Sexual/textual marginalities of Caribbean inspiration and origin a thesis on two texts by two women writers of Caribbean origin upon the theme of marginality

This thesis is an exploration of the theme of Marginality in Writing by women of Caribbean origin. My work condensed itself into a specific analysis of two texts. Taken together, these texts focus the insights I researched into a significant whole. Each text was written by a woman of Caribbean origin, and their backgrounds are a symbolic polarity from each other. Jean Rhys was a white Creole born in Dominica in 1894 and who spent her adult life in England; Jamaica Kincaid is black, native to Antigua and now a journalist in New York. The protagonists of each text - Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - are both young girls influenced by the image of their mothers. Significantly, they share almost the same name (Annie/Antoinette) which is also that of their mothers. Thus they become a symbolic fusion of a heroine of Caribbean origin. In the course of extensive and eclectic reading, I discovered the theme of Marginality to be entwined with the concept of Intertextuality. In separate chapters, I have discussed marginality with reference to narrative structure and narrative time, image and metaphor, culture (which involves colonialism in the Caribbean), race relations and gender (specifically feminist), and ultimately according to Susan Sontag's observation of the marginal literary subject: an unimportant 'work' ... could be a marvellous 'text’. Considering something as a 'text' means...precisely to suspend conventional evaluations. ... notions of 'text’ and 'textuality' charges the critic with the task of discarding worn-out meanings for fresh ones. I hope that in the course of my thesis, I have succeeded in the enlightenment of fresh meanings in Writing by women of Caribbean origin. I conclude that an understanding of the significance of these texts lies in the fact that their marginal quality is part of a total intertextuality

Quality family meal times in promoting good social adjustment among adolescents

The proportion of families eating together has decreased over the years and few findings exist to examine the importance of family meal time quality and its impact on family members? well being. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the quality of family meal times and adolescents? social adjustment. In this study, the family meal is defined as the meal eaten by a person who lives in a multi-person household which takes place at home. Participants consisted of 120 students (males = 60; females = 60) aged 16-18 years old from Tawau, Sabah. The Family Meal Time Questionnaire, Family Functioning Scale (FFS) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) were administered to investigate self-esteem and perception of family functioning as mediating variables for adolescent social adjustment. Results demonstrated quality family meals were significantly related to higher levels of self-esteem (r = .318, p<.01) and better perceptions of one?s family function (r = .650, p<.01). In conclusion, family meal time may promote better adolescent?s mental health

Computer Simulates the Effect of Internal Restriction on Residuals in Linear Regression Model with First-order Autoregressive Procedures

This paper demonstrates the impact of particular factors – such as a non-normal error distribution, constraints of the residuals, sample size, the multi-collinear values of independent variables and the autocorrelation coefficient – on the distributions of errors and residuals. This explains how residuals increasingly tend to a normal distribution with increased linear constraints on residuals from the linear regression analysis method. Furthermore, reduced linear requirements cause the shape of the error distribution to be more clearly shown on the residuals. We find that if the errors follow a normal distribution, then the residuals do as well. However, if the errors follow a U-quadratic distribution, then the residuals have a mixture of the error distribution and a normal distribution due to the interaction of linear requirements and sample size. Thus, increasing the constraints on the residual from more independent variables causes the residuals to follow a normal distribution, leading to a poor estimator in the case where errors have a non-normal distribution. Only when the sample size is large enough to eliminate the effects of these linear requirements and multi-collinearity can the residuals be viewed as an estimator of the errors

Computer Simulates the Effect of Internal Restriction on Residuals in Linear Regression Model with First-order Autoregressive Procedures

This paper demonstrates the impact of particular factors – such as a non-normal error distribution, constraints of the residuals, sample size, the multi-collinear values of independent variables and the autocorrelation coefficient – on the distributions of errors and residuals. This explains how residuals increasingly tend to a normal distribution with increased linear constraints on residuals from the linear regression analysis method. Furthermore, reduced linear requirements cause the shape of the error distribution to be more clearly shown on the residuals. We find that if the errors follow a normal distribution, then the residuals do as well. However, if the errors follow a U-quadratic distribution, then the residuals have a mixture of the error distribution and a normal distribution due to the interaction of linear requirements and sample size. Thus, increasing the constraints on the residual from more independent variables causes the residuals to follow a normal distribution, leading to a poor estimator in the case where errors have a non-normal distribution. Only when the sample size is large enough to eliminate the effects of these linear requirements and multi-collinearity can the residuals be viewed as an estimator of the errors

Distribution and associated factors of optic disc diameter and cup-to-disc ratio in an elderly Chinese population

AbstractBackgroundGlaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide and East Asian people account for almost half of those affected. Vertical elongation of the optic cup is a characteristic feature of glaucoma. However, there is a significant overlap in the vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR) between normal eyes and eyes affected by glaucoma. The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of VCDR and vertical disc diameter (VDD) and their predictive factors in a population of elderly Chinese residents in Taiwan.MethodsFour hundred and sixty elderly Chinese residents aged 72 years and older in the Shihpai district, Taipei, Taiwan participated in this study. Slit lamp biomicroscopic measurement of the VCDR and VDD after pupil dilation with a 78 diopter lens was performed by one glaucoma specialist. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to fit the best model for independent variables.ResultsThe VCDR was recorded for 438 right eyes and 430 left eyes. After excluding participants with glaucoma, the mean ± SD VCDR was 0.44 ± 0.17 for both eyes, and the 97.5th percentile was 0.8. A greater VCDR was associated with a longer axial length [VCDR = −0.47 + 0.04(axial length)] under multiple regression analysis. The VDD was obtained for 420 right eyes and 406 left eyes. The mean ± SD VDD for all participants was 1.77 ± 0.22 mm for the right eye and 1.79 ± 0.22 mm for the left eye. A higher body mass index (BMI) and a longer axial length were significantly associated with a larger VDD under multiple regression analysis. [VDD = −0.05 + 0.07 (axial length) + 0.06 (obesity); if BMI <24, then obesity = 0; if BMI ≥24, then obesity = 1]. A larger VDD was associated with a larger VCDR (p < 0.001) and the VCDR could be predicted by the equation VCDR = −0.07 + 0.3VDD.ConclusionA greater VCDR was related to a longer axial length. A greater VDD was related to a higher BMI and a longer axial length

A Structured Training Course for Non-structured Design Course

In an engineering design course, teaching assistant plays a critical role to in supporting the teaching and the learning process for the participants – students and instructors.  The instructors would invite or hire a postgraduate student to be the teaching assistant.  In most cases, the postgraduate student does not has any teaching experience. This work proposed and implemented a quick start training course for the teaching assistant specifically for an engineering design course, by adopting concept-design-implementation-operation

Factors Predicting Emotional Cue-Responding Behaviors of Nurses in Taiwan: An Observational Study

Objective Responding to emotional cues is an essential element of therapeutic communication. The purpose of this study is to examine nurses' competence of responding to emotional cues (CRE) and related factors while interacting with standardized patients with cancer. Methods This is an exploratory and predictive correlational study. A convenience sample of registered nurses who have passed the probationary period in southern Taiwan was recruited to participate in 15-minute videotaped interviews with standardized patients. The Medical Interview Aural Rating Scale was used to describe standardized patients' emotional cues and to measure nurses' CRE. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to evaluate nurses' anxiety level before the conversation. We used descriptive statistics to describe the data and stepwise regression to examine the predictors of nurses' CRE. Results A total of 110 nurses participated in the study. Regardless of the emotional cue level, participants predominately responded to cues with inappropriate distancing strategies. Prior formal communication training, practice unit, length of nursing practice, and educational level together explain 36.3% variances of the nurses' CRE. Conclusions This study is the first to explore factors related to Taiwanese nurses' CRE. Compared to nurses in other countries, Taiwanese nurses tended to respond to patients' emotional cues with more inappropriate strategies. We also identified significant predictors of CRE that show the importance of communication training. Future research and education programs are needed to enhance nurses' CRE and to advocate for emotion-focused communication

Nursing Students’ Clinical Confidence In Caring Tuberculosis: Indonesian Version Of The U.S Tuberculosis Curriculum Consortium Survey Using Rasch Analysis

Background: Nursing students who are prepared in clinical practicums to comprehend the knowledge, reflect their beliefs about tuberculosis instruction, and perceive their abilities in caring for tuberculosis patients are also at risk. Nursing students’ clinical confidence in caring for tuberculosis patients is essential to be assessed. Knowledge, beliefs, and clinical confidence, as unidimensional constructs based on Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, had been used in the US National Tuberculosis Curriculum Consortium (NTCC) survey for nursing students. This study's objective was to investigate the Indonesian version of the NTCC survey among nursing students' experiences caring for tuberculosis patients.   Methods: A quantitative study with cross-sectional using an online survey among 250 students 1st to 3rd-yearrd year students in one faculty of nursing in Banten, Indonesia. Prior to data collection, NTCC surveys were translated backward and forward, reviewed by experts, and tested in a pilot project.   Results: Internal consistency using Rasch analysis on each subscale showed good results and gave strong evidence that three subscales are unidimensional. There was an item separation index and reliability score, in that order: knowledge about tuberculosis (8.68 and 0.99), beliefs regarding tuberculosis instructions (6.50 and 0.98), and clinical confidence in caring for tuberculosis patients (6.29 and 0.98).   Conclusion: The Indonesian version of the NTCC survey has excellent internal consistency. This instrument might be improved since the original instrument is 13 years old and there is a cultural gap between the US and Indonesia. Moreover, this instrument might be needed for improving tuberculosis teaching in the nursing curriculum in Indonesia

An Efficient Management System for Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks have garnered considerable attention recently. Networks typically have many sensor nodes, and are used in commercial, medical, scientific, and military applications for sensing and monitoring the physical world. Many researchers have attempted to improve wireless sensor network management efficiency. A Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)-based sensor network management system was developed that is a convenient and effective way for managers to monitor and control sensor network operations. This paper proposes a novel WSNManagement system that can show the connections stated of relationships among sensor nodes and can be used for monitoring, collecting, and analyzing information obtained by wireless sensor networks. The proposed network management system uses collected information for system configuration. The function of performance analysis facilitates convenient management of sensors. Experimental results show that the proposed method enhances the alive rate of an overall sensor node system, reduces the packet lost rate by roughly 5%, and reduces delay time by roughly 0.2 seconds. Performance analysis demonstrates that the proposed system is effective for wireless sensor network management