A textual analysis of the role of women in historical fiction for young people

The purpose of this textual analysis of the role of women in historical fiction written for young people was to identify whether the portrayal of women in contemporary historical fiction varies from pre-Feminist era historical fiction. This researcher’s goal was to seek examples and compare the portrayal of women in novels written before and after 1970. Twenty-four novels were selected from historical novel bibliographies. Twelve novels written before 1970 and twelve written after 1970 were read and any identified patterns were included in the sorting process. Research questions seeking resolution were: how were women portrayed in historical fiction written for young people before and after 1970 and can changing patterns in the portrayal of the role of women in historical fiction be identified? Emerging themes in the portrayal of women in historical fiction written for young people identified in novels from both time periods by this researcher’s textual analysis include: that there are few examples of females taking masculine roles, female characters who endure the absence of a male character resulted in two patterns; independence or displaced dependence, few female characters were portrayed as having a formal education or as a problem solver, most female characters were portrayed as a wife or mother, and undiagnosed mental health issues seemed to be ascribed to female characters. The research question can changing patterns in the portrayal of the role of women in historical fiction be identified could not be confirmed or rejected as examples of emerging themes in the portrayal of women in historical fiction were found in novels from both time periods

Tending Poetic Gardens: Weaving Poetry Into A Third Grade Curriculum

There are many benefits to creating poetry-rich classrooms where students experience poetry in a variety of ways. This capstone project addresses the question: How can third grade teachers effectively expose students to the genre of poetry and teach them how to write poetry? This project describes the rationale for a poetry unit, and the literature review addresses the benefits of poetry, its role in the Common Core State Standards, and why teacher modeling is an effective teaching strategy. The project consists of a poetry writing unit to be used with third grade students. Within the unit there are recommendations of how teachers can set up a poetry-rich classroom for their students that includes exposing them to many types of poems and building their background knowledge about poetry. This environment is necessary in order for the students to be successful at writing poetry. A teacher modeling component is present in each of the twelve poetry writing lessons. Future implications of this work may include teachers creating poetry-rich environments where students can reap the many benefits that poetry has to offer

Towards the Use of Time-Resolved X-ray Crystallography in Mechanistic Studies of Cytochrome c Nitrite Reductase from Shewanella Oneidensis

A high-yield expression and purification of Shewanella oneidensis cytochrome c nitrite reductase (ccNiR), and its characterization by a variety of methods, notably Laue crystallography, is reported. A key component of the expression system is an artificial ccNiR gene in which the N-terminal signal peptide from the highly expressed S. oneidensis protein Small Tetra-heme c replaces the wild-type signal peptide. This gene, inserted into the plasmid pHSG298 and expressed in S. oneidensis TSP-C strain, generated approximately 20 mg crude ccNiR/L culture, compared with 0.5-1 mg/L for untransformed cells. Purified ccNiR exhibited nitrite and hydroxylamine reductase activities comparable to those of E. coli ccNiR. UV/Vis spectropotentiometric titrations identified five independent one-electron reduction processes. Global analysis of the spectropotentiometric data also allowed determination of the extinction coefficient spectra for the five reduced ccNiR species. Purified ccNiR yielded good quality crystals, with which the 2.59 Ä resolution structure was solved at 0&degC using the Laue diffraction method. The structure is similar to that of E. coli ccNiR, except in the region where each enzyme interacts with distinct physiological partners. Using the above-mentioned expression system, a mutant ccNiR bearing a surface cysteine was prepared and labeled with the photo-active [Ru(bpy)2(5-iodoacetamido-1,10-phenanthroline)]2+. In the presence of ferrocyanide the Ru-labeled ccNiR could be photo-reduced in less than 1&mus using a 5ns laser pulse. S. oneidensis ccNiR also oxidizes hydroxylamine, yielding nitrite as the sole nitrogenous product. UV/visible stopped-flow and rapid freeze-quench EPR data, along with product analysis, showed that the equilibrium between hydroxylamine and nitrite is fairly rapidly established in the presence of large initial concentrations of hydroxylamine, despite said equilibrium lying far to the left. By contrast reduction of hydroxylamine to ammonia did not occur, even though disproportionation of hydroxylamine to yield both nitrite and ammonia is strongly favored thermodynamically. This suggests a kinetic barrier to the ccNiR-catalyzed reduction of hydroxylamine to ammonia, which has important mechanistic implications. The availability of a large quantity of ccNiR, that yields crystals suitable for diffractometry using the Laue method, and that can be tagged with a photo-reductant, opens the door to future time-resolved X-ray crystallographic studies with this enzyme

School Aged Children’s Experiences 7 and 13 Months Following a Sibling’s Death

This study described 6-year to 12-year-old children\u27s responses 7 and 13 months after siblings\u27 NICU/PICU/ED death. Using semi-structured interviews, at 7 months, children were asked about events around their sibling\u27s death. At both 7 and 13 months, children were asked about their thoughts and feelings about the deceased, concerns or fears, and life changes since the death. Thirty one children (58% female), recruited from four South Florida hospitals and Florida obituaries, participated. Children\u27s mean age was 8.4 years; 64.5% were Black, 22.5% Hispanic, 13% White. Interviews were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Resulting themes: circumstances of the death, burial events, thinking about and talking to the deceased sibling, fears, and life changes. Most children knew their sibling\u27s cause of death, attended funeral/memorials, thought about and talked to their deceased sibling, reported changes in family and themselves over the 13 months. Fears (something happening to themselves, parents, other siblings-death, cancer, being snatched away) decreased from 7 to 13 months especially in 7-year to 9-year-olds. Seven-year to 9-year-olds reported the greatest change in themselves from 7 to 13 months. More Black children and girls thought about the deceased and reported more changes in themselves over the 13 months. School aged children thought about and talked with their deceased sibling, reported changes in themselves and their family and their fears decreased over the first 13 months after their sibling\u27s death

Pediatric head trauma: parent, parent-child, and family functioning 2 weeks after hospital discharge

OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects of pediatric head trauma on parent mental health, parent-child relationship and family functioning 2 weeks after discharge. METHODS: Ninety-seven mothers and 37 fathers of 106 preschool children hospitalized with head injury completed Mental Health Inventory (MHI), Parenting Stress Index, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales II (FACES II) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) 2 weeks after discharge, and perceived injury severity, Parental Concerns Scale (PCS), Parental Stressors Scale: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PSS: PICU), and MHI 24-48 h after hospital admission. RESULTS: Mental health after discharge was related to social support and baseline mental health. Mothers\u27 parental distress was related to perceived injury severity and social support. Greater family cohesion was related to baseline mental health, social support, and being in a two-parent family for mothers, and to social support for fathers. CONCLUSIONS: Parents\u27 mental health and social support were important for parent mental health and family cohesion after discharge. Perceived injury severity and parent reactions to hospitalization also played a role

Editorial: Parent, Grandparent, and Sibling Responses to the Death of an Infant or Child in Intensive Care

The death of a child is a devastating event for most parents and other family members1. However, responses to a child’s death vary by culture, generation, and often the age of the deceased child. For the Chinese, child death is a “bad death” and brings shame to the family2. Filipino parents of a deceased child feel severe guilt after their loss3. In some Caribbean cultures young mothers are prevented from attending the child’s funeral or going to the cemetery by women in the previous generation in the belief that if you “take one to the cemetery you will be taking all of your other children there as well.” In other cultures, those who die as children have not sinned, securing their place in heaven4. In the ethnically-diverse US, more than 43,000 children aged 18 and younger die each year5, most in intensive care units6. Friends, relatives, co-workers, and healthcare providers (HCP) often are uncomfortable with the parents after their child’s death, not knowing what to do, what to say, and what would help the deceased’s parents and family members. Many assume that parents and family members want to be left alone after the infant’s or child’s death. As a result, parents, siblings, and grandparents report feeling isolated and abandoned by those close to them when they need them most7–10. Little research has been done with these US family members in the difficult first year after the child’s death. What has been done has shown that studies of parents have been conducted years, even 3–7 decades11, after their infant’s or child’s death. However, many studies have very diverse samples regarding the age of the “child” at death. In some studies, family members are responding to the death of a “child” who died in childhood (≤18 years old) and a “child” who died as an adult (19 and above), sometimes as old as 40, in the same study12. In addition, studies of siblings whose brother or sister died during the sibling’s childhood are often retrospective. Some studies postpone data collection until the sibling reaches adulthood; and some studies recruit bereaved siblings when they are adults. Very few studies have been undertaken with grandparents of the deceased child. With funding from the US NIH National Institute of Nursing Research and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a body of research has been conducted on parents’, grandparents’ and siblings’ health and functioning during the first year after the infant’s or child’s death in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to fill our knowledge gap

A Comparison of Maternal Attachment between American Adolescent and Adult Mothers of Preschoolers

American adolescent mothers have been viewed as less effective parents than adult mothers. The socioeconomic disadvantages of adolescent mothers should be taken into account. The objectives of this study were to compare maternal attachment between adolescent and adult mothers of preschoolers and to examine changes of adolescents’ maternal attachment over time. A secondary analysis of data from a larger study of maternal employment and low birth weight infant outcomes were used. Data were collected through home visits using structured questionnaires at two different time points. Forty-three pairs of adolescent and adult mothers who could be matched on family structure, maternal race, and child’s gestational status were compared on maternal attachment. The 7-item Attachment subscale of the Parenting Stress Index was used to measure maternal attachment. Results revealed that the adolescent mothers were not less attached to their preschoolers than the adults. This held true when important confounding factors were taken into account using multiple regression

Predictors of Women\u27s Postpartum Health Status in the First 3 Months After Childbirth

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the significant predictors of postpartum health indicated by physical health, mental health, and role performance during the first 3 months postpartum. Methods This study used a correlational survey design. The study subjects were 152 mothers at 6 weeks postpartum (T1) and 131 mothers at 3 months postpartum (T2). At 6 weeks and 3 months postpartum, subjects completed a packet of instruments–measuring physical and mental health, role performance, sense of mastery, social support, and infant temperament. Results Findings indicated that lower family income, more difficult infant temperament, and lower sense of mastery were consistently significant predictors of poorer health outcomes during the postpartum period. Having preterm infants and caring for them was related to higher levels of maternal fatigue in the morning at 6 weeks. Employment did not influence postpartum health. Conclusion The findings suggest that mother and infant\u27s individual factors and environmental context may continue to negatively affect the mother\u27s health outcomes during the postpartum period

Mother’s Mental Health, Mother-Child Relationship, and Family Functioning 3 months after a Preschooler’s Head Injury

Objective Investigate mothers’ mental health, mother-child relationship, and family functioning 3 months after preschool children’s head trauma and hospital discharge. Design Prospective survey. Setting 7 hospitals; families’ homes. Participants Eighty mothers of children (ages 3–6) with head trauma. Measures Perceived injury severity, Mental Health Inventory (MHI), Parental Stressor Scale: PICU 24–48 hours after admission; MHI, Parenting Stress Index, FACES II, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support 3 months post-discharge. Results Injury severity had negative effects on mothers’ mental health at 3 months after discharge, but not on the mother-child relationship and the family’s functioning. Mothers’ baseline mental health and ongoing support had positive effects on mother-child relationship and family adaptability. Conclusions Mothers with greater stress and poorer mental health during their child’s hospitalization may be at risk for negative mother-child and family outcomes. Interventions that decrease parents’ stress during hospitalization and promote ongoing social support after discharge may diminish this risk

Perinatal and Pediatric Issues in Palliative and End-of-Life Care from the 2011 Summit on Compassionate Care

More than 25,000 infants and children die in US hospitals annually; 86% occur in the NICU or PICU. Parents see the child’s pain and suffering and, near the point of death, must decide whether to resuscitate, limit medical treatment and/or withdraw life support. Immediately after the death parents must decide whether to see and/or hold the infant/child, donate organs, agree to an autopsy, make funeral arrangements, and somehow maintain functioning. Few children and their families receive pediatric palliative care services, especially those from minority groups. Barriers to these programs include lack of services, difficulty identifying the dying point, discomfort in withholding or withdrawing treatments, communication problems, conflicts in care among providers and between parents and providers, and differences in cultural beliefs about end-of-life care. The 2011 NIH Summit on the Science of Compassion provided recommendations in family involvement, end-of-life care, communication, health care delivery, and transdisciplinary participation