From Eighty Acres and a Mule to Two Thousand Acres and Twenty-Four Row Planters: Anxieties of Growth in the Agriculture Sector from Family Farms

This study investigates the evolution of the family farm between the 1940s until the 2020s, and how the family farm may continue to evolve in future generations. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the changing reality of agriculture and how farmers think about themselves. In the early days of the United States republic, farms were a means of providing a family or localized community with food and resources. These farms participated in an economic exchange that was an early form of capitalism, characterized by meeting needs but not accruing egregious excess. Today’s agricultural system is marked by the pressures to compete in the marketplace, and a shift in cultural values away from balanced reciprocity to the farmer’s individual entrepreneurial spirit. Farmers interviewed in this study expressed a range of emotions and perceptions regarding these shifting cultural values. Many farmers interviewed expressed a sense of anxiety about the growing pressures of the neoliberal market on farmers, the powerlessness that farmers face in the unpredictable nature of the markets, and the loss of hallmark perceptions of previous forms of agriculture, such as balanced reciprocity

Girls of the Period Women Critics and Constructions of the Feminine in the Mid-Victorian Novel.

Abstract This thesis addresses women's agency in the mediation and reception of mid nineteenth-century fiction from the end of the 1840s until the beginning of the 1870s. It demonstrates how women participated in shaping an ideology of the feminine by utilising the platform of periodical reviewing to monitor constructions of womanhood in the novels of women writers. The notion of a feminine critical discourse about gender is a familiar one. There has been academic interest in the reactions of reviewers such as Margaret Oliphant and Geraldine Jewsbury to images of the feminine in sensation novels, but no study exists that brings together a body of women's criticism of this period, or examines the critical responses of women to a much wider spectrum of female representation, for example, in the field of domestic or religious fiction. This thesis explores the critical reaction, not simply to the transgressive or improper feminine, but to idealised images of the domestic angel. It points to a reshaping of the idea of the heroic which allowed women to take centre stage in fiction, and goes on to explore several constructions of the feminine that became a locus of concern for women commentators: the martyr to selfsacrifice; the injured wife; the governess; the religious heroine; the transgressor of sensation novels, and the assertive "Girl of the Period" in her various phases. Interrogating those texts and themes that preoccupied nineteenth-century women critics, the thesis retrieves a lost context to women's writing of the period and argues that the discourses surrounding forgotten novels by writers such as Harriet Parr and Charlotte Riddell provided a forum which allowed representations of gender to be contested, re-negotiated and re-defined. Bringing to light new critical material by reviewers such as Eleanor Eden and Jane Williams, the thesis examines many articles and reviews that have received no previous academic attention

Online Social Networking for the Humanities: the Massachusetts Studies Network Prototype

The Massachusetts Studies Project (MSP) aims to create an online social network specifically for those who are involved in local studies in Massachusetts. This first, Level I phase of the project will allow us to assess a promising open source development platform called "Ning," which offers powerful new tools for building customized social networks. Building a test network on Ning, and planning and prototyping the code to add functionality tailored to humanities practitioners, will position us to take the next steps in building a full-fledged, model social network to meet the collaborative needs of educators, scholars, librarians, and local studies practitioners

Wild Primates in Documentary Films: Biodiversity, Behavior, and Pedagogical Applications

The representation of wild primates in the nature documentary genre could have important implications for conservation and education. However, no prior research has looked at the content of this genre or its use in education. To fill this gap, the current research included a content analysis of all available documentaries focused on wild primates (n = 210) and a survey of 219 college-level anthropology instructors, with an emphasis on determining how primate biodiversity was portrayed, whether primate behavior was realistically depicted in documentaries, whether mistakes and inaccuracies were common, and how college instructors use primate documentaries as resources in their teaching. Results indicate that only a small subset of primate biodiversity was represented in documentaries, and that large-bodied, diurnal primates, especially the African apes, were overrepresented while smaller-bodied and nocturnal primates were underrepresented. The accuracy of primate behavior depictions varied by species. Compared to wild primates, primates in documentaries spent proportionally greater time traveling and engaging in social behaviors. Inaccuracies were documented for all primate taxa. Finally, the survey of anthropology instructors showed that primate documentaries were widely used in the teaching of anthropology. Based on these findings, I recommend that instructors should carefully review films before sharing them with students, and that primatologists should advocate for the accurate representation of primates in documentaries

Attentional Bias Measured in a Modified Addiction Stroop Task for Problem Gamers

The current study aims to determine the relationship between individuals attentional bias scores, measured in a modified Addiction Stroop task, with four other variables; level of involvement in Internet games, impulsivity, behavioural inhibition/activation, and sensation seeking. Recruitment was gathered through the Psychology Sona Research Participation Pool at Western University and was exclusive to male, English speaking, non-colour blind individuals. Participant’s completed a modified version of the Addiction Stroop task (for Internet gamers). Additionally, participant’s fill out five questionnaires: a Demographics form, the Problem Online Gaming Questionnaire (POGQ), the Barratt Inhibition Scale (BIS), the Behavioural Inhibition/Activation Systems Scale (BIS/BAS), and the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS). E-prime measured participants’ reaction times to target and matched control words in a modified Addiction Stroop task. Results suggest that higher levels of involvement with Internet games are significantly correlated with attentional bias. This correlation is shown by highly-involved individuals having slower reaction times to target words in comparison to matched control words in the modified Addiction Stroop task. BIS scores and the inhibition factor of the BIS/BAS were significantly correlated with participant’s level of involvement with Internet games. In conclusion, results suggest that individual’s with higher levels of involvement with Internet games display attentional bias indicating another similarity between IGD, substance use, and gambling disorders

College Persistence and Fictive Kinship of African American Male Alumni from a Historically Black University

AbstractCollege persistence to degree completion by African American males remains a problem in higher education with little known about the supportive experiences of alumni from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand the role fictive kin relationships played in the persistence and degree completion by African American male alumni from HBCUs. Brooks and Allen’s concept of fictive kin relationships and Tinto’s persistence theory in higher education were the framework to explore how African American male alumni from an HBCU characterized the role fictive kin relationships played in their college persistence to graduation. Data were collected through interviews with eight African American male alumni who considered others as family who were not related by blood or marriage. The data analysis included hand coding methods to understand the experiences in the context of the framework. Fictive kin relationships in college persistence for the sample were found to be supportive (as mentors, helpers, and motivators), involved in their lives when college students and later as professionals, became friends in many aspects of their lives, and took the place of family when and where needed. Positive social change in higher education institutions can result from noticing the importance of fictive kin in college persistence of African American males. Including outreach or programs for encouraging fictive kin relationships through college may improve African American males’ persistence to graduation

Mechanisms for Decreased Function of B Cells in Aged Mice and Humans

Abstract The immune system has been known for some time to be compromised in aged individuals, e.g., both mice and humans, and in both humoral and cellular responses. Our studies have begun to elucidate intrinsic B lymphocyte defects in Ig class switch recombination, activation-induced cytidine deaminase, and E47 transcription factor expression. These defects occur in both mice and humans. Our studies have also shown that tristetraprolin is one of the key players in regulating the decreased E47 mRNA stability in aged B lymphocytes. These and current studies should lead to improvements in B lymphocyte function in aged populations

The Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in Firefighters: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Previous studies consistently report a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among firefighters. However, the clustering of CVD risk factors, defined as metabolic syndrome (MetSyn), has received little attention by comparison. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the pooled prevalence of MetSyn among firefighters. Using combinations of free text for 'firefighter' and 'metabolic syndrome', databases were searched for eligible studies. Meta-analyses calculated weighted pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for MetSyn, its components and overweight/obesity. Univariate meta-regression was performed to explore sources of heterogeneity. Of 1440 articles screened, 25 studies were included in the final analysis. The pooled prevalence of MetSyn in 31,309 firefighters was 22.3% (95% CI: 17.7-27.0%). The prevalences of MetSyn components were hypertension: 39.1%; abdominal obesity: 37.9%; hypertriglyceridemia: 30.2%; dyslipidemia: 30.1%; and hyperglycemia: 21.1%. Overweight and obesity prevalence rates in firefighters were 44.1% and 35.6%, respectively. Meta-regression revealed that decreased risk of bias (RoB) score and increased body mass index (BMI) were positively associated with an increase in MetSyn prevalence. Since one in five firefighters may meet the criteria for MetSyn, novel interventions should be explored to both prevent MetSyn and reduce the onset of CVD risk factors

Education & Awareness for the URI Community for LGBTIQQ Issues January 2011

This document contains the minutes of Education & Awareness for the URI Community for LGBTIQQ Issues meeting on January 20, 2011

Development of Tooth Brushing Recommendations Through Professional Consensus

IntroductionDespite being a largely preventable disease, untreated caries of permanent teeth is estimated to affect almost 2 billion people worldwide, which is followed by severe periodontal disease. The aim of this work was to provide a professional consensus on tooth brushing methods and associated oral hygiene behaviours and develop evidence-informed recommendations.MethodsAn initial scoping search was undertaken to identify systematic reviews of relevance and key questions. This was followed by comprehensive evidence mapping of the literature focussing on systematic reviews and clinical guidelines. Electronic searches of several databases including MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase (via Ovid), Epistemonikos, and The Cochrane Library were undertaken from 2000 to May 2022, alongside a guideline repository search. Considered Judgement Forms were developed detailing the underpinning evidence, balance between benefits and harms, potential impact on the population, and feasibility of implementation. An online survey comprising 22 draft recommendations was distributed to international members of all FDI committees, including the FDI Council. Participants were asked to indicate to what level they agreed or disagreed with for each recommendation and to provide feedback. The Considered Judgement Forms were provided for reference.ResultsThree hundred ten records were identified and mapped to different aspects of tooth brushing methods and associated behaviours. Research literature informed 7 Considered Judgement Forms comprising 12 questions with draft recommendations. Twenty-five participants from Asia, Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Australia provided feedback on the recommendations. More than 70% of respondents showed agreement with 21 of the 22 draft recommendations. Final recommendations were drafted with associated strength of recommendation.ConclusionUsing a robust methodology and an international professional consensus, a set of evidence-informed recommendations was developed. These recommendations provide clinicians with practical guidance to facilitate communications with patients that may help to reinforce individual-level preventive strategies