Vision problems following stroke: developing a best practice statement

An estimated 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke each year, and in developed countries, survival is increasing. Of those who survive 30 days or more after their first event, many experience stroke-related vision and visual problems. Although screening for such problems after diagnosis of stroke is recommended, no standard method for complying with this recommendation is available. As visual problems are not always recognised by the sufferer, or obvious to others, they can be overlooked. Undetected problems result in distress to the individual and the people important to them, and may result in longer stays in hospital or repeat admissions. Health professionals in the acute care setting need to be aware that there is a risk of visual problems after stroke and have access to best practice guidance for screening, assessment and management of stroke-related visual problems. This paper describes the process used by a multidisciplinary team to develop a best practice statement for screening, assessment and management of vision problems during the acute phase of stroke

Best Practice Statement for Screening, Assessment and Management of Vision Problems in the First 30 Days after an Acute Stroke

No abstract available

“Scumbag Millionaires”: the rhetorical construction and resistance of stigma during the financial crisis

The financial crisis was accompanied by widespread media stigmatisation of investment bankers. This research integrates literature on occupational stigma, subject positioning and rhetoric to examine the development of tainted subject positions in media coverage and individual bankers' responses to such positioning. It draws on two influential media sources - opinion columns from The Sun and BBC correspondent Robert Peston's blog - and interviews with nine investment bankers at three time points. The empirical material covers the development of the crisis between April 2008 and October 2009. The analysis identifies two specific sites of contest: the morality of bankers’ pay and responsibility for the financial crisis. The media construct vividly stigmatising subject positions for all bankers which become increasingly physically tainted as the crisis develops. Interviewees resist these, differentiating between themselves and the occupational group. They concede the accuracy of taint regarding pay for some bankers but not for themselves, claiming instead self-positioning as normal, hard workers. The media stigmatisation regarding responsibility appears less compelling and interviewees focus on the contributory roles of other players rather than discussing personal or occupational culpability. In claiming credibility of voice, the media either emphasise similarity and identification with readers (The Sun) or superior knowledge (Peston). Interviewees accuse the media of over-simplification and scaremongering and position themselves as informed insiders and voices of reason. The analysis highlights that stigmatisation is a contest over the validity of what and who are tainted and the authority to make such pronouncements. It reinforces existing findings on the link between taint and dirt in constructing stigma. It also suggests the weakness of occupational identity as a resource for investment bankers. The findings could suggest that while construction of a simple, tainted identity for bankers was effective, using this to establish blame was more complex

Social Media Use, Political Efficacy and Political Participation Among Youth During the 2016 Campaign

This study examines social media use among youth during the 2016 election. Using an email survey administered to undergraduate students at East Carolina University, participants were asked questions about their social media use, political efficacy, and political participation. Based on the literature it was hypothesized that there will be increased political efficacy and increased political participation among youth as a result of social media use and exposure. This study found that there were some statistically significant positive associations between social media use and political participation, and social media use and political efficacy among youth

The nature of applied voice teaching expertise: common elements observed in the lessons of three exemplary applied voice instructors

Based on theories of expert pedagogy, the purpose of this study was to better understand the nature of expertise in voice instruction by observing common elements across three expert voice teachers (Joseph Frank, tenor; Eric Howe, baritone; and Erie Mills, soprano) and discovering the extent voice teaching aligned with common elements of instrumental instruction (Duke & Simmons, 2006a). This qualitative study addressed the overarching question: How can expert voice teaching be characterized? More specifically, using Duke and Simmons’ study of instrumental music teaching expertise as a point of departure, I wanted to understand: To what extent does voice teaching observed in the present study align with Duke and Simmons’ 19 Common Elements of Expertise? Methods of data collection included observation-digital recording of nearly 20 hours of lessons, participant interviews, and field notes. Recorded lessons were reviewed to identify teaching behaviors-attributes that related to students’ goal achievement within “rehearsal frames” (Duke, 1999/2000; 2008). Data analysis occurred in two phases, first coding transcribed data for original elements and second for new elements. Narrative descriptions were created for new elements. Findings gave evidence that expert voice teaching was similar to 14 original elements and revealed nine new elements under three categories: working with a largely invisible and fully embodied instrument, frequent exclusive focus on technique, and drawing on extensive familiarity with texts used for singing. Conclusions advance a theoretical model of voice teaching expertise, drawing on Berliner (1986; 1988). That model has implications for the preparation of novice voice teachers and for further research on voice teaching expertise

The Effect of pH on Synaptic Transmission at the Neuromuscular Junction in \u3cem\u3eDrosophila melanogaster\u3c/em\u3e

Synaptic transmission is the main avenue of neuronal communication and can be affected by a multitude of factors, both intracellularly and extracellularly. The effects of pH changes on synaptic transmission have been studied for many years across many different models. Intracellular acidification at the presynaptic terminal is known to occur with increased neuronal activity and can also occur in pathological conditions. The effects of these pH alterations are therefore an important area of study. Here, intracellular acidification using either propionic acid or the ammonium chloride pre-pulse technique was examined for the effects on both spontaneous and evoked synaptic transmission at the neuromuscular junction in larval Drosophila. The fly NMJ is glutamatergic and is used as a model of graded synaptic transmission. Propionic acid is shown to increase spontaneous quantal event frequency while also attenuating evoked transmission and depolarizing the cell. Ammonium chloride withdrawal has more diverse and complex effects that are shown to be dose- and condition-dependent. These studies are significant in further developing a model of the effects of intracellular acidification on evoked and non-evoked synaptic transmission

“Scumbag Millionaires”: the rhetorical construction and resistance of stigma during the financial crisis

The financial crisis was accompanied by widespread media stigmatisation of investment bankers. This research integrates literature on occupational stigma, subject positioning and rhetoric to examine the development of tainted subject positions in media coverage and individual bankers' responses to such positioning. It draws on two influential media sources - opinion columns from The Sun and BBC correspondent Robert Peston's blog - and interviews with nine investment bankers at three time points. The empirical material covers the development of the crisis between April 2008 and October 2009. The analysis identifies two specific sites of contest: the morality of bankers’ pay and responsibility for the financial crisis. The media construct vividly stigmatising subject positions for all bankers which become increasingly physically tainted as the crisis develops. Interviewees resist these, differentiating between themselves and the occupational group. They concede the accuracy of taint regarding pay for some bankers but not for themselves, claiming instead self-positioning as normal, hard workers. The media stigmatisation regarding responsibility appears less compelling and interviewees focus on the contributory roles of other players rather than discussing personal or occupational culpability. In claiming credibility of voice, the media either emphasise similarity and identification with readers (The Sun) or superior knowledge (Peston). Interviewees accuse the media of over-simplification and scaremongering and position themselves as informed insiders and voices of reason. The analysis highlights that stigmatisation is a contest over the validity of what and who are tainted and the authority to make such pronouncements. It reinforces existing findings on the link between taint and dirt in constructing stigma. It also suggests the weakness of occupational identity as a resource for investment bankers. The findings could suggest that while construction of a simple, tainted identity for bankers was effective, using this to establish blame was more complex

Paper Session III-A - Space Station Freedom and the Impact of its International Aspects

In the mid-1980s, the timeframe that the Space Station Freedom Program was born, it was believed that a new dawn of international cooperative relationships for all future, large-scale manned space initiatives was also born. The Space Station Freedom would be the first such program that would characterize international partnerships where intricate and highly dependent relationships were the norm. Programs in the next decade and of the 21st century could be expected to be multi-year, multi-billion dollars and multi-national. The advantages of multiple nations cooperating toward a common goal are clear in terms of the economic realities of sharing in the high costs of research and technology programs, particularly the cost of manned space endeavors. The opportunity for nations to contribute in areas of their specific strengths would aid in pushing to the edge of technology. But there are some fundamental political and management challenges that programs such as the Space Station and future ones of this magnitude will face. Unless these challenges are understood and met head on, the success of them is uncertain