A small-N cross-sectional study of British unions' environmental attitudes and activism - and the prospect of a green-led renewal

Unions understand the environmental agenda as a technocentric one but also believe it can function as a vehicle for renewal. It is developing slowly, with unions behaving cautiously—resources are scarce. Although popular with members, there is limited evidence that it is effective as a recruitment tool and whilst employers are willing to work in partnership with unions on it, this may confer only phony insider status. Overall, the agenda has limited appeal to the types of employees and employers unions must recruit in order to grow. Identifying a clear environmental premium for members may help

Using Technology to Scale up Youth-Led Participatory Action Research: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE: Rapid advances in technology create opportunities for adolescents to influence practice and policy in health and other domains. Technology can support the scaling of Youth-Led Participatory Action Research (YPAR), in which adolescents conduct research to improve issues that affect them. We present the first known published systematic review of the use of technology to scale YPAR. METHODS: A systematic review of the empirical literature was conducted from 2000 to 2018 using databases PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and PubMed. The review included peer-reviewed articles of YPAR studies involving adolescents (aged 10-19 years) using technology for scaling. Appraisal of papers included the role of technology and consistency with YPAR principles. RESULTS: Nine peer-reviewed YPAR publications focusing on a range of health issues with adolescents aged 11-19 years were identified. Technology included Facebook (most common), Twitter, Instagram, Skype, e-mail, blogs, and personalized mapping applications. Overall, technology was primarily used for adolescent participants to gather data. The appraisal revealed the complexities inherent in conducting YPAR using technology across multiple sites, with different adults in supportive roles and varying levels of opportunities for adolescent engagement. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides insights at the intersection of youth-led research and technology, highlighting opportunities in a changing technological landscape and the challenges of YPAR at scale

Compensatory Mechanisms and Recovery Following Disturbance in Forest Ecosystems

Quantifying and predicting rates of recovery following disturbance are central to our understanding of forest carbon dynamics. We studied recovery of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fluxes and pools following three major disturbances in pine and oak-dominated stands on the Atlantic Coastal Plain; clearcutting, complete insect defoliation, and prescribed fires. We used net ecosystem exchange of CO2 and annual ecosystem respiration (Reco) derived from eddy flux data to calculate gross primary production (GPP), and tracked understory and overstory biomass and N during and following disturbance events. At all stands, annual Reco varied by less than 16% pre- and post-disturbance, with the greatest increase associated with the most intense disturbance (+291 g C m-2 yr-1 following clearcutting). GPP closely tracked the recovery of leaf area of understory vegetation, which increased from an LAI of \u3c 0.1 to 3.0 in 6 months following clearcutting. In stands defoliated by Gypsy moth, understory LAI increased from \u3c 0.2 to 0.8 within 6 months, and accounted for \u3e 25% of overall LAI one year following defoliation. Disturbance also impacted internal N cycling. For example, N in annual litterfall in defoliated stands increased by ca. 50%, yet N pools and N mineralization in mineral soil were nearly unaffected, apparently because of storage in detrital and microbial pools. Model simulations using PnET, BiomBGC, and CENTURY predicted pre-disturbance C fluxes well, but large changes in leaf area during the growing season were difficult to model correctly, leading to large overestimates of GPP in all cases. Our results indicate the importance of rapid increases in LAI of understory vegetation and the stability of detrital pools in the recovery of C and N cycles in disturbed forests

Leveraging Research to Inform Prevention and Intervention Efforts: Identifying Risk and Protective Factors for Rural and Urban Homeless Families Within Transitional Housing Programs

This mixed method study spotlights hardships and supportive factors for unhoused families led by single mothers who have successfully graduated from two transitional housing programs, one rural and one urban. Data collection consisted of entry and exit surveys (n = 241) as well as qualitative interviews (n = 11). Binary logistic regression results indicated education and social support as significant predictors of successful program completion. Qualitative findings further illustrate narratives surrounding supportive factors and program supports (i.e., assistance securing employment, education courses, sense of community), as well as policy implications. Implications stress the need for enhancing supportive factors (i.e., education and social capital) in early prevention efforts (e.g., schools and community centers), as well as an intentional integration of addressing socio-emotional needs and resources within housing programs and services unique to rural and urban communities