Cycling Through History: Making an American Sport 1880-present, Blog 5

Student blog posts from the Great VCU Bike Race Book

For staff on the frontline: How are you?

Nurses are working at the frontline of this current crisis providing the acute and critical care that is needed to Covid-19 patients (and when present their relatives), attending to the mental health of service users deeply affected by the inherent anxiety and distress of the current situation, as well as attending to the immediate and diverse needs of the general public at a time of crisis. We will all also be managing our own anxieties about our health, our families and loved ones who may be at risk. We know that our work as nurses can affect us; it is work that has relationships, human contact and emotions at its core. We may be working with people who will die, people who are facing terrible losses, with family members in distress and we are working in situations that are stressful, full of uncertainty, anxiety and immense pressure. We are required to bring our clinical expertise, strength, humanity and compassion to the fore throughout our working days. We can only do this work, and continue to do it, if we look after ourselves. Whilst the physical work may be exhausting at times, the less visible emotional and psychological impact will also be significant and impact on how we think and feel. This is likely to be true for everyone in this current situation but will vary for individuals. We want you to stop for a moment and consider. How are you? Not in that throwaway way in which this question can be asked by all of us but really How are you

A Study on the Effect of the #MeToo Movement on State Level Policy Making

This thesis analyzes the effects of social movements, specifically the #MeToo Movement, on state legislation. To do so, this thesis examines the timing and processes of two cases of passed legislation in Missouri and Texas. Though the #MeToo Movement was founded in 2006, the height of the movement in 2017 provided an open policy window in which political actors and entrepreneurs were able to pursue their prepared proposals. In Missouri, the rise of #MeToo inspired political ally Senator Holly Rehder to first publish a personal essay detailing her experience with sexual assault before sponsoring and introducing Senate Bill 775. This bill provides the “Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights” and includes clearly stated directions and rights to victims of sexual assault. The prompt action, collaboration, and prepared proposals that Senator Rehder pursued resulted in successful legislation. In Texas, Representative Victoria Neave sponsored and introduced House Bill 21 in the wake of #MeToo. This bill extends statute of limitations applicable to a sexual harassment complaint filed with the Texas Workforce Commission. Though this bill was successfully enacted, Neave’s crucial mistakes such as hesitation to take advantage of the open policy window, the creation of a new task force, and a previous successful legislative session, led to a less robust legislative outcome. The ability for social movements to affect political outcomes rely heavily on the timing of policy windows, the relationships between political allies and external actors, the number, type, size, and location of events, and political entrepreneurs. The comparison of the presented case studies highlight the differences in these aspects and identify how they lend themselves to differing political outcome

Upper Grade Level Literacy: Instructional Strategies for Struggling Readers

Education research has shown that a quarter of eighth-grade students perform below basic reading proficiency. Despite this, reading instruction often ceases after eighth grade while text structure and content area language become more difficult. This research project focuses on studying strategies used for struggling readers in seventh through twelfth grade and includes a case study of a struggling reader in order to identify some of the characteristics and needs of struggling readers. This research synthesizes ideas from previous studies, analyzes teacher interviews for literacy instruction strategies and, in the case study, uses observation, primary source study, and reading assessments

Intersection of gender & education:experiences and perspectives of highly educated women in Laos

Abstract. Laos, a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, is generally considered an under researched context; the majority of data related to gender and education comes from INGOs or international organizations and focuses on gender parity. As the government of Laos works to better the opportunities of women and girls nationwide, gender parity has improved across all levels of education. It is unclear, however, in what ways women’s experiences of education have changed, highlighting a need for qualitative data in this area. In this research, highly educated Lao women were interviewed in order to discover the different ways women conceptualize what it means to be “educated” in the Lao context, their perceptions of how education and gender influence each other, and their journeys to becoming educated. By looking at the stories of women who have achieved academic success, we can build an understanding of some of the catalysts and hindrances impacting educational attainment. Twelve interviews were conducted over summer 2019 with women in two provinces of Laos, all of whom have graduated from at least one tertiary education program. The data were analyzed using a phenomenographic approach, focusing on the women’s conceptions, perceptions, and experiences. Initial findings highlight the changing nature of gender roles and gendered expectations in Laos, particularly in regards to women’s abilities and opportunities in education, careers, and at home. In particular, a shift in women’s motivations and attitudes towards education as well as government and international scholarship programs seem to have driven this change. Significantly, there was a clear differentiation between how women viewed gender equality in the cities compared to the rural or ‘local’ areas. Conflicting ideas emerged of whether equality had been achieved (as evidenced by the women in successful careers and with high educational qualifications) or whether more work needs to be done. Finally, the concept of an ‘educated person’ involves more than just a degree, diploma, or qualification; rather, an educated person is marked by their mindset and the values they hold. The findings of this research have potential implications for educational policy and practice throughout Laos at all educational levels, as well as how gender mainstreaming is applied in all spheres

Inactivation of Clostridium difficile spores in the healthcare environment using hydrogen peroxide vapour

Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) cost the National Health Service (NHS) in England in excess of £1 billion per year. One of the main HAIs is caused by the endospore-forming bacterium Clostridium difficile. The most common cause of healthcare-acquired diarrhoea in the developed world, C. difficile was responsible for around 850 deaths in England and Wales in 2011. To help reduce the spread of the HAI-causing bacteria, terminal disinfection of isolation rooms and wards using hydrogen peroxide vapour is actively promoted. The key advantages of hydrogen peroxide vapour are its high oxidation potential which has been reported to inactivate bacteria, fungi and spores. An additional advantage of hydrogen peroxide vapour is that it is relatively environmentally friendly, breaking down into oxygen and water. Investigation into bacterial inactivation kinetics was undertaken at controlled, steady concentrations of hydrogen peroxide vapour in the range of 10 ppm to 90 ppm. An exposure chamber was designed whereby the bacterial spores could be exposed to constant concentrations of hydrogen peroxide for various exposure times. Bacterial spores (1-log10 to 8-log10 cfu) were filter deposited onto membranes to achieve an even layer for consistent exposure of the hydrogen peroxide vapour to the spores. Bacillus subtilis is often used for method development in bacterial studies; advantages are it has been shown to be highly resistant to hydrogen peroxide vapour and is not a human pathogen. Following the method development, different strains of C. difficile (ribotypes 014, 027, 103 and 220) were exposed to identify differences in resistance. Inactivation models (Chick-Watson, Series-Event, Weibull and Baranyi) were used to fit the data generated using the environmental chamber. Decimal reduction values (D-values) were calculated from the models for comparative studies regarding the inactivation achieved for the different bacteria and different hydrogen peroxide concentrations. The findings from this thesis revealed the Weibull model provides the best fit for most of the data. An initial shoulder period was identified for B. subtilis which was absent for C. difficile inactivation by hydrogen peroxide vapour; B. subtilis is therefore more resistant to hydrogen peroxide disinfection than C. difficile. Typical D-values for B. subtilis and C. difficile when exposed to hydrogen peroxide vapour at a concentration of 90 ppm were 140 and 1 min, respectively. C. difficile inactivation data were used to develop a model to estimate the log reduction that could be achieved during an inactivation cycle based on the concentration-time integral ( ). This model could be used to estimate the log reduction of commercially available hydrogen peroxide decontamination systems; these release a fixed amount of hydrogen peroxide into the room resulting in a peak concentration before decomposition to oxygen and water. Releasing the hydrogen peroxide into the room in this manner results in spatial and temporal variation; this could result in differences in bacterial inactivation in different areas within the room. Using the aforementioned regression model, the inactivation achieved at all locations within the room could be predicted, which could be used to optimise the current hydrogen peroxide decontamination cycles

Ethnic parity in labour market outcomes for benefit claimants

We use UK administrative data to estimate the differential in labour market outcomes between Ethnic Minority benefit claimants and otherwise identical Whites. In many cases, Minorities and Whites are simply too different for satisfactory estimates to be calculated and results are sensitive to the methodology used. This calls into question previous results based on simple regression techniques, which may hide the fact that observationally different ethnic groups are being compared by parametric extrapolation. For some groups, however, we could calculate satisfactory results. In these cases, large and significant raw penalties almost always disappear once we appropriately control for pre-inflow characteristics.Ethnic, employment, benefit, discrimination, matching

Ethnic parity in labour market outcomes for benefit claimants in Great Britain

Accurate estimates of the extent of ethnic parity amongst benefit claimants are very important for policymakers who provide interventions for these groups. We use new administrative data on benefit claimants in Great Britain to document differences in labour market outcomes between Ethnic Minority and White claimants, both before and after controlling for rich observable characteristics. We do so using a variety of methods, from OLS to propensity score matching to difference-in-differences. We find that, in many cases, Minorities and Whites are simply too different for satisfactory estimates to be calculated, and that results are sensitive to the methodology used. This calls into question previous results based on simple regression techniques, which may hide the fact that observationally different ethnic groups are being compared by parametric extrapolation. For Income Support and Incapacity Benefit claimants, however, we could calculate satisfactory results. For these groups, large and significant raw penalties almost always disappear once we appropriately control for pre-inflow characteristics.Non-response, bias, school survey, data linkage, PISA