1,049 research outputs found

    Positive Affect and Adjustment to Perceived Racism

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    This research provided the first empirical investigation of the role of positive affect in moderating the relationship between perceived racism and depressive symptoms. A sample of 215 racial and ethnic minority young adults completed measures of perceived racism, daily race–related stress, positive affect, optimism, and depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that positive affect and perceived racism accounted for a significant portion of the variance in depressive symptoms. Most notably, above and beyond the effects of optimism, positive affect interacted with perceived racism to weaken its influence on depression. Implications for future research directions that build on these initial findings are discussed

    Hope Measurement in Mexican American Youth

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    Hope is a motivational construct that has been associated with many positive outcomes in children, adolescents, and adults. Although research with the Children’s Hope Scale (CHS) has demonstrated support for the reliability and validity of the CHS with various samples of youth, there is little empirical evidence for its use with Latino youth. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the six-item CHS in a sample of 135 Mexican American youth. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for a hierarchical representation of the CHS with two underlying factors (pathways and agency). CHS scores were found to be positively correlated with measures of positive affect, life satisfaction, support from family and friends, and optimism. Additional analyses provided evidence supporting convergent validity and measurement invariance across gender. Implications and directions for future research are discussed

    Hope as a Source of Resilience in Later Adulthood

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    This research provided a preliminary investigation of how variations in trait and state hope are associated with positive adaptation to stress in later adulthood. Trait hope and neuroticism were measured by questionnaires and state hope, stress, and negative emotions were assessed daily for 45 days. Results from multilevel random coefficient modeling analyses suggested that daily hope provides protective benefits by keeping negative emotions low, while also contributing to adaptive recovery from stress. The dynamic linkages between daily hope, stress, and emotion were further moderated by individual differences in trait hope. Compared with those low in trait hope, high-hope individuals showed diminished stress reactivity and more effective emotional recovery

    Detection of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Rio Grande Basin above Cochiti Dam: Sources & Significance

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    Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been detected with increasing frequency in water and fish tissue samples in the Rio Grande Basin above Cochiti Dam (RGBACD), which correlates with the use of improved analytical methods for quantifying PCBs. Levels of PCBs identified in some fish have exceeded levels considered safe for human consumption, resulting in a Fish Consumption Advisory\u27 for Abiquiu and Cochiti Reservoirs and the Rio Grande from Pojoaque Creek to Frijoles Canyon (Bandelier National Monument). In June of 2007, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) listed seven water bodies in the RGBACD as impaired due to elevated concentrations of PCBs in fish tissue and water samples collected from the area. These actions, a review of PCB related research conducted within the RGBACD, and a comparison between Aroclor and congener analytical results initiated research investigating the following issues: 1) whether PCBs are more prevalent in water, sediment, and fish tissue samples now than determined in field studies prior to 1997, 2) where the most likely sources of PCB contamination in the RGBACD are located, 3) whether canyons on LANL property are contributing to PCBs in water and sediment within the Rio Grande and in fish at Cochiti Reservoir, 4) if sediment contamination poses a potential risk, and 5) the appropriate fish consumption limits for fish caught in Cochiti and Abiquiu Reservoirs. This paper describes a study that generated information related to the occurrence, distribution, and potential sources of PCBs in the RGBACD. Results from samples collected upstream and downstream of Los Alamos National Laboratory contradict previous research concluding it was not a major source of PCBs in fish tissue at Cochiti Reservoir. Concentrations in carp, catfish, rainbow trout, and walleye collected in 2006 by the NMED Surface Water Quality Bureau fall within the recommended monthly EPA fish consumption limit category. Preliminary recommendations to better characterize PCBs in the RGBACD are offered as a result of the study

    Dairies in New Mexico: The Environmental Implications of a New Industry

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    The dairy industry, at first blush, might seem to be an odd growth industry for New Mexico, but the last decade has seen an extraordinary expansion of the industry in the state. The presence of the industry has consequences for the state in several domains, including water quantity and water quality, as well as economics, animal welfare and state finances. This article is an attempt to characterize these implications for water policy and to solicit insights from those who are familiar with the industry

    What Is the Magnitude and Long-term Economic Cost of Care of the British Military Afghanistan Amputee Cohort?

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    Background Personal protection equipment, improved early medical care, and rapid extraction of the casualty have resulted in more injured service members who served in Afghanistan surviving after severe military trauma. Many of those who survive the initial trauma are faced with complex wounds such as multiple amputations. Although costs of care can be high, they have not been well quantified before. This is required to budget for the needs of the injured beyond their service in the armed forces. Question/purposes The purposes of this study were (1) to quantify and describe the extent and nature of traumatic amputations of British service personnel from Afghanistan; and (2) to calculate an estimate of the projected long-term cost of this cohort. Methods A four-stage methodology was used: (1) systematic literature search of previous studies of amputee care cost; (2) retrospective analysis of the UK Joint Theatre Trauma and prosthetic database; (3) Markov economic algorithm for healthcare cost and sensitivity analysis of results; and (4) statistical cost comparison between our cohort and the identified literature. Results From 2003 to 2014, 265 casualties sustained 416 amputations. The average number of limbs lost per casualty was 1.6. The most common type of amputation was a transfemoral amputation (153 patients); the next most common amputation type was unilateral transtibial (143 patients). Using a Markov model of healthcare economics, it is estimated that the total 40-year cost of the UK Afghanistan lower limb amputee cohort is £288 million (USD 444 million); this figure estimates cost of trauma care, rehabilitation, and prosthetic costs. A sensitivity analysis on our model demonstrated a potential ± 6.19% variation in costs. Conclusions The conflict in Afghanistan resulted in high numbers of complex injuries. Our findings suggest that a long-term facility to budget for veterans’ health care is necessary

    Companion dog acquisition and mental well-being: a community-based three-arm controlled study

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    Background Dog ownership is suggested to improve mental well-being, although empirical evidence among community dog owners is limited. This study examined changes in human mental well-being following dog acquisition, including four measures: loneliness, positive and negative affect, and psychological distress. Methods We conducted an eight-month controlled study involving three groups (n = 71): 17 acquired a dog within 1 month of baseline (dog acquisition); 29 delayed dog acquisition until study completion (lagged control); and 25 had no intentions of acquiring a dog (community control). All participants completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale (possible scores 0–60), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and Kessler10 at baseline, three-months and eight-months. We used repeated measures ANCOVAs to analyse data with owner age and sex included as covariates. Post-hoc tests were performed for significant effects (p \u3c 0.05). Results There was a statistically significant group by time interaction for loneliness (p = 0.03), with an estimated reduction of 8.41 units (95% CI -16.57, − 0.26) from baseline to three-months and 7.12 (95% CI -12.55, − 1.69) from baseline to eight-months in the dog acquisition group. The group by time interaction for positive affect was also significant (p = 0.03), although there was no change in the dog acquisition group. Conclusions Companion dog acquisition may reduce loneliness among community dog owners. Our study provides useful direction for future larger trials on the effects of dog ownership on human mental well-being

    Status of the QCDSP project

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    We describe the completed 8,192-node, 0.4Tflops machine at Columbia as well as the 12,288-node, 0.6Tflops machine assembled at the RIKEN Brookhaven Research Center. Present performance as well as our experience in commissioning these large machines is presented. We outline our on-going physics program and explain how the configuration of the machine is varied to support a wide range of lattice QCD problems, requiring a variety of machine sizes. Finally a brief discussion is given of future prospects for large-scale lattice QCD machines.Comment: LATTICE98(machines), 3 pages, 1 picture, 1 figur

    War and the Reelection Motive: Examining the Effect of Term Limits

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    This article investigates the relationship between term limits and international conflict. Theories of political survival and diversionary war both imply term limits should play a role in international relations, whereas “permanent referendum theory,” largely motivated by work in American politics, suggests otherwise. Drawing on these theories, we formulate and test competing hypotheses regarding term limits and international crises. Using dyadic militarized interstate disputes data and information on forty-eight democracies with term limits, we uncover strong evidence to support the claim that leaders reaching final terms in office are more likely to initiate conflict than those still subject to reelection. Moreover, we find that the likelihood of conflict initiation is significantly higher during times of recession, but only in the absence of binding term limits. While binding electoral terms and economic downturns are both independently associated with increased levels of conflict initiation, in concert their conditional effects actually counteract each other
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