Notes for Neighborly Partitions

A proof of the first Rogers-Ramanujan identity is given using admissible neighborly partitions. This completes a program initiated by Mohsen and Mourtada. The admissible neighborly partitions involve an unusual mod 3 condition on the parts

Outcomes of Individualized Personal Training Programs for Three Adult Siblings with Autism

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of three 6-week individualized personal training programs for three adult brothers who have autism. Using a single subject design, physical activity levels, basic fitness measures, and interviews were used to construct three individualized training programs to fit the subjects needs. Findings from this study can guide professionals in the adapted physical activity field who work with adults who have autism. Individualized personal training programs may provide an avenue for treatment or behavior modification for adults with autism. In conclusion, the benefits of individualized personal training programs for adults with autism are not well established. However, the results of this study indicated that providing adults with autism with an individualized training program can be beneficial for the individual in more ways than one way. All three subjects saw improvements upon starting the program

The differential relationships of familism support and familism obligation values with academic achievement and mental health among Latina/o early adolescents in a charter school network

U.S. born Latina/o adolescents have a disproportionately higher lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders, higher rates of school dropout, and score lower on academic achievement measures when compared to their Non-Latina/o, White or Asian peers. Given the substantial exposure to risk factors, identifying and understanding salient sources of resilience is essential to promoting and enhancing positive adjustment among Latina/o youth. Familism is a cultural value embraced by many Latina/os that has been associated with positive academic and psychosocial outcomes for Latina/os adolescents. When measured, familism commonly includes dimensions of obligation, support and family as referent. Previous studies have indicated that dimensions of familism, such as obligation and support, may differentially predict psychological well-being and academic achievement. No published studies to date have examined the differential relationships of the constructs of familism obligation and familism support values explicitly as separate predictors in the contexts of both mental health and academic achievement for Latina/o youth. The primary purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the differential predictive relationships of familism support and familism obligation values on mental health and academic achievement of Latina/o adolescents. A secondary purpose was to examine the potential moderating or mediating roles of family functioning and gender on these pathways. This study is consistent with the Cultural Ecological Transactional Theory of Resilience as a framework for describing how multiple factors may contribute to risk or resilience of Latino youth. Participants were 36 Latina/o youth between the ages of 11-15 years old in a Central Texas middle school. Results found evidence for the moderating role of family distress on the relationship between familism obligation values and GPA among both male and female Latino adolescents. Implications, limitations and areas for further research are discussed.Educational Psycholog

Interviews as Interactional Data

Interviews are designed to gather propositional information communicated through reference and predication. Some lament the fact that interviews always include interactional positioning that presupposes and sometimes creates social identities and power relationships. Interactional aspects of interview events threaten to corrupt the propositional information communicated, and it appears that these aspects need to be controlled. Interviews do often yield useful propositional information, and interviewers must guard against the sometimes-corrupting influence of interactional factors. But we argue that the interactional aspects of interview events can also be valuable data. Interview subjects sometimes position themselves in ways that reveal something about the habitual positioning that characterizes them or their groups. We illustrate the potential value of this interactional information by describing “payday mugging” stories told by interviewees in one New Latino Diaspora town

Racialization in Payday Mugging Narratives

As Mexican immigrants move to areas of the United States that have not been home to Latinos, both longstanding residents and newcomers must make sense of their new neighbors. In one East Coast suburb relevant models of identity are sometimes communicated through “payday mugging” stories about African American criminals mugging undocumented Mexican victims. These narratives racialize African Americans and Mexicans in different ways. As payday mugging stories move across narrators from different communities, the racialized characterizations shift

Volunteer mentors as informal educators in a youth physical activity program

This discussion reports data from a 4-year longitudinal evaluation of a project from the United Kingdom. The project focused on outdoor activities as a vehicle for enhancing the personal and social development of disaffected youth with the researchers specifically examining the role played by volunteer learning mentors. Following a summary of relevant literature and an overview of the project design and evaluation strategy, data are reported on the impact and effectiveness of these mentors. The findings suggest the potential for mentors to function as informal educators in such youth programs. However, a lack of preparation and the considerable challenges faced in establishing and maintaining mentoring relationships with young people in schools can restrict their impact. It is argued that similar future initiatives would benefit from greater pre-planning and an improved understanding of how mentors and other youth professionals can work with each other. © 2010 Taylor & Francis