The Role of Principles and Personal Relationships in Greek Tragedy and Epic

Understanding motivations are vital for understanding any characters, especially ones so far removed from contemporary society. Through this paper I will attempt to explore the tug between principles and close personal relationships that is often central to ancient texts and manifests so prevalently in the genres of tragedy and epic

Image-charge induced localization of molecular orbitals at metal-molecule interfaces: Self-consistent GW calculations

Quasiparticle (QP) wave functions, also known as Dyson orbitals, extend the concept of single-particle states to interacting electron systems. Here we employ many-body perturbation theory in the GW approximation to calculate the QP wave functions for a semi-empirical model describing a $\pi$-conjugated molecular wire in contact with a metal surface. We find that image charge effects pull the frontier molecular orbitals toward the metal surface while orbitals with higher or lower energy are pushed away. This affects both the size of the energetic image charge shifts and the coupling of the individual orbitals to the metal substrate. Full diagonalization of the QP equation and, to some extent, self-consistency in the GW self-energy, is important to describe the effect which is not captured by standard density functional theory or Hartree-Fock. These results should be important for the understanding and theoretical modeling of electron transport across metal-molecule interfaces.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

A Poetics of Space: Opening Up a World Through Vessel Metaphors in Modern and Contemporary Poetry

This project follows the strangely consistent fascination in modern and contemporary poetry with vessel objects. From Wallace Stevens\u27 jar [placed] in Tennessee, to That vase of Philip Larkin or James Merrill\u27s clear vase of dry leaves vibrating on and on, even so far back in literary history as the shapely Grecian Urn of John Keats\u27 famous ode among numerous others, the genre is teeming with vessels. I argue that these kinds of objects open up distinctive possibilities for poetic exploration because of the unique way that they engage with space. Consequently, by using these objects as metaphors, poets are able to reflect upon the nuanced relationship between poetry and a non-poetic reality on the one hand, and between an interior subjective life and an external objective world on the other. My analysis reflects the spatial trajectory of this \u27object-metaphor\u27 itself, examining the three main topographical components that constitute all vessels: 1) the vessel\u27s contained interior space, 2) the realm surrounding or exterior to the object, and 3) its creatively constructed surface which functions as the physical boundary between the other two spaces

A Poetics of Space: Opening Up a World Through Vessel Metaphors in Modern and Contemporary Poetry

This project follows the strangely consistent fascination in modern and contemporary poetry with vessel objects. From Wallace Stevens\u27 jar [placed] in Tennessee, to That vase of Philip Larkin or James Merrill\u27s clear vase of dry leaves vibrating on and on, even so far back in literary history as the shapely Grecian Urn of John Keats\u27 famous ode among numerous others, the genre is teeming with vessels. I argue that these kinds of objects open up distinctive possibilities for poetic exploration because of the unique way that they engage with space. Consequently, by using these objects as metaphors, poets are able to reflect upon the nuanced relationship between poetry and a non-poetic reality on the one hand, and between an interior subjective life and an external objective world on the other. My analysis reflects the spatial trajectory of this \u27object-metaphor\u27 itself, examining the three main topographical components that constitute all vessels: 1) the vessel\u27s contained interior space, 2) the realm surrounding or exterior to the object, and 3) its creatively constructed surface which functions as the physical boundary between the other two spaces

Do Relationships with Helpful and Not-Helpful Teachers Make a Difference? Perspectives from Nine At-Risk Adolescents

Every year in the United States close to 25% of students fail to graduate with the classmates with whom they began high school. The economic, social and personal impact of not completing high school is staggering on the individual and society. The literature fails to adequately document relational factors in the classroom that can alter the academic trajectory of at-risk students. This dissertation explores how nine at-risk adolescents view the impact of relationships with helpful and not-helpful teachers on their academic success. My three research questions were: (a) what qualities do at-risk students attribute to helpful and not-helpful teachers; (b) how do they describe their relationships with these teachers; and (c) what impact do they perceive that these relationships have on their engagement, academic growth, and persistence in school. Students selected for the study were attending a public alternative school in one of two Maine school districts. I interviewed the nine students individually and observed them interacting with teachers they had designated as especially-helpful, helpful, or not-helpful. I interviewed the teachers about the students with whom they were paired and asked them to provide evidence of student growth and engagement. Students clearly appreciated teachers who could facilitate their academic learning while establishing a helpful relationship with them. They noted that helpful teachers had nine capacities including: being able to create active learning experiences, reading students’ cues well, caring for them while holding them accountable, responding to them non-judgmentally, and listening attentively to their interests, concerns, and disclosures. They described relationships with helpful teachers as feeling open, close, collaborative and caring. They felt that their academic growth, engagement and persistence were distinctly compromised in the classes they had with not-helpful as compared with helpful teachers. The outcomes of this research indicate that to be successful in helping at-risk adolescents complete high school we need to provide teachers with training and professional development to enhance their relational skills while increasing their ability to personalize instruction. Central to this effort will be our ability as teachers to elicit and learn from studen

The Effects of Telephone Intervention on Arthritis Self-Efficacy, Depression, Pain and Fatigue in Older Adults with Arthritis

The current study was conducted to examine the effects of telephone intervention on arthritis self-efficacy, depression, pain and fatigue in older adult patients in different clinical settings. Eighty-five subjects from two clinics were randomly assigned to either the control (n = 45) or intervention (n = 40) groups. The study was a mixed quantitative/qualitative design. Each subject completed several pre-tests including the Arthritis Self-Efficacy (ASE) scale, the Geriatric Depression scale (GDS), and numeric rating scales for both pain and fatigue. All subjects received an informational packet on self-management of arthritis and developed an action plan and personal goals for self-management of their arthritis over the next six weeks. Subjects in the intervention groups also received a brief educational session on the packet and were called once weekly for the next five weeks. The calls followed a script, addressing different sections of the informational packet. The calls were designed to be both instructional and motivational. Subjects in the control groups were not contacted until the sixth week. At that time all subjects were called and the assessment tools were re-administered. Quantitative data analysis (repeated measures ANOVA) showed a significant increase in ASE scores over time for both intervention and control groups. Qualitative data analysis revealed the emergence of several major themes that were supported by the subjects\u27 responses. The telephone interventions helped many of the participants initiate exercise programs for the first time in their lives. Participants also indicated that they were determined to adhere to these programs, that they would make other lifestyle changes that would assist their arthritis self-management, and that the telephone interventions were helpful in facilitating medical care for arthritis exacerbations and other medical problems. Telephone intervention was helpful in promoting adherence to exercise programs and other lifestyle changes that may assist older patients in the self-management of their arthritis, and was helpful in facilitating medical care. Arthritis education classes have been developed which have been shown to enhance the self-management of arthritis in older patients. Telephone intervention may be an alternative means of enhancing self-management for these individuals

Influence of Reverse Shoulder Implant Positioning on Patient-Specific Muscle Forces: A Simulation Study

A reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) is a common treatment used to stabilize the shoulder and improve range of motion in patients with torn rotator cuff muscles. Shoulder stability relies on the shoulder muscles. With rotator cuff tears, the RTSA enables the deltoid muscle to become the primary stabilizer of the shoulder joint. To improve stability, RTSAs increase the deltoid muscle moment arm and decrease the required torque about the shoulder joint for movement. Currently, there is not standardized, objective method for a surgeon to position an implant on a specific patient. This study is part of a larger, ongoing project to optimize the deltoid muscle force for a population of RTSA patients and create a tool to determine the ideal placement of the implant based on the optimal deltoid force. The current study was a step towards the overall goal by investigating patient-specific muscle model parameters and establishing a framework for understanding deltoid muscle function in RTSA patients. This goal was achieved through a parameter sensitivity study and optimization studies