A corpus-based approach to mind style

Fowler's (Linguistics and the novel, Methuen, 1977) original definition of mind style emphasised consistency as a defining feature of the phenomenon, something that is (i) difficult to measure, and (ii) often missed in qualitative analyses. In this paper we investigate how a computational semantic analysis might be used to address this difficulty, with particular reference to McIntyre's (Journal of Literary Semantics 34: 21–40, 2005) analysis of the deviant mind style of the character of Miss Shepherd in Alan Bennett's play The Lady in the Van. To do this we analyse the speech of all the characters in The Lady in the Van using Wmatrix (Rayson, Matrix: A statistical method and software tool for linguistic analysis through corpus comparison, Lancaster University PhD thesis, 2003, Wmatrix: A web-based corpus processing environment, Lancaster University, 2008), to see whether it provides quantitative support for the interpretative conclusions reached by McIntyre. Wmatrix utilises the UCREL Semantic Annotation System (USAS) which has been designed to undertake the automatic semantic analysis of English. The initial tag-set of the USAS system was loosely based on McArthur's Longman Lexicon of Contemporary English (McArthur, Longman, 1981), but has since been considerably revised in the light of practical tagging problems met in the course of previous research, and now contains 232 category labels (such as medicine and medical treatment, movement, obligation and necessity, etc.). We use Wmatrix's facility for identifying key semantic domains in pursuit of our two main aims: (i) to determine whether Miss Shepherd's odd mind style is consistent, as Fowler's definition suggests it should be; and (ii) to determine the usefulness of computational semantic analysis for investigating mind style

Exercise can improve physical self perceptions in adolescents with low motor competence

Adolescents with low motor competence have diminished perceptions of their physical self and tend to avoid physical activities. This study examined the outcomes of an exercise intervention that focused on improving aerobic fitness, strength, and self-perceptions in the physical domain in adolescents with poor motor coordination. The sample included 35 adolescents with low motor competence, comprising boys (n = 25) and girls (n = 10) ranging in age from 13 to 17 years, who attended two sessions per week in the 13 week exercise intervention study (AMP it up). Physical self-perceptions were measured before and after the intervention using the Physical Self Perception Profile and Perceived Importance Profile. Significant improvements in perceived Physical Condition, Attractive Body and Physical Strength sub domain scores were identified between pre and post-test. Adjusting for age, gender, BMI and attendance, regression analyses revealed that Attractive Body was the strongest predictor of Physical Self Worth at pre-test, joined by Physical Condition at post-test. This exercise intervention had a positive impact on adolescent physical self-perceptions, in particular males, with improvements in those sub domains specifically related to the exercise program. Changes in specific aspects of Physical Self Worth can be facilitated by exercise interventions, after a relatively short period of time, in adolescents with poor motor coordination

The experience of falling of older people with dementia and their carers

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Falling by older people is of significant global concern as the population ages, because of subsequent injury, disability, admission to long-term care and mortality. Older people experiencing dementia are twice as likely to fall with more severe consequences. Unsurprisingly, carer-burden increases when a care-recipient falls. Older people are rarely asked about their falls experiences and those with dementia less so. The studies presented in this thesis explore the experiences of falling of older people with dementia and memory problems, and their carers. The studies were informed by contextualism and the primary study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the experiences of nine older people with dementia and their 10 carers, using one-to-one and joint interviews, and three focus groups with nine older people experiencing memory problems and 12 carers from a branch of the Alzheimer’s society. Analysis of the data considered the falls experience itself and the perceived consequences of falls within two higher level themes: ‘Falling as a malevolent force’ as two themes - ‘Going back to the experience’, ‘Reactions, responses and coming to terms with events’, and ‘Falling as the manifestation of dementia’ as two themes - ‘Self, identity and falling’, ‘The caring relationship’. The secondary study elaborated upon primary study data using an inductive interpretative approach unaligned to any tradition. Older people recently diagnosed with dementia and carers from another Alzheimer’s Society branch participated in two focus groups. Participants discussed stimulus cards with quotations from primary study participants. Thematic analysis suggested four major themes: Making sense of falls, The personal and social significance of falling, Falling, self and identity and Struggling to care. The findings demonstrate how falling and dementia are enmeshed and embodied experiences for participants. Spouse-carers’ discussion of their own falls emphasise the need for joint assessment and intervention to reduce carerburden and preserve couplehood

Nonprofit Website Design for Mission and Stakeholder Impact

Idaho Giving Garden was founded in 2020, and official recognition as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is set to be granted in January 2024. Idaho Giving Garden’s mission is to combat food insecurity in its community by growing and distributing fresh and nutritious produce to the Meridian Food Bank, fostering a healthier and more equitable food system for all. For my service-learning capstone project, I developed a website for Idaho Giving Garden to raise awareness of its mission and goals and engage volunteers, funders, and donors to support its cause. With greater community engagement through the website, Idaho Giving Garden hopes for significant benefits to its beneficiaries and a sustainable future as a nonprofit organization

Western Guide to Graduate Supervision

Based on the experiences of Western\u27s graduate supervisors, this 30 page guide addresses the supervision of graduate students and focuses on best practices in mentoring, promoting student progress, and clarifying expectations in the supervisor-student relationship.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/tsc-purple-guides/1005/thumbnail.jp

A new climate for Indigenous health

The Apology to the Stolen Generation set the tone for a new and vigorous approach to achieving health equity for Indigenous people. The symbolic impact of the Apology was reinforced and given practical direction by the Australia 2020 Summit and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Budget Statements. The key primary health care messages arising from these are: improving health services for Indigenous people is essential to reducing health inequities between Australians; making health services accessible to Indigenous communities is a primary component of health service provision; and, Indigenous community engagement in health research, health services and health education is critical to meeting equity policy outcomes

Improving access to rural health care

Doctors and allied health professionals are in short supply in rural and remote areas of Australia. Added to this, scattered populations and small communities make meeting the health needs of the people living and working in these areas a challenge. Major Australian Government measures set by the newly established Office of Rural Health and visa arrangements for overseas trained medical doctors will help. At the local level, traditional approaches must make way for health services that are flexible and responsive to local circumstances to better meet the diverse needs of the population. Current rural research has a role at different stages of policy implementation: assessing the impact of infrastructure changes designed to improve pathways to care, and identifying and evaluating how local rural services are contributing to improved quality of care through increased inter-disciplinary cooperation

Australia’s primary health care research workforce

Australian healthcare is on the brink of a significant reform process. While much is yet to be decided, two clear themes can be identified from the reform reports. The first is the importance of multidisciplinary team work in the primary health care (PHC) setting. The second is the importance of further developing and strengthening Australia’s PHC research sector, which is critical to inform its health policy and practice. These themes of a stronger multidisciplinary focus and a stronger PHC research sector reinforce each other, as clinical, health system and health services research increasingly needs to be undertaken by researchers from multiple disciplines and backgrounds

Continuity and safety in care transitions: communication at the hospital/community care interface

In the health care setting, risks to patient safety may arise when there is poor written or verbal communication between personnel during times of care transition. Care transition refers to the “set of actions designed to ensure the coordination and continuity of healthcare as patients transfer between different locations or different levels of care within the same location”. Transitions occur at staff shift changes within health care institutions, transfer between institutions, or, at the interface between acute and community care. This RESEARCH ROUNDup outlines communication mishaps that may occur in the latter instance, during discharge from hospital to community based care

Knowing the Text, Knowing the Learner: Literature Discussions with Fifth Grade Struggling Readers

The purpose of this article is to describe an action research study on the discourse patterns that seemed to best promote developed discussions of literature with fifth-grade struggling readers in an urban school. Developed discussions are those in which a substantial topic is maintained and the teacher-student talk included interpretations of the text and responses supported by textual, personal, and/or prior knowledge. Findings illustrated that developed discussions occurred in relation to the teacher\u27s specific prompts and responses, the literature selected, and her focus on individual students