Experiences of YMCA Day Camp Counsellors and their Perceptions of Youth

A large body of research examines the benefits of youth programming for children and their families, yet there is limited research that specifically focuses on day camps and the experiences of camp counsellors. My MA thesis explores the experiences of YMCA day camp counsellors and their perceptions of the children with whom they work. More specifically, I explore how camp counsellors perceive campers’ strengths, assets, and home life, the extent to which camp counsellors impose neoliberal values onto youth, and the social and developmental benefits of the camp experience for both campers and counsellors. Drawing on social capital theory (e.g., Putnam, 2000), Tara Yosso’s (2005) concept of community cultural wealth, and the “multiple worlds” model of Phelan et al. (1991), this thesis was undertaken with two broad objectives: (1) to understand the broader ideological forces that inform youth programming and the implications for creating an inclusive and equitable camping experience for diverse populations of young people; and (2), to illuminate the ways in which campers and counsellors benefit from participation in camp from a social and psychological standpoint. The study is informed by qualitative interviews with eight study participants who were previously employed as YMCA day camp counsellors for a minimum of one full summer. Semi- structured interviews were utilized to elicit camp counsellors’ experiences along with their perceptions of youth and youth programming. These interview data are triangulated with my personal experience as a YMCA day camp counsellor. My findings highlight the drive and dedication that camp counsellors have to bettering the lives of the children they worked with. In addition, the study spotlights the ways in which youth programming is informed by the dominant neoliberal ideology. Despite the noble intentions of camp counsellors, this can result in a camping experience where neoliberal values are imposed on diverse populations of youth with i little consideration of the unique challenges that might inform resistant attitudes, or the strengths and assets that marginalized youth produce within their families and communities. In spite of these limitations and concerns, camp functions as a space where campers and counsellors have the opportunity to build constructive forms of bridging and bonding social capital. Lastly, I argue that camp has a vital role to play in an age of helicopter parenting where interaction by way of electronic devices has largely supplanted face-to-face interaction. In short, this thesis reveals both the shortcomings and benefits of the day camp experience, and unveils the complexities and challenges associated with youth programming in an increasingly diverse and unequal society

River Banks, Rabbit Holes and Railway Children: Charting Series of Children's Classics

‘The classic’ is a muddled, confused and conflicted term in children’s literature scholarship and educational policy. This thesis frames an analysis of the classic through a focus on ‘the series’, which is a dominant yet overlooked publishing phenomenon that aims to reproduce and repackage classic works. It takes a broader mixed methods approach that combines the analysis of a large corpus of series by publishers in the United Kingdom with case studies of individualised editions to interrogate three different facets of ‘the classic series’. The thesis maps and provides considerable insight into series of children’s classics, which have previously received little in-depth attention. It includes a database that constitutes a historical record of the classic series and a valuable resource for future scholarship. Chapter One analyses this database to answer the thesis’ principal research question: ‘what are the dominant trends in the classic series?’ It argues that series of classics are defined by variation and instability as publishers designate a wide variety of titles classics often driven by commercial concerns. Chapter Two explores how publishers abridge classic texts for inclusion in their series through a case study of editions of The Wind in the Willows. It uses corpus linguistics methods and close textual analysis to show how publishers consistently alter the written text of classic works for younger readers which radically impacts upon the experiential dynamics of the classics. Chapter Three focuses on how publishers repackage the classics as a series through a close study of the material aspects of books. It highlights how publishers’ packaging largely serves to diminish the classics by presenting them as uniform products rather than individual tales. This thesis exposes the significant gulf between the idea of a classic that is tied to notions of quality and the reality of how the term currently functions which is as a marketing tool. It concludes that publishers’ series are confusing what a classic is, which provides a reason for why scholarship on the classic is so vexed. The thesis recommends a critical approach towards children’s classics that acknowledges how this group of texts is fraught with complexities, lacks diversity and is tied to the commercial enterprise of the children’s book business. This research is of particular interest to educators and scholars of children’s literature as it provides a concrete and comprehensive understanding of the classics which are a privileged but historically unexplored group of texts.Vice-Chancellor's Award, Cambridge Trus

INTEGRATE-Circ and INTEGRATE-Vis: Unbiased detection and visualization of fusion-derived circular RNA

MOTIVATION: Backsplicing of RNA results in circularized rather than linear transcripts, known as circular RNA (circRNA). A recently discovered and poorly understood subset of circRNAs that are composed of multiple genes, termed fusion-derived circular RNAs (fcircRNAs), represent a class of potential biomarkers shown to have oncogenic potential. Detection of fcircRNAs eludes existing analytical tools, making it difficult to more comprehensively assess their prevalence and function. Improved detection methods may lead to additional biological and clinical insights related to fcircRNAs. RESULTS: We developed the first unbiased tool for detecting fcircRNAs (INTEGRATE-Circ) and visualizing fcircRNAs (INTEGRATE-Vis) from RNA-Seq data. We found that INTEGRATE-Circ was more sensitive, precise and accurate than other tools based on our analysis of simulated RNA-Seq data and our tool was able to outperform other tools in an analysis of public lymphoblast cell line data. Finally, we were able to validate in vitro three novel fcircRNAs detected by INTEGRATE-Circ in a well-characterized breast cancer cell line. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Open source code for INTEGRATE-Circ and INTEGRATE-Vis is available at https://www.github.com/ChrisMaherLab/INTEGRATE-CIRC and https://www.github.com/ChrisMaherLab/INTEGRATE-Vis

Seed bank distribution and viability of selected Vachellia and Acacia species in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

M. Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2015.There is increasing concern regarding the impact of invasive alien plants (IAPs), where their spread is a serious threat to both the structure and functionality of ecosystems, which causes the loss of biodiversity. Approximately 10 million hectares is currently covered by IAPs in South Africa, with programs such as Working for Water (WFW) having been implemented in an attempt to manage them. This research investigated the seed soil distribution and viability of selected indigenous (Vachellia) and exotic invasive Acacia species in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In this study, the seed banks of four tree species were sampled; Vachellia karroo Hayne, Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.H. Hurter & Mabb, Acacia mearnsii De Wild. (black wattle) and Acacia dealbata Link (silver wattle). The first two species are indigenous and the latter two are exotic. The selected invasive species are both classified as Category 2 species by the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act of 2004. The soil seed banks were determined, using a set sampling strategy of six pits at three depths for twelve selected trees per species. Seeds were removed from the soil, using soil sieves, and they were counted and tested for viability, using the tetrazolium chloride (TTZ) test. The majority of methods replicated those of Witkowski and Garner (2000). There was a high variability in seed numbers between different species and individual trees of the same species. Soil seed densities were greater in the Acacia species, compared to those of the Vachellia species. Acacia dealbata had the largest seed density, with the highest number of seeds in the top layer between 0-2 cm. Soil seed density declined with increasing distance from the trunk and with soil depth. The species with the greatest number of viable seeds in the seed bank was A. dealbata, followed by A. mearnsii. There was no significant difference (α = 0.05) in viability between the depths. The Acacia species had an advantage over the Vachellia species, with a higher soil seed bank density and seed viability. An improved knowledge of the seed banks can assist in providing evidence-based recommendations to improve the effectiveness of current methods for the removal of IAPs, which focus predominantly on ‘above-ground material’

LMDA New & Noteworthy, November 2017

Contents include: Q & A: Amy Stoller; Q & A: Andrea Kovich; Events/Announcements.https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdanewsletter/1013/thumbnail.jp

Isolation and functional characterisation of lamina propria leukocytes from helminth-infected, murine small intestine

The use of helminth infections as tools to understand the type 2 immune response is a well-established technique and important to many areas of immunological research. The phenotype and function of immune cell populations at the site of infection is a key determinant of pathogen clearance. However, infections with helminths such as the murine nematode Heligomosmoides polygryrus cause increased mucus production and thickening of the intestinal wall, which can result in extensive cell death when isolating and analysing cells from the lamina propria (LP). Populations of larger immune cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells are often trapped within mucus or dying tissues. Here we describe an optimised protocol for isolating LP leukocytes from the small intestine of H.polygyrus -infected mice, and we demonstrate phenotypic and functional identification of myeloid and CD4+ T cell subsets using cytokine staining and flow cytometry. Our protocol may provide a useful experimental method for the immunological analysis of the affected tissue site during helminth infections

Passive traps and sampling bias: social effects and personality affect trap-entry by sticklebacks

This research was funded by the University of St Andrews.Researchers routinely quantify the behaviour of subsets of animals, using their findings to make inferences about wider populations. Broader conclusions, however, may be inaccurate if the subjects that are tested are not representative of these populations. One way that this can arise is through sampling bias, which can occur if the method of collecting the test subjects disproportionately selects those with particular attributes, such that they end up being over‐ or under represented within the sample. Passive traps are associated with such sampling biases and have been shown to target certain behavioural phenotypes in a range of species. Here we asked whether funnel‐type fish traps were more likely to target more active and more social sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We found that more subjects entered the traps when they already contained conspecifics and that individual measures of activity predicted trap entry, with more active fish being captured sooner both when the traps already contained conspecifics and when they were empty. Unexpectedly, less‐social fish were captured sooner when the traps contained conspecifics. Sampling biases have the potential to skew the data collected by researchers and we therefore highlight the need to acknowledge and discuss potential for sampling biases and any consequences that may arise from this in published work. In the longer term, research that estimates the potential for sampling biases for various collection methods and species would be a valuable resource for helping to devise more representative sampling designs.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Evolved Gas Measurements Planned for the Lower Layers of the Gale Crater Mound with the Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Suite

The lower mound strata of Gale Crater provide a diverse set of chemical environments for exploration by the varied tools of the Curiosity Rover of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission. Orbital imaging and spectroscopy clearly reveal distinct layers of hydrated minerals, sulfates, and clays with abundant evidence of a variety of fluvial processes. The three instruments of the MSL Sample Analysis at aMars (SAM) investigation, the Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (QMS), the Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TLS), and the Gas Chromatograph (GC) are designed to analyze either atmospheric gases or volatiles thermally evolved or chemically extracted from powdered rock or soil. The presence or absence of organic compounds in these layers is of great interest since such an in situ search for this type of record has not been successfully implemented since the mid-60s Viking GCMS experiments. However, regardless of the outcome of the analysis for organics, the abundance and isotopic composition of thermally evolved inorganic compounds should also provide a rich data set to complement the mineralogical and elemental information provided by other MSL instruments. In addition, these evolved gas analysis (EGA) experiments will help test sedimentary models proposed by Malin and Edgett (2000) and then further developed by Milliken et al (2010) for Gale Crater. In the SAM EGA experiments the evolution temperatures of H2O, CO2, SO2, O2, or other simple compounds as the samples are heated in a helium stream to 1000 C provides information on mineral types and their associations. The isotopic composition of O, H, C, and S can be precisely determined in several evolved compounds and compared with the present day atmosphere. Such SAM results might be able to test mineralogical evidence of changing sedimentary and alteration processes over an extended period of time. For example, Bibring et al (2006) have suggested such a major shift from early nonacidic to later acidic alteration. We will illustrate through a variety of evolved gas experiments implemented under SAM-like gas flow and temperature ramp conditions on terrestrial analog minerals on high fidelity Sam breadboards the type of chemical information we expect SAM to provide