Research Brief No. 3 - Disability and Support Networks of Older Canadians

The percentage of older Canadians requiring assistance with health-related tasks due to a long-term health condition increases sharply with age (Chen & Wilkins, 1998). As the first of the Boomers reach age 65 in 2011, it is of great interest to identify trends in disability and support network usage, to better predict future needs and resources within community care. This project used data from five national datasets to investigate the global disability rate and examine socio-demographic characteristics associated with disability and the use of informal and formal support networks to assist older adults with a health problem in performing everyday activities. No significant trend in levels of disability was identified for the period 1994/95-2000/01 when controlling for socio-demographic variables (age, sex, education, marital status, region of residence, and country of origin), suggesting stability in disability rates over time. Analysis of support network utilization revealed socio-demographic characteristics associated with need and receipt of formal and informal support; strong correlations were found for age and disability level

Rethinking harm reduction in the digital age

Introduction : La démultiplication des substances psychoactives, la transformation des pratiques de consommation, l’inadéquation des services pour les jeunes et le virage technologique pris par les consommateurs, tant pour acheter que s’informer sur les substances, incitent à repenser l’intervention en réduction des méfaits. Objectifs : L’étude vise à explorer l’intérêt et la faisabilité d’utiliser les technologies de l’information et des communications (TIC) pour prévenir des consommations plus intensives et réduire les dommages chez les jeunes adultes consommateurs en situation de grande vulnérabilité sociale. Méthodes : Elle utilise une approche de recherche communautaire basée sur des groupes de discussion menés auprès de jeunes consommateurs de 18 à 29 ans et d’intervenants œuvrant auprès des jeunes en difficultés dans la région de Québec. Résultats : Les TIC constituent un outil privilégié d’approvisionnement et d’échange d’informations sur les substances parmi les jeunes. Elles s’insèrent dans un contexte de lacunes dans les ressources existantes. En réponse, les participants suggèrent le développement d’une plateforme interactive spécialisée et actualisée d’échange d’informations sur les substances en circulation et la façon de gérer leurs consommations et les situations d’urgence. Pour les intervenants, les TIC sont peu exploitées pour des échanges en lien avec les substances illicites et jugées délicates à manipuler sur ces questions sensibles. Elles sont néanmoins perçues comme pouvant pallier un déficit de connaissances et de compétences pour aborder ces sujets complexes avec les jeunes. Des enjeux émergents liés aux inégalités d’accès au numérique, de littératie avec les TIC, éthiques et juridiques. Conclusion : Les TIC sont bien implantées dans le travail des intervenants et la vie des jeunes consommateurs. Elles sont des outils complémentaires, probablement incontournables à l’ère du numérique et de la complexification des marchés et des modes de consommation.Introduction : Ever-changing psychoactive substances, changes in consumption habits, services inadequacy and technological advances stresses the need to innovate in regards of harm reduction interventions. Objectives: This study aims to explore the interest and feasibility of using information and communication technologies (ICT) to prevent intensive drug use and reduce harm in socially vulnerable young adults’ drug users. Methods: Using a community research approach based on focus groups with young drug users aged 18 to 29 years old and community workers working with at-risk youths. Results: Young adults widely use ICT to obtain and exchange information regarding drugs. With regard to further technological development in harm reduction, participants perceive ICT as a mean of filling current gaps in services. Participants suggest developing a specialized interactive information exchange platform about current drugs and substance abuse management, especially emergencies and crisis. Community workers did not think young drug users used ICT regarding drugs for other means than acquiring products and found their adequate use regarding harm reduction rather delicate. Nevertheless, they saw a potential in ICT to spread information and facilitate discussion about complicated issues with youths. Conclusion: ICT are well entranched in the lives of young drug users and in community workers’ practices. ICT are complementary and inevitable in the digital age and in an era of complexification of drug market and habits.Introducción : La desmultiplicación de sustancias psicoactivas, la transformación de las prácticas de consumo, la inadecuación de los servicios para los jóvenes y el viraje tecnológico efectuado por los consumidores ya sea para comprar o para informarse sobre las sustancias, incitan a repensar la intervención en materia de reducción de delitos. Objetivos: El estudio apunta a explorar el interés para utilizar las tecnologías de información y de comunicaciones (TIC) y la factibilidad de su uso para prevenir consumos más intensivos y reducir los daños entre los jóvenes adultos consumidores en situación de gran vulnerabilidad social. Métodos: El estudio utiliza un enfoque de investigación comunitaria basada en grupos de discusión organizados entre jóvenes consumidores de entre 18 y 29 años y con la participación de agentes que actúan entre los jóvenes con dificultades en la región de Quebec. Resultados: Las TIC constituyen una herramienta privilegiada de suministro y de intercambio de informaciones sobre las sustancias entre los jóvenes y se integran en un contexto de lagunas en los recursos existentes, En respuesta, los participantes sugieren el desarrollo de una plataforma interactiva especializada y actualizada de intercambio de información sobre las sustancias en circulación y la manera como los jóvenes pueden manejar su consumo y las situaciones de urgencia. Para los agentes participantes, las TIC son poco exploradas en los intercambios relacionados con las sustancias ilícitas y se las juzga delicadas a manipular en materia de estas cuestiones sensibles. Se percibe sin embargo que podrían paliar un déficit de conocimientos y de competencias para abordar estos temas complejos con los jóvenes. Hay cuestiones emergentes relacionadas con las desigualdades de acceso a las tecnologías digitales, de conocimiento para manejar las TIC y de conocimiento de cuestiones éticas y jurídicas. Conclusión: Las TIC están bien implantadas en el trabajo de los agentes participantes y en la vida de los jóvenes consumidores. Son herramientas complementarias, probablemente inevitables en la era digital y de complejización de los mercados y los modos de consumo

Search for CP Violation in the Decay Z -> b (b bar) g

About three million hadronic decays of the Z collected by ALEPH in the years 1991-1994 are used to search for anomalous CP violation beyond the Standard Model in the decay Z -> b \bar{b} g. The study is performed by analyzing angular correlations between the two quarks and the gluon in three-jet events and by measuring the differential two-jet rate. No signal of CP violation is found. For the combinations of anomalous CP violating couplings, ${\hat{h}}_b = {\hat{h}}_{Ab}g_{Vb}-{\hat{h}}_{Vb}g_{Ab}$ and $h^{\ast}_b = \sqrt{\hat{h}_{Vb}^{2}+\hat{h}_{Ab}^{2}}$, limits of \hat{h}_b < 0.59$and$h^{\ast}_{b} < 3.02$ are given at 95\% CL.Comment: 8 pages, 1 postscript figure, uses here.sty, epsfig.st

Search for R-Parity Violating Decays of Supersymmetric Particles in e+e−e^{+}e^{-} Collisions at Centre-of-Mass Energies near 183 GeV

Searches for pair-production of supersymmetric particles under the assumption that R-parity is violated via a single dominant $LL{\bar E}$, $LQ{\bar D}$ or ${\bar U} {\bar D} {\bar D}$ coupling are performed using the data collected by the \ALEPH\ collaboration at centre-of-mass energies of 181--184~\gev. The observed candidate events in the data are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. Upper limits on the production cross-sections and lower limits on the masses of charginos, sleptons, squarks and sneutrinos are de rived

Production of excited beauty states in Z decays

A data sample of about 3.0 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP in the years 1991 through 1994, is used to make an inclusive selection of B~hadron events. In this event sample 4227 \pm 140 \pm 252 B^* mesons in the decay B^* \to B \gamma and 1944 \pm 108 \pm 161 B^{**} mesons decaying into a B~meson and a charged pion are reconstructed. For the well established B^* meson the following quantities areobtained: \Delta M = M_{B^*} - M_{B} = (45.30\pm 0.35\pm 0.87)~\mathrm{MeV}/c^2 and N_{B^*}/(N_B+N_{B^*}) = (77.1 \pm 2.6 \pm 7.0)\%. The angular distribution of the photons in the B^* rest frame is used to measure the relative contribution of longitudinal B^* polarization states to be \sigma_L/(\sigma_L + \sigma_T)= (33 \pm 6 \pm 5)\%. \\ Resonance structure in the M(B\pi)-M(B) mass difference is observed at (424 \pm 4 \pm 10)~\mathrm{MeV}/c^2. Its shape and position is in agreement with the expectation for B^{**}_{u,d} states decaying into B_{u,d}^{(*)} \pi^\pm. The signal is therefore interpreted as arising from them. The relative production rate is determined to be \frac{BR(Z \to b \to B_{u,d}^{**})}{BR(Z \to b \to B_{u,d})} = [27.9 \pm 1.6(stat) \pm 5.9(syst) \phantom{a}^{+3.9}_{-5.6}(model)]\%. where the third error reflects the uncertainty due to different production and decay models for the broad B_{u,d}^{**} states

Tau hadronic branching ratios

From 64492 selected \tau-pair events, produced at the Z^0 resonance, the measurement of the tau decays into hadrons from a global analysis using 1991, 1992 and 1993 ALEPH data is presented. Special emphasis is given to the reconstruction of photons and \pi^0's, and the removal of fake photons. A detailed study of the systematics entering the \pi^0 reconstruction is also given. A complete and consistent set of tau hadronic branching ratios is presented for 18 exclusive modes. Most measurements are more precise than the present world average. The new level of precision reached allows a stringent test of \tau-\mu universality in hadronic decays, g_\tau/g_\mu \ = \ 1.0013 \ \pm \ 0.0095, and the first measurement of the vector and axial-vector contributions to the non-strange hadronic \tau decay width: R_{\tau ,V} \ = \ 1.788 \ \pm \ 0.025 and R_{\tau ,A} \ = \ 1.694 \ \pm \ 0.027. The ratio (R_{\tau ,V} - R_{\tau ,A}) / (R_{\tau ,V} + R_{\tau ,A}), equal to (2.7 \pm 1.3) \ \%, is a measure of the importance of QCD non-perturbative contributions to the hadronic \tau decay widt