Military Parent’s PTSD and Children’s Mental Health: A Scoping Review

It is widely recognized that the mental health of parents impacts children’s well-being. A scoping review was conducted to examine what was known from the research specific to mental health issues facing children as a consequence of their military parent’s PTSD. The parameters of this review were based on Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) recommendations for completion of a scoping review. From the search, 163 articles were located from 5 electronic databases. Of those, 35 were related to the topic and, after implementing the inclusion and exclusion criteria 21 were included in this scoping review. Although the scoping review demonstrated that there is a paucity of knowledge about the impact of military member’s PTSD on children’s mental health, all of the articles discovered for this review concluded that there were mental health impacts on children as a result of residing with a military parent diagnosed with PTSD. As a result, not only is more research needed on the phenomena, the research that is prevalent suggests that more treatment and prevention services be provided to military members, their families and their children

Living within a One Planet reality: the contribution of personal Footprint calculators

During the last 50 years, humanity's Ecological Footprint has increased by nearly 190% indicating a growing unbalance in the human-environment relationship, coupled with major environmental and social changes. Our ability to live within the planet's biological limits requires not only a major re-think in how we produce and distribute 'things', but also a shift in consumption activities. Footprint calculators can provide a framing that communicates the extent to which an individual's daily activities are compatible with our One Planet context. This paper presents the findings from the first international study to assess the value of personal Footprint calculators in guiding individuals towards sustainable consumption choices. It focuses specifically on Global Footprint Network's personal Footprint calculator, and aims to understand the profile of calculator users and assess the contribution of calculators to increasing individual awareness and encouraging sustainable choices. Our survey of 4245 respondents show that 75% of users resided in 10 countries, 54% were aged 18–34 years and had largely used the calculator within an educational context (62%). The calculator was considered a valuable tool for knowledge generation by 91% of users, and 78% found it useful to motivate action. However, only 23% indicated the calculator provided them with the necessary information to make actual changes to their life and reduce their personal Footprint. The paper discusses how and why this personal Footprint calculator has been effective in enhancing individuals' understanding of the environmental impact of their actions, framing the scale of the problem and empowering users to understand the impacts of different lifestyle choices. Those individual-level and system-level changes needed to generate global sustainability outcomes are also discussed. Similar to other calculators, a gap is also identified in terms of this calculator facilitating individuals to convert new knowledge into action

The monitoring of the rights of the child: a child rights-based approach

PhDDue to the lacunae between legal obligations to human rights and the actual situation, monitoring is an essential component of the international and national human rights system. Monitoring illuminates the situation of human rights commitments and ensures the relevancy of instruments. The thesis explores monitoring in relation to the rights of the child and submits that a child rights-based approach is essential. Monitoring should not only consider the status and nature of child rights, but a child rights-based approach should also guide efforts so that they improve as well as reflect and respect children's rights. The study defines monitoring and describes a child rights-based approach. As a subject of legal investigation, the thesis then addresses several questions. How do international and national monitoring efforts respect child rights? How have the supervision of international conference agreements supported child rights? Furthermore, how do different countries monitor? National activities are examined through case studies of two Commonwealth countries: Canada and South Africa. Then, analysis is presented about how actors interpret and execute monitoring and the significance of different approaches. Lastly, the rationale, challenges and existing support of a child rights-based approach are discussed. In sum, a child rights-based approach is not generally utilised and the implications of child rights upon the monitoring process are not yet realised. Most monitors, whether international, regional or domestic, inadequately consider the demands of child rights upon the process of ascertaining the situation of children's rights. Proposed guidelines are appended to support a child rights-based approach to monitoring

Labeling "in-between" orientations: Testing the applicability of the Match-and-Motivation model to sexual orientation labeling

The Match-and-Motivation framework (Peterson & Muehlenhard, 2011) was used to understand sexual orientation labeling processes among women with in-between sexual orientations (i.e., toward both same- and other-sex individuals). Both level of matching with a label and motivation to apply or reject a label predicted orientation label use. The factors of degree of same- vs. other-sex orientation and closeness/acceptance within communities were especially influential in the labeling process. For example, use of the bisexual label was often predicted by participants' distance from the center of the orientation continuum, such that the closer individuals were to the center (i.e., equal same- vs. other-sex orientation), the more likely they were to use the label. Use of nonheterosexual labels generally, and lesbian labels specifically, was predicted by more connection to the LGBTQ community. In addition, experiences of anti-bisexual prejudice from both the LGBTQ community and mainstream/heterosexual society affected label use. Match-and-Motivation factors were also found to have different degrees of importance across time points and to vary across different types of relationships. Specifically, orientation toward same- vs. other-sex individuals changed to be more in line with the sex of the relationship partner. Furthermore, connection to the LGBTQ community was stronger during a same-sex relationship. These differences may account for some of the changes in labeling that are often seen in response to romantic relationships (e.g., Diamond 2008). The implications of these findings as well as suggestions for future research are discussed

Government Efforts to Address Bullying in Canada: Any Place for Children’s Rights?

Recently, governments in Canada have increased efforts to address bullying in schools primarily through the adoption of laws and policies. This paper examines these measures using a child rights framework, based on Canada’s international legal obligations. It examines the language of child rights and human rights that is present in these efforts, as well as the content of legislation and policies. Analysis is guided by the main child rights principles: non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, the child’s right to survival and development, and respect for the views of the child. The findings point to a fragmented presence of child rights in provincial efforts and their absence in federal efforts. The authors contend that the explicit inclusion of child rights in education legislation is a minimal step to ensure a more uniform and systematic application of child rights in all anti-bullying initiatives

Assessing consistency of fish survey data : uncertainties in the estimation of mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) abundance at South Georgia

Acknowledgments The authors wish to thank the crews, fishermen and scientists who conducted the various surveys from which data were obtained, and Mark Belchier and Simeon Hill for their contributions. This work was supported by the Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. Additional logistical support provided by The South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute with thanks to Paul Brickle. Thanks to Stephen Smith of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for help in constructing bootstrap confidence limits. Paul Fernandes receives funding from the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland), and their support is gratefully acknowledged. MASTS is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions. We also wish to thank two anonymous referees for their helpful suggestions on earlier versions of this manuscript.Peer reviewedPostprin

Exploring Fieldwork Educator Development: Preparation Methods and Support Tools

Fieldwork education is a critical piece to professional development and competency in occupational therapy. As part of their core curriculum, all students enrolled in accredited occupational therapy programs must complete full-time fieldwork experiences under the direct supervision of a licensed occupational therapy practitioner. This component of the student’s education relies on the skills and training of the fieldwork educator. Academic programs are expected to support occupational therapy practitioners in their role as fieldwork educators in the form of resource provisions to enhance supervisory skills. However, there are no clear standards that describe how to vet, effectively disseminate, or implement the use of fieldwork educator resources. This study sought to identify and explore how occupational therapy practitioners prepare for the role of fieldwork educator, and how they maintain professional competence in that role through the use and effectiveness of available support tools for fieldwork educators. Results of the study highlight underutilization of readily available materials, effective programs that may not be readily accessed due to cost, and the need to establish more structured educational experiences that would serve to support the role of the fieldwork educator. These findings point to potential areas of fieldwork educator development that may be designed and addressed by Academic Fieldwork Coordinators through both continued research and program development. Future research examining pre and post tool use assessment would provide further insight on effectiveness and progression of growth in the fieldwork educator role

Outerwall and Beyond: ecoATM, Looking Ahead

In 2013, Outerwall (parent company of Coinstar and RedBox) acquired ecoATM, an automated e-waste recycling station. As a disruptive technology in the e-recycling business, ecoATM has demonstrated significant potential for triple-bottom-line success. Outerwall has struggled with negative press related to law-enforcement belief that these kiosks are “a motivator for the criminal element.” This CSR mini-case provides students an opportunity to work creatively to solve a public relations and perception problem in order to fully realize a company’s full potential for positive social, environmental and economic impact

Telemedicine coverage for post-operative ICU patients.

Introduction There is an increased demand for intensive care unit (ICU) beds. We sought to determine if we could create a safe surge capacity model to increase ICU capacity by treating ICU patients in the post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) utilizing a collaborative model between an ICU service and a telemedicine service during peak ICU bed demand. Methods We evaluated patients managed by the surgical critical care service in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) compared to patients managed in the virtual intensive care unit (VICU) located within the PACU. A retrospective review of all patients seen by the surgical critical care service from January 1st 2008 to July 31st 2011 was conducted at an urban, academic, tertiary centre and level 1 trauma centre. Results Compared to the SICU group ( n = 6652), patients in the VICU group ( n = 1037) were slightly older (median age 60 (IQR 47-69) versus 58 (IQR 44-70) years, p = 0.002) and had lower acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores (median 10 (IQR 7-14) versus 15 (IQR 11-21), p \u3c 0.001). The average amount of time patients spent in the VICU was 13.7 + /-9.6 hours. In the VICU group, 750 (72%) of patients were able to be transferred directly to the floor; 287 (28%) required subsequent admission to the surgical intensive care unit. All patients in the VICU group were alive upon transfer out of the PACU while mortality in the surgical intensive unit cohort was 5.5%. Discussion A collaborative care model between a surgical critical care service and a telemedicine ICU service may safely provide surge capacity during peak periods of ICU bed demand. The specific patient populations for which this approach is most appropriate merits further investigation

Combined chemical and genetic approach to inhibit proteolysis by the proteasome

Regulated protein destruction by the proteasome is crucial for the maintenance of normal cellular homeostasis. Much of our understanding of proteasome function stems from the use of drugs that inhibit its activity. Curiously, despite the importance of proteasomal proteolysis, previous studies have found that proliferation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is relatively resistant to the effects of proteasome inhibitors such as MG132, even in the presence of mutations that increase inhibitor levels in cells. We reasoned that part of the resistance of S. cerevisiae to proteasome inhibitors stems from the fact that most proteasome inhibitors preferentially target the chymotryptic activity of the proteasome, and that the caspase-like and tryptic sites within the 20S core could compensate for proteasome function under these conditions. To test this hypothesis, we generated a strain of yeast in which the gene encoding the drug efflux pump Pdr5 is deleted, and the tryptic and caspase-like proteasome activities are inactivated by mutation. We find that this strain has dramatically increased sensitivity to the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Under these conditions, treatment of yeast with MG132 blocks progression through the cell cycle, increases the accumulation of polyubiquitylated proteins and decreases the ability to induce transcription of certain genes. These results highlight the contribution of the caspase-like and tryptic activities of the proteasome to its function, and provide a strategy to potently block proteasomal proteolysis in yeast that has practical applications