Feeding the Roots of Cultural Identity: Indigenous Wellness in Canada

While responses to native addictions and mental issues are continued priorities, the overarching focus is to recognize the diasporic status of indigenous peoples, to improve native wellness, and to establish cross-cultural identity for all Canadians. Historical culture, ways of knowing and language support strength-based approaches, alongside which relational structures—elders, families, communities, creation—play essential roles in native whole health. A comprehensive Continuum Framework guides federal, provincial, and territorial stakeholder efforts toward native wellness, supported by engaging indigenous communities. Indigenous wellness balances the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental quadrants of whole health. Balanced well-being is enriched by (i) purpose in individuals’ daily lives through education, employment, caregiving, and cultural ways of being and doing; (ii) hope for the future grounded in a sense of core identity, indigenous values, and spirit; (iii) a sense of belonging and connectedness with all relations and culture; and (iv) understanding and deriving meaning from individual, family, and community lives as part of creation and rich history. Indigenous philosophy can be understood and appreciated through the lenses of various Western theoretical approaches that are constructionist by design, whereby Canadians may get one step closer toward achieving a cross-cultural identity. This shared vision requires innovative leadership, sustained commitment, and effective partnerships

Cannabis for Therapeutic Purposes: Older Adult Perspectives, User Characteristics and Motivations for Use

Use of cannabis among adults 55 years of age and older is increasing. In Q4 of 2018, slightly over half of cannabis users used for therapeutic purposes at least once, where many reported using for both medical and non-medical reasons (mixed use). Research on older adults regarding the use of Cannabis for Therapeutic Purposes (CTP) is fragmented and there are no comprehensive or in-depth studies on their perceptions or self-reported motivations. Understanding in these areas is important to inform policy that takes the protection of public health and safety as central aims. Does policy affect one of, if not both, user and non-user perspectives? Methods: The normalization framework provides a lens through which to study older adult use of CTP, while critical realism serves as the methodological framework. A qualitative flexible deductive approach is applied. Findings: The findings suggest a social acceptance of CTP by non-users, but that the use of healthcare practitioner authorized CTP is not normalized. Government and medical regulatory policy serve as barriers to access authorized CTP, which does not support normalization. In the Canadian context, pain and avoidance of conventional drug use are central factors for the use of CTP. Conclusion: It is understood from the findings that the primary motivator for the use of CTP is to achieve normal goals, goals the participants themselves interpret as normal, distinct from recreational use. Legislative and other policy modifications are required to ensure authorized access to regulated cannabis in order to protect public health and public safety

A web-based graphical user interface to display spatial data

This dissertation presents the design and implementation of a graphical user interface (GUI) to display spatial data in a web-based environment. The work is a case study for a web-based framework for distributed applications, the Web Computing Skeleton, using a distributed open spatial query mechanism to display the geographic data. The design is based on investigation of geographic information systems (GISs), GUI design and properties of spatial query mechanisms. The purpose ofthe GUI is to integrate information about a geographic area; display, manipulate and query geographic-based spatial data; execute queries about spatial relationships and analyse the attribute data to calculate the shortest routes for emergency response. The GUI is implemented as a Java applet embedded in a web document that communicates with the application server via generic GIS classes that provide a common interface to various GIS data sources used in the spatial query mechanism to access a geographic database. Features that are supported by the distributed open spatial query mechanism include a basic set of spatial selection criteria, spatial selection based on pointing, specification of a query window, description of a map scale and identification of a map legend. The design is based on a formal design process that includes the selection of a conceptual model, identification of task flow, major windows and dialog flow, the definition of fields and detailed window layout and finally the definition of field constraints and defaults. The conceptual model characterises the application and provides a framework for users to learn the system model. This model is conceptualised as a map that the user manipulates directly. Unlike a typical map, which just shows spatial data such as roads, cities, and country borders, the GIS links attribute data like population statistics to the spatial data. This link between the map data and the attribute data makes the GIS a powerful tool to manipulate and display data. To measure the performance of displaying spatial data, two main factors are considered, namely processing speed and display quality. Factors that affect the processing speed include the rate of data transfer from the generic GIS classes, the rate data is downloaded over the network and the speed of execution of the drawing. Two factors that influence the spatial data display quality are pixel distance and bitmap quality. The pixel distance set in the geographic database is represented by two pixels on the display screen, which affects the display quality since the pixel distance is the upper limit for display granularity. This means that setting the pixel distance is a trade-off between the processing speed and the display quality. Bitmaps are raster images that are made up of pixels or cells. To improve the raster image quality, the bitmap resolution can be adjusted to display more pixels per centimetre.Dissertation (MSc (Computer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Computer Scienceunrestricte

Nuclear Response in Electron Scattering at High Momentum Transfer

The nuclear response functions for high energy electron scattering were calculated in the wide region of excitation energy. The three typical regions were studied: the quasi-elastic region, the $\Delta$-excitation region and the intermediate region where the meson-exchange currents give significant contribution. In the quasi-elastic and the $\Delta$ regions the response functions were found for finite size nucleus with account of relativistic kinematics. The contribution of the meson-exchange currents was calculated in the relativistic Fermi-gas model. The results were compared with the electron scattering data at high momentum transfer from $^{12}C$ and $^{16}O$.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX, 8 figures (uses epsf-style), submitted to Nucl. Phys.

Determination of two-body potentials from n-body spectra

We show how the two-body potential may be uniquely determined from n-body spectra where the hypercentral approximation is valid. We illustrate this by considering an harmonic oscillator potential which has been altered by changing the energy or normalisation constant of the ground state of the n-body system and finding how this modifies the two-body potential. It is shown that with increasing number of particles the spectrum must be known more precisely to obtain the two-body potential to the same degree of accuracy.Comment: 13 pages of text (LATEX), 3 figures (not included, available from authors), NIKHEF-93-P

The Bar-On model and multifactor measure of human performance : validation and application

In this article, we describe the ongoing validation and application of the Bar-On model of human performance that is assessed with the Multifactor Measure of Performance (MMP). (The Bar-On Multifactor Measure of Performance (MMP) is the intellectual property of Into Performance ULC.) The MMP is a psychometric instrument designed to study, evaluate and enhance performance. We discuss the meaning and importance of performance, and explain the need for creating and applying a comprehensive model and measure of this construct. To address this need, the MMP is structurally organized to assess and strengthen 18 Core Factors that contribute to performance. Five Ring Factors were added to facilitate a deeper understanding of leadership, industriousness, productiveness, risk for burnout, and coachability. Together, they represent a multifactor approach that focuses on current behavior of the “whole person” by evaluating physical, cognitive, personal, social, and inspirational factors combined. We discuss the properties of the MMP’s normative population, as the baseline for accurate reporting, tailored to different workplace activities and needs. Possible limitations of the research are indicated, together with the need for additional studies to address them. We reflect on the MMP within the Unified Validity Framework and conclude with recommendations for researchers and practitioners to apply this model and measure.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychologydm2022Psycholog

Phase equivalent potentials for three-body halos

We compare the properties of three-body systems obtained with two-body potentials with Pauli forbidden states and with the corresponding phase equivalent two-body potentials. In the first case the forbidden states are explicitly excluded in the calculation. Differences arise due to the off-shell properties of these on-shell equivalent potentials. We use the adiabatic hyperspherical method to formulate a practical prescription to exclude Pauli forbidden states in three-body calculations. Schematic as well as realistic potentials are used. Almost indistinguishable results are obtained.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure

The Pauli principle in a three-body cluster model and the momentum distributions after fragmentation of 6He and 11Li

We investigate two simple prescriptions to account for the Pauli principle in a three-body cluster model employing a new method based on an adiabatic hyperspherical expansion to solve the Faddeev equations in coordinate space. The resulting wave functions are computed and compared. They are furthermore tested on halo nuclei by calculations of momentum distributions and invariant mass spectra arising after fragmentation of fast $^6$He and $^{11}$Li in collisions with light targets. The prescriptions are very accurate and the available measured quantities are remarkably well reproduced when final state interactions are included.Comment: 18 pages, LaTex file, 15 postscript figures included using epsf.st