The challenges of mental health care provision for traumatised asylum seekers and refugees

Part A Part A is a literature review of qualitative research exploring the perceived barriers to accessing and engaging with mental health services for asylum-seekers and refugees. A thematic synthesis of the findings from nineteen studies was carried out. Findings indicate two primary analytic themes describing barriers to mental health service utilisation: the perceived misfit of Western mental health services and the fear of opening up. These two analytic themes were composed of seven descriptive themes. The synthesis of findings is discussed in relation to the wider literature. The clinical implications are considered, and future research is proposed. Part B Part B is a qualitative research study employing interpretative phenomenological analysis in order to understand the experiences of six asylum-seekers who underwent a clinical assessment in order to have a medico-legal report prepared for use as evidence in their claims for asylum in the UK. Three superordinate themes were identified: tension between negative and positive expectations, therapeutic impact, the pain of having to share and remember. The findings have important clinical implications for clinicians carrying out assessments with asylum seekers and highlight the need for implementing trauma-informed approaches to care within the UK asylum system

Resonant Ultrasonic Particle Manipulators and their Applications in Sensor Systems

The paper describes the use of ultrasonic standing waves as bulk acoustic wave actuators, exploiting the acoustic radiation forces within the standing wave to move biological cells or other particles. This is a technology with the potential to enhance many forms of microflow-based sensors. Example applications discussed include half-wavelength filters, flow-through chambers which move cells from one fluid medium into another (washing the cells), and quarter wavelength chambers that attract cells to a solid boundary such as the face of a sensor. Microfabricated devices are described, including resonators with multiple sub-wavelength resonances, which are driven by multilayer thick film PZT actuators

Hypervelocity impact microfoil perforations in the LEO space environment (LDEF, MAP AO-023 experiment)

The Microabrasion Foil Experiment comprises arrays of frames, each supporting two layers of closely spaced metallic foils and a back-stop plate. The arrays, deploying aluminum and brass foil ranging from 1.5 to some 30 microns were exposed for 5.78 years on NASA's LDEF at a mean altitude of 458 km. They were deployed on the North, South, East, West, and Space pointing faces; results presented comprise the perforation rates for each location as a function of foil thickness. Initial results refer primarily to aluminum of 5 microns thickness or greater. This penetration distribution, comprising 2,342 perforations in total, shows significantly differing characteristics for each detector face. The anisotropy confirms, incorporating the dynamics of particulate orbital mechanics, the dominance of incorporating extraterrestrial particulates penetrating thicknesses greater than 20 microns in Al foil, yielding fluxes compatible with hyperbolic geocentric velocities. For thinner foils, a disproportionate increase in flux of particles on the East, North, and South faces shows the presence of orbital particulates which exceed the extraterrestrial component perforation rate at 5 micron foil thickness by a factor of approx. 4

The in-situ cometary particulate size distribution measured for one comet: P/Halley

The close approach of Giotto to comet Halley during its 1986 apparition offered an opportunity to study the particulate mass distribution to masses of up to one gram. Data acquired by the front end channels of the highly sensitive mass spectrometer PIA and the dust shield detector system, DIDSY, provide definition to the detected distribution as close as 1000 km to the nucleus. Dynamic motion of the particulates after emission leads to a spatial differentiation affecting the size distribution in several forms: (1) ejecta velocity dispersion; (2) radiation pressure; (3) varying heliocentric distance; and (4) anisotropic nucleus emission. Transformation of the in-situ distribution from PIA and DIDSY weighted heavily by the near-nucleus fluxes leads to a presumed nucleus distribution. The data lead to a puzzling distribution at large masses, not readily explained in an otherwise monotonous power law distribution. Although temporal changes in nucleus activity could and do modify the in-situ size distribution, such an explanation is not wholly possible, because the same form is observed at differing locations in the coma where the time of flight from the nucleus greatly varies. Thus neither a general change in comet activity nor spatial variations lead to a satisfactory explanation

Targeting the Foreign Born by Race and Nationality: Counter-Productive in the War on Terrorism

Times of emergency may justify certain restrictions on liberties, but the nature of the terrorist challenge calls for a much more measured and nuanced response. Al Qaeda is said to have cells operating in as many as sixty countries. Furthermore, Al Qaeda is best described as a decentralized network of extremist Islamic groups and individuals rather than a unified military organization. To reduce or eliminate the threat they pose requires the cooperation of the governments, police officers, and individual citizens in the countries where Al Qaeda linked individuals and groups operate. Such help is necessary to obtain intelligence, arrest, capture, prosecution, and extradition of alleged terrorists, not to mention to cut off their funds and to confiscate their arms and other assets. The thesis of this article is that to the extent the United States discriminates against or otherwise unfairly treats Arabs and Muslims living here or wishing to visit here, the more difficult it will be for the United States to get the help we so desperately need not only in the United States, but also in Arab and Muslim countries and communities throughout the world

Learner Experiences of Online Pre-lecture Resources for an Introductory Chemistry Course at an Irish Higher Education Institution

The principal aim of this case study was to investigate students’ experiences of using online pre-lecture resources and their perceptions of their learning environment for the Introductory Chemistry module concerned. A subsidiary aim was to probe the experience of the lecturer involved of designing and piloting these resources and his perception of their impact on students’ learning. The student cohort who participated were a group of 49 first year level 8 undergraduate chemistry students at Technologicl University Dublin. These students took an Introductory Chemistry module over their first semester, the aim of which was to bring the level of understanding and knowledge of the entire cohort to a similar standard in the topics covered. One of the module lecturers developed a series of online pre-lecture resources designed to reduce the cognitive load experienced by these learners during their lectures. The basis of this research was the investigation of the qualitative variation in the ways that learners experienced their use of these online pre-lecture resources and their learning environment. The methodology selected was phenomenography and a mixed methods approach was used which involved an initial quantitative phase (Likert scale survey) which informed the major qualitative phase (phenomenographic interviews) that followed. The survey was distributed twice to the entire student cohort; in the second week of the module and in the first week of the second semester when the module summative examination was complete. The individual phenomenographic interviews were performed with nine participants within the first month of the second semester. A semi-structured interview with the lecturer who had designed the pre-lecture resources was also carried out to allow a comparison to be made between his perceptions of the learning environment and those of the students. Following analysis of the interviews, categories of description were arrived at for the different experiences students described, four for using the pre-lecture resources and three for perceptions of the learning environment. They were analysed using referential and structural aspects to produce outcome spaces for both units of analysis (the pre-lecture resources and the learning environment). The categories of description for each could be related to surface, strategic and deep approaches to learning and the findings will inform further redesign of the resources, particularly in relation to the multiple choice quiz component. The lecturer interview provided reinforcement for many of the accounts of experiences that emerged from the student interviews with the exception of a difference in perceptions in relation to the importance of allocating a continuous assessment mark to the resources. The findings from this study will now be applied to ensure that the intended learning outcomes for this module will be met by students who experience the learning environment in a variety of ways

Community Based Research by Applying Chemistry

Students have been involved in several chemistry research projects with communities: breath and urine testing for alcohol with the Garda Road Safety Unit; a long-term study of soil Quality for a Grangegorman Community Garden; and work placements with Wells for Zoe, a charity based in Malawi, including soil and water testing, and development of teaching materials for science.https://arrow.tudublin.ie/civpostbk/1008/thumbnail.jp

Self-Efficacy and Coping in Transition of Care after Remission of Cancer in Adolescents

The improvement in cancer remission rates in children and adolescents due to advances in cancer treatment and therapy has led to the development of guidelines that address long-term follow up for survivors of childhood cancers. Adolescents often experience negative emotions related to the fear of uncertainty about long-term survival after cancer remission, yet often report feelings of hope and optimism for the future more than adult cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to understand the role of self-efficacy and coping in adolescents after remission of cancer. A secondary purpose was to analyze which coping strategies supported long-term survival goals after cancer remission in adolescent populations. A systematic literature review was conducted from the following online databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medical Literature On-line (MEDLINE), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and PsycInfo. Selected articles included those published between 2000-2016 that were written in English and were peer-reviewed. The results of the study revealed that most adolescents with cancer remission do not experience long term psychosocial issues related to their cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, a large percentage of adolescent cancer survivors report intermittent depression, suicidal ideation and a lower quality of life due to survival after remission. The literature indicates that multiple, integrative forms of behavioral therapy: cognitive, psychosocial, and family based treatment models, help to enhance long term quality of life in adolescent cancer survivors. Strategies that use positive coping methods and improve self-efficacy related to long term survival after remission have demonstrated improvement in psychosocial behaviors in adolescents and promote a better outlook on planning for the future. Future research that analyzes the most effective coping skills to practice after cancer remission and that optimize self-efficacy related to long term survival can positively influence quality of life for adolescent cancer survivors

The Teaching-Research Relationship in Higher Education

This paper examines higher education policy regarding the relationship between research and teaching. The initial issue dealt with is whether current policy in Irish higher education recognises a relationship between research and teaching, and to examine the dual role of academics as teachers and as researchers. This is followed by an examination of any measures put in place to manage and balance the teaching–research relationship. The way in which the relationship between research and teaching is dealt with both in my own institution, the Dublin Institute of Technology, and in higher education policy in a number of other countries is then considered. Finally, the relevant literature that examines the evidence for a teaching–research relationship and that gives suggestions for good practice in developing a link between these two major aspects of academic work is reviewed