THE WILDERNESS IN WILDERNESS THERAPY TECHNIQUES

The fields of Therapeutic Recreation, Criminal Justice, and Psychology currently use wilderness therapy techniques in the treatment of adolescents experiencing difficult life transitions. While literature exists that reports on the effectiveness of Wilderness Therapy techniques in addressing the issues that adolescents\u27 face, there is a lack of understanding regarding exactly why these programs work. One theme that has been minimally addressed in the literature is the role that the \u27wilderness\u27 plays in these therapeutic techniques. People\u27s perceptions of the wilderness environment vary due to experience and exposure. These varying perceptions could play a role in the effectiveness of these techniques for each individual person. The purpose of this study is to explore professionals\u27 perceptions of the relationship between adjudicated and at-risk adolescents\u27 previous experience with the wilderness or other natural areas and wilderness program efficacy. This will be addressed through measures of the professionals\u27 perceptions of youths displayed levels of fear, discomfort, and disgust while in wilderness programs. This information will be collected through surveys that used closed-ended, Likert-like response sets, as well as an open-ended question. The results of this study showed that the majority of professionals felt that youth would react differently to the natural environment based on their previous experience and exposure to it. Participants reported that these different reactions play a role in youth experiencing a state of disequilibrium, a necessary part of the Wilderness Therapy facilitation process

Experimental Analysis of Metabolic Adaptation of Cottus Carolinae in Response to Photoperiod and Food Availability

Epigean (surface) and hypogean (cave) habitats differ significantly, thereby influencing organisms that inhabit these environments in varying ways. As organisms move from surface to cave environments, they. adapt to cave conditions: constant darkness, relatively constant temperatures year-round, low food availability, and high humidity. Fish adjusted to cave life often experience reductions in pigmentation, eye size, and metabolic rate. Metabolism is, in general, influenced by temperature, seasonal• • changes, photoperiod, and food availability. The objective of this research was to understand the alteration of metabolic rate in laboratory acclimated Cottus carolinae (banded sculpin) in response to photoperiod and food availability. Metabolic rates of C. carolinae were measured after acclimation to laboratory aquaria. After initial metabolic measurement, C. carolinae were placed into one of four treatments: 1) 24-hours dark, low food availability, 2) 24-hours dark, high food availability, 3) 12-hours light: 12-hours dark, low food availability, and 4) 12-hours light: 12-hours dark, high food availability. After eight weeks of acclimation to experimental treatments, metabolic rates of fish were measured following the same protocol used in initial measurements. Results indicated no statistically significant differences existed in C. carolinae as a result of photoperiod, food availability, or the interaction ofthe two. Also, no significant differences existed between laboratory and field measurements from cave and surface environments. However, many variables were identified that may have influenced fish metabolism in the laboratory. Further study is needed to determine influences of photoperiod and food availability on metabolism of C. carolinae

North Carolina\u27s 1981 Waste Management Act and Its Impact on Local Governments: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

This comment will analyze the provisions of the Act which affect local governments by restricting local acts and local ordinances. Further, this comment will examine the constitutionality of the Act as well as the remaining powers for local governments. Other states have chosen to preempt or accomodate local legislation. This comment will examine such provisions in four other states, California, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York

Global Gene Expression Profiling of Individual Human Oocytes and Embryos Demonstrates Heterogeneity in Early Development

Early development in humans is characterised by low and variable embryonic viability, reflected in low fecundity and high rates of miscarriage, relative to other mammals. Data from assisted reproduction programmes provides additional evidence that this is largely mediated at the level of embryonic competence and is highly heterogeneous among embryos. Understanding the basis of this heterogeneity has important implications in a number of areas including: the regulation of early human development, disorders of pregnancy, assisted reproduction programmes, the long term health of children which may be programmed in early development, and the molecular basis of pluripotency in human stem cell populations. We have therefore investigated global gene expression profiles using polyAPCR amplification and microarray technology applied to individual human oocytes and 4-cell and blastocyst stage embryos. In order to explore the basis of any variability in detail, each developmental stage is replicated in triplicate. Our data show that although transcript profiles are highly stage-specific, within each stage they are relatively variable. We describe expression of a number of gene families and pathways including apoptosis, cell cycle and amino acid metabolism, which are variably expressed and may be reflective of embryonic developmental competence. Overall, our data suggest that heterogeneity in human embryo developmental competence is reflected in global transcript profiles, and that the vast majority of existing human embryo gene expression data based on pooled oocytes and embryos need to be reinterpreted