Perceptions of women in the narrative histories of crusading and the Latin East

The prominent military and religious aspects of histories about crusading and the Holy Land have ensured that scholarship on the role of women has only recently started to appear. New studies have made profitable use of a wide variety of records, but historical narratives have been mistrusted as source material for women on account of stylised 'departure scenes', criticism of non-combatants on crusade and theories about sexual sin leading to military failure. This thesis, however, contends that attitudes towards women in these texts did not differ dramatically from their portrayal in other contemporary narratives. Perceptions of women were not entirely governed by lack of enthusiasm at women's involvement in the crusade movement. Similarly, the 'frontier' nature of society in the Latin East meant that aristocratic women enjoyed a relatively high profile in the narratives that were circulated in western Europe, and while they had a role in the historical explanation of military setbacks in the Holy Land, their portrayal was by no means consistently negative. It varied according to the family roles, wealth and social status which sometimes allowed women to transcend their gender. The interpenetration of 'fictional' literature and History during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries meant that authors of historical narratives borrowed heavily from a variety of genres and used a mixture of contemporary and traditional imagery to describe the women in their texts. 'Invented' female characters were also used by authors to represent their own ideas, exploiting perceptions about women held in common with their audience. This study analyses the representation of women by 'life-cycle stage'. It identifies common perceptions about daughters, wives, mothers and widows, and applies them to women in the narratives of crusading and the Latin East. It concludes that social status was inextricably linked to the portrayal of women as a gender, and that the power exerted by aristocratic women through family roles was a key factor shaping the disparate views of women in these texts

Abstraction, ambiguity and memory in selected artworks by Ursula von Rydingsvard and Kemang wa Lehulere

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for MA by Coursework and Research Report, Johannesburg, 2017This research report explores the influences of memory in selected works by two visual artists: South African Kemang Wa Lehulere’s Remembering the Future of a Hole as a Verb 2.1 and Polish artist Ursula von Rydingsvard’s Droga. The report examines the ways in which personal memory can inform creative practice and the surface difficulties such endeavours may present. These works and writings on memory and creative practice inform my own practice, through which I investigate ways of expressing my memories of my grandparents’ carpentry workshop in Sunnydale Eshowe in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.XL201

Barriers and Facilitators to Achieving Well-being in Pediatric Providers

Introduction: Physician well-being has become increasingly important for health systems across the country due to the strong ties between quality, safety, and overall patient outcomes. Burnout has increased steadily and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study seeks to successfully identify factors that both enhance and detract from well-being in a cohort of pediatric faculty and advanced practice providers (APPs). Methods: This study utilized a multimethod approach including surveys and a total of 8 semi-structured, virtual focus groups of pediatricians and advanced practice providers (orchestrated through Microsoft Teams) to understand perspectives on burnout and well-being. Each group session was scheduled 2-3 months in advance to allow for maximum participation. Results: A total of 83 physicians and APPs participated in the focus groups. The majority of respondents were female, white, aged 31-50 years, and married with children living at home. When asked about current level of burnout, the most frequent response was 8 out of 10 (10 as highest, mean 5.5, std 2.5). Factors associated with higher burnout: outpatient providers (compared to inpatient) (p = 0.0361), female gender (p = 0.0127), and those without a mentor (p = 0.0021). Multiple factors were identified that improved and detracted from well-being. Well-being was positively impacted by the shift to telework practices and increased autonomy in scheduling and focus on self-care. Well-being was reduced by a perceived disconnect from leadership, lack of control, and societal influences and expectations. Conclusion: This study provides insight into modifiable factors that affect well-being at an academic institution that can support interventions and systemic modifications to promote physician well-being

British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) Legal Information Literacy Statement

The Association hosts an annual conference which features a members’ ‘Have your say’ session. At the 2011 session, a BIALL member based in the commercial sector voiced their concern at the legal research competency of recent joiners to their firm, stating that senior partners were asking in-house law librarians to verify the research presented by new trainees. This member also queried the role of academic law librarians, questioning how legal research skills are being taught at academic and vocational level and stating clearly that the legal research skills of new joiners are not meeting the expectations of employers. The following debate prompted one of the authors to propose that BIALL should investigate the issue in depth, with the aim of producing legal IL guidance in the form of a toolkit, similar to legal IL guidance devised in the United States and IL initiatives within the NHS (Choolhun 2012)

The Perspective of College Seniors in ROTC on Becoming a Commissioned Officer

While there is growing research into Military and Mental health issues, the focus of such research has primarily been restricted to those populations who are retired from Military or who step-down from Active Duty. Following a case study with Reservists, we became aware that mental health issues in the Military Population may potentially stem from concepts involved the initial training phases. With the hypothesis that ROTC Cadets are among the youngest persons engaging in Military training, we approached ROTC Air Force and ROTC Army Cadets who were Seniors by credit at Cedarville University. The Cadets were asked to participate in a face-to-face interview with a researcher, to share their experiences of ROTC and their perspectives on what life as a Commissioned Officer would be like. Participation in the interviews was voluntary, but the Air Force Commander and Army Commander had informed their Cadets that this study had been approved by them and participation was encouraged. Participants included both male and female Cadets from a broad range of academic majors. The interviews were analyzed and six themes emerged:- (a) Being associated with high caliber professionals (b) Balancing military persona with non-military persona (c) Skills and strategies for success in life (d) Personal values (e) Awareness of challenges (f) Impact of training on persona. Overall, the Cadets expressed excitement at the prospect of becoming Commissioned Officers, and pride in being among those who serve their country

Retrospective cohort study assessing coverage, uptake and associations with hepatitis B vaccination among females who engage in sex work attending sexual health services in England between 2015 and 2019

Objectives: Females who engage in sex work (FSW) are at high risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and are eligible for HBV vaccination. The objective of this analysis was to explore coverage, uptake and correlates of HBV vaccination among FSW who attend sexual health services (SHS) in England. // Methods: Data on all attendances at SHS in England were obtained from the GUMCAD STI Surveillance System. Attendees were eligible for inclusion if they were female, had not been previously diagnosed with HIV and sex work was recorded between 2015 and 2019. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate sociodemographic factors (age, ethnicity, region of birth and region of residence) associated with having received an HBV vaccination on or after an attendance where sex work was reported. // Results: There were 13 769 FSW attending SHS in England between 2015 and 2019 (median age 30 years, 71% white ethnicity). HBV vaccination coverage was 37% (n=5050/13 751, 95% CI 35.9%–37.5%). Among those that first reported sex work between 2015 and 2019, HBV vaccination uptake was 30% (n=3249/10 681, 95% CI 29.6%–31.3%). In multivariable analyses, HBV vaccination uptake was associated with younger age (5-year increase: OR=0.87, 95% CI 0.85, 0.89) and being born in South America (37%, adjusted OR (aOR)=1.40, 95% CI 1.18, 1.66) compared with being born in the UK. Being of Asian ethnicity (19%, aOR=0.63, 95% CI 0.45, 0.89) compared with white ethnicity was associated with reduced odds of HBV vaccination. Sixteen FSW were diagnosed with HBV after their first attendance where sex work was recorded. // Conclusions: To achieve the WHO goals of elimination of HBV as a public health threat by the year 2030, further research is needed to understand the individual and structural barriers to the offering and uptake of HBV vaccination among FSW, as well as using health promotion methods to improve uptake

Levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase one in first trimester and outcomes of pregnancy: a systematic review

Angiogenic factors are involved in formation of new blood vessels required for placental development and function; and critical for fetal growth and development. Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1(sFlt-1) is an anti-angiogenic protein that inhibits formation of new blood vessels resulting in potential pregnancy complications. The objective of this study was to undertake a systematic review to assess levels of sFlt-1 in early pregnancy and association with adverse pregnancy outcomes. PubMed and Medline databases and reference lists were searched up to July 2010. Inclusion criteria were pregnant women, blood sample taken during first trimester and assessment/reporting of sFlt-1 concentrations and subsequent pregnancy complications. Twelve relevant studies were identified of 71 to 668 women. No pooling of results was undertaken due to variation in sFlt-1 concentrations (range, 166-6,349 pg/ml amongst controls), samples used (serum, plasma), different summary statistics (mean, median, odds ratio) and outcome definitions applied. Levels of sFlt-1 were generally higher among women who developed preeclampsia (11 studies) or gestational hypertension (two studies), but not significantly different to normotensive women in most studies. There was no consistent pattern in association between sFlt-1 concentrations and fetal growth restriction (4 studies); and levels were non-significantly higher for women with postpartum bleeding (1 study) and significantly lower for stillbirths (1 study).This review found no clear evidence of an association between sFlt-1 levels in first trimester and adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, findings were affected by methodological, biological and testing variations between studies; highlighting the need for consistent testing of new biomarkers and reporting of outcome measures

Variable-Drift Diffusion Models of Pedestrian Road-Crossing Decisions

Peer reviewe