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An exploration into perceived concussion management practices within a varsity athletic setting
No full textCHAPTER 2: Manuscript
2.1 Abstract
Previous research has identified concussion stigma, including underreported and undiagnosed concussions as a major issue in sports medicine. Concussion tools and protocols are continuously being updated, but efficacy is impacted by unique perceptions, behaviours, and attitudes towards concussions. Effective concussion management systems should involve internal investigations of multiple stakeholder groups to explore complex socioecological networks, factors, and problematic areas to help implement fundamental change. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate various attitudes, behaviours, and knowledge about concussions in a single varsity athletics setting. 8 collision sport varsity athletes (22±2.14; 4 males, 4 females), 3 collision sport varsity coaches, and 8 student athletic therapists (20.74±0.71; 6 females, 2 males) participated in semi-structured individual interviews which explored the experiences and perceptions of SRC and concussion management within the varsity setting. A grounded theory methodology was employed to code all data and identify emerging themes. Regardless of concussion knowledge, factors within the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cultural networks of athletes
were found to negatively affect institutional policies and concussion protocols. Psychological factors and the culture of sport (i.e., internal/external pressures, social/academic isolation) were found to negatively affect concussion protocol efficacy. Concussion nondisclosure may be increased due to internalized
values such as commitment to sport, mental/physical toughness, and normality of "getting your bell rung." Participants advocated for increased social, psychological, and academic support during concussion management. Participants proposed that management strategies should directly address dangerous perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours through improved concussion education and increased conversation within all stakeholder groups to help reinforce positive concussion intentions. These findings could be used by academics and health professionals within the institution to make meaningful changes to current concussion management. Further inquiry into the effectiveness of different intervention strategies should be further explored
An exploration of concussion knowledge, attitudes,and behaviours in the pediatric population
No full textCHAPTER 2: Manuscript
2.1 Abstract
Context: Evidence suggests that concussion knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours have a substantial impact on concussion reporting and concussion care. Despite the recent growth in awareness, concerning gaps in concussion knowledge have been found in groups of physicians, coaches, parents, high school, and collegiate athletes. However, limited studies have examined concussion knowledge in the pediatric population, particularly those below the high school age range. The lack of evidence limits the specificity of educational interventions designed for this age group, thus limiting its effectiveness and consequently putting the neurological health of our youth at risk. To address this gap, the present study explored concussion knowledge, attitudes, and reporting behaviours in a sample of children between grades 5-9 who were currently
involved in organized sport.
Methods: The study used a cross-sectional observational design. Twenty youth sport participants between grades 5-9 formed a convenience sample. A total of 11 females and 9 males enrolled in the study. The primary sport of participants surveyed was hockey (n=17), followed by swimming (n=2), and basketball (n=1). The average number of concussions experienced by each participant was 0.84 ± 0.70. A 51-item, online, anonymous questionnaire, consisting of factual and scenario-based questions was used to explore beliefs, knowledge of, and attitudes towards concussions. The questionnaire was designed using previously validated concussion knowledge surveys, then merged and adapted to the fit the target population. The adapted questionnaire was reviewed and validated by three certified athletic therapists familiar with questionnaire development.
Results: The most commonly identified symptoms were having headaches (100%), feeling dizzy (95%), trouble concentrating (85%), and feeling like the room is spinning (80%). Commonly misidentified symptoms were having trouble falling asleep (30%), feeling like you are going to faint (35%), having problems finishing tasks (35%), and having a hard time learning new things (35%). Participants displayed inadequate knowledge towards key concussion concepts, such as up to date concussion management, return to learn, and return to play protocols. The majority of participants (80%) held the outdated belief that they must remain in a dark room until all concussion symptoms were resolved. Few participants (25%) perceived it to be very important to avoid participating in sports while experiencing symptoms of a concussion. Furthermore, 40%
believed that if you hit your head, it was okay to return to play in the same game. Lastly, only 10% of participants thought it was very important to report concussion signs and symptoms to a coach.
Conclusions: The present study highlights specific concussion concepts that should be addressed when developing effective educational and training material designed for the pediatric population. Additionally, our results indicate that factors such as concussion history, age, and gender, may influence concussion knowledge and reporting behaviors. These factors should be further explored to advance prevention efforts targeting concussions in youth athletes. Future initiatives should aim to increase awareness towards the less common symptoms of concussions, up to date concussion management protocols, and specifically highlight the importance of immediate removal from play with suspected concussions, and returning to play in a stepwise, progressive manner
Dream Awakened Eyes: W.B Yeats' Ecological Reimagining of Ireland
No full textThis thesis examines the role of nature and spiritual elements such as folklore, myth, and mystical philosophy in W.B. Yeats' conception of Ireland. Drawing on the concepts ecological imagination and bioregional principles, I argue that in response to the environmentally and culturally destructive impact of colonialism in Ireland, Yeats offers a reimagining of Ireland in order to assert a sense of place, culture, and community in Ireland. In order to diverge from and dismantle British cultural values and their influence in Ireland, Yeats imagines new ways to define, relate to, and live within his bioregion. His reimagining of Ireland takes place in three overlapping areas of his work including his focus on Ireland as a physical and cultural space, the crafting of a suitable ecopoetic through which to express his vision of Ireland, and the employment of spiritual elements to revalue and reimagine his place in the wake of cultural and environmental loss. I argue that Yeats' ecological reimagining of Ireland seeks to establish a deeper sense of community and connection within his bioregion, restore a relationship with the land that was lost due to environmental destruction, and disentangle conceptions of Ireland from British influences
Combining charitable data to build better machine learning models
No full textA charity is a not-for-profit organization created to provide help and raise money for those in need. Charities use several approaches to reach donors and raise money. One such approach is machine learning. Machine learning strategies are used to increase retention and donation amounts. Machine learning models use data such as demographic, donation, education and behavioral to predict who will donate. Machine learning models are typically learned on data from a particular charity and applied to test data from the same charity. We experimented with learning models on data combined from multiple similar sources and all the available data from different sources. We hypothesized that these additional sources help build a more accurate model since the algorithm can access more and similarly distributed data. In our research, we wanted to show that combining data from both related and unrelated sources allowed for more accurate and precise models to be learned across a variety of charitable sectors. However, combining data did not help in general; it was
dependent on the machine learning algorithm. We built a machine learning model called a super model. This model was trained using different machine learning classifiers such as Na ̈ıve Bayes, Logistic Regression, K-Nearest Neighbour, Random Forest classifier and Artificial neural network classifier. All the experiments were performed using different methods to determine the best charity and prediction pair. We discovered that Random Forest classifier and K-Nearest Neighbour classifier performed well when trained on the combined data available from all sources
Backup one hop routing optimization
No full textEvery data packet has to pass through few intermediate nodes to reach its destination. Among other reasons, tremendous growth in internet devices encourages those intermediate nodes to drop the data packets. Optimizing the data packet route is an effective solution to deal with packet loss. Advanced machine learning approaches have been identified as apowerful support tool for routing optimization in node networks. Furthermore, as hardware infrastructure develops, the capabilities of cloud computing have expanded enormously. Improved connection, processing power, and memory units enable real-time machine learning. This thesis suggests and evaluates a unique technique for optimising the packet path by one hop for intermediate nodes as a backup called Cloud Acknowledgement Scheme. It offers information on the transmission trend and the tendencies of certain adjacent nodes or groups of neighbouring nodes in a network. We carried out a series of machine learning experiments and validated our idea using real-world node data
Superheroes or caregivers?: mother's perspectives on raising a child with a developmental disabiity
No full textThe purpose of my study was to listen to parents of children with developmental disabilities and gain insight into what they experience in the process of raising their children. The interviews for this study were conducted in February 2021. Therefore, the responses from the participants were heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several models of disability were used to understand how disability is viewed and understood. Symbolic interactionism was used to understand the experiences of parents of children with developmental disabilities. This theory is useful in understanding the children with developmental disabilities' lived experiences and interactions with others. A qualitative approach was used for my research, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with five mothers recruited from the Acadia S.M.I.L.E. (Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience) program at Acadia University. The interviews were fully transcribed and coded into the following themes: barriers, the effects of COVID-19, segregated versus inclusive education and, lastly, lack of resources. The findings show that most mothers experience similar barriers when accessing supports and services for their children and have similar concerns for the future of their children. I conclude by proposing recommendations and possible future research ideas related to my findings
It's okay: examining stressful PDA experiences and sexual minority well-being
No full textFor sexual minority individuals, same-sex public displays of affection (a.k.a., PDAs) can elicit a negotiation of potential risks and benefits. Experiencing prejudice when engaging in PDA or refraining from PDA out of concern for safety may undermine a sexual minority person's basic psychological needs to feel autonomous in their actions and connected with their romantic partner. Research suggests that basic need-thwarting experiences can undermine a person's well-being in the moment and over time in the form of memories. This study investigated processes that may facilitate sexual minority well-being in the face of memories of stressful PDA experiences: a) the ability to associate a negative PDA memory with more positive, need-satisfying memories and b) self-compassion. LGBTQ+-identified adults (N = 129) completed an online survey on LGBTQ+ experiences of affection-sharing. Participants described a memory of a negative PDA experience and up to three memories spontaneously associated with the initial memory (i.e., networked memories). For each memory, participants rated how satisfied they felt in their needs for autonomy and relatedness at the time the recalled event occurred. They also completed measures of self-compassion, and momentary and person-level well-being. Preliminary (i.e., bivariate) analyses revealed that recalling a memory of a past negative PDA experience was related to situational mood but was not predictive of overall sexual minority
well-being—suggesting potential resilience to couple-level minority stress. In multiple regression analyses, neither need satisfaction in memory networks nor self-compassion exerted a moderating effect on the link between the negative PDA memory and well-being outcomes. Nonetheless, results showed that sexual minority individuals who are more compassionate with themselves experience better well-being, suggesting that self-compassion is a worthwhile aim of LGBTQ+-affirmative psychological care
Pentecostalism and the premodern: how tradition could aid Pentecostal hermeneutics
No full textWhile Pentecostal theology has made valuable contributions to the field of hermeneutics, it has not typically been known for its adherence to church tradition. In fact, the early days of the movement were marked by anti-traditional attitudes and a disdain for creeds resulting in ecumenical difficulties and the Oneness controversy. Using Oneness as a case study, the consequences of anti-creedalism will be explored, and a place for tradition within the movement will be proposed. Finding a place for church tradition within Pentecostalism would temper some of the movement's theological vices and allow greater common ground in ecumenical conversation
Experiences of queer educators in Nova Scotia: a queer's query
No full textThis study engaged narrative inquiry to explore the experiences of four queer educators in Nova Scotia's education system. Grounded in critical, minority stress, and queer theories, this research was guided by the curiosity: "What are the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ educators in Nova Scotia?" While a gap remains in research examining the experiences of queer educators, the peer-reviewed erudition is not currently documenting the revolution of social systems that are happening through activism and the revolutions that continue to happen despite the lack of representation in academia. Participants, selected using an intersectional process, were interviewed twice and invited to speak to their lived experiences as queer educators in Nova Scotia. Three large themes emerged in the thematic analysis from the interview data that
collectively revealed what queer educators have been experiencing across time and geography in their positions as educators in the education system. They shared the impact of the supports, the work, and the microaggressions they experience. Tokenistic experiences were continual in their emergence in the thematic analysis; the queer educators are taking on more responsibilities due to their membership to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community outside of their job description. They highlighted the impact of hegemonic influence and how microaggressions have been given to the queer educators, without ask, and how they are experiencing them firsthand, vicariously, and through institutions that are upheld by the status-quo of heterosexism and cisgenderism. The queer educators have ideas for how they would like the future to look and what can be done to support their existence in a system that currently is not made for them to thrive. The participants' stories contained within the unique findings and thematic analyses offer insights and
opportunities for transformation that would be beneficial to the education system and those currently within it and those aspiring to join it. This thesis will capture the findings of this research that give invitation to consider ways for educational systems and individuals to interrupt ongoing instances of harm, continue practices that are affirming, and create more than a superficial existence of performative allyship
Conservation of the American common eider (Somateria mollissima dresseri): expert opinion and a case study using nest shelters
No full textAmerican common eider (Somateria mollissima dresseri) populations in eastern North America have declined in recent years, and it is believed that this decline is linked to various environmental stressors across the subspecies' range. To evaluate where to focus future research to help conserve American common eiders, I used a two-step approach. First, a workshop was held to share current knowledge on the status of, and threats to, eiders in the many administrative jurisdictions of the subspecies' range. Second, I administered a questionnaire to various experts (e.g., government and university biologists, resource managers) across the American common eider range to assess what stages of the annual cycle should be prioritized for future research. Experts recommended that research and conservation tools be implemented particularly for the
migration and wintering stages of the eider annual cycle, with breeding stages remaining issues as well. In Nova Scotia, experts agreed that avian predation (e.g., large gulls and raptors) on eider nests has increased in recent years. One conservation tool that may help alleviate predation is the deployment of nest shelters. Accordingly, I assessed nest shelters as a conservation tool for nesting females by examining occupancy rates and microclimate in two shelter types (wooden A-frames and plastic barrels) in eastern Nova Scotia. The proportion of shelters used by nesting American common eiders was similar between the two shelter types, although shelter occupancy rates varied considerably among islands. I found that wooden A-frame shelters more closely mimicked temperature and humidity in natural eider nesting habitat than plastic barrel shelters which created hot and dry conditions that may be cause for concern for the health of nesting hens (e.g., possibility of dehydration based on conversations with veterinarians). The wooden A-frame shelters examined in this thesis provide a suitable microclimate for eider nesting, suggesting that these shelters hold promise as a tool for eider conservation. A next step is to assess whether A-frame shelters can serve to reduce rates of nest predation relative to that in natural nesting habitat, particularly because avian predation remains a key issue to eider population dynamics. Eiders have a cultural significance to many Indigenous peoples, conservation organizations, and local hunters, and are a key bioindicator of the health of marine ecosystems. Bringing experts together was timely for identifying that more work must be done during the non-breeding season