‘I get to learn more stuff’ : children’s understanding of wellbeing at school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

This purpose of this study was to explore how school-aged children understand dimensions of wellbeing in a Canadian context in participation of the Multi-national Qualitative Study – Children’s Understanding of Wellbeing. Twenty-one school-aged children (boys = 8, girls = 13) participated in semi-instructed interviews facilitated by tactile, tasked oriented interview tool. Participants were recruited from seven before- and-after-school child-care programs throughout the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The wellbeing of children at school was influenced by the quality of the relationships they had with their teachers. Children recognized teachers as being essential agents in their learning process and teaching them essential skills for their future. Children who described feeling positive about school were children who felt that their teachers were supportive, provided creative ways to learn, and listened to their ideas and concerns. Conversely, children who described negative feelings about school discussed experiencing teachers who did not value their ideas and concerns, and were not supportive in their individual needs as a learner. The teaching style of teachers affect children’s wellbeing at school. Teachers who promote wellbeing at school and positive feeling associated with learning are those who consider the voices and needs of their students, as well as make efforts to incorporate those considerations in their curriculum.peer-reviewe

Adolescent Perspectives on Genetic Testing for Huntington’s Disease

In 2015, the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) released a position statement which recommended minors to defer genetic testing for adult-onset conditions until adulthood. In the 2016 DNA Day Essay Contest, high school students were asked to research an adult-onset genetic disorder and use it to formulate a stance on whether they agreed or disagreed with the position statement. Phase two of this study focused on the essays written about Huntington’s Disease (HD). Within the HD essays, 57% chose to defer, 35% chose not to defer, and 8% did not clearly state an opinion. Essays were analyzed using a codebook that was established in Phase one and the top codes were further analyzed for themes. The top codes that were thematically analyzed were “Psychological Risks to Minor”, “No Medical Benefit/Not Preventable”, “Necessary to Plan/Prepare”, and “Genetic Testing Variability and Uncertain Predictability.” Although many of the essays agreed to defer testing, many students cited similar reasons, regardless of their stance

A New Approach to the Synthesis of Conjugated Polymer: Nanocrystal Composites for Heterojunction Optoelectronics

We report a simple one pot process for the preparation of lead sulphide (PbS) nanocrystals in the conjugated polymer MEH-PPV, and we demonstrate electronic coupling between the two components.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, accepted Chem. Comm

Caring in prison: the intersubjective web of professional relationships

In this paper, we present a synthesis of two doctoral theses where links are made between the intersubjective, relational dynamics seen in clinical supervision, and applied in practice to a framework for emotional labor in prison nurses. We explore the nature of intersubjectivity, from nursing and psychotherapeutic perspectives, and discuss the way in which it impacts on and influences relationships between nurses, prisoner patients, prison officers, and organizations within prison healthcare settings. The impact of this intersubjectivity is illustrated through the exploration of an intersubjective web that is created and informs interaction between the key actors within the prison nurse's practice, i.e., prison officers, prisoner patients, and the organization. We suggest that by being cognizant of the intersubjective web that influences these interactions, a more meaningful understanding of practice and relationships can be achieved. This deeper understanding can then be utilized to develop practitioners both professionally and personally. We conclude by promoting regular, formal clinical supervision as an ideal space within which to explore the way in which this intersubjective web influences relationships, impacts on emotional labor, and subsequently patient care and staff well being

Effects of increasing the affinity of CarD for RNA polymerase on Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth, rRNA transcription, and virulence

CarD is an essential RNA polymerase (RNAP) interacting protein in Mycobacterium tuberculosis that stimulates formation of RNAP-promoter open complexes. CarD plays a complex role in M. tuberculosis growth and virulence that is not fully understood. Therefore, to gain further insight into the role of CarD in M. tuberculosis growth and virulence, we determined the effect of increasing the affinity of CarD for RNAP. Using site-directed mutagenesis guided by crystal structures of CarD bound to RNAP, we identified amino acid substitutions that increase the affinity of CarD for RNAP. Using these substitutions, we show that increasing the affinity of CarD for RNAP increases the stability of the CarD protein in M. tuberculosis. In addition, we show that increasing the affinity of CarD for RNAP increases the growth rate in M. tuberculosis without affecting 16S rRNA levels. We further show that increasing the affinity of CarD for RNAP reduces M. tuberculosis virulence in a mouse model of infection despite the improved growth rate in vitro. Our findings suggest that the CarD-RNAP interaction protects CarD from proteolytic degradation in M. tuberculosis, establish that growth rate and rRNA levels can be uncoupled in M. tuberculosis and demonstrate that the strength of the CarD-RNAP interaction has been finely tuned to optimize virulence. IMPORTANCE Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, remains a major global health problem. In order to develop new strategies to battle this pathogen, we must gain a better understanding of the molecular processes involved in its survival and pathogenesis. We have previously identified CarD as an essential transcriptional regulator in mycobacteria. In this study, we detail the effects of increasing the affinity of CarD for RNAP on transcriptional regulation, CarD protein stability, and virulence. These studies expand our understanding of the global transcription regulator CarD, provide insight into how CarD activity is regulated, and broaden our understanding of prokaryotic transcription

Potential for allocative harm in an environmental justice data tool

Neighborhood-level screening algorithms are increasingly being deployed to inform policy decisions. We evaluate one such algorithm, CalEnviroScreen - designed to promote environmental justice and used to guide hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding annually - assessing its potential for allocative harm. We observe the model to be sensitive to subjective model decisions, with 16% of tracts potentially changing designation, as well as financially consequential, estimating the effect of its positive designations as a 104% (62-145%) increase in funding, equivalent to \$2.08 billion (\$1.56-2.41 billion) over four years. We also observe allocative tradeoffs and susceptibility to manipulation, raising ethical concerns. We recommend incorporating sensitivity analyses to mitigate allocative harm and accountability mechanisms to prevent misuse