Bullying Cognitions through Identification with Fictional Characters

There has been a wealth of research in the past decade on workplace bullying. Issues such as how to define workplace bullying, the prevalence of bullying behaviors cross-culturally, the process of bullying and the impact of bullying on individuals and organizations have been studied and debated. The majority of the focus has been from the point of view of the victim. In contrast, little research exists documenting the phenomenon of workplace bullying from the viewpoint of the perpetrator. This study offers insight into bullying cognition and motivation through inferences given by subjects after watching a series of video clips containing possible workplace or school bullying. It was hypothesized that the subjects would identify with victims of more overt forms of aggression commonly used in the workplace. Participants watched video clips that depicted workplace bullying in a group setting and then answered a questionnaire. Results indicated that respondents were more likely to identify with victims of more overt forms of bullying. They identified similarly with victims of both physical violence and rational-appearing violence

You Broke My Heart To Pass The Time Away.

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/2786/thumbnail.jp

Effects of dissolved and dietary Microcystin on clearance rates of Wedge Clams (Rangia cuneata) in the tidal fresh James River

Benthic filter feeders are important organisms in estuaries due to their ability to remove algal and non-algal particulate matter from the water column. Microcystin (MC) is a cyanotoxin that is known to have adverse effects on diverse consumers, though its effects on benthic filter-feeders are not well-studied. In this study, we examine the effects of microcystin on the filtering activities of Rangia cuneata, a common and often dominant filter-feeder in tidal freshwaters. Clams and seston obtained from the James River were used along with commercially-available microcystin to measure clearance rates of Rangia across a gradient of dissolved microcystin concentrations. We also compared clearance rates of James River clams to natural food sources in the presence and absence of microcystin. Our results show that dissolved microcystin inhibited Rangia clearance rates. Even at the lowest concentration tested (0.40 μg MC L-1) clearance rates were significantly lower than controls. Dietary experiments showed that when elevated microcystin was present in the James (September), clearance rates were lower for clams fed James River seston relative to clams fed seston from another source. Our results suggest that the presence of microcystin may diminish ecosystem service provided by benthic filter feeders.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1038/thumbnail.jp

Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of benzoic acid as a bio-oil model compound: reaction and kinetics using nickel-supported catalysts

The development of technologies for the bio-oil upgrading process is a crucial step towards achieving sustainable energy production. This study investigates the effects of support properties during the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of benzoic acid as a bio-oil model compound with aim to produce a catalyst of superior activity and selectivity. Three Ni-based catalysts were prepared: microporous m-Ni/ZSM-5, mesoporous h-Ni/ZSM-5, and Ni/SiO2. The h-Ni/ZSM-5 exhibited the highest concentration of acid sites, strongest metal-support interaction and best metal dispersion. The highest conversion of benzoic acid was recorded over the h-Ni/ZSM-5 catalyst (97%). Ni/SiO2 catalysts produced toluene, while others produced benzene and cyclohexane in addition. This was linked to a synergy between support acidity and metal sites. The catalyst from the nearly neutral support, Ni/SiO2, showed higher activity (91% conversion) compared to m-Ni/ZSM-5 (84%), which was attributed to the mesoporous nature of Ni/SiO2, allowing more access to active sites for bulk benzoic acid molecules. A kinetic model was developed using the Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson (LHHW) approach. A mechanism assuming dual-site adsorption of dissociatively adsorbed hydrogen was shown to be the most accurate representation of the three-phase benzoic acid HDO. The observed activation energy from the model was 137.2 kJ mol-1

Runnin\u27 Wild

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6157/thumbnail.jp

Cicely Saunders, 'total pain' and emotional evidence at the end of life

In this article I explore how Cicely Saunders championed the hospice movement and initiated what became palliative care by representing her emotional connections with others. She became friends (and, once or twice, fell in love) with dying patients and encouraged others to follow her example in listening to patients’ descriptions of pain. Her approach was radical at a time when she believed doctors routinely ‘deserted’ dying patients because it urged them to understand another’s embodied pain as inextricably bound up with the emotional impact of a terminal diagnosis. Saunders’ attention to how patients expressed their experience is summed up in her term ‘total pain’, which communicates how an individual’s pain is a whole overwhelming experience, not only physical but also emotional, social and spiritual. Previous research frames ‘total pain’ in terms of narrative, emphasising Saunders’ focus on listening to her patients and her use of narratives as evidence in advocating for cultural and institutional change, both of which I understand as engaging with a patient’s emotional reality. However, as Saunders’ ideals become mainstreamed as palliative care and amid calls for ‘narrative palliative care’, I use evidence from Saunders’ extensive written output alongside archival material to suggest that, just as palliative care is by its nature not a single specific intervention, ‘total pain’ should not be understood as simply narrative. Building on existing work in this journal questioning the primacy of conventional understandings of narrative in the medical humanities, I demonstrate how Saunders’ prominent use of fragments and soundbites alongside longer case narratives demonstrates the limits of narrative, particularly when someone is dying. Saunders thus offers a case study for considering the implications that questioning the primacy of narrative as emotional evidence might have for our understandings of how empathy or advocacy can function, or be cultivated, in medical settings