The Art of Reflection: A Personal Account of Reflexive Teaching Artistry and Personal Praxis

Teaching Artists (that is, artists who teach) are in a constant state of reflection and self-evaluation. Reflexive Teaching Artistry is the ability to apply personal reflection to practice as a means to better support and engage students. Reflection is certainly useful at the culmination of a class or project, but how does reflecting throughout the creative process benefit participants? How can a Teaching Artist\u27s reflections be applied to their practice throughout a creative process to better serve the objectives of a program? Using the lens of Reflexive Teaching Artistry, this thesis examines three unique drama-based projects and the instances of in-the-moment reflection that challenged original project curriculum or infrastructure. The projects discussed include intergenerational program Come to the Table, the Multimodal Performing Arts Intervention (MPAI) arts and wellness research study, and a performance of When Pigs Fly, a Theatre for the Very Young piece, as performed for an audience with memory loss

Comment consolider la paix plus efficacement ?

Depuis le débutdes années 1990, la communauté internationale s’est beaucoup impliquée dans la reconstruction des Etats déchirés par la guerre et les violences. Aujourd’hui, les Nations unies sont à elles seules engagées dans plus de dix missions politiques de consolidation de la paix dans le monde entier. L’expérience qu’elles ont acquise dans les interventions postconflit s’étend du Cambodge au Guatemala, en passant par le Mozambique. Avec les opérations de grande envergure en cours en Afgha..

Für eine effizientere Friedenskonsolidierung. Interview mit Roland Paris

Seit Anfang der 90er Jahre hat sich die internationale Staatengemeinschaft zunehmend in Bemühungen zum Wiederaufbau von Staaten engagiert, die durch Kriege und gewalttätige Konflikte zerstört wurden. Heute führt die UNO allein weltweit über zehn politische Friedenskonsolidierungsmissionen durch, wobei sie sich auf die Erfahrungen stützt, die mit Wiederaufbauarbeiten nach Kriegen in Kambodscha über Guatemala bis Mosambik gemacht wurden. Mit den derzeit in Afghanistan und im Irak laufenden Grosseinsätzen stellt die Friedenskonsolidierung eine wichtige globale Wachstumsindustrie dar. Doch was wissen wir wirklich über ihre Effizienz bei Bemühungen zur Verringerung von Spannungen und zur Unterstützung des Wiederaufbaus nach Konflikten ? Roland Paris jüngstes Werk, At War’s End : Building Peace after Civil Conflict, (das mit mehreren Preisen, darunter der Chadwick F. Alger Award für das beste Buch über internationale Organisationen, ausgezeichnet wurde), untersucht vierzehn der wichtigsten von der UNO zwischen 1989 und 1999 lancierten Friedenskonsolidierungsmissionen. Paris stellt sich darin insbesondere die Frage, ob die vorherrschenden Modelle der Friedenssicherung, mit ihrem Schwerpunkt auf rascher Demokratisierung und Marktliberalisierung, in fragilen Nachkriegskontexten angemessen sind. Im nachstehenden Interview fragen wir (Development in Practice, DIP) Roland Paris (RP), was wir aus den vergangenen Friedenskonsolidierungseinsätzen in Bezug auf deren Effizienz als Mittel zur Verhütung neuer Gewaltausbrüche in Nachkriegssituationen lernen können

A systematic review and meta-analysis of workplace mindfulness training randomized controlled trials

This meta-analytic review responds to promises in the research literature and public domain about the benefits of workplace mindfulness training. It synthesizes randomized controlled trial evidence from workplace-delivered training for changes in mindfulness, stress, mental health, well-being, and work performance outcomes. Going beyond extant reviews, this article explores the influence of variability in workforce and intervention characteristics for reducing perceived stress. Meta-effect estimates (Hedge’s g) were computed using data from 23 studies. Results indicate beneficial effects following training for mindfulness (g = 0.45, p < .001) and stress (g = 0.56, p < .001), anxiety (g = 0.62, p < .001) and psychological distress (g = 0.69, p < .001), and for well-being (g = 0.46, p = .002) and sleep (g = 0.26, p = .003). No conclusions could be drawn from pooled data for burnout due to ambivalence in results, for depression due to publication bias, or for work performance due to insufficient data. The potential for integrating the construct of mindfulness within job demands-resources, coping, and prevention theories of work stress is considered in relation to the results. Limitations to study designs and reporting are addressed, and recommendations to advance research in this field are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved

Pericellular activation of hepatocyte growth factor by the transmembrane serine proteases matriptase and hepsin, but not by the membrane-associated protease uPA

HGF (hepatocyte growth factor) is a pleiotropic cytokine homologous to the serine protease zymogen plasminogen that requires canonical proteolytic cleavage to gain functional activity. The activating proteases are key components of its regulation, but controversy surrounds their identity. Using quantitative analysis we found no evidence for activation by uPA (urokinase plasminogen activator), despite reports that this is a principal activator of pro-HGF. This was unaffected by a wide range of experimental conditions, including the use of various molecular forms of both HGF and uPA, and the presence of uPAR (uPA receptor) or heparin. In contrast the catalytic domains of the TTSPs (type-II transmembrane serine proteases) matriptase and hepsin were highly efficient activators (50% activation at 0.1 and 3.4 nM respectively), at least four orders of magnitude more efficient than uPA. PS-SCL (positional-scanning synthetic combinatorial peptide libraries) were used to identify consensus sequences for the TTSPs, which in the case of hepsin corresponded to the pro-HGF activation sequence, demonstrating a high specificity for this reaction. Both TTSPs were also found to be efficient activators at the cell surface. Activation of pro-HGF by PC3 prostate carcinoma cells was abolished by both protease inhibition and matriptase-targeting siRNA (small interfering RNA), and scattering of MDCK (Madin–Darby canine kidney) cells in the presence of pro-HGF was abolished by inhibition of matriptase. Hepsin-transfected HEK (human embryonic kidney)-293 cells also activated pro-HGF. These observations demonstrate that, in contrast with the uPA/uPAR system, the TTSPs matriptase and hepsin are direct pericellular activators of pro-HGF, and that together these proteins may form a pathway contributing to their involvement in pathological situations, including cancer

A preliminary examination of sexual and physical victimization 6 months after recent rape

One in four US women will experience a completed or attempted rape in their lifetime, and more than 50% of survivors will experience two or more rapes. Rape and physical violence also co-occur. Multiple experiences of sexual and physical violence are associated with elevated mental and physical health problems. This secondary analysis examined the prevalence and correlates of experiencing sexual or physical violence within 6 months of a sexual assault medical forensic exam (SAMFE). Between May 2009 and December 2013, 233 female rape survivors aged 15 and older were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial during a SAMFE in the emergency department (ED). Demographics, rape characteristics, distress at the ED, and pre-rape history of sexual or physical victimization were assessed. New sexual and physical victimization was assessed 6 months after the SAMFE via telephone interview. Six months after the exam, 21.7% reported a new sexual or physical victimization. Predictors of revictimization during follow-up included sexual or physical victimization prior to the index rape, making less than $10,000 annually, remembering the rape well, life threat during the rape, and higher distress at the ED. In adjusted models, only pre-rape victimization and making less than$10,000 annually were associated with revictimization. Factors assessed at the ED can inform subsequent victimization risk. More research is needed to prevent revictimization among recent rape victims. Policies to provide financial support to recent rape victims and/or targeted prevention for those with pre-rape victimization at the SAMFE could reduce revictimization risk

Integral Projection Models for host-parasite systems with an application to amphibian chytrid fungus

1. Host–parasite models are typically constructed under either a microparasite or macroparasite paradigm. However, this has long been recognized as a false dichotomy because many infectious disease agents, including most fungal pathogens, have attributes of both microparasites and macroparasites. 2. We illustrate how Integral Projection Models (IPMs) provide a novel modelling framework to represent both types of pathogens. We build a simple host–parasite IPM that tracks both the number of susceptible and infected hosts and the distribution of parasite burdens in infected hosts. 3. The vital rate functions necessary to build IPMs for disease dynamics share many commonalities with classic micro and macroparasite models and we discuss how these functions can be parameterized to build a host–parasite IPM. We illustrate the utility of this IPM approach by modelling the temperature-dependent epizootic dynamics of amphibian chytrid fungus in Mountain yellow-legged frogs (Rana muscosa). 4. The host–parasite IPM can be applied to other diseases such as facial tumour disease in Tasmanian devils and white-nose syndrome in bats. Moreover, the host–parasite IPM can be easily extended to capture more complex disease dynamics and provides an exciting new frontier in modelling wildlife disease.Full Tex

Quantifying trends in disease impact to produce a consistent and reproducible definition of an emerging infectious disease.

The proper allocation of public health resources for research and control requires quantification of both a disease's current burden and the trend in its impact. Infectious diseases that have been labeled as "emerging infectious diseases" (EIDs) have received heightened scientific and public attention and resources. However, the label 'emerging' is rarely backed by quantitative analysis and is often used subjectively. This can lead to over-allocation of resources to diseases that are incorrectly labelled "emerging," and insufficient allocation of resources to diseases for which evidence of an increasing or high sustained impact is strong. We suggest a simple quantitative approach, segmented regression, to characterize the trends and emergence of diseases. Segmented regression identifies one or more trends in a time series and determines the most statistically parsimonious split(s) (or joinpoints) in the time series. These joinpoints in the time series indicate time points when a change in trend occurred and may identify periods in which drivers of disease impact change. We illustrate the method by analyzing temporal patterns in incidence data for twelve diseases. This approach provides a way to classify a disease as currently emerging, re-emerging, receding, or stable based on temporal trends, as well as to pinpoint the time when the change in these trends happened. We argue that quantitative approaches to defining emergence based on the trend in impact of a disease can, with appropriate context, be used to prioritize resources for research and control. Implementing this more rigorous definition of an EID will require buy-in and enforcement from scientists, policy makers, peer reviewers and journal editors, but has the potential to improve resource allocation for global health

Sociality, density-dependence and microclimates determine the persistence of populations uffereing from a novel fungal disease, white nose syndrome

Abstract Disease has caused striking declines in wildlife and threatens numerous species with extinction. Theory suggests that the ecology and density-dependence of transmission dynamics can determine the probability of disease-caused extinction, but few empirical studies have simultaneously examined multiple factors influencing disease impact. We show, in hibernating bats infected with Geomyces destructans, that impacts of disease on solitary species were lower in smaller populations, whereas in socially gregarious species declines were equally severe in populations spanning four orders of magnitude. However, as these gregarious species declined, we observed decreases in social group size that reduced the likelihood of extinction. In addition, disease impacts in these species increased with humidity and temperature such that the coldest and driest roosts provided initial refuge from disease. These results expand our theoretical framework and provide an empirical basis for determining which host species are likely to be driven extinct while management action is still possible

Moving Beyond Too Little, Too Late: Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases in Wild Populations Requires International Policy and Partnerships

No Full Tex