High Academic Achievement for Adolescents in Blended and Stepfamilies: A Heuristic Inquiry

The purpose of this heuristic study is to understand the lived experiences (i.e., values, attitudes, and practices) of 10 biological parents in blended and stepfamilies in which at least one child experienced high academic achievement at the middle school and high school level. Building on dynamic systems theory and educational resilience theory as theoretical underpinnings, this qualitative study seeks to answer the following central research question: What are the values, practices, and attitudes experienced by biological parents in blended and stepfamily units that contribute to high academic achievement for adolescents in these families? Participants living in the Southeastern area of the United States were recruited via criterion and snowball sampling. Recruiting efforts were conducted via local schools’ Parent Teacher Associations and social media platforms. Data was collected via face-to-face semi-structured interviews with biological parents of blended and stepfamilies and via various forms of documentation, such as school records and family photographs. Data was analyzed via coding, clustering, memoing, and member checking. Three major themes and seven subthemes were extrapolated from the data. The three themes were as follows: (1) independence, (2) future orientation, and (3) strong support system. The seven subthemes were as follows: (a) giving choices and consequences, (b) custodial parent as “head coach,” (c) “strict” parenting, (d) high expectations, (e) strides toward stability, (f) good role definition and family cohesion, and (g) high parental involvement

Alien Registration- Vernette, Dometilda (Lewiston, Androscoggin County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/27148/thumbnail.jp

Introducción al problema de la erosión litoral en Urabá (sector Arboletes - Turbo), Costa Caribe Colombiana

Introduction to littoral erosion problem in Urabá (Arboletes-Turbo area) Colombian Caribbean coast. Shoreline retreat has been the net dominant historical trend along the 145 km-length littoral between Arboletes and Turbo (Southern Caribbean of Colombia). For the last four decades, there were identified in this littoral shoreline retreats of about 50-100m in several places (Uveros, Damaquiel, Zapata, Turbo) and a maximun of 1.6 km in the Punta Rey-Arboletes area, where land losses were of 4.5 k m2, at exceptional rates of 40m/year. The synthesis of the available information suggest that the general “susceptibility” to erosion between Arboletes and Turbo could be related primarily to relative sea level rise, associated to tectonic movements as well as to the effects of mud diapirism and hydroisostacy. In the more critical areas (Arboletes, Turbo), the natural erosive trends were accelerated by anthropic actions, including river diversion (Turbo), beach mining, and inadequate (or total absense) practices for controlling residual and natural waters. Up to August 2000, there were invested about $Col 10.000 billions in 155 engineering defences (groins, sea walls and rip-rap which totalize 6.2 km of total length and a volume of materials of 37.000 m3). With few exceptions, groins have not been successful and are now part of the problem, accelerating shore erosion along the adyacent sectors. In the short term, the littoral erosion between Arboletes and Turbo is caused both by marine and by subaerial factors. It is facilitated by the poor lithological strengths of cliffs and marine terraces, mainly composed of highly fractured and weathered claystones and mudstones (with stratification and weakeness planes dipping toward sea) and nonconsolidated, easily liquefacted, fine sediments; both conditions facilitate the occurrence of rocks falls, slides and mud flows that result in high figures of cliff retreat (3 to 4m), specially during the first 15 days of the summer-winter transition (april) and in high waves periods. The case of the littoral erosion between Arboletes and Turbo illustrates well how the natural erosive trends of an area can be accelerated by human interventions and the urgent need for coordinating efforts to cope with littoral land losses.La erosión litoral ha sido la tendencia histórica dominante a lo largo de los aproximadamente 145 km de línea de costa entre las ciudades de Arboletes y Turbo (sur del Litoral Caribe colombiano). En las cuatro últimas décadas ocurrieron retrocesos de la línea de costa del orden de los 50-100m en varios sectores (Uveros, Damaquiel, Zapata, Turbo), y de hasta 1.6 km en el área Punta Rey-Arboletes, en la cual las pérdidas de terrenos suman más de 4.5 km2 y la erosión alcanzó tasas máximas de hasta 40m/año. La síntesis de la información disponible sugiere que la “susceptibilidad” generalizada a la erosión podría ser la respuesta a ascensos relativos del nivel del mar, asociados a la tectónica regional, a los efectos del diapirismo de lodos y a la hidroisostacia, entre otros posibles factores. En los sectores más críticos (Arboletes y Turbo), las tendencias erosivas naturales fueron aceleradas por intervenciones humanas como la desviación del río Turbo, la extracción intensiva de materiales de playa y el manejo inadecuado (o no manejo) de las aguas lluvias y residuales. El costo actualizado de las 155 obras de defensa (espolones, barreras y muros de contención que totalizan 6.2 km de longitud y un volumen de materiales de 37.000m3) construidas hasta agosto del 2000 se calcula en alrededor de los$ Col 10.000 millones. Con muy pocas excepciones, los espolones perpendiculares a las playas no han recuperado arenas y más bien se han convertido en generadores de nuevos problemas en los sectores adyacentes. A corto plazo, la erosión litoral entre Arboletes y Turbo es causada tanto por factores marinos como por procesos de erosión subaérea y es función en buena parte de las litologías poco resistentes de las terrazas y acantilados, compuestos en su mayoría por lodolitas fracturadas y meteorizadas (con buzamientos o planos de debilidad inclinados hacia el mar) y por sedimentos finos no consolidados, fácilmente licuables: ambas condiciones facilitan la ocurrencia de deslizamientos, caídas de rocas y flujos de lodo que determinan retrocesos rápidos (3 a 4 metros) del contorno litoral, sobre todo en los primeros 15 días de la transición verano-invierno (abril) y durante los “mares de leva” (periodos de oleajes fuertes). El caso de la erosión litoral entre Turbo y Arboletes ilustra claramente cómo las tendencias erosivas naturales pueden intensificarse fuertemente por intervenciones humanas (incluyendo las defensas ingenieriles) y la necesidad urgente de coordinar esfuerzos para controlar o mitigar con eficiencia las pérdidas de terrenos litorales

Measuring consumers' engagement with brand-related social-media content: development and validation of a scale that identifies levels of social-media engagement with brands

The main purpose of this study is to develop a scale to measure consumer's engagement with social media brand-related content. The reported scale (CESBC) comprises three dimensions: consumption, contribution, and creation. Qualitative techniques were used to generate an initial pool of items that capture different levels of consumer engagement with social media brand-related content. Quantitative data from a consumer survey (=2252) was then collected in two phases to calibrate and validate the ensuing scale. Results confirmed the structure and psychometric properties of the CESBC. As expected, each subscale is significantly correlated with nomological network constructs, i.e., brand equity and brand attitudes

Introducción a los cambios del nivel del mar y sus consecuencias sobre la zona costera

En este libro, dirigido a estudiantes universitarios de pregrado y maestría, se ha querido ofrecer una primera aproximación al tema del ascenso del nivel del mar y de sus consecuencias sobre los ambientes costeros -- Se presenta una introducción general a los conceptos básicos considerados por la comunidad científica como los de mayor importancia, complementada con ejemplos sobre las consecuencias que el ascenso del nivel del mar y las intervenciones antrópicas están teniendo sobre algunas áreas de los litorales colombianos, la mayoría de ellos altamente vulnerables por ubicarse a muy baja altura sobre el nivel del mar actual, entre muchos otros factores -- A pesar de su relativamente baja densidad de ocupación (exceptuando San Andrés, Cartagena, Buenaventura, Tumaco y algunos otros pocos centros urbanos), los litorales del país son hoy áreas ambientalmente en crisis, vistas las altas tasas de pérdidas de terrenos, la contaminación y el deterioro generalizado de sus playas, manglares y arrecifes coralinos y, de la mayor importancia, de su aguda problemática socioeconómicaPrograma Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (CYTED

Group Based Rigging of Realistically Feathered Wings

Digital birds are used in computer graphics to replace live animals both for the safety of the animal and to allow for more control over performance. The current treatment of avian wings in computer graphics is often over-simplified which results in a loss realism due to the incorrect form and motion of the feathers. This research attempts to address this problem by using the structure and motion of real bird anatomy to inform the creation of biologically accurate kinematic motion for wings. The hypothesis of this thesis is that a wing rig which follows biological accuracy will appear realistic in motion and facilitate efficient animation. This thesis describes the creation of a rig generation tool, called WingCreator, usable in 3D animation software to guide the construction of biologically accurate wings while maintaining a range of artistically-driven variability in form. The control system for the kinematic motion rig is designed to provide animators with intuitive control over wing behavior intended to result in efficient re-creation of realistic wing action including flapping and folding. WingCreator was tested by two riggers and one animator to gain feedback on the tools efficacy. The user feedback indicates that the resulting rig provides a control system that facilitates efficient animation while maintaining artistic control over the wing. Users reported that realism, however, could not be judged due to the numerous contributing outside factors, such as animation, lighting and texturing, that affect the perception of realism. WingCreator and its creation methodology is intended to be placed in the public domain for use by anyone and will add to the currently slim body of knowledge for creating realistic avian wings. Once placed in the public domain it is expected that this rig will be appropriated by animators who wish to create more accurate bird wing motion and by riggers who may use the biologically-driven methodology as a model for further exploration into depictions of other animals exhibiting complex form and structural motion behaviors

Lead-Users vs. Emergent Nature Consumers for Marketing Co-Creation: Are They Really Different?

This research extends Hoffman et al (2010)\u27s work on the relationship between two key targets for co-creation: Emergent-Nature Consumers (ENC) and Lead-Users (LU). These authors have shown that an ENC - who can innovate in any domain, could be more effective than a LU- who innovates in one specific-domain, for the development of new product concepts. We show that these two innovating users have common conceptual roots and that ENC character trait corresponds to an extension of LU characteristics to all product domains. We also show that the ENC trait is an antecedent of specific-domain lead-usership. It finally appears that ENC and LU characteristics are crucial determinants for engagement in co-creation activities