Coming to an Understanding: Mainstream Pupils' Perceptions of Mental Health Problems

With the introduction of the UK Government’s inclusive ideology in the late 20th century, increased pressure was put on schools serving adolescent psychiatric units to support their pupils to return to mainstream education. However, there is a perception that a factor that makes the transition process difficult is the attitude of mainstream pupils towards their peers with mental health problems. The purpose of this research was to explore mainstream pupils’ perceptions of mental health problems and the extent to which their understandings might lead to stigmatising attitudes. A theoretical perspective encompassing the ideas of social constructionism, interpretavism and symbolic interactionism, combined with a linguistic based approach, underpinned the development of an empathetic methodological approach to researching sensitive topics with adolescents. The research involved collecting data using a sequence of questionnaires, individual interviews and group interviews with pupils in three secondary schools within socially diverse communities. The questionnaire was presented in comic booklet form and included such techniques as cartoons, vignettes, and adapted familiarity and social distance scales. This dissertation reveals ways in which young people create their personal constructs around mental health and the complexities of the nature of stigma. It also highlights the implications that these findings have for staff and pupils involved in the transition process and for the development of practice in this field

Pacific Salmon, Oncorhynchus spp., and the Definition of "Species" Under the Endangered Species Act

For purposes ofthe Endangered Species Act (ESA), a "species" is defined to include "any distinct population segment of any species of vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds when mature. "Federal agencies charged with carrying out the provisions of the ESA have struggled for over a decade to develop a consistent approach for interpreting the term "distinct population segment." This paper outlines such an approach and explains in some detail how it can be applied to ESA evaluations of anadromous Pacific salmonids. The following definition is proposed: A population (or group of populations) will be considered "distinct" (and hence a "species ")for purposes of the ESA if it represents an evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) of the biological species. A population must satisfy two criteria to be considered an ESU: 1) It must be substantially reproductively isolated from other conspecific population units, and 2) It must represent an important component in the evolutionary legacy of the species. Isolation does not have to be absolute, but it must be strong enough to permit evolutionarily important differences to accrue in different population units. The second criterion would be met if the population contributes substantially to the ecological/genetic diversity of the species as a whole. Insights into the extent of reproductive isolation can be provided by movements of tagged fish, natural recolonization rates observed in other populations, measurements of genetic differences between populations, and evaluations of the efficacy of natural barriers. Each of these methods has its limitations. Identification of physical barriers to genetic exchange can help define the geographic extent of distinct populations, but reliance on physical features alone can be misleading in the absence of supporting biological information. Physical tags provide information about the movements of individual fish but not the genetic consequences of migration. Furthermore, measurements ofc urrent straying or recolonization rates provide no direct information about the magnitude or consistency of such rates in the past. In this respect, data from protein electrophoresis or DNA analyses can be very useful because they reflect levels of gene flow that have occurred over evolutionary time scales. The best strategy is to use all available lines of evidence for or against reproductive isolation, recognizing the limitations of each and taking advantage of the often complementary nature of the different types of information. If available evidence indicates significant reproductive isolation, the next step is to determine whether the population in question is of substantial ecological/genetic importance to the species as a whole. In other words, if the population became extinct, would this event represent a significant loss to the ecological/genetic diversity of thes pecies? In making this determination, the following questions are relevant: 1) Is the population genetically distinct from other conspecific populations? 2) Does the population occupy unusual or distinctive habitat? 3) Does the population show evidence of unusual or distinctive adaptation to its environment? Several types of information are useful in addressing these questions. Again, the strengths and limitations of each should be kept in mind in making the evaluation. Phenotypic/life-history traits such as size, fecundity, and age and time of spawning may reflect local adaptations of evolutionary importance, but interpretation of these traits is complicated by their sensitivity to environmental conditions. Data from protein electrophoresis or DNA analyses provide valuable insight into theprocessofgenetic differentiation among populations but little direct information regarding the extent of adaptive genetic differences. Habitat differences suggest the possibility for local adaptations but do not prove that such adaptations exist. The framework suggested here provides a focal point for accomplishing the majorgoal of the Act-to conserve the genetic diversity of species and the ecosystems they inhabit. At the same time, it allows discretion in the listing of populations by requiring that they represent units of real evolutionary significance to the species. Further, this framework provides a means of addressing several issues of particular concern for Pacific salmon, including anadromous/nonanadromous population segments, differences in run-timing, groups of populations, introduced populations, and the role of hatchery fish

Reengineering Biomedical Engineering Curricula: A New Product Development Approach

Product development engineers in medical industries have created design control procedures to ensure high quality designs that are as error-free as possible. The reason is simple; companies must adhere to certain engineering and manufacturing best practices in order to obtain certification of their devices for sale in the US and abroad. We describe here an ongoing effort to apply these industrial best practices to the design and implementation of a novel sequence of undergraduate biomedical computing courses within the Department of Bio-medical Engineering at Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). We have tightly integrated our industrial advisory board into this design and development effort. The board has contributed to significantly to the orderly generation of curricular requirements, the development of course implementation designs and the evaluation of these designs per requirements

Seed Banks, Salmon, and Sleeping Genes: Effective Population Size in Semelparous, Age-Structured Species with Fluctuating Abundance

Previous studies reached contrasting conclusions regarding how fluctuations in abundance affect Ne in semelparous species with variable age at maturity: that Ne is determined by the arithmetic mean N among the T years within a generation (Ne ≈ T͞͞N̅͞t; monocarpic plants with seed banks) or the harmonic mean t (N ≈ TÑ ; Pacific salmon). I show that these conclusions arise from different model assumptions rather than inherent differences between the species. Sequentially applying standard, discrete-generation formulas for inbreeding Ne to a series of nominal generations accurately predicts the multigenerational rate of increase in inbreeding. Variability in mean realized reproductive success across years (k̅t) is the most important factor determining Ne and Ne/N. When abundance is driven by random variation in k̅t, Ne≤ TÑt\u3c TN̅ . With random variation in Nt and constant per capita seed production (C), variation in k̅t is low and Ne ~ TÑt; however, if C varies among years, Ne can be closer to TÑt. Because population regulation affects the genetic contribution of entire cohorts of monocarpic perennials, Ne for these species may be more closely approximated by TÑt than by TN̅ .With density-dependent compensation, and Cov (kt, Nt) \u3c 0 is further reduced because relatively few breeders make a disproportionate contribution to the next generation

Statistics anxiety and statistics self-efficacy in doctoral online statistics: A mixed methods study

Using concurrent mixed methodology, this study explored how doctoral students experience high statistics anxiety and low statistics self-efficacy as they worked through an accelerated, online introductory statistics course. Qualitative results indicate that high statistics anxiety and low self-efficacy are negative encounters for most in that they experience frustration, tension, and felt “incompetent” and “inadequate.” Quantitative results showed a significant main effect of time on the combination of statistics anxiety & self-efficacy, as well as a significant interaction of prior experience and time on the combination of statistics anxiety and self-efficacy. Mixed integration results found no significant correlations between total STARS and CSSE scores with four salient qualitative themes: struggling to choose the correct test to answer a research question; wanting more practice to increase confidence; experiencing tension when engaging in statistics coursework, and struggling to use SPSS – using the program and interpreting the relevant output.Psycholog

Monitoring System for Electric Motors

Induction motors are key to many applications and are one of the most commonly used electric devices. Currently, induction motor fault detection schemes are limited in features and computational power. With current technology, fault detection algorithms are operating in embedded systems and run on embedded processors. These processors do not have the computation power and functionality that more advanced computer systems have, which is the source of the issue. With the recent rise in cloud computing and connected devices, it is possible to build an induction motor monitoring system with a much greater set of features and possibilities

Air-water gas exchange and the carbon cycle of Green Bay, Lake Michigan

The purpose of this study was to constrain estimates of the kinetics of gas transfer across the air-water interface as well as quantify the net flux of carbon between southern Green Bay (1635 km2) and the atmosphere. In 1994 and 1995, over 3500 measurements of surface water CH4 and CO2 were made using a continuous sample disk equilibrator. Estimates of CH4 flux from southern Green Bay to the atmosphere based on air-water concentration gradients, shear corrected wind speeds and the U/K (wind speed/transfer coefficient) relationship of Broecker et al. (1978) agreed to within ~10% of the estimate of CH4 influx from sediments and rivers (Klump and Fitzgerald (1998) and this study). Corrections for wind shear based on air-water temperature differences resulted in flux estimates that were ~30% higher than those based on a neutral drag coefficient of 1.3 x 10-3. The implied support for the U/K relationship of Broecker et al. (1978) suggests that the kinetics of air-water gas exchange are ~2.2 times higher than that predicted by the frequently used U/K relationship of Liss and Merlivat (1986). Southern Green Bay exported 13 x 107 moles CH4 yr-1 in 1994 and 16 x 107 moles CH4 yr-1 in 1995. Inter-annual differences in CH4 flux were shown to be largely due to dramatic differences in wind direction--which altered the hydrodynamics of the bay and ultimately, sediment temperatures. In Sturgeon Bay (a shallow, isolated section of the study site), spatially weight averaged CH4 concentrations rose by a factor of 2.1 for every 10°C increase in water temperature (r2 = 0.82); CH4 flux to the atmosphere increased by a factor of 1.8 (r2 = 0.46). Southern Green Bay exported 180 x 107 moles of CO2 to the atmosphere in 1994 and 240 x 107 moles of CO2 in 1995. However, the spatial and temporal direction and magnitude of flux were far from uniform. Using published rates of primary productivity, the ratio of a real primary productivity to heterotrophic respiration as a function of distance from the Fox River is presented along with a preliminary budget for allochthonous carbon inputs

Civil Asset Forfeitures: How Prosecutors Can Facilitate Community-Based Criminal Justice Reform

Criminal justice reform is elusive in the United States. Despite evidence that the system is broken, change remains ephemeral at best. This is partially attributable to the fact that most attempts to reform the criminal legal system have occurred through the political process. However, another method of criminal justice reform is to assist communities as they address the root causes of crime. Undergirding this approach is the belief that building stronger communities contributes to less crime and reduces recidivism. After seizing $250 million via prosecutions of financial crimes in 2016, the New York County District Attorney’s Office created a “first-of-its-kind” initiative to reinvest those seized funds into the communities of Manhattan in New York City. This “Criminal Justice Investment Initiative” (CJII) seeks to empower said communities through a variety of programs to prevent crime from happening in the first place. This Note argues that prosecutorial offices across the United States should create similar initiatives that derive funding solely from seizures related to financial crimes. In doing so, it highlights why the political process is unequipped to enable criminal justice reform, explains the notion of community-based criminal justice reform, explores the CJII, and finally demonstrates the pitfalls of constructing such initiatives around traditional civil asset forfeitures