Household Energy, Technological Dependence, and New Ways of Communication in Buffalo, New York

Rebecca Shaw interviews her mother, Vernee Shaw, about technological changes in Buffalo, New York. Shaw begins by discussing her earliest memories of household energy usage, like electrical appliances and the television. She also describes being conscious of energy conservation from a young age. Shaw reflects changes in household chores as a result of new domestic technologies, like washing machines, dryers, and microwaves. Shaw discusses having a landline, getting her first cellphone, and the changes she has observed in privacy, safety, and lifestyle due to the widespread adoption of cellphones and GPS. Shaw discusses on the ways that technology has expanded and shares her predictions and concerns for its future

A “New Harmony”: Intertextuality and Quotation in Toru Takemitsu’s Folio III

The last in a set of three pieces, Folio III (1974) by Toru Takemitsu (1930–1996) was the composer’s first foray into solo classical guitar composition. Although Takemitsu’s guitar works are often overlooked or examined sparingly at best, Folio III is a complex composition that warrants exploration. It combines aspects of chromatic saturation and octatonicism with Baroque-era tonality via the quotation of Chorale No. 72 “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” from the St. Matthew Passion (1727) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). This essay blends theoretical analysis with aspects of Takemitsu’s philosophy to clarify the significance of the chorale’s quotation to the overall composition. In the Passions, chorales—due to their origins in a communal performance practice—provide links between complex music and that understood by the common population. In Folio III, the quotation of the chorale enables similar dialogues between tonal and post-tonal music; classical guitarists and the larger classical music community; and, the past and the present. Through intertextuality and quotation, Takemitsu’s Folio III reconciles these dichotomies to create an environment of mutual understanding, rather than isolation and exclusion

The effect of context on the performance of children with ADHD on a series of computerised tasks and games

This thesis examines context effects in relation to the performance of children with ADHD in test and 'real world' situations. There is a wealth of empirical research that illustrates poor performance of these children on a range of cognitive measures, particularly tasks that claim to measure executive function and inhibitory control. However, anecdotal reports have suggested that while playing computer games these children display abilities that contrast sharply with empirical findings. This contrast was the basis for a series of studies using computer games and computerised tasks to investigate the performance of children with ADHD across contexts. The first investigation (Study 1), a questionnaire study, lent support to the anecdotal reports. Parents of children with ADHD confirmed that their children were able to sit still, concentrate, pay attention and achieve higher levels of success when playing computer games. In Study 2 parents of children with ADHD were asked to discuss the features of computer games they felt were most influential in contributing to their child's interest and performance. Observations made in the Study 3 provided further confirmation that performance improves when children with ADHD play computer games; performance in terms of error making and and on-task activity on a standardised test of inhibition and attention, the Conners' Continuous Performance Test II (CPT II), was significantly poorer than performance on a more 'game' like Pokemon version of the task and significantly different to the performance of typically developing children. Features of computer games that may have contributed to the observed improvements for children with ADHD were examined in four subsequent studies. These features included the addition of narrative, the addition of a points scoring system, the addition of character, auditory reinforcement and differing levels of response cost. Inhibitory performance on two commercially available games was also investigated (Study 8), and the performance of participants with ADHD was not significantly different to that of typically developing participants. The results raise questions about current understanding of the disorder and models of ADHD, stress the need for examining contextual sensitivity of children with apparently constitutional disorders such as ADHD, and have implications for methodological design and the contexts in which cognitive abilities are investigated

Exploring attitudes towards a randomised controlled trial of venous access devices – a nested pre-trial qualitative study

Purpose: This pre-trial qualitative research study was carried out to explore patient and clinical staff attitudes to central venous access devices (CVADs). In addition, views about participation in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) were explored with the aim of maximising recruitment to an imminent RCT of three CVADs. Methods: Three patient focus groups (each comprising three patients) and 23 interviews with clinical staff were conducted. Interviews and focus group discussions were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, anonymised, uploaded to the QSR NVivo10 qualitative software programme and thematically analysed. Results: Analysis of focus group interviews revealed the added challenges that a CVAD poses to patients with cancer. Four key themes emerged: continuity of daily life, pain and discomfort, stigma (a mark of disgrace associated with certain conditions) and self-preservation. The findings show the impact of a CVAD on patients’ ability to manage their condition. Clinical staff interviews highlighted several potential barriers to recruitment; a lack of equipoise (genuine clinical uncertainty as to which intervention is the most beneficial), concerns about the logistics of device insertion and a perceived requirement for education and training. Conclusions: This qualitative study raises awareness of key areas of concern to patients who need a CVAD for chemotherapy delivery. It was identified that there is a need for clearer patient information around CVADs. Additionally it allows investigators to identify barriers to recruitment in a timely manner in order to minimise the potential for conflict between the roles of carer and researcher and consequently, maximise recruitment to the RCT

V. problem presentation and advice-giving on a home birth helpline

The rate of home births in the UK is very low (around 2%) and many women who would like to give birth at home find it impossible to get midwifery cover or are advised of medical contraindications. The Home Birth Helpline offers support and expertise for women in this situation. Based on the analysis of 80 recorded calls, this article uses conversation analysis (CA) to explore how callers present their reason for calling the helpline, and what this shows about the culturally shared medicalized culture of birth. This research is an example of feminist CA in that it contributes both to the study of childbirth as a key women's health issue and to the study of helpline interaction from a conversation analytic perspectiv