Environmental health, indigenous identity, cultural representations and the production of ecological consciousness in Northern Ontario

The primary goal of this research is to document local perspectives by presenting a set of commentaries and meanings, in the form of narratives, related to environmental health conceptions on an Oji-Cree reserve in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Through an ethnographic case study, this research explores how the modern-day production of a sociocentric and ecocentric self, as ethnic marker and moral category, is contributing to environmental/community health and well-being on Native reserves. Cultural representations of personhood and community based on the Medicine Wheel model, as a cognitive model, create an ontological paradigm that promotes a holistic foundation for human behaviour and interaction, as well as healthy, sustainable communities.

Effects of static stretching following a dynamic warm-up on speed, agility and power

Static stretching prior to sport has been shown to decrease force production in comparison to the increasing popularity of dynamic warm-up methods. However some athletes continue to use a bout of static stretching following dynamic methods. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on speed, agility and power following a period of additional static stretching following a dynamic warm-up routine. Twenty-five male University students who participated in team sports performed two warm-up protocols concentrating on the lower body one week apart through a randomised cross over design. The dynamic warm-up (DW) protocol used a series of specific progressive exercises lasting 10 minutes over a distance of 20m. The dynamic warm-up plus static stretching (DWS) protocol used the same DW protocol followed by a 5 minute period during which 7 muscle groups were stretched. Following each warm-up the subjects performed a countermovement vertical jump, 20m sprint and Illinois agility test, 1 minute apart. The results demonstrated no significant differences in speed, agility and jump performance following the two protocols DW and DWS. The study concludes that performing static stretching following a dynamic warm-up prior to performance does not significantly affect speed, agility and vertical jump performance.

Estimation of the Central Corneal Power in Keratoconus: Theoretical and Clinical Assessment of the Error of the Keratometric Approach

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze theoretically the errors in the central corneal power calculation in eyes with keratoconus when a keratometric index (nk) is used and to clinically confirm the errors induced by this approach. Methods: Differences (DPc) between central corneal power estimation with the classical nk (Pk) and with the Gaussian equation (PGauss c ) in eyes with keratoconus were simulated and evaluated theoretically, considering the potential range of variation of the central radius of curvature of the anterior (r1c) and posterior (r2c) corneal surfaces. Further, these differences were also studied in a clinical sample including 44 keratoconic eyes (27 patients, age range: 14–73 years). The clinical agreement between Pk and PGauss c (true net power) obtained with a Scheimpflug photography–based topographer was evaluated in such eyes. Results: For nk = 1.3375, an overestimation was observed in most cases in the theoretical simulations, with DPc ranging from an underestimation of 20.1 diopters (D) (r1c = 7.9 mm and r2c = 8.2 mm) to an overestimation of 4.3 D (r1c = 4.7 mm and r2c = 3.1 mm). Clinically, Pk always overestimated the PGauss c given by the topography system in a range between 0.5 and 2.5 D (P , 0.01). The mean clinical DPc was 1.48 D, with limits of agreement of 0.71 and 2.25 D. A very strong statistically significant correlation was found between DPc and r2c (r = 20.93, P , 0.01). Conclusions: The use of a single value for nk for the calculation of corneal power is imprecise in keratoconus and can lead to significant clinical errors.

Inspeção-Geral da Educação e Ciência e Avaliação das Escolas : o caso da autoavaliação de um agrupamento de escolas : um olhar a partir de quem avalia e de quem é avaliado

Relatório de estágio de mestrado, Educação (Área de especialidade em Administração Educacional), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação, 2016

Reforms in Moldova: Moderate progress and an uncertain outlook for the future. OSW Commentary No. 100, 2013-01-22

After coming to power in September 2009, the Alliance for European Integration (AIE)1 coalition began implementing a wide-ranging programme of reforms, with a view to bringing Moldova closer to the European Union, and ultimately to ensure the country’s full membership of the EU. Today, Moldova is considered a clear leader in European integration among the members of the EU’s Eastern Partnership programme. This, however, has less to do with the concrete reforms introduced by the Moldovan government, and more to do with, on the one hand, Chișinău’s excellent public relations with Brussels, achieved through effective diplomacy; and on the other hand, the growing disillusionment with the lack of progress in other Eastern Partnership countries, particularly in Ukraine. Attempts to evaluate Moldova’s reforms have proven rather problematic. On the one hand, the ruling coalition has managed to make significant progress in the areas of civil liberties, human rights and electoral reform. The government has also successfully implemented regulations which have brought Moldova closer to signing a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the EU, and it has made headway in talks on visa liberalisation with Brussels. On the other hand, Chișinău has still not carried out the structural and economic reforms without which real change in the country will be impossible. No reforms have been introduced in the Ministry of the Interior, the Moldovan police force, or the judiciary. The AIE has also failed to decentralise governance and has had no real success in reducing corruption; its attempts to rebuild the country’s financial institutions have proved equally unsuccessful. The main reasons for this poor performance include mutual mistrust and conflicting interests among the coalition members, a shortage of financial resources, strong resistance to change by public administration staff, and significant pressure from those political and business groups whose interests could suffer as a result of the proposed reforms. It should also be noted that since the AIE took power, the international context of the reform efforts has undergone significant changes. On the one hand, the EU has been facing an economic crisis, which has had a negative impact on Moldovan exports and contributed to the worsening of the economic situation in the country; and on the other hand, Moldova has been offered membership of the Customs Union as a viable alternative to EU membership.

Higher education scholarships as a soft power tool: an analysis of its role in the EU and Singapore. EU Centre Singapore Working Paper No. 23, March 2015

The European Union and Singapore are vastly different entities, each with its own regional and global priorities and policies. Both actors employ a range of tools and instruments to aid in their foreign policy objectives, including in the projection of their soft power. It is worth analysing and comparing the specific instruments of these two actors’ soft power strategies, including but not limited to their stated objectives and perceived effectiveness. This paper will compare the role of higher education and scholarships in diffusing soft power through a comparative case study of the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program and the Singapore Scholarship administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It will look at the ways in which these programs have shaped the standing of the actors in diffusing their norms and objectives in the regional and international arena. A comparative analysis of these programs will hopefully provide some insight into the proximity between foreign policy-making and higher education internationalisation. This paper will begin with an overview of the aforementioned programs and related schemes, before dissecting and comparing the intent and the policy-making processes behind these, and concludes with a discussion on the present and future role of higher education as a strategic soft power tool.

Family Models of In(ter)dependence: Cultural Change and the Question of Universal Needs

I will start by discussing some aspects of Kagitcibasi’s Theory of Family Change: its current empirical status and, more importantly, its focus on universal human needs and the consequences of this focus. Family Change Theory’s focus on the universality of the basic human needs of autonomy and relatedness and its culture-level emphasis on cultural norms and family values as reflecting a culture’s capacity for fulfilling its members’ respective needs shows that the theory advocates balanced cultural norms of independence and interdependence. As a normative theory it therefore postulates the necessity of a synthetic family model of emotional interdependence as an alternative to extreme models of total independence and total interdependence. Generalizing from this I will sketch a theoretical model where a dynamic and dialectical process of the fit between individual and culture and between culture and universal human needs and related social practices is central. I will discuss this model using a recent cross-cultural project on implicit theories of self/world and primary/secondary control orientations as an example. Implications for migrating families and acculturating individuals are also discussed.

Measuring up : questions and answers about state roles in educational accountability.

Cover title.

Symposium on Energy and Human Health : human costs of electric power generation /

Mode of access: Internet.

Machinery, equipment, and tools : a compilation.

Cover title.

Sea-power, and other studies,

Ten of the essays included in this volume first appeared in the Encyclopaedia britannica, the Times, the Morning post, the National review, the Nineteenth century and after, the Cornhill magazine, and the Naval annual ... The paper on "Naval strategy and tactics at the time of Trafalgar" was read at the Institute of naval architects, and that on "The supply and communications of a fleet" at the Hong-Kong United service institution.

Radio interferometry techniques for geodesy : proceedings of a conference sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the American Geophysical Union in cooperation with Special Study Group 2.51 of the International Association of Geodesy and held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Northeast Radio Observatory Corporation Haystack Observatory, Westford, Massachusetts, June 19-21, 1979.

Includes bibliographical references.

Policy and administration.

Mode of access: Internet.

Organizational, direct support, and general support maintenance repair parts and special tools list (including depot maintenance repair parts and special tools) for power supply PP-7757/U (NSN 6130-01-098-2532).

"5 August 1983."

Organizational, direct support, and general support maintenance repair parts and special tools list (including depot maintenance repair parts and special tools) for power supply PP-7751/U (NSN 6130-00-245-3251) and power supply PP-7752/U (NSN 6130-00-148-6993).

"24 October 1983."