Parallelism between Milton and Virgil

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Issues in HIV in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy

The topics presented reflect the changing and diverse nature of HIV in the era of HAART. Changing characteristics at the Royal Free Hospital (RFH) Between 1992 & 2000 the proportion HIV cases that are in heterosexuals and in black Africans (women in particular) has increased. There has been evidence of improving survival after HAART (in terms of increasing age and CD4 counts and decreasing viral loads over time). However, the CD4 count at diagnosis has fallen and the proportion of patients presenting with AIDS at HIV diagnosis remains high. Gender and response to HAART The possible influence of gender on response to HAART was examined in the RFH and EuroSIDA cohorts. Virological outcomes were similar in males and females although the results suggest a possible disadvantage for women in terms of virological rebound and failure. Immunological and clinical outcomes were, however, similar. The clinical relevance of a potential virological gender difference is uncertain, particularly if this does not translate into a clinical difference. Cervical abnormality and HIV The prevalence of cervical abnormality in women attending for a first cervical screen at the RFH is 60%. Those with a higher baseline CD4 count were less likely, and those who were smokers more likely, to have an abnormality. Fifty-five percent of women starting HAART had cervical abnormalities and this had risen to 62% at the time of a follow-up visit six months later. Those with the largest increases in CD4 count on treatment were those most likely to experience regression of a lesion. Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and HIV In a cross sectional study the prevalence of reduced BMD was found to be greater in those who had ever been exposed to PIs than other individuals. The value of serum markers of bone turnover as screening tools to detect abnormal BMD was assessed. Neither marker was effective for screening for reduced BMD but the methods used may provide a useful model for future work

Ethical Climate, Organizational Commitment, and Job Satisfaction of Full-Time Faculty Members

The purpose of this quantitative study was to better understand the relationship of perceived ethical climate on the organizational commitment and job satisfaction of full-time faculty members in institutions of higher education. Full-time faculty members are the forefront employees of any educational institution, and they have a direct impact on the successful implementation of the vision, mission, and goals of the institution. It is imperative to understand potential factors influencing organizational commitment and job satisfaction because decreased levels of commitment and satisfaction have been linked to lower productivity, stagnated creativity, higher levels of turnover, and deviant workplace behaviors. The nationally reported controversy that occurred in the Sociology Department of The Ohio State University during the 1960s provided the theoretical framework for this research. Four different regional universities, producing 594 responses, participated in this study. A modified version of 3 previously establish scales were used to measure each factor: 1) Three Component Model (TCM) of Employee Commitment created by Meyer and Allen (2004), 2) Revised Ethical Climate Questionnaire (RECQ) created by Victor and Cullen (1993), and 3) Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) created by Hackman and Oldham (1980). The data analysis found significant differences in self-reported levels of organizational commitment and job satisfaction for full-time faculty members with regards to type of perceived ethical climate (i.e. egoism, benevolence, and principled). Results of this study also indicate that gender differences play a significant role in the self-reported level of organizational commitment. Females reported higher levels of organizational commitment than their male counterparts. There was no significant difference in the self-reported levels of job satisfaction based upon gender differences. Finally, the results of the study included a significant and positive correlation between the total organizational commitment scores and the total job satisfaction scores of respondents

Does the use of video improve patient satisfaction in the consent process for local-anaesthetic urological procedures?

Purpose To assess patient satisfaction with the use of Portable Video Media (PVM) for the purpose of taking informed consent for common urological outpatient procedures performed under local anaesthesia. Methods Patients undergoing the following procedures were approached for recruitment: flexible cystoscopy with or without biopsy, transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy or flexible cystoscopy with insertion or removal of a ureteric stent. Audio-visual media were developed for each procedure, with each script translated from English into isiXhosa and Afrikaans. The study involved a cross-over for each patient between Standard Verbal Consent (SVC) and PVM consent, with each patient randomised to start with SVC or PVM consent. Each of these consent-arms were assessed via a questionnaire. Results 60 patients completed participation, with PVM as the first exposure for 28 patients and 32 patients receiving SVC as their first arm of the study. When comparing the overall satisfaction between SVC and PVM consent (the total scores out of 18 for the questionnaire), patients scored significantly higher for PVM consent (M = 16.3 ± 2.4) compared to SVC (M = 15.4 ± 2.9) (p = 0.002). 92% of the total patient sample preferred PVM consent. Conclusion PVM proved superior to SVC in improving satisfaction in the consent process for common outpatient urological procedures performed under local anaesthesia

Does subject choice in a joint jonours degree affect highly skilled graduate employment?

Joint or combined honours degrees generally permit students to study two subjects to full honours degree depth, by studying half the curriculum content of the respective equivalent single honours degrees. This affords students the opportunity to study a more diverse curriculum that they feel passionate about. However this is at the expense of breadth of study in each particular subject, which is a strong defining feature of the majority of UK single honours degrees. Does the decision to study certain subjects in a joint or combined honours degree affect the graduate’s subsequent highly skilled graduate employment? The literature is weak in examining this, either for joint honours subjects generally or for specific combinations of subjects. This paper presents an analysis of the UK Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey between 2011/12 and 2014/15 at the level of the individual combinations studied – a national dataset which has not previously been critiqued in this particular way in the public domain. This analysis will determine whether certain combinations lend themselves to higher rates of highly skilled graduate employment, irrespective of other factors affecting employment, for example the characteristics of different universities. We conclude with recommendations around the preparedness or otherwise of graduates for highly skilled graduate employment, as determined by their choice of subjects to study.N/

Vibrant Culture: Inspiring Minds, Hearts and Spirits

What can you do to capture the positive energy in your Catholic school? How can you foster a vibrant culture? A strong culture is one of the most important determinants of how effective a school or any organization will be. What is the key to awakening that spirit and realizing its power in your school? In this session, you will explore the basic elements of culture and the power of culture. Ways of creating an inspiring and animating culture for your school will be discussed