Reading Nature, Reading Eve: Reading Human Nature in John Milton\u27s Paradise Lost

Renaissance England was a period of tremendous flux; ideas about science, gender and knowledge or how we come to knowledge come under examination. These areas of flux intersect with the text examined here in their relationship to the key concept of nature. In John Milton’s, Paradise Lost, nature appears in various forms over sixty times. By first examining the word nature in relation to the ideas in flux during the period and next examining Milton’s use of the word in the epic, an overlooked yet significant aspect of his epic emerges. Milton uses the mutability of nature to further “justify the ways of God to man.” How his use of nature develops an association between nature and Eve is of even greater significance. In a carnivalesque inversion of the convention of the period, Milton’s development of nature in the poem and his development of the association of Eve with nature reveal an association of Eve with human nature

Anxiety and Healthcare Utilization Among Mothers of Children With Mental Health Disorders

Anxiety can influence an individual\u27s decision-making process; however, researchers have yet to establish whether anxiety has an impact on the healthcare utilization practices of mothers of children with a mental health diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to assess whether trait anxiety, coping styles, and self-efficacy in mothers of children with a mental health diagnosis affected their healthcare utilization decisions. The transactional model of stress and coping was used to analyze the impact of children with mental health disorders on their caretakers. For this study, a quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed. The 4 survey tools, administered through SurveyMonkey.com as well as in paper form, included the Brief COPE, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAID-AD), Health Self-Efficacy Measure, and Healthcare Utilization Questionnaire. Study participants (N = 152) were mothers primarily ages 30-49 years (90.8%), Caucasian (57.9%), and high school graduates (63.2%) who were residents of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Mothers reported their children were primarily ages 3-6 years (34.2%), Caucasian (49.3%), had a mental health diagnosis, were living in the home, and were currently in mental health treatment. The outcomes of a binary logistic regression found that trait anxiety did not have a significant impact on healthcare utilization. A Sobel test of mediation indicated that coping styles and self-efficacy were not mediating variables between trait anxiety and healthcare utilization. The implications for positive social change as a result of this research may lead to the training of healthcare providers on the specific characteristics of mothers of children with a mental health diagnosis and the development of social policies concerning healthcare utilization

Student-Consultant Continuum: Incorporating Writing Center Techniques of Peer Review Into the Composition Classroom

Peer collaboration about writing often functions as a required step in the writing processes of first-year writing students. Within the composition classroom, students read and respond to the writing of their peers, sometimes obtaining useful feedback, and sometimes just getting “You did a good job” as an evaluation. Outside of the classroom, the Writing Center exists as a space where students can work with a trained consultant to receive helpful suggestions and a thorough evaluation of their writing. Though the first-year writing classroom and the Writing Center exist as physically separate places, both rely on principles of collaboration and conversation between peers with the objective of creating better writers. Composition scholars like Stephen M. North, Muriel Harris, and Kenneth Bruffee wrote foundational essays that support collaborative pedagogy for its social benefits, which encourage learning between two peer equals. The scholarship that follows these landmark essays further develops the exclusive benefits of collaboration in the Writing Center and the composition classroom. Despite the fact that both spaces rely on some of the same theories and practices, they remain distanced. This thesis examines the benefits of a style of peer review that takes place within first-year writing classrooms and replicates the procedures of Writing Center consultations. Based on my experiences as a Graduate Assistant—which placed me in both locations at the same time—I found that a Writing Center style of peer review encourages first-year writing students to read, talk about, and learn about writing with one other person, and is more productive than large group work. The thesis begins with a literature review that discusses key essays within the composition field. Then, I explain my procedures for peer review and my methods of gathering student feedback. I also take into consideration the college where I teach and its students. Also discussed are the objections and ethical considerations associated with this style of peer review. The thesis concludes with a discussion of students‟ positive and negative responses to peer review, and an affirmation that incorporating Writing Center techniques of peer review into the first-year writing classroom bridges the gap between the two collaboration-focused locations

Calcium phosphate compatible bone cement: characterization, bonding properties and tissue response

A novel, inorganic, bone cement, containing calcium phosphate, developed for implant fixation was evaluated. Setting properties were determined over a range of temperatures. The flow of the cement was greatly increased by application of vibration. Changes in the cement during hydration and aging were evaluated. Compressive strength of the cement over time was studied under simulated physiological conditions from 1 hour to 1 year after setting. After 1 day, this cement had equivalent compressive strength to commercially used PMMA cement. The strength was found to increase over 1 month and high strength was maintained up to 1 year.;The shear strength of the cement-metal interface was studied in vitro using a pull-out test. Prepared specimens were stored under physiological conditions and tested at 4 hours, 24 hours, and 60 days. Comparable interfacial shear strength values were found at 4 hours, 24 hours and 60 days for the experimental cement and were not significantly different from values obtained for PMMA cement.;In vivo tissue response was evaluated after cement implantation in the femoral medullary canal in canines. Tissue response and bonding at the cement-bone interface were evaluated at 2, 6, and 12 weeks. Cortical bone was found in direct contact with the OC-cement and was healthy. The strength of the cement-bone interface, measured using a push-out test, was significantly higher for the experimental cement than for commercial PMMA bone cement

Words, Pictures, and the “Nonlistening Space”: Visual Design and Popular Music as Forms of Performance in First-Year Writing

The chapter focuses on the importance of teaching visual rhetoric by examining a multimodal first-year writing course unit that asks students to create concert posters for their favorite bands or musical artists. In addition, students produce explanatory essays that translate their creation process into words, representing their imaginations on paper. Soriano discusses the ways that this unit has improved and enriched the writing of many of her students, including poster examples and supplemental materials for instructors who might want to adopt this assignment and challenge their students to invade their own “nonlistening spaces.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE BACTERIA AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH DIGITAL DERMATITIS IN SASKATCHEWAN DAIRY CATTLE

Digital dermatitis (DD), a polybacterial skin infection of the bovine foot, is among the most common causes of lameness on Canadian dairy farms. The current prevention and treatment methods require constant attention and resources, with regular footbathing and topical treatment necessary to keep outbreaks under control. While a vaccine is desired by many in the dairy industry, the complete etiology of DD is not fully understood, making vaccine development currently unattainable. With the more recent recognition of painless preclinical lesions that develop before the painful clinical stages, an opportunity has presented itself to further study the bacteria present in preclinical lesions among dairy cows in different herds. The microbiota of preclinical lesion tissue is previously unstudied in a commercial dairy housing cows without any sign of clinical DD. In addition, while DD risk factors and herd prevalence have been studied in Ontario, Alberta, and internationally, no published research has indicated whether Saskatchewan dairy farmers perceive and manage DD in a similar manner. The first objective of this research was to describe the known DD risk factors identified on six selected Saskatchewan dairies that are endemic for clinical DD and one dairy non-endemic for clinical DD. The surveys used to obtain these results also served to ensure that study herds were representative of other Canadian herds, and to recruit and further describe the participant dairies for part two of this project. The second objective was to describe the presence, abundance, and identity of DD-associated bacteria in heel skin tissue, fecal, and slurry samples from cows on these seven dairies. A survey was used to recruit participant dairies in Saskatchewan who then completed an on-farm questionnaire at the time of sample collection. Samples were collected from cows with varying stages of DD and were subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The survey data indicated that respondents were representative of other Saskatchewan dairies in terms of production and housing, and representative of Canadian dairies regarding record keeping, trimming practices, and perceived importance of hoof lesions causing lameness. The dairy non-endemic for clinical DD practiced more stringent biosecurity than the other participant dairies. The most critical findings of this study are that preclinical lesions were present on the dairy that was free of clinical DD, that these did not progress to clinical disease, and the near complete lack of the bacteria associated with the transition of preclinical lesions to the clinical stages on the dairy non-endemic for clinical DD. Continued stringent biosecurity appears necessary to keep clinical DD-associated treponemes from proliferating in these tissues that are otherwise susceptible to clinical DD

Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of an International Practicum Experience in Italian Schools: Benefits of a Short-Term Placement with Faculty Support

This study examines the perceptions of teacher candidates (student teachers) participating in a faculty-supervised, international teaching placement in Italian schools. Survey responses and journal reflections, supported by faculty field notes indicate that the benefits could be categorized in four main areas such as: the development of resourcefulness and resilience; increased familiarity with the conditions of international teaching employment; a greater awareness of cultural literacy and comparative education; and an enhancement of language sensitivities and strategies for communicating and teaching. Recommendations suggest that professional growth of the teacher candidates is dependent on sufficient preparation, faculty support and immersion in the experience. Cette étude examine les perceptions des futurs enseignants (étudiants en enseignement) participant à un stage international d’enseignement dans des écoles italiennes, supervisé par la faculté. Les résultats d’enquêtes et réflexions de journal, appuyés par des notes de terrain des professeurs, indiquent que les avantages pourraient être classées dans quatre principaux domaines tels que : développement de débrouillardise et de résilience ; familiarité accrue avec les conditions d’emploi pour enseigner à l’étranger ; une plus grande sensibilisation à la littérarité cultuelle et à l’éducation comparative ; et une amélioration des sensibilités linguistiques et stratégies de communication et d’enseignement. Des recommandations suggèrent que le développement professionnel des futurs enseignants dépend d’une préparation adéquate, de support du corps professoral et d’une immersion dans l’expérience

The effects of depression on treatment compliance among dialysis patients

The purpose of this study is to improve treatment methods and assist in providing the best quality of life to dialysis patients. This study analyzed if depression affects treatment compliance in dialysis patients. Being able to understand the causes of depression among dialysis patients would enable the agency and the professionals assisting with treatment in providing better resources and coping mechanisms to patients in dialysis

Fluency, Text Structure, and Retelling: A Complex Relationship

This study examined the relationship between fluency and comprehension, specifically related to the text structures of narration and dialogue. Using descriptive statistics, this investigation first examined fluency and comprehension of three teacher educators and then through action research examined fluency and comprehension of five third grade students. Our findings showed that, as measured by retelling, the text structures of narration and dialogue impacted both fluency rate and comprehension