Amplifying LGBTQ Voices in Social Work

This banded dissertation is focused on amplifying LGBTQ voices in social work education and practice through an exploration of language, policies, standards, and practices used in social work education. Using a historical lens, feminist, queer, and critical theories were used to examine issues of power, voice, context, and social justice. The first product is a conceptual paper that examines the history of the language used in social work education related to how we think and talk about diversity. This examination includes a critique of the use of the term difference and the othering impact it can have on LGBTQ individuals and communities, deeming LGBTQ people as inherently different, deviant, or abnormal based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression. The second product is a historical content analysis examining the conversation at the Council on Social Work Education regarding LGBTQ related issues from 1980-2015. This analysis expands on the literature and highlights tensions as well as advocacy efforts related to a variety of issues, most notably a recurring debate regarding policies and ethical standards that polarized religious freedom and LGBTQ rights. The third product is a presentation on product one, the conceptual paper exploring the language used to understand and talk about diversity in social work education over time. The presentation included the author’s recommendation to remove the term difference from the social work education competency language in an effort to move away from a binary and dominate subordinate language structure that can other people. The LGBTQ community served as an example group to illustrate the impact in practice. This banded dissertation is aimed at amplifying LGBTQ voices through exploration and documentation of issues that impact LTBTQ people in social work education and practice. This work provides several points of opportunity for curricular infusion related to social work education history, diversity, social justice, and ethics as well as opportunities for additional research that could further amplify LGBTQ voices in social work education and practice, such as conducting individual interviews and developing a case study

Amplifying LGBTQ Voices in Social Work

This banded dissertation is focused on amplifying LGBTQ voices in social work education and practice through an exploration of language, policies, standards, and practices used in social work education. Using a historical lens, feminist, queer, and critical theories were used to examine issues of power, voice, context, and social justice. The first product is a conceptual paper that examines the history of the language used in social work education related to how we think and talk about diversity. This examination includes a critique of the use of the term difference and the othering impact it can have on LGBTQ individuals and communities, deeming LGBTQ people as inherently different, deviant, or abnormal based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression. The second product is a historical content analysis examining the conversation at the Council on Social Work Education regarding LGBTQ related issues from 1980-2015. This analysis expands on the literature and highlights tensions as well as advocacy efforts related to a variety of issues, most notably a recurring debate regarding policies and ethical standards that polarized religious freedom and LGBTQ rights. The third product is a presentation on product one, the conceptual paper exploring the language used to understand and talk about diversity in social work education over time. The presentation included the author’s recommendation to remove the term difference from the social work education competency language in an effort to move away from a binary and dominate subordinate language structure that can other people. The LGBTQ community served as an example group to illustrate the impact in practice. This banded dissertation is aimed at amplifying LGBTQ voices through exploration and documentation of issues that impact LTBTQ people in social work education and practice. This work provides several points of opportunity for curricular infusion related to social work education history, diversity, social justice, and ethics as well as opportunities for additional research that could further amplify LGBTQ voices in social work education and practice, such as conducting individual interviews and developing a case study

Optimizing identification of clinically relevant gram-positive organisms by use of the bruker biotyper matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry system

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) can be used as a method for the rapid identification of microorganisms. This study evaluated the Bruker Biotyper (MALDI-TOF MS) system for the identification of clinically relevant Gram-positive organisms. We tested 239 aerobic Gram-positive organisms isolated from clinical specimens. We evaluated 4 direct-smear methods, including “heavy” (H) and “light” (L) smears, with and without a 1-μl direct formic acid (FA) overlay. The quality measure assigned to a MALDI-TOF MS identification is a numerical value or “score.” We found that a heavy smear with a formic acid overlay (H+FA) produced optimal MALDI-TOF MS identification scores and the highest percentage of correctly identified organisms. Using a score of ≥2.0, we identified 183 of the 239 isolates (76.6%) to the genus level, and of the 181 isolates resolved to the species level, 141 isolates (77.9%) were correctly identified. To maximize the number of correct identifications while minimizing misidentifications, the data were analyzed using a score of ≥1.7 for genus- and species-level identification. Using this score, 220 of the 239 isolates (92.1%) were identified to the genus level, and of the 181 isolates resolved to the species level, 167 isolates (92.2%) could be assigned an accurate species identification. We also evaluated a subset of isolates for preanalytic factors that might influence MALDI-TOF MS identification. Frequent subcultures increased the number of unidentified isolates. Incubation temperatures and subcultures of the media did not alter the rate of identification. These data define the ideal bacterial preparation, identification score, and medium conditions for optimal identification of Gram-positive bacteria by use of MALDI-TOF MS

A model of the extent and distribution of woody linear features in rural Great Britain

Hedges and lines of trees (woody linear features) are important boundaries that connect and enclose habitats, buffer the effects of land management, and enhance biodiversity in increasingly impoverished landscapes. Despite their acknowledged importance in the wider countryside, they are usually not considered in models of landscape function due to their linear nature and the difficulties of acquiring relevant data about their character, extent, and location. We present a model which uses national datasets to describe the distribution of woody linear features along boundaries in Great Britain. The method can be applied for other boundary types and in other locations around the world across a range of spatial scales where different types of linear feature can be separated using characteristics such as height or width. Satellite-derived Land Cover Map 2007 (LCM2007) provided the spatial framework for locating linear features and was used to screen out areas unsuitable for their occurrence, that is, offshore, urban, and forest areas. Similarly, Ordnance Survey Land-Form PANORAMA®, a digital terrain model, was used to screen out where they do not occur. The presence of woody linear features on boundaries was modelled using attributes from a canopy height dataset obtained by subtracting a digital terrain map (DTM) from a digital surface model (DSM). The performance of the model was evaluated against existing woody linear feature data in Countryside Survey across a range of scales. The results indicate that, despite some underestimation, this simple approach may provide valuable information on the extents and locations of woody linear features in the countryside at both local and national scales

Discovery of the infrared counterpart of CXOU J174437.3-323222 in the field of IGR J17448-3232: a blazar candidate viewed through the Galactic centre?

We present our near infrared ESO-NTT Ks band observations of the field of IGR J17448-3232 which show no extended emission consistent with the SNR but in which we identify a new counterpart, also visible in Spitzer images up to 24 {\mu}m, at the position of the X-ray point source, CXOUJ174437.3-323222. Multi-wavelength spectral modelling shows that the data are consistent with a reddened and absorbed single power law over five orders of magnitude in frequency. This implies non-thermal, possibly synchrotron emission that renders the previous identification of this source as a possible pulsar, and its association to the SNR, unlikely; we instead propose that the emission may be due to a blazar viewed through the plane of the Galaxy.Comment: MNRAS Letters (5 pages, 3 figures); Table 1 corrected in this versio

Social Class

Discussion of class structure in fifth-century Athens, historical constitution of theater audiences, and the changes in the comic representation of class antagonism from Aristophanes to Menander

Aristophanes and De Ste. Croix: The value of old comedy as evidence for Athenian popular culture

De Ste. Croix famously argued that Aristophanes had a conservative political outlook and attempted to use his comedies to win over lower-class audiences to this minority point of view. The ongoing influence of his interpretation has meant that old comedy has been largely ignored in the historiography of Athenian popular culture. This article extends earlier critiques of de Ste. Croix by systematically comparing how Aristophanes and the indisputably popular genre of fourth-century oratory represented the social classes of the Athenians and political leaders. The striking parallels between the two suggest that Aristophanes, far from advocating a minority position, exploited the rich and, at times, contradictory views of lower-class citizens for comic and ultimately competitive ends. As a consequence his plays are valuable evidence for Athenian popular culture and help to correct the markedly fourth-century bias in the writing of Athenian cultural history

Latest Developments in Metalloenzyme Design and Repurposing

In the past decade, artificial metalloenzymes (AMEs) have emerged as attractive alternatives to more traditional homogeneous catalysts and enzymes. This microreview presents a selection of recent achievements in the design of such hybrid catalysts. These include artificial zinc hydrolases and metathesases, the heme-protein repurposing for C–H, N–H, and S–H insertion reactions, novel light-driven redox hybrid catalysts, novel scaffold proteins, and metallocofactor anchoring techniques and metalloenzyme models