Alaya Preschool: A Culture of Care and Meaningful Work in Contemplative Early Childhood Education

The purpose of this ethnographic case study was to describe the culture of an early childhood educational preschool setting which was philosophically grounded in contemplative education and traditions — the Alaya Preschool at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. While much has been written about early education and contemplative education as separate topics, the current study fills a scholarship gap in the literature about contemplative early childhood education. Data were collected using the Mosaic Approach, and included shoulder-to-shoulder and walk-around methods for interviewing. Data types consisted of the observation of classroom and school activities; semi-structured face-to-face-interviews and informal interviews with adults and children; and the collection of artifacts, including paintings, drawings, photographs, and poetry generated by the researcher and participants, as well as school documents and audio recordings. Multimodal data analysis included inductive analysis and coding; the compilation of paintings and drawings; and research poetry. Both narrative and art forms generated with participatory tools were used for reporting. Findings about the culture and lived experiences of the learning community included contemplative practices of adults (staff meditation), children (practicing stones, sand trays, and Kalapa Ikebana), and the collective practice of holding and opening space. In addition, the learning community described their personal and professional cultural identities, as individuals and a collective, and spoke to the key Principles of Practice which served as their guide — a foundational belief in Basic Goodness, which cradled expressions of Genuine Relationships and Kindness. These findings were interpreted and discussed within the contexts of embodied presence, care theory, and the theory of work and human evolution. This research has the potential to inform early childhood educators, teacher educators, and contemplative practitioners. Key words: care theory, contemplative education, contemplative practices, early childhood education, embodied presence, ethnographic case study, qualitative, teacher education, theory of work and human evolution, transformative educatio

Risk factors for reoperation after total wrist arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: Total wrist arthroplasty (TWA) is a surgical option for treatment of end-stage wrist arthritis and other debilitating wrist conditions. Despite improvements in the TWA implant and procedure, there are still many complications after an initial TWA. The most common complications include infection, hardware loosening, and tendon rupture. These complications are indications for an unplanned reoperation after an initial TWA. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the rate of reoperation and implant removal after TWA. We tested the null hypotheses that there are no demographic or surgery-related factors associated with an unplanned reoperation or implant revision after a TWA. We also studied the secondary question whether there were radiographic features that predicted reoperation or implant revision after a TWA. METHODS: We used Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes to identify all 29 consecutive TWAs performed at two academic medical centers between 2002 and 2015. We manually reviewed medical records to collect demographic (age, sex), patient- or disease-related (tobacco use, indication of rheumatoid arthritis, prior wrist surgery) and surgery-related (implant type) factors. Reoperation was defined as any unplanned wrist surgery related to the TWA. We used a Fisher’s exact test to compare the proportions of categorical variables and a Mann-Whitney-U test to compare the average age among wrists that did and did not undergo reoperation and implant removal, and calculated P-values. RESULTS: The rate of reoperation was 48% (14 of 29 TWAs performed); of which 34% (10 of 29) underwent implant removal. The most common indication for reoperation was component loosening, which occurred in 5 wrists. Five patients had wrist surgery prior to their TWA, of whom 4 eventually had their implant removed (p = 0.036). No other factors were associated with reoperation or implant removal. CONCLUSIONS: We found that reoperation and implant removal after TWA are common. Despite improvements, approximately 1 in 3 wrists are likely to undergo revision surgery. Prior wrist surgery was the only risk factor statistically associated with implant removal after TWA. Patients should be counseled of the high rate of reoperation and implant removal before electing to undergo TWA when considering all treatment options for end-stage wrist arthritis.2019-07-11T00:00:00

Facilitating Sense of Belonging for Collectivist International Students: Intervention Strategy Utilizing Peer Support

International student populations have persisted in higher education with limited support. Research regarding international student experiences from collectivist home countries have found that mentorship programs could be helpful in assisting with transition and overcoming culture shock, yet few current intervention strategies go beyond international student orientation. This project explores relevant literature regarding barriers unique to students from collectivist home countries as they adjust to the individualist culture of American colleges and universities. With these barriers in mind, this project also explores peer mentorship as an intervention strategy to engage international collectivist students and assist in feeling that they belong on campus and can navigate new cultural differences with some comfort and support

Comparing calf sex ratio and semen sex ratio determined by conventional PCR

Thirty-nine ejaculates from 8 Holstein bulls were collected. Straws of semen (n=750) were distributed among dairies in three states. Ten straws per ejaculate were sent to Louisiana State University (LSU) Dairy Improvement Center for conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Spermatozoal DNA was extracted and PCR analysis was done using one primer set amplifying a single copy 125 base pair (bp) section of the Bos taurus factor IX (Christmas factor) precursor (found on the X chromosome) and another primer set amplifying a single copy section of the Bos taurus sex determining region Y protein (SRY) gene (found on the Y chromosome). A 294 bp product from the Bos taurus glyceraldehydes-phosphate-dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was amplified as an internal control. Standard curves were designed using PCR products in known ratios. Gel electrophoresis and image analysis allowed for determination of predicted % Y chromosome-bearing spermatozoa (predicted % Y spermatozoa). Calf sex was reported and % male calves was determined between bull, ejaculate within bull, state, and location within state. Predicted % Y spermatozoa and % male calves showed significant correlation to each other. No significant variance between bull was found in predicted % Y spermatozoa or % male calves, but significant variance was found between ejaculate within bull for both. PCR technology used for determining the % Y spermatozoa in ejaculates was shown to be an adequate method to determine semen sex ratio

Defensive Women: Women's Influence on Defense Policy in The United States Congress

We see very few women leading the pack as defense experts and that has given very few role models to young women who want to work in that field. I strive to find if there are hidden leaders among women in Congress, in terms of the bills they introduce and the committees they serve on. Are Republican women more likely to introduce defense bills than Democrat women? I hypothesize that Republican women will fall inside of their party lines, and be stronger proponents for authoring defense bills, and that I will observe Democrat women falling inside their party lines meaning they are less likely to vote for defense increases. There have been 279 women to serve in Congress since the first woman was elected in 1917, and I will record each defense-related bill that they introduced and how they compared to the overall numbers of defense bills introduced that year. Through websites such as govtrack.us, the United States House of Representatives and Senate archives, the Congressional Bills Project and the Public Policy Agendas Project, I will track these women’s defense bill introductions through their years in Congress. Through this, I will have to control for some factors such as geographical differences, military bases in their districts and states, the committees they serve on and service in the military, as well as other factors that appear as the research gets longer and more intense.Governmen

John Innerarity, 1783-1854

This biographical sketch has been prepared mainly from letters and other documents now in the possession of the author and Mrs. Heloise H. Cruzat, of New Orleans, both descendants of John Innerarity. Those papers are survivals of the records of Panton, Leslie & Co. and its successor, John Forbes & Co., which have been preserved by John Innerarity and his family. Selections from them will appear continuously in many issues of the QUARTERLY. As William Panton and his partners and successors were the foremost merchants and Indian traders of the entire Southern country, these records are of great value. Historical students of the whole region will be grateful to Mrs. Greenslade and Mrs. Cruzat for allowing, and assisting with, their publication

The influence of flow management and habitat improvement works on fish communities in Yorkshire rivers

Many of the rivers in the UK are heavily modified by channelisation, impoundment (dams and weirs and off-river storages), land drainage and flood defence. These modifications have reduced the natural variability of flow and habitat diversity and in turn rivers are failing to meet Water Framework Directive (WFD: 2000/60/EEC) targets. Mitigation measures such as modifying reservoir flow releases and habitat improvement works are carried out to remediate the potential impacts of river development. This thesis examines the effectiveness of modified reservoir flow releases and habitat improvement works in Yorkshire rivers using brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) as the indicator of change. The importance of natural flow regimes and how reservoirs and flood defence works have had negative impacts on fish populations was reviewed. The current UK guidance around managing reservoir releases and reducing flood risk was reviewed with regards to what measures are in place to mitigate their impacts and what biological responses are expected. One of the main conclusion was that to meet WFD targets, monitoring is required to investigate the effectiveness of activities aimed at improving rivers to inform management decisions and ensure activities are efficient and cost effective.The long term effects of introducing seasonal compensation flows and a single freshet were examined by comparing differences in the hydrological regime and monitoring brown trout populations downstream of water storage reservoirs in Yorkshire. Hydrological parameters were not significantly different following the introduction of the revised reservoir release programme and brown trout populations were found to be variable throughout the years studied, and any changes in population characteristics could not be attributed to the new regime and further changes to the reservoir releases maybe required. Manual radio tracking was used to obtain a detailed knowledge of the movements and distribution of adult brown trout downstream of two water storage reservoirs in Yorkshire following the introduction of single freshet releases (November 2012) to stimulate upstream migration. Brown trout occupied small home ranges and a single freshet release did not result in long distance upstream migration possibly because the releases were not performed at the appropriate time of year or the magnitude was inadequate to promote migration. The number of releases was increased to one each in the months of October, November, and December 2013 but still did not result in long distance upstream migration. It was suggested that the freshet releases which lasted only 8 hr, provided brown trout with little opportunity to move a reasonable distance. Further changes to the reservoir releases may be made to meet the flow profile recommended by UKTAG for autumn and winter flow elevations to support spawning migrations.A monitoring programme was designed to detect changes in brown trout population following habitat improvement works. Baseline surveys carried out as part of this programme found brown trout to be present at low densities and exhibit slow growth rates, which was attributed to lack of suitable habitat, particularly spawning and juvenile riffle habitats, lack of deeper pooled areas for larger brown trout and lack of available cover. It was recommended any habitat improvement works should therefore improve flow, habitat and sediment issues. A further study compared brown trout population and habitat parameters at Malin Bridge on the River Don pre and post flood defence and subsequent habitat improvement works, the latter designed to mitigate adverse effects of flood defence works. The flood defence works provided very little habitat diversity and cover for larger brown trout, instream channel features were added to improve habitat. Following the improvement works brown trout populations returned to densities and composition found prior to flood defence works, indicating impacts associated with flood defence works can be reduced when incorporating habitat improvement works into flood risk management

Producing Meaningful Work: An in-depth Study of Domestic Workers and Stratified Reproduction

The purpose of this study is to deepen the understanding of how domestic workers are able to find resistance within their work place. Using eleven in-depth interviews with women working as domestic workers in New York City, this project contributes to the extant literature regarding domestic workers and stratified reproduction. I examine how domestic work is shaped by the intersections of race, class, gender, and citizenship status. These factors contribute to the conception of domestic work as low-skilled labor as well as the denigration and poor treatment of workers on the job. Though workers often have to sustain poor treatment due to their economic vulnerability, my research illuminates the various ways in which workers find resistance within their sites of employment. These interviews reveal the way in which the domestic workers interviewed produced meaning and restructured their work as important, meaningful labor. From my findings, I deepen the theory of stratified reproduction by asserting the importance of worker’s methods of resistance

Teacher perspectives on the impact of high-stakes testing on students with disabilities : a grounded theory study

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997 (IDEA), No Child Left Behind Act 2001 (NCLB), and Every Child Succeeds Act 2015 (ESSA) has changed how public schools adapt to standards and accountability systems for all students, including students with mild-to-significant cognitive disabilities. Federal legislation has changed the focus of teaching and learning since the implementation of NCLB. This movement has altered the way students with disabilities are compared to their same-age peers. High-stakes testing has generated numerous challenges for educators, administrators, parents, and students across the nation. Increased pressure has been placed on schools to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), based on participation and proficiency rates in English language arts and math for all students, including students disabilities. The purpose of this study was to understand how North Dakota general education teachers were adapting to the federal legislative requirements that high-stakes testing placed on curriculum and instructional practices for students with disabilities. NCLB not only mandated access to general education curriculum for students with disabilities during high-stakes testing, but it also held students with disabilities to higher standards. The study findings indicated that teachers felt pressured into making instructional decisions based on high-stakes testing. As a consequence, teachers were spending more time on test preparation, students with disabilities were exposed to a less rigorous curriculum, teachers felt less in control of making decisions regarding curriculum and instructional practices in their classrooms, and teachers were unable to deploy strategies that supported Universal Design of Learning

Partisans and Soldiers: Themes of Gender and the Commemoration of Jewish Resistance in the Soviet Union During World War II

Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, thousands of Red Army soldiers, peasants, and Jewish men, women, and children escaped imprisonment and certain death by fleeing into the vast forests of Belorussia. Using oral histories, archival websites, and survivor testimony, this thesis explores the Soviet partisan units and the Jewish partisan units and family camps that were organized in the forests and raises questions including: How do the experiences of Jewish women in the partisans compare with Jewish women who fought in the Red Army? How are the Jewish partisans remembered around the world today? What postwar political objectives helped to shape the contemporary commemoration of Jewish partisans? Although historical narratives may lack absolute certainty in some cases, the testimony of Jewish partisans and soldiers reveals experiences that allow for a more complete understanding of the Second World War in the Soviet Union and expose the ways in which political power can impact social memory