Norms and Factorial Invariance of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS)

This study examined the factorial invariance of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS; Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993) and developed norms for its future use. A sample of 2,856 participants was assembled from multiple administrations of the AIMS over the past 10 years. The total sample was divided into two samples: a derivation sample (n = 1,462) and a validation sample (n = 1,394). The samples were stratified to insure equivalence in gender and varsity athlete/non-athlete composition. No significant differences were detected between the derivation and validation samples in AIMS item mean scores or demographic variables (all ps>.10). Results indicated that a multidimensional model in which three highly correlated first order factors (social identity, exclusivity, and negative affectivity) are subordinate to a higher order athletic identity factor demonstrated factorial invariance across genders and athletic statuses. Confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) methods were performed on the derivation sample data to examine four AIMS models (the original uni-dimensional model and three multidimensional models, designated Models A, B, C, and D) that have been previously proposed and investigated in the literature. The results of these analyses, which are described in the Appendix, supported the development of a new higher-order model, Model E, which consists of seven items. The findings suggested that a 7-item composite AIMS score is appropriate for assessing athletic identity in both men and women. Applications of the AIMS with student-athletes were discussed

The Incidence, severity and aetiology of a bacterial canker disease of citrus in Ghana

A disease of citrus characterised by slightly raised spots with chlorotic halo was observed in the citrus orchard of the Soil and Irrigation Research Centre of the University of Ghana, located at Kpong in 2009. Samples of the diseased leaves and fruits were taken and a bacterium isolated and identified using cultural, morphological and polymerase chain reactions with three different sets of species specific primers. The pathogenicity of the bacterium was established using citrus seedlings. The bacterium isolated was found to produce yellow mucoid colonies and the cells were short rods and gram negative. It showed pectolytic activity on potato plugs and was pathogenic to artificially inoculated seedlings. The expected PCR product of 222 bp, 179 bp and 197 bp were obtained in the PCR using the primer pairs 2/3, J-RXg/J-RXC2 and J-pth1/J-pth2 respectively. It was concluded that the bacterium was Xanthomonas campestris pv citri A and the disease was a form of citrus canker. The disease incidence decreased from 100% to 13.3% in six years (2009-2014). Correspondingly, the disease severity declined from 88.3% to 1.7% in six years (2009-2014) without the application of any control measure. It was conjectured that the prevailing microclimate and environmental conditions might have influenced the survival of the pathogen. The practical implications of the findings are discussed and future studies suggested

Effects of Transferable Skills Workshops on the Career Self-Efficacy of College Student-Athletes

This study was designed to investigate the effects of two types of transferable skills workshops on the career self-efficacy of intercollegiate student-athletes. Participants were 79 college student-athletes (45 males [30 football players and 15 basketball players] and 34 females [14 softball players and 20 soccer players]) enrolled at a small NCAA Division III institution. Student-athletes (N=79) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) a control condition that involved viewing a video on sports nutrition, (b) an unaugmented transferable skills workshop that was based on the model suggested by Petitpas and Schwartz (1989), and (c) an augmented transferable skills workshop similar to the unaugmented workshop but including completion of a self-report inventory designed to help athletes identify sport-related skills that can transfer to other domains. All participants completed the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Short-Form (COSE-SF; Betz & Taylor, 200 I) before and after the workshops. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) with COSE-SF pretest scores as a covariate revealed that the augmented transferable skills workshop produced significantly greater increases in career self-efficacy than the unaugmented transferable skills workshop and the control condition. Paired samples t-tests indicated that both transferable skills workshops, but not the control condition, produced statistically significant gains in career self-efficacy. The results suggest that both transferable skills workshops can have a positive influence on the career self-efficacy of student-athletes and that a standardized transferable skills inventory can be a helpful tool in enhancing the ability of student-athletes to identify transferable skills that can increase their career self-efficacy. The career self-efficacy level of student-athletes who participated in the transferable skills workshops increased significantly compared to that of the control group. In addition, participants who completed the TSI as part of their transferable skills workshop showed higher levels of career self-efficacy than student-athletes who did not complete the TSI

College Adjustment of Football Players: Predictors of First Semester Adjust to College among NCAA Division III Intercollegiate Football Players

This study examined predictors of first-semester adjustment to college among 48 first-year intercollegiate football players. Participants completed measures oflife stress, social support, quality of their relationship with parents, quality of their roommate relationship, sport satisfaction, athletic identity, and adjustment to college near the end of the first semester. The predictor variables accounted for 43% of the variance in adjustment to college, with quality of the roommate relationship and sport satisfaction emerging as significant (p < .05) predictors of adjustment. The results highlight the role of social and sport-related factors in how well first-year intercollegiate football players adjust to college. Recommendations for facilitating positive adjustment were provided. The more favorably participants perceived the relationship with their roommates and the more satisfied they were with their involvement in football, the better their adjustment near the end of the first semester of college. Contrary to the hypothesized pattern of results, however, factors found previously to relate to adjustment to college in the general student body (i.e., life stress, social support, and relationship with parents) were not associated with the football players' adjustment to college. Social support did not moderate the relationship between life stress and adjustment, and athletic identity did not moderate the relationship between sport satisfaction and adjustment. The failure of life stress, social support, and parent relationship to predict adjustment to college among first-year intercollegiate football players is surprising in light of research documenting associations between these variables and adjustment to college for the general student population (Compas et al., 1986; Holmbeck & Wandrei,1993; Prancer et al., 2000; Pratt et al., 2000; Wintre & Yaffe, 2000)

Heat capacity studies of Ce and Rh site substitution in the heavy fermion antiferromagnet CeRhIn_5;: Short-range magnetic interactions and non-Fermi-liquid behavior

In heavy fermion materials superconductivity tends to appear when long range magnetic order is suppressed by chemical doping or applying pressure. Here we report heat capacity measurements on diluted alloyes of the heavy fermion superconductor CeRhIn_5;. Heat capacity measurements have been performed on CeRh_{1-y}Ir_{y}In_5; (y <= 0.10) and Ce_{1-x}La_{x}Rh_{1-y}Ir_{y}In_5; (x <= 0.50) in applied fields up to 90 kOe to study the affect of doping and magnetic field on the magnetic ground state. The magnetic phase diagram of CeRh_{0.9}Ir_{0.1}In_5; is consistent with the magnetic structure of CeRhIn_5; being unchanged by Ir doping. Doping of Ir in small concentrations is shown to slightly increase the antiferromagnetic transition temperature T_{N} (T_{N}=3.8 K in the undoped sample). La doping which causes disorder on the Ce sublattice is shown to lower T_{N} with no long range order observed above 0.34 K for Ce_{0.50}La_{0.50}RhIn_5;. Measurements on Ce_{0.50}La_{0.50}RhIn_5; show a coexistence of short range magnetic order and non-Fermi-liquid behavior. This dual nature of the Ce 4f-electrons is very similar to the observed results on CeRhIn_5; when long range magnetic order is suppressed at high pressure.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure

Blending and Spending: Financial Influences Impacting Childfree Stepmothers’ Relationship Satisfaction

There exists a need to better understand how monetary factors impact the partnerships of childfree stepmothers in blended families. The present study examines the correlation of couples’ shared financial values and congruence in financial management behaviors with relationship satisfaction among these stepmothers. Participants included 104 childfree stepmothers in blended families. Findings indicated that perceived shared financial values positively predicted relationship satisfaction. In addition, while financial behavior congruence between stepmothers and their partners did predict relationship satisfaction, it did so through a weaker inverse association. Contrary to expectations, financial behavior congruence did not mediate the association between shared financial values and relationship satisfaction. These results reflect the complex role of financial factors in the well-being of childfree stepmothers within blended families and the need for nuanced psychological and financial support tailored to this oft-overlooked group of women