Distinct Pacing Research Articles

The complications of long time treatment of insulin therapy in type-2 diabetes patients: A Review

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood sugar levels. It can also mean long-term problems with the metabolism of carbohydrates caused by insulin deficiency, which leads to hyperglycemia and glycosuria. Weight gain is a common side effect of insulin therapy and other oral antidiabetic medications for diabetic patients, which can hinder their ability to meet strict glycemic targets and potentially reduce treatment success. Insulin-related weight gain is attributed to anabolic effects, appetite increases, and reduced glycosuria. Insulin therapy has been linked to increased cardiovascular risk and mortality in type 2 diabetes patients, as well as inflammation, atherosclerosis, hypertension, dyslipidemia, heart failure, and arrhythmias. Large-scale evaluations suggest that insulin therapy has a poorer short- and long-term safety profile than other anti-T2D therapies. To treat diabetes, a variety of insulin formulations are available, each acting at a distinct pace. Whether they are long-acting, intermediate-acting, or rapid-acting, there are similar adverse effects to be mindful of. Weight gain, injection site responses, and hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) are common side effects of insulin. Lipodystrophy, or improper fat distribution, and limb edema are uncommon adverse effects of insulin. When it comes to insulin introduction, titration, and follow-up treatment, doctors can manage patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus more effectively by employing simple algorithms. Primary care doctors and other medical professionals can manage patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus more easily by using streamlined insulin introduction and titration protocols.

Identifying Origin of Nonpulmonary VeinTriggers Using 2 Stationary LinearDecapolar Catheters: A Novel Algorithm.

Targeting nonpulmonary vein triggers (NPVTs) of atrial fibrillation (AF) after pulmonary vein isolation can be challenging. NPVTs are often single ectopic beats with a surface P-wave obscured by a QRS or T-wave. The goal of this study was to construct an algorithm to regionalize the site of origin of NPVTs using only intracardiac bipolar electrograms from 2 linear decapolar catheters positioned in the posterolateral right atrium (along the crista terminalis with the distal bipole pair in the superior vena cava) and in the proximal coronary sinus (CS). After pulmonary vein isolation in 42 patients with AF, pacing from 15 typical anatomic NPVT sites was conducted. For each pacing site, the electrogram activation sequence was analyzed from the CS catheter (simultaneous/chevron/inverse chevron/distal-proximal/proximal-distal) and activation time (ie, CSCTAT) between the earliest electrograms from the 2 decapolar catheters was measured referencing the earliest CS electrogram; a negative CSCTAT value indicates the crista terminalis catheter electrogram was earlier, and a positive CSCTAT value indicates the CS catheter electrogram was earlier. A regionalization algorithm with high predictive value was defined and tested in a validation cohort with AF NPVTs localized with electroanatomic mapping. In the study patient cohort (71% male; 43% with persistent AF, 52% with left atrial dilation), the algorithm grouped with high precision (positive predictive value 81%-99%, specificity 94%-100%, and sensitivity 30%-94%) the 15 distinct pacing sites into 9 clinically useful regions. Algorithm testing in a 98 patient validation cohort showed predictive accuracy of 91%. An algorithm defined by the activation sequence and timing of electrograms from 2 linear multipolar catheters provided accurate regionalization of AF NPVTs to guide focused detailed mapping.

On the growth impact of different eco-innovation business strategies

The paper investigates whether standard innovation and different types of eco-innovation activities have different effects on firm employment growth. Heterogeneity in terms of growth effects is analyzed by considering how the influence of different innovation strategies varies across firms grouped by their pace of growth. Relying on a sample of 3000 Italian manufacturing firms observed between 2012 and 2016, we find that innovative companies tend to grow faster than their non-innovative counterparts. However, when distinct paces of growth are taken into account, the employment growth impact of innovation will depend on the specific types of innovation strategies pursued by companies. In particular, more complex eco-innovation activities have no impact on employment growth for high-growth firms. This finding suggests that, on average, high-growth firms tend to be too small and too young to be able to expand through more complex EI strategies which, to be handled, require a wide range of cognitive, technological, and financial capabilities.

And yet, migration, population growth or mortality are not balanced among Cantabrian brown bear subpopulations. Reply to Blanco et al (2020).

In a recent paper, we presented new evidence and provided new insights on the status of Cantabrian brown bear subpopulations, relevant for this species conservation. Namely, we revealed the likely phylogeographic relation between eastern Cantabrian subpopulation and the historical Pyrenean population. We have also detected an asymmetric flow of alleles and individuals from the eastern to the western subpopulation, including seven first-generation male migrants. Based on our results and on those of previous studies, we called the attention to the fact that Eastern Cantabrian brown bears might be taking advantage of increased connectivity to avoid higher human pressure and direct persecution in the areas occupied by the eastern Cantabrian subpopulation. In reply, Blanco et al (2020) [11] have criticized our ecological interpretation of the data presented in our paper. Namely, Blanco and co-authors criticize: (1) the use of the exodus concept in the title and discussion of the paper; (2) the apparent contradiction with source-sink theory; (3) the apparent overlooking of historical demographic data on Cantabrian brown bear and the use of the expression of population decline when referring to eastern subpopulation. Rather than contradicting the long and growing body of knowledge on the two brown bear subpopulations, the results presented in our paper allow a new perspective on the causes of the distinct pace of population growth of the two brown bear subpopulations in the last decades. Here, we reply to the criticisms by: clarifying our ecological interpretation of the results; refocusing the discussion on how the new genetic data suggest that currently, the flow of individuals and alleles is stronger westward, and how it may be linked to direct persecution and killing of brown bears. We provide detailed data on brown bear mortality in the Cantabrian Mountains and show that neither migration, gene flow, population increase nor mortality are balanced among the two subpopulations.

Distinct pacing profiles result in similar perceptual responses and neuromuscular fatigue development: Why different “roads” finish at the same line?

ABSTRACT The current study analysed the effect of distinct pacing profiles (i.e. U, J, and inverted J) in the perceptual responses and neuromuscular fatigue (NMF) development following a 4-km cycling time trial (TT). Twenty-one cyclists with similar training status were allocated into three different groups based on their pacing profile spontaneously adopted during TT. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE), oxygen uptake (⩒O2) and heart rate (HR) were continuously recorded. NMF was assessed by using isometric maximal voluntary contractions (IMVC), while the central [i.e. voluntary activation (VA)] and peripheral fatigue of knee extensors [i.e. peak torque of potentiated twitches (TwPt)] were evaluated using electrically evoked contractions performed pre and 2 min after the TT. TT performance was not different amongst pacing profiles (U = 377 ± 20 s; J = 392 ± 23 s; J-i = 381 ± 20 s) (all P > 0.05). RPE, ⩒O2 and HR increased similarly throughout the TT regardless the pacing strategy (all P > 0.05). Similarly, IMVC (U = −9.9 ± 8.8; J = −9.6 ± 4.5%; J-i = −13.8 ± 11.3%), VA (U = −2.3 ± 1.7%; J = −5.4 ± 2.2%; J-i = −6.4 ± 4.5%) and TwPt (U = −32.5 ± 12.0%; J = −29.5 ± 8.0%; J-i = −33.6 ± 13.6%) were similar amongst pacing profiles (all P > 0.05). Therefore, endurance athletes with similar training status showed the same perceived responses and NMF development regardless the pacing profile spontaneously adopted. It was suggested that these responses occurred in order to preserve a similar rate of change in systemic responses (i.e. RPE, ⩒O2 and HR) and NMF development, ultimately resulting in same TT performance. Highlights Different pacing profiles resulted in the same performance in a 4-km cycling time trial. The similar performance might be due to achievement of the same sensory tolerance limit. There was no difference for perceptual, metabolic and neuromuscular fatigue responses.

Student-generated learning objectives and curricular innovation

Introduction
 Recent focus from accrediting bodies emphasizes learning objectives as a means of mapping and standardizing content coverage. While most educational training centers on faculty-derived learning objectives that are geared towards didactic lectures, student-centered teaching modalities like problem-based learning continue to gain popularity. One opportunity is the integration of student-generated learning goals in curriculum development. The educational philosophy at the Penn State College of Medicine University Park Regional Campus centers on discussion-based Inquiry Groups that focus on students’ experiential case learning which leads to student-generated learning objectives. This study examined a student-centered approach to learning objectives.
 Methods
 Our quantitative analysis explored student-generated learning objectives during the first-year curriculum. Primary outcome measures included process variables investigating the growth and change of objectives across the year that include Bloom’s taxonomy-based verb scores, verb numbers per session, and learning objective word lengths. Knowledge-based content coverage variables were compared with existing curricular models.
 Results
 Student-derived learning objectives changed substantially over the year. Taxonomy scores decreased while the learning objective verb number, word length, and calculated value per session increased significant. Content and comparator analyses showed that coverage and verb quality met or exceeded existing curricular models.
 Discussion
 Student-generated learning objectives are not only plausible and achievable, they also provide distinct pacing and engagement benefits. Our findings serve as a model for student-centered educational innovations.

Wasting effort or wasting time? A longitudinal study of pacing styles as a predictor of academic performance

Students' time and effort investments are a critical predictor of academic performance. However, little is known about how effort distribution in exam preparation affects exam performance. In a five-wave longitudinal field study, we investigated how students' pacing styles (i.e., the allocation of effort over time during exam preparation) relate to the effectiveness and efficiency of performance. We also examined whether behaviour-focused self-leadership strategies predict students' pacing styles. Nonlinear latent class growth analyses revealed four distinct pacing style patterns that correspond to those found in organizational contexts: effort investment is allocated towards the deadline (45.1%), steady (35.0%), inverted U-shaped (10.7%) and U-shaped (9.0%). Behaviour-oriented self-leadership strategies predicted these patterns of effort investment. Pacing styles were equally effective, but students with a deadline action pacing style showed significantly higher efficiency compared to their counterparts. This research adds essential insight into the antecedents and consequences of pacing styles in an academic context and confirms its relevance for understanding academic achievement.

Construction and dissemination of information veracity on French social media during crises: Comparison of Twitter and Wikipedia

AbstractIn the crisis management literature information shared on social media during a crisis is relevant both to emergency agencies, when it establishes a more accurate situational awareness, and to citizens, when it enables a collective and coherent approach to the event (e.g. Stieglitz, Bunker, Mirbabaie & Ehnis, 2018, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 26(1), 4). Social media is, however, also considered as a place where “noise” and fake news can be dispensed (e.g., Alexander, 2014, Science and Engineering Ethics, 20(3), 717; Starbird, 2017, https://www.aaai.org/ocs/index.php/ICWSM/ICWSM17/paper/view/15603). In this paper, we analyse contributions on Wikipedia and Twitter during major crises in France through online ethnographies and semi‐structured interviews to investigate their roles in building and sharing information. Wikipedia has often been analysed as a collaborative tool but this approach has underestimated its use in reducing uncertainty in times of crisis. We demonstrate that despite their distinct pace and designs, Twitter and Wikipedia are used with seriousness by citizens in their dissemination of information. We also explain how social media change the landscape of means of communication for official institutions and citizens, and that they can be used in the same way. Finally, we stress the need for official institutions to integrate social media in their practices and interactions with citizens that they involve.

Personalized tutoring through a stereotype student model incorporating a hybrid learning style instrument

Personalized computer-based tutoring demands learning systems and applications that identify and keep personal characteristics and features for each individual learner. This is achieved by the technology of student modeling. One prevalent technique of student modeling is stereotypes. Furthermore, individuals differ in how they learn. So, the way that helps an individual to learn best is crucial for offering her/him an effective tutoring experience. As a consequence, students’ preferable styles of learning should be incorporated into the student model. However, some researchers have concluded that there are individuals that have a mixture of learning styles. That is the reason for the combination of two different learning style models in the presented approach. Particularly, in this paper we present a stereotype student model that combines the Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing and Kinesthetic (VARK) learning style model and the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI). The aim of this article is to further enhance the personalization to students’ needs and preferences by introducing this hybrid instrument and using the technology of stereotypes. The gain from this hybrid learning style approach is that we model two different dimensions of the way that a student prefers to learn: i) the sensory modalities of learning and ii) the way of thinking. In this way, the offered tutoring process can be more tailored to each individual student’s needs, respecting the distinct pace of her/his learning. Our novel approach has been incorporated in an e-learning system and was evaluated by 60 undergraduate students in Greece. The evaluation results show a great acceptance rate of the novel hybrid learning style model by students and underline its pedagogical potential.

Sequential Factorized Autoencoder for Localizing the Origin of Ventricular Activation From 12-Lead Electrocardiograms.

This work presents a novel approach to handle the inter-subject variations existing in the population analysis of ECG, applied for localizing the origin of ventricular tachycardia (VT) from 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs). The presented method involves a factor disentangling sequential autoencoder (f-SAE) - realized in both long short-term memory (LSTM) and gated recurrent unit (GRU) networks - to learn to disentangle the inter-subject variations from the factor relating to the location of origin of VT. To perform such disentanglement, a pair-wise contrastive loss is introduced. The presented methods are evaluated on ECG dataset with 1012 distinct pacing sites collected from scar-related VT patients during routine pace-mapping procedures. Experiments demonstrate that, for classifying the origin of VT into the predefined segments, the presented f-SAE improves the classification accuracy by 8.94% from using prescribed QRS features, by 1.5% from the supervised deep CNN network, and 5.15% from the standard SAE without factor disentanglement. Similarly, when predicting the coordinates of the VT origin, the presented f-SAE improves the performance by 2.25 mm from using prescribed QRS features, by 1.18 mm from the supervised deep CNN network and 1.6 mm from the standard SAE. These results demonstrate the importance as well as the feasibility of the presented f-SAE approach for separating inter-subject variations when using 12-lead ECG to localize the origin of VT. This work suggests the important research direction to deal with the well-known challenge posed by inter-subject variations during population analysis from ECG signals.

Loss of Neurogenesis in Aging Hydra.

In Hydra the nervous system is composed of neurons and mechanosensory cells that differentiate from interstitial stem cells (ISCs), which also provide gland cells and germ cells. The adult nervous system is actively maintained through continuous de novo neurogenesis that occurs at two distinct paces, slow in intact animals and fast in regenerating ones. Surprisingly Hydra vulgaris survive the elimination of cycling interstitial cells and the subsequent loss of neurogenesis if force‐fed. By contrast, H. oligactis animals exposed to cold temperature undergo gametogenesis and a concomitant progressive loss of neurogenesis. In the cold‐sensitive strain Ho_CS, this loss irreversibly leads to aging and animal death. Within four weeks, Ho_CS animals lose their contractility, feeding response, and reaction to light. Meanwhile, two positive regulators of neurogenesis, the homeoprotein prdl‐a and the neuropeptide Hym‐355, are no longer expressed, while the “old” RFamide‐expressing neurons persist. A comparative transcriptomic analysis performed in cold‐sensitive and cold‐resistant strains confirms the downregulation of classical neuronal markers during aging but also shows the upregulation of putative regulators of neurotransmission and neurogenesis such as AHR, FGFR, FoxJ3, Fral2, Jagged, Meis1, Notch, Otx1, and TCF15. The switch of Fral2 expression from neurons to germ cells suggests that in aging animals, the neurogenic program active in ISCs is re‐routed to germ cells, preventing de novo neurogenesis and impacting animal survival.

Pace of modal shifts in internationalization processes within a firm

ABSTRACT Our understanding of the temporal dimension of the internationalization of the firm is incomplete at best. Based on this knowledge gap, this article analyzes how the internationalization processes within a firm can be differentiated according to the pace of modal shifts. We built a qualitative, retrospective longitudinal, embedded case of the internationalization of a Brazilian medium-sized firm that established a footprint in 16 foreign markets over nearly three decades. We find that its internationalization processes can be classified into three groups as far as pace is concerned: an Unmovable Internationalization Process, an Inert Internationalization Process and an Accelerated Internationalization Process. We then call attention to a mismatch between the pace of learning and the modal shifts in the firm’s internationalization processes. Further, we suggest a new picture of the internationalization of the firm by proposing the existence of a number of internationalization processes that unfold at distinct paces within a single firm.

Leadless multisite pacing: A feasibility study using wireless power transfer based on Langendorff rodent heart models.

Fifteen to thirty percent of patients with impaired cardiac function have ventricular dyssynchrony and warrant cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). While leadless pacemakers eliminate lead-related complications, their current form factor is limited to single-chamber pacing. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of multisite, simultaneous pacing using miniaturized pacing nodes powered through wireless power transfer (WPT). A wireless energy transfer system was developed based on resonant coupling at approximately 200 MHz to power multiple pacing nodes. The pacing node comprises circuitry to efficiently convert the harvested energy to output stimuli. To validate the use of these pacing nodes, ex vivo studies were carried out on Langendorff rodent heart models (n = 4). To mimic biventricular pacing, two beating Langendorff rodent heart models, kept 10 cm apart, were paced using two distinct pacing nodes, each attached on the ventricular epicardial surface of a given heart. All ex vivo Langendorff heart models were successfully paced with a simple coil antenna at 2 to 3 cm from the pacing node. The coil was operated at 198 MHz and 0.3 W. Subsequently, simultaneous pacing of two Langendorff heart models 30 cm apart using an output power of 5 W was reliably demonstrated. WPT provides a feasible option for multisite, wireless cardiac pacing. While the current system remains limited in design, it offers support and a conceptual framework for future iterations and eventual clinical utility.

Pacing Strategy and Tactical Positioning During Cyclo-Cross Races.

To describe pacing strategy and competitive behavior in elite-level cyclo-cross races. Data from 329 men and women competing in 5 editions (2012-2016) of Union Cycliste Internationale Cyclo-Cross World Championships were compiled. Individual mean racing speeds from each lap were normalized to the mean speeds of the whole race. Lap and overall rankings were also explored. Pacing strategy was compared between sexes and between top- and bottom-placed cyclists. A significant main effect of laps was found in 8 out of 10 races (4 positive, 3 variable, 2 even, and 1 negative pacing strategies), and an interaction effect of ranking-based groups was found in 2 (2016, male and female races). Kendall tau-b correlations revealed an increasingly positive relationship between intermediate and overall rankings throughout the races. The number of overtakes during races decreased from start to finish, as suggested by significant Friedman tests. In the first lap, normalized cycling speeds were different in 3 out of 5 editions-men were faster in 1 and slower in 2 editions. In the last lap, however, normalized cycling speeds of men were lower than those of women in 4 editions. Elite cyclo-cross competitors adopt slightly distinct pacing strategies in each race, but positive pacing strategies are highly probable in most events, with more changes in rankings during the first laps. Sporadically, top- and bottom-placed groups might adopt different pacing strategies during either men's or women's races. Men and women seem to distribute their efforts differently, but this effect is of small magnitude.

A Brain-Region-Specific Neural Pathway Regulating Germinal Matrix Angiogenesis

Intimate communication between neural and vascular cells is critical for normal brain development and function. Germinal matrix (GM), a key primordium for the brain reward circuitry, is unique among brain regions for its distinct pace of angiogenesis and selective vulnerability to hemorrhage during development. A major neonatal condition, GM hemorrhage can lead to cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, and mental retardation. Here we identify a brain-region-specific neural progenitor-based signaling pathway dedicated to regulating GM vessel development. This pathway consists of cell-surface sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors, an intracellular cascade including Gα co-factor Ric8a and p38 MAPK, and target gene integrin β8, which in turn regulates vascular TGF-β signaling. These findings provide insights into region-specific specialization of neurovascular communication, with special implications for deciphering potent early-life endocrine, as well as potential gut microbiota impacts on brain reward circuitry. They also identify tissue-specific molecular targets for GM hemorrhage intervention.

It’s about Time! CEOs’ Temporal Dispositions, Temporal Leadership, and Corporate Entrepreneurship

How CEOs think and feel about time may have a big influence on their firms’ strategies. We examine how two distinct CEO temporal dispositions—time urgency (the feeling of being chronically hurried) and pacing style (one’s pattern of effort over time in working toward deadlines)—each influence corporate entrepreneurship, a key strategic behavior. We propose that CEOs’ temporal leadership—how they manage the temporal aspects of top management teams’ activities—mediates the relationships between their temporal dispositions and corporate entrepreneurship—firms’ innovation, corporate venturing, and strategic renewal activities. Using a sample of 129 small and medium-sized Chinese firms, we find that CEOs’ time urgency is positively related to their temporal leadership, which in turn is positively related to corporate entrepreneurship. We also examine the effects of three distinct pacing styles: early-action, meaning the CEO exerts the most effort early in the task process and relaxes as the deadline nears; steady-action, meaning the CEO spreads out effort evenly across the time allotted; and deadline-action, meaning the CEO is most active as the deadline nears. We find that the deadline-action style inhibits CEOs’ temporal leadership, but the steady-action and early-action styles have similar effects on their temporal leadership. This study explicates the dispositional basis of executives’ subjective views of time, demonstrating how CEOs’ temporal dispositions shape firms’ behaviors.

Electromechanical Wave Imaging of Biologically and Electrically Paced Canine Hearts in Vivo

Electromechanical Wave Imaging (EWI) has been show capable of directly and entirely non-invasively mapping the trans mural electromechanical activation in all four cardiac chambers in vivo. In this study, we assessed EWI repeatability and reproducibility, as well as its capability of localizing electronic and, for the first time, biological pacing locations in closed-chest, conscious canines. Electromechanical activation was obtained in six conscious animals during normal sinus rhythm (NSR) and idioventricular rhythms occurring in dogs with complete heart block instrumented with electronic and biologic pacemakers (EPM and BPM respectively). After atrioventricular node ablation, dogs were implanted with an EPM in the right ventricular (RV) endocardial apex (n = 4) and two additionally received a BPM at the left ventricular (LV) epicardial base (n = 2). EWI was performed trans thoracically during NSR, BPM and EPM pacing, in conscious dogs, using an unfocused transmit sequence at 2000 frames/s. During NSR, the EW originated at the right atrium (RA), propagated to the left atrium (LA) and emerged from multiple sources in both ventricles. During EPM, the EW originated at the RV apex and propagated throughout both ventricles. During BPM, the EW originated from the LV basal lateral wall and subsequently propagated throughout the ventricles. EWI differentiated BPM from EPM and NSR and identified the distinct pacing origins. Isochrone comparison indicated that EWI was repeatable and reliable. These findings thus indicate the potential for EWI to serve as a simple, non-invasive and direct imaging technology for mapping and characterizing arrhythmias as well as the treatments thereof.

Lexical Diversity and Functional Categories in English Attrition of Korean Returnee Children

A longitudinal study of two Korean who returned to Korea after living in the U.S. for two years shows how English attrition can affect their active vocabulary and use of functional categories. A story-telling task was used to collect data from these children for more than three years. The pace, the selective nature, and the pattern of change involving the attrition process were examined. The results show that the lexical diversity of both children decreased consistently over three years since their return to Korea while the accuracy of functional category use declined only in the younger sisters data, with IP affected earlier than DP. The different attrition patterns of lexical diversity and functional categories suggest that language attrition may be a complex process exposing diverse changing patterns of selective linguistic aspects occurring at a distinct pace.

Adapting The Bluest Eye for the Stage

Lydia Diamond's theatrical adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye, opens with Pecola the story's eleven-year-old protagonist, standing at center stage. She holds a book and reads aloud from a Dick and Jane-style early childhood reader: Here is the house. It is green and white. It has a red door. It is very pretty (9). As she reads, the other members of Morrison and Diamond's fictional community arrive and add their voices to Pecola's narration. Her parents, Cholly and are the first to appear, followed by her similarly aged friends Claudia and Frieda; Maureen Peal, a light-complexioned classmate; Claudia and Frieda's mother (Mama) and finally Soaphead Church, whom we later learn is interpreter of dreams. Rather than speak in harmony with Pecola, each character relays the exploits of Dick and Jane in a unique rhythm and with a distinct pacing designed to stand apart from Pecola's. Their words do not blend together. Instead, they step on one another. The cacophony that results from the multiple narrations renders the story completely unrecognizable and the voices indistinct. Following the arrival of Soaphead Church onstage, the babel abruptly ends. The characters stop speaking. The lights fade on everyone with the exception of Pecola, who stands in the flood of a spotlight. Slowly, she pivots, and shares her profile with the audience before exiting the stage. In this brief moment, Pecola's previously unannounced pregnancy reveals itself. The disharmony that greets the spectator at the start of the play foreshadows the traumatizing effect that a discordant community, including a dysfunctional family unit, can have on its least empowered members. The abuses of society are projected upon Pecola. Her friend Maureen Peal ridicules her for her darker complexion and repeatedly calls her a black-ee-mo. Pecola's mother, Mrs. Breedlove, locates beauty in whiteness, and as a result, invests herself in the happiness of the white girl for whom she works and not her own daughter. The emotional distance that separates mother and daughter is evident in the fact that Pecola calls her mother Mrs. whereas Breedlove is simply Polly to the white girl. Pecola's father, an alcoholic who himself is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, assaults and impregnates his daughter. It is the accumulation and weight of these experiences that transforms the narrative's protagonist into a prematurely old, hunched and mentally unstable tragic figure. As spectators of the play, we witness Pecola's decline. Following Morrison's lead, Diamond frames the story from the perspective of Claudia and Frieda, omniscient narrators who have lived through it all and reminisce about by theatrically restaging--their youthful experiences during fall 1941, when they first met Pecola (7). We join them in their retreat into the past. This movement backwards in time grants us an opportunity to observe the destructive effects of racial self-hatred, but does not explain why it exists. Claudia, speaking in direct address, tells us matter-of-factly, since why is difficult to answer, we must take refuge in how. This article explores Lydia Diamond's 2005 stage adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye. The play, first commissioned by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, has been performed in theaters across the country, including the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, the New Victory Theatre in New York City, and the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in San Francisco, in addition to university and college stages. In examining the 2005 world-premiere production, this article introduces the challenges of adapting the writings of Toni Morrison for the stage and other visual media, chronicles how expectations of a successful adaptation have changed over time, offers a brief history of the Steppenwolf Theatre company, addresses the role that The Bluest Eye played in diversifying Steppenwolf's acting ensemble, and spotlights the unique contributions--the voice and presence--of Lydia Diamond within her play. …

A Different Perspective on the “Labor Rights as Human Rights” Debate

This article brings further historical and international perspective to the “labor rights as human rights” debate. It particularly contends that these perspectives need to be explored further in order to appreciate the extent to which the definitions and political implications of key ideologies behind labor and human rights activism are flexible and dependent on their context. It explores Canada in the 1940s and early 1950s, when there was major activity on the labor and human rights fronts. Although many Canadian organizations, legal systems, and campaigns were modeled on—or formally affiliated with—American ones in these years, the progress of labor and human rights activism followed a distinct path, and particularly unfolded at a distinct pace. This distinct pace, the relatively small size of ethnic and racialized minority populations, the basic political and legal structure, and rise of a leftist third party in the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation all helped labor and human rights activism fit together comfortably to a notable extent in Canada. This article will particularly show why the relationship between human rights and labor was significantly less fraught with potential downsides for Canadian labor leaders. It also highlights another important impact of context: the particular combination of conditions and forces in Canada produced a number of unexpected results.