The Illusions of Reality: Blurring the Line between Fantasy and Reality in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels

The principal objective of this thesis was to study Rowling’s Potterverse and other literature to: explore examples of illusions of reality; evaluate these illusions wherever appropriate against philosophical, psychological, scientific, theological and other considerations; assess their impact on reality, and whether they advance the appreciation, establishment or resolution of questions about reality. The topics of: Potter as a hidden world, Mirrors, Senses, the Mind, Time, the expanding world of Harry Potter, Death, Identity and existence (King’s Cross) have been explored, drawing on ideas presented in the Harry Potter novels and supported by the topics stated above. Potter and other fantasy genre literature aid discussion of some difficult and complex aspects of reality by presenting characters who actively wish to discuss these issues. The numerous sources studied for this thesis present many interesting and diverse opinions. However, while interesting, a minority can be characterised as being unsupported personal opinions of particular individuals, which have been appropriately considered as such. Fantasy highlights some illusions of reality, but the discussion of the above topics has led to the conclusion that while, like Potter, there may be inconsistencies in life, we find continuity and meaning from our memories, senses, mind, identity, etc., that allows us to believe in reality

Cooperative learning with interactive multimedia: the effect of gender and group composition on attitude and interaction

This study investigated the effect of gender and group gender composition on interaction patterns and attitudes toward their cooperative learning experience of seventh- and eighth-grade students working with the multimedia program Loess Hills Interactive. One hundred twenty-seven middle school science students (60 males, 67 females) from two schools in Iowa participated in the month-long study. Students were randomly assigned to cooperative learning groups of 3, 4, and 5 with the following gender compositions: (1) same-gender, (2) mostly-male, (3) mostly-female, and (4) equal-gender. Trained raters coded and tallied interaction frequencies for each student from videotapes, using a Peer Interaction Scale developed from pilot study data. The interaction categories included: (a) path/pace, (b) task, (c) socio-emotional, (d) technical, (e) off-task, and (f) uncodable. An attitudinal survey, administered at the end of the four weeks, measured five factors: (1) positive emotional reaction to the group, (2) presence of helping behaviors in the group, (3) preference for working alone, (4) lack of helping behaviors in the group, and (5) preference for small-group learning;Two-way analyses of variance were performed on the verbal interaction and attitudinal data to determine if significant differences occurred between males and females in groups of varying gender composition. Student gender did not have a significant effect on either interactions or attitude. However, when group and school were the independent variables in two-way analyses of variance, significant effects were found for group composition on three peer interaction categories (total, path/pace, and task) and for school on five categories (total, path/pace, task, socio-emotional, and off-task). Students in mostly-female groups scored significantly higher than mostly-male or equal-gender groups in their preference for small-group learning. Pearson product-moment correlations determined that no significant correlations occurred between the interaction and attitudinal data. Differences in students, teacher involvement, and implementation between the two schools may have influenced interaction and attitudinal data

Sources of total, non-milk extrinsic, and intrinsic and milk sugars in the diets of older adults living in sheltered accommodation

The WHO recommends limiting non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES) consumption to ≤ 10 % energy to reduce the risk of unhealthy weight gain and dental caries, and to restrict frequency of intake to ≤ 4 times/d to reduce risk of dental caries. Older adults, especially those from low-income backgrounds, are at increased risk of dental caries, yet there is little information on sugars intake (frequency of intake and food sources) in this age group. The aim of this report is to present baseline data from a community-based dietary intervention study of older adults from socially deprived areas of North East England, on the quantity and sources of total sugars, NMES, and intrinsic and milk sugars, and on frequency of NMES intake. Dietary intake was assessed using two 3-d estimated food diaries, completed by 201 participants (170 female, thirty-one male) aged 65–85 years (mean 76·7 (sd 5·5) years) recruited from sheltered housing schemes. Total sugars represented 19·6 %, NMES 9·3 %, and intrinsic and milk sugars 10·3 % of daily energy intake. Eighty-one (40·3 %) exceeded the NMES intake recommendation. Mean frequency of NMES intake was 3·4 times/d. The fifty-three participants (26·4 %) who exceeded the frequency recommendation ( ≤ 4 times/d) obtained a significantly greater percentage of energy from NMES compared with those participants who met the recommendation. The food groups ‘biscuits and cakes’ (18·9 %), ‘soft drinks’ (13·1 %) and ‘table sugar’ (11·1 %) made the greatest contributions to intakes of NMES. Interventions to reduce NMES intake should focus on limiting quantity and frequency of intake of these food groups

A course of study in the contemporary novel planned for secondary schools

Not available.Margaret Jane Adamson.Not ListedNot ListedMaster of ArtsDepartment Not ListedCunningham Memorial library, Terre Haute, Indiana state University.isua-thesis-1946-adamson.pdfMastersTitle from document title page. Document formatted into pages: contains 195p. : ill. Includes appendix and bibliography

An investigation into the potential immunogenicity of various extracts of the South African bont tick Amblyomma hebraeum

Rabbits and goats were inoculated with crude, membrane-associated and soluble components extracted from unengorged adult females and nymphs of the bont tick Amblyomma hebraeum. Inoculation provided some protection against nymphal infestation, however it had little effect on adult feeding. Histological examination of adults fed on inoculated hosts showed evidence of gut damage. Skin provocation testing with tick extracts elicited a Type I immediate hypersensitivity which was influenced by antihistamine. A delayed skin reaction was also evident. Whether this was attributable to Type III Arthus reaction or Type IV cell-mediated hypersensitivity was not determined. A comparative histological study of sites of tick extract injection, on inoculated and naive hosts, demonstrated the role of eosinophils in the hosts response to tick feeding. Serological examination revealed elevated anti-A hebraeum lgG titres following inoculation. These titres were found to decrease in the ten weeks after inoculation, despite the hosts being repeatedly infested with A hebraeum. Although the IgG titres of naive control hosts increased after each tick infestation, they failed to reach the titres achieved through inoculation. Western blot analysis of serum from inoculated hosts recognized most of the A. hebraeum proteins against which it was screened

Preparation and characterisation of soluble CLIC1 and liposomes

CLIC1 is an intracellular membrane protein that has the intriguing property of being able to exist in both soluble and integral membrane forms. It is unknown how CLIC1 converts from a soluble to a membrane-inserted conformation, but it has been proposed that the transition involves the unfolding of certain regions of the protein followed by refolding into a membrane-competent form. This study characterised the structure and stability of reduced, soluble CLIC1 at the pH values it would encounter in both bulk cytosol and at the membrane surface. Additionally, the preparation and properties of a model membrane system were characterised. At pH 7.0 CLIC1 is more stable and follows a cooperative twostate unfolding transition with a G(H2O) of 10.3 kcal/mol and m-value of 2.3 kcal/mol M-1 urea. At pH 5.5 the CLIC1 native structure is looser and more flexible with lower secondary structural content, is less stable, and unfolds via a stable intermediate with exposed hydrophobic surfaces. The G(H2O) and mvalues for formation and unfolding of this species are well into the dimeric range, and data from the local probe, Trp35, indicate that the intermediate may be oligomeric. The existence of the intermediate species at low pH and under mild denaturing conditions suggests a mechanism whereby CLIC1 may form channels in vivo. Anionic large unilamellar vesicles prepared with a 4:1:1 molar ratio of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and cholesterol, respectively, were stable up to approximately 50 °C and were highly reproducibly and homogenously sized at ~200 nm diameter. Basal leakage of encapsulated chloride-sensitive fluorescent dye at room temperature was modest for two to three days, and was minimal for up to seven days at 4 °C. These vesicles should prove to be an ideal membrane system for the study of membrane-inserted CLIC1 and with encapsulation of a chloride-sensitive dye may provide the means for a viable functional assay for CLIC1 channel activity

Bictegravir-based antiretroviral therapy-associated accelerated hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus

Integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) is first line for treatment of people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH). Emerging data suggest the possibility of adverse metabolic effects of these medications. We describe 3 cases in which PWH developed hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis within months of being switched to bictegravir-based ART

Study protocol for a single-centre observational study of household wellbeing and poverty status following a diagnosis of advanced cancer in Blantyre, Malawi - ‘Safeguarding the Family’ study

Background: Many households in low-and-middle income countries face the additional burden of crippling out-of-pocket expenditure when faced with a diagnosis of life-limiting illness. Available evidence suggests that receipt of palliative care supports cost-savings for cancer-affected households. This study will explore the relationship between receipt of palliative care, total household out-of-pocket expenditure on health and wellbeing following a first-time diagnosis of advanced cancer at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. Protocol: Patients and their primary family caregivers will be recruited at the time of cancer diagnosis. Data on healthcare utilisation, related costs, coping strategies and wellbeing will be gathered using new and existing questionnaires (the Patient-and-Carer Cancer Cost Survey, EQ-5D-3L and the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Score). Surveys will be repeated at one, three and six months after diagnosis. In the event of the patient’s death, a brief five-item questionnaire on funeral costs will be administered to caregivers not less than two weeks following the date of death. Descriptive and Poisson regression analyses will assess the relationship between exposure to palliative care and total household expenditure from baseline to six months. A sample size of 138 households has been calculated in order to detect a medium effect (as determined by Cohen’s f2=0.15) of receipt of palliative care in a regression model for change in total household out-of-pocket expenditure as a proportion of annual household income. Ethics and dissemination: The study has received ethical approval. Results will be reported using STROBE guidelines and disseminated through scientific meetings, open access publications and a national stakeholder meeting. Conclusions: This study will provide data on expenditure for healthcare by households affected by cancer in Malawi. We also explore whether receipt of palliative care is associated with a reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure at household level

Role of CD44 + Stem Cells in Mural Cell Formation in the Human Choroid: Evidence of Vascular Instability Due to Limited Pericyte Ensheathment

PURPOSE. To examine mural cell differentiation and pericyte ensheathment during human choroidal vascular formation and into adulthood. METHODS. Triple- and double-labeled immunohistochemistry (alpha-smooth muscle actin [αSMA], desmin, NG2, calponin, cal