Unifying the Modes of Existence

In this paper, I will argue that Axel Honneth’s formulation of the theory of recognition can add something valuable to Bruno Latour’s metaphysics of heterogeneous modes of existence in that it provides an account of what motivates individuals to continually participate in established patterns of interaction thereby encouraging the stability of the collective. I claim that heterogeneous modes of existence, or patterns of interaction are, in a sense, unified in the individual in that not only do they, at least in part, constitute reality for generations that are socialized into them, but participation in these instituted behaviours is also what constitutes an individual’s sense of self. I will argue that the co-constitution of society and sense of self that results from patterns of recognition can provide the explanation of stability, in terms of the perpetuation of instituted practices, and unity, in terms of the sense that those practices form a meaningful, unified whole, that is missing from Latour’s account. It is my claim that this can be done in a way that is compatible with Latour’s overall metaphysics. Given that part of the project in An Inquiry into Modes of Existence involves accounting for the actual experience of moderns while simultaneously tracing the disconnect with theory, it is important for the experience of stability and unity as described above to be located within his metaphysics. I will begin with some background on Latour’s project so as to understand the issues with modern theory that he seeks to address as well as the solution offered by the modes of existence before going on to frame what is missing from this account. I will then consider the sense of self that arises out of processes of recognition based on Axel Honneth’s account. I will then make a case for the usefulness of master narratives if they are understood in terms of symbolic universes as explained by Berger and Luckmann or symbol systems as explained by Clifford Geertz and will consider their role in processes of recognition. Finally, I will explain how the process of the co-constitution of self and society and the mechanism of recognition are consistent with Latour’s overall project

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND MIDDLE SCHOOL CULTURE ON EIGHTH GRADERS' ACADEMIC PREPAREDNESS FOR COLLEGE BY THE TWELFTH GRADE

This study used a general two-level model to explore data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988-1992 to determine the extent to which student-level (parental involvement) and school-level (school culture of college preparedness) factors individually and collectively influenced eighth grade students' eventual academic preparedness for college by the time they reached the twelfth grade. The study's models supported my foundational hypothesis that the middle school years play a critical role in preparing students for college. That said, the impacts of both parental involvement and school culture, at the middle school level, appear to have a very trivial influence, on average, on students' eventual levels of academic readiness for college. The study's models' random effects results, however, paint a slightly more complex picture. These resulted indicated that, at some schools within the study, some or all of the four parental involvement variables had a statistically significant impact on students' eventual ACRES scores. While I was unable to determine whether these significant effects were mostly positive or negative, it certainly supports the notion that parental involvement indeed plays an important role in preparing students to be academically prepared for college. Additionally, the study determined that students' middle school grades had the most positive influences on ACRES scores, and student poverty levels and first-generation status were associated with the most negative impacts on students' academic preparedness for college. The study concludes by calling on policymakers, educational leaders, teachers, and parents to focus their time, attention, and resources on the middle school years to improve students' eventual academic readiness for college

Relentless punishments : mirrors of hell from Sackville to Shakespeare

This thesis seeks to establish the literary background to the representation of Hell in Elizabethan tragic drama. It uses historicist techniques to posit a causative relation between religious change introduced by the Elizabethan religious settlement and the form and content of Elizabethan tragedy, both dramatic and non-dramatic. More particularly I am concerned with the post-Reformation conceptions of the spaces of the afterworld, especially those consequent upon the dissolution of purgatory and the developing emphasis on Hell. I am also interested in the new emphasis on predestination and the effect on theological doctrine concerning the divine or diabolical origin of sin on earth. If sin originates with the Devil then sinful acts on earth are linked with Hell, and the link between Hell and the Devil is articulated in tragedy as a particular discourse of tyranny. At the start, I cite Shakespeare's Richard III, a familiar Elizabethan text, that demonstrates how the secular and religious anxieties about the endless punishments in Hell generate a fear that the forces of Hell penetrate earth and produce "mirrors" of Hell on the Elizabethan stage. Then Igo back to look at less familiar texts leading up to it, starting with the Elizabethan adaptations of the de casibus form in the William Baldwin editions of A Mirror for Magistrates, especially the contributions from Thomas Sackville, and also Richard Robinson's The Rewarde of Wickednesse. In part three I include a discussion of Jasper Heywood's translations of two Senecan tragedies, Troas and Thyestes, and the Reformers' debates on the treatment of tyranny in four early Elizabethan tragedies: Gorboduc, Cambises, Horestes and Jocasta. The final part of this thesis examines Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy and Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine and their engagement with the discussions of Hell and earthly sin.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Child Care and Work Challenges for Maine’s Parents of Children with Special Needs

Research by the authors with parents, child care providers, and other service providers found that parents of children with special needs face particular challenges trying to maintain stable employment while balancing work and family. These parents have more difficulty finding and keeping child care for children with special needs, and there is a lack of coordination of therapy with child care programs. Since the study was completed, Maine has taken several steps to begin to address these issue

English Language Learners in the State of Maine: Early Education Policy That Can Make a Difference

The authors discuss the increasing number of Maine children who are English language learners (ELL) or who are limited-English proficient (LEP), noting that insufficient attention has been paid to the preschool education of this group. The authors describe lessons learned from an Early Reading First Program in Portland, which enhanced the school-readiness of preschool ELL children

Efficacy of iron fortification and protein efficiency in fortified blended foods and extruded rice in rats

Master of ScienceDepartment of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and HealthBrian L. LindshieldBackground & Objectives: Both fortified blended foods (FBFs) and fortified rice are important food aid products for addressing protein undernutrition and iron deficiencies globally and were evaluated in two rat studies. We previously found that extruded sorghum-soy blend (SSB) FBFs were equally nutritious compared to corn-soy blend (CSB) FBFs. In the first study, we assessed SSB and CSB FBFs with protein primarily provided by soy flour and compared outcomes to previously developed blends with whey protein concentrate (WPC) to evaluate reduced-cost options (FBF study). In the second study, we compared iron outcomes from four different iron fortificants in extruded rice (rice study). Ferric phosphate (FePO₄) and ferric pyrophosphate (FePP) were selected for their suitable organoleptic properties. Micronized FePP (µFePP) and the addition of trisodium citrate (TSC) and citric acid (CA) to FePP (FePP+TSC+CA) were suggested to increase FePP absorption. Methods: In the FBF study, SSB and CSB FBFs were developed with soy flour and 0–15% sucrose in SSBs and 0–10% sucrose in CSBs. SSB and CSB FBFs with 9.5% WPC and 15% sucrose served as comparison diets. In the rice study, extruded rice kernels were fortified with one of four iron fortificants: FePO₄, FePP, µFePP, or FePP+TSC+CA (ratio: 1:2.1:0.1). Each extruded rice was blended at 1% with natural white rice, soy protein isolate, and soybean oil and cooked. In each study, weanling, male Sprague Dawley rats were individually housed and randomly assigned to a test or control diet (n=9-10). Food intake was measured every other day (FBF) or daily (rice) and body weights were taken weekly. At study conclusion (FBF: 28 days; rice: 21 days), blood and livers were collected to evaluate iron outcomes and body scans were performed to assess body composition and bone mineral density (BMD). Results: In the FBF study, there were no differences in food intake, weight gain, lean mass, and iron outcomes among FBF groups. The CSB groups without WPC had significantly lower caloric efficiency and all groups without WPC had significantly lower protein efficiency compared to the groups with WPC. In combined analyses, groups consuming FBFs with 15% sucrose had significantly lower BMD compared to FBF groups with ≤10% sucrose. In the rice study, all rice groups had significantly lower moisture-adjusted total food intake, weight gain, and BMD compared to the control group with no differences in these outcomes between the rice groups. Hemoglobin concentrations were significantly higher in FePP and µFePP groups compared to FePO₄ and control groups. Hepatic iron concentrations were significantly higher in FePP, µFePP, and FePP+TSC+CA groups compared to FePO₄ and control groups. Conclusions: All factors considered, extruded SSB FBFs with soy protein and ≤10% sucrose are an efficacious alternative to WPC-containing FBFs in rats. While the rice study outcomes need to be interpreted with caution because of poor growth, these results suggest FePP leads to better iron outcomes than FePO₄. However, neither micronizing nor adding CA+TSC to FePP improved iron outcomes

The Role of Emotional Overcontrol in Acceptance of Counselor Training Feedback

Effective feedback is a critical component of counselor training. The degree to which a recipient is able or willing to accept feedback can impact learning and skill development significantly. Recognizing individual trait differences can help the field of counseling understand feedback receptivity in counseling students. This study examined the possible relationship between feedback receptivity and the individual trait of emotional overcontrol. Results indicate that overcontrol accounted for variance in scores on a measure of feedback receptivity in a sample of counseling students, suggesting that individual trait differences meaningfully affect feedback receptivity

New Americans: Child Care Decision-Making of Refugee and Immigrant Parents of English Language Learners

The immigrant and refugee communities in the United States continue to increase. Denver, Colorado and Portland, Maine are two U.S. cities that reflect the changing demographics across the country. As these cities evolve and adjust to serve new populations, it becomes necessary to rethink deep-rooted culturally constructed patterns and traditions that do not take into account the beliefs and practices of these new cultures. One such tradition is child care. Because of the important link between preschool experiences and later school success, understanding refugee and immigrant families’ beliefs and decisions about child care is extremely important. From a policy perspective, understanding these beliefs can guide professional development training for child care providers serving these linguistically and culturally diverse families

Western Gulf of Maine Bathymetry and Backscatter Synthesis

In July 2014 a Cooperative Agreement between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the University of New Hampshire Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, and the New Hampshire Geological Survey was developed to assess the potential sand and gravel resources on the New Hampshire shelf and vicinity for the primary purpose of beach nourishment to enhance coastal resiliency. Of major importance to the effort was the development of high resolution bathymetric maps of the region to provide an understanding of the seafloor and to be used as a base for subsequent mapping products. Fortunately, over the last decade a number of high resolution multibeam echosounder bathymetric surveys were completed in the Western Gulf of Maine including the New Hampshire shelf. In addition, many of these multibeam echosounder surveys collected backscatter, which is the intensity of the returned acoustic signal from the seafloor and often reveals a great deal of information about the characteristics of the substrate. Utilizing the high resolution multibeam echosounder bathymetry, as well as several older extant surveys, a synthesis was constructed for the Western Gulf of Maine. The original surveys used in this compilation were gridded over a large range (0.50 to 25 m). Therefore, the surveys were re-gridded at 4 m and 8 m for map development. Composites were also constructed of multibeam echosounder backscatter for the Western Gulf of Maine (gridded at 2m). However, due to the difficulties of combining varying surveys, the synthesis for the backscatter surveys was limited to a region off New Hampshire