71 research outputs found
Marshall Fishwick, retired professor and founder of popular culture studies, dies at 82
No full textMarshall William Fishwick, teacher, author, and world traveler, died Monday, May 22 at his Blacksburg home. He was 82
Control of mergers: A necessary role for the European Commission
No full textDr Fishwick has worked on developments in policy towards mergers for several years, including studies for the European Commission's Directorate-General IV. In this article, he specifically considers recent changes in merger policy in France, in the UK, and from the viewpoint of the European Commission. Increasing control over mergers is a very apparent trend, another in the general move towards liberalisation and deregulation inherent in "1992". The author argues that European Community control should outrank national policies since the emphasis of "1992" is more on the international aspects of competition activity than on the national.
Economic aspects of the UK housing and housing finance markets
Get PDFEleven publications, presented in two volumes, are contained in this
submission. In each case these have been written jointly with another
author. In all publications my contribution has been as an equal co-author at
all stages: from the original identification of research projects, the
development and application of research methodologies, through to the
empirical analyses, interpretation and writing up of results.Ph
A literature review into Parents' experiences of raising a child with a disability, and research exploring mothers' experiences of receiving a diagnosis of Monosomy 1P36 deletion syndrome for their child
No full textThis thesis comprises a qualitative meta-synthesis of research into parents’ experiences of raising a child with a disability and a qualitative investigation into mothers’ experiences of receiving a diagnosis of Monosomy 1p36 Deletion Syndrome for their child. A meta-synthesis of six papers meeting inclusion and quality criteria is presented within this review. Overarching themes derived from the papers included two risk factors: Experiences and Challenges; and two protective factors: Strategies for Coping and Support. These are presented in a visual representation of a parent’s journey of raising a child with a disability. Using Grounded Theory techniques data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight mothers who had received a diagnosis of Monosomy 1p36 Deletion Syndrome. An overarching theme of facing uncertainty / reducing uncertainty emerged from the data, and this was connected with five themes: gaining information, being supported / not being supported, being powerless, jumping to the future / living in the here-and-now, and diagnosis making a difference / diagnosis not making a difference. These findings highlight the need for professionals to be appropriately skilled to deliever a diagnosis whilst drawing on previous findings of research into delivering a diagnosis of Down’s Syndrome, cancer and Dementia
An Exploration of Computational Design in the Arts
No full textThis Master of Fine Arts thesis paper, An Exploration of Computational Design in the Arts,
investigates how computational design tools are being integrated in modern artistic practice. The
artwork of the author, Travis Fowler, and adjacent contemporary artists will be investigated. The
method of evaluation utilizes a three-pronged approach: material, process, meaning. This form of
critique was developed in the 3D Studio at The University of Texas at Dallas and will be the
foundation for investigating each project described in this paper. Finally, this document
highlights the educational and professional journey of the author, his process of refining a
creative practice and select projects from his pursuit of a Master of Fine Arts degree
The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) : development and UK validation
Get PDFBackground
There is increasing international interest in the concept of mental well-being and its contribution to all aspects of human life. Demand for instruments to monitor mental well-being at a population level and evaluate mental health promotion initiatives is growing. This article describes the development and validation of a new scale, comprised only of positively worded items relating to different aspects of positive mental health: the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS).
Methods
WEMWBS was developed by an expert panel drawing on current academic literature, qualitative research with focus groups, and psychometric testing of an existing scale. It was validated on a student and representative population sample. Content validity was assessed by reviewing the frequency of complete responses and the distribution of responses to each item. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the hypothesis that the scale measured a single construct. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Criterion validity was explored in terms of correlations between WEMWBS and other scales and by testing whether the scale discriminated between population groups in line with pre-specified hypotheses. Test-retest reliability was assessed at one week using intra-class correlation coefficients. Susceptibility to bias was measured using the Balanced Inventory of Desired Responding.
Results
WEMWBS showed good content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the single factor hypothesis. A Cronbach's alpha score of 0.89 (student sample) and 0.91 (population sample) suggests some item redundancy in the scale. WEMWBS showed high correlations with other mental health and well-being scales and lower correlations with scales measuring overall health. Its distribution was near normal and the scale did not show ceiling effects in a population sample. It discriminated between population groups in a way that is largely consistent with the results of other population surveys. Test-retest reliability at one week was high (0.83). Social desirability bias was lower or similar to that of other comparable scales.
Conclusion
WEMWBS is a measure of mental well-being focusing entirely on positive aspects of mental health. As a short and psychometrically robust scale, with no ceiling effects in a population sample, it offers promise as a tool for monitoring mental well-being at a population level. Whilst WEMWBS should appeal to those evaluating mental health promotion initiatives, it is important that the scale's sensitivity to change is established before it is recommended in this context
A sporting chance? Resegregation of coaching jobs in women's intercollegiate athletics
No full text"Coaching women's sport is becoming resegregated from ""women's work"" to ""men's work."" This study examined how and why men are entering jobs in women's intercollegiate athletics to a greater extent than women. I compared two collegiate sport organizations: an athletic association and a division of campus recreation. I interviewed a stratified sample of professional staff (N = 32, N = 26) and mailed a survey questionnaire to the entire staff of each organization (N = 60, N = 30)."After Title IX, women's sport programs expanded in terms of number of jobs available, increased budgets and increased salaries for coaches. The representation of women in coaching positions decreased. Administrators argued that the increased demand for coaches exhausted the supply of qualified women. However, the study suggests that as men entered the labor queue for jobs in women's sport, deep-seated beliefs in sex differences influenced many administrators to place men at the top of this queue. Furthermore, the merging of men and women's programs and the division between revenue and non-revenue sport created many structural barriers for women in the athletic association. A competitive, business-like organizational culture exacerbated patriarchal notions stemming from the traditional dominance of men in sport.Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-07T12:02:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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The Design of a Human Computer Interface for a Multimodeling Object Oriented Simulation Environment
No full textMOOSE (Multimodeling Object Oriented Simulation Environment) is an application framework under the development at University of Florida, which is used for modeling and simulation. MOOSE is based on Object Oriented Physical Modeling (OOPM), and consists of a Human Computer Interface (HCI), Translator, and Engine. A human model author builds the model of a physical system with the help of Graphical User Interface (GUI) and represents his/her model with a picture. The MOOSE GUI contains two types of modelers: conceptual and dynamic. The conceptual modeler supports a model author to define classes and relations among classes in a form of class hierarchy that represents the conceptual model. The dynamic modeler assists a model author to build dynamic models for each of the classes defined in the conceptual model. The dynamic model types supported are Functional Block Model, Finite State Model, Equation Model , System Dynamics Model, and Rule Based Model. We are currently performing research..
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Work: The Continuing Narrative
No full textIt has long been recognized that harmful inhaled workplace exposures can contribute to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This article, intended for the clinician, summarizes some of this evidence and some areas of controversy. Current estimates based on pooled epidemiological analyses of population-based studies identify that approximately 14% of the burden of COPD (and 13% of the burden of chronic bronchitis) is attributable to such exposures. In addition to these approaches, various studies implicate specific exposures as contributing. Certain of these relating to cadmium, coal, and respirable crystalline silica are discussed in more detail. Despite this amassed evidence to date supporting associations between COPD and workplace exposures, there have been surprisingly few studies that have attempted to assess the attribution by experts of an occupational cause in cases of COPD. One study, using hypothetical cases of COPD, noted that while expert physicians were willing to make such an occupational link, this was only likely in cases with light smoking histories and a priori defined heavy occupational exposures. Relatively recent data relating to computed tomography (CT) scan appearances may give the clinician a further guide. Several studies from populations have now linked potentially harmful occupational exposures specifically with the presence of emphysema on CT scanning. It will be of interest to see if this finding, along with other clinical attributes of cases such as smoking and family histories, exclusion of asthma, genetic data, and the nature of workplace exposures, will increase the future diagnosis by clinicians of occupational COPD. In the interim, while better diagnostic approaches are developed, we suggest that consideration of an occupational cause is an important part of the clinical investigation of cases of COPD. Finally, we suggest that evidence-based workplace preventive strategies for occupational COPD should be informed by knowledge of which exposures are most important to reduce, and whether and when intervention to reduce exposure at an individual worker level is warranted.</p
Characterization of tenascin-W, an emerging player in the metastatic bone marrow niche
Get PDFTumors are heterogeneous organ-like tissues including not only tumor cells themselves but also auxiliary cells such as, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, inflammatory cells, and bone marrow derived stem or stromal cells (BMSCs), which collectively create the surrounding microenvironment also referred to as stromal compartment. By now the active role of the tumor-stroma in driving the dissemination phase and the following engraftment of tumor cells in secondary organs is widely accepted. Indeed, the perpetual activation of stromal cells is extended beyond the local primary tumors and they can take part in preparing a permissive environment at distant anatomic sites by providing oxygen and nutrients essential for tumor growth and invasion.
Tenascin-W (TNW) is a matricellular protein with a dynamically changing pattern of expression during development and disease. Its pronounced presence in developing bones implies a function in osteogenesis. In adults, tenascin-W is mostly restricted to stem cell niches, and is also expressed in the microenvironment of solid cancers. These distinct expression patterns imply a complex regulation of tenascin-W gene expression at the transcriptional level. Here we analyzed tenascin-W expression in a xenograft model of breast cancer metastasis to the bone. Quantitative mRNA analysis revealed an upregulation of tenascin-W in mouse osteoblast populations sorted from bones harboring human breast cancer metastases. Long bone sections containing metastases exhibit expression of mouse tenascin-W protein proving that tenascin-W is supplied by the metastatic niche and not by the tumor cells. Transwell and co-culture studies show that bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) express tenascin-W protein after exposure to factors secreted by MDA-MB231-1833 breast cancer cells. These findings prompted us to investigate the cis and trans-acting elements that drive tenascin-W . 5’RAC analysis of mRNA from human breast cancer, glioblastoma, and bone tissue showed a single tenascin-W transcript with a transcription start site (TSS) at a non-coding first exon upstream of exon2, which contains the translation start codon (ATG). The promoter region between -957bp and -79bp influences transcription and the minimal promoter sequence is contained within 79bp from the TSS. Computational analysis shows the presence of Smad4 nuclear transcription factor binding site at -61bp from the TSS in proximity of a TATA box sequence. Site-directed mutagenesis of the Smad4-binding site strongly impaired the SEAP reporter gene expression driven by the basal promoter. Furthermore, we found three evolutionary conserved regions in the first intron harboring glucocorticoid response elements (GRE), which negatively affect
10 I. Summary
transcription initiation from the basal promoter (-79bp). Therefore, we assessed whether TGF1 and glucocorticoids (GCs) act on tenascin-W gene expression in the tumor context. We identified TGF1 as an important factor inducing human tenascin-W gene transcription in BMSCs through activation of ALK5. Preincubation of BMSCs with the ALK5 inhibitor, SB431542, abolished tenascin-W induction by TGF1. Moreover, GCs impaired tenascin-W mRNA expression in BMSCs. Finally, recombinant tenascin-W protein stimulated MDA-MB231-1833 cell proliferation and migration in vitro assays. Our experiments suggest that tenascin-W acts as a niche component for breast cancer metastasis to the bone by supporting cell migration and cell proliferation of the breast cancer cells.
The analysis of the tumor bed contribution to cancer progression is a new frontier to unravel. It will lead to novel approaches to interfere with mechanism implicated in drug resistance, tumor relapse and metastatic spread
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