Looking On and Overlooking: An Analysis of Oversight in Online Tutoring

As a writing center director, I am charged with overseeing my staff of undergraduate tutors, as well as making sure the center functions in accordance with its budget and mission. All of my duties–training tutors, scheduling, working with faculty, performing public relations, guiding tutors’ ongoing professional development–can be viewed as forms of oversight. I find the term “oversight” to be a very apt lens for considering the work of a writing center director because of its dual meaning: it can mean “looking over,” “supervising”–or it can suggest the opposite, as in “overlooking” or “forgetfulness, missing.”University Writing Cente

The Petrographic Analysis of Sherds from the Musgano Site (41RK19), Rusk County, Texas

Characterizing the mineralogical composition of ceramic vessels and sherds from Caddo sites in East Texas by means of petrographic analysis provides a unique opportunity to gather and investigate empirical evidence from ceramic vessels on: (1) technological and manufacturing practices, and (2) their trade and exchange at varying scales conducted by ancestral Caddo people with their neighbors, both near and far (i.e., other ancestral Caddo groups as well as non-Caddo communities). This evidence in turn can be used to explore changes in the nature of social and economic relationships between particular Caddo groups and other prehistoric populations. Identified compositional and paste differences that have been recognized between the different wares made by Caddo groups (i.e., plain wares, utility wares, and fine wares) can also be employed to explore functional and technological differences in vessel function and form. It is important to build on existing petrographic studies of Caddo vessels and vessel sherds by examining unstudied assemblages to (1) better clarify the compositional nature of these ceramic wares across the Caddo temporal and geographic landscape; (2) to help pinpoint other ceramic manufacturing locales and mineralogical compositional groups, but also to assess their apparent technological complexity; and (3) lead to better evaluations of the regional character of prehistoric and historic Caddo trade and interaction networks that existed, and more definitively establish whether there were changes through time in the direction and intensity of local and long distance trade and interaction. The disparate pieces of information contained within the sherds and vessel fragments of Caddo ceramics found on many prehistoric and early historic sites throughout the region have the potential to address these questions and research issues, and can contribute unique information concerning those relationships that existed in the distant (and not-so-distant) past between Caddo farmers. Twenty decorated sherds from the Musgano ceramic assemblage curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory at The University of Texas at Austin (TARL) were selected for petrographic analysis. The sherds were split and one of the remaining fragments of each pair was used for the production of thin sections. Originally, the other half of each sherd was to be submitted for instrumental neutron activation analysis, but such analyses were not done; the remaining sherd fragment was returned for continued curation at TARL. Upon the receipt of the thin sections, they underwent petrographic analysis as reported on herein. The 20 sherds include sherds from engraved fine wares (n=8, 40 percent)—bottles and carinated bowls— as well as sherds from utility wares (n=12, 60 percent). The utility wares have brushed-appliqued, incised, incised-punctated (from Maydelle Incised, Weches Fingernail Impressed, and Washington Square Paneled vessels), and punctated decorative elements. Ten percent of the sherds are from bone-tempered vessels, based on macroscopic examination, while the others are from grog-tempered vessels

Perceptions of School Resource Officers on Their Role in Southern Maryland Public Elementary Schools

This applied dissertation was designed to investigate the perceptions of school resource officers (SROs) in Southern Maryland regarding the support SROs could provide elementary schools to foster positive interpersonal relationships while maintaining school safety and what additional resources that the SROs needed to support their job. The overall school climate and morale at some elementary schools have significantly decreased due to increased student-aggressive behaviors. The school climate is correlated to student academic success (Sanders et al., 2018). School climate can include safety, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning, and the school environment. There is a need for school resource officers in elementary schools to support the overall school climate as they build a general feeling of safety. They can collaboratively foster healthy relationships within the school environment and create an environment conducive to teaching and learning. SROs should refrain from regularly needing to handle disciplinary needs in schools. Instead, they should help build positive relationships through collaboration with staff that help empower these future community members to make wise and safe choices in and out of the school environment. This generic qualitative study addressed what SRO perceptions were in role in a public school in Southern Maryland. It also addressed the training and additional resources that SROs need to continue to grow the SRO program. The findings of this study suggest that SROs can foster positive interpersonal relationships while maintaining school safety at any school level that they are assigned to. Their perceptions demonstrate the importance of building relationships through trust, being approachable, having positive interactions with staff, students, and administration, being playful, showing compassion, and having good communication skills. The findings of this study suggest additional resources that SROs need, such as continued training and collaboration, among other accessible items, in order to improve the SRO program

Perineal Talc Use and Risk of Endometrial Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

Endometrial cancer is the most common female reproductive cancer in the United States. Most known risk factors for endometrial cancer are either genetic or related to exposure to estrogens; less is known about risk due to environmental exposures. While several studies have examined the relationship between perineal powder use and ovarian cancer risk, only one study has addressed the relationship with endometrial cancer risk. The Women\u27s Health Initiative Observational Study, a prospective cohort study of 93,676 United States postmenopausal women from 1993-2005, measured perineal powder use at baseline via self-report. Cases of endometrial cancer were self-reported and confirmed by both local and central physician adjudicators. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association between perineal powder use and endometrial cancer, adjusting for known risk factors. Of the 48,912 women in our analysis, 25,181 (52%) reported ever use of perineal powders. There were 452 incident cases of endometrial cancer diagnosed during 366,872 person-years of follow-up. Ever use of perineal powder was not significantly associated with increased risk of endometrial cancer (hazard ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 0.87-1.27). However, use of any perineal powder for 20 or more years was associated with a 30% increase in risk (hazard ratio 1.30, 95% CI 1.01-1.67) compared to never users. Use of powder on both a diaphragm and the perineal area was associated with a 39% increase in risk (hazard ratio 1.39, 95% CI 1.00-1.93). Cessation of perineal powder use, particularly on a diaphragm, may help reduce risk of endometrial cancer

Psychosocial Interventions to Decrease Hospitalizations for Older Adults with Chronic Illnesses

Chronic illness has a significant impact on the lives of older adults, both physically and psychologically. Exacerbations of chronic illness can lead to hospitalizations, which in themselves can be traumatizing for an older adult. An initial literature search indicated a significant relationship between hospitalizations and reports of anxiety, depression, and even symptoms of post-traumatic stress. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between the use of psychosocial interventions and decreased hospitalizations for older adults with chronic illness. Using a systematic search of CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Medline, and SocINDEX databases, eight articles were identified and thematically analyzed. Although various chronic illness care models were addressed in the research, the following psychosocial themes were identified as core components of a successful model: patient-centered care and education, interdisciplinary consultation, care management, and mental health counseling and support. The utilization of these interventions resulted in a number of positive outcomes, including decreased symptoms of depression, improved quality of life, and decreased hospitalizations. The results indicated that incorporating psychosocial aspects into chronic illness care models are, in fact, essential to producing positive outcomes for older adults

A Conceptual Framework for Genetic Policy: Comparing the Medical, Public Health, and Fundamental Rights Models

This Article presents the first attempt to develop a comprehensive legal framework governing the regulation of genetic information in the United States. Part II addresses the need for such legal framework. Part III analyzes three conceptual legal models that have been adopted in the past for regulating medical services: the medical model, the public health model, and the fundamental rights model. Part IV examines the results of medical and social scientific studies on the impact of genetic services. Part V addresses the impact of genetic services. Part VI revisits the three models to determine which is appropriate for genetics. Part VII discusses the legal justification for the fundamental rights model