The Kissing party

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Sept 8, 2010).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Dissertation advisor: Dr. Scott Cairns.Vita.Ph. D. University of Missouri--Columbia 2009.The Kissing Party is a book of lyric poems that interrogate the tradition of love poetry and attempt to refigure and revivify the work of writers like Marvell, Donne, Carew, and the continental and English sonneteers. Some poems reinvent theories of longing like Socrates' notion, in the Phaedrus, of a winged charioteer guided by two unruly horses; others try to picture the solitude that frequently accompanies contemporary desire - in pornography, voyeurism, masturbation - through an Ovidian lens. Appended to the book of poems is a twenty-five page scholarly investigation into the work of a writer with similar motives, Mary Cowden Clarke. Clarke's Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines creates alternative lives, prior to the plays, for fifteen of Shakespeare's heroines, and this dissertation argues that Clarke's work should be understood as primarily adaptive, rather than critical, in nature.Includes bibliographical reference

Factors influencing engagement in postnatal weight management and subsequent weight and well-being outcomes

Many women exceed gestational weight gain recommendations. Successful postnatal weight management decreases the risk of entering further pregnancies obese. This service evaluation investigates women’s motivations to lose weight postnatally, the weight loss achieved and impact on self-esteem. Methods: online survey using quantitative questions to determine motivation and lifestyle behaviours related to post-natal weight management in women attending a commercial weight management organisation. Weekly weights confirmed from digitally recorded data. Results: 1015 responded. Mean joining BMI was 33.3kg/m2 ± 5.85 and when surveyed 30.5kg/m2 ± 5.86, a change of -2.8 ± 0.1 kg/m² (p <0.01, 95% CI 2.76 – 3.11). 463 (45.7%) joined the groups between 6-26 weeks postnatal. Main motivators to lose weight were ‘to improve how I feel about my body size and shape’ (85.2%) and ‘improve self-confidence’ (76.6%) although only ‘to improve my health’ (65.6%) correlated with actual weight loss (0.114, p<0.01). Healthcare professional recommendation was less of a reason (6.5%). Improvements in self-confidence (77.6%), self-esteem (78.6%), wellbeing (85.2%) and body size/shape (70.1%) were reported. Conclusion: Women chose to engage to improve self-confidence, feelings about their body shape and health. There is an opportunity for healthcare professionals to encourage women early after giving birth to engage in weight loss and this may improve outcomes

Providing weight management via the workplace

Purpose Assess the feasibility and benefits of providing weight management support via the workplace. Design Quasi-experimental design using non-random assignment to a 12 week Slimming World (SW) weight management programme, either within the workplace or at a regular community group. Weight was recorded weekly and a 39-item questionnaire focussed on mental and emotional health, self-esteem, dietary habits and physical activity habits administered at baseline, 12 weeks, 6 and 12 months. Findings 243 participants enrolled (workplace n=129, community n=114) with 138 completers (defined as those weighing-in at baseline and attending at least once within the last 4 weeks; workplace n=76, community n=62. Completers reported a mean weight change of -4.9kg ± 3.4 or -5.7% ± 3.8. Mental and emotional health scores increased (P<0.05) from baseline to 12 weeks. Self-worth scores increased (P<0.05) from baseline to 12 weeks, 6 months and 12 months. Healthy dietary habit scores increased and unhealthy dietary habit scores decreased (P<0.05) from baseline to 12 weeks, 6 months and 12 months. Healthy physical activity habit scores improved (P<0.05) from baseline to 12 weeks and 6 months. There were no significant differences between groups. Research limitations Participant demographic was predominantly female (94%) aged 42.3 years, with only 13 men participating. Practical implications The results support the use of a 12 week SW weight management programme as a credible option for employers wanting to support employees to achieve weight loss and improve psycho-social health outcomes which could lead to improvements in quality of life and work performance Originality/value Provides evidence for the delivery of weight management support via the workplace

Two decades of research on migrant health in China: A systematic review. Lessons for future inquiry

This paper examines the adequacy, quality and relevance of existing evidence on migrant health in China as a guide to future research and policy. It uses a systematic review to identify publications on migrant health issues in China between 1985 and 2010 from selected databases. It also assesses the technical focus and methodologies for the 1,216 research articles retrieved. The volume of research on migrant health issues has grown nearly 55-fold between 1985-2000 and 2006-2010, with the publication of nearly 194 studies annually during the latter period. Almost two-thirds of the studies (68 per cent) sampled only migrants, with no comparison group either from destination urban areas or sending rural areas. Less than one-tenth of the studies evaluated a specific intervention (9 per cent); among those, most sampled only migrants and used a before-after design. The research tended to focus on communicable diseases (43 per cent), with HIV/AIDS accounting for 26 per cent. Research on health systems and non-communicable diseases represented 9 per cent and 13 per cent of the studies, respectively. More than half of the studies (54 per cent) were carried out in cities in four provinces, with few investigating family members left behind in rural areas. Despite a substantial increase in volume, research on migrant health in China has provided limited information to inform current policies and programmes. Most studies are descriptive and disproportionately focused on a handful of communicable diseases, neglecting some of the pressing policy-relevant issues in China on service access. Few studies have comparison populations. Increasing the rigour and relevance of future research will require better sampling frames with comparison populations; a focus on neglected research areas, including access to services; and partnerships with government and other agencies to evaluate specific interventions

Inflammation in benign prostate tissue and prostate cancer in the finasteride arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial

BACKGROUND: A previous analysis of the placebo arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) reported 82% overall prevalence of intraprostatic inflammation and identified a link between inflammation and higher-grade prostate cancer and serum PSA. Here we studied these associations in the PCPT finasteride arm. METHODS: Prostate cancer cases (N=197) detected either on a clinically indicated biopsy or on protocol-directed end-of-study biopsy, and frequency-matched controls (N=248) with no cancer on an end-of-study biopsy were sampled from the finasteride arm. Inflammation in benign prostate tissue was visually assessed using digital images of H&E stained sections. Logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In the finasteride arm, 91.6% of prostate cancer cases and 92.4% of controls had at least one biopsy core with inflammation in benign areas; p < 0.001 for difference compared to placebo arm. Overall, the odds of prostate cancer did not differ by prevalence (OR=0.90, 95% CI 0.44-1.84) or extent (P-trend=0.68) of inflammation. Inflammation was not associated with higher-grade disease (prevalence: OR=1.07, 95% CI 0.43-2.69). Furthermore, mean PSA concentration did not differ by the prevalence or extent of inflammationin either cases or controls. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of intraprostatic inflammation was higher in the finasteride than placebo arm of the PCPT, with no association with higher-grade prostate cancer. IMPACT: Finasteride may attenuate the association between inflammation and higher-grade prostate cancer. Moreover, the missing link between intraprostatic inflammation and PSA suggests that finasteride may reduce inflammation-associated PSA elevation

Never Stop Working: Examining the Life and Activism of Howard Fuller

Howard Fuller, a long-time community activist born in Shreveport, Louisiana and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has become a nationally renowned advocate for school choice. Coming from humble beginnings, Fuller learned from his tight-knit community growing up that he could be anything he wanted to be if he worked hard enough and focused on his education. Wanting future generations of black Americans to have the same opportunities he had, Fuller would dedicate his life work to uplifting his people through education. How Fuller approached that work, however, led to seemingly contradicting approaches and ideas. This thesis attempts to make sense of Howard Fuller\u27s life and activism, and explain how his choices and activism evolved over time. From fighting for integrating schools in Cleveland, Ohio, to opening an all-black university in Durham, North Carolina, to becoming superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, Howard Fuller has shifted his tactics on how to provide low-income blacks with quality educational opportunities. All of Fuller\u27s work has led him to now, fighting for school choice as a way to give low-income blacks a chance to earn the best education possible. At seventy-one years old Howard Fuller is still fighting, and still working to uplift his race and improve their life chances. Howard Fuller is a dedicated race man, and this thesis is his story