Comparing the Effects of Various Exercise Regimens on Anxiety Levels in College Aged Students

Generalized anxiety disorder is described as excessive and inappropriate worrying that is persistent and not restricted to particular circumstances. Anxiety has recently surpassed depression as the number one mental health disorder on college campuses. Multiple studies have shown that exercise reduces anxiety symptoms and feelings of stress. Many students enroll in physical activity courses due to college requirements, or as a way to engage in regular physical activity. On our campus, yoga and pilates are two of the most popular physical activity courses and require two 50-minute sessions each week. The purpose of this study was to determine whether participation in these courses has a significant impact in reducing anxiety in a traditional college population. We surveyed students enrolled in either a yoga or pilates class and compared their responses to a control group not enrolled in a physical activity course

Unruly Women, Queer Objects: Analysing Object Conduct in Todd Haynes’ Carol (2015)

My thesis undertakes an analysis of object conduct - the way individuals socially and personally engage with matter - in Todd Haynes’ Carol (2015), a film about a clandestine lesbian relationship in 1950’s America. Through the use of a combination of material cultures theory and queer theory, my thesis performs a close reading of the social and personal interactions that emerge from gloves and cameras in the film. Furthermore, my argument traces how the homosexual and heterosexual relationships between the characters are created, maintained, made durable or tenuous through the objects in the film. Feminist film theory and queer feminist theory provides a secondary framework to consider the temporal nuances of a film made in the present but set in the past. I locate the status of objects as more than just things, but rather multivalent transfer points, and seek to further Scott Herrings inquiry: what happens when everyday objects become deviant? This multi-disciplinary approach allows my thesis to consider the destabilizing effects of non-normative object useage has on normative categories of culture. Ultimately, my thesis shows the disruptive effect a lesbian relationship - made and maintained through gloves and a camera - can have on the patriarchal and heteronormative hegemonies of 1950’s America

Unruly Women, Queer Objects: Analysing Object Conduct in Todd Haynes’ Carol (2015)

My thesis undertakes an analysis of object conduct - the way individuals socially and personally engage with matter - in Todd Haynes’ Carol (2015), a film about a clandestine lesbian relationship in 1950’s America. Through the use of a combination of material cultures theory and queer theory, my thesis performs a close reading of the social and personal interactions that emerge from gloves and cameras in the film. Furthermore, my argument traces how the homosexual and heterosexual relationships between the characters are created, maintained, made durable or tenuous through the objects in the film. Feminist film theory and queer feminist theory provides a secondary framework to consider the temporal nuances of a film made in the present but set in the past. I locate the status of objects as more than just things, but rather multivalent transfer points, and seek to further Scott Herrings inquiry: what happens when everyday objects become deviant? This multi-disciplinary approach allows my thesis to consider the destabilizing effects of non-normative object useage has on normative categories of culture. Ultimately, my thesis shows the disruptive effect a lesbian relationship - made and maintained through gloves and a camera - can have on the patriarchal and heteronormative hegemonies of 1950’s America

Laboratory and field partial discharge measurement in HVDC power cables

A range of experimental and field measurements of partial discharge (PD) activity under high voltage direct current (HVDC) conditions have been conducted with the goal of developing effective monitoring techniques for PD in HVDC cables and ancillary equipment, particularly in offshore renewable energy HVDC grid installations. Laboratory measurements on insulation test objects and cross linked polyethylene (XLPE) cable samples have been conducted to better understand the characteristics of PD activity under direct current (DC) stress in comparison with AC. In addition, long-term PD measurements carried out at both an HVDC cable aging laboratory and an in-service HVDC interconnector circuit are presented together with a description of the monitoring system architecture

Knowing practice in English teaching? Research challenges in representing the professional practice of English teachers

This article problematises representations of professional practice. It investigates assumptions behind received accounts of professional practice, including professional standards that purportedly capture what accomplished English teachers &ldquo;should know and be able to do&rdquo;, &ldquo;scientific&rdquo; studies that construct accounts of classrooms from the standpoint of academic researchers, and narratives written by teachers that claim to explore dimensions of classroom teaching that elude outside observers. Especially significant are attempts by practitioner researchers to develop accounts of their professional practice vis-a-vis constructions of their work from other standpoints. We argue that it is timely for practitioner researchers to reflexively examine the conditions for producing such accounts, and to address the question of the validity of their knowledge claims. Yet this is also &ndash; crucially &ndash; more than an epistemological issue, but one that requires acknowledging the primacy of practice for engaging with the complexities of classroom settings. This article gives an account of our ongoing efforts to develop forms of representation that might begin to do justice to the complexities of practice in comparison with accepted accounts of what English teachers know and do. We intend it to be read as a position paper which outlines a framework for research on English teaching as a dynamic culture practice. <br /

Real or Illusory? Case Studies on the Public Perception of Environmental Health Risks in the North West of England

Applied research in a public health setting seeks to provide professionals with insights and knowledge into complex environmental issues to guide actions that reduce inequalities and improve health. We describe ten environmental case studies that explore the public perception of health risk. We employed logical analysis of components of each case study and comparative information to generate new evidence. The findings highlight how concerns about environmental issues measurably affect people’s wellbeing and led to the development of new understanding about the benefits of taking an earlier and more inclusive approach to risk communication that can now be tested further

Pre-hospital notification is associated with improved stroke thrombolysis timing

Peer reviewedPublisher PD