Making the martyr: the liturgical persona of Saint Thomas Becket in visual imagery

Saint Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in December of 1170. In life, many of his actions did not fit tightly conceived notions of sainthood, and several members of the English nobility and clergy probably would rather have forgotten him after his death. To bridge the gap between what people knew of Becket and a their conceptions of what a saintly martyr should be, the promoters of Becket???s cult used biographies, visual imagery, and above all, the liturgy. This thesis explores the ways in which the liturgy shapes the public persona of Saint Thomas Becket, and the ways in which the stained glass narratives depicting his life at Sens and Chartres Cathedrals make use of this image and work in tandem with the liturgy to present an image of Becket as an ideal Christian martyr. However, rather than adopting the ideas present in the liturgy wholesale, the stained glass cycles often choose one or two aspects of Becket???s constructed persona on which to focus. This thesis also explores this phenomenon, and describes the social and political context of each work as an explanation of why this may have happened

Social media and campaigns for social good: best practices for mental health nonprofit organizations

2014 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.This study sought to better understand how mental health nonprofits are using social media platforms to communicate with three audiences: their clients, support groups of their clients, and the general public. Four research questions were studied through a series of ten in-depth interviews with communications professionals at mental health nonprofits in Colorado. The study found that social media was an important component of these nonprofits' online communication strategy. Goals with social media ranged from funneling visitors to the organization's website to raising awareness about its particular focus in mental health. Many participants expressed interest in communicating with their clients and even providing some extension of their services through social media, but found requirements for privacy set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to be restrictive. Although not all organizations considered the general public to be a major target audience, most agreed that some portion of their posts provided education, awareness, and stigma-fighting components. Several organizations considered friends and family members of their clients to be their most important target audience, and focused posts on providing informational and emotional support to this group. Clients were also noted as benefitting from this informational and emotional support. Findings from the interviews were used to suggest seven best practices for social media use by mental health nonprofits

Loose housing-nothing to lose? Exploring the on-farm profitability, risk and agricultural policy consequences associated with a tie-stall ban on dairy farms

Due to stricter animal welfare regulations, in Norway tie-stalls for dairy cows are banned from 2034 onwards. The aim of this paper is to explore the profitability, risk and agricultural policy consequences associated with the transition from tie-stalls to loose housing. Data on farm economics and investments were collected from farm enterprise budgets on 66 farms that have built new cowsheds in recent years in Vestland county. Vestland was chosen because on average it has the smallest dairy farms in Norway, with 45 percent of the herds having less than 20 cows. To analyze profitability and risk we used net present value and stochastic simulation. The findings show that irrespective of herd size, to continue farming with an upgraded tie-stall is more profitable than to invest in new loose housing. For farms with less than 30 cows, investment in new loose housing is on average not profitable and involves a high risk. Unless the Governmental investment grant is significantly increased, the tie-stall ban will have large consequences for farm structure and conflict several agricultural policy goals. Farmland in less favored districts may go out of production, making it more difficult to reach the policy goals of increasing food production, agriculture across the country, biodiversity and rural viability. Our findings are of interest to politicians in countries where one considers stricter animal welfare regulations, as well as planners and farmers who consider investing in new loose housing dairies

An Analysis of the Status of Undergraduate Transportation Management Education in the United States

This paper examines 170 of the non-engineering undergraduate degrees in the fields of supply chain management, logistics, and transportation, including joint majors, present within universities in the United States. The curriculum for each degree was evaluated to determine the extent to which the students were taught transportation and related courses. Each university’s website was also examined to catalog additional best practices in education, such as required internships, used to support teaching transportation outside of formal classroom instruction

Performance of a Nonelectric Infant Warmer in Rwandan Health Centers.

Background. Neonatal hypothermia remains a challenge in resource-limited settings. Methods. We conducted a prospective mixed-methods cohort study in rural Rwandan health centers to assess the performance of an infant warmer we designed for low-resource settings. All hypothermic infants were eligible for enrollment. Outcomes. Safety: incidence of adverse reactions. Effectiveness: attainment of euthermia, rate of temperature rise. Feasibility: correct use of warmer, signs of wear. Interviews of caregivers and nurses. Findings. Of 102 encounters, there were no adverse reactions. Of 80 encounters for hypothermia when infants on warmer for ≥1 hour, 79 achieved euthermia; 73 in ≤2 hours. Of the 80 encounters, 64 had temperature rise ≥0.5°C/h. Of the 102 encounters, there were no instances of the warmer being prepared, used, or cleaned incorrectly. Five out of the 12 warmers exhibited wear. Interview participants were predominantly positive; some found time for readiness of warmer challenging. Interpretation. The warmer performed well. It is appropriate to study in larger scale

Recent Developments: The Uniform Arbitration Act

Since 1983, this annual Article 2 has been prepared to provide a survey of recent developments in the case law interpreting and applying the various state versions of the Uniform Arbitration Act3. The purpose is to promote uniformity in the interpretation of the U.A.A. by developing and explaining the underlying principles and rationales courts have applied in recent cases.

Preparing for and managing change: Climate adaptation for biodiversity and ecosystems

The emerging field of climate-change adaptation has experienced a dramatic increase in attention as the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystems have become more evident. Preparing for and addressing these changes are now prominent themes in conservation and natural resource policy and practice. Adaptation increasingly is viewed as a way of managing change, rather than just maintaining existing conditions. There is also increasing recognition of the need not only to adjust management strategies in light of climate shifts, but to reassess and, as needed, modify underlying conservation goals. Major advances in the development of climate-adaptation principles, strategies, and planning processes have occurred over the past few years, although implementation of adaptation plans continues to lag. With ecosystems expected to undergo continuing climate-mediated changes for years to come, adaptation can best be thought of as an ongoing process, rather than as a fixed endpoint. © The Ecological Society of America