Supports to improve the lives of adults with FASD : an enthnographic study of a mentorship program

This ethnographical study provides a better understanding into the daily lives of adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), it demonstrates how mentorship can increase their quality of life and finally it provides recommendations on how to best support them. FASD is a life-long disability that diminishes a person’s cognitive and adaptive functioning. In this study, adults with FASD and their mentors were interviewed at the CUMFI (Central Urban Métis Federation Inc.) Wellness Centre, a mentorship program for individuals with cognitive disabilities in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to determine the adult’s need for support, what supports were received, how effective that support was and how to improve the support. This research was approached through critical ethnography and the result is a call for social change to help individuals with FASD. The CUMFI Wellness Centre is an effective mentorship model that could be used to design other mentorship programs for adults with FASD across the country. In this study, it was determined that the adults with FASD involved in the mentorship program at the CUMFI Wellness Centre had increased self-esteem and a better quality of life. Mentorship can help adults with FASD to find housing, buy groceries, receive community supports and maintain a healthy lifestyle which will help them function better in society. Support and mentorship provides safeguards to decrease the likelihood of adults with FASD ending up on the streets, in jails, hospitals and treatment centers. We must respond to the needs of these individuals and their families and provide supports for them. It is ethical that we do so as these individuals were not responsible for their cognitive disability from the prenatal alcohol to which they were exposed. It is practical and cost-effective to assist this population so that they can healthy and productive members of our society

Infrared Spectroscopic Studies of C60 and C70 Nanoparticle Interactions With 2-Pyrrolidone

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the interactions between C60 and C70 nanoparticles and 2-pyrrolidone (2-pyrrolidinone, y-lactam) in a toluene solvent environment. Infrared spectra were collected for 2-pyrrolidone in toluene, 2-pyrrolidone in toluene saturated with C60, and 2-pyrrolidone in toluene saturated with C70 over a concentration range of 200 to 2 microliters (μL) of 2- pyrrolidone per mL of toluene or toluene saturated with the nanoparticles. At the higher concentrations of this range, small broadenings of the 2-pyrrolidone carbonyl stretching absorptions on the lower wavenumber side were observed when the 2-pyrrolidone was treated with C60 and C70. A significant shift was observed for the carbonyl absorption of 2-pyrrolidone when the 2-pyrrolidone was treated with C60 at 5 and 2 μL of 2- pyrrolidone per mL of toluene saturated with C60. These observed shifts suggest a 2-pyrrolidone–C60 nanoparticle interaction or complex formation. A small broadening of the carbonyl absorption on the low wavenumber side was observed when the 2-pyrrolidone was treated with C70 at 5 and 2 μL of 2-pyrrolidone per mL of toluene saturated with C70. Spectral subtraction was used to reveal the carbonyl absorption for the 2-pyrrolidone–C60 complex that exists at the higher concentration range, but is covered up by the intense absorption of the excess 2-pyrrolidone not interacting with C60. The spectrum of 2-pyrrolidone in toluene (100 μL of 2-pyrrolidone per mL of toluene) was subtracted from the spectrum of 2-pyrrolidone in toluene saturated with C60 (100 μL of 2-pyrrolidone per mL of toluene saturated with C60). The subtraction process yielded a spectrum containing a spectral absorption very near the shifted absorption for 2-pyrrolidone treated with C60 at the lower concentrations

Immigrant Social-Economic Landscape Changes and Ethno-Racial Border Formation in Columbus, Ohio

In this study we analyze new immigrant gateways in the U.S. and the role African and Latino immigrants play in reinventing urban spaces while culturally and economically regenerating neighborhoods juxtaposed to orthodox city planning practices. Through this research we aim to further understand how urban space is produced at divergent scales in the era of heightened globalization. Through this understanding we analyze how the contestation over how urban space is used and consumed leads to distinctive forms in the production of urban space and the subsequent unintended formation of newly perceived cultural borders, often based upon race and ethnicity. Through our analysis we theorize who defines what the city means, and who is allowed to make decisions about how social economic space is produced and consumed in the city along the lines of border construction

Immigrant Social-Economic Landscape Changes and Ethno-Racial Border Formation in Columbus, Ohio

In this study we analyze new immigrant gateways in the U.S. and the role African and Latino immigrants play in reinventing urban spaces while culturally and economically regenerating neighborhoods juxtaposed to orthodox city planning practices. Through this research we aim to further understand how urban space is produced at divergent scales in the era of heightened globalization. Through this understanding we analyze how the contestation over how urban space is used and consumed leads to distinctive forms in the production of urban space and the subsequent unintended formation of newly perceived cultural borders, often based upon race and ethnicity. Through our analysis we theorize who defines what the city means, and who is allowed to make decisions about how social economic space is produced and consumed in the city along the lines of border construction

Voices of First-Generation Students: An Examination of First-Generation Stories on Collegiate Websites

This qualitative research analyzed how four-year, public institutions represent first-generation students that attend their colleges, on their websites, and what those first-generation students share about their experiences. Twenty-nine institutions that were a part of a recognized list of colleges that have exemplary first-generation programs were utilized for this study. A critical analysis was performed to discuss and evaluate the themes that were discovered from fifty different first-generation student stories. Results indicated that first-generation students’ stories shared on collegiate websites shared similar experiences, with emerging themes being: Aspirations, family connections, engagement, and mindset. A summary of the themes, limitations, future research, and a final reflection are discussed

Infrared Spectroscopic Studies of C60 and C70 Nanoparticle Interactions with δ-Valerolactam

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the interactions between C60and C70 nanoparticles and δ-valerolactam (δ-lactam or D-lactam, the six-member heterocyclic lactam) in a toluene solvent environment. Changes in the carbonyl absorption in the lactam ring (both shape and position) were used to identify interactions between the δ-valerolactam and these nanoparticles. In a previous study, shifts in the carbonyl absorption were observed for 2-pyrrolidone (γ-lactam, the five-member heterocyclic lactam) treated with C60, but only very small broadenings of the carbonyl absorption were observed when 2- pyrrolidone was treated with C70. In this study, significant changes in the carbonyl absorption were observed when d-valerolactam was treated with both C60 and C70 in a toluene solvent environment