Factors in vocational choice by college women

The major purpose of the study was to investigate antecedents of vocational choice in college women. Additional purposes include: development of a comprehensive instrument to assess vocational choice; subjection of the instrument to factor analysis; and identification of demographic differences by declared major;A Work Interest Questionnaire (WIQ) was devised for use in the study and consisted of 120 items organized around the areas of career considerations, role expectations, and work components. The WIQ was designed from literature search, review of established instruments, and input from faculty and students. The WIQ was administered to 437 junior and senior students in four groups of majors enrolled at Iowa State University: Child Development (N = 102); Food and Nutrition (N = 114); Social Sciences (N = 109); and the Biological Sciences (N = 106). Data were collected from students during regular classroom periods and by mail;Differences were found between students across majors on several demographic items. Sorority membership was found to be greater for Food and Nutrition majors, while Child Development majors desired the greatest number of children and had fewer mothers working outside the home than the other majors. Students in the Social and Biological Sciences declared their major later than the two groups in Home Economics; A greater number of higher degrees (master\u27s and doctorate) were desired by those in Food and Nutrition, and Social Sciences, and especially in the Biological Sciences;The factor analyses identified eight factors, seven of which were usable for subsequent investigation. These seven factors were: Work Autonomy; Family-Work Flexibility; Parental Influences; Work Incentives; Promotion and Esteem; Parental Expectations for Daughter\u27s Family Establishment; and Social/Family Orientation. Items from each of the three major theoretical sections of the WIQ (Career Considerations, Future Role Expectations, Work Components) were found to load within the eight factors and provided support for the original inclusion of these sections in a comprehensive instrument such as the WIQ;Between group differences showed Home Economics majors to be more traditional than majors in the Social and Biological Sciences. The use of the multi-dimensional approach to assessing vocational choice for women was substantiated by the results obtained from between group comparisons and the factor analysis of the Work Interest Questionnaire

Preserving Families: Does It Work? A Policy Analysis

Beginning with a look at the historical background of child welfare services in the United States, this policy analysis examines issues surrounding the use of out-of home placement of children as an intervention strategy with families in crisis. In response to the increasing demand for the limited dollars available to provide social services, the high cost of out-of-home placement and concern for the large number of children who experienced lengthy or multiple foster care placements policy makers and service providers are now focusing upon efforts to preserve families and prevent unnecessary out-of-home placement of children. Family preservation services are examined within the context of the range of services available to families and children. Discussion focuses on issues surrounding effectiveness of family preservation services, research and evaluation efforts to date, and concludes with a summary and recommendations for future evaluation efforts

Modeling the stream temperature regime of the East Fork of the Virgin River in Zion National Park

1991 Summer.Includes bibliographic references (pages 136-141).The following stream temperature study was conducted as part of a general study by the Water Rights Branch, Water Resources Division, National Park Service, to evaluate the physical habitat of the aquatic organisms within Zion National Park (ZION). Stream temperature is an aquatic habitat characteristic that is known to be a controlling variable in the successful existence of the Virgin spinedace (Espinosa, 1978). The Virgin River spinedace, a non-game fish which is endemic to the East Fork of the Virgin River, was delineated as the target organism as it has been recommended for classification as threatened (50 F.R. 37959). The first objective of the study was to measure and describe existing stream temperatures of the East Fork of the Virgin River at Virgin River Mile (VRM) 157.3. Diurnal fluctuations in the stream temperature of 10°C were common. The average maximum, mean, and minimum stream temperatures for the study period were 26.7°C, 21.8°C, and 17.0°C, respectively during which the average flow was 1076 l/s. A second objective of the study was to predict the response of the daily fluctuations and mean daily stream temperature at VRM 157.3 to perturbations in stream temperature and discharge at the upstream (eastern) Zion National Park boundary. Stream, shading, and site characteristic data were collected along a 9.3 km reach on the East Fork and input into TEMP-84, a stream temperature model, for simulation of existing and perturbed flows of 283 l/s (10 cfs), 566 l/s (20 cfs), 2,124 l/s (75 cfs), 2,832 l/s (100 cfs), 14,160 l/s (500 cfs), and 28,320 l/s (1000 cfs). Perturbed inflow temperature conditions were delineated as equal to the average ambient temperature and groundwater temperature. Modeled results were evaluated in terms of the relative change in maximum, mean, and minimum stream temperature from that modeled for existing conditions. The relative change was then applied to measured stream temperatures to estimate stream temperatures for the selected hypothetical condition. Results from the modeling exercise demonstrated sharply dampened diurnal fluctuations at VRM 157.3 from an average of 10.1°C under existing conditions to 4.7°C as the flow increased to 2,832 l/s. As the flow was increased beyond 2,832 l/s, the diurnal fluctuation at VRM 157.3 decreases further and approached that of VRM 163.1 at the upstream end of the study reach. Mean stream temperatures at VRM 157.3 decreased by an average of 2.4°C as the flow increased to 14,160 l/s. Flows less than baseflow simulated dramatically increased diurnal fluctuations; diurnal fluctuations of 17.3°C were simulated for flows of 283 l/s. Mean stream temperatures increased by an average of 1.5°C when inflow was decreased to 283 l/s. Hypothetical inflow temperature simulations depicted a clear shift in the diurnal fluctuation at VRM 157.3 in the direction of the change in inflow stream temperature at VRM 163.1. Mean stream temperatures increased by an average of 4.6°C when inflow was equal to the average ambient temperature and decreased by an average of 2.0°C when inflow was equal to groundwater temperature

Wildlife as Biosamplers: Contaminants in Hair of Elk Harvested Near the Anaconda Smelter Site

The purpose of this research was to test a new way of investigating biological uptake of smelting-related contaminants with a focus on harvested wildlife. Specific objectives were 1) to collect hair samples from elk (Cervus elaphus) harvested in the vicinity of the Anaconda Smelter National Priority List Site in Montana, 2) to analyze the samples using inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and 3) to identify potential elements of concern from the data. Hair samples were collected from 56 elk, and concentration data were processed using a hazard quotient/index approach based on concepts commonly used in fields of ecological and human health risk analyses. Arsenic concentrations in the hair decreased as a function of increasing distance from the Anaconda smelter stack, and 57 % of the elk sampled were identified as animals of concern. For elk harvested within 25 km of the stack, elements of concern were aluminum, arsenic, barium, boron, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, strontium, and vanadium. For elk harvested within 76-101.5 km of the stack, elements of concern were aluminum, barium, boron, lithium, and manganese. Hazard indices for uranium, arsenic, cadmium, and lithium were larger by factors of ~17, 9, 7, and 6, respectively, for elk harvested within 25 km of the stack compared to hazard indices for elk harvested within 76-101.5 km

Socio-Cultural, Organizational, and Community Level Influences on Physical Activity Levels of Latino Preschool-Age Children: A Qualitative Study

Objectives: As more children grow up in families with immigrant parents of Latino origin, there is a need to understand key influences on physical activity behaviors of young Latino children to prevent obesity in this high-risk group.Design: We conducted six focus groups with low-income Latina mothers (N = 33) whose preschool-aged children (2-5 years) were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in Rhode Island. Data was analyzed using content analysis to identify recurrent themes.Results: Despite understanding the importance of physical activity for overall health, physical activity was not a top priority for the Latino mothers participating in the focus groups. Mothers reported facing numerous barriers to establishing and maintaining healthful physical activity habits for their preschool-aged children and themselves, particularly financial and socio-cultural barriers. Analyses revealed that Latina mothers perceive the WIC as a program focused on the development and maintenance of healthy eating habits and nutritional status of children and not physical activity.Conclusions: Recognizing the importance of socioeconomic position and the influence of cultural factors on physical activity is essential if effective prevention and intervention programs for Latino families and their children are to be designed. Study findings emphasize the importance of the family as a central unit of change and suggest that successful interventions to promote physical activity of low-income Latino preschool children must take into account the needs and constraints of the family unit as a whole. The WIC program has the potential to be a venue for promoting awareness of and educating low-income Latino parents about the importance of helping their children develop and maintain early healthful physical activity habits. The WIC program can also play an important role in facilitating access and creating programs and services that provide increased opportunities for physical activity of young children and their families

Establishment of introduced reptiles increases with the presence and richness of native congeners

Darwin proposed two contradictory hypotheses to explain the influence of congeners on the outcomes of invasion: the naturalization hypothesis, which predicts a negative relationship between the presence of congeners and invasion success, and the pre-adaptation hypothesis, which predicts a positive relationship between the presence of congeners and invasion success. Studies testing these hypotheses have shown mixed support. We tested these hypotheses using the establishment success of non-native reptiles and congener presence/absence and richness across the globe. Our results demonstrated support for the pre-adaptation hypothesis. We found that globally, both on islands and continents, establishment success was higher in the presence than in the absence of congeners and that establishment success increased with increasing congener richness. At the life form level, establishment success was higher for lizards, marginally higher for snakes, and not different for turtles in the presence of congeners; data were insufficient to test the hypotheses for crocodiles. There was no relationship between establishment success and congener richness for any life form. We suggest that we found support for the pre-adaptation hypothesis because, at the scale of our analysis, native congeners represent environmental conditions appropriate for the species rather than competition for niche space. Our results imply that areas to target for early detection of non-native reptiles are those that host closely related species

Associations between maternal depressive symptoms and child feeding practices in a cross-sectional study of low-income mothers and their young children

Background: Maternal depression may influence feeding practices important in determining child eating behaviors and weight. However, the association between maternal depressive symptoms and feeding practices has been inconsistent, and most prior studies used self-report questionnaires alone to characterize feeding. The purpose of this study was to identify feeding practices associated with maternal depressive symptoms using multiple methodologies, and to test the hypothesis that maternal depressive symptoms are associated with less responsive feeding practices. Methods: In this cross-sectional, observational study, participants (n = 295) included low-income mothers and their 4- to 8-year-old children. Maternal feeding practices were assessed via interviewer-administered questionnaires, semi-structured narrative interviews, and videotaped observations in home and laboratory settings. Maternal depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). Regression analyses examined associations between elevated depressive symptoms (CES-D score ≥16) and measures of maternal feeding practices, adjusting for: child sex, food fussiness, number of older siblings; and maternal age, body mass index (BMI), education, race/ethnicity, single parent status, perceived child weight, and concern about child weight. Results: Thirty-one percent of mothers reported depressive symptoms above the screening cutoff. Mothers with elevated depressive symptoms reported more pressuring of children to eat (β = 0.29; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.03, 0.54) and more overall demandingness (β = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.29), and expressed lower authority in child feeding during semi-structured narrative interview (Odds Ratio (OR) for low authority: 2.82; 95% CI: 1.55, 5.12). In homes of mothers with elevated depressive symptoms, the television was more likely audible during meals (OR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.05, 3.48) and mothers were less likely to eat with children (OR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.27, 0.85). There were no associations between maternal depressive symptoms and encouragement or discouragement of food in laboratory eating interactions. Conclusions: Mothers with elevated depressive symptoms demonstrated less responsive feeding practices than mothers with lower levels of depressive symptoms. These results suggest that screening for maternal depressive symptoms may be useful when counseling on healthy child feeding practices. Given inconsistencies across methodologies, future research should include multiple methods of characterizing feeding practices and direct comparisons of different methodologies

Automatic anatomical foot and ankle coordinate toolbox

Accurate analysis of bone position and orientation in foot and ankle studies relies on anatomical coordinate systems (ACS). Reliable ACSs are necessary for many biomechanical and clinical studies, especially those including weightbearing computed tomography and biplane fluoroscopy. Existing ACS approaches suffer from limitations such as manual input, oversimplifications, or non-physiological methods. To address these shortcomings, we introduce the Automatic Anatomical Foot and Ankle Coordinate Toolbox (AAFACT), a MATLAB-based toolbox that automates the calculation of ACSs for the major fourteen foot and ankle bones. In this manuscript, we present the development and evaluation of AAFACT, aiming to provide a standardized coordinate system toolbox for foot and ankle studies. The AAFACT was evaluated using a dataset of fifty-six models from seven pathological groups: asymptomatic, osteoarthritis, pilon fracture, progressive collapsing foot deformity, clubfoot, Charcot Marie Tooth, and cavovarus. Three analyses were conducted to assess the reliability of AAFACT. Firstly, ACSs were compared between automatically and manually segmented bone models to assess consistency. Secondly, ACSs were compared between individual bones and group mean bones to assess within-population precision. Lastly, ACSs were compared between the overall mean bone and group mean bones to assess the overall accuracy of anatomical representation. Statistical analyses, including statistical shape modeling, were performed to evaluate the reliability, accuracy, and precision of AAFACT. The comparison between automatically and manually segmented bone models showed consistency between the calculated ACSs. Additionally, the comparison between individual bones and group mean bones, as well as the comparison between the overall mean bone and group mean bones, revealed accurate and precise ACSs calculations. The AAFACT offers a practical and reliable solution for foot and ankle studies in clinical and engineering settings. It accommodates various foot and ankle pathologies while accounting for bone morphology and orientation. The automated calculation of ACSs eliminates the limitations associated with manual input and non-physiological methods. The evaluation results demonstrate the robustness and consistency of AAFACT, making it a valuable tool for researchers and clinicians. The standardized coordinate system provided by AAFACT enhances comparability between studies and facilitates advancements in foot and ankle research

Implementing a Multi-Component School-based Obesity Prevention Intervention: A Qualitative Study

Objective: To explore barriers and facilitators to implementing and sustaining Healthy Choices, a three-year multi-component obesity prevention intervention implemented in middle schools in Massachusetts. Methods: Using purposive sampling, 56 in-depth interviews were conducted with middleschool employees representing different positions (administrators, teachers, food service personnel, and employees serving as intervention coordinators). Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Emergent themes were identified using thematic analyses. Results: State-mandated testing, budget limitations, and time constraints were viewed as implementation barriers while staff buy-in and technical assistance were seen as facilitating implementation. Respondents felt that intervention sustainability was dependent on external funding and expert assistance. Conclusions and Implications: Results confirm the importance of gaining faculty and staff support. Schools implementing large scale interventions should consider developing sustainable partnerships with organizations that can provide resources and ongoing training. Sustainability of complex interventions may depend on state-level strategies that provide resources for implementation and technical assistance