Fight or flight

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Fine Arts.Thesis supervisor: Dr. Josephine Stealey.Fight or Flight addresses the end result of recent environmental disturbances and catastrophic weather events brought on by climate change. Many humans throughout the planet have faced personal or property devastation of one kind or another, and this has also occurred in the natural world, affecting plants, animals, insects and other living beings. This body of work suggests a loss of home, or living environment, creating the need for organisms to find another place that will meet their collective needs in terms of food, water, climate and breeding grounds. Through the artworks Swarm and Mob, the viewer was immersed into a purposeful juxtaposition of repeated forms that alluded to themes of transformation, metamorphosis, evolution and survival. Simultaneously attracting and repulsing, the work presented an environment that was on the move, unstable and in flux, suggesting the repercussions of environmental devastation. The immersive environment created by Swarm and Mob surrounded the viewers in the gallery, allowing the dark and furry creatures to enter their personal space, creating a sense of discomfort at being outnumbered, forcing them to confront their day to day actions and their repercussions on the world at large.Includes bibliographical references (pages 26-27)

Aquatic Therapy for a Patient with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: a Case Report

Background and Purpose: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) can have a debilitating effect on an individual’s quality of life. The purpose of this case report is to describe the use of interval training in an aquatic environment to decrease the symptoms of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Aquatic therapy provides benefits for individuals with cardiovascular issues, mainly through the principle of hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure aids in shunting the blood from the extremities back to the heart, thus increasing cardiac output while reducing the individual’s heart rate. Description: An 18 year-old female high school student who had been experiencing Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome symptoms for approximately one year. These symptoms prevented her from participating in school or recreational activities. Intervention: The patient underwent 11 sessions of an aquatic interval program. Her subjective report, heart rate, blood pressure, and rate of perceived exertion were monitored throughout each session. Outcomes: After completing physical therapy, the patient had attained all of her functional goals including standing for 45 minutes, walking between classes at school, and attending her prom. The patient reported that she had not had a fainting spell in over 4 weeks. Despite these functional gains, the patient’s Quality of Life score, as measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire (a condensed version of the original World Health Organization Quality of Life-100), declined in the following categories: physical health, psychological health, and environment. Discussion: The patient’s exercise-specific heart rate and rate of perceived exertion decreased as sessions progressed, demonstrating an increased activity tolerance. It is hypothesized that the positive effects of hydrostatic pressure on the cardiovascular system contributed to the improvement in exercise tolerance and ultimately to her overall conditioning and activity tolerance. The results of this case report suggest that aquatic therapy may be an appropriate exercise modality for patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Continued research on the effects of aquatic therapy on the symptoms of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome is warranted

Going with the flow : the lives and work of three contemporary Canadian fibre artists

This thesis recounts the stories and experiences of three contemporary Canadian fibre artists who have emerged onto the artistic scene within the past decade. It is my intent to examine the possible internal and external motivational factors involved in their choice of career path, and their choice of fibre as a medium. In-depth interviews examined the early lives of these women from their own perspectives, delving into their family and cultural influences as well as their educational experiences. Fibre artists are often involved in techniques and processes that are repetitive and extremely time consuming. The relationship between the body and the mind that occurs while engaged in this type of intensive art practice will be explored, such as: notions of flow; losing track of time; peak experiences; meditative moments; body kinaesthetic knowledge; tacit knowing; and the body memories often involved in creating with textile materials and processes. Potential links between spirituality and creative practice will be explored. Time will be considered from many angles, including: each woman's perspective on how time relates to their individual practice; how they manage time around completing such labor intensive work; and the time that it takes to become a successful fibre artist in the current artistic climate. Each artist's identification with feminism and the possible subversive nature of textiles as a medium will be explored. As well as looking at issues related to the artist's personal, public and private space, the role of place in their current art work will also be addressed

Motivations for servitization: The impact of product complexity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the commonalities and differences in manufacturers’ motivations to servitise. Design/methodology/approach – UK study based on interviews with 40 managers in 25 companies in 12 sectors. Using the concept of product complexity, sectors were grouped using the Complex Products and systems (CoPS) typology: non-complex products, complex products and systems. Findings – Motivations to servitise were categorised as competitive, demand based (i.e. derived from the customer) or economic. Motivations to servitise vary according to product complexity, although cost savings and improved service quality appear important demand-based motivations for all manufacturers. Non-complex product manufacturers also focus on services to help product differentiation. For CoPS manufacturers, both risk reduction and developing a new revenue stream were important motivations. For uniquely complex product manufacturers, stabilising revenue and increased profitability were strong motivations. For uniquely systems manufacturers, customers sought business transformation, whilst new service business models were also identified. Research limitations/implications – Using the CoPS typology, this study delineates motivations to servitise by sector. The findings show varying motivations to servitise as product complexity increases, although some motivational commonality existed across all groups. Manufacturers may have products of differing complexity within their portfolio. To overcome this limitation the unit of analysis was the strategic business unit. Practical implications – Managers can reflect on and benchmark their motivation for, and opportunities from, servitisation, by considering product complexity. Originality/value – The first study to categorise servitisation motivations by product complexity. Identifying that some customers of systems manufacturers seek business transformation through outsourcing

The Effects of Poetry in Elderly Populations with Memory Impairment

Introduction. A small body of research on therapeutic use of poetry in individuals with memory impairment demonstrates benefits similar to that of more widely studied music interventions. This project aims to assess the effects of participation in a poetry group on the residents of a memory care floor within the Converse Home, an assisted living facility in Burlington, Vermont. Methods.. We evaluated the effects of twelve group poetry sessions on residents\u27 well-being in several domains. Each session included a reading and writing portion, which were evaluated separately to assess differences in measures of communication, interest, and enjoyment. These measures, along with negative responses, were recorded on Likert scales. T-tests, ANOVA, and post-hoc comparisons were used to compare behavioral and affective observations in the reading versus writing sessions. Results.. Positive responses were significantly higher in reading sessions (p Conclusion.. Although the limitations of this project preclude us from drawing individual conclusions regarding the therapeutic efficacy of poetry in individuals with memory impairment, we demonstrate that poetry sessions have a positive impact on global quality of life outcomes and introduction of poetry sessions in this population has a beneficial effect.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1242/thumbnail.jp

Capabilities for advanced services: A multi-actor perspective

This paper was published in the journal Industrial Marketing Management and the definitive published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.04.015.Servitization involves manufacturers developing service offerings to grow revenue and profit. Advanced services, in particular, can facilitate a more service-focused organization and impact customers' business processes significantly. However, approaches to servitization are often discussed solely from the manufacturer's perspective; overlooking the role of other network actors. Adopting a multi-actor perspective, this study investigates manufacturer, intermediary and customer perspectives to identify complementary and competing capabilities within a manufacturer's downstream network, required for advanced services. Interviews were conducted with 24 senior executives in 19 UK-based manufacturers, intermediaries and customers across multiple sectors. The study identified six key business activities, within which advanced services capabilities were grouped. The unique and critical capabilities for advanced services for each actor were identified as follows: manufacturers; the need to balance product and service innovation, developing customer-focused through-life service methodologies and having distinct, yet synergistic product and service cultures; intermediaries, the coordination and integration of third party products/services; customers, co-creating innovation and having processes supporting service outsourcing. The study is unique in highlighting the distinct roles of different actors in the provision of advanced services and shows that they can only be developed and delivered by the combination of complex interconnected capabilities found within a network

Student Evaluations of Teaching: Understanding Limitations and Advocating for a Gold Standard for Measuring Teaching Effectiveness

The arbitrator’s decision in Ryerson University v Ryerson Faculty Association [2018] CanLII 58446 (ON LA) rejected use of Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs) for academic confirmation and promotion purposes. SETs provide largely quantitative data in response to pre-determined institutional, generic questions using a Likert scale applicable to all teaching modes. SETs may be efficient, but commonly low response rates mean the data is often statistically invalid. Studies of SETs suggest gender, age, race, and other biases are widespread, and they discourage teaching innovation because academics fear student backlash in SET scores. Consequently, SETs are of little value to academics for their professional development, confirmation or promotion, or as evidence for teaching grant or awards processes. The continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on traditional models of teaching has forced many changes in teaching, learning and pedagogy, often with a temporary suspension of SETs to allow teachers to innovate without negative impact on professional development measures. This presents a unique opportunity for us to revisit how the effectiveness of teaching and learning is measured. Academic teaching staff still need evidence of teaching effectiveness, as do sessional staff looking for continued employment and/or a career in academia. This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of SETs; seeks to equip law academics to advocate for other measures of teaching effectiveness that better reflect their contribution to student learning; and to pave the way for law discipline and institutional level changes that support a gold standard in measuring teaching effectiveness beyond reliance on SETs, for the benefit of teachers in law and other disciplines

Caffeine Inhibits EGF-Stimulated Trophoblast Cell Motility through the Inhibition of mTORC2 and Akt.

Impaired trophoblast invasion is associated with pregnancy disorders such as early pregnancy loss and preeclampsia. There is evidence to suggest that the consumption of caffeine during pregnancy may increase the risk of pregnancy loss; however, little is known about the direct effect of caffeine on normal trophoblast biology. Our objectives were to examine the effect of caffeine on trophoblast migration and motility after stimulation with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and to investigate the intracellular signaling pathways involved in this process. Primary first-trimester extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) and the EVT-derived cell line SGHPL-4 were used to study the effect of caffeine on EGF-stimulated cellular motility using time-lapse microscopy. SGHPL-4 cells were further used to study the effect of caffeine and cAMP on EGF-stimulated invasion of fibrin gels. The influence of caffeine and cAMP on EGF-stimulated intracellular signaling pathways leading to the activation of Akt were investigated by Western blot analysis. Caffeine inhibits both EGF-stimulated primary EVT and SGHPL-4 cell motility. EGF stimulation activates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and Akt and caffeine inhibit this activation. Although cAMP inhibits both motility and invasion, it does not inhibit the activation of Akt, indicating that the effects of caffeine seen in this study are independent of cAMP. Further investigation indicated a role for mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) as a target for the inhibitory effect of caffeine. In conclusion, we demonstrate that caffeine inhibits EGF-stimulated trophoblast invasion and motility in vitro and so could adversely influence trophoblast biology in vivo