The \u27Ex\u27 Factor… Will They Be Friends? A Qualitative Analysis of Post-Dissolution Communication Among Former Premarital Cohabitating Couples

This study explores the nature of the communication between former premarital cohabitating couples. Eight research participants (n=8) were interviewed to explore how and why they do or do not continue to communicate with their former partner since the relational termination. Four categories emerged from the qualitative analysis. First, couples “slid” into cohabitation for convenience-based purposes rather than deliberately decided. Second, they experienced a breakdown in or lack of communication before and/or during the disengagement. Third, the relational termination was a gradual process, and forth, the participants offered reasons for why they do or do not remain in communication with their ex-partner. An unexpected theme that emerged was the existence or possibility of a new partner negatively impacting friendship quality between the former partners

A Study of the Self-esteem and Life Satisfaction of Twenty-six Institutionalized Elderly in Rural, North Central United States

This study explores the self-esteem and life satisfaction of, selected institutionalized elderly persons. The research questions were: 1) What is the extent of self-esteem of selected institutionalized \u27elderly persons as measured by the Tennessee Self Concept Scale? 2) What is the extent of life satisfaction of selected institutionalized elderly persons as measured by the Life Satisfaction Index of Adams? Symbolic interactionism and self-theory served as the theoretical framework for the study. Descriptive methodology with a structured interview was utilized. Criteria sampling was used. Twenty-six elderly subjects who were residents of a skilled nursing home in a rural, north central United States community were the sample. Individual case scores, mean, median, range, and percentages were - used to describe the data. A limitation of the study; was use of a small, non-random sample. Results of the study indicated nine subjects (35%) had high scores in self-esteem, seven subjects (30%) scored in the medium range of self-esteem, and nine subjects (35%) received low scores in self-esteem. In life satisfaction eight subjects (31%) Scored high, ten subjects (38%) received scores in the medium range of life satisfaction, and eight (31%) received low life satisfaction scores

The tragic grotesque: Dorothy Parker\u27s women

Dorothy Parker, who once called herself a little Jewish girl trying to be cute, is perhaps best remembered for her remark, Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses or as the person who responded to the news that Calvin Coolidge had died with, How can they tell? Sometimes, an anthology of modem fiction will include a Parker story to typify the witty sarcasm underlying nearly all of her writing. But too seldom are her stories examined as reflections of her disgust for the roles assigned to women during the 1920s and 30s, the years during which she did the bulk of her writing, both as author and critic

Integrating the ESL Reader into the American College Classroom

A non-native speaker of English attending an American college cir university needs a variety of reading skills to succeed as a student, as a resident of an American town or city, and as a member of the cultural community, Although each student\u27s needs will differ according to his/her previous amount of contact with the English language, certain general needs can be assessed for the non-native speaker who has at least an intermediate range of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Both secondary and college teachers can help ESL (English as a Second Language) readers prepare for and adjust to life on an American college campus by recommending specific reading materials and techniques to help meet these students\u27 needs

Alaska

The First Regular Session of the thirty-first Alaska Legislature began on January 15, 2019, and ended on May 15, 2019. A First Special Session was held from May 16, 2019, through June 13, 2019, with a Second Special Session following from July 8, 2019, through August 6, 2019. The 2019 legislative session resulted in virtually no oil and gas legislation being passed, as the Alaska Legislature focused primarily on legislation regarding the State budget and the funding of the Permanent Fund Dividend. Despite the uncharacteristic lack of oil and gas legislation, the Legislature addressed the prevalent issue of oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (“ANWR”) through the passage of Senate Joint Resolution No. 7

Structural Analysis of the Multifunctional SpoIIE Regulatory Protein of Clostridioides difficile.

Clostridioides (formally Clostridium) difficile is a medically relevant pathogen pertinent to infectious disease research. C. difficile is distinctly known for its ability to produce two toxins, enterotoxin A and cytotoxin B, and the propensity to colonize the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. It is known that metabolism is tightly correlated with sporulation in endospore producers such as C. difficile, but an interesting and novel regulatory relationship found by the Ivey lab has yet to be understood. The relationship explored in this study is observed between the sporulation factor, SpoIIE, which represses expression of an ABC peptide transporter, app. In this study, two primary approaches were taken in order to investigate this interaction. The first method involved directly mutating the gene for SpoIIE in attempt to understand which portion of the gene is crucial for retaining protein functionality, in this case, the repression of app. The two genes of interest were readily available on their own individual plasmids, which easily allowed for mutagenesis experimentation before transformation into E. coli. The plasmid with app was constructed to include a fluorescent probe, allowing the relative level of repression to parallel the qualitative measurement of fluorescence. On the SpoIIE containing plasmid, missense point mutations, done using PCR site-directed mutagenesis, and a large deletion of the SpoIIE protein transmembrane anchor, done by endonuclease restriction digest, were performed in pursuit of this investigative method. The secondary approach was to computationally model the SpoIIE protein structures resultant of the genetic mutations done in vitro. Side-by-side images of the predicted mutant models produced from the experimentally preferred algorithm were compared to the wildtype SpoIIE model. The visual analysis of the structures and the comparison of various algorithms is anticipated to be insightful for not only this project, but future exploration into SpoIIE as a multifunctional protein within C. difficile

A Case for Investing in HIV-Sensitive Social Services for Vulnerable Children in Nigeria

HIV and AIDS are reported to be one of the leading causes of death in Nigeria, behind other child-related death illnesses – influenza and pneumonia (CDC, 2013). The presence of HIV and AIDS in a family, including related orhpanhood because of the disease has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of children. It also dramatically impacts the long-term implications and costs to society. However, there remains a notable disparity between the contributions made by different actors – including all levels of the Nigerian government, international donors, private organizations and civil society. A desk review was conducted to examine the current gaps in investment related to care and treatment for children living with or affected by HIV. Findings reveal that foreign funding declined from 82 – 71% for financing of HIV related programming and interventions. While there seems to be some progress compared to increased contributions to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) programming from domestic sources (e.g., government and private sector), this comes at the same time when there is a decline in foreign donor support towards the issue. Conversely, private sector contributions to OVC issues remain an untapped resource in Nigeria. Therefore, there is a need for an investment case to clear articulate and advocate for increased financial support for an HIV sensitive social service system that can adequately address and respond to the needs of vulnerable children. Keywords: Investment case, OVC financing, cost of inaction, OVC programing, Nigeri

Alaska

The Alaska State Legislature was scheduled to convene its Second Regular Session of the Thirty-First Legislative Session from January 21, 2020, through May 20, 2020. However, on March 29, 2020, the Alaska State Legislature, like other state legislatures, suspended its session effective immediately, in response to the coronavirus pandemic (“COVID-19”). While the suspension was initially continued through May 18, 2020, the Alaska Legislature formally adjourned on May 20, 2020. Given the adjournment, the legislature did not pass any substantive oil and gas legislation