A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Marketing of Merck & Co.\u27s Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Gardasil®

This is a critical discourse analysis research project that examines the print and television advertisements of Merck & Co.’s Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine GARDASIL®. There are three commercial campaigns identified for this project: “Make the Connection/ Charm4Life,” “Tell Someone,” and “One Less/ I Choose.” Two print and two television commercials per campaign are analyzed. I used black feminist and girls studies theoretical frameworks to address how representations of race, class, “girl power,” and the cooptation of feminist language are both expressed and utilized in the marketing as a method to target consumers. I conclude with “parody/ protest” advertisements of the vaccine featuring young women demonstrating a critical consumer voice towards the marketing of the vaccine. As a result, I found that the PSAs used fear-driven messages about HPV’s link to cervical cancer beginning a year before the FDA’s approval of GARDASIL® in order to market and sell its product

Hay, Provides Problem Solution of Fulfilling Forages Feed for Dairy Cattle Agribusiness

The need of forages feed for dairy cows were quite a lot,  namely as food intake in order to produce high-quantity and high-quality of dairy milk. The forages feed need that needed per dairy cow were about 10% of its body weight. In fulfilling these forages feed need, sometimes it’s necessary to pay for buying forage feed, especially when the dry season arrives. So it can lead to higher production costs in managing dairy cattle agribusiness. Therefore, the purpose of this activity to provide solutions for dairy farmers in fulfilling the needs of forage feed sources, without causing cost overruns. Hay processing can be an alternative solution for this problem. In this activity, hay is processed from dried soybean straw that added with urea to assist the process of amoniation and then printed in the form of blocks using a hay press. The technique of making hay is very simple and does not require high cost. Soybean straw which is indeed very abundant during the dry season. It can meet the needs of fullfilling dairy feeding, moreover it can minimize the expenditure of feed costs on the management of dairy cattle agribusiness

Is LEP beam-beam limited at its highest energy?

The operation of LEP at 45.6 GeV was limited by beam-beam effects and the vertical beam-beam parameter xy never exceeded 0.045. At the highest energy of 94.5 GeV, the increased damping allows higher beam-beam parameters xy . Values above 0.07 in the vertical plane averaged over four experiments have been obtained frequently with peak values up to 0.075 in a single experiment. Although the maximum intensity in LEP is presently limited by technical considerations, some observations indicate that the beam-beam limit is close and the question of the maximum possible values can be raised. These observations are shown in this paper and possible consequences are presented. The optimum operation of LEP in the neighbourhood of the beam-beam limit is discussed

The Effectiveness of Interspersal Strategy in the Improving Accuracy Level to Solve Mathematics Problems and Task Engagement among Grade 4 Students with Learning Disabilities at the Sultanate of Oman

This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of interspersal strategy in improving accuracy level to solve mathematics problems and facilitating task engagement among grade 4 students with learning disabilities. The study sample included 20 students. They were divided randomly into two equal groups each consisting of 10 students; experimental group and controll group. The researchers used the semi-experimental method. The researchers designed mathematical problems tests, a task engagement scale and a manual for the implementation of the interspersal strategy. The findings of the study revealed statistically significant differences between the result of the pre and post-test of the experimental group in favor of the post-test. Additionally, there were statistically significant differences between the average achieved by the experimental group and the controlled group in relation to the mathematics problems. Furthermore, the study found out that there were statistically significant differences between the average resulting from the pre and post-tests relative to the level of task engagement. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the average achieved by the experimental group and the controlled group in the engagement on task

Shear Bond Strength Evaluation of an Experimental Dentin Adhesive In Comparison With 5 Commercial Adhesives in a Dental School Setting

The aim of the in-vitro study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of a newly developed experimental dentin adhesive and compare it with the shear bond strength of different commercially available dentin adhesives in a dental school setting

Conceptualizing a Hybrid Framework to Help Improve Gender Outcomes in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programs in India

Developing and managing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in a sustainable manner contributes to gender equity by improving men’s and women’s access to services and benefits. A gender-sensitive approach to ensure equity in WASH programs can achieve positive outcomes including participatory decision making, empowerment of women, and sustainable programs. Gender analysis frameworks have a long history in development practice to guide strengthened gender outcomes, and opportunities exist to learn from such frameworks to support implementation of WASH programs in developing countries, including India. This paper reviews seven well-established gender analysis frameworks from the Indian WASH context vis-à-vis six key categories, viewed as critical components to gender outcomes and vital to the sustained success of WASH programs, to develop an improved compilation, referred to as the hybrid framework. The hybrid framework combines the strengths of the seven previously established frameworks for optimizing gender outcomes and aims to identify the opportunities for both men and women to shape WASH programs to meet their intended gender and equity objectives. Lastly, this newly developed framework provides a potential platform for local-level processes to use a comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative indicators under each of the developed six categories provided further field testing and appropriate modification

Journey of candidates who were unmatched in the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS): A phenomenological study

Background: Each year, a number of medical students are unmatched in the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMs) match. There is little information on the experiences of unmatched candidates. This study seeks to explore the experiences of applicants who were unmatched in the first iteration of their CaRMS applications Methods: We interviewed 15 participants who were previously unmatched, using a semi-structured interview guide to ask them of their experiences on the following domains: the overall unmatched experience; circumstances leading to their unmatched status; resources employed; barriers experienced; recommendations; and, their eventual career outcomes. We independently identified major themes from field notes to code the data using a phenomenology approach. Results: Our participants universally reported negative emotions, concerns regarding privacy and confidentiality breaches, and stigma faced (real or perceived). Systemic challenges included: lack of information, pressures faced from undergraduate medical education, and logistical issues such as financial challenges, licensing and scheduling issues. The utility of peer support differed for individual participants, but all those who had support from other unmatched candidates felt that to be useful. Conclusions: Our participants reported significant challenges faced after being unmatched. Based on these experiences, we identified four major recommendations to support candidates through their unmatched journey

A comparative study of the effectiveness of two approaches to reading instruction, whole language and direct instruction with perceptually impaired students

This study was designed to investigate the reading achievement of two groups of special education students classified as perceptually impaired. The two groups of children were provided with two different types of reading instruction in two different settings. One group received whole language reading instruction in the regular classroom as mainstreamed students. The other group received direct reading instruction in a self contained classroom. At the conclusion of the study, it was found that both groups of students made some progress. All students improved their scores of reading achievement as measured by the CAT V inventory test. Pre-test results showed that students taught reading through a whole language approach scored better overall on the test given in September. The post-test given in April showed that the scores of students taught using direct instruction approaches were higher than those of the other group. Many previous studies show that direct instruction has proven to be effective with environmentally and educationally at risk students while whole language instructional approaches may be better suited to those students who are functioning at their age and grade appropriate reading levels. However, very few programs have shown effectiveness in increasing reading achievement with all students in all educational situations

Synaptotagmin IV is necessary for the maturation of secretory granules in PC12 cells

In neuroendocrine PC12 cells, immature secretory granules (ISGs) mature through homotypic fusion and membrane remodeling. We present evidence that the ISG-localized synaptotagmin IV (Syt IV) is involved in ISG maturation. Using an in vitro homotypic fusion assay, we show that the cytoplasmic domain (CD) of Syt IV, but not of Syt I, VII, or IX, inhibits ISG homotypic fusion. Moreover, Syt IV CD binds specifically to ISGs and not to mature secretory granules (MSGs), and Syt IV binds to syntaxin 6, a SNARE protein that is involved in ISG maturation. ISG homotypic fusion was inhibited in vivo by small interfering RNA–mediated depletion of Syt IV. Furthermore, the Syt IV CD, as well as Syt IV depletion, reduces secretogranin II (SgII) processing by prohormone convertase 2 (PC2). PC2 is found mostly in the proform, suggesting that activation of PC2 is also inhibited. Granule formation, and the sorting of SgII and PC2 from the trans-Golgi network into ISGs and MSGs, however, is not affected. We conclude that Syt IV is an essential component for secretory granule maturation