Exploring women’s perspectives of living with mental illness, stigma, and receiving community services

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) (2015), one in five individuals will experience mental illness personally, which means that all Canadians will be indirectly (or directly) influenced by mental illness at some point in their life. Unfortunately, due to historical trends and negative stereotypes mental illness has become heavily stigmatized (Camp, Finlay, and Lyons, 2002; Chernomas, Clarke, and Chisholm, 2000; Link, Struening, Neese-Todd, Asmussen, and Phelan, 2001; Sands, 2009; Szeto, Luong & Dobson, 2013). Although many studies have assessed the relationship between mental illness and stigma, little research has included a gender lens when exploring these topics. Therefore, the primary research objective of the current study is to explore women’s perspectives of living with mental illness, stigma, and receiving community services. In total, five women from the Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge area participated in the study. Similar to the literature, results found that the women experienced feelings of loneliness and sadness due to their mental illness diagnosis and the stigma they experienced from friends, family, and service staff. Some women talked about being relieved to have a label or diagnosis for their illness, however, the majority of their narratives suggested that living with a mental illness is difficult due to the internal and external stigma they experience. Findings from this study have implications for contributing to the field of social work, improving service delivery within various healthcare facilities, and future research

The role of mucosal immunity in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most devastating gastrointestinal disease of prematurity. Although the precise cause is not well understood, the main risk factors thought to contribute to NEC include prematurity, formula feeding, and bacterial colonization. Recent evidence suggests that NEC develops as a consequence of intestinal hyper-responsiveness to microbial ligands upon bacterial colonization in the preterm infant, initiating a cascade of aberrant signaling events, and a robust pro-inflammatory mucosal immune response. We now have a greater understanding of important mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, such as the role of cytokines, immunoglobulins, and immune cells in NEC. In this review, we will provide an overview of the mucosal immunity of the intestine and the relationship between components of the mucosal immune system involved in the pathogenesis of NEC, while highlighting recent advances in the field that have promise as potential therapeutic targets. First, we will describe the cellular components of the intestinal epithelium and mucosal immune system and their relationship to NEC. We will then discuss the relationship between the gut microbiota and cell signaling that underpins disease pathogenesis. We will conclude our discussion by highlighting notable therapeutic advancements in NEC that target the intestinal mucosal immunity

Resisting false recognition: an ERP study of lure discrimination

There is keen interest in what enables rememberers to differentiate true from false memories and which strategies are likely to be the most effective. This study measured electrical brain activity while healthy young adults performed a mnemonic discrimination task, deciding whether color pictures had been studied, were similar to studied pictures (lures), or were new. Between 500 – 800 ms post-stimulus, event-related potentials (ERPs) for correctly recognized studied pictures and falsely recognized lures compared to those for correctly rejected novel items had a left centroparietal scalp distribution typical of the parietal old/new effect associated with recollection. This is in line with previous evidence that similar lures may elicit false or phantom recollection as opposed to just familiarity. There was no evidence of a parietal effect for correctly rejected lures as would be expected if recall-to-reject were used. The ERP old/new effects for lures also varied with individual differences in performance. Parietal effects for falsely recognized lures were larger in better performers, who successfully rejected a greater number of lures as “similar”. The better performers also showed more pronounced right frontocentral old/new effects between 800 – 1100 ms for correctly rejected and falsely recognized similar lures. The enhancement of false recollection in better performers implies false recognition of lures occurred only when more specific information was recovered about the study episodic. Together, the findings suggest reliance on recollection to decide that items were studied, supported by post-retrieval processing

Reading Intervention Strategies: For students Grades K-2

Reading is essential to learning in our culture and educators have a very limited window to move students towards a solid foundation in basic reading skills. Furthermore, the research to practice gap in education is very large - mostly due to the fact that many research articles are not user-friendly or accessible to the average teacher. This booklet is a user-friendly compilation of effective reading strategies circulating in the research world. It is designed so that teachers can provide effective and accessible support to students in need

Teachers’ Perceptions of Scripted Education

The purpose of my study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of scripted techniques using state mandated standards and the techniques’ impact on student performance. I surveyed the teachers of elementary schools in Edwards County (pseudonym) and found that most teachers are not using the standards as they were originally intended, and they feel that students are falling behind because the standards are not developmentally appropriate

Endoderm Patterning in Zebrafish: Pancreas Development: A Dissertation

The pancreas is located below the liver and adjacent to the small intestine where it connects to the duodenum. It consists of exocrine and endocrine components. The exocrine portion makes enzymes which are deposited in the duodenum to digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Exocrine tissue also makes bicarbonates that neutralize stomach acids. The endocrine portion produces hormones such as insulin and glucagon which are released into the blood stream. These hormones regulate glucose transport into the body\u27s cells and are crucial for energy production. The pancreas is associated with diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Annular pancreas and Nesidioblastosis. Annular pancreas and Nesidioblastosis are congenital malformations associated with excess endocrine tissue of the pancreas and its structures. Understanding the development of the pancreas might lead to insight of these diseases. The pancreas arises from the endoderm. In zebrafish, Nodal signaling activates mix-type and gata genes that then function together to regulate sox32 expression which is necessary and sufficient to induce endoderm formation. Interestingly, sox32 is exclusive to zebrafish and works synergistically with pou5f1 to regulate its own expression and turn on sox17 expression. sox17is evolutionarily conserved from zebrafish to mouse and is necessary for endoderm formation. Signals from within the endoderm and the surrounding mesoderm specify regions in the endoderm to develop into the pancreas and other endodermal organs. Sonic hedgehog (shh) expression in the foregut establishes the anterior boundary of the pancreas primordium while cdx4 expression establishes the posterior boundary, but what regulates these factors is unclear. We determined that two Three Amino Acid Loop Extension (TALE) homeodomain transcription cofactors, Meis3 and Pbx4, regulate shh expression in the anterior endoderm. Disrupting either meis3 or pbx4 reduces shh expression in the anterior endoderm. As a result, anterior ectopic insulin expression occurs outside the normal pancreatic domain. Therefore, we discovered upstream regulatory factors of shhexpression in the anterior endoderm, which is necessary for patterning the endoderm and pancreas primordium. We performed an ENU (N-ethyl-N-nitrosurea) haploid screen to look for endocrine pancreas mutants and to find other factors involved in pancreas development and patterning. From the screen, we characterized two mutants. We identified an aldh1a2 mutant, aldh1a2um22, which blocks the production of Retinoic Acid (RA) from vitamin A. While RA is known to be necessary for differentiation of the pancreas and liver, we also found it to be necessary for intestine differentiation. Two other aldh family genes exist in the zebrafish genome, but our data suggests that aldh1a2is the only Aldh that functions in endoderm differentiation and it is maternally deposited. From the screen, we discovered a second mutant, 835.4, that spontaneously arose within the background. pou5f1 expression is normal in mutant embryos, but sox32 expression is reduced and sox17 expression is lost. Downstream endoderm genes of sox17 are also lost and as a result no endodermal organs develop. Rescue experiments indicate that the mutation is located between sox32 and sox17 in the endoderm pathway. We currently have not been successful at mapping this mutation and therefore are unable to rule out the possibility that it lies in the sox17 gene. However, our data suggest that the mutation occurs in a new gene that is necessary for sox17 expression, potentially working with sox32 and/or pou5f1

Public Health Nutrition: A Workforce in Transition

Objective Because the public health nutrition workforce may be in a state of transition, this study had three purposes: 1) describe the US public health nutrition workforce; 2) examine a new position class, breastfeeding peer counselor; and 3) determine if retirement intention of public health nutrition personnel can be predicted based on personal and workplace factors. Methods Secondary data analysis of the national research dataset of the 2006-07 Public Health Nutrition Workforce Survey was conducted (n=10,683, response rate 80.0% for overall survey; research dataset n=9,923). Subjects were personnel in nutrition professional/paraprofessional positions working in nutrition programs under the purview of the official health agency and who agreed to release their data for research purposes. Results Over one-quarter (28.0%) of respondents were in positions with a population/systems focus, while 67.5% were in client-focused, direct care positions. Two-thirds (67.0%) practiced primarily in the core public health function of assurance. Approximately 10% (11.3%) of personnel were breastfeeding peer counselors. The majority (52.6%) of breastfeeding peer counselor positions were part-time and 20.3% were contracted. Nearly half (42.0%) did not receive employee benefits. Close to one-quarter (23.9%) of the overall workforce intended to retire within 10 years. There were significant differences in both personal and workplace factors for intention to retire for personnel 45 years and older. Age category, years of experience in nutrition/dietetics and public health nutrition, agency of employment, vacation and retirement employee benefits, percent of work time spent in direct client services, full-time/part-time status, and US DHHS Region correctly predicted retirement intention 75.0% of the time. Conclusions The majority of respondents worked in client-focused positions which could indicate a potentially inadequate proportion of personnel available for assuring population health. Breastfeeding peer counselors constitute a noteworthy proportion of the overall workforce. That many positions are part-time or contracted and do not receive employee benefits could indicate inadequate funding for this position class. ‘Graying’ of the public health nutrition workforce appears to be an important concern. Results can be used to evaluate organizational characteristics for workforce succession planning and forecasting

Assessing Economic Performance of Maine\u27s Lobster Fleet Under Changing Ecosystem Conditions In the Gulf of Maine

This research evaluates lobster producer efficiency and considers fleet wide economics and policy implications in support of changing marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine. We conducted a comprehensive lobster industry survey to assess costs and effort expended at the producer level for a representative fishing year, and establish a series of production function performance baselines for future comparison. The demographic data, attitudes and valuations collected allow us to characterize the fishing effort and regional dependency on the resource. We look at the Maine Lobster limited entry licensing system, to understand how the future participation in the fishery might change, and how Maine’s communities might be affected. We examine the influences of ex-vessel price in the Maine lobster fleet, as a primary driver of profitability and economic value of the fishery. We apply multiple disciplines, and present four separate essays, with appendices containing the tabulated results of our three surveys. First, we evaluate and model a stochastic frontier production analysis to assess lobster producer efficiency and create a vessel-level profitability model. We then evaluate willingness to pay for a Maine Lobster license model with a censored regression Tobit model, and general linear regressions to evaluate desired number of traps, as stated by existing and potential new entrants. We explore the variety of influences of ex-vessel price through a multiple linear regression, building on previous studies that demonstrated an inverse demand price response in the Maine fleet; we consider how changes in monthly landings have created excessive inventory holdings and examine this has on ex-vessel price. We then conclude by applying a retrospective analysis to evaluate future profitability and economic performance in the fishery, under potential changing conditions facing the coupled natural and human system. In aggregate these analyses identify risks of over-capitalization in the Maine Lobster fishery which are likely to confound efforts to effectively manage the resource in times of changing harvest patterns, and in light of variability in supply and market demand

Characterization of Epitaxial Layer Stacking Faults

As device geometries shrink and customer demands for more stringent zero-defect imagers increases, epitaxy growth is becoming an increasingly critical procedure in microelectronic processing. Therefore, the defects manifested by the epi growth are also an important concern. More specifically, epitaxial layer stacking faults can be detrimental to device performance and, in the case of image sensor devices, they have been shown to cause bright pixels and bright columns in the dark field. Assisting the Image Sensor Solutions Division of Eastman Kodak Company, the ability to screen and monitor incoming silicon has been accomplished and assessed using an unpatterned wafer particle inspection system, the Tencor 6220 Surfscan. A technique has been developed to review and characterize the defects mapped by the Tencor 6220. Initial evaluations show that 29% of the light scattering defects are stacking faults on incoming silicon. Dialogue has improved with the vendors to better align incoming silicon qualification processes with the customer requirements. Incoming silicon qualification procedures have been improved and optimized to reduce any potential yield loss due to incoming silicon defects and stacking faults