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This paper describes the philosophy of PEERS (Prostitutes' Empowerment, Education and Resource Society) in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. PEERS was developed, managed, and staffed by prostitution survivors. PEERS' programs are culturally relevant, responding to the disproportionately high participation of Aboriginal women and youth in prostitution in Canada. PEERS offers services to those in the sex trade regardless of whether they wish to leave or stay in prostitution. Eighty-six percent of the people who use PEERS services eventually leave the sex trade and move on to further training, education or other employment. The paper further discusses the need for community liaisons, and the triumph as well as the stress of public disclosure of prostitution in one's life. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports findings from an enthographic study of educational restructuring in an Institute of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in Victoria Australia. Educational restructuring is analysed as a process of institutional redesign and theorized in relation to recent debates in institutional theory concerning the nature of institutional change. The review distinguishes between hyperrational approaches to institutional redesign based upon assumptions about rational actors and their motivations and behaviours, and social and cultural perspectives on institutional redesign that sees purposeful institutional change achieved through processes of 'institutional gardening'. The paper documents the way Australian governments have adopted hyperrational strategies aimed at changing education and training by reworking institutional rules that frame the day-to-day practices within particular organizations. Reworking these practices of organizing serves to steer change by restructuring and rearticulating relationships, practices and centres of power within organizations. Data drawn from interviews with the TAFE Institute Director, and various managers and teachers are used to track the effects of government steering in the TAFE Institute. This analysis shows that government steering drives management steering in the TAFE Institute, creating new imperatives and work organization. These organizational changes are influenced by local conditions and management priorities. They also call forth counter-steering by teachers and managers as they attempt to deal with change. The paper suggests that hyperrational government steering drives towards probable educational futures but is also interrupted by counter-steering oriented to other values and priorities. While there are probable futures, there are also preferred futures to be willed for and worked for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The XXIInd International Congress of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Victoria, Australia, from 25th August to 1st September 2012. Reports are given on the Congress as a whole, including the General Assembly, Plenary and Special sessions, some Technical Commission activities and the Congress Exhibition. Papers from the Congress are published in Volume XXXIX of the International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences and Volume I of the new ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On October 17, 2009, seventy-six Tamil refugees arrived off the coast of Victoria, British Columbia. This study examines how the Canadian newsprint media portrayed this event and in which policy context this coverage occurred. We analyze articles published between October 2009 and January 2010 from the Vancouver Sun, the Toronto Star, and the National Post. A discourse analysis addresses issues offraming, representation, and identity to understand how the Tarnil refugee migration was represented in media debate. Our results show that there was an overall negative representation of the Tamil refugees as the press emphasized issues of criminality and terrorism, and constructed the refugees as risk. The discussion established security—rather than human rights—as a focal point and portrayed the immigration system as both "failing" and "abused" by "bogus claimants." This security-oriented framework provided a discursive background for the refugee reform Bill C-n to be ushered through Parliament later that summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recursion is a programming paradigm as well as a problem solving strategy thought to be very challenging to grasp for university students. This article outlines a pilot study, which expands the age range of students exposed to the concept of recursion in computer science through instruction in a series of interesting and engaging activities. In this study, a small number of students (n = 9) aged 11 to 13 years, were presented with a new and unique recursion curriculum involving hands-on experiences over a seven-week period at the University of Victoria, Canada. The curriculum was comprised of a series of progressively challenging recursion activities-roughly based upon the ideas of 'Computer Science Unplugged' (Bell, Witten, & Fellows, 2009)-and included programming applications with MicroWorlds EX, a programming language based on LOGO. Through this engagement, an increased number of students recognized and understood the concepts covered. We hypothesize that through experiences for youth with activities such as those outlined here, the number of students who understand fundamental computer science applications and who might potentially pursue computer science in post-secondary education will increase. We hypothesis further that through an earlier encounter of "challenging" concepts the learning and understanding of those will become easier at the university level. In this paper, the curriculum, classroom experiences, preliminary, largely descriptive and qualitative results and next steps in the research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details a continuing research project into child hood peak experiences (CPE), in which the authors analyzed 73 retrospective CPE's, reported by participants from the Education and Human Services faculties at the University of Victoria. The study supports previous findings (Hoffman, 1998, 2003; Hoffman & Muramoto, 2007; Hoffman & Ortiz, in press; & Schlarb, 2007) that CPE's are both meaningful and significant in a person's life and that these experiences can be categorized into specific types for further interpretation. The discussion highlights relationships between peak experiences and educational or vocational choices, while also bringing attention to the influence of peak experiences on identity and life path. A number of reported CPE's that do not fit into existing predetermined categories are considered as reflecting Maslow's concept of cosmic sadness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at a meeting held at the University of Victoria in British Columbia on tropical meteorology is presented. Topics include the importance and complexity of tropical meteorology, the impact of atmospheric convection on local and large scale circulations in the tropics, and the usability of general circulation models (GCMs). The meeting featured several meteorologists including Andrew Majda, Philip Austin and John Scinocca.

When dealing with spatial data or modelling in a geographical context, identifying an appropriate scale for analysis is a critical precursor; however, it is difficult to determine due to limited availability of data at an adequate spatial resolution. This paper describes a mobile monitoring method to collect spatially representative measurements of woodsmoke particulates in support of spatial modelling. A geostatistical technique is described to characterize the spatial scale of woodsmoke particulates collected for 19 evenings over two heating seasons in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Semivariograms were applied to 20 data sets (19 evenings and a combined data set) to characterize the appropriate spatial-analysis scale as defined by the semivariogram range, the maximum distance of spatial dependence. Typically, the semivariogram range occurred at 2673m. This method can be used to identify an optimal sampling interval for woodsmoke data collection, to define the neighbourhood size for performing spatial analyses, and to produce robust model variables and parameters by characterizing the degree of spatial autocorrelation in the data set. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The need for multilevel, comprehensive health promotion programmes has become widely accepted, as has the importance of community approaches. However, many health promotion programmes focus on change at the individual level, no doubt partly due to the difficulty of implementing all-inclusive health promotion. This paper discusses two strategies for guiding multilevel projects: multiple methods for community assessment and charting project activities by level of change (a possibility framework). These strategies help ensure a multilevel focus and provide valuable information that can assist with the implementation of multilevel health promotion research projects in specific community contexts. Our primary purpose, therefore, is not to focus on theory or research findings. Rather, our goal is to make visible two strategies that have been helpful in one health promotion research project in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration between the education and service providers assists with the development of enhanced clinical and educational experiences for students. This paper describes an innovative collaborative program developed by the School of Nursing, University of Ballarat and Grampians Psychiatric Services, Ballarat Health Services. Mental health clinical nursing staff are the student off-campus clinical supervisors and on-campus lecturers, supported by two jointly appointed co-ordinators. Program evaluation reveals that this collaborative approach assists in the provision of a supportive learning environment, increases enthusiasm about psychiatric nursing and draws on relevant mental health nursing skills in the university and service sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, anti-discrimination legislation and government policies have been introduced which aim to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities in employment and education. However in the area of nursing, attitudinal barriers persist that effectively hinder the full participation of people with disabilities in nurse education programs. These attitudinal barriers prevail despite such legislative and policy changes, and run counter to changing community views about disability. Normative assumptions about the ideal attributes of nurses appear to influence these attitudes, especially in the area of admission of students with disabilities to nurse education programs per se, and to their participation in the practicum component of nurse education programs. This paper reports on research conducted in Victoria, Australia, by nurse academics and equity practitioners at three Victorian universities, into the barriers facing such students. The research examined the views of undergraduate student nurses, their lecturers and their clinical educators, nurse clinicians, and university disability practitioners about the participation of people with disabilities in nurse education programs. The research also sought to document their responses to a framework, developed through the research that aims to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities in undergraduate nursing programs. It did this against a pluralistic and technological milieu that in the researchers' view requires a more diverse mix within the nursing profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the nature and comorbidity of substance use and other psychiatric disorders in 157 impaired practitioners notified to the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria from 1983 to 1997. Diagnoses were reduced to three diagnostic categories, viz, substance use disorder (n = 62), other psychiatric disorder (n = 62), and combined substance use and other psychiatric disorder (n = 33). Sixty nine percent of those with other psychiatric disorders suffered either bipolar disorder (n = 27), schizophrenia (n = 22), or depression (n = 17). Psychiatric comorbidity in drug-related diagnoses was 26% and in alcohol-related diagnoses 64%. Sixty five percent of substance use disorders were notified more than 12 months after onset of impairment, and 49% of all practitioners (71% with substance use disorder) did not receive treatment prior to notification. This combined with a high relapse rate (41%) makes some impaired practitioners a risk to their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM OF THE STUDY: To present the results of evaluation research investigating a successful community development project. RATIONALE: Many governments, health care agencies, and organizations require community participation in health care. As a result, nurses and other health professionals are often required to practice using a philosophy of community development. Although the theoretical, philosophical, and practical components of community development are well articulated, there is little evidence that exemplifies the experience of initiating and participating in a community development project. This paper provides evidence of how one organization successfully engaged the broader community on a respite care project. METHOD: Using qualitative research methods and guided by the principles and practices of participatory action research, this evaluation engaged with the community in data collection, analysis, dissemination of finding, and in promoting effective change. RESULTS: Four themes emerged that provide insight into how one HIV/AIDS organization successfully undertook community development. These themes include: (a) identifying a community need; (b) addressing the various components identified in the community development process; (c) highlighting the strategies used to engage in successful community development; and (d) attending to factors that influence community development. CONCLUSION: The results of this research contribute to the body of knowledge related to engaging in the process of community development. By highlighting the experiences of one community group, it is hoped that nurses can learn and incorporate this knowledge into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Available research findings suggest that nursing students do not regard psychiatric nursing as a desirable future career option. This paper addresses the results of a research project conducted by the author. This research addresses the relative popularity of psychiatric nursing in comparison to other nursing specialties, within Victoria, Australia. The research was conducted by use of a questionnaire in which commencing undergraduate nursing students were asked to rank nine areas of nursing specialty in order of preference and provide some explanation for their choices. The results indicate that psychiatric nursing emerges as the second least popular career choice for student nurses at this stage of their education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents guest editorial, published in the May 2000 issue of the periodical "IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering," vol. 26, no. 5. The Fifth International Conference on Software Reuse that was held in Victoria B.C., Canada, included papers, mini-workshops, panels, and tutorials dedicated to various aspects of the software reuse enterprise, software architecture, and reuse over the Internet. Out of the 31 papers that were presented, a select few were nominated by the program committee as representing special, innovative contributions. In addition to that the article presents information on the two papers related to major technological approaches to software reuse. The first paper, considers the problem of selecting the best realizations and algorithms for a general purpose data structure. The second paper, is concerned with the problem of adapting class libraries for specific requirements.

The article discusses a suggested change to the disorderly procession of the months in the Gregorian calendar, based on an article published in the March 2, 1912 issue of the magazine. Moses B. Cotsworth of Victoria, British Columbia proposes a rational calendar which divides the year into 13 months. A writer for the paper "Survey" observes the hardship entailed in the irregular distribution of the holidays throughout the year and their changing coincidence with the days of the week.