White Crane Spreads its Wings and Snow Rabbit Digs the Earth: Kinetograms of Contrasting Styles within Chinese Martial and Meditative Arts of Taijiquan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan, 太极拳) and Qigong (Chi Gong, 气功)

Taijiquan is a Chinese martial art that developed in the 17th century from a base of traditional forms from earlier centuries. Now widely practiced internationally, it is promoted as gentle exercise, as self-defense and as movement meditation with significant health benefits. Qigong, consisting of similar movement but intended entirely as a health benefit, has been practiced for considerably longer. This paper discusses the advantages of having Taijiquan sequences or forms recorded with Kinetography Laban/Labanotation over other various memory aids for learning the martial art. It explains the basic principles of Taijiquan and how these can be best captured in the notation system, addressing some major challenges and providing excerpts of the Yang Style 24 Hand Form. It also covers the five family styles of Taijiquan (Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu and Sun) and how Kinetography Laban/Labanotation can be used for the comparison of these styles. It mentions identifying variation in different practitioners of the same style or form and recording Qigong into movement notation

White Crane Spreads its Wings and Snow Rabbit Digs the Earth: Kinetograms of Contrasting Styles within Chinese Martial and Meditative Arts of Taijiquan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan, 太极拳) and Qigong (Chi Gong, 气功)

Taijiquan is a Chinese martial art that developed in the 17th century from a base of traditional forms from earlier centuries. Now widely practiced internationally, it is promoted as gentle exercise, as self-defense and as movement meditation with significant health benefits. Qigong, consisting of similar movement but intended entirely as a health benefit, has been practiced for considerably longer. This paper discusses the advantages of having Taijiquan sequences or forms recorded with Kinetography Laban/Labanotation over other various memory aids for learning the martial art. It explains the basic principles of Taijiquan and how these can be best captured in the notation system, addressing some major challenges and providing excerpts of the Yang Style 24 Hand Form. It also covers the five family styles of Taijiquan (Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu and Sun) and how Kinetography Laban/Labanotation can be used for the comparison of these styles. It mentions identifying variation in different practitioners of the same style or form and recording Qigong into movement notation

Delivering Culturally Competent Care to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Population

Purpose: To this day, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities still experience negative health outcomes due to social stigma and discrimination. Additionally, nursing has lagged behind other health professions in the promotion of culturally competent care to members of this minority group. Several national authorities on LGBT health have proposed guidelines for providing such care to the LGBT population; however, many nursing schools are not integrating these recommendations into their curricula. Methods: Using these national guidelines, an educational program was developed for BSN students at a large south Florida university to improve competency in providing care for LGBT individuals. The goal was to improve nursing providers’ attitudes, knowledge and skills in the care of the LGBT community. 120 BSN students completed online modules regarding LGBT health disparities and a disaster simulation requiring the placement of a transgender individual in proper emergency housing. Participants were surveyed pre- and post- intervention as well as one month after to assess if any changes observed had persisted. Results: Overall cultural competence scores increased significantly from baseline to post-test and did not decline significantly at one month follow-up. Notable improvements in the instrument sub-scales (knowledge, skills, and awareness) were also noted. Finally, both the presenter and the program received positive ratings regarding the usefulness of the program and its applicability to nursing practice. Conclusion: Educational content focused on providing culturally competent care for LGBT individuals may lead to improvements in providers’ awareness, skills, and knowledge about the unique needs of the LGBT population

Starting and Operating a Woman-Owned Mechanical Engineering Consulting Firm in Kansas: Business and Operations Plan

Venture Description: The proposed business is a mechanical engineering consulting business that designs heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing and fire protection systems for commercial and industrial buildings. The proposed business is a woman-owned firm, and seeks out design projects requiring women and minority business participation. The proposed business is currently in the start-up phase of operations. The owner of the proposed business is a licensed professional engineer. The engineer will stamp all design documents, which includes plans and specifications. Venture Organization and Structure: The proposed business is a Limited Liability Company (LLC), owned and operated by Elle McEwing. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architectural Engineering from Kansas State University, 10 years of mechanical engineering design and management experience, and is a licensed professional engineer. Elle McEwing will handle all engineering design, drawings, specifications, and client correspondence. An attorney and an accountant will be hired as needed for legal and tax expertise. Venture Market: Buildings for commercial and industrial use are continually being built and/or renovated. Engineering services are in constant demand for all of these projects. In general, large architecture and engineering firms are hired for large design projects, and they often seek small businesses to handle some portion of their work. This is commonly due to fulfilling the minority and women-owned business goals for government work. There are 15 to 20 large firms and many small firms in the Kansas City area that are potential customers of the proposed business. The proposed business is one of very few businesses that can provide this service and business classification in the Kansas City Area. Most of the marketing for the proposed business will consist of networking and telephone correspondence with known individuals in the engineering industry. The proposed business will seek subcontractor roles for government contracts where the woman-owned status will aid in securing contracts. The marketing strategy will be to register on SBA’s PRO-Net database (http://pro-net.sba.gov). PRO-Net is a searchable research database of small businesses that is used by both government buyers and small businesses. Government contracting officers and prime contractors use the database to identify small businesses that have the capability to provide the products or services they need. Small businesses can use it as a marketing tool and for researching their competition. The proposed business will network to secure relationships with large local Architectural/Engineering firms to provide support roles and to help meet the goals for subcontracting with small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses and woman-owned small businesses for government contracts. Venture Operations: The proposed business will have very low operating costs. Services for customers will be billed by the hour, with an anticipated billing of $75,000 to$100,000 annually. This is based upon billing an average of 20 hours per week. This number of hours could increase in the future if the Owner wishes to spend additional time working. Expansion in terms of hiring additional employees is not anticipated. Venture Financing: The company will be started with very little initial cost; approximately $5000. A home office will be used for operations. The Owner already has a computer, printer and software needed for the business. An additional phone line and fax machine will be purchased, along with business cards and office supplies. State licensing fees, liability insurance and trade association memberships will be maintained annually. The initial money required for start-up will be obtained from personal savings

Is the Dance Still in the Music? Chaconne Compositions from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century

This thesis looks at the relationship of dance to the music with which it is performed, and how consideration of the dance component in the music, whether literal or implied, can influence and even inspire a musical performance today. As a contemporary point of reference, the introduction briefly describes Douglas Lilburn's Chaconne (1946) for piano, and the composer's inspiration of walking the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. After describing the history of the chaconne - its Spanish introduction to Europe as a peasant dance, to Italy and the commedia dell'arte, to France where it was adopted by the court, and then the rest of Europe - chapter one discusses the general inter-relationship of dance and music. The arts of dance and music were considered equal in Europe prior to the eighteenth century. Continuing with defining the term "dance music," the chapter then considers other Baroque dance-types, illustrating how the chaconne is representative of the genre. It further defines the chaconne as describing a journey, thus providing a basis for a comparison of chaconnes written through the centuries and around the world. The chaconne's role, and dance generally, in the theatre of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is discussed in chapter two. The fifteen extant Baroque dances for which notations are available are discussed in chapter three, with four of them being analysed in detail using seventeenth-century rhetorical theories of Bary and Lamy, as defined and applied in twentieth-century analyses of Baroque dance by Ranum, Maher, and Schwartz. Three chaconne dances for the commedia dell'arte character, Harlequin are also discussed. Chapter four looks at the music of the chaconne, analyses the corresponding music for the four dances studied in chapter three, and then considers the interaction between these dance and music examples. Chapter five concludes with a discussion of modern performance practices for dance and music, and the current contrasting trends of careful consideration being given to performance of Baroque music, but the general lack of equivalent sensitivity to any dance that is deemed "old." A study of two contrasting recordings of Lilburn's Chaconne follows: one dance-spirited, the other with an intellectual approach. A similarly detailed examination of Jose Limon's choreography Chaconne (1942) demonstrates a careful consideration of the music on a par with the Baroque dances discussed. Several appendices are included. After a brief introduction, Beauchamp-Feuillet Notation and How to Read It, fifteen notated Baroque-chaconnes in this notation schema are included, with a brief description preceding each one. This is followed by a selective list of twentieth-century choreographies either titled chaconne or to chaconne music, and selective lists of chaconne music, separated into before and after 1800. In addition to the written thesis, live performance of the noble dance Chacone of Amadis and the grotesque Chacoon for a Harlequin was undertaken as an integral part of the study. A DVD recording of this event is included with this volume

Is the Dance Still in the Music? Chaconne Compositions from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century

This thesis looks at the relationship of dance to the music with which it is performed, and how consideration of the dance component in the music, whether literal or implied, can influence and even inspire a musical performance today. As a contemporary point of reference, the introduction briefly describes Douglas Lilburn's Chaconne (1946) for piano, and the composer's inspiration of walking the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. After describing the history of the chaconne - its Spanish introduction to Europe as a peasant dance, to Italy and the commedia dell'arte, to France where it was adopted by the court, and then the rest of Europe - chapter one discusses the general inter-relationship of dance and music. The arts of dance and music were considered equal in Europe prior to the eighteenth century. Continuing with defining the term "dance music," the chapter then considers other Baroque dance-types, illustrating how the chaconne is representative of the genre. It further defines the chaconne as describing a journey, thus providing a basis for a comparison of chaconnes written through the centuries and around the world. The chaconne's role, and dance generally, in the theatre of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is discussed in chapter two. The fifteen extant Baroque dances for which notations are available are discussed in chapter three, with four of them being analysed in detail using seventeenth-century rhetorical theories of Bary and Lamy, as defined and applied in twentieth-century analyses of Baroque dance by Ranum, Maher, and Schwartz. Three chaconne dances for the commedia dell'arte character, Harlequin are also discussed. Chapter four looks at the music of the chaconne, analyses the corresponding music for the four dances studied in chapter three, and then considers the interaction between these dance and music examples. Chapter five concludes with a discussion of modern performance practices for dance and music, and the current contrasting trends of careful consideration being given to performance of Baroque music, but the general lack of equivalent sensitivity to any dance that is deemed "old." A study of two contrasting recordings of Lilburn's Chaconne follows: one dance-spirited, the other with an intellectual approach. A similarly detailed examination of Jose Limon's choreography Chaconne (1942) demonstrates a careful consideration of the music on a par with the Baroque dances discussed. Several appendices are included. After a brief introduction, Beauchamp-Feuillet Notation and How to Read It, fifteen notated Baroque-chaconnes in this notation schema are included, with a brief description preceding each one. This is followed by a selective list of twentieth-century choreographies either titled chaconne or to chaconne music, and selective lists of chaconne music, separated into before and after 1800. In addition to the written thesis, live performance of the noble dance Chacone of Amadis and the grotesque Chacoon for a Harlequin was undertaken as an integral part of the study. A DVD recording of this event is included with this volume

Effect of water table management and elevated CO 2 on radish productivity and on CH 4 and CO 2 fluxes from peatlands converted to agriculture

Anthropogenic activity is affecting the global climate through the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) e.g. CO2 and CH4. About a third of anthropogenic GHGs are produced from agriculture, including livestock farming and horticulture. A large proportion of the UK's horticultural farming takes place on drained lowland peatlands, which are a source of significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. This study set out to establish whether raising the water table from the currently used − 50 cm to − 30 cm could reduce GHGs emissions from agricultural peatlands, while simultaneously maintaining the current levels of horticultural productivity. A factorial design experiment used agricultural peat soil collected from the Norfolk Fens (among the largest of the UK's lowland peatlands under intensive cultivation) to assess the effects of water table levels, elevated CO2, and agricultural production on GHG fluxes and crop productivity of radish, one of the most economically important fenland crops. The results of this study show that a water table of − 30 cm can increase the productivity of the radish crop while also reducing soil CO2 emissions but without a resultant loss of CH4 to the atmosphere, under both ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations. Elevated CO2 increased dry shoot biomass, but not bulb biomass nor root biomass, suggesting no immediate advantage of future CO2 levels to horticultural farming on peat soils. Overall, increasing the water table could make an important contribution to global warming mitigation while not having a detrimental impact on crop yield

Further investigation of confirmed urinary tract infection (UTI) in children under five years: a systematic review.

Background: Further investigation of confirmed UTI in children aims to prevent renal scarring and future complications. Methods: We conducted a systematic review to determine the most effective approach to the further investigation of confirmed urinary tract infection (UTI) in children under five years of age. Results: 73 studies were included. Many studies had methodological limitations or were poorly reported. Effectiveness of further investigations: One study found that routine imaging did not lead to a reduction in recurrent UTIs or renal scarring. Diagnostic accuracy: The studies do not support the use of less invasive tests such as ultrasound as an alternative to renal scintigraphy, either to rule out infection of the upper urinary tract (LR- = 0.57, 95%CI: 0.47, 0.68) and thus to exclude patients from further investigation or to detect renal scarring (LR+ = 3.5, 95% CI: 2.5, 4.8). None of the tests investigated can accurately predict the development of renal scarring. The available evidence supports the consideration of contrast-enhanced ultrasound techniques for detecting vesico-ureteric reflux (VUR), as an alternative to micturating cystourethrography (MCUG) (LR+ = 14.1, 95% CI: 9.5, 20.8; LR- = 0.20, 95%CI: 0.13, 0.29); these techniques have the advantage of not requiring exposure to ionising radiation. Conclusion: There is no evidence to support the clinical effectiveness of routine investigation of children with confirmed UTI. Primary research on the effectiveness, in terms of improved patient outcome, of testing at all stages in the investigation of confirmed urinary tract infection is urgently required

Incidences of School-based Anti-gay and Gender-related Bullying: Differences across Levels of Education

Anti-gay and gender-related bullying and harassment are pervasive public health problems found in schools and are correlated with negative mental health and educational outcomes for students. This study examines the differences in the forms and prevalence of anti-gay and gender-related bullying with students from middle school, secondary, and post-secondary institutions. This information can assist researchers and practitioners in better understanding the prevalence of anti-gay verbal versus physical harassment at particular education levels. The sample comprised 7,007 participants. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine differences across levels of education, race/ethnicity, and gender on the 9-item Gender and Orientation Attitudes Scale. We found that middle school students were least comfortable with others perceived as gay or transgender and least likely to speak up against anti-gay bullying. Both middle school and high school students were most likely to use anti-gay and gender-related verbal slurs. Middle school students reported the greatest prevalence of physical harassment towards peers based on perceived gender and orientation. Implications of these results for public health are discussed

How does study quality affect the results of a diagnostic meta-analysis?

Background: The use of systematic literature review to inform evidence based practice in diagnostics is rapidly expanding. Although the primary diagnostic literature is extensive, studies are often of low methodological quality or poorly reported. There has been no rigorously evaluated, evidence based tool to assess the methodological quality of diagnostic studies. The primary objective of this study was to determine the extent to which variations in the quality of primary studies impact the results of a diagnostic meta-analysis and whether this differs with diagnostic test type. A secondary objective was to contribute to the evaluation of QUADAS, an evidence-based tool for the assessment of quality in diagnostic accuracy studies. Methods: This study was conducted as part of large systematic review of tests used in the diagnosis and further investigation of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. All studies included in this review were assessed using QUADAS, an evidence-based tool for the assessment of quality in systematic reviews of diagnostic accuracy studies. The impact of individual components of QUADAS on a summary measure of diagnostic accuracy was investigated using regression analysis. The review divided the diagnosis and further investigation of UTI into the following three clinical stages: diagnosis of UTI, localisation of infection, and further investigation of the UTI. Each stage used different types of diagnostic test, which were considered to involve different quality concerns. Results: Many of the studies included in our review were poorly reported. The proportion of QUADAS items fulfilled was similar for studies in different sections of the review. However, as might be expected, the individual items fulfilled differed between the three clinical stages. Regression analysis found that different items showed a strong association with test performance for the different tests evaluated. These differences were observed both within and between the three clinical stages assessed by the review. The results of regression analyses were also affected by whether or not a weighting (by sample size) was applied. Our analysis was severely limited by the completeness of reporting and the differences between the index tests evaluated and the reference standards used to confirm diagnoses in the primary studies. Few tests were evaluated by sufficient studies to allow meaningful use of meta-analytic pooling and investigation of heterogeneity. This meant that further analysis to investigate heterogeneity could only be undertaken using a subset of studies, and that the findings are open to various interpretations. Conclusion: Further work is needed to investigate the influence of methodological quality on the results of diagnostic meta-analyses. Large data sets of well-reported primary studies are needed to address this question. Without significant improvements in the completeness of reporting of primary studies, progress in this area will be limited