Queer Youth and the Culture Wars: From Classroom to Courtroom in Australia, Canada and the United States

This article builds on Lugg\u27s (2006) discussion of surveillance in public schools and how queer youth are resisting schools\u27 current efforts to regulate sexual orientation and gender expression in the U.S. and internationally. Legal complaints initiated by queer youth against their schools for harassment and access to extra-curricular activities are discussed. The number of cases in the past five years has increased significantly and the courts are siding with the youth and their allies, demonstrating that queer youth are significantly impacting the dismantling of heteronormative regulatory regimes and improving the school experiences for themselves and queer adults

IMPACT OF PROTECTIVE GEAR ON LOWER BODY DYNAMIC BALANCE AND MOTOR CONTROL IN FIREFIGHTERS

Matthew Dohmeier, James Bernedo, Eva Janofsky, Mike Iosia. Lee University, Cleveland, TN. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of personal protective ensembles (PPE) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) on firefighters\u27 lower body dynamic balance and motor control using the Y-Balance Test (YBT). METHODS: Fourteen firefighters (13 male and 1 female) from the local municipal fire department volunteered for the study. Lower body YBT composite reach scores were measured on both right and left sides, on three separate occasions wearing workout gear (PT), PPE, and PPE + SCBA (SCBA gear). Testing order was counterbalanced to mitigate the learning effect. Composite scores were normalized for limb length and reported as percentages. Paired T-Tests were run using IBM SPSS V25 to identify statistical differences at an alpha level of p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of the YBT data showed there were significant differences between the right leg lower body composite score between PT and PPE gear (103.98 ± 7.53, 100.71 ± 6.68, p = 0.038, mean difference = 3.26%), PT and SCBA gear (103.98 ± 7.53, 96.39 ± 8.31, p = 0.001, mean difference = 7.59%), and PPE and SCBA gear (100.71 ± 6.68, 96.39 ± 8.31, p = 0.021, mean difference = 4.32%). There were also significant differences found in the left side lower body composite scores between PT and SCBA gear (105.42 ± 8.47, 97.50 ± 9.33, p = 0.004, mean difference = 7.92%) and PPE and SCBA gear (102.15 ± 7.64, 97.50 ± 9.33, p = 0.034, mean difference = 4.65%). No significant difference was found between left leg PT and PPE composite scores (105.42 ± 8.47, 102.15 ± 7.64, p = 0.054, mean difference = 3.27%). CONCLUSION: In a previous study by Games et al (2019), a decreases in composite scores of 5.52% on the right and 5.06% on the left was found. This study found decreases of 7.59% on the right and 7.92% on the left. Results suggest that the weight added by the PPE and PPE + SCBA negatively impacted reach scores. Average body mass with PT gear (PTWt.) was 89.25 ± 3.35 kg, PTWt. + PPE = 100.32 ± 3.35 kg; and PTWt. + SCBA = 113.11 ± 3.35 kg. Further research is needed to identify any changes in injury risk while training in full gear

Parental perception of the effect of venepuncture in preschool children in non-therapeutic research

Non-therapeutic research in children is said to be justified in part if the risk involved is no more than minimal, but there is little information on the risk of venepuncture to make that judgement. This prospective study was carried out to assess the effect of venepuncture on 425 healthy children aged between 3.6 and 6.6 years old who participated in a non-therapeutic research project. A parental questionnaire was sent out 1 month atter the blood was taken. Three hundred and ninety-one parents (92%) returned the questionnaires. Parental responses indicated the risk of complications was of the order considered to be minimal. A large majority of parents (78%) felt this experience would be helpful for the child if blood had to be taken again and a significant proportion (40%) felt the child would be more confident when going to see a doctor or dentist afterwards. Venepuncture in preschool children causes minimal harm and might even have some positive effects.link_to_subscribed_fulltex