, and a negative value would indicate no response. The control group did not behave as expected, as they showed a negative value in response to the cylindrical drum. Statistical analyses revealed a batch effect in this data set, and the total distance travelled showed a significant difference in activity level between batch one and batches two and three. Batch one showed an unexpected positive trend in optomotor response with increased arsenic exposure, with 50 ppb arsenic treatment group following the rotational pattern of the striped drum for a longer amount of time relative to the control. Batches two and three showed no significant differences between arsenic treatments and the control group. Changes in experimental design may result in the expected control behavior, and further replication would be necessary to determine any effects of arsenic on vision in zebrafish

Religion and Development: a Case Study of the Role of Faith-Based Organisations in Poverty Reduction Strategy of Liberia (2008-2011)

This master thesis seeks to explore the role of Faith-Based Organisations in poverty reduction strategy in the Liberian society. In this study, the role of each Fait- Based Organization sampled is thoroughly investigated with the purpose of uncovering or revealing the role played during the poverty reduction programs and how those programs and or projects have varied over the period from 2008-2011. I also did an in-depth, and critical analysis of the role of Faith Based Organizations and their contributions to development in general and in particular to poverty reducing activities with the below main research question directing and guiding the entire study: What role did Faith-Based Organisations play during the Poverty Reduction Strategy of Liberia (2008-2011)? While exploring the role of Faith-Based Organisations in poverty reduction strategy of Liberia, I find it very useful to make use of the theories on the role of religion in development and the secularisation thesis, both speak to key and important aspects about the subject being discussed. The study reveals that, the role of Faith-Based Organisations was implicitly excluded from the poverty reduction strategy of Liberia. It would be logical to think that, this implicit exclusion as indicated in the findings might be based on the constitutional provision of the separation of state and religion. The study also indicated that on ground, the five sampled Faith Based Organisations contributed to the poverty reduction in two pillars namely; Infrastructure and basic social services and economic revitalization. In these pillars the Faith Based organisations emphasis on poverty reduction has been in the areas of Education, Health, Agriculture and Micro-finance. This study also explores the qualities Faith Based Organisations bring to development work or poverty reduction. As perceived by the informants, it was revealed that, Faith Based Organizations bring Trust and Transparency, FBOs understand and live in the culture of the people, FBOs Work with the Poorest at Grassroots in Liberia and FBOs are committed to service and have compassion. Furthermore, the study reveals that some Faith Based organisations are still teaching their faith to their beneficiaries

Coherent control using adaptive learning algorithms

We have constructed an automated learning apparatus to control quantum systems. By directing intense shaped ultrafast laser pulses into a variety of samples and using a measurement of the system as a feedback signal, we are able to reshape the laser pulses to direct the system into a desired state. The feedback signal is the input to an adaptive learning algorithm. This algorithm programs a computer-controlled, acousto-optic modulator pulse shaper. The learning algorithm generates new shaped laser pulses based on the success of previous pulses in achieving a predetermined goal.Comment: 19 pages (including 14 figures), REVTeX 3.1, updated conten

Dynamics of Internalization and Recycling of the Pro-Metastatic Membrane Type 4-Matrix Metalloproteinase (MT4-MMP) in Breast Cancer Cells

MT4-MMP (MMP17) is a glycosylphosphatidyl inositol (GPI)-anchored membrane-type MMP expressed on the cell surface of human breast cancer cells. In triple negative breast cancer cells, MT4-MMP promotes primary tumor growth and lung metastases. Although trafficking and internalization of the transmembrane MT1-MMP have been extensively investigated, little is known about the regulatory mechanisms of the GPI-anchored MT4-MMP. Here, we investigated the fate and cellular trafficking of MT4-MMP by analyzing its homophilic complex interactions, internalization and recycling dynamics compared to an inert form, MT4-MMP-E249A. Oligomeric and dimeric complexes were analyzed by co-transfection of cells with FLAG- or Myc-tagged MT4-MMP by reducing and non-reducing immunoblots and co-immunoprecipitation experiments. The trafficking of MT4-MMP was studied using an antibody feeding assay and confocal microscopy analysis or cell surface protein biotinylation and Western blot analysis. We demonstrate that MT4-MMP forms homophilic complexes at the cell surface, internalizes in early endosomes, and some of the enzyme is either auto-degraded or recycled to the cell surface. Our data indicate that MT4-MMP is internalized by the CLIC/GEEC pathway, a mechanism that differs from other MT-MMP members. Although MT4-MMP localizes with caveolin-1, MT4-MMP internalization was not affected by inhibitors of caveolin-1 or clathrin endocytosis pathways but was reduced by cdc42 or RhoA silencing with siRNA. We provide a new mechanistic insight into the regulatory mechanisms of MT4-MMP, which may have implications in the design of novel therapeutic strategies for metastatic breast cancer. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Men Don\u27t Talk : Examining the Dynamics of Men\u27s Co-resident Relationships in Assisted Living

Women outnumber men in assisted living (AL). This gender imbalance promotes the feminization of AL settings and affects men’s social experiences, particularly their co-resident relationships. AL research connects peer relationships to resident well-being and suggests gender that influences co-resident interactions. Yet, few studies have specifically examined men’s social experiences in AL. This analysis aimed to: (1) learn how men experience co-resident relationships in AL; and (2) identify the factors shaping these peer relationships. The analysis utilized qualitative data collected from two AL settings. Data collection involved participant observation and informal and formal in-depth interviews. Analysis was informed by principles of Grounded Theory Method and shows high variability in men’s co-resident connections. A range of individual- and facility-level factors promoted or constrained relationship development. Gender remains pivotal in structuring men’s social engagements. Individual- and facility-level factors often intersected with gender and influenced men’s social lives. Ultimately, co-resident relationships are consequential for men in AL

Communities Take Control of Crime: Incorporating the Conference Model into the United States Juvenile Justice System

Juvenile crime is one of the preeminent concerns of many Western societies today, yet the current retributive styles of justice that purport to get tough on youth crime have not been effective. In defiance of the get tough rhetoric, and despite the lack of meaningful legislative recognition, communities are adjudicating juvenile cases through alternative programs based on the Restorative Justice theory. Because of the promising effects of Restorative Justice on youth crime, New Zealand and Australia have taken the bold step of restructuring their juvenile justice systems via landmark legislation that incorporates an innovative conferencing model. The model is a facilitated mediation in which offenders, victims, families, and community members participate in the resolution of the crime. The United States should follow suit by adopting the elements of the New Zealand and Australian statutes to incorporate conferencing into its juvenile justice system

Silicon Fertilization in Rice and Wheat: Dynamics with Trace Elements and Effect of Silicate Slag Granular Size on the Release Pattern of Monosilicic Acid in Soil

Studies were conducted to evaluate the impact of silicon (Si) fertilization on the uptake of harmful trace elements in Louisiana rice production system, and document the effect of silicate slag granular size on its ability to supply Si in wheat. The influence of silicate slag and lime on the uptake and translocation of harmful trace elements in rice grain was determined. Results showed that both slag and lime had similar effects on pH at five of the nine sites investigated. Soil Si was significantly (P \u3c0.001) increased with application of silicate slag at all sites. Lime and silicate slag had no effect on the concentration of trace elements in soil. However, increasing Si rates were negatively correlated with arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) concentration in rice grain. The release pattern of monosilicic acid (H4SiO4) from wollastonite and silicate slag was compared in a wheat greenhouse study. Maximum release of Si from these materials were observed within the first 30 days after application and thereafter remained steady until 120 day after treatment application when a decline in soil Si became evident. Silicon extracted from soils treated with fine and ungraded silicate slag showed the greatest increases in soil Si when compared to wollastonite and the coarse and pellet slag materials. Wheat Si uptake was also higher for the fine silicate slag followed by ungraded silicate slag and wollastonite. But wheat yields were higher in the wollastonite treatments compared to silicate slag treatments. Among the different granular sizes of silicate slag, fine and ungraded materials resulted in higher wheat grain yield than coarse and pellet. In a field study, different granular sizes of silicate slag were applied at increasing rates to establish optimum Si application rate for wheat in Louisiana. The application of 1.8 and 3.6 Mg ha-1 of fine material was sufficient to increase wheat grain yield in three out of four sites studied. It is likely that application of Si in Louisiana agriculture has the potential to improve rice grain safety, by x limiting uptake of harmful trace elements and also improve grain yield in wheat cultivated on Si deficient soils