Diasporic experience and the archival process: reflections upon the initial phase of the Black Dance Archives project (UK)

State of Trust has been funded to archive ‘collections from eminent individuals and organisations from the British Black dance sector’ (http://blackdancearchives.co.uk/). The Black Dance Archive may be considered as a ‘contingent, dynamic and transformative site’ (Heathfield 2012, 238) whose presence facilitates an historical ‘re-remembering’ (Bindas 2010). It stands as the site of negotiation between ‘Black British’ dance artists and the ‘archontic principle’ (Derrida, 1995) through which the archive retains the traces of a power that consigns documents to their place within a (dominant) signifying system.   Through a diaologic, reflective and trans-disciplinary process, we consider the role of the performance archive within the context of decolonisation. For those artists whose work is included, the transition of artefacts from private to public space marks a legitimization that nevertheless is fraught with the risk of appropriation. The archival process repeats previous tensions between hegemonic dance discourses and the artists’ aims to respond authentically to their lived diasporic experiences. The archive also marks a coming to terms with, even a mourning of, a past that for many of the artists was already shaped by a sense of loss. If, ‘the theory of psychoanalysis… becomes a theory of the archive and not only a theory of memory’ (Derrida 1995, p.18 ), can this archive be conceptualised and experienced in ways that allow for recognition of the lived trauma of diasporic experience while also celebrating how such experiences engendered new danced identities?

Aggregation Behavior of a Willow Flea Beetle, \u3ci\u3eAltica Subplicata\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

This study examined the aggregation behavior of a specialist insect herbivore, Altica subplicata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), on its host plant, Salix cordata. Mark-recapture experiments were conducted in patches of S. cordata growing along the shores of Lake Huron. Beetles aggregated on individual host plants, but did not aggregate in larger areas containing many host plants. Plants colonized by marked beetles had significantly higher abundances of unmarked beetles than did plants that were not colonized by marked beetles. Experimental manipulations of the number of beetles present on plants showed that colonization rates by marked beetles were higher on plants with conspecifics than on plants which had all beetles removed the previous day. The sex of beetles, however, did not influence colonization behavior; both male and female beetles colonized plants regardless of the sex of beetles already present on plants. These results are discussed with respect to possible explanations for aggregation, and the role of aggregation and movement in influencing insect distributions

Handheld computers: Do they support or constrain nursing students at the point -of -care?

Technology has made a significant impact within the healthcare system over recent years. As technology continues to evolve and becomes a major driving force within the healthcare system, so will the need for preparing technologically competent healthcare professionals. Also within the healthcare system, changes such as a decrease in the length of hospital stay, the aging population, and the multi-disease processes of the aging population, presents a challenge to nursing faculty to adequately prepare tomorrows\u27 nurse. One of the most promising technological devices being used by healthcare professionals is the handheld computer or personal digital assistant (PDA). Although the current literature supports the use of the PDA by practicing nurses and nursing students, little is known how to incorporate these devices to support and develop life-long learners; A mixed-method design directed this study. Biemiller & Meichenbaum\u27s Think-Aloud was conducted at the onset and conclusion of the study. A grounded theory approach was utilized to gather data pertaining to PDAs and nursing students. Upon observing the participant accessing the PDA, a semi-structured interview occurred. The last component of data collection was obtained via a tracking system on a nursing focused PDA software program; The results demonstrate that the PDA supports self-regulated/self-directed learning in nursing students. Biemiller & Meichenbaum\u27s Think-Aloud demonstrated that all participants increased in their ability to be self-directed learners at the conclusion of the study. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that students are accessing the PDA in the clinical site, in the classroom, in studying for test/exams, and when completing assignments. Although the age varied for the participants, the method preferred for learning was from the screen; Pintrich\u27s self-regulated learning model was used as a method of determining the extent and progression of identifying self-regulated learners. Again, the results displayed that the PDA supported the participant in becoming self-regulated learners by providing them with a tool that offers precise, current, accurate, and current time information. With the ease of accessing information any time and from anywhere, nursing students have the potential to control what and how learning occurs

Aggregation Behavior of a Willow Flea Beetle, \u3ci\u3eAltica Subplicata\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

This study examined the aggregation behavior of a specialist insect herbivore, Altica subplicata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), on its host plant, Salix cordata. Mark-recapture experiments were conducted in patches of S. cordata growing along the shores of Lake Huron. Beetles aggregated on individual host plants, but did not aggregate in larger areas containing many host plants. Plants colonized by marked beetles had significantly higher abundances of unmarked beetles than did plants that were not colonized by marked beetles. Experimental manipulations of the number of beetles present on plants showed that colonization rates by marked beetles were higher on plants with conspecifics than on plants which had all beetles removed the previous day. The sex of beetles, however, did not influence colonization behavior; both male and female beetles colonized plants regardless of the sex of beetles already present on plants. These results are discussed with respect to possible explanations for aggregation, and the role of aggregation and movement in influencing insect distributions

COVID-19 and the long-standing vulnerabilities of older adults

Published versio

Review of values at the end of life: the logic of palliative care, by Roi Livne

Accepted manuscrip

Families in later life: a consequence and engine of social inequalities

The implications of economic inequality for American families are profound, giving rise to widening race and socioeconomic disparities in key family transitions including marriage, divorce, cohabitation, childrearing, and family bereavement. However, little scholarly attention focuses on how these divergences in family structure shape the health and well-being of older adults, and especially older women. In this chapter, I propose that family relationships are an important although overlooked mechanism linking economic inequality to persistent race, socioeconomic, and gender disparities in late-life well-being. I provide a statistical snapshot of older adults’ families, showing how rates of marriage, divorce, widowhood, and remarriage differ markedly on the basis of gender, socioeconomic status, and race, with these disparities widening against the backdrop of rising economic inequality in the late 20th and early 21th centuries. I then describe how these patterns perpetuate disparities in late-life economic well-being, due in part to the structure of Social Security benefits which advantage those whose family lives conformed to the mid-20th century White middle-class ”ideal” of a lifelong marriage between a male breadwinner and female homemaker. I further show how three stressful aspects of family lives — family bereavement, custodial grandparenting, and caregiving –– disproportionately befall women, and especially low-income and women of color. As such, these family-related stressors exacerbate race, class, and gender-based disparities in health and well-being. I conclude by highlighting social policies that may help to mitigate against these disparities, and provide resources so that Americans of all backgrounds have an opportunity to grow old with dignityAccepted manuscrip

Cohort and Gender Differences in Psychosocial Adjustment to Later-Life Widowhood

Objectives. Despite the large body of literature on bereavement, little is known about the impact of sociohistorical context on individual reactions to spousal loss. This study examines the effect of marital status, time period and gender on physical and mental health, and whether reported difficulties following spousal loss differ at 2 distinctive time periods. Method. Two cohorts of older bereaved persons (n = 753) in Switzerland, surveyed in 1979 and 2011, were compared regarding their reports of difficulties related to marital loss. The bereaved spouses were also compared with a group of married contemporaries (n = 1,517) regarding subjective health and depressive symptoms. Results. Marital status and gender each have independent effects on subjective health and depressive symptoms. The effects of widowhood on subjective health differed significantly at both time points. Widowed individuals in 2011, especially women, reported fewer social and financial difficulties than their counterparts in 1979. However, the effect of widowhood on depressive symptoms and psychological difficulties did not differ significantly across time points. Discussion. Social changes in the late 20th century may be protective for older adults' physical, social, and financial well-being in the face of spousal loss, yet these changes do not alleviate widow(er)s' psychological distres

Interviewers’ Ratings of Respondents’ Health: Predictors and Association With Mortality

Objectives Recent research indicates that survey interviewers’ ratings of respondents’ health (IRH) may provide supplementary health information about respondents in surveys of older adults. Although IRH is a potentially promising measure of health to include in surveys, our understanding of the factors contributing to IRH remains incomplete. Methods We use data from the 2011 face-to-face wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a longitudinal study of older adults from the Wisconsin high school class of 1957 and their selected siblings. We first examine whether a range of factors predict IRH: respondents’ characteristics that interviewers learn about and observe as respondents answer survey questions, interviewers’ evaluations of some of what they observe, and interviewers’ characteristics. We then examine the role of IRH, respondents’ self-rated health (SRH), and associated factors in predicting mortality over a 3-year follow-up. Results As in prior studies, we find that IRH is associated with respondents’ characteristics. In addition, this study is the first to document how IRH is associated with both interviewers’ evaluations of respondents and interviewers’ characteristics. Furthermore, we find that the association between IRH and the strong criterion of mortality remains after controlling for respondents’ characteristics and interviewers’ evaluations of respondents. Discussion We propose that researchers incorporate IRH in surveys of older adults as a cost-effective, easily implemented, and supplementary measure of health