Child Abuse : Creating the Public in the Public Service Advertisement

This thesis seeks to examine the discursive construction of the public. Unlike studies before it, it explores a site that has yet to be analysed in depth- the public service advertisement. While the characteristics of this genre are understood in cultural common sense, what has been neglected is a consideration of how these advertisements can be understood to address an entity that is amorphous and unknowable. This study argues that such an address is only possible in this genre through the discourse of childhood. By employing an interdisciplinary approach that includes cultural and-media studies, political theory and sociology, the history of the \u27public\u27 and the history of \u27childhood\u27 are explored as a means to understanding how and why they are evoked through sites such as the public service advertisement. The implications of these strategies is what drives this dissertation and is what situates it as a contribution to the continued debates surrounding the media and notions of the public sphere

Spatial distribution of the common loon (Gavia immer) in New Hampshire

The Common Loon (Gavia immer) is located in many portions of North America. By the early 1970\u27s the Common Loon population in New Hampshire had experienced a dramatic decline in historic numbers. In 1975, the Audubon Society of New Hampshire recognized this problem and established the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC). The intent was to collect information regarding the presence or absence of loons and loon productivity, and, educate the public regarding loon ecology and preservation. This dissertation represents the work completed to fulfill the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Natural Resources Management at the University of New Hampshire. The research concentrated on analyzing georeferenced loon management data collected by LPC from 1980--2002 and understanding loon habitat occupancy. Specific objectives of this study were to: (1) investigate the colonization patterns of the Common Loon in New Hampshire, (2) identify and prioritize potential loon habitat in New Hampshire, and (3) develop and implement methods to be used by the Loon Preservation Committee for current and future loon management. Methods are described for converting and analyzing a 29-year historical database maintained by the Loon Preservation Committee located in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. Through this effort, techniques and results for: analog to digital data conversion, automating new data collection, and spatial analysis are discussed. Lake perimeter, lake depth, distance to lakes with and without loons, and lake elevation were identified as significant factors for determining loon habitat occupancy in New Hampshire. The results of implementing a GIS-enabled loon habitat occupancy model are presented

The Effect of Chemical Amendments Used for Phosphorus Abatement on Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions from Dairy Cattle Slurry: Synergies and Pollution Swapping

peer-reviewedLand application of cattle slurry can result in incidental and chronic phosphorus (P) loss to waterbodies, leading to eutrophication. Chemical amendment of slurry has been proposed as a management practice, allowing slurry nutrients to remain available to plants whilst mitigating P losses in runoff. The effectiveness of amendments is well understood but their impacts on other loss pathways (so-called ‘pollution swapping’ potential) and therefore the feasibility of using such amendments has not been examined to date. The aim of this laboratory scale study was to determine how the chemical amendment of slurry affects losses of NH3, CH4, N2O, and CO2. Alum, FeCl2, Polyaluminium chloride (PAC)- and biochar reduced NH3 emissions by 92, 54, 65 and 77% compared to the slurry control, while lime increased emissions by 114%. Cumulative N2O emissions of cattle slurry increased when amended with alum and FeCl2 by 202% and 154% compared to the slurry only treatment. Lime, PAC and biochar resulted in a reduction of 44, 29 and 63% in cumulative N2O loss compared to the slurry only treatment. Addition of amendments to slurry did not significantly affect soil CO2 release during the study while CH4 emissions followed a similar trend for all of the amended slurries applied, with an initial increase in losses followed by a rapid decrease for the duration of the study. All of the amendments examined reduced the initial peak in CH4 emissions compared to the slurry only treatment. There was no significant effect of slurry amendments on global warming potential (GWP) caused by slurry land application, with the exception of biochar. After considering pollution swapping in conjunction with amendment effectiveness, the amendments recommended for further field study are PAC, alum and lime. This study has also shown that biochar has potential to reduce GHG losses arising from slurry application.This research was funded by the Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Scheme and the AnimalChange Framework 7 Project (FP7-KBBE-2010-4)

The New Doctrine of Necessaries in Virginia

Under the traditional common law doctrine of necessaries, a husband has the duty to support his wife and is responsible for the cost of necessary goods and services furnished to his wife by third parties if he has failed to provide the necessaries himself. However, the recent influx of women into the marketplace and the United States Supreme Court\u27s decisions on gender discrimination have caused a significant number of courts and state legislatures to modify the doctrine or abolish it altogether

Modeling Uptake and Translocation of Lead (PB) in Maize for the Purposes of Phytoextraction

Phytoextraction is a remediation technology that uses plants to remove heavy metals from soil. This technology has the potential to decrease the costs of remediating contaminated sites by several orders of magnitude compared to traditional technologies. To effectively implement this technology requires an understanding of the plant processes that control uptake and translocation of metals from the soil. Currently these processes are poorly understood, and especially so for Pb. The purpose of this thesis was to gain insights concerning the plant mechanisms that control uptake and translocation of Pb and how these mechanisms interact to control levels of Pb accumulation in the plant. This was accomplished by developing, testing, and implementing a system dynamics model that simulated a maize plant taking up and translocating Pb. As a result of a rigorous process of conceptualization, formulation, and testing, it appears that this model is a valid tool for studying uptake, translocation, and accumulation of Pb. The results suggest that precipitation of Pb as a Pb-phosphate at the root surface and throughout the plant is one of the most important mechanisms in this system. The maximal uptake rate of Pb (Vmax) and effective root mass may also be key plant parameters in this process. The model may also be used to test various phytoextraction management scenarios, two of which were tested in this study

Receipt of a Profits Interest in a Partnership As a Taxable Event after Campbell and Mark IV, The

For years tax advisors have assumed that the receipt of a profits interest in a partnership in return for services is not a taxable event; instead, the stream of income derived from the profits interest is taxable as received. The only authority to the contrary was considered an aberration and nearly completely disregarded A tax court memorandum decision, Campbell v. Commissioner, appeared to change the way in which tax advisors must approach the topic. Mark IV Productions, Inc. v. Commissioner, a memorandum decision handed down only seven months after Campbell, however, abruptly altered once again the tax court\u27s position on taxing the receipt of a partnership interest as income when received in exchange for services. Most recently, the Eighth Circuit reversed the tax court\u27s decision in Campbell. The Eighth Circuit, however, did not settle this issue of partnership tax law. This Comment explores the history of the taxation of a partnership profits interest and discusses how the tax court\u27s Campbell decision deviated from prior law. It also examines the recent Mark IV case, which fails to follow the Campbell analysis. Finally, this Comment analyzes the Eighth Circuit\u27s opinion in Campbell. All three cases raise serious questions and confusion for anyone trying to advise clients of the tax liability on the receipt of a profits interest in a partnership in return for services

The whole cell catalysed hydrolysis of acrylamide to ammonium acrylate using an immobilised cell bioreactor

Methods currently used for manufacturing the commodity chemical ammonium acrylate involve high temperatures that increases the risk of unwanted polymerisation and, in certain cases, leads to the generation of large amounts of unwanted by-product. The enzyme catalysed hydrolysis of acrylamide through to ammonium acrylate, however, may be carried out at ambient temperatures without by-product generation. Bioreactors operating with immobilised whole cell biocatalysts, have been examined as a means of producing ammonium acrylate. Studies with the amidase active C. nitrilophilus showed that entrapment in cross-linked polyacrylamide gel was the best immobilisation method, resulting in a biocatalyst with good physical stability without a serious loss in amidase activity. Immobilisation scaleup was possible through the use of a suspension polymerisation technique to produce cells entrapped in cross-linked polyacrylamide beads. The beads exhibited amidase activity after drying and rehydration. The loss in amidase activity was reduced by decreasing the drying time while storage stability was increased when the beads were dried to a low water content. Bioreactor studies were performed using C. nitrilophtlus entrapped in cross-linked polyacrylamide gel cuboids. The changing conductance of reaction solutions, due to ammonium acrylate production, was used as an on-line method of monitoring amidase activity. Interfacing the conductance monitor to the acrylamide feed system, via a computer, allowed a 0.5 litre continuous stirred tank bioreactor to be operated at constant acrylamide and ammonium acrylate concentrations for several days at a time. It was shown that batch reactors were unsuitable for ammonium acrylate production as amidase activity was progressively and irreversibly deactivated in the presence of acrylamide and, to a lesser extent, ammonium acrylate. Amidase activity was decreased at lower reactor operating temperatures whilst amidase stability was increased. The automated bioreactor system was used to compare the stability of the amidase activity of C. nitrilophilus with that of two cell isolates: R rhodochrous sp.632 and Rhodococcus sp.l068. The amidase activity of R rhodochrous sp.632 was shown to be the most stable. The amidase activity of R rhodochrous sp.632 was found to be competitively inhibited by ammonium acrylate. Use of a fed-batch reactor for ammonium acrylate production was preferred over a continuous stirred tank reactor as the effects of product inhibition were reduced. Through monitoring of the conductance measurements, the fed-batch system was automated so that acrylamide concentrations were kept at a constant level. Operation of the system at different acrylamide concentrations showed that higher concentrations increased the rate of amidase activity loss. Bioreactor scale-up was performed by designing, constructing and operating a stirred tank reactor system with a 6 litre working volume. The reactor was operated in fedbatch and continuous modes using computer control, and ammonium acrylate was produced on a kilogram scale. Performance of the 6 litre reactor operating with R. rhodochrous sp.632 immobilised in cross-linked polyacrylamide beads, was comparable to the performance of the 0.5 litre reactor. Performance tests on polymers prepared from the bio-ammonium acrylate showed them to be indistinguishable from polymers of chemical origin

Assessing professional development and professionalism: peer review, reflection and appraisal

Background: Identity formation is one of the frameworks to address professional development amongst healthcare students (Irby and Hamstra, 2016). Professional development is a continuous nurturing process. Healthcare students gradually develop their professional identity to mirror the values and dispositions of their profession; and to become the very best they could be, professionally. There is a significant association between professional development and reflective ability; although the causality of the association needs further investigations (Hoffman et al., 2016). There is a need to move from theoretical frameworks to interventions that foster professionalization among future healthcare professionals. Description of the work To help students of pharmacy and nursing form their professional identity, we introduce them to a series of simulation and experiential interventions. Interprofessional education (IPE) is a key catalyst intervention for formation of professional identity. Students' attitudes towards IPE are evaluated; their interactions with their peers and their engagement with the activities are observed by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare teacher-practitioners. We also collect teacher-practitioners’ views on the key strengths and key development areas of each student. During a formative appraisal session students self-assess their key strengths and key development areas. After which, we share with them the views of their teachers. Then, students have to come up with an action plan to showcase their plans and strategies to address the key development areas. Proposed evaluation We apply a multi-pronged evaluation plan to assess the interventions. Firstly, we collect feedback from students, by survey about their appraisal session immediately. Secondly, we will continue monitoring students' professional identity formation post appraisal to graduation. We will look for changes in students' attitudes and behaviour post-appraisal. For instance, pre- and post-evaluation of attitudes towards engagement with the IPE activities. We will also evaluate the year over year (YOY) comparison of the students’ behaviour in the context of time management, punctuality and communication skills.. Finally, we will assess the overall experience of students on their professional development using standard social science methodology, including questionnaires and focus groups

From Community Engagement to Community Emergence: The Holistic Program Design Approach

University-community engagement has the potential to positively transform higher education, but community-engaged institutions must overcome challenges related to defining, planning, and assessing engagement activities. The 2015 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification application process and the results of the 2015 Campus Compact member survey revealed that there is room for improvement in engagement efforts within public and private institutions alike. The authors propose the holistic program design approach to curricular-based engagement as a new framework for building individual and institutional capacity. Utilizing interactional field theory, the framework shows how university-community engagement can promote the emergence or formation of community between a university and local participants. Curricular-based engagement experiences serve as venues for interaction in which students, faculty, and local residents communicate and work to address common, place-based needs. The authors provide operational definitions of university-community engagement and curricular-based engagement, describe a theoretical and philosophical rationale for engagement, and present a conceptual model of student and community development outcomes. They also highlight potential assessment metrics, address five recommendations of the Carnegie Foundation, and suggest directions for future research and development