How can mental health nurses effectively challenge stigma in the 21st century?

The following dissertation is a critical review of the issues and questions surrounding the ways in which mental health nurses can best address stigma in the 21st century. The work of several key theorists of stigma including Goffman and Link and Phelan are examined and critiqued to provide a clear definition of stigma upon which to base the discussion. The understanding of stigma is used to specifically address the question of how stigma is manifest in wider society and the effect that this has upon the lives of people with mental health problems. Areas covered include the role of the media in perpetuating stigma, the historical basis for stigmatising practices in society, social exclusion and its consequences and finally the impact that this has upon professional practice. The discussion covers the underlying principles of contemporary mental health legislation and critically evaluates the tensions between various strands of legislation, the way in which risk is perceived and managed by practitioners and whether risk averse practice perpetuates stigma against mental health problems. This leads onto the question of how mental health law itself might contribute to the perpetuation of stigma by removing power and responsibility from the hands of service users. Finally the discussion concludes with some suggestion about how a future change in the principles of mental health law might alter the way in which mental health problems are perceived and allow nurses to practice in a way that is less focussed on risk management and more emphasis is given to recovery

Green Stormwater Infrastructure Assessments in Santa Clara County, CA: An In-Situ Analysis of Select Bioretention Projects

Stormwater runoff, defined as rainwater that flows over impervious surfaces, is both an under-harnessed groundwater resource and the leading contributor to water body impairments due to the number of pollutants it can transport. One widely successful strategy to capture and treat stormwater runoff is to implement Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI): engineered green spaces to enhance the overall environmental quality of an urban landscape. GSI projects, particularly bioretention systems, capture and treat stormwater runoff through infiltration and plant absorption before it reaches receiving bodies of water. In order to operate efficiently, GSI systems require specific maintenance procedures. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance and maintenance processes of approximately fifty bioretention areas in Santa Clara County. The bioretention areas in this study were evaluated by observing current site conditions and measuring infiltration rates, as well as conducting interviews of municipal and facilities staff to determine the processes and challenges for GSI design, inspection, and maintenance. The results of this study showed that 26% of sites fell within the acceptable range of 5 to 10 inches per hour. Additionally, larger site designs and California native perennial bunch grasses were positively associated with acceptable infiltration rates. This research will help contribute to future GSI design and maintenance considerations for local municipal and facilities staff, such as the use of larger bioretention ponds over smaller designs, and planting more bunch grass vegetation

How can mental health nurses effectively challenge stigma in the 21st century?

The following dissertation is a critical review of the issues and questions surrounding the ways in which mental health nurses can best address stigma in the 21st century. The work of several key theorists of stigma including Goffman and Link and Phelan are examined and critiqued to provide a clear definition of stigma upon which to base the discussion. The understanding of stigma is used to specifically address the question of how stigma is manifest in wider society and the effect that this has upon the lives of people with mental health problems. Areas covered include the role of the media in perpetuating stigma, the historical basis for stigmatising practices in society, social exclusion and its consequences and finally the impact that this has upon professional practice. The discussion covers the underlying principles of contemporary mental health legislation and critically evaluates the tensions between various strands of legislation, the way in which risk is perceived and managed by practitioners and whether risk averse practice perpetuates stigma against mental health problems. This leads onto the question of how mental health law itself might contribute to the perpetuation of stigma by removing power and responsibility from the hands of service users. Finally the discussion concludes with some suggestion about how a future change in the principles of mental health law might alter the way in which mental health problems are perceived and allow nurses to practice in a way that is less focussed on risk management and more emphasis is given to recovery

Action Research: Can It Be a Means for Helping Teacher Candidates Learn about Student Diversity?

This paper describes the use of action research in a teacher education course as a way to support novice teachers in meeting the learning needs of a diverse student population. Our experiences as instructors in teacher education courses led us to look for strategies that could support novices’ attempts to meet students’ diverse needs because students viewed this as one of their greatest challenges as beginning teachers. We explore action research as one such strategy to respond to this learning need. We examine this practice for supporting novice teachers and consider three cases of student learning as examples. Our findings suggest that teacher candidates were able to use their action research projects to meet students’ learning needs but were less able to articulate their attempts to do so in an aware manner. However, they did understand the purpose of action research to help them reflect on and improve their practices as teachers. Suggestions are made to help students better understand this process as a result of these findings

Improved Orthopedic Drill System

There are 22 million orthopedic surgeries performed globally each year and this number is expected to increase by approximately 6 million by 2022. Within many of these operations, surgeons are required to utilize orthopedic drills to properly insert various implants to facilitate healing within the body. Unfortunately, many of these procedures have complications that result in thermal osteonecrosis or bone plunging. These complications cause the death of bone cells due to heat and the loosening of an implant from drilling through the entirety of the bone, respectively. To help prevent these detrimental issues, we seek to redesign the orthopedic drilling system by effectively incorporating a cooling channel within the drill bit, as well as sensors to monitor drilling depth. Ultimately, this redesigned system will aid orthopedic surgeons in their procedures while simultaneously reducing the number of complications and potential follow-up operations for patients

Orthopedic Anti-Plunging with External Cooling Drill System

There are 22 million orthopedic surgeries performed globally each year and this number is expected to increase by approximately 6 million by 2022. Within many of these operations, surgeons are required to utilize orthopedic drills to properly insert various implants to facilitate healing within the body. Unfortunately, many of these procedures have complications that result in thermal osteonecrosis or bone plunging. These complications cause the death of bone cells due to heat and the loosening of an implant from drilling through the entirety of the bone, respectively. To help prevent these detrimental issues, we seek to redesign the orthopedic drilling system by effectively incorporating a cooling channel within the drill bit, as well as sensors to monitor drilling depth. Ultimately, this redesigned system will aid orthopedic surgeons in their procedures while simultaneously reducing the number of complications and potential follow-up operations for patients

Reading Recovery in South Carolina: 2016-2017 State Report

Developed by New Zealand educator Dr. Marie M. Clay, Reading Recovery® is a short-term early intervention for first grade students who have the lowest achievement on measures of literacy outcomes. Students meet individually with a specially trained teacher for 30 minutes each day for a period of 12-20 weeks. The goal during this period is for children to develop a network of reading and writing strategies so they may independently perform within the average range of their class

Biomass Fuel Use and Cardiac Function in Nepali Women.

BackgroundExposure to household air pollution (HAP) from cooking with biomass fuel affects billions of people. We hypothesized that HAP from woodsmoke, compared to other household fuels, was associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, of which there have been few studies.MethodsA cross-sectional study was completed in 299 females aged 40-70 years in Kaski District, Nepal, during 2017-18. All participants underwent a standard 12-lead ECG, ankle and brachial systolic blood pressure measurement, and 2D color and Doppler echocardiography. Current stove type was confirmed by inspection. Blood pressure, height, and weight were measured using a standardized protocol. Hypertension was defined as ≥140/90 mmHg or prior diagnosis. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was obtained, with diabetes mellitus defined as a prior diagnosis or HbA1C ≥ 6.5%. We used adjusted linear and logistic multivariable regressions to examine the relationship of stove type with cardiac structure and function.ResultsThe majority of women primarily used liquified petroleum gas (LPG) stoves (65%), while 12% used biogas, and 23% used wood-burning cook-stoves. Prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors was 35% with hypertension, 19% with diabetes mellitus, and 15% current smokers. After adjustment, compared to LPG, wood stove use was associated with increased indexed left atrial volume (β = 3.15, 95% CI 1.22 to 5.09) and increased indexed left ventricular end diastolic volume (β = 7.97, 95% CI 3.11 to 12.83). There was no association between stove type and systemic hypertension, left ventricular mass, systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, abnormal ankle-brachial index, or clinically significant ECG abnormalities.ConclusionBiomass fuel use was associated with increased indexed left atrial volume and increased indexed left ventricular diastolic volume in Nepali women, suggesting subclinical adverse cardiac remodeling from HAP in this cross-sectional study. We did not find evidence of an association with hypertension or typical cardiac sequelae of hypertension. Future studies to confirm these results are needed