Silence Research Articles

Escolarização de alunos com deficiência no Brasil: uma análise sob a perspectiva dos estudos de Lev Vygotsky

Neste artigo objetiva-se investigar o processo de escolarização de pessoas com deficiência no Brasil, aproximando tal fenômeno a alguns pressupostos teóricos da obra de Lev Vygotsky, sobretudo aos escritos dispostos nos “Fundamentos de Defectologia”. Trata-se de um estudo bibliográfico, em que se buscou compreender os processos de escolarização das pessoas com deficiência no Brasil, a fim de discutir os fundamentos, que embasam o processo de inclusão escolar. Os resultados apontaram para um processo histórico de segregação das pessoas com deficiência, que se manifestou de diferentes modos: privação no interior de instituições especializadas, submissão ao silenciamento e ao abandono. Com base nos estudos da defectologia que, por sus vez, consideram o desenvolvimento humano na e pela coletividade, destacou-se a relevância da inclusão escolar, visto que, o processo de humanização ocorre por meio da apropriação cultural. Frente a esta perspectiva, conclui-se que a escola ganha destaque como um espaço privilegiado para a transmissão dos saberes historicamente sistematizados pela humanidade.

A Review of the Prevalence of Endometriosis in African Women

Endometriosis is a chronic condition where growth of endometrial tissue is located outside the uterine cavity. Endometriosis has been shown to impact negatively on all aspects of the patient’s life. The aim of this paper is to show the prevalence of endometriosis in African women to encourage more research and clinical innovations to increase access and awareness to African indigenous women with endometriosis. Existing research have focused on the prevalence of endometriosis in developed countries. There is a dearth of research focused on developing countries, especially in Africa. This is likely due to underreporting or underestimation of rates due to inadequate facilities or specialised skills. Results showed that there is a significant prevalence of endometriosis in African indigenous women. This was common among women aged 31-40 years and the prevalence is higher among infertile women with moderate or severe endometriosis with majority in low socioeconomic status. There is a need to understand the prevalence of endometriosis in African women to help provide more support and management of the disease. Further research is necessary to increase awareness about the condition as these women tend to suffer in silence. This paper shows the importance of support and awareness of the disease especially to disadvantaged women in Africa who have no access to advanced medical amenities or insurance.

The Sound of Silence: The Idea of Pure Language in W. S. Merwin’s Later Poetry

This paper traces W. S. Merwin’s representations of silence as a source of communicative power, with a focus toward his later poems (published after 2000). These poems, especially those in The Shadow of Sirius (2009), often depict what Walter Benjamin would call pure language: linguistic form that generates the power of communication by virtue of its silence or ineffability. Merwin registers this negative productivity of language in the Benjaminian sense when he describes a primary linguistic entity that founds speech without being spoken―such as a sigh, in “Utterance,” ancient words, in “To the Words,” “one long syllable” in “Glassy Sea,” and “the first sound” in “The Long and the Short of It.” Further, Merwin’s poems in Sirius seem to investigate language’s originary relationship with silence by employing recurring motifs such as the trace of a song and the sounds of silence thereafter. In “Grace Note,” “Calling a Distant Animal,” “The Laughing Thrush,” and other poems in this collection, Merwin portrays vanishing sounds that seem to also empower speech. Silence in his later poetry can be read not so much as a negative phenomenon indicating the limits of language or the abyss of subjectivity, as some critics have previously suggested. This paper takes an alternative view, and argues that Merwin’s silence instead entails a dialectic of absence and presence, negativity and productivity, because it embodies a pure linguistic form that enables words to mean something by lacking meaning in themselves. In short, Merwin’s silence can be read as constituting the communicable essence of language.

A Moment of Silence.

A Moment of Silence.

조직학습관점에서 본 조직 침묵: 국내외 조직 침묵 연구 동향 분석을 바탕으로

조직학습관점에서 본 조직 침묵: 국내외 조직 침묵 연구 동향 분석을 바탕으로

Secrets, epiphanies and ellipses: The uses of silence in William Trevor’s selected stories

This essay discusses three different uses of silence in William Trevor’s short fiction. First of all, it focuses on how silence is deployed on the thematic level of his stories, particularly the ones that depict the estranging effects of secrecy on personal relationships. Second, the essay draws attention to the writer’s exploration of a decidedly more positive aspect of silence in many of his scenes of epiphany. In such scenes, silence is no longer associated with mendacious secrecy; quite the opposite, it becomes a precondition for glimpsing into the truth, allowing Trevor’s characters to experience moments of heightened awareness and insight. Third, the essay looks at how silence also manifests itself on the formal level of the stories, in the ellipses, understatements and gaps that riddle Trevor’s narratives. These three uses of silence − as a motif relating to the larger theme of secrecy and concealment, as an integral component of the scenes of epiphanic insight, and as a shorthand for Trevor’s elliptical narrative technique − are illustrated with examples from stories collected in After Rain (1996) and Cheating at Canasta (2007). Niniejszy artykuł poświęcony jest wykorzystaniu ciszy w opowiadaniach irlandzkiego pisarza Williama Trevora. W części pierwszej analizuje przykłady obsesyjnego wręcz skupienia autora na motywie tajemnicy i przemilczenia. W części drugiej zwraca uwagę na obecność ciszy w licznych u Trevora scenach epifanii. W scenach tych cisza nie kojarzy się już z akłamaniem i skrywanymi sekretami, ale ukazana jest pozytywnie, jako warunek umożliwiający postaciom wgląd w prawdę o sobie lub innych. Część trzecia skupia się z kolei na tych aspektach techniki narracyjnej pisarza, które mają swoje źródło w ciszy: elipsach, niedopowiedzeniach, lukach narracyjnych. Te trzy użycia ciszy − jako motywu związanego z tematem przemilczenia, jako stanowi pozwalającemu bohaterom na doświadczenie epifanii, wreszcie jako formalnemu elementowi narracji − zostaną zilustrowane przykładami z opowiadań opublikowanych w dwóch tomach: After Rain (1996) i Cheating at Canasta (2007).

Web Exclusive. Annals Graphic Medicine - Silence.

Web Exclusive. Annals Graphic Medicine - Silence.

Interaction of Background Noise and Auditory Hallucinations on Phonemic Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and P3a Processing in Schizophrenia.

Auditory hallucinations (AHs) are among the cardinal symptoms of schizophrenia (SZ). During the presence of AHs aberrant activity of auditory cortices have been observed, including hyperactivation during AHs alone and hypoactivation when AHs are accompanied by a concurrent external auditory competitor. Mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a are common ERPs of interest within the study of SZ as they are robustly reduced in the chronic phase of the illness. The present study aimed to explore whether background noise altered the auditory MMN and P3a in those with SZ and treatment-resistant AHs.MethodsMMN and P3a were assessed in 12 hallucinating patients (HPs), 11 non-hallucinating patients (NPs) and 9 healthy controls (HCs) within an auditory oddball paradigm. Standard (P = 0.85) and deviant (P = 0.15) stimuli were presented during three noise conditions: silence (SL), traffic noise (TN), and wide-band white noise (WN).ResultsHPs showed significantly greater deficits in MMN amplitude relative to NPs in all background noise conditions, though predominantly at central electrodes. Conversely, both NPs and HPs exhibited significant deficits in P3a amplitude relative to HCs under the SL condition only.SignificanceThese findings suggest that the presence of AHs may specifically impair the MMN, while the P3a appears to be more generally impaired in SZ. That MMN amplitudes are specifically reduced for HPs during background noise conditions suggests HPs may have a harder time detecting changes in phonemic sounds during situations with external traffic or “real-world” noise compared to NPs.

Toward Decolonizing the Black and White A’nger cloth: Culture, Praxis and Hyphenated Spaces

This paper uses the a’nger cloth, a traditional cloth belonging to the Tiv tribe of Benue, Nigeria as a metaphor for framing autoethnographical narratives and undertakings. Through storying and poetizing about lived experiences, culture, migration tales, identity, gender, marginalization, race and silence, stories emerge as praxis for decolonizing the curriculum. As a non-Western feminist, diasporic academic living in Ottawa, Canada, on unceded Algonquin territory, how might I navigate the changing and uncertain spaces of belonging? Through the a'nger cloth, I find ways of sharing generational family stories through poetry. These stories invite alternative and inclusive spaces into the classroom that welcome “other” ways of being and knowing. Key-words: decolonising the curriculum; narratives; spaces.

Textual Silence: Unreadability and the Holocaust. Jessica Lang

Textual Silence: Unreadability and the Holocaust. Jessica Lang

Claudia Leeb, "The Politics of Repressed Guilt: The Tragedy of Austrian Silence."

Claudia Leeb, "The Politics of Repressed Guilt: The Tragedy of Austrian Silence."

A Map of Silence, and the Spaces Between

If the men whose careers our work sustained abused or exploited us, we kept quiet, to spare their reputations, to spare our reputations, to avoid creating “drama,” to avoid making “the movement” more vulnerable than it already was. And so, we disappeared, and watched as new women emerged in our place, eyes alight and ready to pick up where we had left off, and we whispered to one-another how we were worried for them, but still, we kept silent. Here is the paradox: If you speak up, everyone else will exile you. If you keep quiet, you have no choice but to exile yourself.

Mozart's or Ambient Music do not Affect Autoalgometric Pain Threshold.

Nowadays, researchers and clinicians are increasingly interested in alternative non-pharmacological treatments, and music therapy seems to have additional and powerful effects on different pathologies and pain. However, since pain is a subjective perception, it is difficult to evaluate if and which effect music has on it. In this study, a new device and method have been introduced to objectively estimate pain threshold and its changes related to external stimuli. The above-mentioned device, called autoalgometer, allows to evaluate pain threshold changes while listening to music or other sounds. In this experiment, the pain threshold was evaluated in twenty-seven volunteers after listening to one out of three different soundtracks: white noise, Mozart's sonata K448 or Brian Eno's ambient music. Compared to staying in silence, listening to the recordings had no significant effect on pain threshold, and the results did not show any significant difference between the experimental groups. Probably, the positive effect of music described in other studies can be ascribed to a psychological effect, meaning that music can improve subjective mood and, thus, modify pain perception.

The silence of the owls

The silence of the owls

Inside Voice: Charlotte Smith, Silence, and the Sonnet of Insensibility

Inside Voice: Charlotte Smith, Silence, and the Sonnet of Insensibility

Aspectos relevantes do silêncio para a construção do sentido em dados de uma idosa moradora de uma instituição de longa permanência

O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar um recorte da pesquisa desenvolvida com a linguagem de idosos moradores na Instituição de Longa Permanência para Idosos – ILPI, em Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brasil. Os dados foram coletados a partir de filmagem e gravação dos idosos em meio a situações enunciativo-discursivas, considerando a história dos sujeitos e seus atravessamentos, bem como a condição de produção desses discursos e o conceito de dado-achado (COUDRY, 1988). Neste artigo, apresentamos a análise de dados referentes ao silêncio que ocorre em sessões com uma das moradoras dessa ILPI. Para tanto, recorremos ao pensamento sobre o silêncio a partir de diferentes áreas, como: da Música, da Filosofia, da Psicanálise e da Análise do Discurso, enquanto disciplina de entremeio da Linguística, com conceitos relevantes para este trabalho. Apesar de serem áreas distintas, observamos que compartilham para o fato que o silêncio não é o zero, vazio, o que nos leva a interpretâ-lo como sentido. Assim, consideramos, por meio das análises, que o silêncio permeia cada signo e se infla de sentido, e que, quando está só, por si só, significa, possibilitando o sujeito institucionalizado rememorar momentos de dependência, (re)elaborar seus desejos, suas respostas.

LncRNA PROX1-AS1 promotes proliferation, invasion, and migration in prostate cancer via targeting miR-647.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as an important role in many diseases. In this research, lncRNA PROX1-AS1 was explored to identify how it functioned in the development of prostate cancer (PC). Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was utilized to detect PROX1-AS1 expression in PC patients. Then, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay were performed to identify its function in PC cells. Furthermore, the potential mechanism was also explored using mechanism assays. PROX1-AS1 expression level was significantly higher in PC tissue samples and cell lines. Results of MTT assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay showed that cell proliferation and invasion were inhibited through the silence of PROX1-AS1 in PC cells, while cell proliferation and invasion were promoted through the overexpression of PROX1-AS1 in PC cells. Furthermore, the expression of miR-647 was upregulated via the silence of PROX1-AS1 in PC cells, while the expression of miR-647 was downregulated via the overexpression of PROX1-AS1 in PC cells. Further mechanism assays showed that miR-647 was a direct target of PROX1-AS1 in PC. Correlation analysis showed that miR-647 expression was negatively correlated with PROX1-AS1 expression in PC tissues. Results above suggested that PROX1-AS1 could enhance cell proliferation and invasion of PC cells by sponging miR-647 and might be applied as a novel target for the treatment of PC.

MicroRNA-142-3p suppresses cell proliferation and migration in bladder cancer via Rac1.

Expression of microRNA(miR)-142-3p has been implicated to be associated with several cancers, whereas its function in bladder cancer (BC) remains unknown. The present study aimed to explore the correlation between the expression of miR-142-3p and the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells by activating Rac1. qRT-PCR was used to measure the expression of miR-142- 3p in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines. RNA transfection was used to silence and accelerate the expression of miR-142-3p in bladder cancer cells. CCK-8 and trans-well assays were used to detect the proliferation, migration and invasion of cells before and after RNA transfection. The direct interaction between Rac1 and miR-142-3p was demonstrated by a dual luciferase reporter assay. qRT-PCR and Western blot assays were used to detect the expression changes in Rac1 before and after transfection. The results showed that miR-142-3p in bladder cancer tissues was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues and lower than that in HT1376 and T-24 cells but higher than that in T5637 and BIU- 87 cells. Additionally, upregulating miR-142-3p expression not only inhibits the proliferation of SV-HUC-1 and BIU-87 cells but also inhibits migration and invasion, and downregulating miR-142-3p expression showed the opposite results. The expression of Rac1 was promoted after stimulating miR- 142-3p expression, but was inhibited after silencing miR-142-3p expression. In conclusion, miR-142-3p affects the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells by regulating Rac1.

Managing silence in workplaces

Managing silence in workplaces

AXIN2 gene silencing reduces apoptosis through regulating mitochondria-associated apoptosis signaling pathway and enhances proliferation of ESCs by modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) mainly originate from totipotent cells in early-stage of mammalian embryo and could proliferate in a manner of un-limitation. This study aimed to investigate roles of Axin2 in proliferation of ESCs and explore the associated mechanisms. Axis inhibition protein 2 (AXIN2) over-expression (LV5-AXIN2) and AXIN2 RNA interfere (LV3-AXIN2-RNAi) vectors were structured and transfected into H9 cells. 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) was used to evaluate cell proliferative activity. Flow cytometry analysis was employed to measure apoptosis of H9 cells. AXIN2, β-catenin, transcription factor 4 (TCF4), c-myc, c-jun and Cyclin D mRNA levels and protein expressions were determined using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting assay. LV5-AXIN2 and LV3-AXIN2-RNAi were successfully structured with higher transfecting efficacy. AXIN2 gene silencing remarkably increased proliferative activity and AXIN2 treatment significantly induced apoptosis of H9 cells, comparing with blank vector group (p<0.05). AXIN2 gene silencing significantly enhanced B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) expression and remarkably inhibited cleaved caspase-3 expression comparing to that in blank vector group (p<0.05). AXIN2-RNAi treatment significantly enhanced and AXIN2 over-expression significantly reduced β-catenin and TCF4 expression, comparing to that in blank vector group (p<0.05). AXIN2 gene silence activated down-stream molecules of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, including c-jun, c-myc, and Cyclin D1 (p<0.05). AXIN2 gene silencing reduced apoptosis by regulating mitochondria-associated apoptosis signaling pathway and enhanced proliferation by modulating molecules in Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Therefore, targeting of aberrant apoptosis and AXIN2 might be a novel clinical strategy to inhibit aging and enhance self-renewal of ESCs.