Life on point youth development program outcomes

The widely implemented Life On Point youth development program is intended to promote youths’ psychosocial development and resistance to health risk behaviors. The program was evaluated following an experimental design, with 77 middle school students randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. ANCOVA analysis of pre- and post-program questionnaire data revealed significant, positive differences between program and control group participants on measures of the program’s targeted outcomes, both in terms of statistical significance and substantial effect sizes. Consistent with previous research, control group participants’ outcome indicators worsened over the course of the evaluation, suggesting that Life On Point and similar positive youth development programs insulate against threats to, as well as promoting, youths’ psychosocial development

A quick, free, somewhat easy-to-read introduction to empirical social science research methods

A free, brief textbook to introduce students to the core concepts of empirical social science research methods. This textbook has been used as the main textbook in an undergraduate social science research methods course (supplemented by many in-class exercises and research reports) and as the basis of a review in preparation for graduate-level study in research methods and program evaluation. A note to instructors: If you use this text in any way, whether as the primary text, a supplemental text, or a recommended resource, I ask only two small favors: (1) When you make it available to students, please always include a link back to the text’s download site, https://scholar.utc.edu/oer/1/. While you are free to download and distribute the text under the Creative Commons 4.0 license, my preference is that you point students to this website to download it themselves. Seeing the download numbers tick up is a treat, and I plan to add additional appendices over time, so the download file will be updated occasionally. (2) Please send me a quick email at [email protected] letting me know you’re using it. I welcome your feedback as well. Thank you, and best wishes for successful research methods instruction

Study of Physical Layer Security and Teaching Methods in Wireless Communications

In most wireless channels, the signals propagate in all directions. For the communication between Alice and Bob, an Eavesdropper can receive the signals from both Alice and Bob as far as the Eavesdropper is in the range determined by the transmitting power. Through phased array antenna with beam tracking circuits or cooperative iteration, the signals are confined near the straight line connecting the positions of Alice and Bob, so it will largely reduce the valid placement of an Eavesdropper. Sometimes, this reduction can be prohibitive for Eavesdropper to wiretap the channel since the reduced space can be readily protected. Two course modules have been developed for students to understand signal propagation in physical layer and how it is used to enhance channel security along with natural and man-made noise

Advanced Background Subtraction Applied to Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel Testing

An advanced form of background subtraction is presented and applied to aeroacoustic wind tunnel data. A variant of this method has seen use in other fields such as climatology and medical imaging. The technique, based on an eigenvalue decomposition of the background noise cross-spectral matrix, is robust against situations where isolated background auto-spectral levels are measured to be higher than levels of combined source and background signals. It also provides an alternate estimate of the cross-spectrum, which previously might have poor definition for low signal-to-noise ratio measurements. Simulated results indicate similar performance to conventional background subtraction when the subtracted spectra are weaker than the true contaminating background levels. Superior performance is observed when the subtracted spectra are stronger than the true contaminating background levels. Experimental results show limited success in recovering signal behavior for data where conventional background subtraction fails. They also demonstrate the new subtraction technique's ability to maintain a proper coherence relationship in the modified cross-spectral matrix. Beam-forming and de-convolution results indicate the method can successfully separate sources. Results also show a reduced need for the use of diagonal removal in phased array processing, at least for the limited data sets considered

Mixed-use at the landscape scale : integrating agriculture and water management as a case study for interdisciplinary planning

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2010.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 (p. 59-61).Mixed-use planning is now a standard practice in city design and development. It is believed to support diverse and mutually reinforcing elements within a neighborhood. Agricultural landscapes present an analogous opportunity for mixed-use planning in order to capitalize on the synergies between food production, economic development, water management, biodiversity, energy production, and cultural preservation. This thesis develops a model specifically for integrating agriculture and water management in the United States context. The model is derived from an in-depth case study of a payment for ecosystem services program being tested in central Florida and a review of background literature from a variety of disciplines. The case study is the Florida Ranchlands for Environmental Services Project, currently in its pilot phase, which aims to design a program in which ranchers are paid to retain water on their pastures and reduce phosphorous levels in the Everglades. The thesis begins with a discussion of the challenges and prior attempts to integrate agriculture and water management as well as a summary of the case study's context. Next, it presents the model for integrated management, supported by findings from the case study and contextualized within current literature on payment for ecosystem services. It also investigates the financial feasibility and regional benefits of a scaled-up program. A future research agenda is then suggested, followed by a summary of key findings and implications for planning practice.by Christopher Horne.M.C.P

19. College Students Reduce Meal Size and/or Skip Meals due to Finances

Background The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread economic disruption , affecting the supply and demand for food. University students became financially stressed causing food security issues. Meal size reduction or meal skipping during this time may impact academic performance as GPA declines with food insecurity in university students. Purpose The purpose of this study was to observe the changes in meals consumed by U.S. university students that had occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method An anonymous, cross sectional online survey of university students was conducted. The questionnaire consisted of 89 items, of which a subset was used for this analysis. Sampling followed the snowball technique. Results Of 282 participants, 20% reported needing to cut the size of their meals or skip meals during the early pandemic period. Fifty-five percent cut meal size or skipped meals and 20% ate less than they should to save money in the past year. Thirty-three percent experienced not having enough money to buy food when their supply did not last in the past year. Of those, 56.7% experienced inadequate funds during the pandemic. Approximately 56% of the total reported always being able to afford a balanced meal. Conclusions Although food insecurity throughout the year has been identified in college student ranging from 11-52%, this data indicates that it may be more prevalent during the quarantine months of the early COVID-19 experience. University support for food insecure students is critical during disruptive events and requires services to adapt to student needs

A National Survey of Parent Support Legislation and Regulations

Introduction: Parent education has a positive impact on children, parents, families, and the community. CHILDREN AT RISK and Bracewell & Giuliani LLP conducted a policy scan of state statutes regarding parent education. Methodology: To identify state statutes that address parent education, we conducted a search of statutes in all 50 states using keywords and the online legal research systems. After all state-level policies were ascertained, we selected the most relevant statutes to parent education and identified major themes. Results: The policy scan identified statutes regarding non-mandated parent education in 40 out of the 50 states. Common themes include: home visitation programs, funding through a Children’s Trust Fund, early childhood initiatives, use of evidence-based programs, and a community-based component to the parent education statute. Discussion: In a needs assessment of parent education in Houston, Texas, stigma and funding were identified as the biggest barriers to increasing the availability of parent education. Funding was addressed in a few state policies, but stigma was not addressed. While parent support programs have many demonstrated positive effects, the effect of the various mandated parent support strategies remains unproven. Conclusion: While most states have statutes regarding parent education, more evaluation and research is needed on how these policies are implemented and their measured impact on families in the state

The role of the exercise instructor in older adults' uptake and adherence to exercise classes

Encouraging older adults to become more active and maintain that activity is critical to the promotion of their health and well-being, social networks and independence. Leadership behaviour and quality of instruction is important in influencing engagement of older adults in exercise classes. Instructors' attitudes could influence older adults' uptake and adherence to classes, but little is known about the relationship between attitudes and characteristics of instructors and their delivery in relation to uptake and adherence of older adults to exercise classes. Methods: Underpinned by the Theory of Planned Behaviour and using a mixed methods approach this thesis uses three studies to:1) Survey 731 United Kingdom exercise instructors with Level 3 older adults exercise qualification to investigate instructors' characteristics and attitudes towards older-adults' participation in exercise. 2) Interview 19 instructors to further explore instructors' attitudes, experiences and beliefs in relation to their exercise classes for older adults and how their attitudes, experiences and beliefs are influenced by their training and characteristics.3) Follow up a cohort of 16 instructors and 193 of their class participants over 6 months to explore what characteristics of exercise instructors, the group and class participants influence adherence and also whether instructors influence uptake and adherence to home exercise. Results and Conclusion: The first study establishes that there is a relationship between instructors' training, experience, characteristics and their attitudes. The second study supports these findings and demonstrates how instructors' think that these factors and others not only influence how they deliver and promote their classes but also influence older adults' uptake and adherence to exercise classes. The final study enables us to look at the relationship between instructor variables and the participant within the exercise class setting. Class participants' mental well-being, education and housing were key factors related to their attendance. Having attended the class for more than six months at baseline was an important factor related to adherence. Individual factors such as participants' attitudes, beliefs about group cohesion and instructor variables such as personality traits and experience emerged in the final models both in relation to participant attendance and adherence. There are a series of complex interactions between the instructor, participant, the group and others which influences beliefs and attitudes. It is clear that the instructor can influence participants and they have an important role to play in creating an atmosphere and environment of which participants want to be a part of.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceMedical Research CouncilGBUnited Kingdo

Investigation of a Local Plastic Pollution Incident and Presentation of a Potential Remediation Strategy

Microplastic (MP) pollution is ubiquitous in environments across the globe, since plastics are known to fragment into smaller pieces over time. Microplastics are contaminants of emerging concern and the full extent of their effects is unknown. In some areas, microplastics heavily contaminate surface waters and are susceptible to chemical weathering, which alters their properties. These pollutants have the potential to enter the trophic levels and disrupt biological systems, as well as serve as a vector for other environmental contaminants through adsorption. The increase in the input of MP pollution into the environment requires technical remediation strategies, as there is no natural mechanism for remediation of these pollutants. In Hammond, Indiana, the company that manufactures polyethylene (PE) portable toilets has released PE waste into the adjacent wetland. The current methods of remediation for the wetland involve using oil booms to contain the pollution. In this study, water and sediment samples were collected from the freshwater marsh and its adjoining lake that are contaminated with the PE shavings. Laboratory analyses of the samples indicate a pollution load of over 1000 MP per sample. Laboratory experiments were also conducted to investigate a potential means for plastic remediation using an agglomeration technique. The results of using different polymers, particle sizes, and chemical additives will be presented. This pollution incident exhibits the critical need for effective remediation strategies, as well as regulations that will protect the world’s surface waters

A search for starlight reflected from HD 75289b

We have used a Doppler tomographic analysis to conduct a deep search for the starlight reflected from the planetary companion to HD 75289. In four nights on VLT(UT2)/UVES in 2003 January, we obtained 684 high-resolution echelle spectra with a total integration time of 26 h. We establish an upper limit on the geometric albedo of the planet p < 0.12 (to the 99.9 per cent significance level) at the most probable orbital inclination i≃ 60°, assuming a grey albedo, a Venus-like phase function and a planetary radius Rp= 1.6 RJup. We are able to rule out some combinations of the predicted planetary radius and atmospheric albedo models with high, reflective cloud deck