CARBON ISOTOPE STRATIGRAPHY AND DIAGENESIS OF PENNSYLVANIAN (DESMOINESIAN-MISSOURIAN) CARBONATES IN EAST-CENTRAL IDAHO

Carbon isotope stratigraphy of carbonate sediments is instrumental in examining major perturbations in the global carbon cycle and in correlating strata. However, the primary isotopic signal recorded in these sediments can vary with depositional environment and diagenetic alteration. This study examines the carbon isotope stratigraphy and its relation to depositional environment, lithology, and diagenetic history in a section of the 312-307 million year old Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian-Missourian) Snaky Canyon Formation in the Beaverhead Mountains, east-central Idaho. Petrography of 90 thin sections show carbonate rocks ranging from mudstone to boundstone containing variable amounts of eolian siliciclastics with as much as 50% silt to medium sand grains in some samples. The abundance of siliciclastic influx decreases upsection to less than 1% sand and roughly corresponds to an increase in parasequence thickness. Open marine carbonate facies include abundant crinoids, bryozoans, foraminifera, brachiopods, green algae, phylloid algae, and arthropod fragments. Chert, bioturbation features (e.g. burrows), intraclasts, pellets, coarse calcite spar, calcite-filled fractures, and fossil silicification also occur in these rocks. Cathodoluminescence (CL) analysis of thin sections reveals a lack of luminescence in nearly all components, suggesting that depositional and diagenetic waters were low in Mn2+ or high in Fe2+. Approximately 130 billets were analyzed to yield 13C/12C and 18O/16O ratios. Fractures have much lower δ18O (-13.9‰)reflecting post-depositional tectonic processes. Most of the isotopic data for micritic components are within -8 to -1‰ for δ18O and -1 to +5‰ for δ13C. Previously reported oxygen isotope values for Pennsylvanian brachiopods from the U.S. Midcontinent are -2.2 ±0.7‰, indicating outlier δ18O values in this study are altered. Most of the isotope data for carbon are within previously reported Pennsylvanian fine grained carbonate ranges of +1 to +5‰. These isotopic values appear to be independent of lithology and percent carbonate; thus, the main controlling influence on the δ13C and δ18O data may be depositional environment. Three significant trends in the δ13C data appear to correspond to thickness and boundaries of stratigraphic parasequences. Isotope values in this study were compared to those of Arrow Canyon,Nevada and showed similar trends for the Desmoinesian but not for the Missourian

Gravitational Potential Modeling of Near-Earth Contact Binaries

A significant component of recent space exploration has been unmanned mission to comets and asteroids. The increase in interest for these bodies necessitates an increase in demand for higher fidelity trajectory simulations in order to assure mission success. Most available methods for simulating trajectories about asymmetric bodies assume they are of uniform density. This thesis examines a hybrid method that merges a mass concentration ( mascon ) model and a spherical harmonic model using the Brillouin sphere as the interface. This joint model will be used for simulating trajectories about variable density bodies and, in particular, contact binary asteroids and comets. The scope of this thesis is confined to the analysis and characterization of the spherical harmonic modeling method in which three bodies of increasing asymmetrical severity are used as test cases: Earth, asteroid 101955 Bennu, and asteroid 25143 Itokawa. Since the zonal harmonics are well defined for Earth, it is used as the initial baseline for the method. Trajectories in the equatorial plane and inclined to this plane are simulated to analyze the dynamical behavior of the environment around each of the three bodies. There are multiple degrees of freedom in the spherical harmonic modeling method which are characterized as follows: (1) The radius of the Brillouin sphere is varied as a function of the altitude of the simulated orbit, (2) The truncation degree of the series is chosen based upon the error incurred in the acceleration field on the chosen Brillouin sphere, and (3) The gravitational potential and acceleration field are calculated using the determined radial location of the Brillouin sphere and the truncation degree. An ideal Brillouin sphere radius and truncation degree are able to be determined as a function of a given orbit where the error in the acceleration field is locally minimized. The dual-density model for a contact binary is found to more accurately describe the dynamical environment around Asteroid 25143 Itokawa compared to the single density model

The Relationship Between Secondary Teachers’ Self-efficacy Subscales of Student Engagement, Instructional Practices, and Classroom Management, and Attitudes About the Inclusive Setting

The purpose of this quantitative correlation study is to determine if there is a relationship between in-service secondary teachers’ self-efficacy regarding student engagement, instructional practices, and classroom management and their attitudes toward the inclusive setting. Secondary teachers’ self-efficacy is imperative to student engagement, instructional practices, and classroom management in an inclusive setting. The study surveys 67 in-service middle and high school level general education teachers from a single, rural school district in eastern Pennsylvania. Data were collected using two surveys which are the long form of Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale and The Scale of Teacher’s Attitudes towards Inclusive Classroom. Data were collected anonymously through Survey Monkey. A Pearson product-moment correlation was used to analyze the data. The results revealed a statistically significant positive correlation at a very large effect size between student engagement and attitudes toward inclusion, instructional practices and attitude toward inclusion, and classroom management and attitudes toward inclusion

‘On the Spectrum’: Teachers’ perspectives of the implications of labelling children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This item is only available electronically.Labels have been argued to pathologise difference and stigmatise individuals as ‘deviant’ from societally-enforced ‘norms’. Currently situated within an ‘autism epidemic’, the implications of labelling a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are important to investigate in order to recognise the potential impact an ASD label may have upon a child’s wellbeing. There is limited literature discussing the impact of an ASD label within the contemporary shift to inclusive education. This qualitative study explored ten primary school teachers’ perspectives of the implications of labelling children with ASD within the current educational environment. Thematic analysis identified that teachers were active in making meaning of the ‘autism’ label , whilst further data-driven themes reflected the perceived implications of a label. Findings indicated that teachers framed a diagnosis as largely beneficial to the outcomes of a child. The ASD label provided necessary funding, informed teaching practices, managed expectations and acted as an explanation for behaviours perceived as ‘different’, thereby informing understandings. Analysis also suggested a conflict in the framing of the label between teachers and parents; some parents were perceived as resistant to recommendations for diagnosis due to fears of stigmatisation. Teachers acknowledged, however, that increasing prevalence, changes in societal awareness and a shift to inclusive education aided in the mitigation of stigmatising attitudes. These findings provide initial evidence that teachers frame the ASD label as helpful to the social and academic outcomes of primary school children within the current educational environment. This positivist outlook may be useful for parents struggling to reconcile with the idea of ascertaining a diagnosis of ASD and provide guidance for conversations between schools and parents.Thesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 201

The Life Purpose Questionnaire: a Factor-Analytic Investigation

Meaning in life has been a popular topic of philosophy and study, and the perceived presence of meaning in one\u27s life has been associated with many positive psychological variables (e.g., life satisfaction), while the perceived absence of meaning has been associated with negative variables (e.g., depression). The Purpose in Life test (PIL) was developed in order to assess the amount of perceived meaning in a person\u27s life. Despite good psychometric support, there have been questions about the structural validity of the measure (i.e., only one model has been replicated, consisting of two factors that reflect exciting life and purpose in life) as well as assertions that it is difficult to understand. The Life Purpose Questionnaire (LPQ) was derived from the PIL and addresses its shortcomings. Although it is easier to understand, there have been no previous investigations as to its factor structure. A final sample of 908 students at the University of Mississippi completed the LPQ, and its factorial structure was examined. Analyses revealed two distinct factors that seem to reflect similar concepts as those of the PIL (i.e., exciting life and purpose in life). Factor loadings ranged from .34 to .87, and the internal consistency coefficient ranged from acceptable to excellent (.79 for the total measure, .84 for factor one, .92 for factor two). Despite similarity in concepts, the factors were not comprised of the same items, although there was some overlap in items that loaded onto each factor for the PIL and the LPQ. Limitations of research include a homogeneous sample and speculation regarding what the LPQ factors actually measure. Future research will include replication of the factor structure as well as investigating associations between the factors and other constructs in order to better determine what each factor is assesses

Frequency of cannabis and illicit opioid use among people who use drugs and report chronic pain: A longitudinal analysis.

BACKGROUND:Ecological research suggests that increased access to cannabis may facilitate reductions in opioid use and harms, and medical cannabis patients describe the substitution of opioids with cannabis for pain management. However, there is a lack of research using individual-level data to explore this question. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal association between frequency of cannabis use and illicit opioid use among people who use drugs (PWUD) experiencing chronic pain. METHODS AND FINDINGS:This study included data from people in 2 prospective cohorts of PWUD in Vancouver, Canada, who reported major or persistent pain from June 1, 2014, to December 1, 2017 (n = 1,152). We used descriptive statistics to examine reasons for cannabis use and a multivariable generalized linear mixed-effects model to estimate the relationship between daily (once or more per day) cannabis use and daily illicit opioid use. There were 424 (36.8%) women in the study, and the median age at baseline was 49.3 years (IQR 42.3-54.9). In total, 455 (40%) reported daily illicit opioid use, and 410 (36%) reported daily cannabis use during at least one 6-month follow-up period. The most commonly reported therapeutic reasons for cannabis use were pain (36%), sleep (35%), stress (31%), and nausea (30%). After adjusting for demographic characteristics, substance use, and health-related factors, daily cannabis use was associated with significantly lower odds of daily illicit opioid use (adjusted odds ratio 0.50, 95% CI 0.34-0.74, p < 0.001). Limitations of the study included self-reported measures of substance use and chronic pain, and a lack of data for cannabis preparations, dosages, and modes of administration. CONCLUSIONS:We observed an independent negative association between frequent cannabis use and frequent illicit opioid use among PWUD with chronic pain. These findings provide longitudinal observational evidence that cannabis may serve as an adjunct to or substitute for illicit opioid use among PWUD with chronic pain

Anyone’s best friend: A qualitative exploration of the positive influences of animal assisted therapy on mental health and well-being

Animal assisted therapy is becoming a widely used alternative psychotherapy. Research has shown animals to have positive influences on the physical, emotional, social and psychological aspects of the human psyche. This study explored the positive influences animal assisted therapies had on mental health and psychological well-being. In this study, animal assisted therapy acted as an umbrella term for the variations of animals used such equine assisted therapy and therapy dogs. Participants were registered counsellors who utilised the therapy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, focusing on participants’ observations and experiences using animal assisted therapies with their clients. Thematic analysis produced four themes; Connection, Present Moment, Personal Growth and Freedom & Flexibility. Despite this study providing support for the effectiveness of animal assisted therapy, further research is needed to propel this alternative method forward. Animal assisted therapy has proven flexible enough to be embedded into current and widely used therapy techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural therapy. The popularity and successes of animal assisted therapies in the United States suggests that more attention needed to increase the work which has started here in the UK

Extraperitoneal v Intraperitoneal Robotic Prostatectomy: Analysis of Operative Outcomes

Background and Purpose: Robotic prostatectomy can be performed either via an extra- or intraperitoneal approach. The extraperitoneal approach has advantages similar to those of an extraperitoneal open radical prostatectomy, but the potential disadvantages of a small working space. We report our experience using both approaches. Methods: From July 2003 to June 2004, 55 patients underwent a robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy. During the first 6 months, 21 prostatectomies were performed using an intraperitoneal approach (group 1); 34 were performed using an extraperitoneal approach (group 2) during the next 6 months. Clinicopathologic parameters and perioperative complications were compared in both groups. All patients were categorized as intent-to-treat analysis. Results: Median surgery time was significantly shorter in the extraperitoneal compared with the intraperitoneal approach (3 hours and 34 minutes v 4 hours and 1 minute, respectively, P = 0.017). This was because of the shorter time interval between the skin incision and incision of the endopelvic fascia in the extraperitoneal v the intraperitoneal approach (55 minutes v 74 minutes, respectively, P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in terms of patient age, clinical and pathologic stage, length of hospital stay, and perioperative complications between the two approaches. Conclusion: Extraperitoneal robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy offers a similar clinical outcome as the intraperitoneal approach. However, the extraperitoneal approach avoids potential bowel injury or complications related to an intraperitoneal urine leak.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63120/1/end.2007.9872.pd