Evaluation of United Nations Development Programme Support to the Tajikistan Mine Action Programme

The evaluation of the Support to Tajikistan Mine Action Programme (STMAP) was commissioned by UNDP to: Develop a roadmap for the future of TMAC Review the progress of STMAP against the goals of CPAP, UNDAF 2010-2015 and the national mine action strategy 2010-2015 The evaluation was conducted over a month and involved document review and a two week field visit to Tajikistan to interview TMAC staff and partners, and observe mine action activities

Bourj al-Barajneh: the significance of village origin in a Palestinian refugee camp

Using information derived from interviews with Palestinians from Bourj al-Barajneh refugee camp, Beirut, this thesis examines the importance of village origin in the camp and whether any role played by village origin is the result of deliberate actions by the Palestinians or purely accidental. The pattern of settlement within the camp is established to determine whether village origin in Palestine has influenced the camp structure. Factors that may initially have influenced the camp structure are evaluated such as, the route taken by the Palestinians between their villages and Bourj al-Barajneh, and their reasons for settling in the camp and choosing where to pitch their tents. Throughout its history the camp structure has evolved, different areas being more extensively developed at different times. Reasons for the camps changing structure are also examined. The importance of village origin to the social and political life of the camp is considered and its significance compared with other factors that play a role in camp life. To put in context information collected from Bourj inhabitants, this thesis begins by discussing the Palestinian refugee problem and presenting a brief history of the camp based on inhabitants' recollections. For comparison, Rashidieh and Ein al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camps also in Lebanon were visited and a brief description of their structures and village origins of their inhabitants included. This thesis concludes that to a certain extent the camp structure has been influenced by village origin aJthough other factors have played an important role. Initially village origin had some influence socially which has now decreased. Politically village origin has never had any influence. Above all, there does not appear to have been a deliberate attempt to promote the importance of village origin in the camp

JUST CULTURE IN HEALTHCARE ERROR MANAGEMENT: NURSE-IN-TRAINING VIEW OF JUST CULTURE AND OUTCOMES OF EVENT INVOLVEMENT

This experimental study will assess the behavioral and psychosocial effects of just culture error management strategies for medical errors in a healthcare setting, and the outcomes of such strategies on work-related perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. A total of 247 nurses-in-training were randomly assigned to one of 6 experimental conditions. In each condition, participants read a vignette that described an at-risk medical error and the error management strategy employed by a hypothetical organization. The medical error was written to implicate both the individual involved, and the larger organizational system. Vignettes differed with regard to error management strategy employed by the organization (punitive, blameless, just culture) and the degree of event severity (no harm, harm). Participants rated the organizational justice and trustworthiness of the hypothetical organization described in the vignette; then, reported their own willingness to engage in safety compliance and error reporting behaviors and their degree of organizational commitment and attraction. Results suggest that error management strategies based in just culture were associated with increase perceptions of organizational justice and trustworthiness, increased intention to engage in safety compliance, and stronger attraction and commitment to the organization. Furthermore, perceptions about the organizational justice and organizational trust mediated the relationship between error management strategy and these outcomes. Event severity did not moderate the association between error management and organizational perceptions. Furthermore, error management strategy was unrelated to error reporting intention. Control variables of familiarity with concepts of just culture, experience with medical errors (as provider or patient), and demographic variables of gender and age were not associated with organizational commitment, organizational attraction, or safety compliance. However, error reporting intention was positively associated with familiarity with concepts of just culture was positively and negatively associated with experience with medical errors as a provider

DNA Degradation and Postmortem Interval: Preliminary Observations and Methods

As deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) research advances, anthropologists are finding more ways to use this technology to their advantage. Establishing postmortem interval (PMI) is a primary goal of forensic anthropology. It is known that DNA degrades, or breaks down, after an organism dies. Although several researchers have studied DNA degradation, few have focused on DNA’s rate of decay in relation to time. In this project, degradation was examined in blood using both a controlled atmosphere and exposure to environmental and substrate effects.This study was intended to gather information on PMI, using DNA degradation as a measure of time. Based on the current literature and knowledge of the properties of DNA, it was hypothesized that DNA would decay in a time-dependent manner in a controlled atmosphere. In addition, it was hypothesized that DNA exposed to environmental and substrate effects would decay more rapidly than in a controlled environment.It was found that DNA of all four fragment lengths, ranging from 110 to 782 base pairs (bp), survived for at least eight days in a controlled atmosphere. Samples exposed to environmental and substrate effects exhibited what might have been degradation, but a way to quantitate the amount of DNA present in each sample is needed. One way to achieve this goal is to use fluorescently labeled PCR products and compare the intensities of the PCR product across samples and time.The efforts put forth in this project have lead to the development of a system that is likely to be useful in the analysis of degraded DNA. It is clear that DNA analysis will continue to be a tool anthropologists should and will use in the continual effort to determine PMI

Assessment Of The Macroinvertebrate Assemblages From The Mesohabitats Of A Headwater Stream-Wetland Hydrologic Restoration In Eastern Kentucky

The bulk of streams in the U.S. have been negatively impacted by anthropogenic disturbances and the streams of Kentucky are no exception. In recent decades stream restoration has become a common practice in order to improve habitat degradation resulting from land use practices such as channelization. Despite the large amount of effort and funding stream restoration projects represent, only a small portion have undergone post-restoration assessments of the ecological response in the restored streams. Slabcamp Creek, a headwater stream located in the Licking River basin in eastern Kentucky, underwent a stream-wetland hydrologic restoration in 2010 in order to improve hydrologic functioning and degraded habitat that resulted from channelization. The goal of this study was to quantify macroinvertebrate assemblages from Slabcamp Creek and compare the assemblages to a site representing Kentucky Division of Water\u27s headwater reference conditions and a pre-restoration condition control site. Specific objectives included: 1) compare macroinvertebrate assemblage structure and function across study sites, 2) determine if mesohabitats (pools and riffles) support unique macroinvertebrate assemblages within and between study sites, 3) determine if macroinvertebrate assemblages varied at the study sites seasonally between high base flow (winter) and low base flow (summer), 4) explore relationships between the macroinvertebrate assemblages and microhabitat variables at the study sites, and 5) determine how accounting for the availability of mesohabitats at the reach scale (habitat weighting the data) compares to patch scale analyses for these objectives. Overall, findings indicated restored Slabcamp Creek was more similar to the reference condition site than the pre-restoration condition control site. It appeared that habitat-specific sampling may play an important role in assessing hydrologic restoration, since invertebrate densities, biomass and assemblage structure and function from riffles were fairly similar across sites while stark differences were detected in pools. This could be a result of the restoration improving hydrologic functioning and thus the underlying fluvial geomorphological processes that create pools which are disrupted by channelization. Subsequently, improved hydrologic function may have led to increased habitat complexity, substrate stability, and organic matter retention. Post restoration monitoring should continue at these study sites to see if these results vary or persist over time

Babies, Bottles, and Bisphenol A: The Story of a Scientist-Mother

A scientist and mother who studies bisphenol A, a chemical found in plastic baby bottles and cups, wrestles with the disconnect between scientific evidence that the chemical poses a special risk to children and current laws and regulations

Colour Constancy: Cues, Priors and Development

Colour is crucial for detecting, recognising, and interacting with objects. However, the reflected wavelength of light ("colour") varies vastly depending on the illumination. Whilst adults can judge colours as relatively invariant under changing illuminations (colour constancy), much remains unknown, which this thesis aims to resolve. Firstly, previous studies have shown adults can use certain cues to estimate surface colour. However, one proposed cue - specular highlights - has been little researched so this is explored here. Secondly, the existing data on a daylight prior for colour constancy remain inconclusive so we aimed to further investigate this. Finally, no studies have investigated the development of colour constancy during childhood so the third aim is to determine at what age colour constancy becomes adult-like. In the introduction, existing research is discussed, including cues to the illuminant, daylight priors, and the development of perceptual constancies. The second chapter contains three experiments conducted to determine whether adults can use a specular highlight cue and/ or daylight prior to aid colour constancy. Results showed adults can use specular highlights when other cues are weakened. Evidence for a daylight prior was weak. In the third chapter the development of colour constancy during childhood was investigated by developing a novel child-friendly task. Children had higher constancy than adults, and evidence for a daylight prior was mixed. The final experimental chapter used the task developed in Chapter 3 to ask whether children can use specular highlights as a cue for colour constancy. Testing was halted early due to the coronavirus pandemic, yet the data obtained suggest that children are negatively impacted by specular highlights. Finally, in the general discussion, the results of the six experiments are brought together to draw conclusions regarding the use of cues and priors, and the development of colour constancy. Implications and future directions for research are discussed