School counselors: preparing transitioning high school students

Master's Project (M.Ed.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016Without preparedness for possible career avenues after graduation, many youth struggle with career paths they may want to investigate. even the considerably prepared students are uncertain what they are going to do after high school. having transition classes starting in middle school can further enhance students' career paths once they graduate from high school. this project focuses on rural school counselors helping to prepare high school students transition into possible career opportunities. rural school counselors often have additional advocate duties to help keep a positive connectedness between students and their schools. increased connectedness and transition classes can make the transition process much more manageable for students after they graduate from high school (Grimes, Haskins, & Paisley, 2013)

The Opus Prize as a Transformative Experience for University Students

In this phenomenological study, seven research participants shared their memories, experiences, and the durability of what they learned as university student ambassadors who participated in a unique philanthropic initiative. Through this philanthropy-university community partnership, participants traveled on site visits to three global locations to witness first-hand the work of faith-based, “unsung hero” humanitarians and to have personal encounters with members of these communities on the margins of their societies. These former student ambassadors shared that during the site visits they had experiences and conversations that challenged many of the preconceptions and expectations that they held prior to the visits. Through critical self-reflection and active dialogue with supportive resources, the former student ambassadors grappled with the challenging elements of their experiences, striving to make sense of what they learned through the first-hand encounters. Five years after the completion of their commitments to this program, participants still attribute some of their acquired dispositions, life choices, and intentional actions to the transformational opportunity and experience of the site visits they made as university student ambassadors. Emergent themes from the former student ambassadors’ narratives include the influence of their pre-site visit personal stories, the powerful impact of site visit experiences, the difficult nature of grappling with experiences of privilege, and the durability of hope as a motivating source of inspiration for the future

Occupational Wellbeing of People Experience Homelessness: Survival, Self Identity and Socialisation

Introduction A growing area of for the occupational therapy profession is the needs of people experiencing occupational injustice within our societies. Distinct from social justice, occupational justice focuses on ‘occupational equity, occupational fairness, occupational empowerment, occupational rights and responsibilities, occupational enablement, expression and opportunity, occupational satisfaction and occupational wellbeing’ (Wilcock, 2006, p. 247). Objectives This study aimed to understand the occupations of people experiencing homelessness and to contribute to occupational perspectives of health through exploring occupations that influence subjective perspectives of well-being in for people experiencing homelessness. Method This constructivist case study explored the lived experience of people who were homeless using observation and interviews with consumers of homeless services. A strengths-based approach to data collection prioritised the voices of participants and elicited situated accounts of occupations of meaning. Results Thirty-five in-depth conversational interviews explored the strengths, resilience, agency and capacity of participants to sustain wellbeing during homelessness. People who are homeless aim to achieve and sustain subjective wellbeing through occupation of survival, self identity and socialisation. Limited opportunities for occupational engagement due to poverty and marginalisation result in situations of occupational injustice for people experiencing homelessness. Conclusion Despite limited occupational opportunity resulting in occupational injustice, acts of personal autonomy and agency guard against descending into despair and afford a sense of satisfaction with life. Contribution to the practice/evidence base of occupational therapy An occupational perspective of subjective wellbeing is supported by this study, which challenges the appropriateness of universal definitions of wellbeing for all. Interpretive findings propose an expansion of the theoretical basis of occupational justice. The multiple meanings of human occupation are intricately affected and shaped by the social and cultural context and consistent with the gendered and cultural norms. Refs Wilcock, A. (2006). An Occupational Perspective of Health (2nd Ed). Slack: Thoroughfare

The social power paradigm: causalities, mechanisms, and constructions in the perspective of systems theory

The article outlines and illustrates a new social power paradigm based on an innovative approach to causation, action processes, and social construction. It aims to overcome several of the major limitations of the social science research of Robert Dahl, Steven Lukes, Stefano Guzzini, Michael Mann, John Searle, and Max Weber. The paradigm distinguishes agential, social structural, and material/ecological modalities of power. Moreover, neglected modalities such as meta-power (power over power, transformative power) and relational control are specified and exemplified. Section I provides a brief introduction and background to the theoretical paradigm outlined in the article. The section focuses largely on a major contemporary social theorist of power, Stephen Lukes. The work of a number of other scholars is referred to as well. The limitations of the work of Lukes as well as others such as Robert Dahl, Stefano Guzzini, Michael Mann, John Searle and Max Weber are briefly outlined. Of particular importance is their failure to systematically specify and analyze meta-power, the fundamental powering in any society. 2 Section II briefly presents causal power theory, postulating multiple causalities and powering mechanisms based on concrete actions and algorithms. Three general modalities of power are identified and analyzed: material/ecological forces, social structural and agential influences – typically making up complexes of regulatory mechanisms. Intentionality/non-intentionality and agential/systemic are shown to be critical dimensions. Section III introduces the meta-power conceptualization (power over power, transformative power), distinguishing agential and systemic forms of meta-power. Section IV takes up for discussion several of the key features of the power paradigm. Finally, there is a section of concluding remarks making five points: (1) social power is based on multiple interdependent causal mechanisms that pervade all social life. (2) social power systems (institutional arrangements, socio-technical systems, and infrastructures, are complexes of causality). (3) Most power relations and systems are human constructions (4) Major complex systems of power and meta-power are found in the forms of capitalism, state, socio-technical systems and built environments. (5) The mechanisms (and therefore modalities) of power are being multiplied as new types of causal and control technologies and new socio-technical systems are constructed

The \u27Oldest Tricks In The Book\u27 Do Not Work! Reports Of Burglary By DUMA Detainees In Western Australia

Foreword : Research investigating the methods and motivations of burglars has typically focused on incarcerated offenders. The Australian Institute of Criminology’s Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program provided an opportunity for the authors to explore the methods and motivations of those actively involved in committing burglaries, whether or not they had actually been caught or detained for that offence. The findings support Routine Activity Theory, indicating that offenders consider a number of factors in determining whether a property will be targeted for a break and enter offence. As might be expected, opportunistic burglars choose easy to access properties, stay a minimum length of time and take goods that can be disposed of easily. It was concluded that simple prevention strategies could minimise the risk of becoming a victim of opportunistic burglary, which also has implications for law enforcement, the security industry and insurance agencies

Assessing the Awareness of Lead Hazards in the Greater Burlington Area

Introduction. Lead is a heavy metal found in and around homes built before 1978, comprising more than 80% of the housing stock in Chittenden County, Vermont. Lead exposure during infancy and childhood can have deleterious effects on development. Our study assessed baseline community understanding of potential household lead hazards in Chittenden County, Vermont. Methods.. 123 paper, 10-question surveys were randomly administered to Chittenden County, VT residents to assess recognition of lead toxicology symptoms and awareness of lead safety programs. Scores were treated as continuous variables, demographically grouped, and analyzed using non-parametric statistical analysis (Mann-Whitney & Kruskal-Wallis). Individual questions were treated as dichotomous variables, demographically grouped and analyzed using chi-squared testing. Results.. 48% of survey participants understood the interaction between ADHD and lead or knew the importance of window maintenance. 54.5% were aware of the Burlington Lead Program\u27s assistance program. Participants earning less than $60,000 and those with less than a graduate degree scored statistically lower (p Conclusion.. Lesser-known lead poisoning symptoms and home interventions that decrease lead exposure should be emphasized to the community. High-risk groups requiring targeted education include those who rent, have lower income and education levels. Primary care providers could serve a larger role in educating patients. Additional efforts should be made to publicize services offered by the Burlington Lead Program.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1241/thumbnail.jp

Cyclooxygenase 2 promotes cell survival by stimulation of dynein light chain expression and inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase activity

Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibits nerve growth factor (NGF) withdrawal apoptosis in differentiated PC12 cells. The inhibition of apoptosis by COX-2 was concomitant with prevention of caspase 3 activation. To understand how COX-2 prevents apoptosis, we used cDNA expression arrays to determine whether COX-2 regulates differential expression of apoptosis-related genes. The expression of dynein light chain (DLC) (also known as protein inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide synthase [PIN]) was significantly stimulated in PC12 cells overexpressing COX-2. The COX-2-dependent stimulation of DLC expression was, at least in part, mediated by prostaglandin E(2). Overexpression of DLC also inhibited NGF withdrawal apoptosis in differentiated PC12 cells. Stimulation of DLC expression resulted in an increased association of DLC/PIN with neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), thereby reducing nNOS activity. Furthermore, nNOS expression and activity were significantly increased in differentiated PC12 cells after NGF withdrawal. This increased nNOS activity as well as increased nNOS dimer after NGF withdrawal were inhibited by COX-2 or DLC/PIN overexpression. An nNOS inhibitor or a membrane-permeable superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic protected differentiated PC12 cells from NGF withdrawal apoptosis. In contrast, NO donors induced apoptosis in differentiated PC12 cells and potentiated apoptosis induced by NGF withdrawal. The protective effects of COX-2 on apoptosis induced by NGF withdrawal were also overcome by NO donors. These findings suggest that COX-2 promotes cell survival by a mechanism linking increased expression of prosurvival genes coupled to inhibition of NO- and superoxide-mediated apoptosis

3D modelling of drug-coated balloons for the treatment of calcified superficial femoral arteries

Background/Objectives Drug-coated balloon therapy for diseased superficial femoral arteries remains controversial. Despite its clinical relevance, only a few computational studies based on simplistic two-dimensional models have been proposed to investigate this endovascular therapy to date. This work addresses the aforementioned limitation by analyzing the drug transport and kinetics occurring during drug-coated balloon deployment in a three-dimensional geometry. Methods An idealized three-dimensional model of a superficial femoral artery presenting with a calcific plaque and treated with a drug-coated balloon was created to perform transient mass transport simulations. To account for the transport of drug (i.e. paclitaxel) released by the device, a diffusion-reaction equation was implemented by describing the drug bound to specific intracellular receptors through a non-linear, reversible reaction. The following features concerning procedural aspects, pathologies and modelling assumptions were investigated: (i) balloon application time (60–180 seconds); (ii) vessel wall composition (healthy vs. calcified wall); (iii) sequential balloon application; and (iv) drug wash-out by the blood stream vs. coating retention, modeled as exponential decay. Results The balloon inflation time impacted both the free and specifically-bound drug concentrations in the vessel wall. The vessel wall composition highly affected the drug concentrations. In particular, the specifically-bound drug concentration was four orders of magnitude lower in the calcific compared with healthy vessel wall portions, primarily as a result of reduced drug diffusion. The sequential application of two drug-coated balloons led to modest differences (~15%) in drug concentration immediately after inflation, which became negligible within 10 minutes. The retention of the balloon coating increased the drug concentration in the vessel wall fourfold. Conclusions The overall findings suggest that paclitaxel kinetics may be affected not only by the geometrical and compositional features of the vessel treated with the drug-coated balloon, but also by balloon design characteristics and procedural aspects that should be carefully considered