Testing Standard Modern Paragraph Theories (Becker, Christensen, Rodgers).

This study tests the relative effectiveness of the standard modern paragraph theories of A. L. Becker, Francis Christensen, and Paul C. Rodgers, Jr., three major theorists contributing more sophisiticated explanations of the form of paragraphs than that of Alexander Bain, whose theory as summarized in the familiar principles of unity, coherence, and emphasis has dominated textbook explanations of paragraphing since the late nineteenth century. In this test the three theories have been applied to fourteen selected professional essays appearing in six of the best-selling composition readers. Of these essays, seven, designated as classical, are written by the most frequently anthologized essayists, and seven, designated as ephemeral, are randomly selected essays with topical appeal. The components of the three theories tested are Becker\u27s tagmemic patterns and four operations for variation, his lexical equivalence classes, lexical transitions, and verb sequences; Christensen\u27s coordinate, subordinate, and mixed sequences and his dictum concerning the topic sentence in the initial position; and Rodgers\u27 concepts of the stadia of discourse and secondary influences on paragraphing. The study presents a summary of the theoretical assumptions of Becker, Christensen, and Rodgers; a summary of the statistical findings of the applications of the three theories; a comparative summary of the conformity and non-conformity of paragraphs reflecting the application of Becker\u27s and Christensen\u27s theories; a justification of the 100% conformity of the paragraphs to Rodgers\u27 theory; and finally some reflections on the applications of the findings to the teaching of college composition. In terms of the overall effectiveness of the three theories in this sample, Becker\u27s theory works 32.8% of the time, Christensen\u27s 30.8%, and Rodgers\u27 100%. The conclusion that can be drawn from the much greater effectiveness of Rodgers\u27 theory is that, with his discourse-centered theory as opposed to Becker\u27s and Christensen\u27s sentence-based theories, Rodgers allows for sequences of discourse not necessarily conterminous with paragraph boundaries and for more flexible concepts of fluctuations in the abstraction levels within sequences. Another conclusion is that Becker\u27s and Christensen\u27s theories, with modifications, could more formally describe the reality of paragraph structure

Regulation and the cost of childcare

Female labour market choices depend on the availability, affordability and quality of childcare. In this article, we evaluate different regulatory measures and their effect on both the quality and the cost of childcare. First, we analyse data on regulations and costs to estimate the effect of regulatory measures on the cost of childcare. Next, we summarize the existing literature on the effect of regulation on childcare quality. We find that regulation intended to improve quality often focuses on easily observable measures of the care environment that do not necessarily affect the quality of care but that do increase the cost. Thus, we find that the regulatory environment could be improved by eliminating costly measures that do not affect quality of care

Mas'Queer'Raid

As a creolized Trinidadian subject, I navigate the tensions of my heritage and selfhood as a transgressive queer body. Through a critical engagement with ceramic sculpture I fuse the costumes and characters of Trinidadian Carnival in order to manifest tensions of power, gender, and violence through a conversationalist practice. Utilizing texts on the historical development of Carnival and Trinidad, I form a historical foundation upon which I build critical reflection into my embodied past. The resulting characters are solidified navigations of my selfhood through Carnival. I propose that each character then adds to an expanding critical reflection of Mas/Carnival in Trinidad both at home and abroad

Helping education undergraduates to use appropriate criteria for evaluating accounts of motivation

The aim of the study was to compare students in a control group with those in a treatment group with respect to evaluative comments on psychological accounts of motivation. The treatment group systematically scrutinized the nature and interpretation of evidence that supported different accounts, and the assumptions, logic, coherence and clarity of accounts. Content analysis of 74 scripts (using three categories) showed that the control group students made more assertions than either evidential or evaluative points, whereas the treatment group used evaluative statements as often as they used assertion. The findings provide support for privileging activities that develop understanding of how knowledge might be contested, and suggest a need for further research on pedagogies to serve this end. The idea is considered that such understanding has a pivotal role in the development of critical thinking

The Pine Needle, December 1947

Libraries and archives collect materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. As a result, materials such as those presented here may reflect sexist, misogynistic, abusive, racist, or discriminatory attitudes or actions that some may find disturbing, harmful, or difficult to view. Both a humor and literary magazine, The Pine Needle was a University of Maine student-produced periodical that began publication in the fall of 1946, the first post-World War II semester that saw GIs return to campus. The Needle reflected an edginess and rebellion not found in previous UMaine student publications. While past student publications relied on euphemisms for alcohol and dating on campus, The Needle openly promoted the sexualization of co-eds and the use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol by students who experienced war. Outrage expressed by older alumni resulted stricter oversight beginning in 1947. Cover art for this issue is an unsigned pen-and-ink illustration of one of The Needle\u27s editor dressed as Santa Claus atop the Steam Plant smoke stack. A pair of stylized female legs strike a pin-up pose as they poke out of the sack on Santa\u27s back. Below, a silhouetted figure shines a flashlight upward, a beam of light highlighting the Santa figure

Sources and sinks of methane in sea ice: Insights from stable isotopes

We report on methane (CH4) stable isotope (d13C and d2 H) measurements from landfast sea ice collected near Barrow (Utqiagvik, Alaska) and Cape Evans (Antarctica) over the winter-to-spring transition. These measurements provide novel insights into pathways of CH4 production and consumption in sea ice. We found substantial differences between the two sites. Sea ice overlying the shallow shelf of Barrow was supersaturated in CH4 with a clear microbial origin, most likely from methanogenesis in the sediments. We estimated that in situ CH4 oxidation consumed a substantial fraction of the CH4 being supplied to the sea ice, partly explaining the large range of isotopic values observed (d13C between –68.5 and –48.5 ‰ and d2 H between –246 and –104 ‰). Sea ice at Cape Evans was also supersaturated in CH4 but with surprisingly high d13C values (between –46.9 and –13.0 ‰), whereas d2 H values (between –313 and –113 ‰) were in the range of those observed at Barrow.These are the first measurements of CH4 isotopic composition in Antarctic sea ice. Our data set suggests a potential combination of a hydrothermal source, in the vicinity of the Mount Erebus, with aerobic CH4 formation in sea ice, although the metabolic pathway for the latter still needs to be elucidated. Our observations show that sea ice needs to be considered as an active biogeochemical interface, contributing to CH4 production and consumption, which disputes the standing paradigm that sea ice is an inert barrier passively accumulating CH4 at the ocean-atmosphere boundary

The Pine Needle, April 1947

Libraries and archives collect materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. As a result, materials such as those presented here may reflect sexist, misogynistic, abusive, racist, or discriminatory attitudes or actions that some may find disturbing, harmful, or difficult to view. Both a humor and literary magazine, The Pine Needle was a University of Maine student-produced periodical that began publication in the fall of 1946, the first post-World War II semester that saw GIs returni to campus. The Needle reflected an edginess and rebellion not found in previous UMaine student publications. While past student publications relied on euphemisms for alcohol and dating on campus, The Needle overtly sexualized co-eds and discussed the use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol by students who experienced war. Cover art for this issue is an unsigned ink illustration of three students seated in a lecture hall taking an exam

RanBP1, a velocardiofacial/DiGeorge syndrome candidate gene, is expressed at sites of mesenchymal/epithelial induction

RanBP1, a velocardiofacial syndrome/DiGeorge syndrome candidate gene, is expressed in the frontonasal processes, branchial arches, aortic arches, and limb buds. At these sites, RanBP1 apparently coincides with neural crest-derived mesenchymal cells. In addition, RanBP1 is expressed in the forebrain as well as in hindbrain regions previously associated with crest-derived mesenchymal cells