A Kinship with Trees

The childlike feeling of kinship with trees occurs again and again in the literature of spirituality. Sherry Ruth Anderson and Patricia Hopkins noted this connection often during the five years of interviews and research they did for their book The Feminine Face of God (Anderson and Hopkins, 1991, pp. 35-37). Trees, there was something about trees. Over and over we heard stories about trees as companions, comforters, confidantes, and best friends in our discussions with the women about their childhoods. One of our favorites was told by a friend in her fifties ..

Humanities Approach to an Analyze of Short Stories in the Romantic Period [8th grade]

The submitted unit is the second in a series covering the Ante-bellum period. This unit focuses on the accumulation of knowledge of the economic and political issues of the time with a narrowed focus/extension of the social aspect (Romanticism). Students will be exposed to art, poetry, and short stories and how they embody the Romantic ideas. This unit also focuses on plot development and analyzing literature with the use of plot diagrams and the SOAPSTONE model. The end result of this unit is to have students write a short story that occurs in one of the three regions of Ante-bellum America and includes an economic, a social, and a political issue/event of the period. The short story must also contain all of the components of the genre

World-Class IS-Enabled Business Innovation: A Case Study of IS Leadership, Strategy & Governance

While many global corporations acknowledge they lack corporate capabilities for successful technology-enabled business innovation, an Australian financial services provider has been ranked by an international ratings agency in its highest categories due to the capabilities of its Information Systems. Its Loan Processing system has been commended by the ratings agency as the principal reason for its high ranking and for the organization’s inclusion on a global list of selected service providers. This paper presents a longitudinal case study of how an organization with 750 employees located in rural Australia came to develop world-class strategic Information Systems. From its first system nearly 30 years ago, this paper shows how the organization has grown in-house capabilities to devise, develop, implement and manage applications of technology from operational systems that automate specific functions to systems that inform and enable enterprise strategy. The implications for theory and practice are discussed

Functional assessment in spinal cord injury: a comparison of the Modified Barthel Index and the 'adapted' Functional Independence Measure

The Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) have been used to provide objective measures of functional status and change of spinal cord injured (SCI) patients. To compare rating scores on the MBI and FIM, the functional abilities of 41 SCI patients were rated by one trained nurse-clinician using both scales at admission to initial rehabilitation (ADM), discharge from rehabilitation (DC) and at follow-up (FU) 12 months after rehabilitation. An 'adapted' FIM score was used, and total MBI and FIM scores were divided into self-care and mobility subscores. Comparisons were made between each MBI score and each FIM score at each point in time (ADM, DC, FU) using simple linear regression, which was also used to compare changes in the MBI and FIM scores from ADM to DC and from DC to FU. Excellent correlations ( p<0.0005) were found between MBI and FIM scores at all points in time and between changes in MBI scores and changes in FIM scores over each time interval.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66557/2/10.1177_026921559000400405.pd

The Ursinus Weekly, December 23, 1904

Schaff anniversary • Alumni notes • Good usage • Forced to be a soldier • Notice • Rainy day dreamshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/2997/thumbnail.jp

Improved eBusiness Treasury Risk Management using Intelligent Agents: Increasing Returns, Controlling Risk

Following the global economic downturn and a collapse in international equity markets, many financial institutions and corporations have sought the higher returns associated with higher risk from trading in foreign exchange derivatives. These derivatives have become increasingly complex to the point where few specialists are able to accurately determine the level of exposure. Top traders seek high rewards for their successful investments. Rogue traders seek high rewards by concealing their unsuccessful gambling, sometimes to the extent of endangering the viability of their employers. Current technology copes poorly with dynamically changing business requirements and conditions so there is little technological support available for organizations sensitized by reports of rogue trading and increasingly obliged by financial regulators to improve their risk management practices. This paper proposes a risk management framework that can support FX derivative monitoring and trading based on the Williams-Elliot Agent Architecture. The framework uses agent technologies for improved management of treasury risk by continuous monitoring of all transactions across an organisation; continuous evaluation of exposures compared with prescribed parameters across an organisation; instantaneous reporting to senior management where trading begins to approach or violates the parameters. Rigorous examples of typical transactions illustrate how intelligent agents can be used to monitor risk and to make trades within a powerful risk modelling and management framework

Optimizing medication management for patients with cirrhosis: Evidence‐based strategies and their outcomes

Cirrhosis is a morbid condition associated with frequent hospitalizations and high mortality. Management of cirrhosis requires complex medication regimens to treat underlying liver disease, complications of cirrhosis and comorbid conditions. This review examines the complexities of medication management in cirrhosis, barriers to optimal medication use, and potential interventions to streamline medication regimens and avoid medication errors. A literature review was performed by searching PUBMED through December 2017 and article reference lists to identify articles relevant to medication management, complications, adherence, and interventions to improve medication use in cirrhosis. The structural barriers in cirrhosis include sheer medication complexity related to the number of medications and potential for cognitive impairment in this population, faulty medication reconciliation and limited adherence. Tested interventions have included patient self‐education, provider driven patient education, intensive case management including medication blister packs and smartphone applications. Initiatives are needed to improve patient, caregiver and provider education on appropriate use of medications in patients with cirrhosis. A multidisciplinary team should be established to coordinate care with close monitoring, address patient and caregiver concerns, and to provide timely access to outpatient evaluation of urgent/complex issues. Future studies evaluating the clinical outcomes and cost effectiveness of interventions are needed.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146454/1/liv13892_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146454/2/liv13892.pd