Identifying Gaps and Setting Priorities for Employment and Training Research

The report summarizes recent workforce and employment related research, to identify current gaps in employment and training research and makes recommendations for future research processes and priorities that could better inform policy makers, practitioners, job seekers and employers. The report reviews workforce and related research funded by several federal agencies, including the US Departments of Labor, Education, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, the National Science Foundation and other federal entities, as well as research undertaken by regional, state and local workforce agencies and philanthrophic organizations

Workforce Data Quality Initiative

Texas’ Workforce Data Quality Initiative aimed to develop a comprehensive system for analysis of workforce and education participation and outcomes. In partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is working to build, test, improve, and expand data linkages across linked individual-level, longitudinal education, and workforce records. Through this project, researchers would be able to identify and assess postsecondary pathways and transitions between education, employment, and other outcomes for students exiting the public school system as well as analyze the performance of the human capital development system in Texas, spanning secondary education through postsecondary education, and workforce training and employment.This report seeks to examine and analyze the postsecondary labor market outcomes of Texas high school graduates from the classes of 2008 and 2009. One advantage of looking at these two particular cohorts stems from differences in when they encountered the Great Recession: the class of 2008 graduated prior to the start of the recession in Texas and the class of 2009 graduated immediately after the start of the recession. It is likely that class of 2009 graduates factored in the regional changes in availability of employment as they weighed whether or not to apply for and enroll in college.Texas Workforce CommissionRay Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resource

Workforce Data Quality Initiative

Texas’ Workforce Data Quality Initiative aimed to identify and assess postsecondary pathways and transitions between education, employment, and other outcomes for students exiting the public school system as well as analyze the performance of the human capital development system in Texas, spanning secondary education through postsecondary education, and workforce training and employment.U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration and Texas Workforce CommissionRay Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resource

Long Term Comparison of Alternative Range Livestock Management Strategies Across Extended Droughts and Cyclical Prices

Variable precipitation, more importantly drought, impacts profitability for livestock management. Financial outcomes from management decisions related to forage shortages can be exacerbated by price variability. This research examines alternative management strategies to determine the potential profitability and riskiness over a long-term horizon and across various drought event scenarios. Results indicate that late calving can be a promising strategy, but it also can result in higher variability in profits as compared to some of the other strategies analyzed. Retaining ownership of steer calves over the winter, with the option to sell if forage supplies become scarce, outperforms both partial liquidation and summer feeding, and it results in less profit variability than late calving or early weaning.Production Economics, Productivity Analysis,

Local u'g'r'i'z' Standard Stars in the Chandra Deep Field-South

Because several observing programs are underway in various spectral regimes to explore the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S), the value of local photometric standards is obvious. As part of an NOAO Surveys Program to establish u'g'r'i'z' standard stars in the southern hemisphere, we have observed the central region of the CDF-S to create local standards for use by other investigators using these filters. As a courtesy, we present the CDF-S standards to the public now, although the main program will not finish until mid-2005.Comment: Accepted by AJ (scheduled for October 2003 issue). 26 pages, 5 tables, 5 figures. High resolution version of Figure 7 available at http://home.fnal.gov/~dtucker/Southern_ugriz/index.htm

Mechanical Demands of the Hang Power Clean and Jump Shrug: A Joint-level Perspective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the joint- and load-dependent changes in the mechanical demands of the lower extremity joints during the hang power clean (HPC) and the jump shrug (JS). Fifteen male lacrosse players were recruited from an NCAA DI team, and completed three sets of the HPC and JS at 30%, 50%, and 70% of their HPC 1-Repetition Maximum (1-RM HPC) in a counterbalanced and randomized order. Motion analysis and force plate technology were used to calculate the positive work, propulsive phase duration, and peak concentric power at the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Separate three-way analysis of variances were used to determine the interaction and main effects of joint, load, and lift type on the three dependent variables. The results indicated that the mechanics during the HPC and JS exhibit joint-, load-, and lift-dependent behavior. When averaged across joints, the positive work during both lifts increased progressively with external load, but was greater during the JS at 30% and 50% of 1-RM HPC than during the HPC. The JS was also characterized by greater hip and knee work when averaged across loads. The joint-averaged propulsive phase duration was lower at 30% than at 50% and 70% of 1-RM HPC for both lifts. Furthermore, the load-averaged propulsive phase duration was greater for the hip than the knee and ankle joint. The jointaveraged peak concentric power was the greatest at 70% of 1-RM for the HPC and at 30% to 50% of 1-RM for the JS. In addition, the joint-averaged peak concentric power of the JS was greater than that of the HPC. Furthermore, the load-averaged peak knee and ankle concentric joint powers were greater during the execution of the JS than the HPC. However, the loadaveraged power of all joints differed only during the HPC, but was similar between the hip and knee joints for the JS. Collectively, these results indicate that compared to the HPC the JS is characterized by greater hip and knee positive joint work, and greater knee and ankle peak concentric joint power, especially if performed at 30 and 50% of 1-RM HPC. This study provides important novel information about the mechanical demands of two commonly used exercises and should be considered in the design of resistance training programs that aim to improve the explosiveness of the lower extremity joints

Improved u′g′r′i′z′u'g'r'i'z' to UBVRCICUBVR_CI_C Transformation Equations for Main Sequence Stars

We report improved transformation equations between the $u'g'r'i'z'$ and $UBVR_CI_C$ photometric systems. Although the details of the transformations depend on luminosity class, we find a typical rms scatter on the order of 0.001 magnitude if the sample is limited to main sequence stars. Furthermore, we find an accurate transformation requires complex, multi-color dependencies for the bluer bandpasses. Results for giant stars will be reported in a subsequent paper.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Expanding the CareerAdvance® Program

This report, prepared for the Health Professionals Opportunity Program, Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, provides the background, rationale, and overview of the first year of implementation of the CareerAdvance® program. The program aims to improve family economic security by providing low-income parents of children in Tulsa's Head Start and Early Head Start programs with workforce development services and training in high-growthpotential sectors such as healthcare and nursing, in addition to adult education programs, peer support, and performance incentives. After the first year of implementation, early signs indicate participants showing high rates of completion.Administration for Children and Families, US Dept of Health and Human Services (HHS, and the George Kaiser Family FoundationRay Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resource