Empowerment in early childhood intervention : perspectives of parents of children with disabilities

There have been various changes to the manner in which early intervention services for children with disabilities have been provided in recent decades. One of the most significant paradigm shifts that has accoured pertains to a change in the level of family involvement in early intervention, so that families are now required to be equal partners with professionals in the service provision process. It is now policy in Victoria that early intervention services follow a family-centred model of practice. Services adopting this model aim to empower parents, so that they may have impact on their lives, and the lives of their family members, both during and beyond the years of direct service participation. Much of what is known about empowerment to date is based on theory, author opinion, and research that is largely survey-based. There has been little interview-based research, particulary involving parents of children with disabilities, as well as little Australian research conducted regarding empowerment. To the researcher\u27s knowledge, there has been no interview-based research that specifically asked parents of children with disabilities about their perspectives on empowerment and disempowerment. Parents of children with disabilities are not invited to contribute their opinions in services and research. Empowerment is an individual concept and this research provided parents with an opportunity to express their views on this topic. Parent\u27s perspectives on empowerment are vital for service providers who aim to follow the intervention model required by policy. This research, which was guided by the principles of ecological theory and critical theory, involved to individual semi-structured interviews with 37 Victorian families of children with disabilities. Twenty-one of these families had children currently participating in early intervention services, and 16 families had children of mid-primary school age, who had previously participated in early intervention experiences; the factors that they believe influence empowerment and disempowerment; and helpful and unhelpful experiences with early intervention staff and other people in their lives. Data were analysed primarily inductively, in the context of grounded theory. Responses from the two groups of parents were then compared, as were different emergent themes according to helpfulness and empowerment. The nature of enduring empowerment, one of the key objectives of early childhood intervention, was also considered. From the analysis of data, several themes emerged as influential in the empowerment process for both groups of parents including: information, education and knowledge; meeting and talking with other families of children with disabilities; decision-making and choice; having confidence; participation, involvement and input; meeting or addressing families\u27 practical needs; and having a child with a disability. The results of this research provide valuable information for parents, professionals, agencies, organisations, and the wider community, regarding how families can be supported more effectively and how power can be more equitably balanced

Understanding the exergame user experience : users' motivation, attitude and behaviour in a location-aware pervasive exergame for adolescent children

The benefits of physical activity for adolescent children are well understood. Despite this, within much of the Western World, children fail to achieve the recommended guidelines for physical activity participation, spending too much time on sedentary activities. Thanks to recent progressions in ubiquitous technologies, exergames - exercise video games - have emerged as a potential solution to the problem. By facilitating physical activity, and encouraging behavioural change within an enjoyable and motivating context, exergames have the potential to remove some of the barriers preventing many adolescents from sufficient physical activity participation. There are, however, few studies of exergame systems that have looked at the impact of the system over time. Additionally, many systems are not evaluated within ecologically valid contexts. The result of this is a lack of real understanding on the efficacy of exergame systems and their feasibility as a valid solution. This thesis investigates the design, development, and evaluation of a locationaware exergame for adolescent children: iFitQuest. Through analysis of two prolonged use school-based evaluations, this research provides evidence on the ability of exergames to facilitate physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour, when targeted at adolescent children within a school context. The results of two evaluations suggest that iFitQuest was enjoyable, motivating, and physically demanding, with the ability to promote physical activity of all intensities in players with a range of attitudes towards physical activity, their own physical activity abilities, and physical activity participation backgrounds. The primary contribution of this thesis is the indepth evaluation of the exergame user experience. Looking beyond the general success of the system, the experience of individual players was analysed through the lens of Bandura's theory of self-efficacy. Through a mixed-methods case study analysis, self-efficacy was established as an accurate method to explain and understand in-game behaviour, in particular with respect to goal setting and game selection habits. By influencing and moderating the players' motivation, attitude and in-game behaviour, self-efficacy was established as a useful tool for future exergame practitioners. Guidelines on the application of self-efficacy are provided, with respect to both analysis and design. Additionally, through a naturalistic and prolonged evaluation, a number of logistical and contextual lessons for the evaluation of exergames were established. In particular, the use of a user-centred design approach for the development of similar systems is validated through a series of design guidelines, which account for the importance and influence of the evaluation context

Converting potential organ donors : a situational analysis of Australian physicians

This theory-building research suggests that the key to unlocking Australia\u27s potential organ donor pool is to reduce the ethical ambiguity and legal uncertainty plaguing physicians\u27 interepretation of the patients\u27s best interests standard. This may generate a greater acceptance of organ donation as part of end-of-life patient care amongst our physicians

A simplified cell theory applied to the calculation of thermal neutron spectra in light water lattices

This thesis document was issued under the authority of another institution, not NPS. At the time it was written, a copy was added to the NPS Library Collection for reasons not now known. It has been included in the digital archive for its historical value to NPS. Not believed to be a CIVINS (Civilian Institutions) title.A simplified polyenergetic cell theory is formulated to determine spatially averaged energy dependent thermal fluxes in the moderator, cladding, and fuel regions within the unit cell of a reactor lattice. The derived spectra are then utilized in the calculations of the thermal integral parameters and average cross sections required for reactor computations. The cell theory, as formulated, postulates an infinite moderator region with the absorption cross section of this region appropriately modified to account for the neutron leakage into and absorption by the fuel element. The modifications to the moderator absorption cross section are formulated both in terms of the net current at the fuel element-moderator interface and in terms of energy dependent moderator and fuel element escape probabilities, the latter approach offering physical transparency and ease of calculation. Analytic expressions for the escape probabilities are presented, integral transport theory being applied to the fuel element region, while diffusion theory is utilized in the moderator region. Using these analytic expressions, the theory is applied to actual lattices in the form of the light water moderated and uranium dioxide fueled cores of the Cornell University Zero Power Reactor. Room temperature parameters and their temperature coefficients are determined using both the monatomic gas model and the Nelkin water kernel to describe the energy transfer process in the moderator. Calculations are made with PROGRAM COUTH, a Fortran-63 program written for use with the Control Data Corporation 1604 digital computer. A typical lattice calculation including the computation of the spatially averaged fuel, cladding, and moderator spectra and the thermal integral properties and average cross sections takes approximately thirty-five seconds of computer time. This figure is exclusive of the compiling time and the time required to calculate the moderator scattering kernel. In an attempt to estimate the accuracy of the calculational results, the method is applied to the Brookhaven National Laboratory uranium dioxide cores and the results are then compared with those predicted by Honeck's THERMOS code. Disadvantage factors agree to within 1.0% while the thermal utilizations agree to within 0.5%. A study of the sensitivity of the calculated integral parameters to variations in the input data leads to the assignment of rather small uncertainties in the results calculated with the simplified cell theory.http://www.archive.org/details/simplifiedcellth00macvLieutenant, United States Nav

Expansion And Inclusion Of Creative Writing: A Course For Academic Writers

This thesis argues for the creation of a creative writing course that will target and benefit students who do not see themselves as writers, but who seek help with their writing, either personally or academically. Creative writing as a discipline has turned toward professionalization and a career focus and thus narrowed their student outreach and blocked their ability to show the benefits of creative writing to students across fields of study. Creative writing skills can benefit students of all disciplines and skill levels by producing better writing and writers, as well as improved critical thinking and reading skills within those students. Combined with writing center theory and placed within the University Writing Center, this course will utilize writing center ideas of peer collaboration, self-directed learning, low-stakes learning, and non-hierarchical teaching to engage students in an encouraging and dynamic environment. Pointing to personal anecdotes and experience, the history of creative writing, and a literature review of creative writing within the classroom, this thesis claims that there is a place in the academic world, a need even, for this type of creative writing course for non-creative writers

The Flux-integral Method for Multidimensional Convection and Diffusion

The flux-integral method is a procedure for constructing an explicit, single-step, forward-in-time, conservative, control volume update of the unsteady, multidimensional convection-diffusion equation. The convective plus diffusive flux at each face of a control-volume cell is estimated by integrating the transported variable and its face-normal derivative over the volume swept out by the convecting velocity field. This yields a unique description of the fluxes, whereas other conservative methods rely on nonunique, arbitrary pseudoflux-difference splitting procedures. The accuracy of the resulting scheme depends on the form of the subcell interpolation assumed, given cell-average data. Cellwise constant behavior results in a (very artificially diffusive) first-order convection scheme. Second-order convection-diffusion schemes correspond to cellwise linear (or bilinear) subcell interpolation. Cellwise quadratic subcell interpolants generate a highly accurate convection-diffusion scheme with excellent phase accuracy. Under constant-coefficient conditions, this is a uniformly third-order polynomial interpolation algorithm (UTOPIA)

Longitudinal Versus Lateral Estuarine Dynamics and Their Role in Tidal Stratification Patterns in Lower South San Francisco Bay

The dynamics of shoal‐channel estuaries require consideration of lateral gradients and transport, which can create significant intratidal variability in stratification and circulation. When the shoal‐channel system is strongly coupled by tidal exchange with mudflats, marshes, or other habitats, the gradients driving intratidal stratification variations are expected to intensify. To examine this dynamic, hydrodynamic data were collected from 27 January 2017 to 10 February 2017 in Lower South San Francisco Bay, a small subembayment fringed by extensive shallow vegetated habitats. During this deployment, salinity variations were captured through instrumentation of six stations (arrayed longitudinally and laterally) allowing for mechanisms of stratification creation and destruction to be calculated directly and compared with observed time variability of stratification at the central station. We present observation‐based calculations of longitudinal straining, longitudinal advection, lateral straining, and lateral advection. The time dependence of stratification was observed directly and calculated by summing measured longitudinal and lateral mechanisms. We found that the stratification dynamics switch between being longitudinally dominated during the middle of ebb and flood tides to being laterally dominated during the tidal transitions. This variability is driven by the interplay between tidally variable lateral density gradients and turbulent mixing. Relatively constant along‐estuary density gradients are differentially advected during flood and ebb tides, resulting in maximal lateral density gradients around tidal transitions. Simultaneous decrease in turbulent mixing at slack tides allows lateral density‐driven exchange to stratify the estuary channel at the slack after flood. At the end of ebb, barotropic forcing drives negatively buoyant shoal waters toward the channel.Plain Language SummarySan Francisco Bay sits within a highly urbanized area. The dense population creates large wastewater effluent resulting in high nutrient levels. Scientists wonder why there have not been annual phytoplankton blooms like those observed in other estuaries with lower nutrient levels. Some have hypothesized it is due to high turbidity levels and tidal breakdown of stratification creating nonideal environments for phytoplankton growth. However, decadal trends show that the estuary is becoming less turbid, and with changes in climate patterns, there is potential for persistent stratification. We observed development of stratification over the ebb tide and destratification in two distinct events as the tide reverses over the flood tide. At the reversal of the tides, water in the shoals exchange with the water in the channel creating a pulse of salty water to the channel at the ebb to flood transition and a pulse of fresh water at the flood to the ebb transition. Destratification occurs in the early flood tide due to a pulse of saline water received from the shoals then due to the advection of less stratified water being pulled to the center channel of the estuary. Finally, stratification is destroyed completely due to longitudinal straining and turbulent mixing.Key PointsVertical stratification in shoal‐channel estuary is characterized by strong intratidal variabilityLateral circulation is a key driver of intratidal stratification dynamics at tide transitionsTiming and magnitude of longitudinal straining, advection, lateral straining, and advection set intratidal vertical stratification dynamicsPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151865/1/jgrc23594_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151865/2/jgrc23594.pd

Psychological adjustment of men with prostate cancer: A review of the literature

OBJECTIVE: Prostate cancer (PCA) is the most common malignancy and a major cause of death in men but, importantly, a substantial proportion will live for several years following diagnosis. However, they face the prospect of experiencing symptoms, side-effects of treatment and diminished quality of life. The patient's psychological adjustment is particularly complex, given the potential trajectory of the disease, from the point of diagnosis, with its immediate impact, to the phase of palliative care, with its attendant issue of facing mortality. Since a comprehensive review of the literature on psychological adjustment of men with PCA has not yet been done, we have documented relevant research, integrated findings and drawn conclusions, where possible, in order to map out clinical and research implications. METHOD: We searched 5 databases for the period 1994 - July 2006, during which most of the work in the field has been done. RESULTS: We found few studies of substance among the 60 we examined to draw conclusions about psychological adjustment to prostate cancer and its treatment. This is in marked contrast to the picture in breast cancer. While some patterns have emerged, many gaps remain to be filled. DISCUSSION: Aspects of methodology need attention, particularly longitudinal, prospective designs, incorporation of control groups and the use of valid and reliable measures. There is scope for qualitative studies as a complement to quantitative research

Psychosocial adjustment in newly diagnosed prostate cancer

Objective: To examine the psychological and social adjustment of men with early or advanced stage prostate cancer and to compare them with a matched group of cancer-free community volunteers. Methods: A longitudinal observational study in which 367 men recently diagnosed with early (n =211) or advanced stage (n = 156), prostate cancer were compared to 169 cancer-free men from the community, of similar age and residential area, using self-report measures of psychosocial adjustment. Results: On the mental health subscales of the Short-Form 36-item Health Survey, men with advanced disease had lower vitality and social functioning than the other two groups, and lower mental health scores than the comparison group. Both patient groups had lower role-emotional scores than the comparison group. With regard to the Brief Symptom Inventory, the advanced disease group had higher somatization scores, and lower interpersonal sensitivity and paranoid ideation scores than the early stage group and the community comparison group. In terms of psychiatric morbidity, there were higher rates of anxiety disorders but not depressive disorders in both patient groups although overall diagnosis rates were low. No differences were found in terms of couple or family functioning. Conclusions: There is impairment in psychosocial function in men with prostate cancer, particularly those with advanced disease, but no increase in the rate of formal psychiatric disorder or adverse effects on the couples and families. This suggests directions for psychosocial interventions with these patient group