Social media: Do context limitations exist?

Since the inception of popular social networking sites, such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, millions of people around the world are becoming members of their own virtual communities that continue to grow. Communication barriers flattened with the invention of the internet, and now social networking sites are creating an organized infrastructure within the vast cyberspace. Within my research, I plan to further pursue a research gap concerning the importance of the social context in which ads are displayed. Since it is well documented that social media users are sensitive about the amount of advertising and the kind of information marketers are utilizing, it is possible marketers could improve social media users’ perception by not only loading their messages with entertainment and informational value as Taylor, Lewin and Strutton (2011) suggest, but also by avoiding the placement of ads in sensitive contexts, unless the message can satisfy the immediate need of the user in that context by utilizing a congruent advertisement. The significance of the findings by this study can guide marketers as to which contexts to encourage and avoid displaying advertisements. Since social networking sites function as virtual communities, it is as if marketers are currently represented as the new member of the community that has found a way to learn as much or more about the user than his or her closest friends in a fraction of the amount of time. Such mining of information can lead to privacy issues and distrust. Therefore, marketers are not establishing a rapport with users, leaving them to feel vulnerable to marketers’ methods of data collection. By understanding the proper contexts to place advertisements within social media, marketers and social networking sites could not only establish a better relationship with the consumers that are engaged in social media, but also generate an even greater revenue stream

Geophysical Applications for Arctic/Subarctic Transportation Planning

This report describes a series of geophysical surveys conducted in conjunction with geotechnical investigations carried out by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the value of and potential uses for data collected via geophysical techniques with respect to ongoing investigations related to linear infrastructure. One or more techniques, including direct-current resistivity, capacitive-coupled resistivity, and ground-penetrating radar, were evaluated at sites in continuous and discontinuous permafrost zones. Results revealed that resistivity techniques adequately differentiate between frozen and unfrozen ground, and in some instances, were able to identify individual ice wedges in a frozen heterogeneous matrix. Capacitive-coupled resistivity was found to be extremely promising due to its relative mobility as compared with direct-current resistivity. Ground-penetrating radar was shown to be useful for evaluating the factors leading to subsidence in an existing road. Taken as a whole, the study results indicate that supplemental geophysical surveys may add to the quality of a geotechnical investigation by helping to optimize the placement of boreholes. Moreover, such surveys may reduce the overall investigation costs by reducing the number of boreholes required to characterize the subsurface

A conceptual model for anticipating the impact of landscape evolution on groundwater recharge in degrading permafrost environments

Temperatures in the arctic and subarctic are rising at more than twice the rate of the global average, driving the accelerated thawing of permafrost across the region. The impacts of permafrost degradation have been studied in the discontinuous permafrost zone at Umiujaq, in northern Quebec, Canada, for over 30 years, but the effects of changing land cover on groundwater recharge is not well understood. The water table fluctuation method was used to compute groundwater recharge using four years of water level data and soil moisture readings from five field sites characteristic of different stages of permafrost degradation and vegetation invasion. Results indicate that as vegetation grows taller, groundwater recharge increases, likely due to increased snow thickness. Results were then combined with a preexisting conceptual model that describes the evolution from tundra to shrubland and forests to create a new model for describing how groundwater recharge is affected by landscape evolution

Geophysical and geotechnical characterization of a sensitive clay deposit in Brownsburg, Québec

The results of a geophysical and geotechnical investigation in a sensitive clay deposit affected by numerous landslide scars in Vases Creek Valley near Brownsburg, Quebec, Canada are presented herein. The main objective of this investigation was to assess the suitability of electrical resistivity measurements in marine clay deposits for mapping out areas prone to flowslides. In addition to a 1.6 km-long electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) carried out perpendicular to the axis of the Vases Creek Valley, six piezocone penetration tests and five boreholes with sampling were also performed along the geophysical survey line. Moreover, standard geotechnical parameters and pore water salinity, as well as electrical resistivity of undisturbed clay samples were measured in the laboratory. According to the correlations found between the remoulded shear strength, the pore water salinity and the electrical resistivity, clay samples with salinity below 6.2 g/l are characterized by remoulded shear strength below 1 kPa and electrical resistivity above 2.8 and 10 m measured respectively in the field and in the laboratory. In such conditions, sensitive clay deposits can be prone to flowslides if all other criteria are also met. Based on this resistivity limit value, only one small area of nonsensitive clay was identified in the interpretative stratigraphic cross-section assessed from the field investigation. Otherwise, the deposit is entirely composed of sensitive clay. The ERT is a promising geophysical tool for the delineation of areas prone to large landslides in eastern Canad

Évaluation des effets de l’intervention Circle of Security Parenting auprès de mères d’enfants d’âge préscolaire : une étude pilote

La prévalence importante des troubles d’adaptation au sein de la population d’enfants et d’adolescents du Québec appuient l’importance d’accorder une attention particulière aux piliers développementaux influençant leur trajectoire (Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec, 2002). Dans ce sens, des données longitudinales ont permis de statuer sur la nature de l’impact de la relation d’attachement entre le parent et l’enfant sur son adaptation ultérieure (Sroufe, Egeland, Carlson, & Collins, 2005). La sécurité d’attachement aurait un rôle protecteur, mais cette relation a aussi été identifiée comme le système le plus influent dans la compromission du développement de l’enfant (Cicchetti & Valentino, 2006). Parmi les interventions disponibles, le programme d’intervention Circle of Security Parenting (COS-P) (Powell, Cooper, Hoffman, & Marvin, 2009) s’avère particulièrement prometteur étant donnée la qualité de l’intégration théorique et clinique qui le sous-tend. Cependant, aucune donnée n’est encore disponible pour appuyer son efficacité au sein de la population québécoise dans un contexte de soins de première ligne. La présente étude vise ainsi à amorcer cette démarche avec un devis pré/post tests en explorant les effets du protocole d’intervention COS-P auprès de quatre mères et leur enfant d’âge préscolaire. À ces fins, des mesures cernant la fonction réflexive parentale et les dimensions des représentations de l’expérience affective du parent (Parent Development Interview – PDI; Aber, Slade, Berger, Bresgi & Kaplan, 1985) sont recueillies avant et après l’intervention. Les retombées de l’intervention sont aussi examinées chez les parents au niveau du stress parental (Parental Stress Index — PSI; Abidin, 1995; Bigras, LaFrenière, & Abidin, 1996) et au niveau des problèmes comportementaux et émotionnels chez les enfants (Child Behavior Checklist – CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000). L’ensemble de ces données est analysé dans un premier temps avec perspective groupale et dans un deuxième temps, avec une perspective individuelle descriptive détaillant les résultats pour chaque participante. Les analyses ne permettent pas de démontrer une amélioration des représentations parentales et une augmentation de la fonction réflexive parentale, tel qu’attendu. Toutefois, le stress parental et les problèmes intériorisés des enfants diminuent, bien que de façon non significative. Il est proposé que l’effet de l’intervention soit compris en considérant le parent à l’intérieur d’un système dynamique, lui permettant de s’approprier l’intervention à travers un ensemble de facteurs qui lui sont propres. Des suggestions pour les études futures sont formulées en regard des constats méthodologiques et cliniques qui se dégagent de la présente étude notamment quant à la pertinence de mesures de relance (Navarro, manuscrit en préparation) et à la poursuite de la démonstration de l’efficacité du protocole avec un devis expérimental (Lemieux, manuscrit en préparation)

Curvature sensing using a hybrid polycarbonate-silica multicore fiber

We report on the development of a novel hybrid glass-polymer multicore fiber integrating three 80 µm polyimide-coated silica fibers inside a 750 µm polycarbonate cladding. By inscribing an array of distributed FBGs along each segment of silica fiber prior to the hybrid fiber drawing, we demonstrate a curvature sensor with an unprecedented precision of 296 pm/m−1 around 1550 nm, about 7 times more sensitive than sensors based on standard 125 µm multicore fibers. As predicted by theory, we show experimentally that the measured curvature is insensitive to temperature and strain. Also, a more precise equation to describe the curvature on a simple bending setup is presented. This new hybrid multicore fiber technology has the potential to be extended over several kilometers and can find high-end applications in 3D shape sensing and structural health monitoring

Flexible trans-jacket inscription of fiber Bragg gratings for directional distributed sensing

An array of 18 FBGs spectrally distributed over 70 nm was written in a polyimide-coated fiber, with a single uniform phase-mask, by applying strain on the fiber prior to exposition. This flexible method will be used to develop directional sensor for distributed sensing based on a hybrid glasspolymer multicore fiber

Primary care research priorities in low- and middle-income countries

PURPOSE To identify and prioritize the needs for new research evidence for primary health care (PHC) in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) about organization, models of care, and financing of PHC. METHODS Three-round expert panel consultation of LMIC PHC practitioners and academics sampled from global networks, via web-based surveys. Iterative literature review conducted in parallel. Round 1 (pre–Delphi survey) elicited possible research questions to address knowledge gaps about organization and models of care and about financing. Round 2 invited panelists to rate the importance of each question, and in round 3 panelists provided priority ranking. RESULTS One hundred forty-one practitioners and academics from 50 LMICs from all global regions participated and identified 744 knowledge gaps critical to improving PHC organization and 479 for financing. Four priority areas emerged: effective transition of primary and secondary services, horizontal integration within a multidisciplinary team and intersectoral referral, integration of private and public sectors, and ways to support successfully functioning PHC professionals. Financial evidence priorities were mechanisms to drive investment into PHC, redress inequities, increase service quality, and determine the minimum necessary budget for good PHC. CONCLUSIONS This novel approach toward PHC needs in LMICs, informed by local academics and professionals, created an expansive and prioritized list of critical knowledge gaps in PHC organization and financing. It resulted in research questions, offering valuable guidance to global supporters of primary care evaluation and implementation. Its source and context specificity, informed by LMIC practitioners and academics, should increase the likelihood of local relevance and eventual success in implementing research findings

Research gaps in the organisation of primary healthcare in low-income and middle-income countries and ways to address them: a mixed-methods approach

Introduction Since the Alma-Ata Declaration 40 years ago, primary healthcare (PHC) has made great advances, but there is insufficient research on models of care and outcomes—particularly for low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Systematic efforts to identify these gaps and develop evidence-based strategies for improvement in LMICs has been lacking. We report on a global effort to identify and prioritise the knowledge needs of PHC practitioners and researchers in LMICs about PHC organisation. Methods Three-round modified Delphi using web-based surveys. PHC practitioners and academics and policy-makers from LMICs sampled from global networks. First round (pre-Delphi survey) collated possible research questions to address knowledge gaps about organisation. Responses were independently coded, collapsed and synthesised. Round 2 (Delphi round 1) invited panellists to rate importance of each question. In round 3 (Delphi round 2), panellists ranked questions into final order of importance. Literature review conducted on 36 questions and gap map generated. Results Diverse range of practitioners and academics in LMICs from all global regions generated 744 questions for PHC organisation. In round 2, 36 synthesised questions on organisation were rated. In round 3, the top 16 questions were ranked to yield four prioritised questions in each area. Literature reviews confirmed gap in evidence on prioritised questions in LMICs. Conclusion In line with the 2018 Astana Declaration, this mixed-methods study has produced a unique list of essential gaps in our knowledge of how best to organise PHC, priority-ordered by LMIC expert informants capable of shaping their mitigation. Research teams in LMIC have developed implementation plans to answer the top four ranked research questions