A study of families' experiences of assisting a member into residential care : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Nursing at Massey University

Traditionally the responsibility of caring for an aging relative has fallen upon the family of that person, usually the spouse or the daughter(s). An increase in the state recognised age of retirement, more women returning to or remaining in the workforce, and the tendency of families to be more mobile than in the past, means that the option of being cared for in the community by family members has diminished for some elderly people. Residential care - an umbrella term for retirement homes, hospitals and secure units - provides an alternative for families unable to care for their aged relative(s). Some research has been done on the phenomenon of relocation into residential care from the client's perspective, yet there is a paucity of information about the experience from the point of view of the families involved in this process. This piece of research sets out to address this issue and to hopefully influence the nursing practice of those who work in this area

Natural history contributions of the University of Glasgow Exploration Society to Scotland and the World

Expeditions with a natural history focus have been organised by University of Glasgow staff and students since the 1930s. The educational benefits of such expeditions to students have been reported by Harper et al. ( Journal of Biological Education 51, 3- 16; 2017). Here, we present a short history of these expeditions, concentrating on their scientific achievements. In addition to expedition reports, a large number of PhD theses, masters and honours project reports and scientific papers have been based on expedition work. Many biological specimens have been deposited in museums, including some new species. We provide case histories of four expedition locations, to demonstrate the variety of work done, and the value of returning many times to the same place: Scotland, Trinidad and Tobago, North Cyprus and Ecuador. A major problem for expeditions is funding. For many years, the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland ran a funding stream that was crucial to the viability of Scottish university expeditions, but this has sadly now closed. For Glasgow University expeditions, the Blodwen Lloyd Binns Bequest has provided a reliable source since 1994, and we hope that it will continue to do so

Memory texts and memory work: Performances of memory in and with visual media

The online version of this article can be found at: http://mss.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/05/24/175069801037003

Prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound in pregnancies at risk for autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease

Abstract In 15 pregnancies at risk of the autosomal recessive type of polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), there were six recurrences (40%), five of which were diagnosed prenatally between 17 and 26 weeks (mean, 22 weeks). In the remaining affected case, normal kidney size and echogenicity were still present at 30 weeks of gestation. Fetal kidney enlargement and increased echogenicity are the key ultrasonographic signs for the detection of ARPKD. Absent fetal bladder filling and oligohydramnios were only documented in two of the six affected pregnancies. The variability in onset, the intrafamilial variability and the limitations of excluding ARPKD by second trimester ultrasound have to be considered when counselling a couple at risk for this particular disorder

University Leadership for Innovation in Global Health and HIV/AIDS Diagnostics

Medical products used in the developed world often fail to adequately serve resource-limited settings where electricity, transportation and health care workers are not readily available. We suggest that the problem is not only a lack of coordinated financial resources to purchase existing medical products, but also a lack of products that are specifically designed for resource-limited settings. While donor organisations with a focus on global health are increasingly willing to bear the additional financial risk for the research and development of such high-impact medical products, corporations are still reluctant to take their best scientists and engineers away from more commercially attractive projects. Universities, on the other hand, given their teaching and research missions, are well positioned to engage in such high-risk development projects. A group of biomedical, engineering, business and social science researchers at Northwestern University (NU) propose a creative model to address significant social and health needs. The team's initial product focus is a rapid test for diagnosing infants with HIV. The NU model aligns the incentives and expertise of industry, donors and academia to innovate medical products, such as the infant HIV diagnostic test, for resource-limited settings

The Northern Corridor, Food Insecurity and the Resource Curse for Indigenous Communities in Canada

Food insecurity rates for Canada’s Indigenous people are the worst among developed nations, demanding immediate action to prevent an impending health crisis. Food insecurity in Canada is widespread across most First Nations households (51 per cent).The highest food insecurity rates are experienced by the Inuit in Nunavut (63 per cent), First Nations without access roads (65 per cent), and Alberta First Nations (60 per cent). Indigenous peoples’ food insecurity is associated with a shorter life expectancy andhigher rates of physical and mental illnesses, including four times the diabetes incidence of Canada’s non-Indigenous populations. This paper analyzes the impact on food insecurity of a notional trade northern corridor to reach local and global markets, considering case studies of resource and utility corridors. This research found that, rather than improving food security and providing benefits, trade corridors typically bring a resource curse to Indigenous communities. Also called the ‘paradox of plenty,’ a resource curse occurs when Indigenous communities, particularly First Nation reserves, experience mainly negative economic impacts when their resources are extracted. A resource curse on Indigenous communities is apparent across Canada, including at Norman Wells in the Northwest Territories and Shoal Lake 40 in Ontario, where oil and water pipelines have resulted in negative environmental, health and socio-cultural impacts without providing permanent road access or long-term jobs, and without reducing high food prices. Also, the resource curse is evident for Alberta’s First Nations, which have the highest food insecurity rate of the country’s First Nations, despite being covered in pipelines and extractive industries. To explore the food security impacts of the notional northern corridor, we spatially analyzed its route’s proximity to mineral-rich greenstone belts, roads, and Indigenous communities without all-weather road access. The notional northern corridor route transects many rich mineral deposits to reveal a focus on resource extraction. This notional route appears to prioritize the transport of resources to global markets over Indigenous communities’ needs. The notional route has six ports traversing First Nation territories under the Indian Act but is nearby to only seven of the 122 Indigenous communities lacking road access. This notional route, thus, is linked to Indigenous-specific systemic racist legislation of the Indian Act to bypass Inuit lands in Nunavut, Quebec and Labrador, where communities all lack roads but do not fall under the Indian Act. The Crown’s Indian Act trusteeship over First Nations gives a legal right to usurp reserve or Crown land for any corridor or development. The Indian Act benefits industry, settler and state to access and own Native land and resources, but not First Nations except regarding sustenance activities. The Federal Crown’s trusteeship over First Nations’ land and resources makes First Nations’ people legal “wards of the state,” which has led to inequitable planning control, infrastructure and services. Signs of economic poverty are that most Indigenous communities lack food infrastructure, hospitals, and post-secondary education facilities, with 122 First Nation communities lacking all-season access roads. This inequity indicts Canada for colonialism, racism and failure to uphold the equality clause in its constitution. The notional route to Hudson Bay indicates that First Nations and food security were not fully included in the conception phase of the Northern Corridor. The notional route cuts through the Indigenous-led protected area proposed in the Seal River Watershed to reach Hudson Bay via Churchill rather than Port Nelson. This notional route would undermine the Indigenous-led protected area and the migration of the threatened Caribou population. Oppositely, the NeeStaNan corridor proposed by Fox Lake, York Factory and other First Nations goes to Port Nelson and avoids the Seal River Watershed. Free, prior and informed consent should start at the conception phase to include Indigenous interests. In Northern Canada, where Indigenous people comprise the vast majority, infrastructure development should be Indigenous-led to prioritize Indigenous food security. An Indigenous-led, adequately funded strategy to end food insecurity in Canada’s Indigenous communities within the next decade is needed to turn around a health and human rights crisis. Removing Indigenous-specific systemic racist barriers to Indigenous control over Native land and adequate funding for infrastructure and services will attain Indigenous food security within a decade

Fijian coral reef damage and recovery from Cyclone Kina

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Early in 1993, Cyclone Kina struck the Fiji Islands, causing more than $100 million in property damage and damaging the coral environment as well. A few days after the cyclone, the most damaged reef was studied. The same reef had been studied 6 months before. This reef crest is dominated by Acropora. Comparison showed that 80-90% of the Acropora was torn from the outer reef and deposited in the inner lagoon. ... It is estimated that it will take a few years to 30 years for the reef to recover to pre-Kina conditions

Economic development and conservation of biodiversity: understanding the interface of ape conservation and industrial agriculture

Tropical ecosystems sustain much of the Earth's biodiversity, provide countless natural products and services—both locally and globally—and play critical roles in the regulation of the climate and the carbon and hydrological cycles. The expansion of agriculture into tropical forest ecosystems will therefore have enormous impacts on factors such as human and animal health (Karesh et al., 2012), energy options and prices, biodiversity conservation and infrastructure (see Box 1.1). In addition, this expansion might drive, or be affected by, conflict in areas of resource scarcity. These factors all directly affect human survival and that of countless other species. The rapid expansion of agriculture is the main driver of tropical forest loss (Sodhi et al., 2010). In much of the world, such expansion is led by large-scale, industrial agriculture, although small-scale agriculture also has a significant impact in some countries, particularly those in Africa

Economic development and conservation of biodiversity: understanding the interface of ape conservation and industrial agriculture

Tropical ecosystems sustain much of the Earth's biodiversity, provide countless natural products and services—both locally and globally—and play critical roles in the regulation of the climate and the carbon and hydrological cycles. The expansion of agriculture into tropical forest ecosystems will therefore have enormous impacts on factors such as human and animal health (Karesh et al., 2012), energy options and prices, biodiversity conservation and infrastructure (see Box 1.1). In addition, this expansion might drive, or be affected by, conflict in areas of resource scarcity. These factors all directly affect human survival and that of countless other species. The rapid expansion of agriculture is the main driver of tropical forest loss (Sodhi et al., 2010). In much of the world, such expansion is led by large-scale, industrial agriculture, although small-scale agriculture also has a significant impact in some countries, particularly those in Africa