Silent Partners Research Articles

Through the looking glass: Biographical writing as self-reflection

Combining creative writing excerpts from my Ph.D. work-in-progress, ‘The Other Mothers: Exploring adoption, surrogacy and egg donation through life writing’, with reflective commentary, this article will discuss the ways in which writing the lives of others can serve as a process of self-reflection. Inspired by my personal experience as a biological and adoptive mother, my Ph.D. project involves creative practice as research, alongside critical approaches, to culminate in the production of a multi-subject biographical narrative of women who have become mothers through adoption, surrogacy and egg donation, and their silent partners – birth mothers, surrogates and egg donors – whose stories remain largely untold.

Removed from Context and Complexity: Women in Early AIDS Research in the South African Medical Journal, 1980–1995

In a South African medical school in the late 2010s, future health-care professionals are told that young black women from rural areas are the drivers of HIV infection. Like AIDS narratives that have come before, this statement bluntly configures and constructs ‘women’ and reproduces, perhaps unknowingly, a patriarchal and uncritical engagement with the gendered nature of the AIDS epidemic in something akin to intellectual tunnel vision. The creation of this dominant and narrow vision began long before the AIDS epidemic; it was rooted in histories and discursive traditions of female forms repeatedly traumatised by elite medico-scientific communities. The strength of this intellectual tradition and its perpetuation is evident in articles about AIDS that appeared in the South African Medical Journal between 1980 and 1995, and are analysed in this article. In early AIDS narratives, certain women initially feature as silent sexual partners of men; ‘black’ women then appear as infecting prostitutes until attention shifts to the pregnant female form. Towards the mid 1990s, the narratives turned towards women and human rights, but, in all these representations, only certain categories of women are visible and many are completely ignored. The article reveals these silences in the medical record and explicitly notes which female forms are seen and which unseen. It explores the changing roles assigned to certain female forms as the AIDS narrative evolved and suggests that the focus on certain types of sexualities or sexual orientation were embedded in unchallenged racialised, sexist, heteronormative modes of research. Finally, the article considers how understanding the history and perpetuation of this tunnel vision could be beneficial to HIV and AIDS research and argues for the necessity of critically engaging with context and complexity in research.

Improving CARE Together – Building Partnerships with Family Caregivers

Background: An estimated 8 million people in Canada are family caregivers and save the health care system over $31 billion annually 1. Yet, family caregivers are often referred to as “the silent partners” in care. Recognizing the importance of the family caregiving role and engaging families in decision-making and healthcare planning is an important aspect to improving care. St. Joseph’s Health Care London, a multi-site health care organization in Ontario, Canada aims to ensure patients and families are full partners in their care and in the design, measurement and improvement of care. Guided by St. Joseph’s Care Partnership Framework 2017, this project aims to improve family caregiver experiences and engagement through partnering with patients, families and health care providers in decision-making and health care planning. Methods: This project follows best practices for experience-based co-design 2 which includes three major steps. Step 1: a discovery phase to learn about current health care experiences. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with patients n=15, family caregivers n=73 and health care providers n=141. Ethnographic observations were also completed. Data were analyzed using line by line emergent coding techniques 3. Step 2: Experiences, represented in broad themes, were shared in co-design workshops involving health care providers, patients and family caregivers. Together, priorities were identified. Step 3: Working groups developed resources and strategies that were implemented to improve family experiences and engagement in decision-making. Qualitative e.g. interviews and quantitative measures e.g. experience measure were used to evaluate the work. Results: Several themes emerged from the discovery phase, including: the issue of time, caregiver involvement in care planning, the need for better communication, and better involvement in care transitions. These themes were discussed at a co-design event with patients and families. Resources were co-created including: a resources for better patient, family caregiver and provider communication following best practices for engagement; b tools to recognize and assess family caregivers; and c educational materials to provide community and self-management information to patients and families. Family caregiver and provider outcomes were positive following implementation. Discussion & Conclusions: New resources and care processes were implemented to improve family caregiver engagement and experiences. Patients and family caregivers were involved in all stages of this work, including patient and family caregiver representatives who worked directly with the project team and patient and family caregiver advisors who guided this work through a steering committee. Lessons Learned: Important insights about patient and family engagement emerged including: taking time to build a trusting relationship; involving families in every aspect of co-design and care planning; and engaging health care providers and leaders in education around the importance of family engagement. Limitations: This work is limited to two areas of the health care organization, geriatrics and rehabilitation. Learnings will be applied to other areas of the organization over the next two years. Future Research: Future work should focus on patient and health system outcomes as a result of improved family caregiver experiences. 1. The Change Foundation, 2016 2. Point of Care, 2016 3. Lofland et al., 2006

Amy M. Froide, Silent Partners. Women as Public Investors during Britain’s Financial Revolution, 1690–1750. Oxford, Oxford University Press 2016

Amy M. Froide, Silent Partners. Women as Public Investors during Britain’s Financial Revolution, 1690–1750. Oxford, Oxford University Press 2016

Evidence for Compromised Insulin Signaling and Neuronal Vulnerability in Experimental Model of Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease.

Evidence from animal studies categorizes sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) as a metabolic syndrome with accompanying cognitive deficits. Given that glial cells act as "silent partners" to neurons by providing trophic support and defense, the present study investigated the role of glia in sAD pathology. A streptozotocin (STZ)-induced glial-neuronal co-culture model of sAD was used to study the metabolic status of the two cell types. Real timeRT-PCR and Western blotting results indicated that amyloid precursor protein (APP) and β-secretase (BACE1) were highly expressed in co-cultured neurons than in monocultures. Increased amyloidogenesis was accompanied by decreased expression of mediators in insulin signaling pathway that included insulin receptor (IR), insulin receptor substrate2 (IRS2), insulin-like growth factor2 (IGF2), insulin-like growth factor1 receptor (IGF1R), total-glycogen synthase kinase 3β (t-GSK3β), and phosphorylated-GSK3βser9 (p-GSK3βser9), suggesting that neuronal cells are more prone to metabolic variability when cultured in the presence of glial cells. Findings from the sAD model induced by intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of STZ revealed that increased amyloid beta (Aβ) load in the hippocampus was potentially responsible for the hyperphosphorylation of tau at ser396. Furthermore, impaired cognitive functions and decreased dendritic spine density and axonal thinningin CA1region of hippocampus wereassociated with decreased IR and p-GSK3βser9/t-GSK3β expression. Taken together, the presentstudy provides evidence that glia mediated responseand insulinsignaling defects drive pathological changes in sAD and represent potentialtargets for delaying sAD progression.

Amy M. Froide. Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain’s Financial Revolution, 1690–1750.

Amy M. Froide. Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain’s Financial Revolution, 1690–1750.

Kein (materieller) Eigenkapitalcharakter einer atypisch stillen Beteiligung nach 6 Ob 204/16t

In a recent landmark decision (6 Ob 204/16t) the Austrian Supreme Court declined the analogous application of the prohibition of repayment of contributions to shareholders according to sections 82 GmbHG, 52 AktG to the case that such contributions are made by silent partners. This is especially remarkable, because the silent partner in question actually participated in the shareholder value of the enterprise just like a limited partner. The court based its decision mainly on sections 10 EKEG and 187 UGB arguing that even the participation of such „atypical silent partners“ was to qualify as debt capital. The 6th Senate of the Supreme Court thereby rejects the applicability of its previous jurisdiction, which treated atypical silent partners as equity investors in regard to the protection of creditors. The following contribution will comprehensively analyse the protection of creditors in regard to atypical silent partnerships and other - non-corporate - forms of participation, such as profit participation rights (“Genussrechte“).

Who's Winning the IRB Wars? The Struggle for the Soul of Human Research.

The origins and aspirations of institutional review boards (IRBs), the American oversight system for research with human subjects, are well known, and their failures have been documented and disputed for decades. Contention about IRBs is often ideological and unsatisfying, but their shortcomings are real. A new wave of attention to the promise and problems of this oversight system has coincided with the years-long effort to update the federal "Common Rule." Three very different recent books-Rebecca Dresser's Silent Partners, Robert Klitzman's Ethics Police, and Carl Schneider's The Censor's Hand-draw from a wealth of experiential, empirical, and rhetorical resources to triangulate this long-standing set of concerns and tensions at individual, institutional, and system levels. Schneider's volume exemplifies anti-government critiques of the regulation of science; Klitzman's catalogues IRB members' reflections on the ambiguities inherent in their regulatory role; and, by far the most interestingly, Dresser examines the potential contributions of experienced research subjects to the oversight process. Taken together, these books can help refocus the IRB wars on the ever-challenging relationships among goals, uncertainties, and practicalities, and move us toward understanding and addressing those relationships in their current (and rapidly changing) scientific and societal context. Some real progress might even result.

Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain's Financial Revolution, 1690–1750. By Amy M. Froide. Oxford University Press. 2016. xi + 225pp. £60.00.

Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain's Financial Revolution, 1690–1750. By Amy M. Froide. Oxford University Press. 2016. xi + 225pp. £60.00.

Nurses' Role in Managing "The Fit" of Older Adults in Skilled Nursing Facilities.

Post-acute care for older adults often involves transfer to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) following hospital discharge. This transition is often poorly coordinated and leaves older adults at risk for poor health outcomes, but new payment models offer opportunities to align improved care practices with payments. There is a dearth of evidence regarding the role of nursing and its potential to improve hospital to SNF care transitions. Ninety-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with clinicians, patients, and caregivers from three hospitals and three SNFs. Results indicate a sharp contrast in the roles of hospital nurses-who are often silent partners in post-acute care decision making-and SNF nurses, who take a primary role as managing "the fit" for patients transitioning to a SNF. Nurses are uniquely positioned to make needed changes to culture to adapt to new payment models and improve patient outcomes. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 43(12), 11-20.].

Amy M. Froide . Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain's Financial Revolution, 1690–1750. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. Pp. 225. $90.00 (cloth).

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Review of 'Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain’s Financial Revolution, 1690-1750'

Review of 'Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain’s Financial Revolution, 1690-1750'

Glia: silent partners in energy homeostasis and obesity pathogenesis.

Body weight stability requires homeostatic regulation to balance energy intake and energy expenditure. Research on this system and how it is affected by obesity has largely focused on the role of hypothalamic neurons as integrators of information about long-term fuel storage, short-term nutrient availability and metabolic demand. Recent studies have uncovered glial cells as additional contributors to energy balance regulation and obesity pathogenesis. Beginning with early work on leptin signalling in astrocytes, this area of research rapidly emerged after the discovery of hypothalamic inflammation and gliosis in obese rodents and humans. Current studies have revealed the involvement of a wide variety of glial cell types in the modulation of neuronal activity, regulation of hormone and nutrient availability, and participation in the physiological regulation of feeding behaviour. In addition, one glial type, microglia, has recently been implicated in susceptibility to diet-induced obesity. Together, these exciting new findings deepen our understanding of energy homeostasis regulation and raise the possibility of identifying novel mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity.

Leadership in the Laboratory

![Graphic][1] For decades, pathology and laboratory professionals have often been taken for granted as silent partners in patient care. As healthcare in the US moves toward a system that emphasizes value over volume, with the expertise that we bring to the spectrum of care, we can remain silent no more. Diagnosis starts with the laboratory, and our duty is to be—and remain—at the forefront of care, working with both patients and multidisciplinary teams to better foster evidence-based outcomes. Our leadership extends beyond the laboratory. As pathology and laboratory professionals, we must be vigilant in our efforts to educate stakeholders in medicine and advance the technologies and diagnostics needed to provide better patient care—both locally and globally. Last October, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) launched a major initiative in … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif

Silent Partners: Developing a Critical Understanding of Community Partners in Technical Communication Service-Learning Pedagogies

ABSTRACTAlthough many technical communication teachers and programs integrate some form of service-learning pedagogy, there is a dearth of technical communication research on the silent partners of these projects: the community partners. Drawing upon research data from 14 former community partners of professional writing service-learning courses, the authors suggest that understanding community partners’ own self-defined stakes in service-learning projects can challenge hyperpragmatist representations of community partners and aid us in the continued creation, management, and critical evaluation of service-learning pedagogies and curricula.

Apathy and noradrenaline: silent partners to mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease?

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a comorbid factor in Parkinson's disease. The aim of this review is to examine the recent neuroimaging findings in the search for Parkinson's disease MCI (PD-MCI) biomarkers to gain insight on whether MCI and specific cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease implicate striatal dopamine or another system. The evidence implicates a diffuse pathophysiology in PD-MCI rather than acute dopaminergic involvement. On the one hand, performance in specific cognitive domains, notably in set-shifting and learning, appears to vary with dopaminergic status. On the other hand, motivational states in Parkinson's disease along with their behavioral and physiological indices suggest a noradrenergic contribution to cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease. Finally, Parkinson's disease's pattern of neurodegeneration offers an avenue for continued research in nigrostriatal dopamine's role in distinct behaviors, as well as the specification of dorsal and ventral striatal functions. The search for PD-MCI biomarkers has employed an array of neuroimaging techniques, but still yields divergent findings. This may be due in part to MCI's broad definition, encompassing heterogeneous cognitive domains, only some of which are affected in Parkinson's disease. Most domains falling under the MCI umbrella include fronto-dependent executive functions, whereas others, notably learning, rely on the basal ganglia. Given the deterioration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in Parkinson's disease, it has been the prime target of PD-MCI investigation. By testing well defined cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease, distinct functions can be attributed to specific neural systems, overcoming conflicting results on PD-MCI. Apart from dopamine, other systems such as the neurovascular or noradrenergic systems are affected in Parkinson's disease. These factors may be at the basis of specific facets of PD-MCI for which dopaminergic involvement has not been conclusive. Finally, the impact of both dopaminergic and noradrenergic deficiency on motivational states in Parkinson's disease is examined in light of a plausible link between apathy and cognitive deficits.

Silent partners: artist and mannequin from function to fetish

The articulated human figure made of wax or wood has been a common tool in artistic practice since the 16th century. Its mobile limbs enable the artist to study anatomical proportion, fix a pose at will, and perfect the depiction of drapery and clothing. Over the course of the 19th century, the mannequin gradually emerged from the studio to become the artist's subject, at first humorously, then in more complicated ways, playing on the unnerving psychological presence of a figure that was realistic, yet unreal--lifelike, yet lifeless. Silent Partners locates the artist's mannequin within the context of an expanding universe of effigies, avatars, dolls, and shop window dummies. Generously illustrated, this book features works by such artists as Poussin, Gainsborough, Degas, Courbet, Cezanne, Kokoschka, Dali, Man Ray, and others; the astute, perceptive text examines their range of responses to the uncanny and highly suggestive potential of the mannequin.

Multiliteracies and Meaning-making: Allowing Silent Partners to Emerge

Multiliteracies and Meaning-making<b>: Allowing S</b>ilent Partners to Emerge

Silent Partners to Cancer Patients: Formal Caregivers and Oncologists.

Given the worldwide aging of the population, the projected increase of older people diagnosed with cancer, and the changes in the structure of society and family, it is predictable that larger numbers of aged cancer patients will be supported by formal caregivers. This exploratory study attempts to gain insight into and to make recommendations to oncologists based on the comparison of two groups of foreign formal caregivers-those providing care to elderly cancer patients and those providing care to the elderly suffering from other chronic illnesses. Our sample included 108 Filipino formal caregivers to older persons (age 65+) suffering from cancer or other chronic diseases. Participants completed a short questionnaire targeting background information, subjective perception of distress, attachment to the care recipient family, and the Distress Thermometer. Participants reported extreme levels of distress, with only seven (6.48%) scoring less than 5 on the Distress Thermometer. Caregivers to cancer patients reported significantly higher levels of distress and tended to feel less attached to the family of the patient in comparison to caregivers to patients with other chronic illnesses. Cultural differences regarding cancer among the elderly may explain the higher levels of distress reported among Filipino formal caregivers and need to be acknowledged by oncologists. As a precondition for simultaneously improving the caregiver's well-being and the patient's quality of care, it is recommended that oncologists relate directly to formal caregivers, specifically to their extreme distress and apprehension regarding cancer.

English

Within middle school classrooms a diverse body of students require specialized instruction and science teachers with unique abilities to implement a reform-based science curriculum. To achieve the goal of success for all, students who are English language leaners and with exceptionalities, such as learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders, are often assigned paraeducators to support science learning. However, professional development often focuses on immersing paraeducators through a broad model of curricular modifications and general support strategies. This study reports findings of a three-year professional development project for middle level science teachers and paraeducators designed to increase science conceptual understanding and inquiry skills development. The overarching goals were to: 1) increase middle level science teachers ability to explain science concepts, and 2) develop paraeducator's ability to directly assist in delivering inquiry-based science for students with Individualized Educational Plans identified with learning disabilities and emotional and behavioral disorders. A total of 13 science teachers collaborated with 11 paraeducators to identify practices impeding reform-based science instruction, address misconceptions, and modify delivery of instruction and assessment. The model for collaborating with science teachers enabled paraprofessionals to experience science as inquiry and expand their understanding of the vital role paraeducators have in supporting science learning. This mixed methods research design utilized data collected from the STEBI-A (and modified version for paraeducators), RTOP, and reflective journals to determine project impact. Analyses of the data reveal change in conceptual understanding, perceptions, and methodologies by which teachers and paraeducators collaborate to implement science instruction. The model demonstrates strategies for shifting the paradigm of paraeducators as silent partners to active participants in teaching inquiry-based science in middle schools.