Activism, Community and Cultural Heritage: “Communitism” in Creek Literature

Communitism refers to literature that encourages activism by celebrating and promoting American Indian communities. This thesis investigates how the literary works, The Fus Fixico Letters (1902 – 1908) and Drowning in Fire (2004), are communitist by supporting specific political and social changes in Creek communities. Through The Fus Fixico Letters Alexander Posey promoted his progressive political convictions, including that Creeks should embrace land allotment and endorse the creation a separate state for American Indians. Drowning in Fire, by Craig Womack, takes place throughout 1904 – 1993 and relates traditional Creek stories and practices to modern life. The novel delves into issues such as homophobia, racism, and the negative repercussions of land allotment. These literary works’ use of communitism elucidates how the writers responded to their particular political and social challenges by addressing different specific communities within their tribe, while still supporting the survival and continuance of their Creek culture in general

Equal Living

Designing with everyone in mind is a phenomenon that is talked about often but is either hit or missed when executed. When it comes to the blind and visually impaired, sensitivity in design needs to be heightened. Factors such as limited access to activities and information, societal stigmas and lack of employment, frequently lead blind and low vision individuals to isolation. The major sensory organ of a person is their eyes and with only this sense one can identify with, and maneuver the information in the environment. The amount of readable material in public spaces that are accessible are often limited to restroom signs, ATM’s and phone booths, while signs that may lead you to these same places ironically are not. Through this thesis, the inaccessible built and physical environment will be brought to light, and new tactics and design methods will be established in order to help those with vision impairments regain their independence in societ

Vulnerable, recalcitrant and resilient: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of risk and older people within the context of COVID-19 news media

Risk is an innate and integral part of everyday life and is present in simple, everyday occupations and complex actions. Age-related stereotypes can mean older people have little opportunity to engage in activities that present some degree of risk. The present study explores the discourse around risk and older people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated news media as a reflection of the dominant public discourse around older people\u27s behaviour to identify how risk is represented in relation to occupational engagement. Texts relating to older people and COVID-19 were sourced from the West Australian newspaper for a period of two months. Seventy texts were subject to Foucauldian discourse analysis to identify subject positions, location of risk and discursive features. Findings indicate that older people were segregated from the rest of society, with their behaviours framed in mostly negative ways. We identified three areas of discourse: vulnerable, and in need of protection; recalcitrant, and in need of management; and resilient, deserving of respect. While we recognise competing representations, implicit within the dominant discourse was the premise that older people were not capable of mediating risks and required ‘management’. These findings highlight the role of surveillance in restricting occupational engagement for older people and carry implications for older people, the public and therapists

The effects of perceived social norms on handwashing behaviour in students

University students may be at increased risk of infection because of living and working in close proximity to one another. Hand washing is widely considered the most effective method of preventing the spread of infectious illness. Exploring the determinants of hand washing is vital to the development of interventions to increase this behaviour. A survey based on Social Norms Theory assessed hand washing frequency and perceptions of peer hand washing in 255 students at a Scottish University. Participants reported their own hand washing frequency and rate, and how often they thought their peers washed their hands in particular circumstances, to determine whether misperceptions around hand washing exist in a UK student population, and whether these influence the behaviour of individuals. Gender was found to be a significant determinant of hand washing frequency as females reported washing their hands significantly more often than males. Participants also believed they washed their hands significantly more frequently than their peers. Perceived peer hand washing frequency was significantly correlated with participants’ own behaviour. This effect was seen in overall hand washing and in food, waste and illness-related hand washing. These results suggest perceived social norms around hand washing have a consistent and robust association with individual behaviour. An intervention based on Social Norms Theory may, therefore, be effective in increasing hand washing in a student population, reducing infection spread and illness rates within this group. Future research might test the effectiveness of a social norms intervention in other settings which carry an increased risk of infection spread, for example schools, hospitals and care homes

The impact of the physical environment on depressive symptoms of older residents living in care homes : a mixed methods study

Background and Objectives: Forty percent of residents living in care homes in the United Kingdom have significant depressive symptoms. Care homes can appear to be depressing places, but whether the physical environment of homes directly affects depression in care home residents is unknown. This study explores the relationship between the physical environment and depressive symptoms of older people living in care homes. Research Design and Methods: In a prospective cohort study the physical environment of 50 care homes were measured using the Sheffield Care Environment Assessment Matrix (SCEAM) and depressive symptoms of 510 residents measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). The study was supplemented with semi-structured interviews with residents living in the care homes. Quantitative data were analyzed using multi-level modeling, and qualitative data analyzed using a thematic framework approach. Results: The overall physical environment of care homes (overall SCEAM score) did not predict depressive symptoms. Controlling for dependency, social engagement, and home type, having access to outdoor space was the only environmental variable to significantly predict depressive symptoms. Residents interviewed reported that access to outdoor space was restricted in many ways: locked doors, uneven foot paths, steep steps, and needing permission or assistance to go outside. Discussion and Implications: We provide new evidence to suggest that access to outdoor space predicts depressive symptoms in older people living in care home. Interventions aimed at increasing access to outdoor spaces could positively affect depressive symptoms in older people

Is Your Neighborhood Designed to Support Physical Activity? A Brief Streetscape Audit Tool.

INTRODUCTION:Macro level built environment factors (eg, street connectivity, walkability) are correlated with physical activity. Less studied but more modifiable microscale elements of the environment (eg, crosswalks) may also affect physical activity, but short audit measures of microscale elements are needed to promote wider use. This study evaluated the relation of a 15-item neighborhood environment audit tool with a full version of the tool to assess neighborhood design on physical activity in 4 age groups. METHODS:From the 120-item Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS) measure of street design, sidewalks, and street crossings, we developed the 15-item version (MAPS-Mini) on the basis of associations with physical activity and attribute modifiability. As a sample of a likely walking route, MAPS-Mini was conducted on a 0.25-mile route from participant residences toward the nearest nonresidential destination for children (n = 758), adolescents (n = 897), younger adults (n = 1,655), and older adults (n = 367). Active transportation and leisure physical activity were measured with age-appropriate surveys, and accelerometers provided objective physical activity measures. Mixed-model regressions were conducted for each MAPS item and a total environment score, adjusted for demographics, participant clustering, and macrolevel walkability. RESULTS:Total scores of MAPS-Mini and the 120-item MAPS correlated at r = .85. Total microscale environment scores were significantly related to active transportation in all age groups. Items related to active transport in 3 age groups were presence of sidewalks, curb cuts, street lights, benches, and buffer between street and sidewalk. The total score was related to leisure physical activity and accelerometer measures only in children. CONCLUSION:The MAPS-Mini environment measure is short enough to be practical for use by community groups and planning agencies and is a valid substitute for the full version that is 8 times longer

Nanoscale rules governing the organization of glutamate receptors in spine synapses are subunit specific

Heterotetrameric glutamate receptors are essential for the development, function, and plasticity of spine synapses but how they are organized to achieve this is not known. Here we show that the nanoscale organization of glutamate receptors containing specific subunits define distinct subsynaptic features. Glutamate receptors containing GluA2 or GluN1 subunits establish nanomodular elements precisely positioned relative to Synaptotagmin-1 positive presynaptic release sites that scale with spine size. Glutamate receptors containing GluA1 or GluN2B specify features that exhibit flexibility: GluA1-subunit containing AMPARs are found in larger spines, while GluN2B-subunit containing NMDARs are enriched in the smallest spines with neither following a strict modular organization. Given that the precise positioning of distinct classes of glutamate receptors is linked to diverse events including cell death and synaptic plasticity, this unexpectedly robust synaptic nanoarchitecture provides a resilient system, where nanopositioned glutamate receptor heterotetramers define specific subsynaptic regions of individual spine synapses

Blogs and e-Portfolios: can they support reflection, evidencing and dialogue in teacher training?

A blog with explicit support for structured skills/competencies and community publishing was integrated within an e-Portfolio and evaluated with three successive cohorts of PGCE secondary students at Newcastle University in order to support reflections on practice, weekly lesson evaluations, and to evidence Teaching Quality Standards (TQS).The technologies were initially piloted with a single subject (English with Drama) in 2007/8, with roll out to all thirteen PGCE programmes in 2008/9 (156 students and seven tutors). Focus groups and questionnaires were used to investigate students' perceptions of using the blog to support both reflection and evidencing, to identify factors relating to engagement, and to explore informal use of external social networking with course-mates. Tutors' views were also captured.Students accessed the portfolio an average of sixty three times each (the range being from 4 to 254) and uploaded a total of 1,785 files over a ten month period in 2008/9. Students made an average of 27 blog entries each (36% published to a community). Analysis of questionnaire data (37% response rate) indicated that students liked the approach of linking one item of evidence to multiple TQS and feeling 'in touch' whilst on placement. Students (89%) used external social networking sites (47% of students used them for course-related purposes). The main barrier to engagement with the e-Portfolio was the perceived lack of time on a busy course.This study informs debate on the level of structure required in e-Portfolios/blogs for vocational subjects and factors relating to engagement and concurrent use of formal/institutional and informal social networking sites

Representations of voluntary childlessness in the UK Press, 1990-2008

Representations of voluntary childlessness — the declaration by an individual that he or she does not wish to bear or raise children — were studied in 116 articles published in British national newspapers in the period 1990—2008. Media framing analysis was used to examine broad patterns of framing of the topic, identifying four frames: voluntary childlessness as an individual rights issue, as a form of resistance, as a social trend, and as a personal decision. These frames, it is argued, may act as potential ‘scripts’ for newspaper readers who are debating the decision to start a family