Babywearing: Fads, Dangers and Cultural Appropriation

This chapter describes babywearing as the most mainstream and uncontroversial among the techniques of breastfeeding and bedsharing, which are the most associated with attachment parenting (AP). It explains babywearing as an inoffensively visible marker of the values of bonding and attachment that is unquestioningly accepted in contemporary parenting cultures. It also discusses how the acceptance of babywearing is used in AP as a transition from the fringe parenting style to the normative approach to raising children. The chapter highlights the appearance of babywearing in state-produced parenting advice and in the experiences and ideas of black mothers. It looks at the narratives of women that draw attention to the dangers of babywearing, both in terms of physical safety and cultural relevance.

Repurposing of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis for Plant Transformation and Genome Editing

CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology has been very effective in editing genes in many plant species including rice. Here we further improve the current CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology in both efficiency and time needed for isolation of transgene-free and target gene-edited plants. We coupled the CRISPR/Cas9 cassette with a unit that activates anthocyanin biosynthesis, providing a visible marker for detecting the presence of transgenes. The anthocyanin-marker assisted CRISPR (AAC) technology enables us to identify transgenic events even at calli stage, to select transformants with elevated Cas9 expression, and to identify transgene-free plants in the field. We used the AAC technology to edit LAZY1 and G1 and successfully generated many transgene-free and target gene-edited plants at T1 generation. The AAC technology greatly reduced the labor, time, and costs needed for editing target genes in rice.

Which pen? A comparative study of surgical site markers

A preoperative requirement is the correct and clear marking of a specific surgical site. We aimed to compare the ability of marker pens to withstand surgical preparation. Five volunteers with different Fitzpatrick skin types were marked with ten pens. Marked skin sites were prepared with chlorhexidine followed by chlorhexidine, betadine followed by chlorhexidine, and betadine followed by betadine. Each site was photographed in theatre. Two volunteers ranked the top three most visible marker pens from each photograph. The results showed that Sharpie® W10 black, Dual Tip (Purple Surgical), and Easimark modern regular tip (Leonhard Lang) were the best performers across all skin types. Red pen should be avoided with betadine skin preparation. The study concludes that the above named three markers are the best at withstanding surgical skin preparation. Different skin types require different colour ink for maximal clarity in marking. Biro and drywipe markers should never be used for surgical marking.

Living Among the Dead – Settlement Structures in the North-Western Pontic Region in the 4th Millennium BC

The function of the plan-schematic settlements of the so called Cucuteni-Tripolye-Complex in the north-western pontic region remains enigmatic and yet, these structures haven´t been approached holistically. The article aims to address basic aspects as the construction plan and the chronology at one of these sites, the settlement Petreni in the Republic of Moldova. Beyond that, it shall be outlined, in how far the settlements served as mnemonic places. Deliberately burnt houses in these settlements represent a characteristic feature, which do not only resemble the end of a settling stage - they rather mark performative acts and may be associated with the death of a household or a community member. As the burnt house debris has not been removed or levelled, it reflects a visible marker for preceding generations among the living - such structures constitute distinctive mechanisms of commemoration and mirror communities which share a common set of experiences and knowledge.

Oppression versus Liberation

This article analyzes the representation ofhijaband of hijab-wearing women in two post-9/11 British literary texts, Leila Aboulela’sMinaret(2005) and Shelina Janmohamed’sLove in a Headscarf(2009). It discusses the strong resolve of the heroines of these works with regard to wearing the hijab despite opposition to it from within their peers, friends and family members as well as Islamophobic hostility to this most overt and visible marker of Muslim identity. While many women wear hijab instinctively and without question in order to follow their religion and cultural tradition, Najwa in the fictional workMinaretand Shelina in the memoirLove in a Headscarfdecide to wear it reflectively after long contemplation and much soul searching. Such experiences convincingly and creatively refute the assumption that hijab is imposed on Muslim women by male relatives and dispel the most widespread stereotype that it is synonymous with female oppression.