Artist Statement My artwork reflects elements of simple, everyday life. I find poignancy in people as they go about their daily business, children playing on the beach or an elderly woman at her kitchen stove. And, it’s not just people in whom I find intrigue. The creases and folds of crumpled, brown paper bags; fresh fish lying on crushed ice in outdoor markets; and household objects, such as chairs, irons, and wooden spoons are the types of things that are also evidence of daily life. In my work, I strive to replicate with both accuracy and emotion all of these things. In my paintings, I focus on objects and purposefully omit ancillary details. I use large brushes to paint the gestural lines of fresh fish or aging fruit. I use neutral colors to focus attention on content. In contrast, my ceramic sculptures are highly detailed. I sculpt and carve exacting and specific elements, such as the bones of a fish skull or the wrinkles and nail beds of aged hands. I want my work to communicate my world and offer viewers an opportunity to see something of their world as well.

Flow is a state of consciousness where the individual experiences engagement, concentration, and enjoyment. An intervention was conducted focusing on challenge-skill balancing and intrinsic motivation, both previously conceptualized as aspects of flow. The variables evaluated were challenge-skill balance, concentration on task, flow, and intrinsic motivation. The study had 211 undergraduate college students (control = 104, intervention = 107). Repeated measures ANOVA was used to evaluate the data. The findings were mixed. Significant main effects between groups were not found. Significant main effects for time (pre-test to post-test) were found for challenge-skill balance, flow, and intrinsic motivation. A statistically significant change from pre-test to post-test for the control group on intrinsic motivation suggests the possible presence of a confounding effect by the control group curriculum. Some evidence was found that flow can be influenced by direct intervention. Further research is needed to clarify, evaluate, and extend these findings. / text

Background: Airways diseases comprise mainly of COPD and asthma. There is a need to develop both new models and improve methodologies of existing models these diseases. LPS challenges in smokers would be an excellent model to study the drugs directed against TLR4 mediated inflammation in COPD. In asthma allergen challenges are established models of disease and extensively used in clinical trials. Back to back reproducibility of two bolus dose allergen challenges has not been studied; this would provide intra subject standard deviations which are useful for accurate power calculations for bolus allergen challenge studies. Aims: 1. To investigate Inhaled LPS Challenges in healthy smokers as a model of inflammation in COPD; study systemic and sputum biomarkers for use in such studies and use LPS challenge as a model to study corticosteroid insensitivity 2. Investigate LPS Challenges in HNS as a model to study neutrophil chemotaxis mechanisms 3. Study Reproducibility of bolus dose allergen challengeMethods 1. HNS and HS were recruited and underwent inhaled LPS challenges. Safety, airway and systemic inflammation was studied. 2. Mild atopic asthmatics underwent two bolus allergen challenges, reproducibility of EAR and LAR was studied and intrasubject SD was used for power calculationsResult LPS Challenges were safe in both HNS and HS and led to increase in sputum neutrophil% in both these populations with maximum effect at 6hours post 30µg LPS inhalation. The resulting airway neutrophilic inflammation was reproducible in HS. LPS challenge in HS also leads to increase in systemic biomarkers and upregulation of NFĸB pathways in induced sputum. There was moderate corticosteroid insensitivity in airway inflammation in HS which didnot increase post LPS challenge. In HNS sputum supernatants post LPS challenge increase chemotaxis of blood neutrophils which is related to CXCL8 levels and mediated by both CXCR1 and 2 receptors. Bolus allergen challenges in mild asthmatics show good reproducibility for both EAR and LAR; I have also presented intrasubject SD which maybe used for accurate power calculations for future studies.Conclusions LPS Challenges lead to neutrophilic airway inflammation in HS which is reproducible and mediated by upregulation of TLR4 signalling making this a good model to study anti-inflammatory drugs for COPD in clinical trials. Additionally, LPS challenges in HNS provide a model to study neutrophil chemotaxis mechanisms. Bolus allergen challenges show good reproducibility and accurate power calculations are presented in this thesis.

No / This article is a review of Robert Kastenbaum's 1979 essay entitled "Healthy dying: A paradoxical quest continues." It begins with a summary of the arguments and challenges in the original essay. This is followed by an evaluation of his original claims in the light of contemporary insights in modern public health history and empirical studies of near-death experiences and death bed visions. The recent development of health promotion in palliative care is described in relation to these developments and Kastenbaum's early question about the paradoxical quest for health while dying is again posed against this . Given our modern understanding of "health" in current global health policy and debates, it is argued that "healthy dying" is no paradox. Instead, the pursuit of health at the end of life represents a realistic modern desire to compress morbidity, minimize unnecessary suffering, and enhance quality of life at this time.

In today's new and changing world, Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) education has come to the forefront of educational reform. The expectation for better prepared workers for today's technology infused businesses requires a better trained student, not only at the post-secondary level, but also at the secondary level. Today's student has access to technology that could have only been dreamed of 60 years ago. With this need for higher level skills in the STEM field for the work force, it would only be logical to expose students to aspects of engineering in younger grades, particularly at the high school level. The Antenna Design challenge has been designed to expose students to the engineering process and technology that is relevant to their everyday lives. This report will examine how an engineering challenge can be incorporated into the physics classroom, while observing how different levels of scaffolding affect mastery of the material and implementation of the lesson. / text

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Acute stress has numerous potential consequences for individuals, from their behaviour to their performance on a task. Psychological models like the biopsychosocial model (BPSM) of challenge and threat, the theory of challenge and threat states in athletes (TCTSA) and the integrative framework of stress, attention, and visuomotor performance (IFSAVP) have attempted to explain the variability in individual responses to stress in motivated performance situations. The BPSM proposes that individuals engaged in a task make conscious and unconscious evaluations of the situational demands, such as the required effort, and their personal resources, such as their abilities. These demand-resource evaluations result in relatively different psychological outcomes namely, challenge and threat responses which represent two ends of a continuum. Both the BPSM and the TCTSA suggest that these psychological consequences have corresponding physiological responses allowing for objective measurements of challenge and threat responses. Performance differences have been observed between challenged and threatened individuals across a range of tasks, although motor tasks have been relatively under-examined within this context. Furthermore, as put forward in the IFSAVP, challenge responses are associated with better attentional control compared with threat responses though this has also been under-examined. As challenge responses are characterised by better physiological, performance and attentional outcomes, it is important to understand what determines challenge and threat responses. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to examine key determinants of challenge and threat responses and to replicate and extend findings regarding performance and attentional outcomes. Four experimental studies were conducted to test proposed determinants and the aforementioned outcomes. Arousal reappraisal and self-efficacy were found to be determinants of challenge and threat responses across both subjective (self-report) and objective (cardiovascular reactivity) measures. Self-control was shown not to influence challenge and threat responses via either measure while situational motivation regulations predicted only subjective but not objective measures of challenge and threat. Importantly, situational motivation regulations also predicted task engagement, a prerequisite of challenge and threat responses. Across all four studies, there were no performance effects and of the three studies which examined attention, there were no attention effects. Descriptive data trends however, indicated a more complex and nuanced relationship between challenge and threat responses and performance and attention. The findings of this thesis develop the BPSM, the TCTSA and the IFSAVP. They also have several other theoretical and practical implications.

No description available.

Thesis (M. A.) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / The study sought to provide deeper understanding on access to contraceptives by female teenagers. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges faced by female teenagers in accessing contraceptives at Byldrift Clinic, Malatane Village, Capricorn District of Limpopo Province. Qualitative research method was applied in the study. The study utilised case study research design. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. Face to face interviews were conducted with ten (10) female teenagers. The age of participants ranges from 15 years to 19 years. Thematic Analysis was used to analyse data. The negative attitude of healthcare providers was cited as a challenge for teenagers accessing contraceptives, however other participants cited positive attitude of healthcare providers. The experience of side effects, parents and partners were cited as major challenges experienced while using contraceptives. The problem of inaccessibility remains a challenge in public health facilities; participants reported long waiting times, long distance to get to the clinic, shortage of staff, lack of confidentiality and lack of proper infrastructure. Most participants indicated that they discuss contraception with their peers, therefore peer influence remains an influential factor in accessing contraceptives. The study recommended that healthcare providers should give the effectiveness rate of the contraceptive method and ways to manage side effects, health facilities need to be more user friendly and that operating hours should be convenient to teenagers who are still schooling. This is evident that young women face challenges in accessing contraceptives. Keywords: Access, challenge, contraceptives, teenagers

Thesis (M.S. Ed.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 31). Also available via the Internet.