Behavioral Impacts of Father Absence on Middle School African American Boys

Father absence is the experience of children who grow up in households without their biological father. The African American population experiences the highest level of father absence of all demographic groups in the United States. Research shows that father absence influences school behavior. There is a lack of literature evaluating the extent to which father absence affects children, particularly African American boys, at different stages of development. This quantitative study was used to evaluate how father absence affected school behavior of African American boys, ages 13-15, in the middle school setting, in Houston, TX. Guided by attachment theory, the research question for this study asked how father absence impacts the school behavior of African American boys between the ages of 13 and 15 from mother-only homes when compared to school behavior of African American boys from intact families. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine overall and types of externalizing behavior of 60 purposive sampled participants identified from the Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher Report Scale subscales. Results indicated that African American boys from father absent homes displayed an overall higher rate of externalizing behavior than same- aged peers from intact families on all 3 dependent variables (Overall, Rule-Breaking, and Aggressive Behavior). This study is an important contribution to the existing literature and enhances social change initiatives by bringing increased focus on school behavior, adolescent behavior, middle school practices, and behavior interventions. Specifically, the results of this study can be used by educational stakeholders to develop early intervention and prevention programs to address behaviors associated with the absent father experience

Living with mental illness: A descriptive study of individual adult experiences of living with mental illness in Zomba, Malawi

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of mental illness in the adult Malawian context. Using the interpretive paradigm, content analysis was used to uncover the lived experiences of mental illness. This study was based on the philosophy that meaning of a phenomenon is best understood if studied within its specific context and within Parse\u27s theoretical framework. Two to four per cent of the global population share the experience of mental illness, however, little is known of individual experiences within the Malawian context. Much of the literature has focused on the physiological aspects, causes, and therapies involved in managing mental illness. Given the less than optimal availability of literature on the topic, this descriptive study was conducted in Zomba, Malawi. A convenience sample of 10 adult outpatients (six women and four men) with schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorders were interviewed to elicit descriptions of experiences of their conditions. The participants\u27 mental conditions were considered stable at the time they were attending the community mental health services. As a result of their experiences, the researcher categorised the participants\u27 descriptions as follows; view of the self, view of their illness, other peoples\u27 views, stigmatisation and discrimination, loss, suffering and distress, fear, gender issues, and coping strategies. The findings showed that this study made a contribution to nursing knowledge that is relevant to the understanding of mental illness. It is possible that this knowledge may also form the basis for recommendations in nursing care and counselling services for the mentally ill persons in Malawi

Evaluation of Best Practices for Urban Water Conservation and Water-Smart Growth Implementation in Utah

Policies and programs have been utilized throughout the United States (U.S.) to reduce water use as a strategy to ensure sufficient water supplies for future demand. As governmental leaders and policy makers face increasing freshwater scarcity and supply unpredictability, along with rising costs and decreased federal funding, Best Practices (BPs) in water conservation are increasingly important to facilitate decision-making in choosing which strategies to employ. This project uses policy analysis to review and summarize various BPs, referencing both academic and professional literature. National fixture efficiency standards enacted in 1992 are credited as among the leading factors reducing indoor water use across the nation in both areas with ample and scarce amounts of water. Since significant strides have already been achieved in reducing indoor water use, this project focuses on outdoor (landscape) water conservation approaches since they are of particular importance in arid regions. We conducted a preliminary literature and guidebook review to determine which BPs were most commonly recommended and had the most supporting evidence for their effectiveness. The most comprehensive list of recommendations was provided by Colorado WaterWise and Aquacraft, Inc.’s The Guidebook of Best Practices for Municipal Water Conservation in Colorado –Technical Guide (2010). We evaluated Colorado WaterWise and Aquacraft, Inc.(2010) along with more primary and secondary data sources (i.e., municipal codes, case studies, journal articles, best practice manuals from the industry). We evaluated implementation challenges for the Utah context through the lens of Schneider and Ingram’s (1997) policy design theory, where they recognize that “policy must serve multiple goals of solving problems, reflecting interests, being accountable, serving justice and engaging and enlightening citizens” (p. xi) and that it also needs to be well contextualized. We provide information relevant to all Utah communities, but distinguish information of particular relevance to Eagle Mountain City, Utah, which is one of the fastest growing communities in the USA. Eagle Mountain City represents current Utah urban expansion into areas previously not settled due to lack of water, and has unique opportunities to implement water-smart infrastructure in the construction phase of development. We found that strategies deployed throughout the United States can have varying results, and lack of empirical data documenting implementation and results can inhibit BP analysis and improvement. We recommend that policy and program implementers should more explicitly define goals, document societal outcomes, and analyze results for effective evaluation and transferability of lessons learned between municipalities. We further recommend that BPs targeting the correct design, installation, and maintenance of landscapes and irrigation systems be utilized, since such policies could be the outdoor equivalent of the 1992 efficiency standards that were instrumental in reducing indoor water use across the nation

The HI - Star Formation Connection: Open Questions

We show data from the Survey of Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies (SINGG) and Survey of Ultraviolet emission in Neutral Gas Galaxies (SUNGG) which survey the star formation properties of HI selected galaxies as traced by H-alpha and ultraviolet emission, respectively. The correlations found demonstrate a strong relationship between the neutral ISM, young massive stars, and the evolved stellar populations. For example the correlation between R band surface brightness and the HI cycling time is tighter than the Kennicutt-Schmidt Star Formation Law. Other scaling relations from SINGG give strong direct confirmation of the downsizing scenario: low mass galaxies are more gaseous and less evolved into stars than high mass galaxies. There are strong variations in the H-alpha to UV flux ratios within and between galaxies. The only plausible explanations for this result are that either the escape fraction of ionizing photons or the upper end of the IMF varies with galaxy mass. We argue for the latter interpretation, although either result has major implications for astrophysics. A detailed dissection of the massive star content in the extended HI disk of NGC2915 provides a consistent picture of continuing star formation with a truncated or steep IMF, while other GALEX results indicate that star formation edges seen in Halpha are not always apparent in the UV. These and other recent results settle some old questions but open many new questions about star formation and its relation to the ISM.Comment: To appear in AIP Conference Proceedings, "The Evolution of Galaxies through the Neutral Hydrogen Window", Feb 1-3 2008, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, eds. R. Minchin & E. Momjian. 7 page

Modeling the Past: A Note on the Search for Proper Form

As historians move beyond the computation of predictive measures to fashion regression models of past behavior they need to consider not only the estimation of regression parameters, but also the specification of a functional form for the model itself. The choice of a particular form for expressing the relationships among variables often has important implications for interpreting the historical issues under investigation. This paper presents methodology developed by J. B. Ramsey and other theorists for comparing distinct functional forms of a regression model according to criteria other than differences in the capacity to account for variation in the dependent variable. Ramsey's procedure directly tests the hypothesis of correctly specified functional form through scrutiny of the pattern of residuals that would be expected for properly specified models. The methodology can thus provide useful information on the choice of computing models especially when measures of explained variation are too close in value to indicate a clear preference for a given equation

Impact of obesity on rates of successful vaginal delivery after term induction of labor

Objective: Determine success of term inductions of labor among an obese patient population. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all women greater than 37 weeks gestation who underwent induction of labor at University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics (12-2012 to 03-2013). Chart abstraction included data from the patient’s prenatal care, medical history, labor history, delivery and postpartum course. Subjects were stratified by pre-pregnancy BMI. Results: 74 inductions occurred at greater than 37 weeks gestation during the study period. Successful vaginal delivery (operative and spontaneous) occurred for 80.4% of normal weight women versus 82.6% for women who were obese pre-pregnancy (p=0.85). Induction of obese women was associated with significantly longer infant admission (2.82 days vs 6.09 days, p=0.03) and a higher likelihood to be admitted to neonatal intensive care (5.88% vs 26.09%, p=.021). Conclusions: While rates of successful vaginal delivery following induction were similar between normal weight and obese women, infants of obese women were more likely to require admission to neonatal intensive care and require longer hospital stays

Cosmic clocks: A Tight Radius - Velocity Relationship for HI-Selected Galaxies

HI-Selected galaxies obey a linear relationship between their maximum detected radius Rmax and rotational velocity. This result covers measurements in the optical, ultraviolet, and HI emission in galaxies spanning a factor of 30 in size and velocity, from small dwarf irregulars to the largest spirals. Hence, galaxies behave as clocks, rotating once a Gyr at the very outskirts of their discs. Observations of a large optically-selected sample are consistent, implying this relationship is generic to disc galaxies in the low redshift Universe. A linear RV relationship is expected from simple models of galaxy formation and evolution. The total mass within Rmax has collapsed by a factor of 37 compared to the present mean density of the Universe. Adopting standard assumptions we find a mean halo spin parameter lambda in the range 0.020 to 0.035. The dispersion in lambda, 0.16 dex, is smaller than expected from simulations. This may be due to the biases in our selection of disc galaxies rather than all halos. The estimated mass densities of stars and atomic gas at Rmax are similar (~0.5 Msun/pc^2) indicating outer discs are highly evolved. The gas consumption and stellar population build time-scales are hundreds of Gyr, hence star formation is not driving the current evolution of outer discs. The estimated ratio between Rmax and disc scale length is consistent with long-standing predictions from monolithic collapse models. Hence, it remains unclear whether disc extent results from continual accretion, a rapid initial collapse, secular evolution or a combination thereof.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, 3 in colour. Published in MNRAS. This v2 corrects wrong journal in the references section (all instances of "Astrophysics and Space Sciences" should have been ApJ). The Posti+2017 has also been updated. An erratum has been submitted to MNRA

30P. Federated Identity Management: Why is Adoption so Low?

As enterprises extend internal systems and applications to external users, it is important to ensure that the user experience operates seamlessly between disparate organizations. To meet this challenge, Federated Identity Management (FIM, also single sign-on) provides an economically efficient and convenient way of providing connectivity to customers, partners, suppliers, and others. FIM is a topic of widespread discussion with rapid growth predicted for almost ten years. This growth has not happened. This prescriptive study identifies some key factors contributing to the slow adoption of FIM technology, including technological complexities, lack of trust between partners, and the complications and expenditures involved in establishing and maintaining contractual agreements between partners