Multi-causational approach to illness in young children: the role of psychological and social factors

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Educational change and ICT: an exploration of priorities 2 and 3 of the DfES e-strategy in schools and colleges: the current landscape and implementation issues

Landscape review of integrated online support for learners and collaborative approaches to personalised learning activities

Klaus Mann and the Weimar Republic: literary tradition and experimentation in his prose, 1924-1933

This study developed from an initial interest in the literature of the German exiles in which canon Klaus Mann's work between 1933 and 1945 figured prominently. This in turn evoked a curiosity toward this still relatively unknown son of Thomas Mann, intensified not least by the pathos of a life characterised by early promise, fame and prominence that ended in obscurity, despair and suicide. Yet these aspects of Klaus Mann's life appeared to have been overlooked by British scholars and with them the early and later years of Mann's career. The years of Mann's exile have been well documented and researched and place Mann's fiction of this time within the canon of Exilliteratur. Those texts which went before, however, have received only scant attention. Yet it is precisely in the novels and essays from the Weimar Republic that Mann developed and refined the techniques and themes that would define his later works. To overlook them is to suggest that the decisive moment of exile represented a caesura in Mann's career, thus masking the underlying continuity within Mann's oeuvre. For this reason, this study concentrates primarily on the early years of Mann's career, on the period from 1924 to 1933, to illustrate the progression and development within his work that would culminate in the novels of his exile. While Mann's prose dictates the approach I have taken, this is not exclusively 'literary' to the exclusion of all other concerns and potential external influences on his work. It assesses the complementary characteristics of Mann's fiction and his essayistic prose, much of which has only become readily available in the last five years, against the context of their creation during the Weimar Republic. In consequence, this work embraces the cultural, political and social context of this age, embracing its contradictory nature where progression and experimentation battled against the endemic regression and reaction of the Republic's institutions. However, it does not intend to provide a detailed discussion of the complexities that underlie this period of German history. For this I refer the reader to the body of research which deals specifically with this topic

Differential regulation of Erk-MAPK in the control of survival and proliferation of WEHI-231 immature B cells

Ligation of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) on B lymphocytes has divergent effects including anergy, apoptosis, proliferation or differentiation depending on the developmental state of the cell. Immature B cells are sensitive to the process of negative selection enabling the removal of self-reactive B lymphocytes. Consequently, ligation of the BCR on immature B cells induces growth arrest and apoptosis. However, co-ligation of CD40 can rescue immature B cells and enable them to survive, mature and proliferate. The murine B cell lymphoma cell line WEHI-231 is widely used as a model of clonal deletion of immature B lymphocytes. This investigation has explored the signalling mechanisms used by the BCR and CD40 to differentially regulate the survival and proliferation of WEHI-231 immature B cells. In particular, the role of extracellular signal regulated kinase-mitogen-activated protein kinase (Erk- MAPK) in controlling these processes was examined. The activity of Erk-MAPK in WEHI-231 cells was investigated by Western blotting. WEHI-231 cells were shown to undergo a transient activation (≤2 hr) of Erk that was associated with the induction of the BCR-driven mitochondrial death pathway. However, a second, more sustained (12-48 hr) Erk signal was also identified and this appears to be critical for the proliferation of WEHI-231 cells. This sustained Erk signal was suppressed by ligation of the BCR and this seems to be mediated by the induction of MAPK phosphatases rather than a downregulation of upstream activators of Erk. However, co-ligation of CD40 restored sustained and cyclic activation of Erk to WEHI-231 cells and thus enabled them to undergo cell cycle progression and proliferation, as shown by measuring the uptake of [3H] thymidine. A dual role for Erk MAPK in BCR-driven apoptosis and CD40-mediated rescue of WEHI-231 cells was thus identified. The mechanisms used to regulate the activity of Erk-MAPK in WEHI-231 cells were further examined using WEHI-231 cells that were transfected with constitutively active forms of Ras. These studies showed that Ras is an important upstream activator of Erk in WEHI-231 cells and it can induce Erk1/2 activation via Raf-1 and/or phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI-3-K) pathways. The induction of sustained and cyclic Erk signals and hence proliferation of WEHI-231 cells therefore requires active Ras and stimulation of its downstream effectors. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Klaus Mann and the Weimar Republic: literary tradition and experimentation in his prose, 1924-1933

This study developed from an initial interest in the literature of the German exiles in which canon Klaus Mann's work between 1933 and 1945 figured prominently. This in turn evoked a curiosity toward this still relatively unknown son of Thomas Mann, intensified not least by the pathos of a life characterised by early promise, fame and prominence that ended in obscurity, despair and suicide. Yet these aspects of Klaus Mann's life appeared to have been overlooked by British scholars and with them the early and later years of Mann's career. The years of Mann's exile have been well documented and researched and place Mann's fiction of this time within the canon of Exilliteratur. Those texts which went before, however, have received only scant attention. Yet it is precisely in the novels and essays from the Weimar Republic that Mann developed and refined the techniques and themes that would define his later works. To overlook them is to suggest that the decisive moment of exile represented a caesura in Mann's career, thus masking the underlying continuity within Mann's oeuvre. For this reason, this study concentrates primarily on the early years of Mann's career, on the period from 1924 to 1933, to illustrate the progression and development within his work that would culminate in the novels of his exile. While Mann's prose dictates the approach I have taken, this is not exclusively 'literary' to the exclusion of all other concerns and potential external influences on his work. It assesses the complementary characteristics of Mann's fiction and his essayistic prose, much of which has only become readily available in the last five years, against the context of their creation during the Weimar Republic. In consequence, this work embraces the cultural, political and social context of this age, embracing its contradictory nature where progression and experimentation battled against the endemic regression and reaction of the Republic's institutions. However, it does not intend to provide a detailed discussion of the complexities that underlie this period of German history. For this I refer the reader to the body of research which deals specifically with this topic

The Effect of Social Support on Risky Sexual Behavior in Homeless Adolescent Youth.

This study examines the relationship between social support and youth's high-risk behaviors. The data were obtained from the Midwest Homeless and Runaway Adolescent Project (MHRAP) in 1996. In the Midwestern United States, this study examines the hypothesis that youth with high social support will have low sexual risk behaviors. The study found that youths who had someone to turn to, a greater number of close friends, and someone they could count on were less likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. The implications of the findings are discussed

Explorando o efeito das experiências de avaliação de professores na satisfação profissional de professores americanos

Teacher satisfaction is a key affective reaction to working conditions and an important predictor of teacher attrition. Teacher evaluation as a tool for measuring teacher quality has been one source of teacher stress in recent years in the United States. There is a growing body of evidence on how to evaluate teachers in ways which support their growth and development as practitioners. For this study, we inquired: What is the relationship between supportive teacher evaluation experiences and U.S. teachers’ overall job satisfaction? To answer this question, we employed a multilevel regression analysis to multiply-imputed data on U.S. lower-secondary teachers’ experiences from the 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). We found a small, positive relationship between the perceptions of supportive teacher evaluation experiences and U.S. secondary teachers’ satisfaction after controlling for other important teacher and school characteristics and working conditions. Further, teachers who felt their evaluation led to positive changes in their practice had higher satisfaction. Teachers whose primary evaluator was a fellow teacher as opposed to the principal also had higher satisfaction on average. We discuss the implications of these findings for school leaders as well as future teacher evaluation policy.La satisfacción del maestro es una reacción afectiva clave a las condiciones de trabajo y un importante predictor del desgaste del docente. La evaluación de los maestros como una herramienta para medir la calidad de los docentes ha sido una de las causas del estrés docente en los últimos años en los Estados Unidos. Existe un cuerpo creciente de evidencia sobre cómo evaluar a los maestros de maneras que apoyen su crecimiento y desarrollo como profesionales. Para este estudio, preguntamos: ¿Cuál es la relación entre las experiencias de evaluación docente y la satisfacción laboral general de los docentes de EE. UU.? Para responder a esta pregunta, empleamos un análisis de regresión multinivel para datos de imputación múltiple en las experiencias de docentes de secundaria de EE. UU. De la Encuesta Internacional de Enseñanza y Aprendizaje 2013 (TALIS). Encontramos una relación pequeña y positiva entre las percepciones de las experiencias de evaluación docente de apoyo y la satisfacción de los docentes de secundaria de los EE. UU. Después de controlar otras características importantes del docente y la escuela y las condiciones de trabajo. Además, los maestros que sintieron que su evaluación llevó a cambios positivos en su práctica tuvieron una mayor satisfacción. Los docentes cuyo evaluador principal fue un compañero profesor en comparación con el director también tuvieron una mayor satisfacción en promedio. Discutimos las implicaciones de estos hallazgos para los líderes escolares, así como la política futura de evaluación docente.A satisfação do professor é uma reação afetiva fundamental às condições de trabalho e um importante preditor do desgaste do professor. A avaliação dos professores como uma ferramenta para medir a qualidade dos professores tem sido uma das causas do estresse do professor nos últimos anos nos Estados Unidos. Há um crescente corpo de evidências sobre como avaliar os professores de forma a apoiar seu crescimento e desenvolvimento como profissionais. Para este estudo, perguntamos: Qual é a relação entre as experiências de avaliação do apoio ao professor e a satisfação geral do trabalho dos professores de EE. UU? Para responder a essa questão, utilizamos uma análise de regressão multinível para dados de múltiplas imputações nas experiências de professores do ensino médio em EE. UU Do Inquérito Internacional de Ensino e Aprendizagem 2013 (TALIS). Encontramos uma relação pequena e positiva entre as percepções das experiências de avaliação do apoio ao professor e a satisfação dos professores do ensino médio nos EUA. UU Depois de controlar outras características importantes do professor e da escola e condições de trabalho. Além disso, os professores que sentiram que sua avaliação levou a mudanças positivas em sua prática tiveram maior satisfação. Os professores cujo principal avaliador era um colega professor em comparação com o diretor também tiveram uma satisfação maior em média. Discutimos as implicações dessas descobertas para os líderes das escolas, bem como a futura política de avaliação de professores

Educational change and ICT: an exploration of priorities 2 & 3 of the DfES eStrategy in schools and colleges

An analysis of the issues surrounding the implementation of the DfES eStrategy (Harnessing Technology) in schools and colleges. Examines issues linked with learning platforms (VLEs) and Management Information Systems (MIS), collaboration, support for learners, mobile devices, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment (including e-portfolios), digital resources, access, complexity and change, people, buy in, leadership, shared understandings (vision), procurement

A first-in-human, randomized, controlled, subject- and reviewer-blinded multicenter study of Actamax™ Adhesion Barrier

Purpose: Post-surgical adhesions remain a significant concern following abdominopelvic surgery. This study was to assess safety, manageability and explore preliminary efficacy of applying a degradable hydrogel adhesion barrier to areas of surgical trauma following gynecologic laparoscopic abdominopelvic surgery. Methods: This first-in-human, prospective, randomized, multicenter, subject- and reviewer-blinded clinical study was conducted in 78 premenopausal women (18–46 years) wishing to maintain fertility and undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic abdominopelvic surgery with planned clinically indicated second-look laparoscopy (SLL) at 4–12 weeks. The first two patients of each surgeon received hydrogel, up to 30 mL sprayed over all sites of surgical trauma, and were assessed for safety and application only (n = 12). Subsequent subjects (n = 66) were randomized 1:1 to receive either hydrogel (Treatment, n = 35) or not (Control, n = 31); 63 completed the SLL. Results: No adverse event was assessed as serious, or possibly device related. None was severe or fatal. Adverse events were reported for 17 treated subjects (17/47, 36.2%) and 13 Controls (13/31, 41.9%). For 95.7% of treated subjects, surgeons found the device “easy” or “very easy” to use; in 54.5%, some residual material was evident at SLL. For 63 randomized subjects who completed the SLL, adjusted between-group difference in the change from baseline adhesion score demonstrated a 41.4% reduction for Treatment compared with Controls (p = 0.017), with a 49.5% reduction (p = 0.008) among myomectomy subjects (n = 34). Conclusion: Spray application of a degradable hydrogel adhesion barrier during gynecologic laparoscopic abdominopelvic surgery was performed easily and safely, without evidence of clinically significant adverse outcomes. Data suggest the hydrogel was effective in reducing postoperative adhesion development, particularly following myomectomy