The Curative Power of Play: The Voices of Therapists around the World

It is important for all therapists to be culturally sensitive to children and their eco-systems as well as to be aware of the current trends and the changing application of play as a healing agent. The focus of this study is on the development of a current description of play by therapists from a global perspective through a thematic analysis of focus groups resulting in an explanation of how play contributes to healing and the practice of therapy. In this study, the naturalistic method of qualitative research (Bowers, 2009; Lincoln & Guba, 1985) was applied to the study of play around the world, resulting in a new description of “play”. The analyses of focus group meetings in Morocco, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and Europe resulted in the emergence of 8 themes: productivity through play, contribution to development, facilitation of the relationship through play, honouring diversity, collaboration between children and caregivers, stimulation through technology-based play, relaxation provided by play, and the devaluation of play. These themes, which are presented through the “voices of the participants”, together with the literature review, serve to enrich the changing description of play. With participants from all continents, a current global perspective highlights the changes that play, both as a concept and as a healing agent, has undergone and will continue to do so. New information emerged suggesting that technology has become a worldwide focus for children but has a paradoxical effect on their relationships

Consensus guidelines for the use and interpretation of angiogenesis assays

The formation of new blood vessels, or angiogenesis, is a complex process that plays important roles in growth and development, tissue and organ regeneration, as well as numerous pathological conditions. Angiogenesis undergoes multiple discrete steps that can be individually evaluated and quantified by a large number of bioassays. These independent assessments hold advantages but also have limitations. This article describes in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro bioassays that are available for the evaluation of angiogenesis and highlights critical aspects that are relevant for their execution and proper interpretation. As such, this collaborative work is the first edition of consensus guidelines on angiogenesis bioassays to serve for current and future reference

Factors Influencing Service Engagement of Youth in Services for Concurrent Disorders: A Mixed-methods Approach

Objective. Despite the high prevalence and negative impacts of co-occurring substance use and mental health problems (i.e., concurrent disorders) among youth (ages 14 to 24 years), the dearth of evidence-based and developmentally appropriate services for youth with concurrent disorders, and high rates of discontinuing services early among this population, little research has focused on understanding their service engagement. This dissertation employed a mixed- methods approach to understand a broad range of factors influencing engagement of youth in services for concurrent disorders. Quantitative Study. This investigation examined service engagement, as defined by attending at least five sessions, to understand how engagement changes across service stages and what client-related factors predict engagement. Three hundred and two youth presenting to an outpatient concurrent disorders service completed questionnaires investigating a variety of factors. Those found to be positively associated with service engagement included greater challenges with anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, and emotion regulation. Identifying alcohol as the only substance of concern was negatively associated with engaging in services. Qualitative Study. This investigation allowed for a broader and more in-depth understanding of service engagement by considering client as well as service-related factors. Qualitative data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with 20 youth who had attended or were attending outpatient services for concurrent disorders. Thematic analysis revealed that youth consider engagement to be expressed in a variety of ways including attendance, participation in sessions, and actions taken between sessions. Factors – including social relationships, mental health and/or substance use challenges, readiness to change, treatment approach, and clinician characteristics – influenced service engagement. Conclusion. Youth engagement in services for concurrent disorders is more complex than just attending sessions. Behaviours during and between sessions are also important. Service engagement among this population is impacted by a variety of factors, including youth’s perspectives of services and their mental health and/or substance use challenges. It is critical that early service delivery efforts seek to understand the needs and preferences of youth in order to individualize services and promote engagement. Continued research should focus on factors influencing service engagement to help establish best practices for youth in services for concurrent disorders.Ph.D.2022-03-15 00:00:0

Near-infrared absorbing unsymmetrical Zn(II) phthalocyanine for dye-sensitized solar cells

Unsymmetrical Zn phthalocyanine consisting of six S-aryl groups at α-positions and a carboxy anchoring group at β-position has been designed and synthesized for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) applications. The unsymmetrical phthalocyanine has been characterized by elemental, MALDI-MS, IR, 1H NMR, UV–Vis, fluorescence (steady-state & lifetime) and electrochemical (including spectroelectrochemical) methods. The Q-band absorption maxima of the unsymmetrical phthalocyanine was red-shifted due to the presence of S-aryl groups, which destabilizes the HOMO level consistent with electrochemical and in situ spectroelectrochemical studies. The redox processes are assigned to the macrocyclic ring-based electron transfer processes, the LUMO of the unsymmetrical phthalocyanines lies above the TiO2 conduction band, and the HOMO is well below the potential of the I−/I3− redox electrolyte. The experimental results are supported by DFT/TD-DFT studies. The new unsymmetrical phthalocyanines was tested in DSCs using I−/I3− redox electrolyte system