18 U.S.C. Sec. 924(C)(1)(A)(III) Does Not Require Proof of Intent to Discharge a Firearm in Order to Impose a Ten-Year Sentencing Enhancement on a Defendant: Dean v. United States

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ACEs Wild: Making Meaning out of Trauma Through Altruism Born of Suffering

Childhood exposure to early adverse experiences is prevalent—affecting almost one-half of children from birth to 17 years old—and brings with it the potential for the long-lasting detrimental effects of traumatization. At the same time, a growing body of compelling evidence also suggests that many survivors of trauma exhibit more resilience and prosocial behaviors than individuals who have never experienced a traumatic event. This phenomenon has been coined altruism born of suffering (ABS); it is a relatively new concept in trauma research that seeks to better understand the possible positive outcomes of trauma. Building further beyond the concepts of resilience and post-traumatic growth, ABS showcases the potential for an individual to not only resist the risk of psychopathology or experience a constructive intrapersonal transformation after a trauma, but also to become more altruistic and prosocial than one who has never experienced a traumatic event. Research has illuminated several factors that can promote ABS, such as victim affinity, adaptive meaning making, and a supportive social sphere. Nevertheless, little qualitative research has examined the specific nature of how one’s definition of their self and their trauma experience can foster altruism. In this dissertation, I examined the specific meaning making processes of ABS using a mixed methods study. I assessed quantitative correlation data between trauma and altruism in an adult volunteer population, then conducted qualitative interviews with four volunteers who had high levels of both trauma and altruism. I utilized Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore common themes that arose across the interviews. Six thematic clusters emerged: Insight and Inspiration, Accountability for Others’ Suffering, Personal Growth, Trait Enhancement, Interpersonal Relationships, and Negative Effects of Trauma. Notable themes within these clusters included Filling in Gaps, Preventing Pain, Self-Efficacy and Control, and Helping Me by Helping You. The findings were highly congruent with prior research on ABS, and provided further evidence that there is a noteworthy connection between trauma and altruism. The data showed that experiencing trauma led to greater levels of empathy, awareness, victim affinity, self-efficacy, and motivation to help, influencing the survivors to heal themselves and others through altruistic acts. I discussed the clinical treatment implications of such data, highlighted limitations of the study, and noted areas for future researc

The aud one out in the final battle : an Anya-centered feminist analysis of Buffy the vampire slayer

Current usability testing is often conducted via face-to-face interactions. This method can be costly, both in terms of timelines and budget. However, remote usability testing has been shown to be a viable alternative, in that performance scores have been shown to be quite similar to face-to-face methods. Although performance appears similar, remote usability testing may present challenges that threaten the validity and reliability of usability testing results. Rather than focusing on the performance of users in remote versus co-located conditions, the proposed study investigates the emotional and attitudinal responses of users engaged in software usability tests. The purpose of this study was to compare users’ anxiety and satisfaction with communication in remote and face-to-face usability tests. It was hypothesized that participants in the remote condition would exhibit a lower level of anxiety and be less satisfied with the communication method. Multiple usability tasks were administered and measures were recorded at three time intervals. Responses on the Social Anxiety Thoughts (SAT) questionnaire and the Communication Satisfaction Inventory (CSI) were collected. Although there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of anxiety and communication satisfaction, methodological limitations may have prevented the detection of differences and additional research is required to explore the strengths and weaknesses of remote usability testing

Utilization of the Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center by adults 50 years of age and older

Food insecurity is of great concern for many in America, especially pre-seniors and seniors. Currently, five million older adults, age 60 or older are food insecure and have to choose between buying food and another necessitates, which is a number that is expected to double by 2050. Rural areas have been shown to have the greatest need when addressing food insecurity. In particular, the state of Oklahoma indicates that one-in-six seniors are food insecure. Previously, three local food pantries in Stillwater, Oklahoma were combined to form Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center. The purpose of this study was to survey food pantry guests at Our Daily Bread to evaluate their perception and utilization of the new food pantry since combining. In total, 211 individuals completed the survey, 104 were 50-64 years of age and 107 were 65 years of age and above. Some of the major findings from the study were that most participants utilized food pantries as their primary source of food assistance (72.7%), most participants ate less than the recommended MyPlate amounts, and most pre-senior participants made less than $12,000, which is less than ideal because pre-seniors are already at an economic disadvantage with their ineligibility for retirement, social security and Medicare. In addition, a large percentage of participants indicated using food coping mechanisms and identified barriers including often skipping meals (40.1%), stretching meals (42.8%) and 33.8% indicated they sometimes had issues preparing meals. The survey results indicated participants felt Our Daily Bread addressed barriers from the previous food pantries by often providing more fresh fruit and vegetable choices (77.2%), more dairy choices (74.2%), and more fresh meat choices (73.5%). Meanwhile only 58.2 % felt Our Daily Bread provided more education opportunities. Based on this, it is clear that Our Daily Bread has provided a greater plethora of fresh food items, but increasing nutrition education would be the next step. Nutrition education can help food pantry guests better cope with food insecurity and utilize food assistance programs, especially for pre-seniors who are not eligible for as much government assistance

MENISCUS SMC dataset

The study took place in four secondary schools in Entebbe sub-district, Uganda. Acceptability, perceptions and knowledge of safe male circumcision were assessed through a cross-sectional quantitative survey of 210 participants recruited from Forms 2 and 3. The dataset contains records of male students (one record per row), aged 13-25 (median ages 16-17 years) recruited in October and November 2015. It encompasses enrolment, treatment process (including therapy quality), clinical/other outcome data, and cost-effectiveness data

Millennials Seeking Healthcare: Examining the Degree to Which Patients Utilize Online Resources

Introduction. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, a Silver Tsunami is looming, with more than 75.4 million persons aged 57 to 75 expected to need more costly medical care. However, a larger wave of 83.1 million Millennials nearing adulthood is approaching rapidly. Therefore, it is important to understand how this population finds their physician and what may influence this decision. Methods. Paper-based surveys were administered to adult patients at primary care and geriatric clinics located at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Questions included demographic information, utilization and influence of online reviews, and the effects negative and positive reviews have on a patient’s choice of physician. Descriptive statistics were calculated for respondent characteristics and survey responses. Chi-square and McNemar’s tests were performed to evaluate differences between age and gender groups, and to determine how influential review ratings are in choosing a physician for medical care. Statistical significance was determined at the 0.05 level. Results. A sample of 284 patients completed the survey (44.35 ± 17.54 years old [range = 18-90], 60.6% female, 57.4% white). Of Millennials, 67.2% read online reviews before choosing a physician. Millennials were significantly more likely to read online reviews before choosing a physician (p = 0.004) and utilize online resources to search for a new physician (p < 0.001) than older patients. Conclusions. Millennials were more likely to research online reviews before choosing a physician. Therefore, an online review presence will be beneficial to one’s practice to acquire this new wave of patients

‘Conceal, Don't Feel, Don't Let Them Know’: A Critical Analysis of the Representation of Disability in Disney Animated Films

This thesis critically analyses how disability is portrayed in Disney animated films. It specifically examines representations of impairment and disability from the perspective of disability studies which views disability as something created by barriers in society. In order to map the frequency as well as how and whether representations of impairment and disability have changed over time, I conducted a content analysis of all 56 Disney animated films from 1937 to 2016 for this study. Then, using themes from the data pertaining to the representation of disability, I conducted film analysis on a subset of the films in order to narrow my analysis. These themes are disability as a symbol of evil, disability as a problem to overcome and disability as a magical power. The findings from the study show that there are a wide range of characters with impairments in Disney animated films without any disabling aspect imposed on top of them. However, there are numerous characters who are portrayed in traditional and stereotypical ways contributing to the negative imagery associated with disability. Therefore, in this thesis, I argue that there is progression from traditional depictions where disability is used as a plot device towards more realistic and affirmative representations where disability becomes part of a character’s identity rather than existing as their defining feature

A Study of Retirement Community In-House Libraries

The purpose of this paper is to study the libraries in five retirement communities, and to describe the history, collections, circulation practices, interlibrary lending practices, cataloging or organizational systems, staffing, and physical space of these libraries. The researcher conducted interviews with one contact at each of the five libraries. In addition, the researcher observed the library settings in order to gain an understanding of the context in which services and use is conducted. The study found that all of the libraries have some system for organizing the collections, although the extent of organization varies; all of the libraries include at least some donated materials; the libraries all include a variety of materials; four of the libraries have some circulation procedure; and three of the four libraries expressed a need for more space

Workers at long-term care facilities and their risk for severe COVID-19 illness

Given the high concentration of COVID-19 cases in long-term care (LTC) facilities in the United States, individuals working in these facilities are at heightened risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Using data from the nationally-representative 2017 and 2018 National Health Interview Surveys on adults who reported working in LTC facilities, this study examines the extent to which LTC workers are also at increased risk or potentially at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 including hospitalization, intubation, or death. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of conditions placing individuals in these risk categories to the extent possible. We also examined the sociodemographic characteristics of LTC workers by occupation and COVID-19 illness severity risk status. One percent (552 out of 52,159) of the weighted NHIS sample worked in LTC facilities. Workers in LTC facilities were disproportionately Black, female, and low income. Half of LTC workers (50%) were at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and another 19.6% were potentially at increased risk. There were few significant differences in demographic characteristics between risk groups, though those at increased risk had lower educational attainment and recent trouble affording prescription medications. Despite the high degree of vulnerability of both LTC residents and workers to severe illness from COVID-19, many LTC facilities still have inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 tests. Given that state budget deficits due to the COVID-19 pandemic limit the potential for state actions, enhanced federal efforts are needed to protect LTC residents and staff from COVID-19