How faith and leadership are connected: a study of Catholic women administrators in a southern public institution of higher education

Studies concerning spirituality and higher education, particularly for the college student, are beginning to appear in journals, conference papers, and presentations. However, there is little research conducted with professionals in higher education on the construct of spirituality. Spirituality has so many different definitions in the literature, it is difficult to define, and perhaps even more complex to study academically. Using a research-based conceptual model for religious faith, developed within the study of family sciences, this study examines the lived experience of how and why Catholic women administrators connect their faith and leadership in a setting of public institutions of higher education. Using a grounded theory qualitative approach to research the how, why and processes of the faith and leadership connection for women administrators, interviews were conducted with ten Catholic women administrators. Findings include four emergent themes which begin to explain and deepen the understanding of how religious faith and leadership are connected at work. These themes, with sub-themes, include: Faith at the Core of Identity, Using Faith and Leadership Connection for Performance Management (Management of Self and Management of Supervisees), Specific Actions of Faith and Leadership (Use of Faith in Decision-Making: Prayer; Faith as Action: Service Orientation, Valuing Others, Relationship Building, Doing the Right Thing), and Challenges in Practicing Faith (Public Institution Factors; Implicit/Explicit Actions/Thoughts). These findings begin the research agenda to study faith and leadership, particularly in settings of public institutions of higher education. One research recommendation from the study was continued qualitative study approaches interviewing a wider sample of women leaders, including those of other faith denominations and geographically diverse regions of the United States. Practical implications for Human Resource offices, as well as Catholic parishes and diocese are included. As the women themselves articulate the connection of faith and leadership as inseparable, with faith as the foundation of their leadership, more is understood about the way women of faith lead in public institutions of higher education. Universities and the Catholic parishes and diocese are positioned to provide time, space, and training initiatives for leadership development

Decolonizing Institutional Practices: Supporting Aboriginal College Student Success

The Aboriginal population is the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population. As a result, it is essential to increase Aboriginal participation in post-secondary studies and persistence to completion. To accomplish these goals, it is necessary to rethink how post-secondary institutions support Aboriginal students and to make them feel welcome and that they belong. This dissertation takes an in-depth look at the experiences of Aboriginal students at a northern Ontario college. It examines the challenges faced by students as they prepare for and complete their studies. It identifies the significance of cultural safety and support in overcoming feelings of loneliness and isolation, and explores the role of family and community encouragement in helping students persist to graduation. It also discusses the role of faculty relationships and the need for institutional commitment in creating an environment that acknowledges and includes Aboriginal worldviews, traditions and cultures. This qualitative study explores the experiences of seventeen students. The outcomes of the study provides guidance to post-secondary institutions in three key areas: promising practices to improve Aboriginal student outcomes; successful approaches to conducting culturally intelligent research; and the significance of Indigenizing the college through generative discussion with individuals local to the institution. The dissertation suggests the use of generative discussion to Indigenize an institution has great potential as a transformative change tool

More than a Game? Exploring Sport's Role in Refugee and Asylum-Seeker Settlement in Glasgow, Scotland

Up until recently, refugees and asylum-seekers, and even more so, the relationship between sport and settlement, has generally been written out of discussions surrounding sport for development (SFD). This study seeks to fill some of this lacuna through a critical analysis of a grassroots, community football club for male refugees and asylum-seekers - United Glasgow FC (UGFC). Drawing on fieldwork carried out in Glasgow, Scotland from May August 2017, this thesis aims to explore the notion that sport can facilitate refugee and asylum-seeker well-being throughout the settlement process. Through a qualitative analysis of the experiences of both volunteers and players involved with the club, this research suggest that sport can hold great potential for the facilitation of refugees and asylum-seeker well-being; however, the extent to which well-being is facilitated relies heavily on the conditions of the sport program itself and the local context

Health-Related Fitness for Children and Adults with Cerebral Palsy

Position Statement of ACSM Sports Medicine Basics 2016: Health-related physical fitness for persons with Cerebral Palsy should be developed in the same model as fitness for all of us: start early, be easily available and continue throughout the life span

Health, Wellness, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Common Ground for Adults with Cerebral Palsy and Modern Physical Therapists

Health, wellness, and happiness are important long-term goals for adulthood, especially for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Physical therapists (PTs) can assist individuals with CP realize these goals; however it requires PTs to have a greater understanding of how to apply impairment, functional, or contextual interventions to meet these goals. A critical gap in knowledge exists about perceptions of happiness and health priorities of adults with CP. The purpose of this paper is to describe the beliefs, feelings, and perceptions of happiness and health of adults with CP as compared to adults without CP, specifically PTs

Locomotor behaviour and ecology of three sympatric lemur species in Mantadia National Park, Madagascar

This study compares the locomotor behaviour of three sympatric species of folivorous (leaf-eating) lemur; Indri indri (indri), Propithecus diadema (diademed simpona) and HapaJemur griseus griseus (eastern lesser bamboo lemur). 1. indri and P. diadema are large bodied 'vertical clingers and leapers'. H. g. grise us is small bodied, combining 'vertical clinging and leaping' with quadrupedal walking. The three species were studied in Mantadia National Park, Madagascar. One social group each of 1. indri (n=4) and P. diadema (n=7) and two groups of H. g. griseus (n=6 and n=4) were followed during an eleven month period. Data was collected ad-hoc for locomotor mode and support use preferences, and by the method of 'focal animal sampling' for activity, diet, ranging and vertical spatial usage. In terms of activity, 1. indri and P. diadema were found to be diurnal, while H. g. griseus was crepuscular (activity at dawn and dusk). The active period for 1. indri and P. diadema mirrored sunrise and sunset, a pattern not observed in H. g. griseus. Length of feeding period did not seasonally alter in 1. indri, while rest and travel periods decreased in the austral (southern hemisphere) winter. Rest and travel periods of P. diadema decreased in winter while feeding time increased. Feeding time did not alter seasonally in H. g. griseus, while rest and travel increased slightly during the austral winter. There was considerable dietary overlap between 1. indri and P. diadema, up to 53%, but P. diadema maintained a more diverse diet. 1. indri had longer, but fewer, daily feeding bouts compared to P. diadema. All three study species displayed marked seasonality in diet. P. diadema had the largest home range (27ha), followed by 1. indri (13ha), while H. g .griseus had the smallest home ranges (3.5ha and 5.4ha). P. diadema had significantly longer daily path lengths (902m) compared to 1. indri (482m). The daily path length in 1. indri and P. diadema positively correlated with hours of daylight; decreasing daylight in the austral winter led to shorter path lengths. H. g. griseus were found at a mean height of 7.8m, lower than that of both 1. indri (12.6m) and P. diadema (lO.6m). The difference all three species is significant. 1. indri were observed to display a greater preference for non-vertical supports and P. diadema a greater preference for vertical supports. Contrary to expectation, although both species used supports with diameters sized 5.1 to IOcm most frequently, in comparison I. indri showed a preference for supports sized over 10.1cm and P. diadema for those smaller than IOcm. As expected, 1. indri and P. diadema utilised leaping more frequently during travel and all other modes less frequently, while during feeding leaping was used less frequently and all other modes more frequently. In summary a relationship was found to exist between support use, locomotion and stratum, and between stratum, dietary preference and predation risk for all three species. Contrary to prediction, seasonality was found to exert, at most, only a weak effect on the ecology of H. g. griseus. However, marked seasonality (yearly patterns of behaviour) was found in activity, diet and ranging for I. indri and P. diadema

Incidence of sexually transmitted infections during pregnancy

Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) is high among pregnant women in certain settings. We estimated STI incidence and compared STI risk in pregnant and non-pregnant women. Data came from the Methods for Improving Reproductive Health in Africa (MIRA) study conducted in South Africa and Zimbabwe 2003–2006. Women aged 18–50 years with at least one follow-up visit within 6 months of enrollment were included. Follow-up visits included laboratory testing for pregnancy, chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and HIV, as well as self-report of hormonal contraceptive (HC) use, sexual behaviors and intravaginal practices. All visits were classified according to pregnancy status. Incidence of each STI was calculated using follow-up time. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted using pregnancy as a time-varying exposure and sexual behaviors and intravaginal practices as time-varying covariates. Among 4,549 women, 766 (16.8%) had a positive pregnancy test. Median follow-up time was 18 months [IQR: 12–24]. The overall incidence rate of chlamydia was 6.7 per 100 person years (py) and 9.9/100py during pregnancy; gonorrhea incidence was 2.7/100py and 4.9/100py during pregnancy; trichomoniasis incidence was 7.1/100py overall and 9.2/100py during pregnancy. Overall HIV incidence was 3.9/100py and 3.8/100py during pregnancy. In crude models, pregnancy increased risk for chlamydia (hazard ratio (HR) 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1–1.2), however there was no increased risk of any measured STI in adjusted models. STI Incidence was high during pregnancy however pregnancy did not increase STI risk after adjustment for sexual behaviors. Greater efforts are needed to help pregnant women avoid STIs

A single H/ACA small nucleolar RNA mediates tumor suppression downstream of oncogenic RAS.

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are a diverse group of non-coding RNAs that direct chemical modifications at specific residues on other RNA molecules, primarily on ribosomal RNA (rRNA). SnoRNAs are altered in several cancers; however, their role in cell homeostasis as well as in cellular transformation remains poorly explored. Here, we show that specific subsets of snoRNAs are differentially regulated during the earliest cellular response to oncogenic RASG12V expression. We describe a novel function for one H/ACA snoRNA, SNORA24, which guides two pseudouridine modifications within the small ribosomal subunit, in RAS-induced senescence in vivo. We find that in mouse models, loss of Snora24 cooperates with RASG12V to promote the development of liver cancer that closely resembles human steatohepatitic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). From a clinical perspective, we further show that human HCCs with low SNORA24 expression display increased lipid content and are associated with poor patient survival. We next asked whether ribosomes lacking SNORA24-guided pseudouridine modifications on 18S rRNA have alterations in their biophysical properties. Single-molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) analyses revealed that these ribosomes exhibit perturbations in aminoacyl-transfer RNA (aa-tRNA) selection and altered pre-translocation ribosome complex dynamics. Furthermore, we find that HCC cells lacking SNORA24-guided pseudouridine modifications have increased translational miscoding and stop codon readthrough frequencies. These findings highlight a role for specific snoRNAs in safeguarding against oncogenic insult and demonstrate a functional link between H/ACA snoRNAs regulated by RAS and the biophysical properties of ribosomes in cancer

Does the availability of snack foods in supermarkets vary internationally?

BackgroundCross-country differences in dietary behaviours and obesity rates have been previously reported. Consumption of energy-dense snack foods and soft drinks are implicated as contributing to weight gain, however little is known about how the availability of these items within supermarkets varies internationally. This study assessed variations in the display of snack foods and soft drinks within a sample of supermarkets across eight countries.MethodsWithin-store audits were used to evaluate and compare the availability of potato chips (crisps), chocolate, confectionery and soft drinks. Displays measured included shelf length and the proportion of checkouts and end-of-aisle displays containing these products. Audits were conducted in a convenience sample of 170 supermarkets across eight developed nations (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom (UK), and United States of America (US)).ResultsThe mean total aisle length of snack foods (adjusted for store size) was greatest in supermarkets from the UK (56.4 m) and lowest in New Zealand (21.7 m). When assessed by individual item, the greatest aisle length devoted to chips, chocolate and confectionery was found in UK supermarkets while the greatest aisle length dedicated to soft drinks was in Australian supermarkets. Only stores from the Netherlands (41%) had less than 70% of checkouts featuring displays of snack foods or soft drinks.ConclusionWhilst between-country variations were observed, overall results indicate high levels of snack food and soft drinks displays within supermarkets across the eight countries. Exposure to snack foods is largely unavoidable within supermarkets, increasing the likelihood of purchases and particularly those made impulsively.<br /