Nathaniel Dorsky: religion, Buddhism and film

This dissertation examines the life, films, and manuscript, Devotional Cinema, of American Buddhist experimental filmmaker Nathaniel Dorsky (1943-present). Dorsky’s work shifts the point of intersection between religion and film from the ability of movies to immortalize subjects, engage with eternal themes, or provide experiences of transcendence to the immanence of the materials of film, and by extension the contingency and impermanence of our lives. His approach has developed religious meaning in keeping with particular Buddhist teachings and meditation practices by opening up possibilities of how films might do religion, revealing the ways the study of religion and film can become a means of expanding and refining our vision of religion itself. Dorsky’s life intersects with a variety of significant institutions, leaders, and communities of American Buddhism and avant-garde film from the 1950s to the present. His story illustrates a history between religion and film unique in its fluidity, hybridity, and symbiosis: he has studied Buddhism with Asian Buddhist emissaries like Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who engaged in and wrote about filmmaking as a mode of Buddhist knowledge; he is among a collection of American avant-garde filmmakers who experimented with Buddhist ideas and practices in their lives and work; and has been a friend and follower of Stan Brakhage, a leader of a particular lineage of 1960s avant-garde film, who voiced religious devotion to film itself. By situating Dorky within American Buddhism and avant-garde film, I consider the religious depth underlying his work, challenge definitions of authenticity present within Buddhist and religious studies, and examine the intensity and diversity of religious aspirations among filmmakers and enthusiasts. Doing so encourages a reading of Devotional Cinema and Dorsky’s films that highlights the physicality and temporality of film in religious understanding, emphasizing the worldly, material, diverse, contingent, and impermanent dimensions of both

Phonaesthetic shadows: the phonetic dichotomy of light and dark in The lord of the rings

A demonstration of potential phonaesthetic sources for the clustering that occurs in the nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings and how this contributes to Tolkien's assertion that it is 'an essay in linguistic aesthetic'

Pilot Assessment Plan: Intercultural and Global Learning

During the 2019-2020 academic year, this project team reviewed tools for intercultural and global learning and assessment. Our objective was to consider opportunities to support student growth and development and assess student learning at the program and/or institutional levels. We looked at some instruments we currently use, along with several others. In addition, we reviewed several content platforms that support student learning. While each had its pros and cons, we identified three tools for a pilot: Assessment - The Global Engagement Survey Content platform - Solidarity Modules Content platform - Global Competency Certificate Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the pilot and the tools being used

Developing an Argument for Def Stan 00-56 from Existing Qualification Evidence

International audienceCommonly-used civil guidance and standards in the safety-critical software industry (IEC 61508, EN 50128, DO-178B) constrain development activity and generate process and product evidence. However, procurements for UK defence systems must be supported with a safety case assessed against Def Stan 00-56 Issue 4. This paper studies the use of evidence from civil guidance and standards in arguments towards DS 00-56. The approach is centred on a particular application, the KCG qualified code generator, and is based on a generic software contribution argumentation approach. The results show that issues arise in substantiating failure conditions, choosing a suitable level of detail in the argumentand relating detailed explanations to the structure of the evidence. Explicit argumentation was found to be useful in addressing each of these issues

Barriers and Opportunities for Concussion Communication and Management in Youth Sports: A qualitative study

To identify opportunities to improve coach-athlete communication, this study examined young athletes’ perceptions and concerns about concussion, as well as their information needs. A qualitative data collection approach, based on the grounded theory methodology, was utilized. Six virtual focus groups were conducted with 17 male and female athletes’ ages 12 to 18 years. Results indicated that athletes were concerned about the potential long-term effects of a concussion. Athletes described multiple barriers that interfere with concussion reporting, including: being unfamiliar with concussion signs and symptoms, perceived pressure from teammates, concerns of interference that concussion reporting can have on gameplay, and a lack of focus on concussion during play. To help address these, participants expressed an interest in hearing frequently and directly, such as during a pre-game or practice huddle, from coaches about concussion and how to prevent this injury. The results demonstrate that concussion education programs can consider promoting messages for coaches to deliver to athletes about concussion prevention strategies and the benefits of concussion reporting on an athlete’s long-term health

Midwives' perceptions of being 'with woman': A phenomenological study

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Being 'with woman' is a central construct of the midwifery profession however, minimal research has been undertaken to explore the phenomenon from the perspective of midwives. The aim of this study was to describe Western Australian midwives' perceptions of the phenomenon of being 'with woman' during the intrapartum period. Methods: Descriptive phenomenology was selected as the methodology for this study. Thirty one midwives working across a variety of care models participated in individual interviews. Giorgi's four stage phenomenological approach was employed to analyse data. Results: Three themes were extracted 1) Essential to professional identity; 2) Partnership with women; and 3) Woman-Centred Practice. Midwives described the importance of being 'with woman' to the work and identification of midwifery practice. Developing a connection with the woman and providing woman-centred care inclusive of the woman's support people was highlighted. Conclusions: For the first time, we are able to offer evidence of how midwives understand and perceive the phenomenon of being 'with woman' which has theoretical and practical utility. Findings from this study provide evidence that supports expert commentary and confirms that midwives conceptualise the phenomenon of being 'with woman' as essential to the identity and practice of the profession. Some previously identified 'good midwifery practices' were revealed as practical manifestations of the phenomenon. This new knowledge facilitates clarity and provides evidence to support statements of professional identity, which is useful for the development of educational curricula as well as supporting graduate and professional midwives. The findings emphasise the importance of the development of language around this important philosophical construct which permeates midwifery practice, enhances professional agency and supports the continued emphasis of being 'with woman' with new understanding of its applied practices in a variety of care models

Monitoring and evaluating disaster risk management capacity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on improving the monitoring and evaluation of DRM capacity development initiatives. Design/methodology/approach – The paper first explores the complexities and challenges presented in the literature, before using empirical data from a research project in six countries (Ethiopia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Philippines, Haiti and Mozambique) to discuss current approaches to M & E of DRM capacity strengthening interventions. Findings – This is generally an area of technical weakness in the initiatives studied, with poor understanding of terminology, little attention to outcomes or impact and few independent evaluations. The need for greater inclusion of participants in M & E processes is identified and one programme from the fieldwork in Mozambique is presented as a case study example. Originality/value – The paper ends by presenting a unique M & E framework developed for use by DRM programmes to track the outcomes of their interventions and ultimately raise standards in this area

Global Learning Academy: A New Model

The Global Learning Academy is an innovative global and intercultural learning program that combines online courses with a two-week theme-based field experience at key international, U.S., and local/virtual locations. Much like higher education in general, education abroad and international education were turned upside down with the pandemic. In response, we have developed a creative new model that will allow us to meet some of our long-standing priorities around access for a changing student population; interdisciplinary learning on critical global themes; integration with existing academic programs; and flexibility and adaptability in uncertain times. We will share plans for this new model, which will supplement existing education-abroad program models, and engage in discussion about it

Association of physical activity metrics with indicators of cardiovascular function and control in children with and without type 1 diabetes

ObjectiveLittle is known about the role of physical activity accumulation in cardiovascular disease risk for children with type 1 diabetes. Improved insight to identify factors of influence in key health outcomes could be provided by considering the entire physical activity profile.MethodsPulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed cross‐sectionally in children with (n = 29, 12.1 ± 2.1 years) and without (n = 19, 12.1 ± 2.1 years) type 1 diabetes. Time spent sedentary and in each physical activity intensity, intensity gradient and average acceleration were derived from seven consecutive days of monitoring with wrist‐worn accelerometry. Comparison between groups and influence of physical activity accumulation on cardiovascular metrics were explored with linear mixed models.ResultsDiabetic children demonstrated a higher PWV and a greater volume of light physical activity (p < 0.01), a more negative intensity gradient (p < 0.01), a lower average acceleration and less time in bouted moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA; p < 0.05). Overall, intensity gradient was strongly correlated with average acceleration, MVPA and bouted MVPA (r2 = 0.89, r2 = 0.80, r2 = 0.79, respectively; all p < 0.05), while average acceleration was correlated with MVPA and bouted MVPA (r2 = 0.85, r2 = 0.83, respectively; p < 0.05). Accounting for disease status, intensity gradient and average acceleration were significant predictors of HRV indices (p < 0.05) and PWV (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively).ConclusionOverall, MVPA was most associated with central stiffness, highlighting the importance of meeting activity guidelines. Diabetic children demonstrated poorer cardiovascular health than their counterparts, likely attributable to a lower intensity and physical activity volume, identifying physical activity intensity as a key target for future interventions