Homelessness continues to be a major and a comprehensive issue facing the United States, and it is a broad concern when it affects young adults. Research on the way individuals who are homeless perceive shelters, transitional programs, and housing program in general has been limited. Transitional living programs deliver critically needed temporary services for vulnerable and disadvantaged populations and provide them with the skills and the experiences needed to become independent. The study used a phenomenological design to explore the experiences of young homeless adults who are using transitional housing. The findings of this study may help young adults to advocate for changes that could break their cycle of homelessness. Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 young adults to explore their lived experience of being homeless and using transitional housing program. Ecological theory was used to provide a framework and guide the data interpretation. Data collection continued until data saturation was attained. Moustakas's phenomenological steps were used to analyze and identify core themes and depictions of the lived experiences of these young homeless adults. The findings of this study indicated that services provided by shelters for the homeless and staff attitudes and delivery of services were not always aligned with the needs of those entering shelters, which resulted in shorter stays at the shelters. This study may contribute to positive social change by allowing housing providers to work with young adults to identify better means of providing appropriate services and open pathways from the streets into transitional housing programs.

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As teorias sobre a formação dos conceitos em Ciência da Informação carecem de uma abordagem mais profunda sobre o principal objeto desta disciplina: a informação. Esta pesquisa realiza uma reflexão sobre essa carência tendo como estratégia considerar o problema da definição de informação e conceito como interdependentes. Essa estratégia define o problema enquanto fenômeno (como a informação interage com a formação dos conceitos?) e não a partir dos diversos exercícios de tentar definir esses conceitos. O objetivo da pesquisa é pautado, portanto, pela compreensão do fenômeno nos domínios-chave onde a informação e os conceitos se desdobram e se complementam: o cognitivo, o social e o comunicacional. Essa compreensão requer, contudo, uma abordagem diferenciada para a questão da informação, na qual esta participe do processo de organização destes domínios, abandonando assim a perspectiva tradicional da informação como ocorrências comunicativas ou efeitos dos eventos sobre a mente. A hipótese da tese era que essa perspectiva tradicional, generalista, de informação, gera uma compreensão cognitivista da formação dos conceitos, amparada em um paradigma dualista da cognição sob a dicotomia objetivo/subjetivo. O objetivo da pesquisa foi, então, contrapor outro paradigma (não dualista) de informação, através da abordagem sistêmica, embasada nos autores Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela, e para o fenômeno da informação Niklas Luhmann. Deste último autor, retiramos a concepção central da informação como diferenças que produzem mudanças sistêmicas, organizando-se como sistemas psíquicos ou sociais. Essa noção central foi aprofundada, a partir da ideia que a informação se organiza como regimes de aceitação de diferenças em cada um desses sistemas. Para os sistemas psíquicos, baseamo-nos em Giulio Tononi, para quem o emaranhamento entre complexos de informação integrada (criando regimes expansivos) permite a emergência de conceitos. À medida que esse regime permite a emergência de sistemas de consciência que regulam o foco sobre esses conceitos, sugerimos - baseados na abordagem ecológica dos conceitos de Liane Gabora, Eleonor Rosch e Diederik Aerts - que ele, então, passa a ser complementado por outro, redutivo, que abstrai e desvincula os conceitos de seus contextos imediatos, permitindo a imaginação. Esse corpo teórico foi então confrontado com os dilemas teóricos levantados na literatura do Corpus - composto por artigos que tratassem dos processos de categorização ou aspectos cognitivos da teoria dos conceitos em Ciência da Informação. Constatamos que, em CI, a questão da formação dos conceitos confirmava a hipótese: a área de organização do conhecimento opta por uma visão cognitivista e dualista em que os conceitos se formam a partir de um núcleo de representações invariáveis (de natureza perceptiva) e os aspectos contextuais ficam restritos a operações periféricas de identificação. Concluímos que o paradigma representacionista é, em geral, dominante e que a área de organização da informação e conhecimento (e também a CI) deveria se abrir para outras abordagens, e propusemos como uma alternativa a abordagem sistêmica da informação, que apresentamos nesta pesquisa. / The theories about the formation of concepts in Information Science (IS) lack of a deeper approach on this discipline\'s main object: information. This research carries out a reflection on this lack adopting the strategy of considering the issues of information definition and concept as interdependent. This strategy defines this issue while phenomenon (how information interacts with the formation of concepts?), avoiding the departure from several exercises to try to define these concepts. Therefore, this research\'s objective is guided by the comprehension of that phenomenon in the key-dominions where information and concepts unfold and complete each other: the cognitive, the social and the communicational ones. However, this comprehension requires a differentiated approach for the issue of information, in which it participates of this dominions organization process, thus leaving the traditional perspective of information as communicative occurrences or event effects on mind. This thesis\' hypothesis was that this traditional and generalist perspective of information generates a cognitivist comprehension of formation of concepts, supported by a dualist paradigm of cognition under the dichotomy objective/subjective. This research\'s objective was to offer another (non-dualist) paradigm of information through the systemic approach based on the authors Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela and, for the information phenomenon, Niklas Luhmann. From this last author, we took the core conception of information as differences that produce systemic changes, auto-organizing themselves as psychic or social systems. This core notion was deepened with the idea that information organizes itself as regimes of differences acceptation in each of these systems. For the psychic systems, we used Giulio Tononi, for whom the tangling between complexes of integrated information (creating expansive regimes) allows the emergence of concepts. As this regime allows the emergence of conscience systems that rule the focus on these concepts, we suggest - based on the ecological approach of Liane Gabora, Eleonor Rosch and Diederik Aerts - that it is, now, complemented by other, reductive, that abstracts and detaches the the concepts from its immediate concepts, acknowledging imagination. This theoretical body was, then, confronted with the theoretical dilemma in the gather of Corpus literature - composed by articles that tackled the processes of categorization or cognitive aspects of concepts theory in Information Theory. We verified that, in IS, the issue of formation of concepts confirmed the cognitivist hypothesis: the area of knowledge organization chose the cognitivist and dualist vision in which concepts are formed by a nucleus of invariable representations (of perceptive nature) and the contextual aspects are restricted to peripheral identification. We concluded that the representational paradigm is, in general, hegemonic and that the areas of information and knowledge organization (and also IS) should open to other approaches, proposing the systemic approach of information as an alternative, which is presented in this research

As teorias sobre a formação dos conceitos em Ciência da Informação carecem de uma abordagem mais profunda sobre o principal objeto desta disciplina: a informação. Esta pesquisa realiza uma reflexão sobre essa carência tendo como estratégia considerar o problema da definição de informação e conceito como interdependentes. Essa estratégia define o problema enquanto fenômeno (como a informação interage com a formação dos conceitos?) e não a partir dos diversos exercícios de tentar definir esses conceitos. O objetivo da pesquisa é pautado, portanto, pela compreensão do fenômeno nos domínios-chave onde a informação e os conceitos se desdobram e se complementam: o cognitivo, o social e o comunicacional. Essa compreensão requer, contudo, uma abordagem diferenciada para a questão da informação, na qual esta participe do processo de organização destes domínios, abandonando assim a perspectiva tradicional da informação como ocorrências comunicativas ou efeitos dos eventos sobre a mente. A hipótese da tese era que essa perspectiva tradicional, generalista, de informação, gera uma compreensão cognitivista da formação dos conceitos, amparada em um paradigma dualista da cognição sob a dicotomia objetivo/subjetivo. O objetivo da pesquisa foi, então, contrapor outro paradigma (não dualista) de informação, através da abordagem sistêmica, embasada nos autores Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela, e para o fenômeno da informação Niklas Luhmann. Deste último autor, retiramos a concepção central da informação como diferenças que produzem mudanças sistêmicas, organizando-se como sistemas psíquicos ou sociais. Essa noção central foi aprofundada, a partir da ideia que a informação se organiza como regimes de aceitação de diferenças em cada um desses sistemas. Para os sistemas psíquicos, baseamo-nos em Giulio Tononi, para quem o emaranhamento entre complexos de informação integrada (criando regimes expansivos) permite a emergência de conceitos. À medida que esse regime permite a emergência de sistemas de consciência que regulam o foco sobre esses conceitos, sugerimos - baseados na abordagem ecológica dos conceitos de Liane Gabora, Eleonor Rosch e Diederik Aerts - que ele, então, passa a ser complementado por outro, redutivo, que abstrai e desvincula os conceitos de seus contextos imediatos, permitindo a imaginação. Esse corpo teórico foi então confrontado com os dilemas teóricos levantados na literatura do Corpus - composto por artigos que tratassem dos processos de categorização ou aspectos cognitivos da teoria dos conceitos em Ciência da Informação. Constatamos que, em CI, a questão da formação dos conceitos confirmava a hipótese: a área de organização do conhecimento opta por uma visão cognitivista e dualista em que os conceitos se formam a partir de um núcleo de representações invariáveis (de natureza perceptiva) e os aspectos contextuais ficam restritos a operações periféricas de identificação. Concluímos que o paradigma representacionista é, em geral, dominante e que a área de organização da informação e conhecimento (e também a CI) deveria se abrir para outras abordagens, e propusemos como uma alternativa a abordagem sistêmica da informação, que apresentamos nesta pesquisa. / The theories about the formation of concepts in Information Science (IS) lack of a deeper approach on this discipline\'s main object: information. This research carries out a reflection on this lack adopting the strategy of considering the issues of information definition and concept as interdependent. This strategy defines this issue while phenomenon (how information interacts with the formation of concepts?), avoiding the departure from several exercises to try to define these concepts. Therefore, this research\'s objective is guided by the comprehension of that phenomenon in the key-dominions where information and concepts unfold and complete each other: the cognitive, the social and the communicational ones. However, this comprehension requires a differentiated approach for the issue of information, in which it participates of this dominions organization process, thus leaving the traditional perspective of information as communicative occurrences or event effects on mind. This thesis\' hypothesis was that this traditional and generalist perspective of information generates a cognitivist comprehension of formation of concepts, supported by a dualist paradigm of cognition under the dichotomy objective/subjective. This research\'s objective was to offer another (non-dualist) paradigm of information through the systemic approach based on the authors Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela and, for the information phenomenon, Niklas Luhmann. From this last author, we took the core conception of information as differences that produce systemic changes, auto-organizing themselves as psychic or social systems. This core notion was deepened with the idea that information organizes itself as regimes of differences acceptation in each of these systems. For the psychic systems, we used Giulio Tononi, for whom the tangling between complexes of integrated information (creating expansive regimes) allows the emergence of concepts. As this regime allows the emergence of conscience systems that rule the focus on these concepts, we suggest - based on the ecological approach of Liane Gabora, Eleonor Rosch and Diederik Aerts - that it is, now, complemented by other, reductive, that abstracts and detaches the the concepts from its immediate concepts, acknowledging imagination. This theoretical body was, then, confronted with the theoretical dilemma in the gather of Corpus literature - composed by articles that tackled the processes of categorization or cognitive aspects of concepts theory in Information Theory. We verified that, in IS, the issue of formation of concepts confirmed the cognitivist hypothesis: the area of knowledge organization chose the cognitivist and dualist vision in which concepts are formed by a nucleus of invariable representations (of perceptive nature) and the contextual aspects are restricted to peripheral identification. We concluded that the representational paradigm is, in general, hegemonic and that the areas of information and knowledge organization (and also IS) should open to other approaches, proposing the systemic approach of information as an alternative, which is presented in this research

Numerous research showed having a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can affect families in many ways (Brace, 2009; DeGrace, 2004; Fantaroni, 2012). The primary types of impact include family relationship (spousal and sibling relationships), finances, and access to resources and services to assist with caring for the social, emotional and academic development of a child with autism (Grindle & Remington, 2014; Harper et al., 2013; Koydemir & Tosun, 2009; Ludlow, Skelly, & Rohleder, 2011; Montes & Cianca, 2014). While extensive studies have shown similar findings of the impact of autism on family quality of life in America and other places in the world, such as Africa, East of England and London, Jamaica, Toronto and Turkey, limited or no research has shown the impact of autism on family quality of life in The Bahamas. This study expands those findings and identifies parent perceptions of the quality of life for a family raising a child or children with ASD in The Bahamas. The purpose of this study was to identify parent perceptions of the quality of life for a family raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in The Bahamas. This study employed the Beach Center on Disability (2006) Family Quality of Life Survey to collect data from a purposive and chain sample of 56 parents raising a child with autism spectrum disorder in The Bahamas. The data from the survey was statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics such as means, standard deviations, skewness, kurtosis, and correlation, and inferential statistics such as multiple regression, and coding for the four open-ended questions. The results of this study revealed the family quality of life for parents raising a child with ASD in The Bahamas was overall satisfactory with family interactions, parenting, and physical/material well-being being the areas of most satisfied, while emotional well-being and disability-related support were the least satisfied. The predictors for parenting, and emotional well-being were statistically significant for severity level, and educational level, respectively. The predictors for parenting a child with mild (p = 0.01) or moderate (p = 0.05) autism were higher than raising a child with severe autism. The predictor for emotional well-being for families with mother/guardian’s education level of a bachelor’s degree were the highest predictor and was statistically significant (p = 0.02). However, the predictor for emotional well-being for families with father/guardian’s education level of a bachelor’s degree was lower than father/guardian’s education level of a graduate/professional degree, which was statistical significant (p = .03). The correlation analysis revealed there was a positive and strong relationship between family interactions and physical/material well-being (p = .0003), and a positive and strong relationship between physical/material well-being and disability-related support (p = .0001). Emotional well-being and disability-related support also had a positive and strong relationship (p = .0001), and emotional well-being and physical/material well-being also had a positive and strong relationship (p = .0001). Educational workshop was identified as the dominant resources, but many indicated the lack of available resources. Evidence-based intervention (applied behavior analysis, speech therapy, occupational therapy) were identified as intervention/therapy services received, but most indicated the lack of available intervention/therapy, financial distress paying for these services, and dissatisfaction seeking resources and intervention services for their child with ASD. This study was significant as it highlighted and added to the knowledge relevant to parent perceptions of family quality of life raising a child with ASD. Identifying these perceptions would be useful toward improving services for families of children with ASD in The Bahamas. In addition, information gathered would assist in further development of effective programming initiatives specific for this population.

Twee navorsingsvrae word deur hierdie studie beantwoord, naamlik “Wat is die Chronosisteemverwante faktore wat gelei het tot bende–betrokkenheid in ’n landelike gebied in die Wes–Kaap vanuit die perspektief van oud–bendelede?” en “Watter riglyne kan daar gestel word ter voorkoming van bende–betrokkenheid by jonger kinders in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, gebaseer op die chronosisteemverwante faktore wat geïdentifiseer word?” ’n Gevallestudie–ontwerp is gevolg waar retrospektiewe beskrywings van oorsaaklike faktore deur oud–bendelede lig gewerp het op aspekte wat relevant is in die voorkoming van bende–betrokkenheid by jonger kinders in ’n kwesbare landelike gebied, naamlik Sir Lowry’s Pass Village in die Wes–Kaap. Chronosisteemverwante faktore wat gelei het tot bende–betrokkenheid in ’n landelike gebied in die Wes–Kaap, naamlik Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, moet vasgestel word aangesien dit ’n kettingreaksie tot gevolg het. Sir Lowry’s Pass Village is ’n gevaarsone vir kinders wat bende–betrokkenheid betref. Indien die faktore vasgestel kan word, kan dit as ’n riglyn vir die bekamping van bende–betrokkenheid dien. Hierdie studie poog om riglyne daar te stel gebaseer op die bevindinge sodat kinders teen bende–betrokkenheid beskerm kan word. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Twee navorsingsvrae word deur hierdie studie beantwoord, naamlik “Wat is die Chronosisteemverwante faktore wat gelei het tot bende–betrokkenheid in ’n landelike gebied in die Wes–Kaap vanuit die perspektief van oud–bendelede?” en “Watter riglyne kan daar gestel word ter voorkoming van bende–betrokkenheid by jonger kinders in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, gebaseer op die chronosisteemverwante faktore wat geïdentifiseer word?” ’n Gevallestudie–ontwerp is gevolg waar retrospektiewe beskrywings van oorsaaklike faktore deur oud–bendelede lig gewerp het op aspekte wat relevant is in die voorkoming van bende–betrokkenheid by jonger kinders in ’n kwesbare landelike gebied, naamlik Sir Lowry’s Pass Village in die Wes–Kaap. Chronosisteemverwante faktore wat gelei het tot bende–betrokkenheid in ’n landelike gebied in die Wes–Kaap, naamlik Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, moet vasgestel word aangesien dit ’n kettingreaksie tot gevolg het. Sir Lowry’s Pass Village is ’n gevaarsone vir kinders wat bende–betrokkenheid betref. Indien die faktore vasgestel kan word, kan dit as ’n riglyn vir die bekamping van bende–betrokkenheid dien. Hierdie studie poog om riglyne daar te stel gebaseer op die bevindinge sodat kinders teen bende–betrokkenheid beskerm kan word. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

This research contributes to the social work understanding of mental competency assessments with older adults in healthcare settings. Utilizing a narrative research methodology, this qualitative research study analysed nine face-to-face interviews with social workers with experience assessing competency of older adults in the following Winnipeg, Manitoba healthcare settings: hospitals, personal care homes, and a number of community settings (home care, geriatric specialty programs, and private practice). Drawing from systems and ecological theories, as well as the social determinants of health, the results of this study revealed several key concerns such as the motivation behind what triggers an assessment, the specific tests and methods used to determine competency, inequitable treatment of the patient throughout the assessment depending on their cultural or socioeconomic background, and depending on the setting whether the social worker felt their role on the assessment team was valued or dismissed. Recommendations outlined implications for: enhancing the quality of the competency assessment process; expanding the role of social work in interdisciplinary settings; examining the use of methods and tests for assessment; and exploring opportunities for change in legislation, education and early detection. Potential areas of further study are discussed.

Amphibian populations are declining globally due to a litany of factors including pollution, disease, climate change, and most importantly, habitat destruction. As most amphibian life histories involve their populations being recruitment limited, focusing on the mechanism behind breeding habitat selection will reveal useful cues that managers may use to increase abundance and breeding success. Though there are many theoretical models that describe the distribution of animals in response to a resource, the ideal free distribution (IFD) theory has not yet been applied to amphibian settling decisions. Through this application of the IFD, I have found that a population of wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) in Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge select vernal pools that are large, deep, and hold water into the summer months to breed from 2010-2015. This information will provide managers with the ability to predict sites where wood frogs will breed in the future, as well as describe the cues that wood frogs are cueing in on so we can protect, alter, or create ideal breeding habitat.

The social welfare committee has a responsibility to work with children and young people to prevent them from being harmed. In many municipalities, preventive work is carried out through an activity known as field work. More than half of Sweden's municipalities have field activities, but how the work is organized differs between municipalities. The purpose of the study is to investigate fieldworkers views and working methods in order to increase the understanding of fieldworkers goals and the conditions required to achieve these goals. The study is based on a qualitative approach with semi- structured interviews as a data collection method. Ten social workers with fieldwork as their explicit task have been interviewed about their perceptions and working methods. Analysis of their statements has then been made based on Bronfenbrenner's developmental ecological model, Askheim & Starrin's theory of Empowerment and Starrin's theory of Paternalism. The results of the study show that the fieldworkers goal is to discover the needs of young people, motivate them to help and create a long-term well-being of the individuals they meet. Fieldworkers believe that academic education, social skills and cooperation with others are important prerequisites for achieving these goals. In addition, it is important to have the trust of their organization, as the profession requires flexibility and results are difficult to demonstrate. The fieldworker strikes a balance between helping and controlling, aiming to help young people make wise choices and create long-term well-being.