A new fossil species, Tsuga xianfengensis Xing et Zhou, n. sp., is reported based on two compressed seed cones. The fossil cones were discovered from the upper Miocene Xiaolongtan Formation at the Xianfeng Basin of Yunnan, southwestern China. The discovery of the Tsuga cones confirms the presence of Tsuga in the Miocene of central Yunnan and represents the earliest Tsuga macrofossils in the southwestern China. The new species reveals a close affinity with East Asian Tsuga species, T. chinensis and T. dumosa. It provides fossil evidence to support the molecular data that the Asian clade might be differentiated in the Miocene.

A new species of Cucubalus is described based on two fossil seeds recovered from the upper Pliocene Sanying Formation in northwestern Yunnan Province, southwestern China. The seeds are characterized by a reniform to circular outline in shape, and sinuous and discontinuous rugulae made of rod-like elements radiating from the hilum region to the dorsal margin. The combination of these characteristics shows their close resemblance to the extant genus Cucubalus in the Caryophyllaceae. A morphological principal coordinates (PCO) analysis further supports the assignment to this genus. Cucubalus is a monotypic genus today, but the late Pliocene fossil seeds have been described as a new species, Cucubalus prebaccifer Huang, Liu et Zhou, sp. nov. This newly documented Cucubalus fossil, representing the first fossil record of this genus, implies that the genus has existed in northwestern Yunnan, southwestern China, at least since the late Pliocene. It provides important information on the past biodiversity and biogeography of both the genus Cucubalus and the fossil-scant family Caryophyllaceae.

Best Practices: Antibiotic Stewardship and the Implementation of Evidence-Based Guidelines During Upper Respiratory Infections Among Rural, Primary Care Patients Sandra Kay Johnson, Doctor of Nursing Practice Candidate East Tennessee State University College of Nursing Abstract Antimicrobial resistance is a challenging clinical issue seen in the treatment of upper respiratory infections (URIs). Purpose/Aims: The purpose of this project is to implement an antibiotic stewardship (AS) program using antibiotic prescribing guidelines for URIs and clinic-wide patient education. The aim was to reduce antibiotic overuse. Processes: This quality improvement (QI) project was conducted at a rural clinic. Participants included the nurse practitioners and office staff. The target population included adult patients, ages 18 and up, who presented with upper respiratory symptoms. URI prescribing guidelines were used to compare antibiotic prescribing practices pre- and post-intervention. The initiative includes a provider education session and educational videos, posters, and scientific literature, which is available to those assessing the clinic. Educational materials were from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. The Knowledge-to-Action framework was used to translate research into practice and data was collected through the administration of questionnaires and the review of EMRs. Results: Preliminary results suggest patient preferences, outside of guidelines, may influence prescribing behaviors. Limitations: The sample of providers was small and may not be characteristic of a larger group. Conclusions: This QI initiative was driven by the need to improve practice and educate patients regarding AS during upper respiratory-related illnesses. Preliminary evidence shows interventions such as patient education, implementation of guidelines, and identification of barriers and facilitators are all vital components of AS.

Seventy percent of stroke survivors experience loss of upper limb function after stroke and rehabilitative therapy is the only option to reduce impairments. However, uncertainty remains as to the optimal dose of therapy that should be prescribed. It has been suggested to report multiple parameters of dose, to increase standardization within the field, and to gain a better understanding of the dose-response relationship. This study investigated the automatic quantification of multiple dose parameters in a rat model of ischemic stroke, with rehabilitation paradigms whereby rats repeatedly grasp for food pellets to train their forelimb function. Starting 7 days post-stroke, groups of rats received 4, 8, or 12 rehabilitative training sessions for 10 days, practicing either high-quality (precision practice) or less skilled (mass practice) reaching movements. Pellet consumption was measured after each session and various metrics were analyzed using deep learning-based software (DeepLabCut, DLC) to represent parameters of dose intensity (number of reaches, paw path length) and session density (time on task). Functional outcome was assessed with the Montoya staircase task. Computer algorithms were validated against human analysis, demonstrating reach detection accuracy and reliability >80%. Interestingly, the number of training sessions did not alter the accumulated movement practice across rehabilitation, in either task. However, the number of sessions inversely affected training intensity, resulting in more forelimb use per session in rats with 4 sessions compared to 12 sessions. We found strong positive correlations between the number of reaches, time on task, paw path length, and pellets consumed in the precision practice, but only between reaches and pellets consumed in mass practice. This work demonstrates the quantification of multiple dose parameters using deep learning software and shows subtle differences between the two commonly used forelimb training tasks. Moreover, our data suggest that rehabilitative training at a frequency that is too high may negatively impact performance per session.

This research reconstructs site formation processes and activities of the inhabitants of two cave sites in south China, Xianrendong and Yuchanyan, where the earliest pottery in the world has been discovered. The goal is to broaden existing understandings of human behavior of Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Chinese hunter-gatherers, through the production of data types rarely gathered at a Chinese Palaeolithic site. I use the geoarchaeological technique of micromorphology – microscopic observation of thin sections of oriented intact sediment samples to identify their components and nature – and micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (μ-FTIR) a technique used to obtain the molecular composition of materials used here to detect changes associated with fires. In this study, I reconstruct occupational patterns over time and show how flooding events as well as cave-specific climatic patterns, such as freeze/thaw and dripping water affected human choices of living spaces. Analysis of sediments derived from human use clarify details of such activities as building and cleaning fires, and constructing clay surfaces. Analytical results indicate that the inhabitants of Xianrendong maintained fires with consistently low temperatures, while at Yuchanyan through control of oxygenation and preference of wood fuel humans could maintain their fires between 500 and 700 Co for long periods of time. The low temperatures support the hypothesis from a preliminary study of the ceramics that pottery at Xianrendong was made without the use of kilns. Thoroughly consumed wood fuel at Yuchanyan indicates sophisticated pyro-technological knowledge and a possible preference for boiling as a cooking method. Finally, micromorphological analyses confirm the undisturbed nature of the sediments and so corroborate the reliability of a recent radiocarbon date of 20 ka cal BP for the earliest pottery-bearing layers. Micromorphological research reveals these early peoples’ knowledge of the physical properties of fires and clays, as well as their behavior of separating usable space into activity areas. In combination with the published systematic analysis of the faunal and botanical remains and of the material culture from these sites, my results provide a high-resolution account of life in these two sites. This study will be an important precedent for the further, systematic use of these geoarchaeological techniques in Chinese archaeology. / 2020-02-14T00:00:00Z

Delinquency in adolescence has captured the imagination of thinkers and researchers for generations. In this thesis, a unique segment of adolescent delinquency is examined: delinquency in upper-class adolescents. My experience working in residential treatment centers was a catalyst for this research and inspired the primary question which guides the work: "Why would upper-class adolescents commit delinquent acts?" In an attempt to answer this question, the "Big Three" (strain, control, and social learning) sociological theories of crime and delinquency are used to explore upper-class or "elite" delinquency. After examining each theory I demonstrate how none of them, individually, can adequately explain this phenomenon. Thus, I present an integrated approach to understanding upper-class or "elite" delinquency.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第20186号 / 理博第4271号 / 新制||理||1614(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科地球惑星科学専攻 / (主査)准教授 齊藤 昭則, 教授 田口 聡, 教授 塩谷 雅人 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

The purpose of the dissertation is to argue that John Strachan’s involvement in politics and education stemmed from his belief that a generally Christian and particularly Anglican Tory British culture would provide the healthiest form of society in Upper Canada. The project provides a counterbalancing view to the common narrative that Strachan was an ambitious and greedy theological turncoat who stifled the political, educational, and religious development of Upper Canada in the first half of the nineteenth century. It argues instead that Strachan was consistent with the thoughts and beliefs of an eighteenth-century Anglican Tory. Chapters 1 to 3 detail the key political and religious events of the eighteenth century in Britain and North America, as well as Strachan’s early life and personal influences. These chapters show that Strachan’s worldview was shaped by the events of the eighteenth century, and that it is difficult to understand his beliefs and actions without recognising the formative power of those occurrences. Chapters 4 to 6 detail Strachan's theological beliefs in the three central areas of church, education, and politics, emphasising the firm and unchanging nature of these beliefs, and their defining role in his life and actions. Chapters 7 to 9 illustrate how he put those theological beliefs into practice in the three instances of the Clergy Reserves, King’s College, and the battle over Responsible Government. Compromise was unthinkable for Strachan, and caused his defeat in each of the three engagements, a fact that dispels the idea that he was motivated solely or mainly by personal ambition. Instead, Strachan is shown to be an Anglican Tory, theologically motivated and consistent in his support for the established church, Christian university education, and the need to preserve the “Glorious Constitution.” / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Studies have documented challenges in meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) expectations as well as gender differences that contribute to the achievement gaps between boys and girls. In response to increased NCLB accountability and achievement gaps between boys and girls, several experts have promoted single-sex education as a possible strategy to improving student achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine data that were gathered from an economically disadvantaged Title I federally-assisted upper elementary school with respect to the implementation of single-gender classrooms. This study was guided by the following two research questions: First, what were the perspectives from teachers, students, and parents with the initial year of implementation of single-gender classrooms? Second, what school level data could be analyzed and summarized with respect to student behaviors during the initial year of implementation? Unlike previous studies, which focused on private or parochial schools at the secondary school level, this study focused on an economically disadvantaged school within an upper elementary setting. In addition, limited previous research has examined the perspectives of teachers, students, and parents. As research continues to show an ever-increasing achievement gap between students in poverty and those who are not, many educators seek alternative ways to educate students in economically disadvantaged schools. While single-gender classrooms are by no means a cure-all for the adversity faced by disadvantaged students in public schools, an analysis of the aforementioned research data indicated salient benefits for such students in that they can provide a learning environment where affective and cognitive learning outcomes could be realized. The results from this study revealed that teachers and parents considered single-gender classrooms provide a positive learning environment for students. Teachers, students, and parents emphasized that single-gender classrooms allowed students to be more productive, removed the largest distractions for male and female students, and allowed them to concentrate on their schoolwork. In addition, the data revealed that single-gender classrooms had a positive impact on girls as viewed by teachers, female students, and parents of female students in terms of feeling comfortable enough to ask questions when they did not understand something.

No description available.