Gender and development: bridging the gap between research and action

Gender, Development, Research, households, Household resource allocation, Property rights, Project evaluation, Needs assessment,

Using gender research in development: food security in practice

Gender, Development, Research, food security, Household surveys, Food policy, Intrahousehold issues, Decision-making, Research projects, Practitioners, Project management, Women in development, Food supply, Economic development projects,

Floating Exchange Rates after Ten years

macroeconomics, exchange rate

Parenting Young Children: Comparison of a Psychoeducational Program in Mexico and the United States

The purpose of this study was to compare the cross-cultural effectiveness of a psychoeducational program with 82 Mexican and 63 American mothers with very young children. The 10-hour program was presented by trained facilitators in Mexico and the United States to small groups of mothers. Results showed that the both groups of mothers significantly increased their expectations and use of nurturing strategies and reduced their use of verbal and corporal punishment with their young children following the program. In addition, the reported frequency of child behavior problems decreased significantly at post-test. The similar results obtained across cultures were explained based on research finding similar parenting practices with young children between Mexican and American parents

Improving Reference Service with Evidence

As part of an assessment process, reference statistics in an academic library were examined over a twenty-year period and revealed steep declines in the numbers of reference questions asked. To attempt to halt or reverse this slide a number of interventions were attempted, including improved signage, outreach to patrons, and increased availability of chat reference. Increasing chat reference was clearly effective; the other interventions showed more modest success

Integrating Employment Contracts and Comparisons: What One Can Teach Us about the Other

This study examines the events that trigger individuals to consider the social exchanges involved in their employment relationships. Integrating social comparison and psychological contract literature streams, a parallel is drawn between system-referent comparisons and psychological contract evaluations. We hypothesize that self- and other-referent comparisons may be human triggers for engaging in this type of comparison. A variety of structural triggers are also proposed to influence psychological contract evaluations. This field study examines these primary and secondary contract makers as social comparison triggers. Results support the hypotheses that the triggers identified predict psychological contract evaluation and that psychological contract breach is correlated with these evaluations. Implications for future research and managerial practice are discussed

Energy watch: an energy conservation project for elementary schools

The goal of this project was to organize and implement an energy conservation program for second and fifth grade students that would increase their overall awareness and understanding of energy concepts and energy conservation

Malignant Gliomas: A Case Study

Malignant gliomas, of grade III and grade IV malignancy, are incurable neoplasms that arise from cells with several well-characterized genetic profile abnormalities that cause uncontrollable growth and infiltration in the brain. Presenting symptoms of both generalized and focal neurological abnormalities are induced by increased intracranial pressure and focal neuronal dysfunction, respectively. On average, patients experience 3 months or less of clinical history before receiving diagnosis based on multifactorial comparison of clinical and pathological presentation of the tumor. Following diagnosis, maximal safe resection and adjuvant radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy typically ensues with subsequent management chemotherapy regimens. Despite aggressive treatment approaches, progression or recurrence is highly typical based on 5-yr survival rates of 5.1% and 27.9% of grade IV glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and grade III anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), respectively, the two most common malignant gliomas. Severely progressive clinical and functional deterioration in the terminal stage of care may warrant cessation of curative care replaced with maximal palliative care. Brain tumor patients experience the burden of terminal illness as other cancer patients do, but with added neurological-specific impairments that reduce quality of life. Possible causes of death include herniation, tumor progression, and systemic illness, but can be potentially multifactorial. The following manuscript characterizes the pathological mechanisms of oncogenesis and growth, followed by a comprehensive review of the clinical care for brain tumor patients from symptom onset to cause of death. To aid in the clinical applicability of these concepts, a case study of a single patient “WL”, who received a diagnosis of grade III anaplastic astrocytoma following 3 months of visual deterioration, will prompt the clinical review by illustration of disease course and treatment

Impact of the JOBS Act and crowdfunding on the commercial real estate market

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2013.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 145-152).This thesis systematically evaluates how rapid developments in the nascent crowdfunding industry, combined with recent regulatory changes, will impact the commercial real estate markets. The phenomenon of crowdfunding, defined as raising numerous small amounts of capital from a large number of people, or the crowd, has been accelerated by the recent passage of the Jumpstart Our Businesses Start-up Act (JOBS Act). The JOBS Act legalizes and facilitates the sale of securities used to crowdfund equity and debt investments, giving rise to a proliferation of new crowdfund entrants in various business sectors, including the commercial real estate arena. This thesis first gives a detailed analysis of the JOBS Act legislation and how it alters the current regulatory and business landscape. The focus then turns to the commercial real estate markets, tracing the evolution of commercial real estate as an institutional asset class and the influence large, institutional investors such as pension funds and real estate investment trusts exert on this market. The authors also examine the impact on the average investor and conclude that these large institutional investors have bifurcated the market, leaving the average investor unable to gain exposure to "hard" commercial real estate assets. The authors then link the research to crowdfunding, first with a chapter on the emerging and dynamic crowdfund industry in general, and then on specific commercial real estate crowdfunding sites, also discussing sites related to this sector. The authors strengthen this primary research with field investigations, conducting interviews with real estate developers, investors, and securities lawyers specializing in regulatory law. They concurrently surveyed 138 well-vetted real estate professionals (the MIT Center for Real Estate alumni). The thesis then projects the size of the potential dollar value of the commercial real estate crowdfund market based on existing value and turnover in the commercial real estate markets. The final chapter imagines what this market will look like in 2015; concluding that crowdfunding will have a profound effect on the commercial real estate market.by John R. McDonald and Bonnie L. Burgett.S.M.in Real Estate Developmen