Viewpoint: Neglected Interiors- A Critique of Political Ecology, with Reference to the Work of Ken Wilber

Both Political Ecology and Environmental Education correctly assert the importance of ideology critique and the reappropriation of knowledge/knowledge production in working for socio-ecological change (see Hattingh, et al., 2002:3–4; Lotz-Sisitka, 2002:117). Similarly, both disciplines confront the need to rethink our understanding of how social change comes about, and the limitations of current reflexive practises in enabling such change (Lotz-Sisitka, 2002:117). This viewpoint paper flags the importance – and partiality – of the post-structural sciences of complexity, political activism and discourse analysis in Political Ecology, and demonstrates both an irreducible interiority to our ecological problems, as well as how this interior domain may be approached and argued for. In this sense, Wilber’s critique of Political Ecology may be instructive to Environmental Education practitioners who wish to foster and embody greater awareness of these concerns in their own field. Wilber’s Integral Theory has been applied in the education field, in which Integral Pedagogy has been explored by Esbjörn-Hargens (2006) and Murray (2009), among others

Diabetes Education: Supporting The Pre-Adolescent Child

A diagnosis of Type I diabetes impacts every aspect of life for the pre-adolescent child. ln order to successfully manage Type J diabetes, the child must learn the complex regimen of its ca re. The responsibility for diabetes se lf-ca re begins to transfer to the child at pre-adolescence. Controlling diabetes is difficult for the pre-adolescent, however, clue to the lack of understanding the complex concepts of this disease and the unique developmental tasks associated with this age group. Diabetes educat ion must support the cogniti ve level and developmental needs of the pre-adolescent. Literature emphasizes the need for age appropriate diabetes education, yet research is lacking in \.Vhat constitutes age appropriate knowledge for diabetes care as well as what specific educational approach is most effective fo r the pre-adolescent age group. Pre-adolescents may benefit from learn ing about diabetes at school. In an independent project conducted by a school nurse, the Diabetes Quiz for Pre-Teens, a diabetes educational tool was developed, proposing to be developmentally appropriate for the pre-adolescent with Type J diabetes. Two pre-adolescents with Type I diabetes, utilized as having expertise, assisted with developing the content of the questions and answers for the quiz, revealing their knowledge of diabetes care. The diabetes knowledge presented in the content of the questions was found to be lower than \;,,,hat was anticipated, reinforcing that this age group lacks the knowledge and understanding to self-manage their diabetes. Experienced school nurses evaluating the quiz indicated that the quiz appears to be a method for developmentally appropriate diabetes education, may impact pre-adolescents learning about diabetes at school, and most intended to util ize the quiz for their educational efforts in diabetes education at schoo

Processes Used by Mothers in Opioid Recovery to Manage the Needs of the Maternal-Infant Dyad: A Grounded Theory Study

Maternal opioid use during pregnancy and the postpartum period has significant impact on the mother and infant. Maternal well-being and early maternal-infant contact can impact the early attachment and bonding of the dyad. Additionally, the stigma surrounding opioid use in pregnancy can have detrimental effects on the dyad during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Theory driven nursing interventions to promote mother-infant dyadic care for pairs impacted by maternal opioid use disorder (OUD) are needed. First, it was necessary to understand the current processes used by mothers with OUD to manage the unique needs of their dyad. The purpose of this study was to develop a situation specific theory of the processes used by women to meet the needs of the dyad impacted by OUD during pregnancy and the early postpartum period. Mothers in opioid recovery, defined through self-identification and use of medication assisted treatment (MAT) throughout pregnancy and postpartum, were asked to participate in individual semi-structured intensive interviews. Principles of a constructivist grounded theory approach were followed. Findings from this study identified six main processes that women in opioid recovery with MAT use to meet the needs of the maternal-infant dyad. Processes include, navigating social support, putting in the work of recovery, maintaining vigilance, performing self-cares, acquiring skills and knowledge, and advocacy. These processes were impacted by two personal modifying factors of a mother’s previous experience with motherhood and their freshness in recovery. This theory demonstrates the active engagement by mothers who use MAT for their recovery during their pregnancy, postpartum, and early motherhood period. With this increased understanding of the processes women engage in and their personal modifying factors, health care providers can guide development and implementation of support services that account for the work mothers are already doing. By increasing awareness of how actively engaged mothers who use MAT for OUD are during their recovery and pregnancy, it is possible to help reduce the stigma surrounding pregnancy in recovery and improve outcomes for the dyad

A Qualitative Case Study Examining the Impact of Teacher Feedback During the Research Writing Process in a Ninth Grade Honors Class

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the impact teacher feedback had on ninth grade English honors students during the research writing process. This study examined student writing and the corresponding teacher feedback during the outline, rough draft, and final draft of a formal research essay to examine how the feedback helped improve student writing skills and overall ability to meet the learning targets. Based on the results of the study, the number of student errors decreased significantly in the final draft of the essay after using the outline and rough draft teacher feedback, suggesting that the feedback did have an impact on student writing. Further research should be conducted to examine how teacher feedback impacts the writing of non-honors students, as well as whether students perceive the impact of the feedback to be different when it is handwritten instead of given electronically

Processes Used by Mothers in Opioid Recovery to Manage the Needs of the Maternal-Infant Dyad: A Grounded Theory Study

Maternal opioid use during pregnancy and the postpartum period has significant impact on the mother and infant. Maternal well-being and early maternal-infant contact can impact the early attachment and bonding of the dyad. Additionally, the stigma surrounding opioid use in pregnancy can have detrimental effects on the dyad during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Theory driven nursing interventions to promote mother-infant dyadic care for pairs impacted by maternal opioid use disorder (OUD) are needed. First, it was necessary to understand the current processes used by mothers with OUD to manage the unique needs of their dyad. The purpose of this study was to develop a situation specific theory of the processes used by women to meet the needs of the dyad impacted by OUD during pregnancy and the early postpartum period. Mothers in opioid recovery, defined through self-identification and use of medication assisted treatment (MAT) throughout pregnancy and postpartum, were asked to participate in individual semi-structured intensive interviews. Principles of a constructivist grounded theory approach were followed. Findings from this study identified six main processes that women in opioid recovery with MAT use to meet the needs of the maternal-infant dyad. Processes include, navigating social support, putting in the work of recovery, maintaining vigilance, performing self-cares, acquiring skills and knowledge, and advocacy. These processes were impacted by two personal modifying factors of a mother’s previous experience with motherhood and their freshness in recovery. This theory demonstrates the active engagement by mothers who use MAT for their recovery during their pregnancy, postpartum, and early motherhood period. With this increased understanding of the processes women engage in and their personal modifying factors, health care providers can guide development and implementation of support services that account for the work mothers are already doing. By increasing awareness of how actively engaged mothers who use MAT for OUD are during their recovery and pregnancy, it is possible to help reduce the stigma surrounding pregnancy in recovery and improve outcomes for the dyad

Bioaccumulation of PCB & DDE methyl sulfones in marine mammals and their interactions with receptor proteins

PCB and DDE-Methyl sulphone metabolites are the product of enzymatic and bile acid entero hepatic metabolism in the final phase (III) of PCB and DDE detoxification in mammals following hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450-dependent metabolism (phase I) and conjugation (phase II). There is good evidence that PCB and DDE methyl sulphone (MSF) metabolites interfere with steroid binding to a receptor protein in uterine epithelium (uteroglobin - UG2 and bronchial epithelium (clara cell secretory protein - CCSP). UG and CCSP are homologous 16,000 Da proteins with different tissue-specific functions. UG binds progesterone in the pre-implantation uterus to signal localised endometrial thickening and capillary formation, vital for successful attachment of the fertilised embryo. PCB-MSFs can displace progesterone in the mammalian uterus due to their higher affinity for UG, resulting in implantation failure or early fetal death. CCSP however, functions to sequester phospholipase A2 (PLA2) released in response to stress (pathogenic infection / injury) to suppress inflammatory responses triggered by PLA2 in bronchial epithelium. CCSP is also known as retinol-binding protein (RBP) transporting retinol (vit A) to target epithelia for a functional immune response*. Studies with Harbour Seals demonstrated displacement of retinol from RBP by hydroxy-PCB metabolites resulting in immunosuppression. PCB-MSFs have been shown to accumulate in clara cells and uterine epithelium in laboratory radioactive tracer studies and CCSP-knock out studies with mice. PCB and DDE -MSFs burdens have been found in marine mammals, suggesting they may be subject to reproductive and immuno-toxic effects of these metabolites. This study determines PCB and DDE-MSFs burdens in tissues (including lung & uterus) of Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina) and Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) morbillivirus victims and characterises the marine mammalian UG/CCSP protein

A neuropsychological study of prefrontal lobe function in the positive and negative subtypes of schizophrenia.

The symptoms of schizophrenia are frequently divided into positive and negative subtypes. It has been suggested that the negative symptoms are similar to those seen with prefrontal lobe cortical dysfunction. Several neuropsychological investigations of that hypothesis have been carried out, but none have directly compared a negative symptom group with a positive symptom group on the same test battery. In the present study, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS; Kay, Fiszbein, & Opler, 1987) was used to distinguish two groups of 20 patients with schizophrenia with predominant positive or negative symptoms. A battery of 7 neuropsychological tests considered capable of isolating prefrontal lobe dysfunction was administered. A significant group difference was noted on 6 of the tests; the negative symptom group performed much worse than the positive symptom group. The results of this study support the hypothesis that a relationship exists between the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and prefrontal lobe dysfunction

Selective Vulnerability of Neurons in Layer II of the Entorhinal Cortex during Aging and Alzheimer's Disease

All neurons are not created equal. Certain cell populations in specific brain regions are more susceptible to age-related changes that initiate regional and system-level dysfunction. In this respect, neurons in layer II of the entorhinal cortex are selectively vulnerable in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This paper will cover several hypotheses that attempt to account for age-related alterations among this cell population. We consider whether specific developmental, anatomical, or biochemical features of neurons in layer II of the entorhinal cortex contribute to their particular sensitivity to aging and AD. The entorhinal cortex is a functionally heterogeneous environment, and we will also review data suggesting that, within the entorhinal cortex, there is subregional specificity for molecular alterations that may initiate cognitive decline. Taken together, the existing data point to a regional cascade in which entorhinal cortical alterations directly contribute to downstream changes in its primary afferent region, the hippocampus