1,133 research outputs found
The Lover\u27s Cup
This documentary film, The Lover\u27s Cup is the story of a former Naval Officer from World War II, Dr. Phillip Trapp, who took Marines into the battle of Iwo Jima and lived to see the flag being raised on Mt. Suribachi. This 55-minute film explores his life experiences before, during and following World War II. His first-hand experiences are used to illustrate the Social and psychological impact of the Great Depression and World War II and his journey to overcome his adversity and create positive changes in the world through his subsequent education and service at the University of Arkansas and the community of Northwest Arkansas.
The Lover\u27s Cup explores some of the factors, which helped shape what many have called The Greatest Generation. It also addresses the political and psychological ramifications of World War II and it\u27s differences to modern day world conflict. The film includes several interviews over the course of two years with Dr. Trapp. It also includes some re-enactments and extensive archival footage and photographs through the National Archives and Library of Congress. This is a character-driven narrative, using the Great Depression and World War II as vehicles to tell the story. The goal of this film is to help generate a renewed awareness, understanding and appreciation of the Greatest Generation, who will all soon be gone
Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) optimization of microfluidic mixing in a MEMS steam generator
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-24).The challenge of achieving rapid mixing in microchannels is addressed through a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study using the ADINA-F finite element program. The study is motivated by the need to design an adequate mixing chamber for aqueous chemical reactants in a micro steam generator. The study focuses on the geometric optimization of a static micromixer channel by considering the trade-off between mixing quality and pressure drop. Both zigzag and straight channels are evaluated, in addition to channels with differing amounts of added obstruction features. Due to computational limits, the numerical analysis is conducted in two dimensions. The results indicate that hydrodynamic focusing of the reactant at the inlet, in addition to the amount and density of added obstruction features, has the most significant impact on mixing efficiency and increased pressure drop. The study presents mixing quality and pressure drop trends that provide useful information for the micro steam generator mixing chamber design.by Kimberlee C. Collons.S.B
A Minimal Contact Diet and Physical Activity Intervention for White-Collar Workers
Minimal contact lifestyle interventions with multiple components coupled with health screening have the potential to improve worker health. The purpose of this study was to test a minimal contact multiple component lifestyle diet and exercise intervention. The multiple components that were included in this project included a worksite health screening, brief counseling session, emailed newsletter, and a pedometer. In response to the intervention, participants reported an increase in green salad, fruit, and vegetable consumption as well as an increase in self-efficacy for consuming three servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Study participants also demonstrated a significant increase in physical activity as shown by their responses to the question, “During leisure time I walk.” A minimal contact multiple component worksite health promotion program with relatively high feasibility and low cost can improve workers’ health-related behaviors, and participants can become more aware of their health
Implementation of Peer Support and Shared Decision-Making Aids for the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Population
Background: Patients at a community hospital verbalized fear, stress and anxiety about transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Patients with aortic stenosis eligible for TAVR may experience low self-efficacy and anxiety while considering valve replacement which may lead to poor quality of life, interfere with understanding information from medical providers, and other health complications.
Methods: All patients eligible for TAVR between June and August of 2019 were invited to participate in a pilot project using peer support and use of shared decision-making (SDM) aids. Former TAVR patients were trained to be Mended Hearts TAVR peer volunteers. Participants were connected by telephone with a peer by the valve coordinator and SDM aids from the American College of Cardiology were initiated and reviewed during appointments. Patients’ anxiety and self-efficacy were measured before and after peer support using the General Anxiety Disorder-7 and the Cardiac Self-Efficacy scales. Patients evaluated the helpfulness of the SDM aids using the Preparation for Decision-Making scale and open-ended questions were used to gather additional information beyond questionnaire scale questions.
Results: Eleven TAVR patients evaluated anxiety and CSE and twelve patients evaluated the SDM aids. Post-GAD-7 scores showed four patients had a decrease in anxiety, five had no change, and two had an increased anxiety score. Post CSE scores showed increases in confidence for 58% of patients in one or more areas of self-efficacy and all patients rated the SDM aids as ‘somewhat to a great deal helpful’. All patients responded positively during interviews, stating that even if they felt confident before the interventions, they felt even greater confidence afterward.
Conclusion: The interventions empowered patients to discuss their health and procedural concerns and personal values with their medical team. Patients feel more confident with their decisions regarding TAVR after receiving peer support and the shared decision-making aids
1-800-(Re)Colonize: A Feminist Postcolonial and Performance Analysis of Call Center Agents in India Performing U.S. Cultural Identity
The contemporary historical moment finds us in a web of globalization that spans the globe. While our interconnectedness brings us into unforeseen communications, we enter the conversation grounded in particular subject locations. Postcolonial subjectivities hold strategic memories of colonial violences as a means of survival and resistance while colonizing forces hold onto binary narratives of their own superiority. Globalization provides the context wherein decolonized and colonizing nations interact with unequal power resulting in multifaceted outcomes, one of which I argue is a re-colonial dynamic. The phenomenon of U.S. corporate outsourcing to India is one instance where a re-colonial dynamic occurs. India\u27s post-1991 liberalization policies facilitated its current relationship with U.S. corporations, many of which invested heavily in India\u27s economy and telecommunications development. One facet of this investment resulted in the creation of call centers which provide customer service support to large corporations. Indian call centers supply customer service operations to U.S. corporations and Indian workers interact with U.S. consumers on the telephone. The condition of employment for largely 20- to 30-something Indian workers, what marks the unequal power relations and re-colonial dynamic, is a performance of American culture. Indian call center agents undergo training in American voice and culture to mimic and interact with the U.S. consumer while simultaneously erasing their Indian cultural identities. To understand the implications of this practice, I rely on the voices of Indian call center agents and their performance of U.S. culture in their work and training and its impact on their daily and cultural lives. The performances come from personal interviews with call center agents conducted by Sheena Malhotra and me in Bangalore and Mumbai, India, on film footage from Aradhana Seth\u27s documentary I-800-CALLRVDIA, and on media representations from U.S. mainstream media. Interweaving postcolonial and performance theories as the framework, I use Robert Scholes (1985) method of textual criticism which involves a three-step hermeneutic process of reading, interpreting and criticizing performances to deconstruct and analyze their pleasures and power. I rely on Homi K. Bhabha\u27s (1 994) theorization of ambivalence, hybridity and mimicry to understand colonial subjects\u27 complex negotiation of colonial forces. From these performances emerge several themes and reveal the tensions between colonial forces of corporations and the complex negotiations of it through the performances of postcolonial subjectivities. While U.S. corporations outsource narrow constructions of what it means to perform American, embedded in notions of whiteness, Indian call center agents perform a much more nuanced understanding of U.S. culture. Call center agents also narrate the implications of call center work for their personal and cultural lives as they balance the tensions of high paying nighttime employment with familial and cultural relations. It is a delicate negotiation from which emerge performances of postcolonial agencies in a re-colonial context. I analyze these performances for their agency and the oppressions of colonizing corporations to access the cultural costs on both sides of the line
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Civil War Reenactors
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the meaning of Civil War reenactments in military men with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Six Caucasian males who have PTSD symptoms were interviewed in depth by responding to two questions. I. Why do you reenact? And 2. What sticks out in your mind about Civil War reenacting after having served in the military? Five themes emerged; escaping reality, structure and discipline, honor and duty, friendship and companionship, and love of history. The findings of this study will add to the body of nursing knowledge about PTSD by exploring a form of behavior modification and redirection therapy that is socially acceptable
The Benefits of a Face-to-Face Support Mathematics Class for Projects IDEAL PCC Advanced-Level Adult ESL Students Enrolled in Skills Tutor Online
Since 2005, Pitt Community College (PCC) has participated in Project IDEAL (Improving Distance Education for Adult Learners), which is a consortium of states working to develop effective and high-quality distance education programs for adult learners through joint research and practice. In the fall of 2012, to enhance Project IDEAL’s programming, PCC offered advanced ESL students an opportunity to enroll in SkillsTutor (ST), an online program of study by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The initial assessment used for recruitment into the transition class was CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System). According to PCC ESL Coordinator, Jan Fisher, “Many of the advanced students are trying to transition from ESL to GED (General Education Development) …and there is a need for a transitional course to help these students cross that bridge, so this year we offered SkillsTutor as an online class to our ESL students� (J. Fisher, personal communication, October 15, 2012). To facilitate the transition from ESL to GED, PCC also offered ESL students a choice between ST online-only and ST hybrid (online and 4 hour/week face-to-face class). The purpose of this research project was to determine the benefits of a face-to-face (F2F) support mathematics class for Project IDEAL PCC Advanced-level Adult ESL students enrolled ST and to answer the question: What is the potential for a F2F hybrid support mathematics class to benefit and facilitate learning for qualified students transitioning from ESL to GED? Answers came from researcher-generated questionnaires, instructor observations, and pre/post test results
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