This thesis focuses on what stability is, and what interventions have supported stability in four communities in Afghanistan and Nepal. It is the author’s view that this is the first in-depth village level assessment of how populations conceive of stability and stabilisation and thus presents a challenge to existing analysis and research about how to foster stability in contexts in extreme tension and often violent conflict. The thesis argues that international, particularly Western, notions of stability and stabilisation processes have failed to grasp the importance of local political legitimacy formation, which is a vital aspect of contemporary statebuilding of a ‘non-Westphalian’ nature. The interventions, across defence, diplomatic and defence lines, have also at times undermined one another and in some cases contributed to instability. This is particularly acute when the interventions have been motivated by the conflicting demands of statebuilding, counter-insurgency (COIN) and development theories. The thesis argues that the nature of the interventions, their conception of stability and exogenously-driven goals limit the ability to promote stability. Research findings indicate that that local processes of stabilisation have, at times, proven to be more enduring but only in circumstances where a combination of local and national political processes have allowed political legitimacy to be formed and maintained. Research findings also suggest that the more successful stability interventions have been critically supported by humanitarian and security activities which have provided for the immediate needs of the population. Longer term stability has only been embedded in contexts which have also been able to exploit economic opportunities.

No description available.

This study intended to bridge the gap in research on cyberbullying intervention strategies by examining the personal experiences of survivors in order to identify effective coping strategies. This study used a grounded theory methodology to allow data to fully emerge from participants’ perspectives. When analyzing the data, the researcher found that individuals activated coping strategies in response to the negative feelings and thoughts that cyberbullying caused. This main theme, survival strategies, was augmented by three supporting themes: internal characteristics, external influences on internal feelings, and environmental factors. These supporting themes either positively or negatively influenced adolescents’ survival strategies. As a result of this survival process, individuals ultimately became stronger as a result of their inner resilience. The findings of this study have highlighted effective coping strategies that may help to inform future counselling practices.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is recognized as a worldwide epidemic that is particularly problematic among indigenous populations. Canada’s Aboriginal population experiences rates of T2DM up to 5.3 times higher than the non-Aboriginal population. Stress plays a role in both the development and maintenance of T2DM and stress is prevalent in the commonly disadvantaged Aboriginal population. I hypothesized that, due to its stress reduction effects, a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) could lead to health improvements for Aboriginal adults with T2DM. I also proposed that an MBI would be appropriate for, and acceptable to, Aboriginal people whose healing traditions incorporate aspects of mind, body, and spirit and conducted a mixed methods investigation to determine the effectiveness, acceptability, and suitability of an MBI in Aboriginal adults with T2DM. I recruited participants from urban and rural centres in Manitoba, Canada who took part in an 8-week, mindfulness intervention. Effect sizes and the results of a repeated measures analyses of variance revealed that participants (N = 11) experienced significant and clinically important reductions in blood sugar and blood pressure as well as improvements in emotional health. A thematic analysis on the qualitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews revealed that the participants overcame several challenges to participate, valued the lessons, practices, and perceived benefits of the program, and found the MBI culturally acceptable. Taken together the results support the feasibility of an MBI for Aboriginal adults with T2DM, making it a promising alternative for improving the health and lives of many Canadians.

The current study investigated the efficacy of using a writing intervention based in the self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) approach for teaching paragraph writing skills to three students with epilepsy who struggled with writing. Individuals with epilepsy often have difficulties with the same cognitive processes that are involved in the writing process such as attention, working memory, and self-regulation. The study used a multiple baseline approach and participants' paragraphs were examined across the following WIAT-II paragraph scoring domains: number of words written, mechanics, organization, vocabulary, and total paragraph score. Effects on participants' self-efficacy beliefs towards paragraph writing were also examined. Results revealed an improvement in number of words written, paragraph organization, overall writing quality, and self-efficacy towards writing for all participants following the ten week intervention. Limitations to the study and implications for educators are discussed. / Graduate / 0525 / 0529

The current study investigated the efficacy of using a writing intervention based in the self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) approach for teaching paragraph writing skills to three students with epilepsy who struggled with writing. Individuals with epilepsy often have difficulties with the same cognitive processes that are involved in the writing process such as attention, working memory, and self-regulation. The study used a multiple baseline approach and participants' paragraphs were examined across the following WIAT-II paragraph scoring domains: number of words written, mechanics, organization, vocabulary, and total paragraph score. Effects on participants' self-efficacy beliefs towards paragraph writing were also examined. Results revealed an improvement in number of words written, paragraph organization, overall writing quality, and self-efficacy towards writing for all participants following the ten week intervention. Limitations to the study and implications for educators are discussed. / Graduate / 0525 / 0529

No description available.

To understand why some SCC experience psychological distress while others do not, researchers have turned their attention to potential protective factors that may influence the ability of SCC to cope with the cancer experience. Provision of protective/buffering factors specifically to less-resilient siblings (defined as those with higher initial depression and anxiety symptom scores) in the form of a structured program has not been previously attempted. The objective of this study was to explore outcomes of a specialized 8 week, intervention program for SCC. SCC and one parent completed standardized questionnaires exploring symptoms of depression and anxiety pre and post intervention. Results showed that the gender of the SCC, and the specific diagnosis of the child with cancer were factors significantly associated with the degree of reported symptoms of anxiety and depression respectively. Looking at significant interactions, we found that girls whose siblings had brain tumours improved less than other subgroups

To understand why some SCC experience psychological distress while others do not, researchers have turned their attention to potential protective factors that may influence the ability of SCC to cope with the cancer experience. Provision of protective/buffering factors specifically to less-resilient siblings (defined as those with higher initial depression and anxiety symptom scores) in the form of a structured program has not been previously attempted. The objective of this study was to explore outcomes of a specialized 8 week, intervention program for SCC. SCC and one parent completed standardized questionnaires exploring symptoms of depression and anxiety pre and post intervention. Results showed that the gender of the SCC, and the specific diagnosis of the child with cancer were factors significantly associated with the degree of reported symptoms of anxiety and depression respectively. Looking at significant interactions, we found that girls whose siblings had brain tumours improved less than other subgroups

The objective of this study was to identify critical parameters of application for selected harvest and fabrication intervention strategies used to control Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. Paired, boneless, beef strip loin (n=120, IMPS 180) were selected at a commercial cow harvest facility, transported to the Food Microbiology Laboratory, Texas A&M University, and inoculated with nonpathogenic, rifampicin-resistant E. coli organisms (ATCC #1427, 1428, 1430) to simulate harvest floor contamination. The beef strip loins were inoculated hot (~30°C) and then subjected to one of three chemical treatments (L-lactic acid, peroxyacetic acid, and acidified sodium chlorite) including subset variations for concentration and pH. Lactic acid was applied warm (~53°C) and at room temperature (~25°C), whereas the peroxyacetic acid, and acidified sodium chlorite were applied at room temperature (~25°C). Lactic acid was applied at concentrations of 2.5% and 5% using different water sources (tap and distilled), and at a common pH of ~2.2 using different water sources (tap and distilled). Peroxyacetic acid was applied at concentrations of 210 ppm and 150 ppm, and acidified sodium chlorite was applied at concentrations of 500 ppm and 1200 ppm. Half of the strip loins received the chemical interventions prior to chilling or “hot” (~25°C), whereas the other half received the interventions after a chilling for ~24 h at ~2°C. When applied to hot strip loins, only the 2.5% and 5% lactic acid treatments resulted in a greater than 1 log reduction, but for chilled strip loins all treatments achieved greater than a 1 log reduction. When tap water was used to prepare the intervention, there was a difference between reductions for hot (0.68 CFU/cm2) and chilled (2.02 CFU/cm2) product, but there were no differences between hot and chilled for distilled water. Also, there were no differences in reductions between using tap and distilled water for hot products or for chilled products. The pH of the meat surface was lowest for the 5.0% lactic acid (3.07) and highest for the 150 ppm peroxyacetic acid (6.07). These data support the significance of conducting in-plant validation studies utilizing the specific parameters used in the plant.