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Designed to tap the rich collection of instructional techniques in the ERIC database, this compilation of lesson plans focuses on language arts activities for gifted middle school students. The 40 lesson plans in this book cover history, literature, mass media, reading, theater arts, thinking skills, and writing. The book includes an activities chart which indicates the focus and types of activities (such as communication skills, collaborative learning, vocabulary development, etc.) found in the various lessons. A 41-item annotated bibliography contains references to research and additional resources. (RS)

This guide summarizes "Effective Programs for Struggling Readers: A Best Evidence Synthesis," a research review conducted by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Research and Reform in Education. The purpose of the review was to evaluate the achievement outcomes of alternative approaches for struggling readers in grade K-5: (1) one-to-one tutoring; (2) small group tutorials; (3) classroom instructional process approaches; and (4) instructional technology. Study inclusion criteria for the review included the use of randomized or well-matched control groups, study duration of at least 12 weeks, and the use of valid measures independent of treatments. A total of 96 studies met these criteria. The key findings of the review were as follows: (1) One-to-one tutoring works. Teachers are more effective as tutors than teaching assistants or volunteers, and an emphasis on phonics greatly improves tutoring outcomes; (2) Although one-to-one phonetic tutoring for first graders is highly effective, effects last into the upper elementary grades only if classroom interventions continue beyond this initial period; (3) Small group tutorials can be effective, but are not as effective as one-to-one instruction by teachers or paraprofessionals; (4) Classroom instructional process approaches, especially cooperative learning and structured phonetic models, have strong effects for low achievers (as well as other students); and (5) Traditional instructional technology programs have little impact on reading. Taken together, the key findings of the review support a strong focus on improving classroom instruction followed by targeted, phonetic tutoring for students who continue to experience difficulties. A glossary is included.

This webinar will introduce tools for helping libraries improve social wellbeing in their communities, created from the Rural Library Service & Social Wellbeing Project.

The development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines began in March 2020 in response to a request from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Within 4 days of the request, the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel was established and the first meeting took place (virtually-as did subsequent meetings). The Panel comprises 57 individuals representing 6 governmental agencies, 11 professional societies, and 33 medical centers, plus 2 community members, who have worked together to create and frequently update the guidelines on the basis of evidence from the most recent clinical studies available. The initial version of the guidelines was completed within 2 weeks and posted online on 21 April 2020. Initially, sparse evidence was available to guide COVID-19 treatment recommendations. However, treatment data rapidly accrued based on results from clinical studies that used various study designs and evaluated different therapeutic agents and approaches. Data have continued to evolve at a rapid pace, leading to 24 revisions and updates of the guidelines in the first year. This process has provided important lessons for responding to an unprecedented public health emergency: Providers and stakeholders are eager to access credible, current treatment guidelines; governmental agencies, professional societies, and health care leaders can work together effectively and expeditiously; panelists from various disciplines, including biostatistics, are important for quickly developing well-informed recommendations; well-powered randomized clinical trials continue to provide the most compelling evidence to guide treatment recommendations; treatment recommendations need to be developed in a confidential setting free from external pressures; development of a user-friendly, web-based format for communicating with health care providers requires substantial administrative support; and frequent updates are necessary as clinical evidence rapidly emerges.

Background: The Global Consensus Position Statement on the Use of Testosterone Therapy for Women (Global Position Statement) recommended testosterone therapy for postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). Aim: To provide a clinical practice guideline for the use of testosterone including identification of patients, laboratory testing, dosing, post-treatment monitoring, and follow-up care in women with HSDD. Methods: The International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health appointed a multidisciplinary panel of experts who performed a literature review of original research, meta-analyses, review papers, and consensus guidelines regarding testosterone use in women. Consensus was reached using a modified Delphi method. Outcomes: A clinically useful guideline following a biopsychosocial assessment and treatment approach for the safe and efficacious use of testosterone in women with HSDD was developed including measurement, indications, formulations, prescribing, dosing, monitoring, and follow-up. Results: Although the Global Position Statement endorses testosterone therapy for only postmenopausal women, limited data also support the use in late reproductive age premenopausal women, consistent with the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health Process of Care for the Management of HSDD. Systemic transdermal testosterone is recommended for women with HSDD not primarily related to modifiable factors or comorbidities such as relationship or mental health problems. Current available research supports a moderate therapeutic benefit. Safety data show no serious adverse events with physiologic testosterone use, but long-term safety has not been established. Before initiation of therapy, clinicians should provide an informed consent. Shared decision-making involves a comprehensive discussion of off-label use, as well as benefits and risks. A total testosterone level should not be used to diagnose HSDD, but as a baseline for

Only one class of targeted agents (anti-GD2 antibodies) has been incorporated into front-line therapy for neuroblastoma since the 1980s. The Neuroblastoma New Drug Development Strategy (NDDS) initiative commenced in 2012 to accelerate the development of new drugs for neuroblastoma. Advances have occurred, with eight of nine high-priority targets being evaluated in paediatric trials including anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors being investigated in front-line, but significant challenges remain. This article reports the conclusions of the second NDDS forum, which expanded across the Atlantic to further develop the initiative. Pre-clinical and clinical data for 40 genetic targets and mechanisms of action were prioritised and drugs were identified for early-phase trials. Strategies to develop drugs targeting TERT, telomere maintenance, ATRX, alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), BRIP1 and RRM2 as well as direct targeting of MYCN are high priority and should be championed for drug discovery. Promising pre-clinical data suggest that targeting of ALT by ATM or PARP inhibition may be potential strategies. Drugs targeting CDK2/9, CDK7, ATR and telomere maintenance should enter paediatric clinical development rapidly. Optimising the response to anti-GD2 by combinations with chemotherapy, targeted agents and other immunological targets are crucial. Delivering this strategy in the face of small patient cohorts, genomically defined subpopulations and a large number of permutations of combination trials, demands even greater international collaboration. In conclusion, the NDDS provides an internationally agreed, biologically driven selection of prioritised genetic targets and drugs. Improvements in the strategy for conducting trials in neuroblastoma will accelerate bringing these new drugs more rapidly to front-line therapy.

Aims and objectives: To explore the challenge of engaging multidisciplinary staff in standardising aseptic technique (AT) in an emergency department (ED) in an Australian tertiary hospital, and to better understand the enablers and barriers to implementing practice change within this setting. Background: Healthcare‐associated infections are the most common complication for patients in acute care. A clinical practice framework developed in the United Kingdom (UK) standardised AT practice to reduce potential infection risk. One Australian tertiary hospital drew upon this framework to similarly improve clinical practice. It was understood that standardising practice would require some practitioners only to revisit and demonstrate AT principles already embedded in their practice, while others would be challenged to adopt a new approach. Design: Qualitative, descriptive research design. Methods: Data were collected through focus groups held before and after implementation of the AT programme. Data were analysed using the framework method. The (COREQ) checklist was followed. Results: Four emergent themes described the influence of motivation on individuals' beliefs and attitudes towards practice change, relationships within the ED context, delivery of education and management directives. Conclusion: Implementing practice change is more than just providing technical knowledge and includes changing individuals' beliefs and attitudes. An understanding of adaptive challenge can assist in implementing practice change that involves the multidisciplinary team. Relevance to clinical practice: Results provide evidence as to how the adaptive challenge framework could be a suitable approach to manage potential enablers and barriers to implementing change within a multidisciplinary team in an acute hospital.

Background: This study was undertaken to determine women’s knowledge of menopause and its consequences, and their menopause-related health-care experiences. Methods: Participants were recruited to this cross-sectional qualitative study from a nationally, representative sample of Australian women. Recruitment was stratified by age to achieve groups of premenopausal (PRE), perimenopausal (PERI), early postmenopausal (E-POST), and late postmenopausal (LPOST) women. Results: The 32 participants were aged 46–69 years: 10 PRE, three PERI, 11 E-POST and eight L-POST women. All understood that menopause meant the end of reproductive function and were aware of menopause-associated symptoms. Most PRE and E-POST women referred to lifestyle changes to optimize health, and self-help and complementary therapies to manage symptoms. E-POST and L-POST women were more likely to nominate seeing a doctor for overall health and symptom management. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) was viewed negatively, with shared perceptions of cancer risk and over-prescription. A strong theme was lack of knowledge of long-term menopause sequelae, with only four women nominating osteoporosis. Conclusions: Our in-depth qualitative study would suggest that, while Australian midlife women have a good understanding of the immediate effects of menopause, their lack of knowledge of the longterm consequences is concerning. Despite the effectiveness and safety of MHT, the overall attitude to MHT remains negative.

There has been limited knowledge on spatio-temporal epidemiology of zoonotic arctic fox rabies among countries bordering the Arctic, in particular Greenland. Previous molecular epidemiological studies have suggested the occurrence of one particular arctic rabies virus (RABV) lineage (arctic-3), but have been limited by a low number of available samples preventing in-depth high resolution phylogenetic analysis of RABVs at that time. However, an improved knowledge of the evolution, at a molecular level, of the circulating RABVs and a better understanding of the historical perspective of the disease in Greenland is necessary for better direct control measures on the island. These issues have been addressed by investigating the spatio-temporal genetic diversity of arctic RABVs and their reservoir host, the arctic fox, in Greenland using both full and partial genome sequences. Using a unique set of 79 arctic RABV full genome sequences from Greenland, Canada, USA (Alaska) and Russia obtained between 1977 and 2014, a description of the historic context in relation to the genetic diversity of currently circulating RABV in Greenland and neighboring Canadian Northern territories has been provided. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed delineation into four major arctic RABV lineages (arctic 1–4) with viruses from Greenland exclusively grouping into the circumpolar arctic-3 lineage. High resolution analysis enabled distinction of seven geographically distinct subclades (3.I – 3.VII) with two subclades containing viruses from both Greenland and Canada. By combining analysis of full length RABV genome sequences and host derived sequences encoding mitochondrial proteins obtained simultaneously from brain tissues of 49 arctic foxes, the interaction of viruses and their hosts was explored in detail. Such an approach can serve as a blueprint for analysis of infectious disease dynamics and virus-host interdependencies. The results showed a fine-scale spatial population structure in Gre

The objective of this document is to generate a practice guideline for the management and treatment of symptoms of the menopause.The Treatment of Symptoms of the Menopause Task Force included six experts, a methodologist, and a medical writer, all appointed by The Endocrine Society.The Task Force developed this evidenced-based guideline using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system to describe the strength of recommendations and the quality of evidence. The Task Force commissioned three systematic reviews of published data and considered several other existing meta-analyses and trials.Multiple e-mail communications, conference calls, and one face-to-face meeting determined consensus. Committees of The Endocrine Society, representatives from endorsing societies, and members of The Endocrine Society reviewed and commented on the drafts of the guidelines. The Australasian Menopause Society, the British Menopause Society, European Menopause and Andropause Society, the European Society of Endocrinology, and the International Menopause Society (co-sponsors of the guideline) reviewed and commented on the draft.Conclusions: menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms and other symptoms of the climacteric. Benefits may exceed risks for the majority of symptomatic postmenopausal women who are under age 60 or under 10 years since the onset of menopause. Health care professionals should individualize therapy based on clinical factors and patient preference. They should screen women before initiating MHT for cardiovascular and breast cancer risk and recommend the most appropriate therapy depending on risk/benefit considerations. Current evidence does not justify the use of MHT to prevent coronary heart disease, breast cancer, or dementia.Other options are available for those with vasomotor symptoms who prefer not to use MHT or who have contraindications because these patients should not us, Цель этого документа заключается в создании практического руководства по тактике ведения и лечения симптомов менопаузы.В Рабочую группу по лечению симптомов менопаузы вошли шесть экспертов, методист и медицинский редактор, которые были назначены Эндокринологическим обществом США.Рабочая группа разработала данное основанное на доказательных данных руководство с использованием шкалы градации доказательных данных GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) для описания силы рекомендаций и качества доказательств, подготовив три систематических обзора опубликованных данных и рассмотрев несколько других существующих на сегодня мета-анализов и исследований.Консенсус процесса основывался на коммуникации с помощью электронной почты, конференц-звонках и непосредственной встрече участников. Комитеты Эндокринологического общества, представители смежных обществ и члены Эндокринологического общества США рассмотрели и прокомментировали проект данного руководства. Черновой вариант документа также был рецензирован Обществами менопаузы Австралии и Великобритании, Европейским обществом менопаузы и андропаузы, Европейским обществом эндокринологии и Международным обществом менопаузы (соавторы руководства).Выводы: менопаузальная гормональная терапия (MГT) является наиболее эффективным способом лечения вазомоторных симптомов и других симптомов климактерия. Польза превышает риски для большинства симптоматических женщин в постменопаузе, возраст которых составляет менее 60 лет, или если с момента наступления менопаузы прошло не больше 10 лет. Врачам следует индивидуализировать терапию, исходя из клинических факторов и предпочтений пациентки. Перед началом MГT нужно провести скрининг женщины для оценки сердечно-сосудистого риска и риска рака молочной железы и рекомендовать наиболее подходящий способ терапии в зависимости от соотношения риск/польза.Имеющиеся на сегодня данные не оправдывают использование MГT с целью профилактики ишемической болезни сердца, рака м, Мета цього документа полягає у створенні практичного керівництва з тактики ведення і лікування симптомів менопаузи.До Робочої групи з лікування симптомів менопаузи увійшли шість експертів, методист і медичний редактор, які були призначені Ендокринологічним товариством США.Робоча група розробила це засноване на доказових даних керівництво з використанням шкали градації доказових даних GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) для опису сили рекомендацій і якості доказів, підготувавши три систематичних огляди опублікованих даних і розглянувши кілька інших існуючих на сьогодні мета-аналізів і досліджень.Консенсус процесу ґрунтувався на комунікації за допомогою електронної пошти, конференц-дзвінків та безпосередній зустрічі учасників. Комітети Ендокринологічного товариства, представники суміжних товариств та члени Ендокринологічного товариства США розглянули і прокоментували проект даного керівництва. Чорновий варіант документа також був рецензований Товариствами менопаузи Австралії та Великобританії, Європейським товариством менопаузи і андропаузи, Європейським товариством ендокринології та Міжнародним товариством менопаузи (співавтори керівництва).Висновки: менопаузальна гормональна терапія (MГT) є найбільш ефективним способом лікування вазомоторних симптомів та інших симптомів клімактерію. Її користь перевищує ризики для більшості симптоматичних жінок у постменопаузі, вік яких становить менше за 60 років, або якщо з моменту настання менопаузи минуло не більше 10 років. Лікарям слід індивідуалізувати терапію, виходячи з клінічних факторів і переваг для пацієнтки. Перед початком MГT потрібно провести скринінг жінки для оцінки серцево-судинного ризику і ризику раку молочної залози та рекомендувати найбільш оптимальний спосіб терапії залежно від співвідношення ризик/користь.Наявні на сьогодні дані не виправдовують використання MГT з метою профілактики ішемічної хвороби серця, раку молочної залози і деменції.Для жінок, які страждають на ва

Feedback and reflective processes play an important role in learning with both teachers and students required to play active roles. The importance of feedback processes and practices takes on an added dimension in the field of teacher education as the assessment and feedback processes are also professional practices that students themselves will be enacting in their professional roles. To this end, feedback provides opportunities for students to develop their own professional assessment literacy but also draws attention to the role of the teacher-education lecturer or assessor and the roles and relationships involved. This article reports on a research study which investigated teacher education students’ perceptions of assessment feedback and how they used it. Drawing upon a sociocultural framing, findings highlight the importance of different mediating means including rules, roles and relationships, the practice of iterative processing and the importance of ‘academic trust’.

Interview in three sessions with Susan Davis, division administrator for Caltech Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) from 1981 to 2012. Ms. Davis briefly recaps her youth and education in New England, her work with economists at the University of Rochester, and her marriage to Caltech economist Lance Davis before moving into a discussion of her thirty-five years with Caltech’s Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), including more than three decades as division administrator. She talks about the growth of the division’s undergraduate and graduate programs in the social sciences, the reactions this inspired within the division and across the Caltech campus, and discusses the relationship between social scientists and humanists within the division and with Caltech’s physical scientists. She recounts her years working with division chairs R. Huttenback, R. Noll, D. Grether, J. Ledyard, J. Ensminger, and J. Katz and with numerous HSS personalities, and discusses the evolution and growth of HSS’s academic programs over nearly four decades. She also talks about her service on Caltech staff committees and offers her personal perspective on changes in the campus environment and working conditions for staff, particularly staff women, over her years at Caltech.

This study explores young people's creative practice through using Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) - in one particular learning area - Drama. The study focuses on school-based contexts and the impact of ICT-based interventions within two drama education case studies. The first pilot study involved the use of online spaces to complement a co-curricula performance project. The second focus case was a curriculum-based project with online spaces and digital technologies being used to create a cyberdrama. Each case documents the activity systems, participant experiences and meaning making in specific institutional and technological contexts. The nature of creative practice and learning are analysed, using frameworks drawn from Vygotsky's socio-historical theory (including his work on creativity) and from activity theory. Case study analysis revealed the nature of contradictions encountered and these required an analysis of institutional constraints and the dynamics of power. Cyberdrama offers young people opportunities to explore drama through new modes and the use of ICTs can be seen as contributing different tools, spaces and communities for creative activity. To be able to engage in creative practice using ICTs requires a focus on a range of cultural tools and social practices beyond those of the purely technological. Cybernetic creative practice requires flexibility in the negotiation of tool use and subjects and a system that responds to feedback and can adapt. Classroom-based dramatic practice may allow for the negotiation of power and tool use in the development of collaborative works of the imagination. However, creative practice using ICTs in schools is typically restricted by authoritative power structures and access issues. The research identified participant engagement and meaning making emerging from different factors, with some students showing preferences for embodied creative practice in Drama that did not involve ICTs. The findings of

Many educators are currently interested in using computer-mediated communications (CMCs) to support learning and creative practice. In my work I have been looking at how we might create drama through using cyberspaces, working with teachers and students in secondary school contexts. In trying to understand issues that have arisen and ways of working with the data I have found a number of frameworks helpful for analysing the online interactions. These frameworks draw from O'Toole's work on contexts negotiated in the creation of drama and other frameworks drawn from Wertsch, Bakhtin and Vygotsky's work on speech utterances, dialogic processes and internalisation of learning. The contexts and factors which must be negotiated in online communications within learning contexts are quite complex and educators may need to provide parameters and protocols to ensure appropriate languages, genres and utterances are utilised. The paper explores some of the types of languages, genres and utterances that emerged from a co-curricula drama project and issues that arose, including the importance of establishing processes for giving and receiving critical feedback This paper is of relevance to those whose research strategies may involve the use of computer-mediated communications as well as those utilising cyberspaces in educational contexts.

The end of major combat operations in Iraq in 2003 was merely the beginning of a different fight, one in which an unconventional weapon has had a deadly impact on conventional forces. The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has proven to be the number one threat to Coalition Forces in Iraq and now in Afghanistan. In response to this relatively cheap and somewhat unsophisticated killer, the Department of Defense (DoD) has invested billions of dollars and established a large organization with one goal: to defeat IEDs. The Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) has had some success in this mission, but the use of IEDs persists. Because of the resources invested in JIEDDO and the urgency of its charge, it is important to assess the entity as it stands today and consider its role for the future. Therefore, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations conducted this study to answer two questions: (1) Is JIEDDO winning the Counter-IED (C-IED) fight in Iraq and Afghanistan? and (2) What is the Department's long-term plan for JIEDDO and for addressing other asymmetric threats? JIEDDO's actions and activities fall under three lines of operation: (1) Defeat the Device, (2) Attack the Network, and (3) Train the Force. The primary focus of the Defeat the Device effort is on neutralizing the IED after it is emplaced. This includes funding the development of technical and nontechnical countermeasures and the ability to rapidly field new equipment. Attack the Network activities aim to find and eliminate bomb makers and their supporters before they can assemble and emplace IEDs. The C-IED Operations Integration Center is the primary enabler for attacking IED networks. The Joint Center of Excellence supports training for U.S. personnel on how to protect themselves from IEDs. Although JIEDDO spends more than $4 billion annually under these three lines of operation, this study concludes that it is not clear how well the organization is accomplishing its mission.

Background Although previous studies have investigated beliefs about back pain in clinical and employed populations, there is a paucity of data examining the beliefs of the broader community. We aimed to characterize the beliefs that community-dwelling women have about back pain and its consequences, and to determine whether those with varying levels of pain intensity and disability differ in their beliefs. Methods 542 community-dwelling women, aged 24 to 80 years, were recruited from a research database. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that included detailed demographic information, the Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire (CPG) and the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ). The CPG examined individuals' levels of pain intensity and disability, and the BBQ investigated their beliefs about back pain and its consequences. Results 506 (93.4%) women returned the study questionnaire. The mean (SD) BBQ score for the cohort was 30.7 (6.0), indicating generally positive beliefs about back pain. However, those women with high intensity pain and high level disability had a mean (SD) score of 28.5 (5.7) and 24.8 (5.7) respectively, which reflects greater negativity about back pain and its consequences. There was an association between negative beliefs and high pain intensity (OR = 0.94 (95% CI: 0.90, 0.99), p = 0.01) and high level disability (OR = 0.93 (95% CI: 0.89, 0.97), p = 0.001), after adjusting for confounders. Conclusion This study highlights that although women living in the community were generally positive about back pain, subgroups of women with high pain intensity and high level disability were identified who had more pessimistic views. While a causal relationship cannot be inferred from these cross-sectional data, the results suggest that negative beliefs individuals have about back pain may be predictive of chronic, disabling spinal pain.

Susan L. Davis, Jose A. VazquezHenry Ford Hospital, Wayne State University College of Pharmacy, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USAIntroduction: Anidulafungin is a new echinocandin antifungal agent with indications for use in esophageal candidiasis and candidemia. The mortality and morbidity associated with fungal infections in healthcare facilities necessitates the development of new treatment options for these diseases.Aims: This review assesses the pharmacology and evidence for the use of anidulafungin in the treatment of serious fungal infections.Evidence review: There is substantial evidence that anidulafungin is a potent antifungal agent with activity against a broad range of fungal species. Likewise, evidence supports that anidulafungin is a well-tolerated antifungal agent. Clinical studies provide sufficient evidence for regulatory approval for esophageal candidiasis and candidemia, and limited evidence suggests that anidulafungin may be superior to fluconazole for candidemia and invasive candidiasis. The introduction of anidulafungin into clinical practice adds a third option for therapy in the echinocandin class. Research into its efficacy in other fungal infections is ongoing, and further studies into the impact of anidulafungin on economic outcomes will be beneficial.Place in therapy: Current evidence supports the use of anidulafungin in the management of candidemia, esophageal candidiasis, and invasive candidiasis, as demonstrated by the successful results in large multicenter clinical trials.Key words: anidulafungin, candidemia, candidiasis, echinocandins, evidence, review, treatment

A study was conducted to compare the interpretive and coping responses of female and male survivors of incest and female survivors of sexual assault by a nonrelative. Twenty-eight persons responded to a questionnaire that asked them to provide an account of the nature of an assault(s), the role of confidants in helping them cope with the assault, how they coped and tried to understand the assault over time, how they felt the assault affected their close relationships, and how they evaluated their current state of recovery. The results for male and female incest groups were similar in revealing great difficulty in coping and in having adult close relationships. These two groups showed more continuing lack of resolution than did the female nonfamilial survivors. The male group of incest survivors showed the greatest overall difficulty. The findings are discussed in terms of the roles of searching for meaning via account-making and confiding as ways of dealing with long-term, major Stressors in people's lives.

What kinds of engagement might be possible for young people through the creation and experience of a cyberdrama? How do you create a cyberdrama? These were the questions that underpinned the process for creating the cyberdrama www.cleo-missing.com – a drama that was created to be experienced through a fully mediated form on the Internet. The background for this project involved: exploring the context for creating a web-based cyberdrama with young people; defining cyberdrama, the nature of the work and possible processes and forms; and examining the notion of engagement, looking for possible links between aspects of the aesthetic and the immersive. The process of creating the drama utilised aspects of process drama, a form emerging from the field of drama education as one that offers up huge potential for the creation of on-line interactive drama. The project research suggests that the context for experiencing the work through the Internet means that the experience of “diversion” needs to be considered and is much more likely for many users than that of “immersion”. This is particularly so in view of the ways many young people use the Internet, with common interactions taking on aspects of Bakhtin’s “carnival” (a subversive or alternative order). The experience for participants in creating the drama was characterised by a number of features, but engagement seemed particularly strong when aspects of control were involved or possible. The framing of this experience through the use of various recording technologies was of key significance to this experience of engagement; the possibility of creating a presence that may affirm a participant’s sense of existence seems to engage participants solidly in the process. The research also suggested that for those creating drama on-line the use of a fairly linear narrative structure may still be desirable, and that the more significant experiences of engagement occur when a number of pleasures are experienced in combination. The

What kinds of engagement might be possible for young people through cyberdrama? This was one of the questions that underpinned the process for creating the cyberdrama www.cleo-missing.com, a drama that was created to be experienced through a fully mediated form on the internet. This article explores the concepts of engagement, aesthetic engagement and immersion, and explores the key factors contributing to engagement through the creation and experience of cyberdrama.

What is cyberdrama and how can one create drama to be experienced through a fully mediated form on the Internet? This was one of the questions that underpinned the process for creating the cyberdrama www.cleo-missing.com in 2005. This article explores definitions of cyberdrama and outlines the possible elements of cyberdrama. It also focuses on how aspects of process drama offer up huge potential for the creation of online interactive drama.

Sensitive assays are required to detect bovine retroviruses in donor cattle used for the in vivo preparation of Australian tick fever vaccines. 5′ Taq nuclease assays using 3′ minor groove binder DNA probes (TaqMan®MGB) were developed and compared to conventional PCR assays for the sensitive detection of bovine syncytial virus (BSV) and bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV). Seven beef and dairy herds were screened to evaluate these tests. Comparative sensitivities of PCR tests were determined by testing log10 dilutions of plasmids with inserts containing corresponding provirus sequences. Published PCR assays targeting BIV env sequences did not adequately amplify Australian BIV sequences. Pol sequences from Australian strains of BIV and BSV were used to design TaqMan®MGB assays, which improved sensitivity 10-fold (BIV) and 100-fold (BSV), respectively, over conventional PCR tests. This is the first report of Australian sequences of BIV and BSV and the first 5′ Taq nuclease assays described to detect these viruses. These methods could be applied to future studies requiring sensitive detection of these two bovine retroviruses.

The Naval Postgraduate School has actively explored the design and implementation of NPSNET, a real-time three-dimensional simulator on low-cost, readily accessible workstations. NPSNET involves a tremendous amount of interaction between vehicle, terrain, obstacle and ordnance objects in a dynamic simulation system. There exists a need for an organized, efficient storage structure that allows real-time retrieval of objects and their interactive relationships. This work concentrates on selection and design of a vehicle database model to maximize storage and real-time retrieval of data for the NPSNET visual simulator. The results of this effort can be applied to the overall system, NPSNET, in a distributed database management system.

The Naval Postgraduate School has actively explored the design and implementation of NPSNET, a real-time three-dimensional simulator on low-cost, readily accessible workstations. NPSNET involves a tremendous amount of interaction between vehicle, terrain, obstacle and ordnance objects in a dynamic simulation system. There exists a need for an organized, efficient storage structure that allows real-time retrieval of objects and their interactive relationships. This work concentrates on selection and design of a vehicle database model to maximize storage and real-time retrieval of data for the NPSNET visual simulator. The results of this effort can be applied to the overall system, NPSNET, in a distributed database management system.

Laccase was covalently immobilised to activated carbon using four derivatisation methods. The highest bound activity was obtained using diimide coupling of laccase to carboxyl groups on the carbon. The maximum bound activity was reached at 11.5 mg laccase/g carbon; the maximum protein bound was 42.85 mg/g carbon. The carbon-immobilised laccase (CIL) was stable at pH values from 4.0 to 9.0. CIL stored at 4-degrees-C lost 38 +/- 5 % activity in the first 4 days, then a further 22 +/- 5 % in 126 days. CIL showed increased stability to low pH although the pH optimum was unchanged. The activation energy of CIL was lower than soluble laccase. Oxidation of 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (DMP) by CIL in a packed-bed system was only 30 +/- 10 % of that in a fluidised bed system. Of the initial activity 10-30 % was retained after oxidation of seven batches of DMP. CIL removed colour from two industrial effluents. Colour was removed from pulp mill bleach plant effluent at 115 colour units per enzyme unit per hour and the removal rate increased with increasing effluent concentration.

The nonverbal messages conveyed by dress are learned earlier by today's children than they have been at any time in the past. Yet, little empirical research has examined the effect of clothing on the behavioral development of the preschool child. Dress is a medium for carrying out the serious roles of life, but it is also a medium for play. Although numerous studies have investigated play, an important element of child development, few have included dress as a factor. Research has shown that not all children participate in all forms of play behavior, particularly dramatic play, which contains the element of make-believe. Furthermore, research has shown that increased associative fluency in preschool children is dependent specifically on the occurrence of make-believe play. A child, deficient in such divergent-thinking skills, would seem somewhat disadvantaged and less able to cope with a problematic environment. The present study asks the question: Can the wearing of specially designed clothing raise levels of observable make-believe behavior for preschool children? Two research hypotheses were formulated to address this question: l) There will be a difference in player/nonplayer imaginativeness scores while wearing control and experimental garments. 2) There will be a difference in player/nonplayer imaginativeness scores while wearing Experimental Garment I or II.

The purpose of the research was to study the evolution of quilts in Floyd County, Virginia, as a means of documenting the life and culture of the county natives. Both documents and relics were examined and methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis were utilized. The relics were any existing quilts made in Floyd County, while the documents included not only those in traditionally written form, but those in the unwritten form--in this case, twenty-two oral interviews. A visual instrument was developed to substantiate subject responses to interview questions. Geographic, economic and cultural factors were shown to have played an important part in determining the characteristics of Floyd County quilts. County aesthetic values were determined to be closely related to nature. Design lines were moderately complex and color preferences fell in the primary and secondary color range. Due to the historic functional use of quilts, no relation was found between the women's craftsmanship and design ability.

The purpose of this dissertation was to describe the repertoire of parades and ceremonies performed in Philadelphia between 1800 and 1850, and to analyze them as a type of social communication. The inquiry focussed on several key questions: (1) Who were the major producers of displays for street audiences? (2) What were the important, recurring occasions and uses for street performances? (3) What social meanings could these performances contain and be used to express? Research yielded an historical calendar of festivals, holidays, anniversaries and reenactments, as well as examples of demonstrations, strikes and political movements which used parades to broadcast messages and meanings. The major producers of parades and ceremonies were affluent members of private paramilitary clubs known as volunteer militias. These troops played leading parts in a wide range of displays; their orderly, military marches came to define the city's dominant parade styles over the years studied. Other important street theatrical traditions sprang up in the city. Old methods of folk justice through drama, crowd actions and political parody fed an urban tradition of burlesque parades which could criticize social inequities. In turn, burlesque parades contributed themes of social criticism to Philadelphia's version of Christmas mumming. Another variety of parades represented labor processes and labor relations. Parades and demonstrations by staged by employers, workers, labor unions and voluntary associations represented and commented on a variety of work and neighborhood relations. This study concludes that parades in early nineteenth-century Philadelphia carried two different, opposed sets of meanings about social relations. These meanings were communicated through parade conventions, the identities and intentions of parade-makers, and the social context of performance. The dominant, respectable parade style was created by volunteer militias and borrowed by voluntary associations and som

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Towell‐Barnard, A., Slatyer, S., Cadwallader, H., Harvey, M., & Davis, S. (2020). The influence of adaptive challenge on engagement of multidisciplinary staff in standardising aseptic technique in an emergency department: A qualitative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(3-4), 459-467. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15109. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.

Towell-Barnard, A., Coventry, L., Foster, L., Davis, S., Twigg, D. E., Bharat, C., & Boston, J. (2020). The psychometric validation of the quality practical experience (QPE) instruments (nurses and student nurse) to evaluate clinical supervision of undergraduate student nurses. Nurse Education in Practice, 43, Article 102697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102697

The Naval Postgraduate School has actively explored the design and implementation of NPSNET, a real-time three-dimensional simulator on low-cost, readily accessible workstations. NPSNET involves a tremendous amount of interaction between vehicle, terrain, obstacle and ordnance objects in a dynamic simulation system. There exists a need for an organized, efficient storage structure that allows real-time retrieval of objects and their interactive relationships. This work concentrates on selection and design of a vehicle database model to maximize storage and real-time retrieval of data for the NPSNET visual simulator. The results of this effort can be applied to the overall system, NPSNET, in a distributed database management system., http://archive.org/details/npsnetvehicledat109458744, Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.