Thoughts on fragility and impermanence

This thesis project consists of two sections. The first of these sections is the creation of four physically separate, conceptually linked sculptures installed in the Dyer Arts Center Gallery in the Lyndon B. Johnson building on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus. The latter part of the project exists in the form of this written thesis, which will explore various concepts, processes and concerns associated with the individual sculptures and the prevailing ideas inherent to them all. Within both the sculptural work and the written work I am exploring the fragility and vulnerability of being human. The reality of impermanence within our lives and surroundings is often overlooked and disregarded within our culture. Our societal focus on consumption, comfort and control discounts any value in recognizing the fragility of our individual and interconnected lives. Without such reverence and attention we become splintered, detached and isolated from the reality of natural laws, from connectedness with one another, and from a basic sense of \u27meaning\u27 within our lives. I am interested in the underlying strength available through the recognition and valuation of our human fragilities and limitations. Focusing on fragility has led to a new understanding of inner strength and to expanded reflection on the power of humility over ego

Reclaiming the Little Sioux River Valley: A history of drainage along the Monona-Harrison Ditch in western Iowa

This project looks at the history of drainage in Monona County, Iowa, through the lens of one drainage ditch, the Monona-Harrison. Ultimately, over the course of more than a century, the farmers along this ditch largely accomplished the goal of draining their property and turning it into productive agricultural land. This task involved constructing drainage works and creating legal entities to manage them; invoking the help of the courts and appealing disputes between neighbors, county officials, and state agencies to the Iowa Supreme Court on multiple occasions; and cooperating with the federal government to implement both a basin-wide Missouri River program as well as a local watershed project on the Little Sioux River, called the Little Sioux Watershed Project. Construction began on Little Sioux Watershed Project after World War II, with the main aspects largely finished by the mid-1960s. However, the construction and implementation of the Little Sioux Project and water management continue to evolve in the county even to the present day. Ultimately, by studying how drainage changed over time along the Monona-Harrison Ditch, important aspects of the legal, environmental, and agricultural history of the community become apparent. Furthermore, this study also sheds light on how Midwestern communities have understood and viewed water resources in relation to the processes of agricultural production; how such communities responded via legal constructs to water challenges; and how this story fits into the broader history of expanding agricultural productivity and the rural history of the Midwest

Single Fathers And Social Support

Single fathers have, for the most part, been overlooked in research, even though the proportion of children being raised by custodial fathers has been steadily increasing since the 1970s. This exploratory study aims to understand the factors that single fathers take into consideration when deciding which types of social support to use in helping them raise their children. By analyzing the results with the concepts of social exchange theory, we can better understand why some types of support are used and why others are not. Social exchange theory states that individuals will seek interactions with low costs and high rewards. I view decisions about the use of social support in social exchange terms: parents weigh the rewards and costs of using particular forms of support. To study the use of social support, I conducted interviews with twelve single fathers. Subjects were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling. During phone interviews, the subjects were asked a series of questions regarding social support, willingness to ask for help, and their relationships with the mothers of their children. I found the majority of single fathers in this study used friends and family members more for emotional support and advice, and less for physical support. Findings were consistent with the concepts found in social exchange theory. The fathers also stated they were encouraged to ask for help when they became the primary caregivers for their children. Overall, the fathers did use family members and friends for physical and emotional support and advice with their children

Mathematics and statistics performance and anxiety: an online cognitive behavioural intervention

Prior research shows a complex relationship between mathematics and statistics anxiety, self-efficacy and performance. The interaction of these factors is thought to be counterproductive to mathematics and statistics learning. Methodological problems and conflicting results are evident in intervention research, the majority of which have focused on performance deficits within the classroom. While performance is an important factor, anxiety is a greater determinant of future enrolment and avoidance of maths and stats in university and the workforce. Anxiety also has a negative effect on memory which can further compromise performance. Therefore, Cognitive Behavioural therapies are recommended to combat anxiety. Attrition, time and cost are common deterrents to this approach however. Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (OCBT) can address these issues and has been effective in combating a number of anxiety related disorders. The current research developed an OCBT program using short multimedia clips to combat mathematics and statistics anxiety and improve approach behaviours in Psychology students. Initial usability data provided positive feedback about the content, accessibility, and ease of use for this program from participants of different ages and educational backgrounds. Data is currently being collected in a randomised controlled trial of the OCBT program. An improvement in anxiety and reduction of avoidance behaviour for OCBT participants compared to controls is predicted. Preliminary findings will be presented. The program provides a flexible tool for targeting anxiety while reducing time constraints for staff and students

Measurement of recall with and without text

This item was digitized by the Internet Archive. Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universityhttps://archive.org/details/measurementofrec00how

The impact of the introduction of actresses on English drama 1660-1700

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the dramatic results of introducing women to replace boy-actors in female roles on the public stage. The impact of the actresses is examined in terms of both the general dramatic consequences of changing the sex of a performer from male to female and the individual influences of the various major actresses who emerged. The thesis begins with an investigation of the exploitation of the female physique in Restoration drama. It examines the treatment of breeches roles after 1660 and shows how sexual relationships in both comedy and tragedy could be substantially changed through the visual, physical dimension provided by real women. The ensuing chapters explore the way in which playwrights were influenced by the popular success of leading actresses in certain types of role and wrote plays around these women and their specialities. In particular, the genesis and development of she-tragedy, the gay couple, the prostitute-mistress figure and the pairing of contrasting female types is traced in relation to the actresses who made these conventions and characters popular. Thus the presence of a particular actress at a particular time may be seen to have crucially affected the course of the drama. The thesis also examines the impact of the actresses' own actual or reputed characters on the roles written for them. It seeks to ascertain the exact nature of the relationship between the leading actresses and their public and how far spectators' knowledge of the women's own personalities affected the type of roles they were given. The study concludes with a brief comment on the scope and general nature of the actresses' influence on Restoration drama.<p

Assessing Pathogen Presence in an Intensively Tile Drained, Agricultural Watershed

Increases in swine production and concomitant manure application provide beneficial nutrients for crops but also include the potential to spread pathogenic bacteria in the environment. While manure is known to contain a variety of pathogens, little is known regarding the long-term effect of manure application on fate and transport of this diverse set of pathogens into surrounding waterways. We report on the use of 16S-rRNA gene sequencing to detect pathogen-containing genera in the agriculturally dominated South Fork Iowa River watershed, home to approximately 840,000 swine in the 76,000-ha basin. DNA was extracted from monthly grab samples collected from three surface water sites and two main artificial drainage outlets. DNA sequences from water samples were matched with sequences from genera known to contain pathogens using targeted 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The specific genera known to contain pathogens were quantified by combining percentage of genera sequence matches with 16S rRNA gene quantitative polymerase chain reaction results. Specifically, abundances of Bacteroides, Clostridium sensu stricto, and Acinetobactersignificantly increased in surface water after typical fall manure application. Additionally, the likely transport pathways for specific genera known to contain pathogens were identified. Surface water Enterobacter concentrations were influenced mainly by artificial drainage, whereas Clostridium sensu stricto was primarily transported to surface waters by runoff events. The results of this study will help us to understand environmental pathways that may be useful for mitigation of the diverse set of pathogenic genera transported in agroecosystems and the capability of manure application to alter existing microbial community structures

Investigating the dispersal of antibiotic resistance associated genes from manure application to soil and drainage waters in simulated agricultural farmland systems

Manure from animals that have been treated with antibiotics is often used to fertilize agricultural soils and its application has previously been shown to enrich for genes associated with antibiotic resistance in agroecosystems. To investigate the magnitude of this effect, we designed a column experiment simulating manure-treated agricultural soil that utilizes artificial subsurface drainage to determine the duration and extent which this type of manure fertilization impacts the set of genes associated with antibiotic resistance in drainage water. We classified ARGs in manure-treated drainage effluent water by its source of origin. Overall, we found that 61% and 7% of the total abundance of ARGs found in drainage water samples could be attributed to manure enrichment and manure addition, respectively. Among these ARGs, we identified 75 genes unique to manure that persisted in both soil and drainage water throughout a drainage season typical of the Upper Midwestern United States. While most of these genes gradually decreased in abundance over time, the IS6100-associated tet(33) gene accrued. These results demonstrate the influence of manure applications on the composition of the resistome observed in agricultural drainage water and highlight the importance of anthropogenic ARGs in the environment

Clergywomen and Grief: Local Church Pastors and Their Experiences

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of clergywomen who have had times of personal grief in the midst of professional responsibilities within a local church context specifically as it related to officiating "hard funerals" for non-family members. Using a Narrative approach, the researcher interviewed 11 clergywomen. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed. Three main themes emerged. The predominant theme was Overarching Responsibility which included many aspects of officiating and planning funerals, and pastoral care with families. The second theme was Plans for Processing Grief which addressed the various ways the clergywomen handled their own grief. The third theme was Women as Clergy in which the clergywomen made note of gender differences in ministry. Recommendations for further study by academia, more continuing education of clergy, and raising of awareness for the laity are made. A proposal of a new term, <bold> Numinous Grief</bold>, for clergy who appropriately hold expressions of grief while officiating services or other duties relating to their professional role and, at another time, may appropriately cry with a family.Armstrong, JoyceBrock, LindaHwang, Abraha