An investigation of the relationships between quality of life and residential environments among rural families

This dissertation is comprised of two manuscripts prepared for submission to academic journals. The articles relate broadly to quality of life and residential environments among rural families. The first manuscript is a quantitative study using rural household data from the Life in Iowa project. The second manuscript is a qualitative study using the data drawn from the 13 family interviews from the Family Well-being and Welfare Reform in Iowa Project. The general purpose of this research was to investigate the community and housing of rural families and the associated effects on quality of life.;The first article discusses the complex mechanisms involved in predicting community satisfaction among rural residents. The role of housing satisfaction and community attachment in predicting community satisfaction was of particular interest. A structural equation model (SEM) of community satisfaction was tested with mail survey data drawn from a randomly selected rural sample of 974 households. The results of this study confirmed the influences and mediating role of community attachment and housing satisfaction in predicting community satisfaction. Spillover effects were found on lower levels of concerns (e.g., satisfaction with local services, assessment of current housing condition) in perceived community satisfaction.;The second article focused on the strategies employed and the difficulties faced in the provision of safe, affordable and stable homes. This investigation depicts several dimensions of the circumstances of poor children that have not had much previous attention in the literature: serial housing inadequacy and chronic mobility. It employs mothers\u27 voices to convey the housing needs of children and suggests that families exchange one chronic problem for another in repeated moves. Several families with children with disabilities reported severe housing deficiencies. This research provides initial evidence of the important role of housing in promoting the goals of family stability and economic self-sufficiency as well as the need to the improve health and developmental outcomes for children living in poverty. Understanding the economic and psychological dimensions of the housing and community context in which rural families\u27 live is a precursor to revising housing and public assistance policy

Review of \u3cem\u3eChallenges of an Aging Society; Ethical Dilemmas, Political Issues.\u3c/em\u3e Rachel A. Pruchno and Michael Smyer, Editors. Reviewed by Erica Yoonkyung Auh.

Book review of Rachel A. Pruchno and Michael Smyer (Eds.), Challenges of an Aging Society; Ethical Dilemmas, Political Issues. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. $49.95 hardcover

Quantifying disease activity in fatty-infiltrated skeletal muscle by IDEAL-CPMG in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (IDEAL-CPMG) to simultaneously measure skeletal muscle apparent fat fraction and water T2 (T2,w) in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). In twenty healthy volunteer boys and thirteen subjects with DMD, thigh muscle apparent fat fraction was measured by Dixon and IDEAL-CPMG, with the IDEAL-CPMG also providing T2,w as a measure of muscle inflammatory activity. A subset of subjects with DMD was followed up during a 48-week clinical study. The study was in compliance with the Patient Privacy Act and approved by the Institutional Review Board. Apparent fat fraction in the thigh muscles of subjects with DMD was significantly increased compared to healthy volunteer boys (p <0.001). There was a strong correlation between Dixon and IDEAL-CPMG apparent fat fraction. Muscle T2,w measured by IDEAL-CPMG was independent of changes in apparent fat fraction. Muscle T2,w was higher in the biceps femoris and vastus lateralis muscles of subjects with DMD (p <0.05). There was a strong correlation (p <0.004) between apparent fat fraction in all thigh muscles and six-minute walk distance (6MWD) in subjects with DMD. IDEAL-CPMG allowed independent and simultaneous quantification of skeletal muscle fatty degeneration and disease activity in DMD. IDEAL-CPMG apparent fat fraction and T2,w may be useful as biomarkers in clinical trials of DMD as the technique disentangles two competing biological processes

Conexiones creativas con Asia usando videoconferencias

The core activity in this project is direct contact between Australian school children both primary and secondary, with their peers in Asia, particularly in Korea. Direct contact is made through highdefinition videoconferencing whereby students talk to each other and observe each other in real time. Teachers are directly involved in organising and helping students prepare their presentations to their Asian peers, but the students themselves talk directly to their peers. The program began in 2008 and now there are 30 pairs of schools between Australia and Korea, 5 pairs for Japan, and 2 for China. This study focuses on 12 videoconferencing sessions involving Australian and Korean students. The excitement of the students in both countries is palpable, and the motivation to make the very best presentation is extremely high. Excitement, seeing new faces in their peers who are thousands of miles away across the world and who are as excited as the presenters and show it, and working to ensure that they do the best job they can in their presentations, all together act as strong motivators. But the most important aspect is the contact made between children from different countries and different cultures, who speak a different language, and who want to know about each other. The identification of creative activities as they occurred in each session was completed by three expert judges who were asked to rate behaviours simply as creative or non-creative and to give some reasons if necessary. Several spontaneous behaviours were recognized as good examples of creative behaviour.La actividad central de este proyecto está dirigida a establecer contactos entre niños de primaria y secundaria australianos con sus pares en Asia, particularmente en Corea. Contacto directo es realizado por medio de Videoconferencia de alta definición en las cuales los estudiantes hablan entre ellos y se observan en tiempo real. Los docentes están envueltos directamente en la organización y en ayudar a los estudiantes a preparar sus presentaciones para los padres asiáticos, pero son los estudiantes mismos quienes conversan directamente con sus pares. El programa comenzó en 2008 y ahora hay 30 pares de escuelas entre Australia y Corea, 5 pares con Japón y 2 con China. El estudio que aquí informamos se focaliza en 12 sesiones de videoconferencias envolviendo estudiantes australianos y coreanos. El entusiasmo de los estudiantes de ambos países es palpable y la motivación para hacer la mejor presentación es extremadamente alta. La excitación viendo nuevas caras entre sus pares que están a centenares de millas dando la vuelta al mundo y que están tan excitados como los presentadores y que lo demuestran además de asegurar que están haciendo la mejor calidad que pueden con sus presentaciones, todo esto actúa como un motivador sumamente poderoso. Pero el aspecto más importante es el contacto hecho entre jóvenes de diferentes países y culturas, que hablan idiomas diferentes y que desean saber los unos de los otros. La identificación de las actividades creativas a medida que ocurrían en cada una de las sesiones fue llevada a cabo por tres jurados expertos a los que se les pidió que midieran las conductas simplemente como creativas o no y fundamentando si eso era necesario. Varias conductas espontaneas fueron identificadas como buenos ejemplos de conductas creativas

Order Effects in Customer Satisfaction Modelling

This research examines the effects of question order on the output of a customer satisfaction model. Theory suggests that locating product attribute evaluations prior to overall evaluations of satisfaction and loyalty should increase the impact of performance drivers in the model, explain more variation in the overall evaluations, and make positive satisfaction and loyalty evaluations more extreme. Our results show that, although customers′ overall evaluations are more extreme and better explained when provided after attribute evaluations, the impact of satisfaction drivers is relatively unaffected. Consistent with expectations, question order does affect the explained variation in satisfaction and the levels of satisfaction and loyalty. Implications for satisfaction modelling are discussed

Child care of welfare families in Iowa

The purpose of this study is to examine child care practices of 22 families who were receiving cash welfare benefits from the Family Investment Program (FIP) in Iowa in the summer of 1997. Qualitative data from the first three waves of interviews of the families participating in the research project, Family Well-Being and Welfare Reform in Iowa , are used. Of the original 35 family interviews, the 22 families who had at least one child under the age of 11 were included in the analysis. Current child care, child care histories and the influence of child care on parental well-being were analyzed within the structure and context of the family and the community in which the family lives. The child care arrangements were different among the families in this study but there appeared some similarities; with limited resources for child care, the parents did their best to obtain satisfactory care for their children. Affordability, availability, difficulties in caring for children with special needs, and the influence of child care on parental employment emerged as the major issues. A lack of availability and affordability increased the burden in these families who already had economic hardships. The social networks such as family and friends played a big role as alternative care providers while providing affordable care. Free child care services child care subsidies and reimbursement also lessened the child care burdens of these families. The difficulties in child care were related to the parental decision-making about employment as well as to parental well-being. In conclusion, the results in this study suggest that enabling families, through both social support and public funding, find affordable and quality child care would be one pathway to foster self-sufficiency in these families. This study suggests four issues that have implications for the current practice of family policy on child care and welfare reform: (1) the importance of child care as a precondition of moving into labor force; (2) reinforcement of the current policy on child care funding; (3) the reinforcement of child care services; and (4) the urgent needs of quality child care for children with special needs

From Opaque to Accountable Governance: Investor Activism for Transparency in Social Media Amid Disruption in Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies have experienced rapid growth, but the absence of regulatory supervision has given rise to concerns regarding transparency. Unlike traditional financial systems, cryptocurrencies lack a central authority, resulting in unclear governance and potential issues. This is exemplified by the problems associated with Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). The recent crisis at FTX underscores the importance of transparency. While some exchanges are beginning to list assets governed by ethical principles, the path towards establishing accountable governance remains uncertain. Our research delves into how the lack of transparency in cryptocurrency exchanges prompts investors to advocate for accountable governance. We employ an event study approach to examine the impact of the FTX bankruptcy, with a particular focus on activism on Twitter. Our findings indicate that investor demands for transparency encourage exchanges to adopt measures aimed at ensuring accountability, such as conducting Proof of Reserves audits. This shift has the potential to foster a more stable and reliable cryptocurrency ecosystem, ultimately benefiting both investors and the industry as a whole

PENGARUH MINAT BELAJAR DAN LINGKUNGAN TEMAN SEBAYA TERHADAP PRESTASI BELAJAR MEMBUAT DOKUMEN SISWA KELAS XI ADMINISTRASI PERKANTORAN SMK MUHAMMADIYAH 2 MUNTILAN SEMESTER GASAL TAHUN AJARAN 2016/2017

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui: (1) pengaruh minat belajar terhadap prestasi belajar Membuat Dokumen siswa kelas XI Administrasi Perkantoran SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Muntilan semester gasal tahun ajaran 2016/2017; (2) pengaruh lingkungan teman sebaya terhadap prestasi belajar Membuat Dokumen siswa kelas XI Administrasi Perkantoran SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Muntilan semester gasal tahun ajaran 2016/2017; (3) pengaruh minat belajar dan lingkungan teman sebaya secara bersama-sama terhadap prestasi belajar Membuat Dokumen siswa kelas XI Administrasi Perkantoran SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Muntilan semester gasal tahun ajaran 2016/2017. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian ex-post facto dengan pendekatan kuantitatif. Subyek penelitian ini adalah seluruh siswa kelas XI Administrasi Perkantoran SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Muntilan tahun ajaran 2016/2017 yang berjumlah 35 siswa. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner dan dokumentasi. Teknik analisis data menggunakan analisis deskriptif, uji prasyarat analisis, dan analisis regresi sederhana untuk menjawab pertanyaan penelitian pertama dan kedua serta analisis regresi ganda untuk menjawab pertanyaan penelitian ketiga. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa: (1) terdapat pengaruh yang signifikan minat belajar terhadap prestasi belajar Membuat Dokumen siswa kelas XI Administrasi Perkantoran SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Muntilan semester gasal tahun ajaran 2016/2017 sebesar 10,4% dengan nilai signifikansi sebesar 0,029 < 0,05 dan thitung sebesar 2,436; (2) terdapat pengaruh yang signifikan lingkungan teman sebaya terhadap prestasi belajar Membuat Dokumen siswa kelas XI Administrasi Perkantoran SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Muntilan semester gasal tahun ajaran 2016/2017 sebesar 31,5% dengan nilai signifikansi sebesar 0,000 < 0,05 dan thitung sebesar 3,897; (3) terdapat pengaruh yang signifikan minat belajar dan lingkungan teman sebaya secara bersama-sama terhadap prestasi belajar Membuat Dokumen siswa kelas XI Administrasi Perkantoran SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Muntilan semester gasal tahun ajaran 2016/2017 sebesar 31,7% dengan nilai signifikansi sebesar 0,002 < 0,05 dan Fhitung sebesar 7,413