International Cooperation on Trade and Labor Issues

The relationship between the labor market and international trade is a broad and complex subject that has been the focus of significant attention in recent years. Discussion and analysis in this area has covered a number of discrete issues, including the effect of shifting trade patterns on employment levels and earnings in domestic markets, the impact of wage levels and labor legislation on the location of production facilities, and the positive and negative aspects of the cross-border movement of workers, among others. The continuing importance of labor issues within the larger trade debate is highlighted by the inclusion of measures relating to labor standards and/or the cross-border movement of workers in recent bilateral and multilateral trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the U.S.–Oman Free Trade Agreement. This paper aims to provide background for future work on trade-related labor issues by describing how labor issues such as internationally recognized labor standards and the cross-border movement of workers have been addressed by international organizations, as well as in U.S. trade legislation and recent trade agreements

Implementation of an Evidence-Based Childhood Obesity Toolkit in a Rural Pediatric Clinic in Cookeville, TN: A Quality Improvement Project

Implementation of an Evidence-Based Childhood Obesity Toolkit in a Rural Pediatric Clinic in Cookeville, TN: A Quality Improvement Project Dawn G. Johnson, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC Tennessee Technological University Nursing 6802 – DNP Project Development Dr. Victoria Pope & Dr. Candice Short March 23, 2022 Author Note Dawn G. Johnson https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7090-8036 College of Nursing, Tennessee Technological University There are no conflicts of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this manuscript should be addressed to Dawn G. Johnson, Tennessee Technological University, 248 Haven Lane, Algood, TN 38506 Email: [email protected] Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project is to increase the early identification of overweight or obese children in the primary care setting and provide education through the implementation of an evidence-based childhood obesity toolkit. Aims: This project aims to implement the Healthy Care for Healthy Kids Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey Management Plan to educate patients and parents about childhood obesity. The Healthy Care for Healthy Kids Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey Management Plan is an evidence-based questionnaire and action plan used by healthcare providers in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. Processes: Nurses will provide the toolkit to children ages 5-18 who present to the clinic for well-child examinations and have a BMI classified as overweight or obese. Providers will then review the screening toolkit with the patient and family and make a corrective plan of action. The screening tool will then be signed by the patient, caregiver, and provider and placed in the child’s electronic medical record. Results: To be determined after project implementation is complete. Results are anticipated to be that more overweight and obese children are identified by the clinic and proper education is provided to the patient and family. Limitations: The study is limited to one location and only available to the providers who perform well-child examinations. Conclusions: Implementation of an evidence-based childhood obesity toolkit in the pediatric setting with increase the early identification of overweight and obese children. Keywords: childhood obesity, pediatric obesity, toolkit, obesity, overweigh

Evaluating the audio-diary method in qualitative research

Purpose Audio-diary methods are under-utilised in contemporary qualitative research. In this paper we discuss participants and researchers’ experiences of using audio-diaries alongside semi-structured interviews to explore breastfeeding experiences in a short-term longitudinal study with 22 first-time mothers. Design/methodology/approach We provide a qualitative content analysis of the participants’ feedback about their experiences of the audio-diary method and supplement this with the perspectives of the research team based on fieldwork notes, memos and team discussions. We pay particular attention to the ways in which the data attained from diaries compared with those from the interviews. Findings The diaries produced were heterogeneous in terms of data length and quality. Participants’ experiences with the method were varied. Some found the process therapeutic and useful for reflecting upon the development of breastfeeding skills whilst negative aspects related to lack of mobility, self-consciousness and concerns about confidentiality. Researchers were positive about the audio-diary method but raised certain ethical, epistemological and methodological concerns. These include debates around the use of prompts, appropriate support for participants and the potential of the method to influence the behaviour under scrutiny. Interview and diary accounts contrasted and complemented in ways which typically enriched data analysis. Practical implications The authors conclude that audio-diaries are a flexible and useful tool for qualitative research especially within critical realist and phenomenological paradigms Originality/value This appears to be the first paper to evaluate both participants and researchers’ experiences of using audio-diaries in a detailed and systematic fashio

Utilizing local project experts to provide professional development for early childhood educators : a professional development project

This project consists of a series of professional development sessions designed to support early childhood educators in implementing Project Approach in their classrooms. The project utilizes local project experts of the Southeast Iowa Project Group. In addition, the project addresses the need of early childhood educators in rural southeast Iowa to have opportunities to attend professional development locally. Research indicates that professional development is enhanced when educators are given opportunities to learn in authentic contexts, engage in problem-solving, practice new skills, and participate in extending learning experiences. Additionally, professional development greatly affects educators\u27 abilities to provide children with high quality learning experiences such as those associated with project work. Therefore, the goal of providing educators with this professional development is to embed knowledge in practice. The next step for the Southeast Iowa Project Group will be to provide coaching to the participants. The development of a coaching model will enable the Southeast Iowa Project Group to better meet the individual needs of its participants

Black Feminist Thought, Interrupted: Dissecting the Voice of Black Feminists in the Blogosphere and their Engagement with Platform Affordances

ABSTRACT BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT, INTERRUPTED DISSECTING THE VOICE OF BLACK FEMINISTS IN THE BLOGOSPHERE AND THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH PLATFORM AFFORDANCES By Dawn G. Johnson, Ph.D A dissertation submitted to the faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Media, Art, and Text Department in the College of Humanities and Sciences Virginia Commonwealth University, 2021 Dissertation Chair: Dr. Archana Pathak, Associate Professor, Dept. of Gender, Sexuality & Women\u27s Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University Black women that have long searched for spaces to be creative and have voice due to their constant exclusion from mainstream media. In response to this exclusion, black feminists actively formed spaces outside of traditional media by developing black feminist blogs designed to empower the black feminist community and further the advancement of Black Feminist Thought and liberatory theory. This research examined the problem of whether the blogosphere has lived up to its promise of allowing black feminist engagement and dissemination of information, or whether the online arena (platform) represented a microcosm of societal dominant power structures and furthered white oppression and marginalization of black women. Applying Andre’ Brock’s Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA) as methodology, this research explored whether online platforms afford or constrain black feminist voice. Brock’s CTDA insisted on a multi-layered approach to theories of technology, one that captured diversity in culture and demographics and how these moments of diversity intersected with the technological hardware and code. Through examining a purposive sample of 30 blogs from three black feminist blog sites, Crunk Feminist Collective, For Harriet and The Feminist Wire, the results provided that the blog spaces provided a location for the empowerment of black womanhood and did not directly constrain black feminist voice. But rather, black feminist blog writers actively resisted white discourse and focused on self-love and the act of healing the black community, and thus the blog platforms served as a true space of refuge. Yet, voice was indirectly impacted, because black feminist bloggers resisted addressing white oppression, and thus represented a missed opportunity and an attempt to play it safe

Development of Patterned Self-Assembled Monolayers Toward the Study of Axonal Differentiation

The following work discusses the development of several techniques and new methods for the production of patterned surfaces for protein and cell confinement. These well-defined substrates allow us to study the mechanism of axonal differentiation in neurons confined to a two-dimensional starburst pattern. We utilize self-assembled monolayer: SAM) chemistry in conjunction with microcontact printing to create stable patterned substrates for cell culture. Photolithography is employed in the fabrication of patterned masters, which are used to create elastomeric stamps for microcontact printing. Initially, trichlorosilanes were employed in our patterned SAMs because they react rapidly with glass. These patterned surfaces confined protein and cells to a defined pattern; however, trichlorosilane monomers were difficult to work with because of their extreme reactivity with moisture in the air. An alternative to this highly sensitive system was required to develop stable SAMs. Alkanethiols on gold have traditionally been stable for just 5−7 days in cell culture, but modifications to the linkage between the alkane chain and glycol termination led to the formation of a stable self-assembled monolayer for over five weeks. This is a tremendous advance in the field of SAM chemistry and allows for the study of cellular processes that occur over the course of several weeks. While long-term stability is necessary for the study of developmental events, there are many researchers who do not have the resources to fabricate their own patterned substrates. This led to the development of recyclable, reusable patterned SAMs for cell culture. By utilizing two different methods, either a trypsin analog or detergent, these substrates can be reused up to 11 times over the course of two weeks. This allows investigators to perform several studies on the same patterned substrate, which leads to rapid, reproducible results. The interesting biological question we set out to answer was whether axonal differentiation was an innate process or one that was environmentally determined. We cultured E18 mouse hippocampal neurons on starburst patterned substrates. The starburst consisted of twelve paths of equal width; eleven were short, 20 μm paths and one was longer, ranging from 40 μm to 160 μm. We observed which path the axon grew along by immunostaining for the microtubule-associated tau protein, bound to microtubules in the axon. Our data showed that the axon grows along the long path ~58% of the time for the smallest starburst pattern and the distance a neurite is allowed to extend down a path is linearly correlated to the likelihood of finding the axon on the long path. This points toward axonal differentiation being an environmentally determined process. This combination of photolithography, microcontact printing, and self-assembled monolayer chemistry has led to important advances in the production of stable, patterned substrates for cell culture. We have successfully used this technology to study axonal differentiation and have found that this process is environmentally determined

Landowners\u27 perceptions of deer damage to crops in Tennessee

The objectives of this research were to determine landowners\u27 perceptions of deer damage to crops and their tolerance for deer damage. Additional objectives were to examine landowners\u27 perceptions of the effectiveness of deer damage control methods, wildlife management activities on their land, and to examine regional differences in deer damage to crops and related variables. A mail survey was sent to landowners in eight Tennessee counties representing four areas of the state with high levels of soybean production and deer populations. A total of 2,110 survey participants were randomly selected to obtain a 95% confidence interval for the four county groups. The confidence interval for individual counties ranged from 92% to 94%. The survey was administered using the Dillman four-wave method resulting in a useable response rate of 59%. A comparison of early and late respondents to determine non-response bias revealed that early respondents were more likely to have deer damage to their crops. About half of the participants (54%) were classified as full- or part-time farmers. The majority of participants wanted deer populations in their area to decrease (49%) or stay the same (32%). Many participants enjoyed deer (48%), while others enjoyed deer but worried about crop damage (38%), and a few participants considered deer to be a nuisance (15%). Forty-seven percent of all landowners sustained deer damage, while 60% of farmers had deer damage. Many participants (55%) experienced some type of wildlife damage, compared to 68% of farmers. Most participants (54%) estimated the value of their loss from deer damage at $500 or less. Approximately one quarter of all participants (26%) reported deer damage that exceeded their tolerance level. Participants with deer damage were more likely to consider deer a nuisance and want a decrease in deer populations. Farmers were more likely to have deer damage than non-farmers. One quarter of participants had taken measures to prevent deer damage with hunting being the most commonly used method. Shooting deer outside of the hunting season with a depredation permit was rated the most effective method of controlling deer damage. The majority of participants (79%) allowed hunting on their land and 42% reported that they manage their land for wildlife. The fact that many landowners manage their land for wildlife is encouraging, given the importance of private lands as wildlife habitat. Private landowners\u27 support of wildlife management may be eroded, however, if wildlife damage increases because participants who considered deer a nuisance were less likely to manage their land for wildlife. Although many landowners experienced deer damage, it was not a serious problem for most of them. Landowners with severe deer damage, however, are likely to have negative attitudes about wildlife and may need assistance to deal with their deer damage problems. There are several options for assisting landowners with deer damage, such as more effective damage control methods, increasing landowners\u27 awareness of the availability of depredation permits, and cash payments