Threatening thoughts in first episode psychosis : the experience of content, emotional distress, change over time and context

The subjective experience of paranoia and persecutory delusions is largely overlooked in the extant literature, especially in first episode psychosis (FEP). This study explored the personal experience and understanding of threatening thoughts in FEP, guided by three over-arching research questions addressing: thought content and emotional distress; the role of life events and context; change in experience over time. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants. Transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Five master themes were identified reflecting recurring characteristics of all participants’ experiences: Exposure of vulnerable self; At the limits of endurance; Elusive sense of agency; The urge to explain it all and FEP as a finite experience? 16 sub-themes indicated elements of master themes that varied among individual narratives. Findings indicated the highly interpersonal nature of threatening thoughts and their role as a key organising factor in people’s lives. Emotional distress was often viewed as consequential to multiple types of thought content, overwhelming pressure, powerlessness and expectation of negative judgement. Difficult life contexts often seemed to contribute to thought manifestation. Reduction of novelty was important to positive change. Several participants framed experiences as terrible but completed, rather than as the beginning of chronic difficulties

J. Edgar Hoover, Speech Before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (26 March 1947)

J. Edgar Hoover fought domestic communism in the 1940s with illegal investigative methods and by recommending a procedure of guilt by association to HUAC. The debate over illegal surveillance in the 1940s to protect national security reflects the on‐going tensions between national security and civil liberties. This essay explores how in times of national security crises, concerns often exist about civil liberties violations in the United States

Historic Bread Riot in Virginia City

"The purpose of this paper is to show the sudden rise in the price of flour, the results that followed the exploitation of the miners by speculators and the sudden return to normal conditions as soon as the melting of the snows in the mountains opened the roads to the freight trains.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) FEMP Technical Assistance - United States Pacific Command (PACOM) Guam, Task 3.3: Building Retuning Training

Document describes an onsite workshop and building retuning training conducted in Guam in August 2010. Document reports on issues identified during an audit of several buildings and recommendations to save energy throughout the site. During the workshop, it became apparent that as site personnel maintain the facilities at Guam, the following retuning efforts and strategies should be prioritized: (1) Controlling the mechanical systems operational hours and zone temperature set points appeared to present the best opportunities for savings; (2) Zone temperature set points in some buildings are excessively low, especially at night, when the zone temperatures are so cold that they approached the dewpoint; and (3) Manually-set outside air dampers are providing excessive outside air, especially for spaces that are unoccupied. Two of the larger schools, one on the Naval Base and one on Anderson AFB, are in need of a significant recommissioning effort. These facilities are relatively new, with direct digital controls (DDC) but are significantly out of balance. The pressure in one school is extremely negative, which is pulling humid air through the facility each time a door is opened. The draft can be felt several feet down the halls. The pressure in the other school is extremely positive relative to the outside, and you can stand 20-feet outside and still feel cool drafts of air exiting the building. It is recommended that humidity sensors be installed in all new projects and retrofitted into exist facilities. In this humid climate, control of humidity is very important. There are significant periods of time when the mechanical systems in many buildings can be unloaded and dehumidification is not required. The use of CO{sub 2} sensors should also be considered in representative areas. CO{sub 2} sensors determine whether spaces are occupied so that fresh air is only brought into the space when needed. By reducing the amount of outside air brought into the space, the humidity load is also substantially reduced. CO{sub 2} and humidity sensors, combined with outside air sensors, can be used to predict whether conditions are amenable to mold growth and to automatically adjust systems to help prevent mold without using extra energy. The goal of this training is to give the building operators the knowledge needed to make positive changes in the operation of building systems. As class participants apply this knowledge, building systems will run more efficiently, occupant comfort should improve, while saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions

The Development of a SPME-GC/MS Method for the Analysis of VOC Emissions from Historic Plastic and Rubber Materials

Analytical methods have been developed for the analysis of VOC emissions from historic plastic and rubber materials using SPME-GC/MS. Parameters such as analysis temperature, sampling time and choice of SPME fibre coating were investigated and sampling preparation strategies explored, including headspace sampling in vials and in gas sampling bags. The repeatability of the method was evaluated. It was found that a 7 d accumulation time at room temperature, followed by sampling using a DVB/CAR/PDMS fibre, with a sampling time of 60 min at room temperature was a suitable strategy for the detection of VOC emissions from a wide range of historic plastic and rubber artefacts. For 20 mL vials, a sample size of 50 mg was found to be appropriate and grinding the samples improved the repeatability of the analysis and yielded higher levels of emissions. A non-destructive adaptation of the method that could be used directly on historic objects in a museum environment is also presented. The detected emissions improve understanding of ongoing degradation processes within historic plastic and rubber materials, in addition to providing information on material composition

‘Public Speaking is a Skill that Everyone Needs No Matter What’: Exploring Peer Perceptions toward Students on the Autism Spectrum in Basic Course Classrooms

The interactive nature of basic communication courses creates an ideal environment for students to form connections with their peers. Unfortunately, when students on the autism spectrum display atypical communication and behaviors, their classmates often reject and isolate them. Basic course programs can change these social dynamics through building connected classrooms and proactively fostering inclusion. Understanding peer perceptions and willingness to engage with autistic students is necessary, as peers play a central role in creating connected classrooms. This investigation explores basic communication course peers’ knowledge of how autism can influence students; peer perceptions of full inclusion of students on the autism spectrum in the basic course; and peers’ desire to learn more about how to support autistic classmates in basic communication courses. Open-ended responses (N = 216) to an online survey revealed an awareness that students on the autism spectrum can face a variety of obstacles in communication classrooms. Peers also expressed a strong preference for inclusion of autistic students, but often without expectation for their full participation in the basic course. Too many of these students held stigmatizing beliefs about their autistic peers that need to be challenged and changed through intervention. Finally, most respondents indicated a desire to learn more about how to effectively communicate with and become an ally to autistic peers on their campus. Implications and strategies to promote inclusivity in basic course programs are discussed

FIRST BREEDING RECORDS OF KELP GULLS LARUS DOMINICANUS VETULA AT ROBBEN ISLAND, WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA

The first recorded breeding of kelp gulls Larus dominicanus vetula on Robben Island, Western Cape, South Africa, took place in 2000, when five nests were recorded. In 2001, there were 15 nests and 29 fledglings. The initiation of breeding by kelp gulls on Robben Island is likely a response to the reduction of disturbance since the Robben Island Museum took control of the island. Afr. J. mar. Sci. 25: 391–39

An investigation of dental student's attitudes towards the elderly

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Boston University, Henry M. Goldman School of Graduate Dentistry, 1983 (Dental Public Health).Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-44).Demographic data indicates that the elderly population of the United States has been increasing in size and will continue to do so. Studies indicate that health professionals possess negative stereotypes for this age group and are generally disinclined to accept them as patients. Current trends in professional health education attempt to minimize these attitudes through interdisciplinary instruction and increased clinical experience with the elderly. An attitudinal survey designed by the investigator was administered at the beginning and end of a four month time interval to the second, third, and fourth year students at a private dental school in Boston, Massachusetts. The purpose was to determine if there was a difference in the attitudes toward the elderly held by students at the three stages in their dental education. In addition, the effect that an extramural geriatric screening program had on the attitudes of an experimental group of participants was evaluated through a comparison of their attitudes to those of a non-participating control group of students. Results of the survey indicated that a statistical difference in attitudes did exist among students in the class levels which was incrememtally positive over the three years. Data analysis also indicated that participation in the extramural geriatric program did not further increase the existing positive attitudes of the experimental group of students

Oregon's Provisional Post Office

"The first official notice that the provisional Government of Oregon would attempt to furnish its citizens with mail service is found in the Organic Law of Oregon adopted by the people July 26, 1845… The law provided for a post office department, and a postmaster general who was to be elected by the House of Representatives.