Breaking Down the Impact of Resilience on Mental Health: An Analysis Utilizing the Resilience Scale for Adults

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, and previous studies have determined that resilience has a relationship with mental health. However, the association of each aspect of resilience on mental health, depression, and adverse childhood events (ACEs) have not been closely examined. Discerning which aspects of resilience are associated with mental health issues, depression, and ACEs can help psychiatric nurses determine effective treatments and interventions for at-risk patients. One hundred ninety-five community-dwelling participants (ages 18 to 89) were invited to Purdue University in Indiana and Scripps College in California for the study. Participants completed the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), which examines six aspects of resilience: perception of self, planned future, social competence, structured style, family cohesion, and social resources. Additionally, the SF-12® Health Survey, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, and an ACE survey were completed. Using the six aspects of resilience as predictors, three hierarchical regression models were built with SF-12®, CES-D, and ACE as dependent variables. Findings showed that negative perception of self and impaired sense of planned future were associated with mental health issues; addition-ally, a lack of social resources was associated with depression, and weakened family cohesion was associated with ACEs. Psychiatric nurses can utilize the RSA during initial assessments to determine the most problematic areas for patients and fi nd ways to target their treatment and interventions. Pediatric nurses can also assess ACEs present in a child’s life and encourage family therapy sessions to promote family cohesion

Poison in Pink

Humans slather, spray, mist, and cleanse their bodies with personal care products like lotion, hairspray, cologne, and shampoo every day. Our cupboards are stocked full of them, but few of us understand what is in those jars and bottles. We trust that if it’s on the shelf at the store, it’s safe. However, this is not always the case, and many personal care products contain chemicals that are harmful to human and environmental health. My multi-disciplinary Environmental Studies thesis project combines evidenced-based research, interviews, nonfiction narrative, and science communication to create part of a book manuscript intended to educate general consumers about the harmful ingredients found in everyday products in their homes. The book aims to motivate readers to make changes in their own homes and on store shelves. My thesis begins with an overview to orient the reader to the problem that consumers face. The next chapter, “A Few Drops of No. 5,” unpacks the term “fragrance,” a catchall term that can be more than one hundred chemical ingredients. In this chapter, I discuss the historical, political, and regulatory context that has given rise to term “fragrance,” as well as the chemical ingredients found in fragrance formulations. The third chapter, “Polished,” explores the health effects that nail salon workers experience as a result of failed state and federal policies that allow for exposure to harmful chemicals in salons. The three chapters are preceded by a preface to the thesis project and followed by a conclusion, which overviews future plans for the book manuscript

Pilot project to advance distributed wind in Virginia

The Virginia Energy Plan of 2014 created a demand for alternative energy sources to meet the goal of producing 25% of Virginia\u27s energy from alternative sources by 2025. One of the most promising sources of alternative energy in Virginia is wind. As a result, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy (DMME) took action to incentivize distributed wind (DW) power by enabling loan assistance with highly favorable terms toward the purchase and installation of distributed wind systems. Our team identified the nine sectors considered most likely to present the strongest potential for development of DW, and landowners within these sectors were invited to apply for assistance and loan consideration through the Distributed Wind Assistance Program (DWAP) that we developed. The program received 12 applications, these were evaluated through a desktop analysis in order to select the four most competitive candidates as determined through a comprehensive scoring evaluation. The strongest applications were recommended to the DMME for state-based loans and these applicants were encouraged to seek additional support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) if eligible. One applicant, Bradford Bay Farms, was able to advance their project at a rapid rate, thus a comprehensive site evaluation was performed including an on-site visit. The outcomes of this effort and lessons learned are described

Health Benefits of Pet Ownership for Older Adults

Background: Over the last few decades, life expectancy has increased causing a significant rise and rising number of senior citizens. This has resulted in greater demand and spending in healthcare for this growing population, due to, the increase risk for health problems that are associated with older age. Objectives: The purpose of this literature review is to examine the health benefits of pet ownership for older adults. This study will provide information on what health benefits come with pet ownership, and how this can affect the elderly population. Method: A computerized integrative review was conducted using various combinations of the following key words: pet ownership, health benefits, elderly, elderly population, older adults, pet\u27s, companionship, older population, dog ownership, physiological effects, mental health, physiological response, animal care, health risks. The literature included in the review were written within the last fifteen years and were found by using PubMed, ProQuest, PsycInfo and CINAHL databases. Results: Through examination of the literature, it was determined that there are various physical, emotional, and social benefits of pet ownership in the elderly. Specifically, pet ownership was found to increase physical activity, increase social interactions, and decrease loneness. Conclusions: This literature review suggests that pet ownership can improve the quality of life in the elderly population through increased physical and mental health

The Scullin government, 1929-1932

The Scullin Government held office for twenty-seven months, October 1929 - January 1932, at a time when Australia was beginning its experience of the worst economic depression in its history. The Government was severely handicapped by the constraints of the depression. It was also crippled by its lack of a majority in the Senate. As a result the Government enacted only a small amount of legislation, other than routine measures, and hardly any which embodied the principles of the Australian Labor Party. The Scullin Ministry was elected by the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party (Caucus) in October 1929. Later, in March 1931, Caucus declared all Ministerial and other positions vacant and elected a second Ministry. Further changes were made in June 1931. Throughout, the Ministry as a whole was moderate and cautious. A significant number of Ministers were associated with the Australian Workers' Union. The Government's first months were taken up with budgetary and industrial matters. The latter involved the Government in the N.S.W. coal dispute and the aftermath of disputes on the wharves. It was also caught up in a minor but revealing crisis over preference to unionists. And after several months of negotiation, a mutilated Amending Act to the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act was accepted by the trade unions, the Caucus and the Opposition in the Senate. At first the Scullin Government received little attention from the State Brainches of the Party or most of the trade unions. But this situation changed, slightly and briefly, after mid-August 1930. In July-August 1930 the Cabinet reappointed Sir Robert Gibson as Chairman of the Commonwealth Bank Board; this aroused hostility within the Party, and it was a decision which was shortly regretted. At about the same time, the Federal Treasurer, E.G. Theodore, was forced to resign as the result of allegations of past corruption. In August Scullin and Brennan (Attorney-General) left for England. Their absence, with Theodore's, contributed to the Caucus 'rebellion' of late 1930. This was sparked off by the visit of Sir Otto Niemeyer of the Bank of England, whose advice helped create the deflationary Melbourne Agreement. This policy divided the Federal Ministry and Caucus between August and December 1930. In the end a feeble compromise was agreed upon but the divisions were barely concealed. Matters came to a head in early January 1931, when Scullin returned to Australia. Within a few weeks turmoil in the Federal Party was again at fever pitch. Although Theodore's name was still not cleared, Scullin secured Caucus approval for his reinstatement as Treasurer. Shortly afterwards six members of Caucus crossed the floor and joined the Opposition. Almost simultaneously, a group of seven N.S.W. Federal members led by J. Beasley (an Assistant Minister) left the F.P.L.P. and established a separate 'party'. Their motives are to be found in the politics of the N.S.W. Branch of the Party and the Lang plan. In March-April 1931 the Government attempted a policy offensive but its efforts were thwarted, yet again, by the hostile Senate. At this point it seemed that the Government was about to begin a belated attempt to secure a double-dissolution. However, its financial difficulties at last overwhelmed it and, pressed by the threat of default , in mid-1931 the Government accepted and implemented the deflationary Premiers' Plan. With the exception of the Premiers' Plan the Government was relatively inactive between mid-April and November 1931. Finally, on 25 November, the Beasley group challenged the Government and brought about its defeat in the House of Representatives. The Government suffered a severe defeat at the subsequent election. Throughout the Government's term of office it was subject to the scrutiny of the extra-parliamentary organisations of the A.L.P. Although it normally met triennially, the A.L.P. Federal Conference met three times in 1930-1931. The A.L.P. Federal Executive was also very active. For various reasons neither institution had much influence on the Federal Labor Government. With the single exception of N.S.W., the A.L.P. State Branches paid only slight attention to the Scullin Government and had little effective influence on it. This was also the case with a majority of the trade unions in all States. The most notable exception was the Australian Workers' Union. But there was a large number of unions which made demands on the Government of a 'non-political' kind; this was particularly evident in the Government's tariff policy. The unions, however, played an important though indirect role in the vital Government decision not to seek an early double dissolution

Honour Watch #012

The twelfth issue of Honour Watch from February of 2018.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/msu_honors_publications/1040/thumbnail.jp

Digital Participation and Risk Contexts in Journalism Education

High school journalism programs nurture student voice, information literacy, and collaboration. Journalism programs do not merely produce commodities; they help students constitute a public within a school community. When publishing online, student journalists navigate relationships behind the scenes with stakeholders, including peers, adults, and the institution. Publishing can be fraught with hesitation and fear of consequences for speaking out. Because of this implication, journalism programs can serve as “potentially valuable yet imperfect” settings for the amplification of student voice and civic development, but can also unduly limit students’ self-expression, especially for girls (Bobkowski & Belmas, 2017). What might be the affordances and constraints of digital participation in a high school journalism program? How might youth journalists and other participants navigate exigencies of publishing online in this context? We, the head editors and adviser, use grounded theory to examine processes and develop pragmatic knowledge (Glaser & Strauss, 2017). Through a mix of prompts, group interviews, and participant observation, we develop a case study that demonstrates implications for ‘risk context,’ or the total situation of an actor’s vulnerability brought on by digital participation in publishing online. We describe what digital participation is good for, and for whom, thus further theorizing relationships between agency and co-production

Helminth Parasites of Two Species of Lepomis (Osteichthyes: Centrarchidae) from an Urban Watershed and their Potential Use in Environmental Monitoring

We provide a checklist of the common parasites of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) collected from eight creeks within an urban watershed located in Columbus, Georgia. A total of 12 parasite species were observed from 427 fish dissected. Bluegill (n = 222) were infected with 11 species, which included five species of larval helminths (Proteocephalus sp., Bothriocephalus sp., Posthodiplostomum minimum, Diplostomulum sp. and Clinostomum complanatum), one adult trematode (Pisciamphistoma stunkardi), four adult nematodes (Philometra sp., Philometra intraoculus, Spinetectus carolini and Camallanus oxycephalus) and one adult acanthocephalan (Neochinorhynchus cylindratus). Redbreast sunfish (n = 205) were infected with the same parasite species, except for the absence of larval Bothriocephalus sp. and the presence of an adult trematode (Crepidostomum cooperi). Metacercariae of the trematode P. minimum were the most common parasite in both fish species. Similar parasite communities in these sunfishes suggest that these species share similar microhabitats within the watershed, food resources and foraging sites. Seasonal comparison between the number of summer and winter parasites indicate a greater mean number of parasites per host in summer. We discuss the utility of such baseline parasite data in the potential environmental monitoring of the Bull and Upatoi Creeks watershed