A Phenomenological Study of Hispanic Female Associate Degree Graduates and the Interrelation Between Goal Commitment and Social, Institutional, and Cognitive Factors That Lead to Academic Success

Abstract This phenomenological, qualitative study focused on the interrelation between goal commitment and the social, institutional, and cognitive factors that lead to Hispanic females’ graduation from an associate degree program. The participants had graduated from a New York City area, urban, independent institution that grants associate degrees and enrolls a large number of first-generation Hispanic students. Questionnaires and interviews were the instruments used to obtain data. Questionnaires were used to collect demographic data and select interview participants. Interviews were the primary conduit to capture the women’s perceptions of what factors lead to their success. Several questions were used to explore the impact of goal commitment and other persistence factors. These questions included: (a) What factor(s) did the graduates perceive as most important to their success?, (b) To what degree of importance did the graduates perceive the impact of goal commitment on their graduation from an associate degree program?, and (c) To what extent did factors such as academic integration, social integration, institutional commitment, and financial aid, impact the graduates’ goal commitment to complete their two-year degree? At the conclusion of the study, the researcher presented findings and made recommendations that were intended to increase institutional knowledge about the needs and success factors of Hispanic females pursuing associate degrees. The findings should prove useful in increasing the academic success rate of Hispanic females. However, more research is necessary if institutions of higher education in this country want to eradicate the inequities that exist in an educational system that underserves certain segments of our society

Designing programs for eliminating canine rabies from islands: Bali, Indonesia as a case study

<p>Background: Canine rabies is one of the most important and feared zoonotic diseases in the world. In some regions rabies elimination is being successfully coordinated, whereas in others rabies is endemic and continues to spread to uninfected areas. As epidemics emerge, both accepted and contentious control methods are used, as questions remain over the most effective strategy to eliminate rabies. The Indonesian island of Bali was rabies-free until 2008 when an epidemic in domestic dogs began, resulting in the deaths of over 100 people. Here we analyze data from the epidemic and compare the effectiveness of control methods at eliminating rabies.</p> <p>Methodology/Principal Findings: Using data from Bali, we estimated the basic reproductive number, R0, of rabies in dogs, to be ~1·2, almost identical to that obtained in ten–fold less dense dog populations and suggesting rabies will not be effectively controlled by reducing dog density. We then developed a model to compare options for mass dog vaccination. Comprehensive high coverage was the single most important factor for achieving elimination, with omission of even small areas (<0.5% of the dog population) jeopardizing success. Parameterizing the model with data from the 2010 and 2011 vaccination campaigns, we show that a comprehensive high coverage campaign in 2012 would likely result in elimination, saving ~550 human lives and ~$15 million in prophylaxis costs over the next ten years.</p> <p>Conclusions/Significance: The elimination of rabies from Bali will not be achieved through achievable reductions in dog density. To ensure elimination, concerted high coverage, repeated, mass dog vaccination campaigns are necessary and the cooperation of all regions of the island is critical. Momentum is building towards development of a strategy for the global elimination of canine rabies, and this study offers valuable new insights about the dynamics and control of this disease, with immediate practical relevance.</p&gt

THE KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF THE COMMUNITY IN SIBANGKAJA VILLAGE, BADUNG, REGARDING THE RABIES INCIDENT

Background: The challenges in overcoming the rabies epidemic include the public's lack of knowledge and attitudes regarding the control and first aid in dog bites. Sibangkaja is one of the villages in Badung Regency, which is an endemic area for rabies. Purpose: This study aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and factors influencing the behavior of the residents of Sibangkaja Village, Badung, regarding rabies. Methods: This descriptive observational study was carried out using a cross-sectional design. The samples were 250 residents of Sibangkaja Village, taken by convenience sampling. Data were collected from February to March 2020 through interviews using the digital questionnaire. The variables were knowledge and community attitudes toward rabies vaccination in the village. Results: The results showed that the respondents' knowledge was good, but 34% did not know the symptoms of rabies. It was discovered that attitudes toward rabies prevention and management are significantly more in favor of vaccination than eliminating dogs. Furthermore, there is an association between knowledge and dog ownership on people's attitudes (p-value=0.01). Conclusion: Information and education about the symptoms of rabies is needed for residents to exercise caution and pay more attention to themselves and the surrounding dogs. Results: The results showed that the respondents' knowledge of rabies was good, but 34% of the people of Sibangkaja Village did not know the symptoms of rabies. Attitudes toward rabies prevention and management are largely in favor of vaccination than elimination of dogs. Conclusion: Information and education is needed regarding the symptoms of rabies so that residents are able to be careful and pay more attention to themselves and the dogs around them

SDSS-III: Massive Spectroscopic Surveys of the Distant Universe, the Milky Way Galaxy, and Extra-Solar Planetary Systems

Building on the legacy of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-I and II), SDSS-III is a program of four spectroscopic surveys on three scientific themes: dark energy and cosmological parameters, the history and structure of the Milky Way, and the population of giant planets around other stars. In keeping with SDSS tradition, SDSS-III will provide regular public releases of all its data, beginning with SDSS DR8 (which occurred in Jan 2011). This paper presents an overview of the four SDSS-III surveys. BOSS will measure redshifts of 1.5 million massive galaxies and Lya forest spectra of 150,000 quasars, using the BAO feature of large scale structure to obtain percent-level determinations of the distance scale and Hubble expansion rate at z<0.7 and at z~2.5. SEGUE-2, which is now completed, measured medium-resolution (R=1800) optical spectra of 118,000 stars in a variety of target categories, probing chemical evolution, stellar kinematics and substructure, and the mass profile of the dark matter halo from the solar neighborhood to distances of 100 kpc. APOGEE will obtain high-resolution (R~30,000), high signal-to-noise (S/N>100 per resolution element), H-band (1.51-1.70 micron) spectra of 10^5 evolved, late-type stars, measuring separate abundances for ~15 elements per star and creating the first high-precision spectroscopic survey of all Galactic stellar populations (bulge, bar, disks, halo) with a uniform set of stellar tracers and spectral diagnostics. MARVELS will monitor radial velocities of more than 8000 FGK stars with the sensitivity and cadence (10-40 m/s, ~24 visits per star) needed to detect giant planets with periods up to two years, providing an unprecedented data set for understanding the formation and dynamical evolution of giant planet systems. (Abridged)Comment: Revised to version published in The Astronomical Journa

Dog Ecology and Rabies Knowledge of Owners and Non-Owners in Sanur, A Sub-District of the Indonesian Island Province of Bali

This study gained an understanding of dog demographics, owner behaviour, and knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to rabies in three villages in Sanur, Bali, providing insights for an intervention to improve responsible dog ownership. A combination of a census of all dogs, street surveys of roaming dogs, and a Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) survey was used to study both dogs and people. A total of 6009 dogs were recorded, of which only 3.3% appeared to be unowned; unowned dogs had poorer welfare and were more likely to be wary of attempted approaches by people. The source of dogs, method of confinement used by owners, and whether dogs were sterilised differed between three breed types; purebred dogs, mixed breed, and Bali dogs (native breed). Three variables were found to have significant effects on the chances of not being vaccinated: age, dog type, and confinement. A mean of 3.81 roaming dogs per km of street surveyed was recorded along 28 sub-village routes. Responses to attitude statements showed that most people had a positive attitude towards dogs and vaccination and did not agree with culling. Knowledge of appropriate bite treatment and symptoms of rabies in dogs was good

SDSS-III : massive spectroscopic surveys of the distant universe, the Milk Way, and extra-solar planetary systems

Building on the legacy of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-I and II), SDSS-III is a program of four spectroscopic surveys on three scientific themes: dark energy and cosmological parameters, the history and structure of the Milky Way, and the population of giant planets around other stars. In keeping with SDSS tradition, SDSS-III will provide regular public releases of all its data, beginning with SDSS Data Release 8 (DR8), which was made public in 2011 January and includes SDSS-I and SDSS-II images and spectra reprocessed with the latest pipelines and calibrations produced for the SDSS-III investigations. This paper presents an overview of the four surveys that comprise SDSS-III. The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey will measure redshifts of 1.5 million massive galaxies and Lyα forest spectra of 150,000 quasars, using the baryon acoustic oscillation feature of large-scale structure to obtain percent-level determinations of the distance scale and Hubble expansion rate at z < 0.7 and at z ≈ 2.5. SEGUE- 2, an already completed SDSS-III survey that is the continuation of the SDSS-II Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE), measured medium-resolution (R = λ/Δλ ≈ 1800) optical spectra of 118,000 stars in a variety of target categories, probing chemical evolution, stellar kinematics and substructure, and the mass profile of the dark matter halo from the solar neighborhood to distances of 100 kpc. APOGEE, the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment, will obtain high-resolution (R ≈ 30,000), high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N 100 per resolution element), H-band (1.51μm < λ < 1.70μm) spectra of 105 evolved, late-type stars, measuring separate abundances for ∼15 elements per star and creating the first high-precision spectroscopic survey of all Galactic stellar populations (bulge, bar, disks, halo) with a uniform set of stellar tracers and spectral diagnostics. The Multi-object APO Radial Velocity Exoplanet Large-area Survey (MARVELS) will monitor radial velocities of more than 8000 FGK stars with the sensitivity and cadence (10–40ms−1, ∼24 visits per star) needed to detect giant planets with periods up to two years, providing an unprecedented data set for understanding the formation and dynamical evolution of giant planet systems. As of 2011 January, SDSS-III has obtained spectra of more than 240,000 galaxies, 29,000 z 2.2 quasars, and 140,000 stars, including 74,000 velocity measurements of 2580 stars for MARVELS

Key epidemiological and operational variables determining the success of rabies vaccination programmes in terms of the predicted probability of eradication (grey y–axis and line) and time to eradication (black y–axis, medians and 95% PI), showing sensitivity to: (A) the basic reproductive number, <i>R</i>₀, (B) vaccination coverage (achieved at the time and location of the campaign (see Fig. 4)), (C) annual dog population turnover, with conversion into birth/death rate assuming constant population size (birth rates equal to death rates), and (D) duration of immunity provided by vaccine.

<p>Based on 1000 simulations generated using parameters in <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002372#pntd-0002372-t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a> (unless specified) and annual campaigns of the ‘random’ mass vaccination strategy (<a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002372#pntd-0002372-t002" target="_blank">Table 2</a>).</p