Exploring the perceptions, experiences and challenges of families after the father’s exposure to a fatherhood intervention programme

Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS)Fathers have a valuable, nurturing role to play in the lives of their children. Although a father’s availability and time with his child is important, the quality of a father’s involvement with his child is however, the strong predictor of child well-being. Therefore, Fatherhood intervention programmes desire to address fundamental issues that prevent men from succeeding in their fathering role. An understanding and evidence of the influence of fatherhood interventions on the role of the father in the family, is thus required. The aim of the study was to explore the perceptions, experiences and challenges of families after the father’s exposure to a fatherhood intervention programme. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was utilized. Thematic analysis had been used to analyse the data and five themes emerged from the study. They were constructions of fatherhood, experiences and perceptions of the fatherhood intervention programme, father’s experiences of the father-child relationship after exposure to the programme, spouse/partner perceptions and experiences of their relationships with their spouse after exposure to the programme, and the facilitator’s experiences of engaging fathers. The overall outcomes were that families perceived and experienced the fathers to be more involved, responsible and sharing in parenthood after exposure to the fatherhood intervention programme. This led to an increase of father involvement with children - childcare activities, schoolwork and well-being of the children; their spouse/partner - an improvement in the quality of the relationship between the fathers and their spouses/partners and an increase involvement in the home

Tenor and Bass Line Performance Treatments in Nicola Porpora's 1742 Venetian Ospedali Works

The Venetian ospedali, hospitals that cared for the ill, poor, and orphaned citizens of Venice became known in the eighteenth century for their music performances and female musicians. Among the repertoire for these supposed female choirs are works containing tenor and bass parts. This document explores the theories surrounding the performance treatment of the tenor and bass lines in ospedali repertoire with application of each theory to Nicola Porpora’s 1742 collection of mixed-voice works for the Pietà. It examines each theory of male singers, female tenors and basses, omission, substitution, and transposition by discussing old and new commentary involving historical practices, scholars’ research and opinions, witness accounts, and evidence within ospedali scores. Before applying each theory to the five works, Porpora’s compositional style during his Pietà tenure is discussed along with particular features of each work. A brief comparison of ranges and tessituras to selections of Porpora’s non-ospedali works is given, as well as specific compositional elements in some works that may indicate Porpora’s intended performers. The bulk of this study explores the application process of each treatment to the five 1742 works individually and examines their orchestral doubling, vocal pairing practices, text and line independency, range and tessitura issues, and other relevant factors that aid in the success or failure of each method to determine an appropriate approach when performing the works with women’s voices. Transcriptions of the chorus movements from the five works appear in the appendix for reference

Nutrient intake and growth in pre-school children

It is widely recognised that our knowledge of the nutrient intake of pre-school children aged 2 - 5 years and of their nutritional requirements for growth, is poor. Consequently, opinion is divided on whether modified diets, aimed primarily at the prevention of future adult diseases, adequately support growth in preschool children.Between May 1988 and April 1990 the nutrient intake and growth of 153 pre-school children from Edinburgh, aged 2 - 5 years, were assessed. 54 children repeated the study after an interval of 12 months to give a total of 207 assessments. Nutrient intake was determined by the 7 day weighed inventory method. Anthropometric measurements included height, weight and skinfold thicknesses. Supplementary information and social details were recorded by questionnaire. The data was grouped and analysed by age and gender of the children, and also by socioeconomic group.For each group of children a low mean energy intake of 80% - 85% of the current UK Estimated Average Requirement of energy was found (Department of Health 1991). The intake of other nutrients ranged widely, with group mean intakes at or above values of Recommended Nutrient Intakes, except for the intake of vitamin D which was very low and of iron in 2 year old children which was also low.The % of energy from fat, sugar, starch and dextrin varied considerably but no correlations were found with energy intake. Thus low fat or high sugar diets did not affect the average daily intake of energy. Such diets, however, did significantly affect the quality of the diet in terms of mineral and vitamin intakes per 1000 kilocalories. Also, highly significant correlations were found between intake of nutrients during the first and second survey of children studied twice.The anthropometric measurements of the children ranged widely but fell within the normal range for age, with group mean values for height and weight at or above the 50th percentile level. As anticipated, highly significant positive correlations were found between age, height, weight and energy intake. However, no significant correlations were found between energy or nutrient intakes and rate of growth, in terms of height velocity.The nutrient intake and growth parameters of children taking low fibre v high fibre and low fat v high fat diets were compared. No evidence was found to suggest that modification of diet compromised the normal growth of pre-school children. Likewise, no evidence was found to suggest that children who had been taking semi-skimmed milk for the previous year were growing less well than those taking full-fat milk.A full discussion of the results of this thesis is given and dietary guidelines for pre-school children aged 2 - 5 years are proposed

Qualitative condition monitoring of rail steel

To meet the growing demand for rail travel and keep customers satisfied, disruption to services must be minimised. Currently used rail inspection techniques require rail access which prevents 24h operation of rolling stock. The replacement of these disruptive techniques with passive remote monitoring methods can provide economic benefits to those who use and supply rail travel whilst improving customer satisfaction. Acoustic Emission (AE) is an inspection technique that can passively and continuously collect health degradation data while attached to the surface of a material. It has previously been identified as capable of detecting and locating growing defects within rails and crossings and recent work has focused on its use to quantify fatigue cracks as they propagate. Active inspection can be used to quantify defects that have previously propagated whilst AE testing can provide information on damage as it occurs. To predict future health degradation, it is necessary to use modelling. Recent work regarding the modelling of rails have included improvements to the accuracy of modelling the material behaviour whilst keeping the processing effort reasonably low (due to the large number of cycles that rails operate over). Links have also started to be made between Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and AE, with a goal of aiding AE data interpretation. A three-point bending fatigue test was performed on ten notched and pre-cracked samples of cast manganese steel (otherwise known as Hadfield steel). AE was measured by two sensors, the outputs of which were parametric and waveform analysis respectively. The crack length was measured throughout the test using Direct Current Potential Drop (DCPD). A similar experiment was performed in recent work on R260steel samples; data from the experiment was further analysed in this work. The waveform AE data and recorded force for each event was used to calibrate the parametric AE data to the true frequency so that a more accurate cycle number for each event was used and the cycle stage at which hits were measured could be analysed. For the Hadfield steel, the parametric AE data was compared to the crack growth rate to attempt quantification using the AE count rate. Finite Element Analysis was also performed to simulate a crack growing through an inclusion in R260 steel and investigate the resultant energy release for comparison with previous work in the literature that related the location of an inclusion along the surface of a fatigue crack to the time at which a significant step in cumulative AE energy was measured. In both Hadfield steel and R260 steel, AE events that remained after filtering were determined to primarily be generated by crack propagation and friction as the crack opened and closed. Events that were measured during loading (due to crack propagation and friction of surfaces during crack opening) occurred earlier in the cycle as the crack grew, whilst events that were measured during unloading (due to friction during crack closure) appeared to occur at a consistent cycle stage. Contrary to what was previously observed for R260 steel samples, the Hadfield steel samples showed no relationship between the count rates or energy rates and the stress intensity factor range (ΔK). As a result, no link could be made between the measured AE parameters and the crack growth. Therefore, crack length quantification using AE could not be achieved for the Hadfield steel samples. The FEA inclusion model showed that soft MnS inclusions can cause fast crack propagation and a related step in energy released. This supported the suggestion in previous work that an observed step in cumulative AE energy was a result of fast crack propagation caused by an inclusion. Finally, a digital twin for rail is conceptualised which uses inputs of measured mechanical loads and AE for a section of track to reproduce defect growth and material behaviour. Implementation of an inspection technology such as this, if accurate, would vastly reduce inspection and maintenance costs whilst raising confidence in rail health

Language and the Thing in Itself in the fiction of John Banville

This thesis consists of an exploration of the interaction between language and the thing in itself in the fiction of John Banville. The thing in itself is that which exceeds the text and to which it cannot refer, even as it is compelled to do so. In exploring this tension, the thesis focuses on how Banville’s writing, in foregrounding the inadequacy of the literary text, makes the reader aware of the existence of what exceeds it. Each of the chapters in the study examines the various strategies through which Banville gestures beyond the text in spite of the limitations placed upon him by form and genre. The first chapter studies the tendency in this writer’s texts to view death as an apotheosis of the soul in which the individual finally has access to the thing in itself, which they had previously encountered as infants before entering language. The second chapter examines how elements of Romantic thought, such as nostalgia, the seniority of the child over the adult and a particular impression of the natural world, contribute to Banville’s attempt to gesture towards the thing in itself. In the third chapter, the role of language in distorting one’s understanding of the other is examined. The final chapter of the thesis examines the narrative strategies (including mise en abyme, ekphrasis, metaphor and catachresis) Banville uses in order to present the reader with excess. Ultimately, this study suggests that Banville uses various narrative strategies to make his reader aware of that which exists outside of the text. By gesturing beyond the novel to the sublime, and by self-reflexively exposing the inner workings of the writing process to the reader, Banville’s texts confront the reader with an intimation of ineluctable excess.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Literary Studies in English, 202

A comprehensive systematic review of the impact of planned interventions offered to pregnant women who have requested a caesarean section as a result of tokophobia (fear of childbirth)

Background: Tokophobia, a deep‐seated fear of childbirth, causes women emotional anguish and affects the mother‐baby relationship. It can result in women avoiding future pregnancies or requesting caesarean section. This review examines evidence for the effectiveness of planned interventions in women with okophobia in both reducing requests for caesarean section and in ameliorating maternal distress. Objectives: 1) To synthesise the best available quantitative evidence for the effectiveness of planned interventions in reducing: a) fear/anxiety in tokophobic women, b) planned caesarean sections 2) To synthesise the best available qualitative evidence relating to the experiences of tokophobic women who request a caesarean section, particularly satisfaction with interventions and the childbirth experience. Inclusion criteria: This review considered studies that included pregnant women requesting a caesarean section for tokophobia in the absence of medical (or obstetric) indications who were offered a planned intervention. Search strategy: The literature search focused on published and unpublished studies in English distributed between January 1990 and April 2012. An initial limited database search was undertaken to identify keywords, followed by an extensive search of relevant databases and potential grey material. Methodological quality: Assessment for methodological quality was carried out independently by two reviewers using the standardised appraisal tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Data extraction: Data were extracted from papers included in the review using the standardised data extraction tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Data synthesis: Statistical meta‐analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity. Therefore, a narrative summary of the data was undertaken. Results: Nine quantitative papers (comprising eight studies: one randomised controlled trial, five case control studies and two descriptive case series) were included; two of these papers appertained to the same study. No qualitative papers were found. Definitions for tokophobia varied. Samples were confounded by the inclusion of women with complex obstetric histories or with mental health issues. Comparison groups were sometimes non‐tokophobic women. Interventions were complex and descriptions sometimes lacked clarity. Although the randomised controlled trial found no difference in birth choices between samples, a group therapy intervention predisposed women to vaginal birth. One study measured whether interventions reduced fear, finding that they did. Four studies explored satisfaction with the intervention. In three cases interventions were evaluated positively. These involved midwifery input and birth planning. Conclusion: More research is needed to identify how tokophobic women might be helped. Current guidelines should be upheld for the time being, in the absence of further evidence. Implications for practice: Due to the heterogeneous nature of the research it is impossible at this stage to draw conclusions for practice. Implications for research: Due to ethical concerns about randomising tokophobic women to non‐treatment groups, innovative research designs should be considered. More research is needed on the effectiveness of group interventions and the role of midwives in administering interventions. A standard, measurable definition for tokophobia is needed and careful documentation and differential analysis of women's parity, mental health and obstetric status should be made. Outcomes should include fear reduction. Satisfaction and birth outcome should be measured on more than one occasion

Let’s play at the library: Creating innovative play experiences for babies and toddlers

Young children build an understanding of their world through play. Play starts in infancy and continues to evolve as children develop. Research shows strong links between play and early literacy, as well as other key developmental skills. This paper reviews what very young children learn through play, as well as optimal adult interactions that best support early literacy development. It looks at certain barriers to play and addresses what impedes parents and caregivers from being present and responsive during their children’s play. At Brooklyn Public Library the authors have developed a play-based curriculum for babies and toddlers, which the paper describes, including suggested play activities and practical tips for setting up “play stations” in traditional storytime programs or in full-scale play events. Finally, the authors share examples of how librarians throughout the United States are implementing innovative play programming for babies and toddlers

Native Chemical Ligation−Photodesulfurization in Flow

Native chemical ligation (NCL) combined with desulfurization chemistry has revolutionized the way in which large polypeptides and proteins are accessed by chemical synthesis. Herein, we outline the use of flow chemistry for the ligation-based assembly of polypeptides. We also describe the development of a novel photodesulfurization transformation that, when coupled with flow NCL, enables efficient access to native polypeptides on time scales up to 2 orders of magnitude faster than current batch NCL–desulfurization methods. The power of the new ligation–photodesulfurization flow platform is showcased through the rapid synthesis of the 36 residue clinically approved HIV entry inhibitor enfuvirtide and the peptide diagnostic agent somatorelin.ARC Future Fellowship Scheme 25

Synthesis and evaluation of analogues of the glycinocin family of calcium-dependent antibiotics

The glycinocins are a class of calcium-dependent, acidic cyclolipopeptide antibiotics that are structurally related to the clinically approved antibiotic daptomycin. In this article, we describe the synthesis of a small library of glycinocin analogues that differ by variation in the exocyclic fatty acyl substituent. The glycinocin analogues were screened against a panel of Gram-positive bacteria (as well as Gram-negative P. aeruginosa). These analogues exhibited similar calcium-dependent activity to the parent natural products against Gram-positive bacteria but showed no activity against P. aeruginosa. The length of the fatty acid was shown to be important for optimal biological activity, while the hybridisation at the α,β position and branching within the fatty acyl chain had only subtle effects on activity