The role of the social environment in non-suicidal self-injury among LGBTQ youth: A mixed methods study

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), such as cutting and burning, is a widespread social problem among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Extant research indicates that this population is more than twice as likely to engage in NSSI than heterosexual and cisgender (non-transgender) youth. Despite the scope of this social problem, it remains relatively unexamined in the literature. Research on other risk behaviors among LGBTQ youth indicates that experiencing homophobia and transphobia in key social contexts such as families, schools, and peer relationships contributes to health disparities among this group. Consequently, the aims of this study were to examine: (1) the relationship between LGBTQ youth's social environments and their NSSI behavior, and (2) whether/how specific aspects of the social environment contribute to an understanding of NSSI among LGBTQ youth. This study was conducted using an exploratory, sequential mixed methods design with two phases. The first phase of the study involved analysis of transcripts from interviews conducted with 44 LGBTQ youth recruited from a community-based organization. In this phase, five qualitative themes were identified: (1) Violence; (2) Misconceptions, Stigma, and Shame; (3) Negotiating LGBTQ Identity; (4) Invisibility and Isolation; and (5) Peer Relationships. Results from the qualitative phase were used to identify key variables and specify statistical models in the second, quantitative, phase of the study, using secondary data from a survey of 252 LGBTQ youth. The qualitative phase revealed how LGBTQ youth, themselves, described the role of the social environment in their NSSI behavior, while the quantitative phase was used to determine whether the qualitative findings could be used to predict engagement in NSSI among a larger sample of LGBTQ youth. The quantitative analyses found that certain social-environmental factors such as experiencing physical abuse at home, feeling unsafe at school, and greater openness about sexual orientation significantly predicted the likelihood of engaging in NSSI among LGBTQ youth. Furthermore, depression partially mediated the relationships between family physical abuse and NSSI and feeling unsafe at school and NSSI. The qualitative and quantitative results were compared in the interpretation phase to explore areas of convergence and incongruence. Overall, this study's findings indicate that social-environmental factors are salient to understanding NSSI among LGBTQ youth. The particular social contexts in which LGBTQ youth live significantly influence their engagement in this risk behavior. These findings can inform the development of culturally relevant NSSI interventions that address the social realities of LGBTQ youth's lives.

Fire-resistance, physical, and mechanical characterization of particleboard containing Oceanic Posidonia waste

In this work, particleboards manufactured with Oceanic Posidonia waste and bonded with cement are investigated. The particleboards are made with 3/1.5/0.5 parts of cement per part of Posidonia waste. The physical properties of bulk density, swelling, surface absorption, and dimensional changes due to relative humidity as well as the mechanical properties of modulus of elasticity, bending strength, surface soundness, perpendicular tensile strength and impact resistance are studied. In terms of the above properties, the best results were obtained for particleboards with high cement content and when the waste “leaves” are treated (crushed) before board fabrication, due to internal changes to the board structure under these conditions. Based on the results of fire tests, the particleboard is non-flammable without any fire-resistant treatment.

Temperature influence on the physical and mechanical properties of a porous rock: San Julian's calcarenite

This work discusses the results from tests which were performed in order to study the effect of high temperatures in the physical and mechanical properties of a calcarenite (San Julian's stone). Samples, previously heated at different temperatures (from 105 °C to 600 °C), were tested. Non-destructive tests (porosity and ultrasonic wave propagation) and destructive tests (uniaxial compressive strength and slake durability test) were performed over available samples. Furthermore, the tests were carried out under different conditions (i.e. air-cooled and water-cooled) in order to study the effect of the fire off method. The results show that uniaxial compressive strength and elastic parameters (i.e. elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio), decrease as the temperature increases for the tested range of temperatures. A reduction of the uniaxial compressive strength up to 35% and 50% is observed in air-cooled and water-cooled samples respectively when the samples are heated to 600 °C. Regarding the Young's modulus, a fall over 75% and 78% in air-cooled and water-cooled samples respectively is observed. Poisson's ratio also declines up to 44% and 68% with the temperature in air-cooled and water-cooled samples respectively. Slake durability index also exhibits a reduction with temperature. Other physical properties, closely related with the mechanical properties of the stone, are porosity, attenuation and propagation velocity of ultrasonic waves in the material. All exhibit considerable changes with temperature.

Implementing the Physical Literacy Component of the 2015 Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum: Is the Stage Set?

Introduction: Current physical activity levels among children and youth are alarmingly low; a mere 7% of children and youth are meeting the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (Colley et al., 2011), which means that the vast majority of this population is at risk of developing major health problems in adulthood (Janssen & Leblanc, 2010). These high inactivity rates may be related to suboptimal experiences in sport and physical activity stemming from a lack of competence and confidence (Lubans, Morgan, Cliff, Barnett, & Okely, 2010). Developing a foundation of physical literacy can encourage and maintain lifelong physical activity, yet this does not always occur naturally as a part of human growth (Hardman, 2011). An ideal setting to foster the growth and development of physical literacy is physical education class. Physical education class can offer all children and youth an equal opportunity to learn and practice the skills needed to be active for life (Hardman, 2011). Elementary school teachers are responsible for delivering the physical education curriculum, and it is important to understand their will and capacity as the implementing agents of physical literacy development curriculum (McLaughlin, 1987). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the physical literacy component of the 2015 Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum policy through the eyes of key informants, and to explore the resources available for the implementation of this new policy. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with seven key informants of the curriculum policy development, including two teachers. In tandem with the interviews, a resource inventory and curriculum review were conducted to assess the content and availability of physical literacy resources. All data were analyzed through the lens of Hogwood and Gunn’s (1984) 10 preconditions for policy implementation. Results: Participants discussed how implementation is affected by: accountability, external capacity, internal capacity, awareness and understanding of physical literacy, implementation expertise, and policy climate. Discussion: Participants voiced similar opinions on most issues, and the overall lack of attention given to physical education programs in schools will continue to be a major dilemma when trying to combat such high physical inactivity levels.

Childhood Physical Activity Involvement in Active and Inactive Female Adults

Current trends show progressive declines in levels of physical activity from childhood through adolescence and adulthood, most notably for females. The current study examined organized activity involvement in active and inactive females (age 18) using retrospective data. Results indicated that active females participated in significantly more physical activities than inactive females from age 6 to age 18. No significant differences were found between groups for non-physical activities. In addition, parents of active and inactive females were the most influential factor in initiating physical activity. However, parents of active females initiated more physical activity involvement than did parents of inactive females. Results also indicate that certain periods in childhood and adolescence appear to be critical for developing long-term physical activity habits.

Traitement du cancer pulmonaire non à petites cellules par radiothérapie stéréotaxique d’ablation

Les néoplasies pulmonaires demeurent la première cause de décès par cancer au Québec représentant près de 6000 décès par année. Au cours des dernières années, la radiothérapie stéréotaxique d’ablation (SABR) s’est imposée comme un traitement alternatif à la résection anatomique pour les patients inopérables atteints d’un cancer pulmonaire non à petites cellules de stade précoce. Il s’agit d’une modalité de traitement qui permet d’administrer des doses élevées, typiquement 30-60 Gy en 1-8 fractions, dans le but de cibler précisément le volume de traitement tout en épargnant les tissus sains. Le Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal s’est muni en 2009 d’un appareil de SABR de fine pointe, le CyberKnife™ (CK), un accélérateur linéaire produisant un faisceau de photons de 6 MV dirigé par un bras robotisé, permettant d’administrer des traitements non-coplanaires avec une précision infra-millimétrique. Ce mémoire est dédié à la caractérisation de certains enjeux cliniques et physiques associés au traitement par CK. Il s’articule autour de deux articles scientifiques revus par les pairs. D’une part, une étude prospective clinique présentant les avantages de la SABR pulmonaire, une technique qui offre un excellent contrôle tumoral à long terme et aide au maintien de la qualité de vie et de la fonction pulmonaire. D’autre part, une étude de physique médicale illustrant les limites de l’acquisition d’images tomodensitométriques en auto-rétention respiratoire lors de la planification de traitement par CK.

Physical characterization and numerical modeling of a WEST-like tokamak divertor plasma

Il presente elaborato è incentrato sulla modellizzazione del plasma di bordo nei dispositivi per la produzione di energia da fusione nucleare noti come tokamak. La tecnologia che nel corso di tutta la seconda metà del XX secolo fino ad oggi è stata sviluppata a questo fine deve necessariamente scontrarsi con alcuni limiti. Nei tokamak il confinamento del plasma è di tipo magnetico e vincola le particelle a muoversi di moto elicoidale all'interno del vessel, tuttavia il confinamento non risulta perfetto e parte dell'energia si scarica sulle pareti della camera, rischiando pertanto di fondere i materiali. Alcune strategie possono essere messe in atto per limitare questo problema, per esempio agendo sulla geometria del tokamak, oppure sulla fisica, inducendo nel plasma una data concentrazione di impurezze che ionizzino irraggiando parte dell'energia di plasma. Proprio tale meccanismo di perdita è stato simulato in un modello monodimensionale di plasma monofluido di bordo. I risultati del codice numerico relativo al modello dimostrano che per concentrazioni di impurezze crescenti è possibile diminuire in modo significativo flusso di calore e temperatura al divertore. Per di più risulta possibile controllare la posizione del fronte di irraggiamento per mezzo di parametri di controllo del plasma quali la pressione. Si osserva inoltre l'insorgere del cosiddetto fenomeno di biforcazione alle basse temperature di divertore, fenomeno in cui il plasma si comporta in modo instabile a causa di fenomeni fisici tipici delle basse energie ("detachment") e a seguito del quale può improvvisamente spegnersi (disruzione). Infine lo stesso modello è stato migliorato inserendo l'ipotesi di plasma bifluido. Anche per gli ioni viene osservato il fenomeno di biforcazione. I risultati numerici evidenziano le dinamiche dello scambio energetico fra le specie gettando le basi di una progettazione efficiente della chimica del plasma finalizzata al raffreddamento del divertore.

Physical Health Problems and Environmental Challenges Influence Balancing Behaviour in Laying Hens

With rising public concern for animal welfare, many major food chains and restaurants are changing their policies, strictly buying their eggs from non-cage producers. However, with the additional space in these cage-free systems to perform natural behaviours and movements comes the risk of injury. We evaluated the ability to maintain balance in adult laying hens with health problems (footpad dermatitis, keel damage, poor wing feather cover; n = 15) using a series of environmental challenges and compared such abilities with those of healthy birds (n = 5). Environmental challenges consisted of visual and spatial constraints, created using a head mask, perch obstacles, and static and swaying perch states. We hypothesized that perch movement, environmental challenges, and diminished physical health would negatively impact perching performance demonstrated as balance (as measured by time spent on perch and by number of falls of the perch) and would require more exaggerated correctional movements.We measured perching stability whereby each bird underwent eight 30-second trials on a static and swaying perch: with and without disrupted vision (head mask), with and without space limitations (obstacles) and combinations thereof. Video recordings (600 Hz) and a three-axis accelerometer/gyroscope (100 Hz) were used to measure the number of jumps/falls, latencies to leave the perch, as well as magnitude and direction of both linear and rotational balance-correcting movements. Laying hens with and without physical health problems, in both challenged and unchallenged environments, managed to perch and remain off the ground. We attribute this capacity to our training of the birds. Environmental challenges and physical state had an effect on the use of accelerations and rotations to stabilize themselves on a perch. Birds with physical health problems performed a higher frequency of rotational corrections to keep the body centered over the perch, whereas, for both health categories, environmental challenges required more intense and variable movement corrections. Collectively, these results provide novel empirical support for the effectiveness of training, and highlight that overcrowding, visual constraints, and poor physical health all reduce perching performance.

Accounting for residential and non-residential environments to measure contextual effects on health behavior : the case of recreational walking behavior

Thèse réalisée en cotutelle entre l'Université de Montréal et l'Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités.

Physical and acoustic sediment properties of sediment cores from the eastern equatorial Atlantic

To reconstruct the deep-water circulation for the last 3.5 Ma from deep-sea sediments of the eastern equatorial Atlantic, sea floor morphology, sub-bottom reflectors and the echo character have been mapped on the basis of 3.5 kHz records and sediment cores. Physical properties of sediments and synthetic seismograms derived from them enable us to decipher reflector sequences in environments of pelagic, current-resuspended and turbidity sedimentation. The individual reflectors originate from carbonate dissolution, hiatus, coarse sand layers and interferences. Those which are related to carbonate dissolution and hiatus provide evidence of water-mass boundaries by their distribution. Five phases of different deep-water circulation can be seen in the record of th elast 3.5 Ma, and these are related to climate history: 1. Between 3.7 Ma and 2.2 Ma a strong deep-water circulation indicates a northward flow of bottom water below 4200 m (AABW = Antarctic-Bottom Water) and a southward flow of deep-water above 4200 m (NADW = North-Atlantic Deep Water). 2. Between 1.6 and 1.4 Ma a southward flow of bottom water below 4500 m and a diminished southward flow above 4500 m can be detected. This water-mass geometry can be interpreted by an expansion of the NADW-masses and a displacement of the AABW-masses during the same time. 3. Since 1.4 Ma a northward flow of a bottom-water current developed again. This current flow created a leeside sediment ridge in the southern part of the Kane Gap and furrows in the northern part of it. 4. Between 400,000 and 200,000 yrs B. P. the oceanic and atmospheric circulation increased. The strengthened oceanic circulation caused and increase in carbonate dissolution, which is documented by a traceable reflector from 2800 m to 4500 m water depth. At the same time an increase of the atmospheric circulation caused a drastic rise in the pelagic sediment accumulation (> 100 %) through an intensification of upwelling. This runs parallel with a higher oceanic productivity in the northern equatorial divergence zone and an enhanced supply of fluvial and probably eolian sediments from the Senegal and Guinea. 5. Before 10,000 yrs B. P. an erosive northward flowing bottom-water current prevailed below 4500 m water depth. After 10,000 yrs B.P. the bottom-water flow was sluggish and non erosive.

Perceptual thresholds of non-visual locomotion.

Part II written by Bryant J. Cratty and Harriet G. Williams.

The Vulnerable Animals That Therefore We Are : (Non-)Human Animals in D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love

Central to animal studies is the question of words and how they are used in relation to wordless beings such as non-human animals. This issue is addressed by the writer D.H. Lawrence, and the focus of this thesis is the linguistic vulnerability of humans and non-humans in his novel Women in Love, a subject that will be explored with the help of the philosopher Jacques Derrida’s text The Animal That Therefore I Am. The argument is that Women in Love illustrates the human subjection to and constitution in language, which both enables human thinking and restricts the human ability to think without words. This linguistic vulnerability causes a similar vulnerability in non-human animals in two ways. First, humans tend to imagine others, including non-verbal animals, through words, a medium they exist outside of and therefore cannot be defined through. Second, humans are often unperceptive of non-linguistic means of expression and they therefore do not discern what non-human animals may be trying to communicate to them, which often enables humans to justify abuse against non-humans. In addition, the novel shows how this shared but unequal vulnerability can sometimes be dissolved through the likewise shared but equal physical vulnerability of all animals if a human is able to imagine the experiences of a non-human animal through their shared embodiment rather than through human language. Hence the essay shows the importance of recognizing the limitations of language and of being aware of how the symbolizing effect of words influences the human treatment of its others.

On being loud and proud: Non-conformity and counter-conformity to group norms

Most experiments on conformity have been conducted in relation to judgments of physical reality; surprisingly few papers have experimentally examined the influence of group norms on social issues with a moral component. In response to this, participants were told that they were either in a minority or in a majority relative to their university group in terms of their attitudes toward recognition of gay couples in law (Expt 1: N = 205) and a government apology to Aborigines (Expt 2: N = 110). In both experiments, it was found that participants who had a weak moral basis for their attitude conformed to the group norm on private behaviours. In contrast, those who had a strong moral basis for their attitude showed non-conformity on private behaviours and counter-conformity on public behaviours. Incidences of nonconformity and counter-conformity are discussed with reference to theory and research on normative influence.

Non-ideal monitoring of a qubit state using a quantum tunnelling device

We propose a model for non-ideal monitoring of the state of a coupled quantum dot qubit by a quantum tunnelling device. The non-ideality is modelled using an equivalent measurement circuit. This allows realistically available measurement results to be related to the state of the quantum system (qubit). We present a quantum trajectory that describes the stochastic evolution of the qubit state conditioned by tunnelling events (i.e. current) through the device. We calculate and compare the noise power spectra of the current in an ideal and a non-ideal measurement. The results show that when the two qubit dots are strongly coupled the non-ideal measurement cannot detect the qubit state precisely. The limitation of the ideal model for describing a realistic system maybe estimated from the noise spectra.

Implications of non-response of older women to a short form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is frequently used in epidemiological surveys to screen for depression, especially among older adults. This article addresses the problem of non-completion of a short form of the CES-D (CESD-10) in a mailed survey of 73- to 78-year-old women enrolled in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Completers of the CESD-10 had more education, found it easier to manage on available income and reported better physical and mental health. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores for non-completers were intermediate between those for women classified as depressed and not depressed using the CESD-10. Indicators of depression had an inverted U-shaped relationship with the number of missing CESD- 10 items and were most frequent for women with two to seven items missing. Future research should pay particular attention to the level of missing data in depression scales and report its potential impact on estimates of depression.