The influence of sixteenth century voyages on Elizabethan literature.

It is the purpose of this thesis to show what influence the sixteenth century voyagers had on the Elizabethan writers. For expediency, we have divided these voyages into two classes: namely, the early, from Columbus, 1492, to Vasca de Gama, 1498; and the later voyagers from de Gama to Captain Smith, 1603. We find that commerce instigated nearly all early navigation. The Turks having cut off the Mediterranean trade route with India in 1453, it was necessary to find another water route to this country. As a direct consequence, Columbus discovered the West Indies in 1492 and claimed the new found land for Spain. John Cabot in 1497 claimed the north mainland of America for England. Vasca de Gama in 1498 finally fulfilled the prime purpose by reaching India via the water route and claimed this honor for Portugal. Commerce ceased to be the sole motive for the later voyagers. Adventure, “quick wealth,” and new world supremacy among European nations were at the bottom of all sixteenth century navigation. The three great powers – England, France, and Spain – were pitted against one another in this tremendous struggle. England’s part in the affair, having direct bearing on our subject, makes us confine ourselves to those Elizabethan “Sea-Dogs” who won their country’s way into Spain, France and Portugal’s new world possessions. With reference to this thesis, the question arises, what effect did their voyages have on the literature of the period? To answer this we shall take up for brief discussion the published journals of Sir John Hawkins, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and Richard Eden. The stories of many of these voyages were carried by “word of mouth”; and their nature, or how far-reaching their influence, it is impossible to determine

Diversity Matters: Intersectionality and Women’s Descriptive Representation in the USA and UK

Women's organisations can help address some specific challenges faced by different groups of women during the political recruitment process. This article explores whether US and UK organisations do so. Legislative composition analysis confirms women of colour are under-represented, although they are better represented in the USA than in the UK; women with disabilities are under-represented in both countries, along with younger women in the USA and older women in the UK. Interviews with US women's organisations reveal a greater attention to diversity, particularly with regard to women of colour; however, the focus remains on increasing the overall number of women in both countries

Interaction of health value and perceived control in relation to outcome behaviours in a type 2 diabetes patient population in Scotland

Aim:To test the interactive effects of the constructs of Modified Social Learning Theory (MSLT) in relation to predicting health behaviour in Type 2 Diabetes. Methods: The study is mixed methods and employs an exploratory sequential design. Qualitative Phase: (N=12) Semi-structured interviews with adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes, explored how beliefs and values influence self-management behaviour. Interim Phase: Thematic analysis allowed development of an adapted Health Value Measure. Quantitative phase: (N=107) Valid questionnaires measured Health Value, Health Locus of Control (HLC) and Self-efficacy (SE). Health Value was measured pre and post diagnosis in order to compare any changes with time. Anxiety and depression was controlled for using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression(HAD) scale. Five subscales measured diabetes outcome behaviour: general diet, specific diet, exercise, blood sugar and foot care. Hierarchical Multiple Regression(HMR) analyses consisted of four blocks, including three two-way interaction terms and one three-way interaction term to test the interactive effects of the three-predictor variables on outcome behaviours. ANOVA’s were conducted in an effort to add support to HMR results. Results: The interviews suggest that people may hold terminal (beliefs about desired end states)/instrumental health values (beliefs about desired modes of action) pre-diagnosis but these are mainly instrumental post-diagnosis in order to meet their new needs and maintain quality of life. The qualitative data also drew attention to the way in which LOC and SE beliefs impact on behaviour. Additionally, differing dimensions of various emergent themes highlight the demands Type 2 diabetes places on a person and how this influences beliefs and values.Interim phase results resulted in the new items being removed from the adapted health value measure prior to the quantitative data analysis, as item 5 was deemed problematic.Sensitivity analysis was carried out to increase the robustness of the quantitative findings due to removing 29 cases with missing data from Dataset 1. Dataset 1 includes 78 complete cases and Dataset 2 contains 107 cases, 29 of which had missing values and were replaced using regression imputation. HMR analyses produced significant results that support MSLT when the three-way interaction variable was added to block 4. ANOVA results produced minimum support for MSLT. Conclusion: Support for MSLT has been found and can be used to inform interventions to change self-management behaviours of patients with poor diabetes control. Change in health value orientation post-diagnosis purports further investigation, as it is supported by qualitative results but not quantitative

Evaluating a Concern for Falling Among People with a Lower Extremity Amputation

The purpose of these studies was to evaluate a concern for falling (CFF) among people with a lower extremity amputation (PLEA). Study 1 evaluated relative and absolute test-retest reliability of five standardized scales which have not been previously evaluated among PLEA. Twenty-two participants completed Study 1, an online survey that was administered twice. Study 2 assessed the inter-relationship of the multiple dimensions in a CFF using nine standardized scales of measurement and open-ended questions, and the association on quality of life (QOL). Forty-eight participants completed Study 2, a onetime online survey. Study 1 provided support for the reliable use of four CFF standardized scales among PLEA. Study 2 demonstrated statistically significant correlations between subdomains of fear of falling, falls efficacy, and mobility efficacy and an independent association on overall QOL. Open-ended responses demonstrated numerous activities that elicited a CFF. A CFF negatively influences QOL in PLEA after successful prosthetic rehabilitation

Undergraduate pre-registration nursing education in Australia: a longitudinal examination of enrolment and completion numbers with a focus on students from rural and remote campus locations

Introduction: There is much evidence to indicate a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) in Australia and to suggest that the shortage may be more pronounced in rural and remote locations. Attracting RNs to work in rural and remote areas may not be as simple as increasing the intake of students into university undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses. There is some evidence indicating that student nurses may be more likely to enter the nursing workforce in rural and remote locations if they have existing associations with rural and remote areas and/or their undergraduate education provides opportunities to undertake supported placements in rural and remote settings. Two important difficulties have been associated with measuring outcomes in relation to rural and remote pre-registration nursing students. One is defining what constitutes a rural or remote location and the other is suspect data on the number of nursing students enrolled in, and completing, nursing courses. The aims of this study were to provide a longitudinal profile of the number of domestic students studying and completing undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses in Australia, with a particular emphasis on identifying those at rural and remote university campuses, and to compare results across States and Territories.Method: This study presents the combined findings from two investigative reports. Data on undergraduate pre-registration nursing student numbers were collected via electronic survey instruments completed by staff at all Australian educational institutions offering undergraduate pre-registration nursing education programs in 2001 and 2002. Australian domestic students were the focus of this study. Data included the total number of domestic students enrolled in undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses in 2001 and 2002, the number of domestic students who successfully completed courses in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and estimates for the number expected to complete in 2002. Surveys were sent to course coordinators or other staff nominated by heads of divisions of nursing at each institution.Results: There was a 100% response rate. Twenty-four rural and remote campus locations were identified using an adjusted form of the Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas (RRMA) classification system. The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory did not have any rural or remote campus locations. In contrast, undergraduate pre-registration nursing in Tasmania was offered at a rural campus only (for the first 2 years). From 2001 to 2002, there was an increase of just over 5% in the total number of domestic students enrolled in undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses in Australia (2002 total = 22 811 students). Rural and remote location students accounted for slightly more than 25% of these students in 2001, and almost 27% in 2002. The States Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland had the highest percentage of students enrolled at rural and remote campus locations, greater than the Australian average for both years. In contrast, South Australia and Western Australia had less than 11% of students enrolled at rural and remote campus locations for each year. Total undergraduate pre-registration course completions increased by approximately 16% across Australia between 1999 (n = 4868) and 2002 (n = 5667), although for 2002, the figure was projected. Of these total course completions, the percentage of students completing at rural and remote campus locations increased from almost 23% to nearly 28% during the same period. Of the States/Territories with both metropolitan and rural/remote campus locations, only Victoria and Queensland had more than 25% of their total student completions consisting of students enrolled at rural and remote campus locations for each year. In contrast, South Australia and Western Australia had approximately 6% of student completions consisting of students enrolled at rural and remote campus locations in 1999, increasing to approximately 12% projected for 2002.Conclusion: In this study, the authors attempted to improve the accuracy of data collection in relation to the number of domestic undergraduate pre-registration nursing students in Australia, which is representative of the potentially new Australian domestic RN workforce. There was a trend towards an increasing number of students being enrolled in undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses, and also toward an increasing number of course completions. From the perspective of the rural and remote RN workforce, the percentage of students enrolled and completing courses at rural and remote campus locations was found to be increasing. However, there may be some areas of concern for education and workforce planners in States and Territories that are providing a smaller percentage of their undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses in rural and remote areas. Several study limitations are discussed and suggestions made for future research.<br /

Rating the Quality of Smartphone Apps Related to Shoulder Pain: Systematic Search and Evaluation Using the Mobile App Rating Scale

BACKGROUND: The successful rehabilitation of musculoskeletal pain requires more than medical input alone. Conservative treatment, including physiotherapy and exercise therapy, can be an effective way of decreasing pain associated with musculoskeletal pain. However, face-to-face appointments are currently not feasible. New mobile technologies, such as mobile health technologies in the form of an app for smartphones, can be a solution to this problem. In many cases, these apps are not backed by scientific literature. Therefore, it is important that they are reviewed and quality assessed. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to evaluate and measure the quality of apps related to shoulder pain by using the Mobile App Rating Scale. METHODS: This study included 25 free and paid apps—8 from the Apple Store and 17 from the Google Play Store. A total of 5 reviewers were involved in the evaluation process. A descriptive analysis of the Mobile App Rating Scale results provided a general overview of the quality of the apps. RESULTS: Overall, app quality was generally low, with an average star rating of 1.97 out of 5. The best scores were in the “Functionality” and “Aesthetics” sections, and apps were scored poorer in the “Engagement” and “Information” sections. The apps were also rated poorly in the “Subjective Quality” section. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the apps were well built technically and were aesthetically pleasing. However, the apps failed to provide quality information to users, which resulted in a lack of engagement. Most of the apps were not backed by scientific literature (24/25, 96%), and those that contained scientific references were vastly out-of-date. Future apps would need to address these concerns while taking simple measures to ensure quality control

The human condition of the game

The central question of this inquiry is: What happens when people join in a game? The methodology used throughout the study is based upon hermeneutical inquiry. Textual interpretation of the two primary foci of the study, namely, the game and the human condition, is used to reveal significant standpoints for consideration. The two major points of interest are interpreted, at first separately; then an effort is made to join various ideas into a paradigm for the human condition of the game. Understanding the game is approached through history, descriptions, and metaphors. The human condition is examined through the written works of Hannah Arendt, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Michael Polanyi and Elizabeth Sewell. Disclosures about game and the human condition are made in light of some problematic concerns from the history of ideas in Western civilization, such as the relations between mind and body, action and contemplation, and work and play

A comparison of attitude change toward physical education in classes taught with different emphases

The purpose of this study was to determine if planned discussion within one physical education class would produce a significant change in attitude toward physical education on a pretest and post-test basis as compared to the results of no planned discussion within another physical education class also engaged in the same pre-test and post-test procedure. Both groups were taught the skills and knowledges of beginning yoga. Kenyon's "Six Scales for Assessing Attitude Toward Physical Activity: Form D - College Women" was used as the testing instrument. The study lasted five weeks. Two class meetings per week were used within each class. Fifteen full-time college women of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro were enrolled in each class, one of which was used as a control group, while the other was used as an experimental group. Both groups were taught a skill and concept unit in yoga for six lessons and both classes covered approximately the same amount of material. The control group spent every lesson engaged in the activity, while the experimental group spent the final ten minutes of every period in some type of planned discussion. An attempt was made to emphasize positive values of physical education through discussion techniques. Following the post-test with the attitude inventory both groups received a teacher-constructed, multiple-choice test based on the skill and concept unit only. An attempt was made to determine if the amount of time spent in discussion would affect knowledge concepts of the unit material taught