46 research outputs found
Predictors of residential stability among homeless young adults : a cohort study.
Abstract : BACKGROUND: Homelessness episodes have been shown to be associated with serious health outcomes among youth. This study was undertaken to estimate the probability of reaching residential stability over time and to identify predictors of residential stability among homeless young adults aged 18 to 25 years.
METHODS: A prospective cohort study was carried out in Montréal, Canada, between April 5(th) 2006 and January 21(th) 2009. Interviews conducted every three months included questions on life conditions and social and mental health factors that are known to influence residential trajectories. Residential status was determined, starting on the first day after recruitment; each follow-up day was classified as a homeless day or a housed day. A period of 90 days was used to define residential stability; therefore the main study outcome was the occurrence of the first consecutive 90 housed days during the follow-up period. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional-hazards regression analyses were conducted.
RESULTS: Of the 359 participants, 284 reached 90 days of residential stability over the study period, representing an annual probability of 80.5 %. In multivariate analysis, youth who had a high school degree, had a formal sector activity, and those who had sought psychological help were more likely to reach residential stability. Being a man, injecting substances, and having an informal sector activity were associated with a decreased probability to reach residential stability.
CONCLUSION: Exposure to factors related to opportunities that promote social integration increases the chance of reaching residential stability. On the other hand, factors related to high level of street entrenchment seem to interfere with stabilization. Maximum efforts should be made to prevent chronic homelessness among youth, targeting not only individual impairments but also hinging on services adapted to foster social connections among the youth
A manual of elementary instruction, for ... schools and normal classes;
Mode of access: Internet
Average Seasonal Phytomass: A Temporally Independent Index of Herbaceous Plant Dominance
Diversity, similarity and dominance in plant communities are usually assessed from data collected at a single date. Herbaceous species have differing periods of growth, making phytomass or cover-weighted indices of diversity, similarity or dominance highly dependent on the timing of data collection. A new way of mathematically expressing residence time is presented. Average seasonal phytomass values can be used to better express dominance throughout a growing season. A similar approach could be used for cover or any other dynamic property of plant growth. These values could then be used in dominance-weighted indices of community similarity and diversity
Negotiating Safety and Sexual Risk Reduction With Clients in Unsanctioned Safer Indoor Sex Work Environments: A Qualitative Study
Average seasonal phytomass: a temporally independent index of herbaceous plant dominance
Variation in species composition and vegetation structure of succulent scrub on Tenerife in relation to environmental variation
On Tenerife, the occurrence of environmental gradients
over short distances provides a unique opportunity to
investigate the relationship between vegetation and environmental
factors. In the semi-arid coastal region of Tenerife,
floristic composition, species richness and vegetation structure
of perennial plants have been studied in 67 locations
covering the existing precipitation gradient.
On the island as a whole, variation in species composition
could be best explained by mean annual precipitation; at
coastal sites, substrate age and soil characteristics also played
a significant role. On the other hand, substrate chemistry and
the type of eruptive material explained little of the floristic
variation. Stand biomass was strongly correlated with mean
annual precipitation and was, on the youngest lava flows
studied, also affected by substrate age. The native stem succulent
species made up the bulk of total biomass along the whole
precipitation gradient. Disturbed and undisturbed sites differed
significantly in stand biomass and cover. Species richness
was correlated with precipitation and substrate age. Distribution
of plant functional types was also related to the
precipitation gradient. The relative abundance of hemicryptophytes
and shrubs with non-hairy leaves increased with
increasing precipitation whereas the ratio of shrubs with hairy/
non-hairy leaves and succulent plants decreased. Some alien
plants were quite frequent at disturbed sites but, on the whole,
they contributed little to the species spectrum and to the stand
biomass. Undisturbed sites remained almost free of introduced
species not considering annuals