Mentoring ethnic minority counseling and clinical psychology students: A multicultural, ecological, and relational model.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Anne W; Yeh, Christine J; Krumboltz, John D

2015-10-01

The aim of the current study was to understand the role of race and culture in successful mentoring relationships in graduate school. We examined the practices of 9 faculty mentors working with 15 ethnic minority doctoral students in counseling and clinical psychology. Grounded theory was used to discern unifying patterns and to formulate a theory of multicultural mentoring. Five overall themes significant to multicultural mentoring emerged: (a) career support and guidance tailored for ethnic minorities, (b) relationality between mentors and protégés, (c) significance of contexts, (d) interconnections across contexts, and (e) multidirectionality of interactions between contexts. The 5 themes combined to form a multicultural, ecological, and relational model of mentoring. Our findings suggest that mentoring ethnic minority students can be successful, productive, and satisfying for both mentors and protégés when mentors possess the necessary skills, time, commitment, and multicultural competencies. Implications for doctoral programs in counseling and clinical psychology are discussed, along with recommendations for future research directions. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining Career Success of Minority and Women Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs): A LEADS Project

Science.gov (United States)

Russ-Eft, Darlene F.; Dickison, Philip D.; Levine, Roger

2008-01-01

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are a critical segment in prehospital medical care. This study examined EMT-paramedic career success focused on minorities and women, as part of the Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS). The LEADS data come from a representative sampling of EMTs throughout the…

MS PHD'S: Bridging the Gap of Academic and Career Success Through Educational and Professional Development for Minorities

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, D.; Vargas, W.; Padilla, E.; Strickland, J.; Echols, E.; Johnson, A.; Williamson Whitney, V.; Ithier-Guzman, W.; Ricciardi, L.; Johnson, A.; Braxton, L.

2011-12-01

Historically, there has been a lack of ethnic and gender diversity in the geo-sciences. The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science (MS PHD'S) Professional Development Program provides a bridge to young scientists of diverse backgrounds who in turn will impact many. In a process of 3 phases, the program introduces the students to the scientific community through participation in professional and society meetings and networking with scientists and personnel within federal agencies, academic institutions and STEM-based industries. The program builds confidence, offers role models for professional development and provides students support during their education. Upon completion, students achieve a high level of self-actualization and self-esteem combined with individual growth. They become part of a community that continuously provides support and security to each other. This support is tangible through the mentor/mentee relationships which will help with individual growth throughout the mentoring cycle. Having role models and familiar faces to whom mentees can relate to will encourage our students to succeed in the STEM's field. To date, 159 students have participated in the program: 26 have successfully completed their PhD and 56 are currently enrolled in the PhD programs nationwide. The MS PHD'S Program creates a forum of diverse peoples by diverse peoples with diverse interest and strength, where the ongoing goal is to continually raise the bar for each individual. MS PHD'S establishes a nurturing goal-oriented environment for the geo scientist of the future who in turn will make profound contributions on a local, national and global scale. To conclude, MSPHD'S not only bridges the gap of unrepresented minorities in STEM careers, but also generates educational approaches to make the earth system sciences available to more, impacting all.

MS PHD'S: A Successful Model Promoting Inclusion, Preparation and Engagement of Underrepresented Minorities within the Geosciences Workforce

Science.gov (United States)

Padilla, E.; Scott, O.; Strickland, J. T.; Ricciardi, L.; Guzman, W. I.; Braxton, L.; Williamson, V.; Johnson, A.

2015-12-01

According to 2014 findings of the National Research Council, geoscience and related industries indicate an anticipated 48,000 blue-collar, scientific, and managerial positions to be filled by underrepresented minority (URM) workers in the next 15 years. An Information Handling Services (IHS) report prepared for the American Petroleum Institute forecasts even greater numbers estimating upward of 408,000 opportunities for URM workers related to growth in accelerated development of oil, gas and petroleum industries. However, many URM students lack the training in both the hard sciences and craft skills necessary to fill these positions. The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science (MS PHD'S) Professional Development Program uses integrative and holistic strategies to better prepare URM students for entry into all levels of the geoscience workforce. Through a three-phase program of mentoring, community building, networking and professional development activities, MS PHD'S promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and soft skills development for participants. Program activities expose URM students to education, training and real-life geoscience workforce experiences while maintaining a continuity of supportive mentoring and training networks via an active virtual community. MS PHD'S participants report increased self-confidence and self-efficacy in pursuing geoscience workforce goals. To date, the program supports 223 participants of who 57, 21 and 16 have received Doctorate, Masters and Baccalaureate degrees respectively and are currently employed within the geoscience and related industries workforce. The remaining 129 participants are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs throughout the U.S. Geographic representation of participants includes 35 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and two international postdoctoral appointments - one in Saudi Arabia and the other in France.

Ethnic minority dropout in economics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arnold, I.J.M.

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the first-year study success of minority students in the bachelor program in economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. We find that the gap in study success between minority and majority students can be attributed to differences in high school education. Students from

Characterization and Computational Modeling of Minor Phases in Alloy LSHR

Science.gov (United States)

Jou, Herng-Jeng; Olson, Gregory; Gabb, Timothy; Garg, Anita; Miller, Derek

2012-01-01

The minor phases of powder metallurgy disk superalloy LSHR were studied. Samples were consistently heat treated at three different temperatures for long times to approach equilibrium. Additional heat treatments were also performed for shorter times, to assess minor phase kinetics in non-equilibrium conditions. Minor phases including MC carbides, M23C6 carbides, M3B2 borides, and sigma were identified. Their average sizes and total area fractions were determined. CALPHAD thermodynamics databases and PrecipiCalc(TradeMark), a computational precipitation modeling tool, were employed with Ni-base thermodynamics and diffusion databases to model and simulate the phase microstructural evolution observed in the experiments with an objective to identify the model limitations and the directions of model enhancement.

Ethnic Minority Dropout in Economics

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Ivo J. M.

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the first-year study success of minority students in the bachelor program in economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. We find that the gap in study success between minority and majority students can be attributed to differences in high school education. Students from similar high school tracks show no significant…

Minor actinide transmutation using minor actinide burner reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukaiyama, T.; Yoshida, H.; Gunji, Y.

1991-01-01

The concept of minor actinide burner reactor is proposed as an efficient way to transmute long-lived minor actinides in order to ease the burden of high-level radioactive waste disposal problem. Conceptual design study of minor actinide burner reactors was performed to obtain a reactor model with very hard neutron spectrum and very high neutron flux in which minor actinides can be fissioned efficiently. Two models of burner reactors were obtained, one with metal fuel core and the other with particle fuel core. Minor actinide transmutation by the actinide burner reactors is compared with that by power reactors from both the reactor physics and fuel cycle facilities view point. (author)

A review of international pharmacy-based minor ailment services and proposed service design model.

Science.gov (United States)

Aly, Mariyam; García-Cárdenas, Victoria; Williams, Kylie; Benrimoj, Shalom I

2018-01-05

The need to consider sustainable healthcare solutions is essential. An innovative strategy used to promote minor ailment care is the utilisation of community pharmacists to deliver minor ailment services (MASs). Promoting higher levels of self-care can potentially reduce the strain on existing resources. To explore the features of international MASs, including their similarities and differences, and consider the essential elements to design a MAS model. A grey literature search strategy was completed in June 2017 to comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses standard. This included (1) Google/Yahoo! search engines, (2) targeted websites, and (3) contact with commissioning organisations. Executive summaries, table of contents and title pages of documents were reviewed. Key characteristics of MASs were extracted and a MAS model was developed. A total of 147 publications were included in the review. Key service elements identified included eligibility, accessibility, staff involvement, reimbursement systems. Several factors need to be considered when designing a MAS model; including contextualisation of MAS to the market. Stakeholder engagement, service planning, governance, implementation and review have emerged as key aspects involved with a design model. MASs differ in their structural parameters. Consideration of these parameters is necessary when devising MAS aims and assessing outcomes to promote sustainability and success of the service. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Academic Achievement and Behavioral Health among Asian American and African American Adolescents: Testing the Model Minority and Inferior Minority Assumptions

Science.gov (United States)

Whaley, Arthur L.; Noel, La Tonya

2013-01-01

The present study tested the model minority and inferior minority assumptions by examining the relationship between academic performance and measures of behavioral health in a subsample of 3,008 (22%) participants in a nationally representative, multicultural sample of 13,601 students in the 2001 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, comparing Asian…

Application of Goal Tree-Success Tree model as the knowledge-base of operator advisory systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, I.S.; Modarres, M.

1987-01-01

The most important portion of an expert system development is the articulation of knowledge by the expert and its satisfactory formulation in a suitable knowledge representation scheme for mechanization by a computer. A 'deep knowledge' approach called Goal Tree-Success Tree model is devised to represent complex dynamic domain knowledge. This approach can hierarchically model the underlying principles of a given process domain (for example nuclear power plant operations domain). The Goal Tree-Success Tree can then be used to represent the knowledge-base and provide means of selecting an efficient search routine in the inference engine of an expert system. A prototype expert system has been developed to demonstrate the method. This expert system models the operation of a typical system used in the pressurized water reactors. The expert system is modeled for real-time operations if an interface between plant parameters and the expert system is established. The real-time operation provides an ability to quickly remedy minor disturbances that can quickly lead to a system malfunction or trip. A description of both the Goal Tree-Success Tree model and the prototype expert system is presented. (orig.)

Electoral Entry and Success of Ethnic Minority Parties in Central and Eastern Europe: A Hierarchical Selection Model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bernauer, Julian; Bochsler, Daniel

2011-01-01

and electoral demand, measured here as the size of ethnic groups and the saliency of ethnic issues. In line with these expectations, parties only run if they can expect electoral support sufficient to pass the electoral threshold. This finding would have been overlooked by a na??ve model of electoral success...... which does not take self-selection into account. ?? 2011 Elsevier Ltd....

The Hamming distance in the minority game

Science.gov (United States)

D'hulst, R.; Rodgers, G. J.

1999-08-01

We investigate different versions of the minority game, a toy model for agents buying and selling a commodity. The Hamming distance between the strategies used by agents to make decisions is introduced as an analytical tool to determine several properties of these models. The success rate of the agents in an adaptive version of the game is compared with the rate from a stochastic version. It is shown numerically and analytically that the adaptive process is inefficient, increasing the success rate of the unused strategies while decreasing the success rate of the strategies used by the agents. The agents do not do as well as if they were forced to use only one strategy permanently. A version of the game in which the agents strategies evolve is also analysed using the notion of distance. The agents evolve into a state in which they are all using one strategy, which is again the state that yields the maximum success rate.

PETOM: Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamehameha Journal of Education, 1993

1993-01-01

The paper presents an overview of a two-year program called PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities), which receives funding from the Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaii to prepare teachers of underachieving minority children. The program educates teachers who can make school successful for Hawaii's minority students.…

An Integrative Model for the Study of Developmental Competencies in Minority Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Coll, Cynthia Garcia; And Others

1996-01-01

Proposes a conceptual model for the study of child development in minority populations in the United States that is anchored within social stratification theory and emphasizes the importance of racism, prejudice, discrimination, oppression, and segregation in the development of minority children and families. (MDM)

Minority workers or minority human beings? A European dilemma

Science.gov (United States)

Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove; Phillipson, Robert

1996-07-01

"European" identities may be politonymic, toponymic, ethnomyic or linguonymic (Bromley 1984). Each dimension may affect whether migrant minorities are treated as "European", and influence their schooling, integration and rights. Treatment and terminology vary in different states and periods of migration. However, the position for immigrated minorities is that they are still largely seen as workers rather than human beings with equal rights. Lack of success in schools is blamed on the migrants themselves rather than the educational system. This construction of migrants as being deficient is parallel to educational practice which falls within a UN definition of linguistic genocide, and contributes to mis-education. If current efforts in international bodies to codify educational linguistic human rights were to lead to greater support for minorities, this could assist in a redefinition of national identities and a reduction of racism and conflict.

Hot topics, urgent priorities, and ensuring success for racial/ethnic minority young investigators in academic pediatrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, Glenn; Mendoza, Fernando S; Fuentes-Afflick, Elena; Mendoza, Jason A; Pachter, Lee; Espinoza, Juan; Fernandez, Cristina R; Arnold, Danielle D P; Brown, Nicole M; Gonzalez, Kymberly M; Lopez, Cynthia; Owen, Mikah C; Parks, Kenya M; Reynolds, Kimberly L; Russell, Christopher J

2016-12-09

The number of racial/ethnic minority children will exceed the number of white children in the USA by 2018. Although 38% of Americans are minorities, only 12% of pediatricians, 5% of medical-school faculty, and 3% of medical-school professors are minorities. Furthermore, only 5% of all R01 applications for National Institutes of Health grants are from African-American, Latino, and American Indian investigators. Prompted by the persistent lack of diversity in the pediatric and biomedical research workforces, the Academic Pediatric Association Research in Academic Pediatrics Initiative on Diversity (RAPID) was initiated in 2012. RAPID targets applicants who are members of an underrepresented minority group (URM), disabled, or from a socially, culturally, economically, or educationally disadvantaged background. The program, which consists of both a research project and career and leadership development activities, includes an annual career-development and leadership conference which is open to any resident, fellow, or junior faculty member from an URM, disabled, or disadvantaged background who is interested in a career in academic general pediatrics. As part of the annual RAPID conference, a Hot Topic Session is held in which the young investigators spend several hours developing a list of hot topics on the most useful faculty and career-development issues. These hot topics are then posed in the form of six "burning questions" to the RAPID National Advisory Committee (comprised of accomplished, nationally recognized senior investigators who are seasoned mentors), the RAPID Director and Co-Director, and the keynote speaker. The six compelling questions posed by the 10 young investigators-along with the responses of the senior conference leadership-provide a unique resource and "survival guide" for ensuring the academic success and optimal career development of young investigators in academic pediatrics from diverse backgrounds. A rich conversation ensued on the topics

Toward a Model of Social Influence that Explains Minority Student Integration into the Scientific Community

Science.gov (United States)

Estrada, Mica; Woodcock, Anna; Hernandez, Paul R.; Schultz, P. Wesley

2010-01-01

Students from several ethnic minority groups are underrepresented in the sciences, such that minority students more frequently drop out of the scientific career path than non-minority students. Viewed from a perspective of social influence, this pattern suggests that minority students do not integrate into the scientific community at the same rate as non-minority students. Kelman (1958, 2006) describes a tripartite integration model of social influence (TIMSI) by which a person orients to a social system. To test if this model predicts integration into the scientific community, we conducted analyses of data from a national panel of minority science students. A structural equation model framework showed that self-efficacy (operationalized consistent with Kelman’s ‘rule-orientation’) predicted student intentions to pursue a scientific career. However, when identification as a scientist and internalization of values are added to the model, self-efficacy becomes a poorer predictor of intention. Additional mediation analyses support the conclusion that while having scientific self-efficacy is important, identifying with and endorsing the values of the social system reflect a deeper integration and more durable motivation to persist as a scientist. PMID:21552374

A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE MODEL MINORITY STEREOTYPE SHIBBOLETH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas Daniel Hartlep

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The author conducted a thematic review of the literature on the model minority stereotype  (MMS.  MMS  writings  (n  =  246  included  peer-reviewed  and  non-peer-reviewed materials spanning from the 1960s to present. Writings were reviewed if their title included “model minority.”  The purpose  was to review the MMS critically.  Six major themes were found to recurrently appear in the MMS literature. Those themes were the following: (1 critiquing colorblindness, (2 countering meritocracy, (3 demystifying Asian  American  exceptionalism,  (4  uncovering  divide  and  conquer  stratagem,  (5 problematizing Asian American homogenization, and (6 unmasking the “yellow peril” stereotype. Implications for the education of Asian students in America and abroad are shared.

Twenty Years of National Minority Protection in the Republic of Croatia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siniša Tatalović

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The paper contains a review of policies towards national minorities in the Republic of Croatia in the past twenty years, with reference to the perspective of minority rights implementation. The topic has been analysed in relation to two independent variables – the influence of external factors, i.e. the international community, and internal political processes that have had influence on the realisation of national minority rights. Today, as a country and society on the eve of accession to the European Union, along with a legislatively developed and institutionally branched model of the implementation of national minority rights, we can not claim to have established permanent protection of their rights. The degree of national minority integration in society is the only true indicator of policy success in relation to national minorities. The goal of this policy ought to be complete integration of national minorities into public, cultural, economic and political life, but accompanied by the preservation of their cultural and national identity. The Croatian model has been set up in such a way, but the manner in which it functions will depend on the political will to implement it, the willingness of national minority members to be active subjects of social and political life, as well as on civil society and Croatian society as a whole.

Minority games, evolving capitals and replicator dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galla, Tobias; Zhang, Yi-Cheng

2009-01-01

We discuss a simple version of the minority game (MG) in which agents hold only one strategy each, but in which their capitals evolve dynamically according to their success and in which the total trading volume varies in time accordingly. This feature is known to be crucial for MGs to reproduce stylized facts of real market data. The stationary states and phase diagram of the model can be computed, and we show that the ergodicity breaking phase transition common for MGs, and marked by a divergence of the integrated response, is present also in this simplified model. An analogous majority game turns out to be relatively void of interesting features, and the total capital is found to diverge in time. Introducing a restraining force leads to a model akin to the replicator dynamics of evolutionary game theory, and we demonstrate that here a different type of phase transition is observed. Finally we briefly discuss the relation of this model with one strategy per player to more sophisticated minority games with dynamical capitals and several trading strategies per agent

Successful modeling?

Science.gov (United States)

Lomnitz, Cinna

Tichelaar and Ruff [1989] propose to “estimate model variance in complicated geophysical problems,” including the determination of focal depth in earthquakes, by means of unconventional statistical methods such as bootstrapping. They are successful insofar as they are able to duplicate the results from more conventional procedures.

Non centered minor hysteresis loops evaluation based on exponential parameters transforms of the modified inverse Jiles–Atherton model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamimid, M.; Mimoune, S.M.; Feliachi, M.; Atallah, K.

2014-01-01

In this present work, a non centered minor hysteresis loops evaluation is performed using the exponential transforms (ET) of the modified inverse Jiles–Atherton model parameters. This model improves the non centered minor hysteresis loops representation. The parameters of the non centered minor hysteresis loops are obtained from exponential expressions related to the major ones. The parameters of minor loops are obtained by identification using the stochastic optimization method “simulated annealing”. The four parameters of JA model (a,α, k and c) obtained by this transformation are applied only in both ascending and descending branches of the non centered minor hysteresis loops while the major ones are applied to the rest of the cycle. This proposal greatly improves both branches and consequently the minor loops. To validate this model, calculated non-centered minor hysteresis loops are compared with measured ones and good agreements are obtained

Minority Games

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metzler, R [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Universitaet Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Wuerzburg (Germany)

2005-02-25

New branches of scientific disciplines often have a few paradigmatic models that serve as a testing ground for theories and a starting point for new inquiries. In the late 1990s, one of these models found fertile ground in the growing field of econophysics: the Minority Game (MG), a model for speculative markets that combined conceptual simplicity with interesting emergent behaviour and challenging mathematics. The two basic ingredients were the minority mechanism (a large number of players have to choose one of two alternatives in each round, and the minority wins) and limited rationality (each player has a small set of decision rules, and chooses the more successful ones). Combining these, one observes a phase transition between a crowded and an inefficient market phase, fat-tailed price distributions at the transition, and many other nontrivial effects. Now, seven years after the first paper, three of the key players-Damien Challet, Matteo Marsili and Yi-Cheng Zhang-have published a monograph that summarizes the current state of the science. The book consists of two parts: a 100-page overview of the various aspects of the MG, and reprints of many essential papers. The first chapters of Part I give a well-written description of the motivation and the history behind the MG, and then go into the phenomenology and the mathematical treatment of the model. The authors emphasize the 'physics' underlying the behaviour and give coherent, intuitive explanations that are difficult to extract from the original papers. The mathematics is outlined, but calculations are not carried out in great detail (maybe they could have been included in an appendix). Chapter 4 then discusses how and why the MG is a model for speculative markets, how it can be modified to give a closer fit to observed market statistics (in particular, reproducing the 'stylized facts' of fat-tailed distributions and volatility clustering), and what conclusions one can draw from the

Minority Games

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metzler, R

2005-01-01

New branches of scientific disciplines often have a few paradigmatic models that serve as a testing ground for theories and a starting point for new inquiries. In the late 1990s, one of these models found fertile ground in the growing field of econophysics: the Minority Game (MG), a model for speculative markets that combined conceptual simplicity with interesting emergent behaviour and challenging mathematics. The two basic ingredients were the minority mechanism (a large number of players have to choose one of two alternatives in each round, and the minority wins) and limited rationality (each player has a small set of decision rules, and chooses the more successful ones). Combining these, one observes a phase transition between a crowded and an inefficient market phase, fat-tailed price distributions at the transition, and many other nontrivial effects. Now, seven years after the first paper, three of the key players-Damien Challet, Matteo Marsili and Yi-Cheng Zhang-have published a monograph that summarizes the current state of the science. The book consists of two parts: a 100-page overview of the various aspects of the MG, and reprints of many essential papers. The first chapters of Part I give a well-written description of the motivation and the history behind the MG, and then go into the phenomenology and the mathematical treatment of the model. The authors emphasize the 'physics' underlying the behaviour and give coherent, intuitive explanations that are difficult to extract from the original papers. The mathematics is outlined, but calculations are not carried out in great detail (maybe they could have been included in an appendix). Chapter 4 then discusses how and why the MG is a model for speculative markets, how it can be modified to give a closer fit to observed market statistics (in particular, reproducing the 'stylized facts' of fat-tailed distributions and volatility clustering), and what conclusions one can draw from the behaviour of the MG when

Legitimate identity construction of successful ethnic minority entrepreneurs in the creative industries

OpenAIRE

Thoelen, Annelies; ZANONI, Patrizia

2011-01-01

This study investigates how ethnic minority entrepreneurs in the creative industries deploy their ethnic background to craft professional legitimacy. Drawing on De Clercq and Voronov’s (2009) theory of legitimacy, we examine how they discursively deploy their ethnic minority background and combine it with other available discourses to fit in and stand out in their field. Based on data collected through 13 in-depth interviews with established ethnic entrepreneurs in the creative industries, we...

Minor emergency clinic: key to the future of successful hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Chawla, S; Kathawala, Y; Elmuti, D

1992-01-01

This project set out to determine whether there is a relationship between the minor emergency facility an individual uses and their choice of a hospital for in-patient care. In studying this relationship, the factors that are important to persons choosing a clinic or hospital facility, as well as the influence of a physician, were also identified. A structured, undisguised telephone survey was used for interviewing a randomly selected sample population of 189 San Angelo residents. Analysis of the survey data indicated that dependency does exist between minor emergency clinic use and the hospital chosen for in-patient care. The results of this study also suggested that hospitals' marketing strategy should shift the emphasis of their advertising from the hospital itself to their physician association and clinics. In addition, a number of other interesting observations concerning the relative importance of various medical factors to the participants was also explored.

Sexual Minority Stressors, Internalizing Symptoms, and Unhealthy Eating Behaviors in Sexual Minority Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Katz-Wise, Sabra L.; Calzo, Jerel P.; Scherer, Emily A.; Sarda, Vishnudas; Jackson, Benita; Haines, Jess; Austin, S. Bryn

2015-01-01

Background Sexual minorities are more likely than heterosexuals to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors. Purpose To examine sexual minority stressors and internalizing symptoms as predictors of unhealthy eating behaviors among sexual minority youth. Methods We used longitudinal data from 1461 sexual minority youth in the Growing Up Today Study, across ages 14-28 years. We hypothesized that sexual minority stressors would predict unhealthy eating behaviors, in part due to internalizing symptoms. Linear regression models fit via generalized estimating equations were stratified by gender and sexual orientation. Results Significant positive and inverse associations between stressors and eating behaviors were detected among females and males, with more significant associations among females. Associations were attenuated by up to 71% for females and 12% for males when internalizing symptoms were added to the models. Conclusions Sexual minority stressors predicted unhealthy eating behaviors overall and more so for some sexual orientation and gender groups; associations were partially explained by internalizing symptoms. The conceptual model appears to best describe the experiences of bisexual females. Findings have clinical implications for adolescent health. PMID:26156678

Predicting Rehabilitation Success Rate Trends among Ethnic Minorities Served by State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies: A National Time Series Forecast Model Demonstration Study

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Corey L.; Wang, Ningning; Washington, Janique Tynez

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study assessed and demonstrated the efficacy of two select empirical forecast models (i.e., autoregressive integrated moving average [ARIMA] model vs. grey model [GM]) in accurately predicting state vocational rehabilitation agency (SVRA) rehabilitation success rate trends across six different racial and ethnic population cohorts…

Comparative Models for Preparing Teachers of Minorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Titus, Dale; Dolgos, Kathleen

This paper highlights three programs that prepare culturally sensitive teachers to meet the needs of minority students. The University of Hawaii's Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities has a partnership with the Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate private school for children of Hawaiian ancestry. The school brings new culturally sensitive…

A variation method in the optimization problem of the minority game model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blazhyijevs'kij, L.; Yanyishevs'kij, V.

2009-01-01

This article contains the results of applying a variation method in the investigation of the optimization problem in the minority game model. That suggested approach is shown to give relevant results about phase transition in the model. Other methods pertinent to the problem have also been assessed.

Modeling student success in engineering education

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Qu

In order for the United States to maintain its global competitiveness, the long-term success of our engineering students in specific courses, programs, and colleges is now, more than ever, an extremely high priority. Numerous studies have focused on factors that impact student success, namely academic performance, retention, and/or graduation. However, there are only a limited number of works that have systematically developed models to investigate important factors and to predict student success in engineering. Therefore, this research presents three separate but highly connected investigations to address this gap. The first investigation involves explaining and predicting engineering students' success in Calculus I courses using statistical models. The participants were more than 4000 first-year engineering students (cohort years 2004 - 2008) who enrolled in Calculus I courses during the first semester in a large Midwestern university. Predictions from statistical models were proposed to be used to place engineering students into calculus courses. The success rates were improved by 12% in Calculus IA using predictions from models developed over traditional placement method. The results showed that these statistical models provided a more accurate calculus placement method than traditional placement methods and help improve success rates in those courses. In the second investigation, multi-outcome and single-outcome neural network models were designed to understand and to predict first-year retention and first-year GPA of engineering students. The participants were more than 3000 first year engineering students (cohort years 2004 - 2005) enrolled in a large Midwestern university. The independent variables include both high school academic performance factors and affective factors measured prior to entry. The prediction performances of the multi-outcome and single-outcome models were comparable. The ability to predict cumulative GPA at the end of an engineering

Defining minors' abortion rights.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, A M

1988-01-01

The right to abortion is confirmed in the Roe versus Wade case, by the US Supreme Court. It is a fundamental right of privacy but not an absolute right, and must consider state interests. During the first trimester of pregnancy abortion is a decision of the woman and her doctor. During the second trimester of pregnancy the state may control the abortion practice to protect the mothers health, and in the last trimester, it may prohibit abortion, except in cases where the mother's life or health are in danger. The states enacted laws, including one that required parents to give written consent for a unmarried minor's abortion. This law was struck down by the US Court, but laws on notification were upheld as long as there was alternative procedures where the minor's interests are upheld. Many of these law have been challenged successfully, where the minor was judged mature and where it served her best interests. The state must enact laws on parental notification that take into consideration basic rights of the minor woman. Health professionals and workers should be aware of these laws and should encourage the minor to let parents in on the decision making process where possible.

Mentoring Through Research as a Catalyst for the Success of Under-represented Minority Students in the Geosciences

Science.gov (United States)

Marsaglia, K.; Simila, G.; Pedone, V.; Yule, D.

2003-12-01

The Catalyst Program of the Department of Geological Sciences at California State University Northridge has been developed by four faculty members who were the recipients of a three-year award (2002-2005) from the National Science Foundation. The goal of the program is to increase minority participation and success in the geosciences. The program seeks to enrich the educational experience by introducing students at all levels (individual and team) to research in the geosciences (such as data analysis for earthquake hazards for 1994 Northridge event, paleoseismology of San Andreas fault, Waipaoa, New Zealand sedimentary system and provenance studies, and the Barstow formation geochronology and geochemistry), and to decrease obstacles that affect academic success. Both these goals are largely achieved by the formation of integrated high school, undergraduate, and graduate research groups, which also provide fulfilling and successful peer mentorship. New participants first complete a specially designed course that introduces them to peer-mentoring, collaborative learning (think-pair share), and research on geological data sets. Students of all experience levels then become members of research teams and conduct four mini-projects and associated poster presentations, which deepens academic and research skills as well as peer-mentor relationships. This initial research experience has been very beneficial for the student's degree requirements of a senior research project and oral presentation. Evaluation strategies include the student research course presentations, summer field projects, and external review of student experiences. The Catalyst Program provides significant financial support to participants to allow them to focus their time on their education. A component of peer-tutoring has been implemented for promoting additional student success. The program has been highly successful in its two year development. To date, undergraduates and graduate students have

Social Interaction and the Minority-Majority Earnings Inequality : Why Being a Minority Hurts but being a big Minority Hurts More

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kahanec, M.

2004-01-01

Empirical findings that minorities typically attain lower economic status than majorities and that relatively larger minorities perform worse than smaller ones pose a challenge to economics.To explain this scale puzzle, I model an economy where the society is bifurcated into two social groups that

Minority Engineering Program Pipeline: A Proposal to Increase Minority Student Enrollment and Retention in Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Charity, Pamela C.; Klein, Paul B.; Wadhwa, Bhushan

1995-01-01

The Cleveland State University Minority Engineering Program Pipeline consist of programs which foster engineering career awareness, academic enrichment, and professional development for historically underrepresented minority studies. The programs involved are the Access to Careers in Engineering (ACE) Program for high school pre-engineering students: the LINK Program for undergraduate students pursuing degree which include engineering; and the PEP (Pre-calculus Enrichment Program) and EPIC (Enrichment Program in Calculus) mathematics programs for undergraduate academic enrichment. The pipeline is such that high school graduates from the ACE Program who enroll at Cleveland State University in pursuit of engineering degrees are admitted to the LINK Program for undergraduate level support. LINK Program students are among the minority participants who receive mathematics enrichment through the PEP and EPIC Programs for successful completion of their engineering required math courses. THese programs are interdependent and share the goal of preparing minority students for engineering careers by enabling them to achieve academically and obtain college degree and career related experience.

A Relational Model of Sexual Minority Mental and Physical Health: The Negative Effects of Shame on Relationships, Loneliness, and Health

Science.gov (United States)

Mereish, Ethan H.; Poteat, V. Paul

2015-01-01

Sexual minorities (e.g., lesbians, gay men, bisexual individuals) are at higher risk for mental and physical health disparities than heterosexuals, and some of these disparities relate to minority stressors such as discrimination. Yet, there is little research elucidating pathways that predict health or that promote resiliency among sexual minorities. Building on the minority stress model, the present study utilized relational cultural theory to situate sexual minority health within a relational framework. Specifically, the study tested mediators of the relationships between distal (i.e., discrimination, rejection, victimization) and proximal stressors (i.e., internalized homophobia, sexual orientation concealment) and psychological and physical distress for sexual minorities. Among 719 sexual minority adults, structural equation modeling analyses were used to test four models reflecting the mediating effects of shame, poorer relationships with a close peer and the LGBT community, and loneliness on the associations between minority stressors and psychological distress (i.e., depression and anxiety) and physical distress (i.e., distressing physical symptoms). As hypothesized, the associations between distal and proximal minority stressors and distress were mediated by shame, poorer relationships with a close peer and the LGBT community, and loneliness. Findings underscore the possible relational and interpersonal mechanisms by which sexual minority stressors lead to psychological and physical distress. PMID:26010289

Minority Status and Labor Market Outcomes : Does India Have Minority Enclaves?

OpenAIRE

Das, Maitreyi Bordia

2008-01-01

This paper uses data from the 61st Round of the National Sample Survey to understand the employment outcomes of Dalit and Muslim men in India. It uses a conceptual framework developed for the US labor market that states that ethnic minorities skirt discrimination in the primary labor market to build successful self-employed ventures in the form of ethnic enclaves or ethnic labor markets. ...

Minority stress model components and affective well-being in a sample of sexual orientation minority adults living with HIV/AIDS.

Science.gov (United States)

Cramer, Robert J; Burks, Alixandra C; Plöderl, Martin; Durgampudi, Praveen

2017-12-01

To date very little literature exists examining theoretically-based models applied to day-to-day positive and negative affective well-being among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Grounded in the perspective of Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 674-697. Minority Stress Model, the present study examined HIV- and sexual orientation-related factors influencing affective well-being (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, life satisfaction, and stress). Participants were 154 HIV-positive LGB adults from an urban area in the southwestern United States. Data were drawn from an archival database (i.e., Project Legacy). The study methodology featured a cross-sectional self-report survey of minority stress, victimization, coping, and emotional well-being, among other subjects. Primary regression results were: (1) males reported less general stress than females; (2) higher internalized HIV-related stigma was associated with elevated negative affect; (3) higher internalized homophobia was associated with elevations in negative affect and general stress; (4) higher coping self-efficacy was associated with lesser negative affect, lesser general stress, greater positive affect, and greater satisfaction with life; (5) a significant interaction between HIV-related victimization and coping self-efficacy showed that coping self-efficacy was positively associated with positive affect only (only for non-victims). Contrary to expectations, coping self-efficacy demonstrated the largest main effects on affective well-being. Results are discussed with regard to potential need for theoretical refinement of Minority Stress Model applied to PLWHA and affective well-being outcomes. Recommendations are offered for future research.

Multifractal regime transition in a modified minority game model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crepaldi, Antonio F.; Rodrigues Neto, Camilo; Ferreira, Fernando F.; Francisco, Gerson

2009-01-01

The search for more realistic modeling of financial time series reveals several stylized facts of real markets. In this work we focus on the multifractal properties found in price and index signals. Although the usual minority game (MG) models do not exhibit multifractality, we study here one of its variants that does. We show that the nonsynchronous MG models in the nonergodic phase is multifractal and in this sense, together with other stylized facts, constitute a better modeling tool. Using the structure function (SF) approach we detected the stationary and the scaling range of the time series generated by the MG model and, from the linear (non-linear) behavior of the SF we identified the fractal (multifractal) regimes. Finally, using the wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) technique we obtained its multifractal spectrum width for different dynamical regimes.

A relational model of sexual minority mental and physical health: The negative effects of shame on relationships, loneliness, and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Mereish, Ethan H; Poteat, V Paul

2015-07-01

Sexual minorities (e.g., lesbians, gay men, bisexual individuals) are at an increased risk for poorer mental and physical health outcomes than heterosexuals, and some of these health disparities relate to minority stressors such as discrimination. Yet, there is little research elucidating pathways that predict health or that promote resiliency among sexual minorities. Building on the minority stress model, the present study utilized relational cultural theory to situate sexual minority health within a relational framework. Specifically, the study tested mediators of the relationships between distal (i.e., discrimination, rejection, victimization) and proximal stressors (i.e., internalized homophobia, sexual orientation concealment) and psychological and physical distress for sexual minorities. Among 719 sexual minority adults, structural equation modeling analyses were used to test 4 models reflecting the mediating effects of shame, poorer relationships with a close peer and the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) community, and loneliness on the associations between minority stressors and psychological distress (i.e., depression and anxiety) and physical distress (i.e., distressing physical symptoms). As hypothesized, the associations between distal and proximal minority stressors and distress were mediated by shame, poorer relationships with a close peer and the LGBT community, and loneliness. Findings underscore the possible relational and interpersonal mechanisms by which sexual minority stressors lead to psychological and physical distress. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

BOOK REVIEW: Minority Games

Science.gov (United States)

Metzler, R.

2005-02-01

New branches of scientific disciplines often have a few paradigmatic models that serve as a testing ground for theories and a starting point for new inquiries. In the late 1990s, one of these models found fertile ground in the growing field of econophysics: the Minority Game (MG), a model for speculative markets that combined conceptual simplicity with interesting emergent behaviour and challenging mathematics. The two basic ingredients were the minority mechanism (a large number of players have to choose one of two alternatives in each round, and the minority wins) and limited rationality (each player has a small set of decision rules, and chooses the more successful ones). Combining these, one observes a phase transition between a crowded and an inefficient market phase, fat-tailed price distributions at the transition, and many other nontrivial effects. Now, seven years after the first paper, three of the key players—Damien Challet, Matteo Marsili and Yi-Cheng Zhang—have published a monograph that summarizes the current state of the science. The book consists of two parts: a 100-page overview of the various aspects of the MG, and reprints of many essential papers. The first chapters of Part I give a well-written description of the motivation and the history behind the MG, and then go into the phenomenology and the mathematical treatment of the model. The authors emphasize the `physics' underlying the behaviour and give coherent, intuitive explanations that are difficult to extract from the original papers. The mathematics is outlined, but calculations are not carried out in great detail (maybe they could have been included in an appendix). Chapter 4 then discusses how and why the MG is a model for speculative markets, how it can be modified to give a closer fit to observed market statistics (in particular, reproducing the `stylized facts' of fat-tailed distributions and volatility clustering), and what conclusions one can draw from the behaviour of the MG

Minimizing cross-cultural maladaptation: How minority status facilitates change in international acculturation.

Science.gov (United States)

Volpone, Sabrina D; Marquardt, Dennis J; Casper, Wendy J; Avery, Derek R

2018-03-01

Culturally savvy organizations recognize that selecting and developing people who can be effective in a global workforce is important in today's business environment. Nevertheless, many companies struggle to identify and develop talent who are happy and successful working and living outside their home country. We examine 1 factor that may foster success in a host country-minority status in 1's home country-as a predictor of change in acculturation over time. Specifically, we draw on the conservation of resources model to suggest that international students who have been a member of more minority groups in their home country have unique experiences working with dissimilar others that offer advantages when acculturating to new cultures and novel situations. Then, change in host country acculturation is explored as a mechanism to explain how minority status in the home country relates to intentions to leave the host country and psychological well-being 6 months after entry. Two moderators (cultural intelligence, perceived diversity climate of the host institution) of these relationships are also examined. Results revealed that the relationship between minority status in the home country and change in host country acculturation was positive and stronger for those with higher cultural intelligence. Further, the relationship between change in host country acculturation and psychological well-being was positive when perceived diversity climate of the host institution was high, but was not significant when perceived diversity climate was low. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

The impact of minority stress on mental health and substance use among sexual minority women.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehavot, Keren; Simoni, Jane M

2011-04-01

We examined the direct and indirect impact of minority stress on mental health and substance use among sexual minority women. A combination of snowball and targeted sampling strategies was used to recruit lesbian and bisexual women (N = 1,381) for a cross-sectional, online survey. Participants (M age = 33.54 years; 74% White) completed a questionnaire assessing gender expression, minority stressors (i.e., victimization, internalized homophobia, and concealment), social-psychological resources (i.e., social support, spirituality), and health-related outcomes. We used structural equation modeling to test associations among these factors, with gender expression as an antecedent and social-psychological resources as a mediator between minority stress and health. The final model demonstrated acceptable fit, χ²(79) = 414.00, p accounting for significant portions of the variance in mental health problems (56%) and substance use (14%), as well as the mediator social-psychological resources (24%). Beyond indirect effects of minority stress on health outcomes, direct links emerged between victimization and substance use and between internalized homophobia and substance use. Findings indicate a significant impact of minority stressors and social-psychological resources on mental health and substance use among sexual minority women. The results improve understanding of the distinct role of various minority stressors and their mechanisms on health outcomes. Health care professionals should assess for minority stress and coping resources and refer for evidence-based psychosocial treatments. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

A Model of Successful School Leadership from the International Successful School Principalship Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Gurr

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP has been actively conducting research about the work of successful principals since 2001. Findings from four project books and eight models derived from this project are synthesised into a model of successful school leadership. Building on Gurr, Drysdale and Mulford’s earlier model, the work of school leaders is described as engaging within the school context to influence student and school outcomes through interventions in teaching and learning, school capacity building, and the wider context. The qualities a leader brings to their role, a portfolio approach to using leadership ideas, constructing networks, collaborations and partnerships, and utilising accountability and evaluation for evidence-informed improvement, are important additional elements. The model is applicable to all in leadership roles in schools.

From leaky pipeline to irrigation system: minority education through the lens of community-based participatory research.

Science.gov (United States)

James, Rosalina; Starks, Helene; Segrest, Valerie Ann; Burke, Wylie

2012-01-01

Higher education has long made efforts to increase underrepresented minority participation in biomedical research and health fields. However, relatively few minority trainees complete advanced degrees or proceed to independent research careers, a loss referred to as the "leaky pipeline." Minority trainees may take alternate pathways to climbing the academic ladder, exiting to pursue multiple disciplinary or community-serving roles. The authors propose a model for understanding minority departures from the education pipeline as a basis for supporting careers that align with community goals for health. Concepts of the traditional pipeline training model are compared with a model that aligns with community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles and practices. The article describes an irrigation model that incorporates informal learning from academic and community knowledge bases to prepare trainees for CBPR and interdisciplinary research. Students serve as agents that foster individual, institutional, and social change needed to address health problems while attending to root causes of disparities. Viewing minority students as agents for community engagement allows institutions to reassess the role training can play in diversifying participation in higher education and research. An irrigation model supports development of an infrastructure that optimizes success at all post-secondary levels, and enhances CBPR capacity wherever trainees live, work, and learn. Linking formal education to informal learning in context of CBPR experiences can also reduce community mistrust of research while nurturing productive research partnerships with communities to address health disparities.

MODEL OF TRAINING OF SUCCESS IN LIFE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Екатерина Александровна Лежнева

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The article explains the importance of the development of motive to succeed in adolescence. It is determined the value of the motive to achieve success in the further development of the teenager: a motive to achieve effective internal forces mobilized for the implementation of successful operation ensures the active involvement of teenagers in social and interpersonal relationships. As the primary means of motive development success is considered training. The author provides a definition of "training for success in life," creates a model of training for success in life, and describes its units (targeted, informative, technological, productive, reveals the successful development of the technology life strategy used during the training (self-presentation, targets, incentives, subject-orientation. The author pays attention to the need for a future psychologist to develop teenagers’ motive to achieve success through the mastery of competence in constructing a model of training for success in life, and its implementation in the course of professional activities. The main means of training students of psychology to the use of training success in life identified the additional educational programs and psychological section.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-9-77

The Minority Game : An Economics Perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kets, W.

2007-01-01

This paper gives a critical account of the minority game literature. The minority game is a simple congestion game: players need to choose between two options, and those who have selected the option chosen by the minority win. The learning model proposed in this literature seems to differ markedly

Validation of the internalization of the Model Minority Myth Measure (IM-4) and its link to academic performance and psychological adjustment among Asian American adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Hyung Chol; Miller, Matthew J; Yip, Pansy

2015-04-01

There is limited research examining psychological correlates of a uniquely racialized experience of the model minority stereotype faced by Asian Americans. The present study examined the factor structure and fit of the only published measure of the internalization of the model minority myth, the Internalization of the Model Minority Myth Measure (IM-4; Yoo et al., 2010), with a sample of 155 Asian American high school adolescents. We also examined the link between internalization of the model minority myth types (i.e., myth associated with achievement and myth associated with unrestricted mobility) and psychological adjustment (i.e., affective distress, somatic distress, performance difficulty, academic expectations stress), and the potential moderating effect of academic performance (cumulative grade point average). Results suggested the 2-factor model of the IM-4 had an acceptable fit to the data and supported the factor structure using confirmatory factor analyses. Internalizing the model minority myth of achievement related positively to academic expectations stress; however, internalizing the model minority myth of unrestricted mobility related negatively to academic expectations stress, both controlling for gender and academic performance. Finally, academic performance moderated the model minority myth associated with unrestricted mobility and affective distress link and the model minority myth associated with achievement and performance difficulty link. These findings highlight the complex ways in which the model minority myth relates to psychological outcomes. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

A Success Story: Recruiting & Retaining Underrepresented Minority Doctoral Students in Biomedical Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Reichert, William M.

2006-01-01

There are various ways to succeed in recruiting and retaining underrepresented minority (URM) doctoral students; but key to them all is the creation of real student-faculty relationships, which demonstrate by example that diversity and excellence can and should coexist. This cannot be delegated or done indirectly, and no amount of outreach, campus…

Building the Minority Faculty Development Pipeline.

Science.gov (United States)

Gates, Paul E.; Ganey, James H.; Brown, Marc D.

2003-01-01

Describes efforts toward minority faculty development in dentistry, including those of Harlem Hospital-Columbia University School of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, the National Dental Association Foundation, and Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center. Explains that critical elements in the success of these programs are environment, selection criteria,…

Methodology for Designing Models Predicting Success of Infertility Treatment

OpenAIRE

Alireza Zarinara; Mohammad Mahdi Akhondi; Hojjat Zeraati; Koorsh Kamali; Kazem Mohammad

2016-01-01

Abstract Background: The prediction models for infertility treatment success have presented since 25 years ago. There are scientific principles for designing and applying the prediction models that is also used to predict the success rate of infertility treatment. The purpose of this study is to provide basic principles for designing the model to predic infertility treatment success. Materials and Methods: In this paper, the principles for developing predictive models are explained and...

Electronic cigarette sales to minors via the internet.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Rebecca S; Derrick, Jason; Ribisl, Kurt M

2015-03-01

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) entered the US market in 2007 and, with little regulatory oversight, grew into a $2-billion-a-year industry by 2013. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a trend of increasing e-cigarette use among teens, with use rates doubling from 2011 to 2012. While several studies have documented that teens can and do buy cigarettes online, to our knowledge, no studies have yet examined age verification among Internet tobacco vendors selling e-cigarettes. To estimate the extent to which minors can successfully purchase e-cigarettes online and assess compliance with North Carolina's 2013 e-cigarette age-verification law. In this cross-sectional study conducted from February 2014 to June 2014, 11 nonsmoking minors aged 14 to 17 years made supervised e-cigarette purchase attempts from 98 Internet e-cigarette vendors. Purchase attempts were made at the University of North Carolina Internet Tobacco Vendors Study project offices using credit cards. Rate at which minors can successfully purchase e-cigarettes on the Internet. Minors successfully received deliveries of e-cigarettes from 76.5% of purchase attempts, with no attempts by delivery companies to verify their ages at delivery and 95% of delivered orders simply left at the door. All delivered packages came from shipping companies that, according to company policy or federal regulation, do not ship cigarettes to consumers. Of the total orders, 18 failed for reasons unrelated to age verification. Only 5 of the remaining 80 youth purchase attempts were rejected owing to age verification, resulting in a youth buy rate of 93.7%. None of the vendors complied with North Carolina's e-cigarette age-verification law. Minors are easily able to purchase e-cigarettes from the Internet because of an absence of age-verification measures used by Internet e-cigarette vendors. Federal law should require and enforce rigorous age verification for all e-cigarette sales as with the federal

Sexual Minority-Related Victimization as a Mediator of Mental Health Disparities in Sexual Minority Youth: A Longitudinal Analysis

OpenAIRE

Burton, Chad M.; Marshal, Michael P.; Chisolm, Deena J.; Sucato, Gina S.; Friedman, Mark S.

2013-01-01

Sexual minority youth (youth who are attracted to the same sex or endorse a gay/lesbian/bisexual identity) report significantly higher rates of depression and suicidality than heterosexual youth. The minority stress hypothesis contends that the stigma and discrimination experienced by sexual minority youth create a hostile social environment that can lead to chronic stress and mental health problems. The present study used longitudinal mediation models to directly test sexual minority-specifi...

Future goal setting, task motivation and learning of minority and non-minority students in Dutch schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Andriessen, Iris; Phalet, Karen; Lens, Willy

2006-12-01

Cross-cultural research on minority school achievement yields mixed findings on the motivational impact of future goal setting for students from disadvantaged minority groups. Relevant and recent motivational research, integrating Future Time Perspective Theory with Self-Determination Theory, has not yet been validated among minority students. To replicate across cultures the known motivational benefits of perceived instrumentality and internal regulation by distant future goals; to clarify when and how the future motivates minority students' educational performance. Participants in this study were 279 minority students (100 of Turkish and 179 of Moroccan origin) and 229 native Dutch students in Dutch secondary schools. Participants rated the importance of future goals, their perceptions of instrumentality, their task motivation and learning strategies. Dependent measures and their functional relations with future goal setting were simultaneously validated across minority and non-minority students, using structural equation modelling in multiple groups. As expected, Positive Perceived Instrumentality for the future increases task motivation and (indirectly) adaptive learning of both minority and non-minority students. But especially internally regulating future goals are strongly related to more task motivation and indirectly to more adaptive learning strategies. Our findings throw new light on the role of future goal setting in minority school careers: distant future goals enhance minority and non-minority students' motivation and learning, if students perceive positive instrumentality and if their schoolwork is internally regulated by future goals.

[Active ageing and success: A brief history of conceptual models].

Science.gov (United States)

Petretto, Donatella Rita; Pili, Roberto; Gaviano, Luca; Matos López, Cristina; Zuddas, Carlo

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to analyse and describe different conceptual models of successful ageing, active and healthy ageing developed in Europe and in America in the 20° century, starting from Rowe and Kahn's original model (1987, 1997). A narrative review was conducted on the literature on successful ageing. Our review included definition of successful ageing from European and American scholars. Models were found that aimed to describe indexes of active and healthy ageing, models devoted to describe processes involved in successful ageing, and additional views that emphasise subjective and objective perception of successful ageing. A description is also given of critiques on previous models and remedies according to Martin et al. (2014) and strategies for successful ageing according to Jeste and Depp (2014). The need is discussed for the enhancement of Rowe and Kahn's model and other models with a more inclusive, universal description of ageing, incorporating scientific evidence regarding active ageing. Copyright © 2015 SEGG. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Persistence among Minority STEM Majors: A Phenomenological Study

Science.gov (United States)

Williams-Watson, Stacey

The United States needs to increase the number of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates to remain competitive in the global market and maintain national security. Minority students, specifically African-American and Hispanic, are underrepresented in STEM fields. As the minority population continues to grow it is essential that higher education institutions improve minority students' persistence in STEM education. This study examined the problem of minority students' lack of persistence in STEM programs. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences that minority students perceived as contributing to their persistence in STEM. The central research question was: What are the lived experiences of minority STEM students that have contributed to their persistence in a STEM program? The sub-questions were: a) What led participants to majors in STEM?; b) What contributed to students' success and persistence in STEM?; and c) What advice do students have to offer? The researcher interviewed 12 minority STEM students and uncovered 10 themes that described the lived experiences of minority students' persistence in STEM programs. The themes were 1) Childhood experiences and interests; 2) Positive educational experiences in secondary school; 3) Self- motivation; 4) Positive experiences with professors; 5) Family encouragement and values; 6) Lack of minorities; 7) Lack of educational preparation; 8) The need for financial assistance; 9) Clubs and organizations; and 10) Friends within the major. The significance of these findings is the potential to produce changes in curricula, programs, and retention methods that may improve the persistence of minority students in STEM programs.

Reducing the illegal sale of cigarettes to minors.

Science.gov (United States)

Altman, D G; Foster, V; Rasenick-Douss, L; Tye, J B

1989-01-06

This study reports on an effort to stop the illegal sale of cigarettes to minors. In Santa Clara County, Calif, 412 stores and 30 vending machines were visited by 18 minors aged 14 through 16 years with the intent to purchase cigarettes; they were successful at 74% of the stores and 100% of the vending machines. After an aggressive six-month campaign using communitywide media, direct merchant education, contact with the chief executive officers of chain stores and franchise operations owned by major companies, and grassroots work with community organizations, the percentage of stores with illegal over-the-counter sale of cigarettes to minors was reduced to 39%. Sales from vending machines were not reduced. While much remains to be accomplished in stopping the illegal sale of tobacco to minors, data from this study illustrate that a well-designed community and merchant education campaign can significantly reduce such sales.

Minority STEM students' perceptions of academic advisement and the impact of academic advisement on satisfaction and academic success of minority STEM students at an HBCU in southeastern Louisiana

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Brittany

The purpose of this study was to examine how academic advising impacts minority STEM students' academic success and their level of satisfaction. The study also explored minority STEM students' perceptions of academic advising based on their experience. The sample included 188 sophomore and junior STEM students attending an HBCU in southeastern Louisiana. Participants in the study completed the Academic Advising Inventory (AAI). Some students also participated in a focus group or virtual interview. An independent t-test found no difference between the GPAs of STEM students who received developmental advising as opposed to prescriptive advising. A one-way ANOVA found no significant difference between STEM students' GPAs based on the frequency and duration of their advising sessions. A Mann-Whitney U test determined that STEM students who were prescriptively advised were significantly more satisfied with advising than STEM students who were developmentally advised. A Mann-Whitney U also determined that STEM students who were satisfied with their education were significantly more dissatisfied with academic advising than STEM students who were dissatisfied with their education. A Kruskal-Wallis H test determined there was no significant difference between STEM students' satisfaction with advising and the frequency of their advising sessions. A Kruskal-Wallis H also determined that STEM students who spent less than 15 minutes or more than 1 hour were the most satisfied with advisement. The majority of STEM students perceived academic advising had little impact on their GPA. However, STEM students perceived academic advising as having an impact on their satisfaction with the university. The majority of STEM students perceived academic advising as useful.

Promoting the successful development of sexual and gender minority youths.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Kenneth H; Garofalo, Robert; Makadon, Harvey J

2014-06-01

Because of societal discomfort with atypical expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youths have experienced enhanced developmental challenges compared with their heterosexual peers. A recent special issue of the American Journal of Public Health delineated how social stigma affecting LGBT youths has resulted in a wide range of health disparities, ranging from increased prevalence of depression and substance use to downstream effects, such as an increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease when older. We review the clinical significance of these findings for health care professionals, who need to become informed about these associations to provide better care for their sexual and gender minority youth patients, and to be able to educate their parents and other caregivers.

Gas Removal in the Ursa Minor Galaxy: Linking Hydrodynamics and Chemical Evolution Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caproni, Anderson; Lanfranchi, Gustavo Amaral; Baio, Gabriel Henrique Campos; Kowal, Grzegorz [Núcleo de Astrofísica Teórica, Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul, R. Galvão Bueno 868, Liberdade, 01506-000, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Falceta-Gonçalves, Diego, E-mail: anderson.caproni@cruzeirodosul.edu.br [Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Arlindo Bettio 1000, CEP 03828-000 São Paulo (Brazil)

2017-04-01

We present results from a non-cosmological, three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulation of the gas in the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Ursa Minor. Assuming an initial baryonic-to-dark-matter ratio derived from the cosmic microwave background radiation, we evolved the galactic gas distribution over 3 Gyr, taking into account the effects of the types Ia and II supernovae. For the first time, we used in our simulation the instantaneous supernovae rates derived from a chemical evolution model applied to spectroscopic observational data of Ursa Minor. We show that the amount of gas that is lost in this process is variable with time and radius, being the highest rates observed during the initial 600 Myr in our simulation. Our results indicate that types Ia and II supernovae must be essential drivers of the gas loss in Ursa Minor galaxy (and probably in other similar dwarf galaxies), but it is ultimately the combination of galactic winds powered by these supernovae and environmental effects (e.g., ram-pressure stripping) that results in the complete removal of the gas content.

Filipinos and the Myth of Model Minority in Hawai'i: A Pilot Study

Science.gov (United States)

Cunanan, Vanessa L.; Guerrero, Anthony P. S.; Minamoto, Linda Y.

2006-01-01

Despite tremendous heterogeneity in culture, native language, values, socioeconomic status and a steadily growing presence in the United States, Asian Americans are viewed as a monolithic group under the model minority stereotype. Using the focus group approach with youth, young professionals, key/community leaders, and parent participants, the…

College Graduation Rates for Minority Students in a Selective Technical University: Will Participation in a Summer Bridge Program Contribute to Success?

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Terrence E; Gaughan, Monica; Hume, Robert; Moore, S Gordon

2010-03-01

There are many approaches to solving the problem of underrepresentation of some racial and ethnic groups and women in scientific and technical disciplines. Here, the authors evaluate the association of a summer bridge program with the graduation rate of underrepresented minority (URM) students at a selective technical university. They demonstrate that this 5-week program prior to the fall of the 1st year contains elements reported as vital for successful student retention. Using multivariable survival analysis, they show that for URM students entering as fall-semester freshmen, relative to their nonparticipating peers, participation in this accelerated summer bridge program is associated with higher likelihood of graduation. The longitudinal panel data include more than 2,200 URM students.

THE NATIONAL MINORITY CONSULTATIVE MECHANISMS - THE COUNCILS OF NATIONAL MINORITIES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandar Čorni

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article tries to explore the practical application of the soft law, in concrete terms, the documents adopted by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, referring to the models of participation of national minorities in public life in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The objective of the research was to assess the legal and political grounds for functioning national minority councils as participation and consultative mechanisms, scope of responsibilities and capacities in relation to their effectiveness and impact and to identify relevant good practices on such mechanisms. The political and decision-making structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrated lack of actual commitment to the realization of the rights of minorities referring to participation in decision-making processes. Bearing in mind formal position within parliaments, visibility, and a significant promotional capacity for presence in the public sphere, the councils on national minorities may represent a significant body and channel for the minority – majority dialogue. However, at the moment, the national minority councils’ capacity to ensure participation of national minorities in Bosnian political life and their influence in decision-making process remains insufficient. In general, the consultative mechanisms, within their mandated responsibilities, have had insignificant and minimal impact on the practical, political and legislative segment.

Recruitment of minority physicians into careers in internal medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Potts, J T

1992-06-15

Despite some initial success in the early 1970s, the important goal of increasing the numbers of underrepresented minorities in medical school and on medical faculties has stalled short of proportionate representation. To further the current efforts of the Association of Professors in Medicine (APM) and other national medical groups that are devoted to improving the numbers of minorities in medicine, ideas and program information must be shared among institutions. In this spirit, we review our experience at Massachusetts General Hospital. We found that the first step toward this goal must be an institutional commitment based on increased awareness and on special effort focused on housestaff recruitment. Once the numbers of minorities increase, the department chairperson, training program directors, and other involved faculty can work with younger minority physicians; the cooperative relationship thus created can guide the development of a strong minority recruitment program without requiring an undue time commitment from minority trainees and faculty. The APM has a combined goal: to achieve early practical results in individual departments, to play a catalytic role with the community and other national medical organizations, and to increase the number of minorities entering medical school and careers in medicine generally.

[Surgical management of minor salivary gland tumors].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Liang; Chen, Xiaoling; Huang, Weiting; Li, Kelan; Zhang, Xiaotong; Wang, Wei

2007-11-01

To study the clinical features of minor salivary gland tumors and to discuss the treatment modalities for these tumors. Retrospective analysis of 54 cases with minor salivary gland tumor operated in our hospital from 1997 to 2004. Among 54 cases with minor salivary gland tumors in this series, 16 patients lost of follow up. Among the remaining 38 patients, 2 patients with nasal cavity adenoid cystic carcinoma died of tumor recurrence 2 and 3 years after the surgery respectively, one patient with laryngeal myoepithelial carcinoma died of tumor recurrence 3 years after the surgery and one patient with paranasal sinus mucoepidermoid carcinoma died of recurrence 17 months after the surgery. Two patients with paranasal sinus adenoid cystic carcinoma recurred after the primary surgery and were survived without tumor after salvage surgery. The other patients survived with no tumor recurrence. While different histopathology of minor salivary gland tumors were found in this group, malignant tumors were predominant, accounting for 81.4%. The choice of treatment for minor salivary gland tumors depends upon the location and the histopathology of the tumors. The treatment policy for benign tumors is simple tumor excision, while that for malignant tumors is surgery combined with pre- or post-operative radiation therapy. Complete surgical resection of tumor masses and tumor free margin is essential for successful treatment of malignant minor salivary gland tumors.

Understanding the Influence of Model Minority Stereotypes on Asian American Community College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Assalone, Amanda E.; Fann, Amy

2017-01-01

Contrary to the model minority myth that portrays Asian Americans as academic all-stars overrepresented in elite 4-year institutions, nearly half of all Asian American college students do, in fact, attend community colleges, and many experience myriad challenges. This exploratory study utilized a qualitative analysis and investigated how model…

The National Technical Association: A Hallmark for Access and Success

Science.gov (United States)

Jearld, A., Jr.

2017-12-01

Minority Technical Organizations (MTO) are under-utilized as a valuable resource that can help develop the next generation of scientists and engineers. For over 90 years, the National Technical Association (NTA) (www.ntaonline.org) has been the premiere technical association for scientists, engineers, architects, technologist, educators, and technical business entrepreneurs for people of color, offering professional development, mentoring and awards recognition to technical professionals. NTA and its partners are developing a diverse workforce by emphasizing enhanced access opportunities to skills development for youth among underrepresented STEM populations. Established in 1925 by Charles Summer Duke, the first African American to receive an engineering degree from Harvard University, NTA served as the model organization for more than 40 other minority technical organizations that began forming in the 1970's. NTA has served as consultants to the US government on the status of African Americans in science and engineering. The first technical organization to establish community based technical mentoring programs targeting minorities, NTA shares information and assists institutions in identifying minority talent. Members developed the first science and engineering curriculum at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's), and are working to produce more students with geoscience degrees to ensure greater career placement with increased minority participation in the geosciences. NTA addresses the lack of access, support, and the need for networking through the longest running annual conference for technical practitioners of color. A hallmark of NTA has been access and success through inter-organizational collaborations with communities of scholars, highly experienced professionals and students to discuss the definition of what is successful geoscience education, research, and employment.

Entrepreneurial Education: A Realistic Alternative for Women and Minorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Steward, James F.; Boyd, Daniel R.

1989-01-01

Entrepreneurial education is a valid, realistic occupational training alternative for minorities and women in business. Entrepreneurship requires that one become involved with those educational programs that contribute significantly to one's success. (Author)

Sexual minority-related victimization as a mediator of mental health disparities in sexual minority youth: a longitudinal analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, Chad M; Marshal, Michael P; Chisolm, Deena J; Sucato, Gina S; Friedman, Mark S

2013-03-01

Sexual minority youth (youth who are attracted to the same sex or endorse a gay/lesbian/bisexual identity) report significantly higher rates of depression and suicidality than heterosexual youth. The minority stress hypothesis contends that the stigma and discrimination experienced by sexual minority youth create a hostile social environment that can lead to chronic stress and mental health problems. The present study used longitudinal mediation models to directly test sexual minority-specific victimization as a potential explanatory mechanism of the mental health disparities of sexual minority youth. One hundred ninety-seven adolescents (14-19 years old; 70 % female; 29 % sexual minority) completed measures of sexual minority-specific victimization, depressive symptoms, and suicidality at two time points 6 months apart. Compared to heterosexual youth, sexual minority youth reported higher levels of sexual minority-specific victimization, depressive symptoms, and suicidality. Sexual minority-specific victimization significantly mediated the effect of sexual minority status on depressive symptoms and suicidality. The results support the minority stress hypothesis that targeted harassment and victimization are partly responsible for the higher levels of depressive symptoms and suicidality found in sexual minority youth. This research lends support to public policy initiatives that reduce bullying and hate crimes because reducing victimization can have a significant impact on the health and well-being of sexual minority youth.

The movement model for small roundabouts with minor roads capacity estimating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ElŜbieta MACIOSZEK

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Base on measurements and movement analysis, movement model for smallroundabouts has been built. Model can be useful for minor roads capacity estimating. The gap acceptance problem for small roundabouts has been presented in this article. This is one of the burning issue in modelling traffic flow on small roundabouts. At roundabout,vehicle circle counterclockwise. Approaching flow give priority to circulating flows. This ensures an uninterrupted flow in the circulating roadway. Circulating and approaching flows merge immediately at the entrance to the circulating roadway. Each vehicle must make two right turns. All other movements are eliminated. As a subordinate vehicle enters the circulating roadway it became a priority vehicle. The value of critical gap is very important in merging process.

Minor actinide transmutation on PWR burnable poison rods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Wenchao; Liu, Bin; Ouyang, Xiaoping; Tu, Jing; Liu, Fang; Huang, Liming; Fu, Juan; Meng, Haiyan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Key issues associated with MA transmutation are the appropriate loading pattern. • Commercial PWRs are the only choice to transmute MAs in large scale currently. • Considerable amount of MA can be loaded to PWR without disturbing k eff markedly. • Loading MA to PWR burnable poison rods for transmutation is an optimal loading pattern. - Abstract: Minor actinides are the primary contributors to long term radiotoxicity in spent fuel. The majority of commercial reactors in operation in the world are PWRs, so to study the minor actinide transmutation characteristics in the PWRs and ultimately realize the successful minor actinide transmutation in PWRs are crucial problem in the area of the nuclear waste disposal. The key issues associated with the minor actinide transmutation are the appropriate loading patterns when introducing minor actinides to the PWR core. We study two different minor actinide transmutation materials loading patterns on the PWR burnable poison rods, one is to coat a thin layer of minor actinide in the water gap between the zircaloy cladding and the stainless steel which is filled with water, another one is that minor actinides substitute for burnable poison directly within burnable poison rods. Simulation calculation indicates that the two loading patterns can load approximately equivalent to 5–6 PWR annual minor actinide yields without disturbing the PWR k eff markedly. The PWR k eff can return criticality again by slightly reducing the boric acid concentration in the coolant of PWR or removing some burnable poison rods without coating the minor actinide transmutation materials from PWR core. In other words, loading minor actinide transmutation material to PWR does not consume extra neutron, minor actinide just consumes the neutrons which absorbed by the removed control poisons. Both minor actinide loading patterns are technically feasible; most importantly do not need to modify the configuration of the PWR core and

A Model Assessing Relevant Factors in Building Minority Library Service.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, Kenneth Roy

1983-01-01

Presents research design applicable to definition of minority library service needs for any minority language group in Canada, focusing on French-speaking population outside Quebec. Profiles of the target group's population, culture, needs, and library services are highlighted. Five sources are given. (EJS)

Minor Antigen Disparities Impede Induction of Long Lasting Chimerism and Tolerance through Bone Marrow Transplantation with Costimulation Blockade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinda Bigenzahn

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Mixed chimerism and tolerance can be successfully induced in rodents through allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT with costimulation blockade (CB, but varying success rates have been reported with distinct models and protocols. We therefore investigated the impact of minor antigen disparities on the induction of mixed chimerism and tolerance. C57BL/6 (H2b mice received nonmyeloablative total body irradiation (3 Gy, costimulation blockade (anti-CD40L mAb and CTLA4Ig, and 2×107 bone marrow cells (BMC from either of three donor strains: Balb/c (H2d (MHC plus multiple minor histocompatibility antigen (mHAg mismatched, B10.D2 (H2d or B10.A (H2a (both MHC mismatched, but mHAg matched. Macrochimerism was followed over time by flow cytometry and tolerance was tested by skin grafting. 20 of 21 recipients of B10.D2 BMC but only 13 of 18 of Balb/c BMC and 13 of 20 of B10.A BMC developed stable long-term multilineage chimerism (p<0.05 for each donor strain versus B10.D2. Significantly superior donor skin graft survival was observed in successfully established long-term chimeras after mHAg matched BMT compared to mHAg mismatched BMT (p<0.05. Both minor and major antigen disparities pose a substantial barrier for the induction of chimerism while the maintenance of tolerance after nonmyeloablative BMT and costimulation blockade is negatively influenced by minor antigen disparities.

The Drivers of Success in Business Model Transformation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nenad Savič

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Existing empirical literature on business models is still inconclusive about the key drivers of successful business model transformation. The paper explores this issue by using a single longitudinal case study design in combination with grounded theory approach on a medium-sized, high-tech and globally oriented company. Based on on-site visits, interviews and secondary documentation data analysis, the study identifies six generic drivers of successful business model transformation: transformational leadership, discovery driven decision-making, industry improvement – customer specific orientation, content-oriented communication, self-initiative collaborators, and phased separation strategy. The new drivers supplement our existing knowledge on how successful transformation takes place and add to existing drivers, while extensive discussion of their implications may help the managers to execute business transformations more effectively.

A Model of Organizational Context and Shared Decision Making: Application to LGBT Racial and Ethnic Minority Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

DeMeester, Rachel H; Lopez, Fanny Y; Moore, Jennifer E; Cook, Scott C; Chin, Marshall H

2016-06-01

Shared decision making (SDM) occurs when patients and clinicians work together to reach care decisions that are both medically sound and responsive to patients' preferences and values. SDM is an important tenet of patient-centered care that can improve patient outcomes. Patients with multiple minority identities, such as sexual orientation and race/ethnicity, are at particular risk for poor SDM. Among these dual-minority patients, added challenges to clear and open communication include cultural barriers, distrust, and a health care provider's lack of awareness of the patient's minority sexual orientation or gender identity. However, organizational factors like a culture of inclusion and private space throughout the visit can improve SDM with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ("LGBT") racial/ethnic minority patients who have faced stigma and discrimination. Most models of shared decision making focus on the patient-provider interaction, but the health care organization's context is also critical. Context-an organization's structure and operations-can strongly influence the ability and willingness of patients and clinicians to engage in shared decision making. SDM is most likely to be optimal if organizations transform their contexts and patients and providers improve their communication. Thus, we propose a conceptual model that suggests ways in which organizations can shape their contextual structure and operations to support SDM. The model contains six drivers: workflows, health information technology, organizational structure and culture, resources and clinic environment, training and education, and incentives and disincentives. These drivers work through four mechanisms to impact care: continuity and coordination, the ease of SDM, knowledge and skills, and attitudes and beliefs. These mechanisms can activate clinicians and patients to engage in high-quality SDM. We provide examples of how specific contextual changes could make SDM more effective for LGBT

Empirical Investigation of a Model of Sexual Minority Specific and General Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence among Lesbian Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Robin J; Mason, Tyler B; Winstead, Barbara A; Kelley, Michelle L

2017-01-01

This study proposed and tested the first conceptual model of sexual minority specific (discrimination, internalized homophobia) and more general risk factors (perpetrator and partner alcohol use, anger, relationship satisfaction) for intimate partner violence among partnered lesbian women. Self-identified lesbian women ( N =1048) were recruited from online market research panels. Participants completed an online survey that included measures of minority stress, anger, alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, relationship satisfaction, psychological aggression, and physical violence. The model demonstrated good fit and significant links from sexual minority discrimination to internalized homophobia and anger, from internalized homophobia to anger and alcohol problems, and from alcohol problems to intimate partner violence. Partner alcohol use predicted partner physical violence. Relationship dissatisfaction was associated with physical violence via psychological aggression. Physical violence was bidirectional. Minority stress, anger, alcohol use and alcohol-related problems play an important role in perpetration of psychological aggression and physical violence in lesbian women's intimate partner relationships. The results of this study provide evidence of potentially modifiable sexual minority specific and more general risk factors for lesbian women's partner violence.

Science Majors and Degrees among Asian-American Students: Influences of Race and Sex in "model Minority" Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Yu; Hanson, Sandra L.

Both race and sex continue to be factors that stratify entry into science education and occupations in the United States. Asian-Americans (men and women) have experienced considerable success in the sciences and have earned the label of "model minority." The complexities and patterns involved in this success remain elusive. We use several concepts coming out of the status attainment framework and a multicultural gender perspective to explore the way in which race and sex come together to influence choices of science major and degree. Our sample consists of Asian-American and white students in the National Educational Longitudinal Study. Findings suggest that being male and being Asian-American are both associated with higher chances of pursuing majors and degrees in science. The male advantage is greater than the Asian-American advantage. Findings also suggest that race and sex interact in the science decision. For example, race differences (with an Asian-American advantage) in choice of science major are significant for women but not men. Sex differences (with a male advantage) in choice of science major are significant in the white, but not the Asian-American sample. A different set of race and sex patterns is revealed in the science degree models. Processes associated with family socioeconomic status and student characteristics help to explain race and sex patterns. Findings suggest that when Asian-American youths have closer ties to the Asian culture, they are more likely to choose science majors and degrees. Implications for policy, practice, and research in science education are discussed.

Model of key success factors for Business Intelligence implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Mesaros

2016-07-01

Full Text Available New progressive technologies recorded growth in every area. Information-communication technologies facilitate the exchange of information and it facilitates management of everyday activities in enterprises. Specific modules (such as Business Intelligence facilitate decision-making. Several studies have demonstrated the positive impact of Business Intelligence to decision-making. The first step is to put in place the enterprise. The implementation process is influenced by many factors. This article discusses the issue of key success factors affecting to successful implementation of Business Intelligence. The article describes the key success factors for successful implementation and use of Business Intelligence based on multiple studies. The main objective of this study is to verify the effects and dependence of selected factors and proposes a model of key success factors for successful implementation of Business Intelligence. Key success factors and the proposed model are studied in Slovak enterprises.

Minority carrier blockade in MIND model solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ley, M.; Kuznicki, Z.T.; Ballutaud, D.

2003-01-01

A continuous amorphized a-Si nanostructure with sharp a-Si/c-Si heterointerfaces is inserted in a c-Si wafer by medium-energy P ion implantation followed by a thermal treatment at 500 deg. C. New photovoltaic phenomena in the mesoscopically transformed material are expected and were presented recently. The simulation of the band structure taking into account the differences between the two Si phases of the MIND (multi-interface novel device) model solar cell indicates the presence of a high barrier blocking the minority carriers, which are photogenerated in the bulk superficial region of the wafer. Consequently, the collection efficiency (i.e. collected carriers versus penetrating photons) is deteriorated in UV. Collection efficiency and EBIC measurements were used to give a theoretical and experimental analysis of the causes and the consequences of such a deterioration on the photocurrent

Classification of Opium by UPLC-Q-TOF Analysis of Principal and Minor Alkaloids.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Cuimei; Hua, Zhendong; Bai, Yanping

2016-11-01

Opium is the raw material for the production of heroin, and the characterization of opium seizures through laboratory analysis is a valuable tool for law enforcement agencies to trace clandestine opium production and trafficking. In this work, a method for opium profiling based on the relative content of five principal and 14 minor opium alkaloids was developed and validated. UPLC-Q-TOF was adopted in alkaloid analysis for its high selectivity and sensitivity, which facilitated the sample preparation and testing. The authentic sample set consisted of 100 "Myanmar" and 45 "Afghanistan" opium seizures; based on the data set of the 19 alkaloid variables in them, a partial least squares discriminant analysis classification model was successfully achieved. Minor alkaloids were found to be vitally important for opium profiling, although combined use of both principal and minor alkaloids resulted in the best geographical classification result. The developed method realized a simple and accurate way to differentiate opium from Myanmar and Afghanistan, which may find wide application in forensic laboratories. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Understanding Korean Transnational Girls in High School Science Classes: Beyond the Model Minority Stereotype

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Minjung

2015-01-01

This study examines six Korean transnational girls enrolled in two advanced placement (AP) biology classes to understand their experiences in science classrooms at the intersection of race, language, and gender. Confronting the model minority stereotype for Asian students, which is particularly salient in science, technology, engineering, and…

Mentoring Through Research as a Catalyst for the Success of Under-represented Minority Students in the Geosciences at California State University Northridge

Science.gov (United States)

Marsaglia, K. M.; Pedone, V.; Simila, G. W.; Yule, J. D.

2002-12-01

The Catalyst Program of the Department of Geological Sciences at California State University Northridge has been developed by four faculty members who were the recipients of a three-year award (2002-2005) from the National Science Foundation. The goal of the program is to increase minority participation and success in the geosciences. The program seeks to enrich the educational experience by introducing students at all levels to research in the geosciences and to decrease obstacles that affect academic success. Both these goals are largely achieved by the formation of integrated high school, undergraduate, and graduate research groups, which also provide fulfilling and successful peer mentorship. The Catalyst Program provides significant financial support to participants to allow them to focus their time on their education. New participants first complete a specially designed course that introduces them to peer-mentoring, collaborative learning, and geological research. Students of all experience levels then become members of research teams, which deepens academic and research skills as well as peer-mentor relationships. The program was highly successful in its inaugural year. To date, undergraduates and graduate students in the program coauthored six abstracts at professional meetings and one conference paper. High-school students gained first hand experience of a college course and geologic research. Perhaps the most important impacts of the program are the close camaraderie that has developed and the increased ability of the Catalyst students to plan and execute research with greater confidence and self-esteem.

Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science (MS PHD'S) Beyond the PhD Professional Development Program: A Pilot Project

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, A.; Jearld, A.; Williamson Whitney, V.; Huggans, M.; Ricciardi, L.; Thomas, S. H.; Jansma, P. E.

2012-12-01

In 2011 the Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science (MS PHD'S)® initiative launched its newest activity entitled the MS PHD'S "Beyond the PhD (B-PhD) Professional Development Program." This exciting new program was designed to facilitate the development of a new community of underrepresented minority (URM) doctoral candidates and recent doctorate degree recipients in Earth system science (ESS)-related fields. The MS PHD'S B-PhD provides customized support and advocacy for MS PHD'S B-PhD participants in order to facilitate smoother and informed transitions from graduate school, to postdoctoral and tenure-track positions, as well as other "first" jobs in government, industry, and non-profit organizations. In November 2011 the first cohort of MS PHD'S B-PhD participants engaged in intensive sessions on the following topics: "Toolkits for Success for Academia, Business/Industry, Federal Government and Non-Profits", "Defining Short, Mid and Long Term Career Goals", "Accessing and Refining Skill Sets and Other Door Openers", "International Preparation and Opportunities", "Paying it Forward/Lifting as You Climb", and "Customized Strategies for Next Steps". This pilot event, which was hosted by the University of Texas at Arlington's (UTA) College of Science, also provided opportunities for participants to serve as guest lecturers in the UTA's Colleges of Science and Engineering and included one-on-one discussions with MS PHD'S B-PhD mentors and guest speakers who are well established within their individual ESS fields. Insights regarding opportunities, challenges and obstacles commonly faced by URMs within the ESS fields, as well as strategies for success were shared by MS PHD'S B-PhD mentors and guest speakers. Survey results indicate that MS PHD'S B-PhD participants appreciated not only the material covered during this pilot activity, but also appreciated the opportunity to become part of a community of young URM ESS

Minority Adolescents in Ethnically Diverse Schools: Perceptions of Equal Treatment Buffer Threat Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Baysu, Gülseli; Celeste, Laura; Brown, Rupert; Verschueren, Karine; Phalet, Karen

2016-01-01

Can perceptions of equal treatment buffer the negative effects of threat on the school success of minority students? Focusing on minority adolescents from Turkish and Moroccan heritage in Belgium (M[subscript age] = 14.5; N = 735 in 47 ethnically diverse schools), multilevel mediated moderation analyses showed: (a) perceived discrimination at…

Empirical Investigation of a Model of Sexual Minority Specific and General Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence among Lesbian Women

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Robin J.; Mason, Tyler B.; Winstead, Barbara A.; Kelley, Michelle L.

2015-01-01

Objective This study proposed and tested the first conceptual model of sexual minority specific (discrimination, internalized homophobia) and more general risk factors (perpetrator and partner alcohol use, anger, relationship satisfaction) for intimate partner violence among partnered lesbian women. Method Self-identified lesbian women (N=1048) were recruited from online market research panels. Participants completed an online survey that included measures of minority stress, anger, alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, relationship satisfaction, psychological aggression, and physical violence. Results The model demonstrated good fit and significant links from sexual minority discrimination to internalized homophobia and anger, from internalized homophobia to anger and alcohol problems, and from alcohol problems to intimate partner violence. Partner alcohol use predicted partner physical violence. Relationship dissatisfaction was associated with physical violence via psychological aggression. Physical violence was bidirectional. Conclusions Minority stress, anger, alcohol use and alcohol-related problems play an important role in perpetration of psychological aggression and physical violence in lesbian women's intimate partner relationships. The results of this study provide evidence of potentially modifiable sexual minority specific and more general risk factors for lesbian women's partner violence. PMID:28239508

Traffic mortality and the role of minor roads.

Science.gov (United States)

van Langevelde, Frank; van Dooremalen, Coby; Jaarsma, Catharinus F

2009-01-01

Roads have large impacts on wildlife, as they form one of the principal causes of mortality, and disturbance and fragmentation of habitat. These impacts are mainly studied and mitigated on major roads. It is, however, a widespread misconception that most animals are killed on major roads. In this paper, we argue that minor roads have a larger impact on wildlife with respect to habitat destruction, noise load and traffic mortality. We use data on traffic related deaths in badgers (Meles meles) in The Netherlands to illustrate that traffic mortality is higher on minor roads. We ask for a more extensive investigation of the environmental impacts of minor roads. Moreover, we argue that the success of mitigation on roads drastically increases when both major and minor roads are integrated in the planning of traffic flows. Therefore, we propose a strategy based on the concept of a "traffic-calmed area". Traffic-calmed areas create opportunities for wildlife by decreasing limitations for animal movement. We ask for further studies to estimate what size traffic-calmed areas should be to maintain minimum viable animal populations.

Minor isotope safeguards techniques (MIST): Analysis and visualization of gas centrifuge enrichment plant process data using the MSTAR model

Science.gov (United States)

Shephard, Adam M.; Thomas, Benjamin R.; Coble, Jamie B.; Wood, Houston G.

2018-05-01

This paper presents a development related to the use of minor isotope safeguards techniques (MIST) and the MSTAR cascade model as it relates to the application of international nuclear safeguards at gas centrifuge enrichment plants (GCEPs). The product of this paper is a derivation of the universal and dimensionless MSTAR cascade model. The new model can be used to calculate the minor uranium isotope concentrations in GCEP product and tails streams or to analyze, visualize, and interpret GCEP process data as part of MIST. Applications of the new model include the detection of undeclared feed and withdrawal streams at GCEPs when used in conjunction with UF6 sampling and/or other isotopic measurement techniques.

Model for Stress-induced Protein Degradation in Lemna minor1

Science.gov (United States)

Cooke, Robert J.; Roberts, Keith; Davies, David D.

1980-01-01

Transfer of Lemna minor fronds to adverse or stress conditions produces a large increase in the rate of protein degradation. Cycloheximide partially inhibits stress-induced protein degradation and also partially inhibits the protein degradation which occurs in the absence of stress. The increased protein degradation does not appear to be due to an increase in activity of soluble proteolytic enzymes. Biochemical evidence indicates that stress, perhaps acting via hormones, affects the permeability of certain membranes, particularly the tonoplast. A general model for stress-induced protein degradation is presented in which changes in membrane properties allow vacuolar proteolytic enzymes increased access to cytoplasmic proteins. PMID:16661588

Development of new business opportunities for minorities in nuclear energy. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spight, C.

1980-12-15

In Part I of this report the basis for the optimal development of new business opportunities for minorities in nuclear energy programs is defined within the successful completion of all contract tasks. The basis presented consists of an identification of a set of qualified minority-owned small businesses, a defined reservoir of highly trained minorities with applicable expertise, a policy context for the development of opportunities, and a proposed networking structure for information transfer/professional development. In Part II a contractor-focused analysis of the structure of the nuclear industry, a breakdown of the DOE nuclear program by region and functional area, and a directory of minority-owned small businesses by region are presented.

Increasing the Pool of Minority Candidates: An Administrator's Guide on the Recruitment and Retention of Effective Minority Teachers in Inner City Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Stinnett, Jacquelyn; Karr-Kidwell, PJ

This paper provides an extensive literary review and presents guidelines and strategies to help school administrators recruit and retain highly effective minority teachers for culturally diverse school districts. The literature review identifies successful teacher recruitment approaches and specific techniques that make these approaches work.…

Dynamics of the Minority Game for Patients

OpenAIRE

Kim, Kyungsik; Yoon, Seong-Min; Yum, Myung-Kul

2003-01-01

We analyze the minority game for patients, and the results known from the minority game are applied to the patient problem consulted at the department of pediatric cardiology. We find numerically the standard deviation and the global efficiency, similar to the El Farol bar problem. After the score equation and the scaled utility are introduced, the dynamical behavior of our model is discussed for particular strategies. Our result presented will be compared with the well-known minority games.

Modeling minority stress effects on homelessness and health disparities among young men who have sex with men.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruce, Douglas; Stall, Ron; Fata, Aimee; Campbell, Richard T

2014-06-01

Sexual minority youth are more likely to experience homelessness, and homeless sexual minority youth report greater risk for mental health and substance abuse symptoms than homeless heterosexual youth, yet few studies have assessed determinants that help explain the disparities. Minority stress theory proposes that physical and mental health disparities among sexual minority populations may be explained by the stress produced by living in heterosexist social environments characterized by stigma and discrimination directed toward sexual minority persons. We used data from a sample of 200 young men who have sex with men (YMSM) (38 % African American, 26.5 % Latino/Hispanic, 23.5 % White, 12 % multiracial/other) to develop an exploratory path model measuring the effects of experience and internalization of sexual orientation stigma on depression and substance use via being kicked out of home due to sexual orientation and current homelessness. Direct significant paths were found from experience of sexual orientation-related stigma to internalization of sexual orientation-related stigma, having been kicked out of one's home, experiencing homelessness during the past year, and major depressive symptoms during the past week. Having been kicked out of one's home had a direct significant effect on experiencing homelessness during the past 12 months and on daily marijuana use. Internalization of sexual orientation-related stigma and experiencing homelessness during the past 12 months partially mediated the direct effect of experience of sexual orientation-related stigma on major depressive symptoms. Our empirical testing of the effects of minority stress on health of YMSM advances minority stress theory as a framework for investigating health disparities among this population.

Minorities Are Disproportionately Underrepresented in Special Education

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Paul L.; Farkas, George; Hillemeier, Marianne M.; Mattison, Richard; Maczuga, Steve; Li, Hui; Cook, Michael

2015-01-01

We investigated whether minority children attending U.S. elementary and middle schools are disproportionately represented in special education. We did so using hazard modeling of multiyear longitudinal data and extensive covariate adjustment for potential child-, family-, and state-level confounds. Minority children were consistently less likely…

Successful and unsuccessful psychopaths: a neurobiological model.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yu; Raine, Adrian

2010-01-01

Despite increasing interest in psychopathy research, surprisingly little is known about the etiology of non-incarcerated, successful psychopaths. This review provides an analysis of current knowledge on the similarities and differences between successful and unsuccessful psychopaths derived from five population sources: community samples, individuals from employment agencies, college students, industrial psychopaths, and serial killers. An initial neurobiological model of successful and unsuccessful psychopathy is outlined. It is hypothesized that successful psychopaths have intact or enhanced neurobiological functioning that underlies their normal or even superior cognitive functioning, which in turn helps them to achieve their goals using more covert and nonviolent methods. In contrast, in unsuccessful, caught psychopaths, brain structural and functional impairments together with autonomic nervous system dysfunction are hypothesized to underlie cognitive and emotional deficits and more overt violent offending.

Black Artists' Music Videos: Three Successful Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson-Lewis, Sonja; Chennault, Shirley A.

1986-01-01

Identifies three successful self-presentational patterns used by black artists to penetrate the music television market. Discusses the historical relationship between minorities and the mass media. (MS)

MODEL OF SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY EXECUTION: REVISING THE CONCEPT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna Radomska

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between the elements of the Eight "S" model that affect strategic implementation and results achieved by companies. The main research question, to which the author sought an answer, was whether there was a relationship between individual elements that affect strategy implementation and the effects it brings in revenue growth. The survey covered 200 of the best-ranked Polish companies (where revenues constituted one of the ranking criteria where the level of strategic implementation was considered satisfactory. Testing of the research hypotheses has shown that the factors defined as Resources and Shared Values have a minor impact on the strategy implementation. The research also has shown that there is an additional element that could be incorporated into the model - the system of informal communication. In addition, the paper describes the interrelations between elements of the model.

A Critical Examination of Senior Executive Leadership Succession Planning and Management with Implications for Underrepresented Minorities

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, LeKeisha D.

2017-01-01

Guided by the research questions, this study utilized a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design to examine senior executive leadership succession planning at four-year, predominately white, doctoral universities in the state of Georgia. Utilizing the Representative Bureaucracy theory and the Mateso SPM conceptual model, this study…

Enhance Ideological Political Education Work for Ethnic Minority Students and Build up Harmonious Campuses

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yi

2010-01-01

To accelerate the development of the ethnic minority regions and cultivate ethnic minority talent, the state has successively implemented policies of setting up the Tibet Class and the Xinjiang Class in institutions of higher learning in China's interior regions ("neidi"), enabling some of the finest young students among the ethnic…

Combining Identity and Integration: Comparative Analysis of Schools for Two Minority Groups in Ukraine

Science.gov (United States)

Kulyk, Volodymyr

2013-01-01

This article analyses school systems for two of Ukraine's minorities, the Hungarians and the Crimean Tatars with the aim of assessing their success in promoting ethnocultural identity and social integration of the minority youth. I demonstrate that the exclusive instruction in Hungarian ensures the reproduction of group language knowledge and…

Self-care behaviour for minor symptoms: can Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use help us to understand it?

Science.gov (United States)

Porteous, Terry; Wyke, Sally; Hannaford, Philip; Bond, Christine

2015-02-01

To explore whether Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use can aid understanding of self-care behaviour and inform development of interventions to promote self-care for minor illness. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 24 Scottish participants about their experience and management of minor symptoms normally associated with analgesic use. Synthesised data from the interviews were mapped onto the Behavioral Model. All factors identified as influencing decisions about how to manage the symptoms discussed, mapped onto at least one domain of Andersen's model. Individual characteristics including beliefs, need factors and available resources were associated with health behaviour, including self-care. Outcomes such as perceived health status and consumer satisfaction from previous experience of managing symptoms also appeared to feed back into health behaviour. The Behavioral Model seems relevant to self-care as well as formal health services. Additional work is needed to explore applicability of the Behavioral Model to different types of symptoms, different modalities of self-care and in countries with different health care systems. Future quantitative studies should establish the relative importance of factors influencing the actions people take to manage minor symptoms to inform future interventions aimed at optimising self-care behaviour. © 2014 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Minority Language Rights.

Science.gov (United States)

O Riagain, Padraig; Shuibhne, Niamh Nic

1997-01-01

A survey of literature since 1990 on minority languages and language rights focuses on five issues: definition of minorities; individual vs. collective rights; legal bases for minority linguistic rights; applications and interpretations of minority language rights; and assessments of the impact of minority rights legislation. A nine-item annotated…

Critical Components of a Successful Undergraduate Research Experience in the Geosciences for Minority Students

Science.gov (United States)

Liou-Mark, J.; Blake, R.; Chukuigwe, C.

2013-12-01

For the past five years, the New York City College of Technology has administered a successful National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. The program provides rich, substantive, academic and life-transformative STEM educational experiences for students who would otherwise not pursue STEM education altogether or would not pursue STEM education through to the graduate school level. The REU Scholars are provided with an opportunity to conduct intensive satellite and ground-based remote sensing research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center (NOAA-CREST). Candidates for the program are recruited from the City University of New York's twenty-three separate campuses. These students engage in a research experience that spans the summer and the fall and spring semesters. Eighty-four percent (84%) of the program participants are underrepresented minorities in STEM, and they are involved in a plethora of undergraduate research best practice activities that include: training courses in MATLAB programming, Geographic Information Systems, and Remote Sensing; workshops in Research Ethics, Scientific Writing, and Oral and Poster Research Presentations; national, regional, and local conference presentations; graduate school support; and geoscience exposure events at national laboratories, agencies, and research facilities. To enhance their success in the program, the REU Scholars are also provided with a comprehensive series of safety nets that include a multi-tiered mentoring design specifically to address critical issues faced by this diverse population. Since the inception of the REU program in 2008, a total of 61 undergraduate students have finished or are continuing with their research or are pursuing their STEM endeavors. All the REU Scholars conducted individual satellite and ground-based remote sensing research projects that ranged from the study of

Multiple Minority Stress and LGBT Community Resilience among Sexual Minority Men.

Science.gov (United States)

McConnell, Elizabeth A; Janulis, Patrick; Phillips, Gregory; Truong, Roky; Birkett, Michelle

2018-03-01

Minority stress theory has widespread research support in explaining health disparities experienced by sexual and gender minorities. However, less is known about how minority stress impacts multiply marginalized groups, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of color (LGBT POC). Also, although research has documented resilience in the face of minority stress at the individual level, research is needed that examines macro-level processes such as community resilience (Meyer, 2015). In the current study, we integrate minority stress theory and intersectionality theory to examine multiple minority stress (i.e., racial/ethnic stigma in LGBT spaces and LGBT stigma in one's neighborhood) and community resilience (i.e., connection to LGBT community) among sexual minority men of different racial/ethnic groups who use a geosocial networking application for meeting sexual partners. Results showed that Black sexual minority men reported the highest levels of racial/ethnic stigma in LGBT spaces and White sexual minority men reported the lowest levels, with Asian and Hispanic/Latino men falling in between. Consistent with minority stress theory, racial/ethnic stigma in LGBT spaces and LGBT stigma in one's neighborhood were associated with greater stress for sexual minority men of all racial/ethnic groups. However, connection to LGBT community played more central role in mediating the relationship between stigma and stress for White than POC sexual minority men. Results suggest that minority stress and community resilience processes may differ for White and POC sexual minority men. Potential processes driving these differences and implications for minority stress theory are discussed.

Prediction models for successful external cephalic version: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Velzel, Joost; de Hundt, Marcella; Mulder, Frederique M.; Molkenboer, Jan F. M.; van der Post, Joris A. M.; Mol, Ben W.; Kok, Marjolein

2015-01-01

To provide an overview of existing prediction models for successful ECV, and to assess their quality, development and performance. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library to identify all articles reporting on prediction models for successful ECV published from inception to January 2015.

FUZZY MODELING BY SUCCESSIVE ESTIMATION OF RULES ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper presents an algorithm for automatically deriving fuzzy rules directly from a set of input-output data of a process for the purpose of modeling. The rules are extracted by a method termed successive estimation. This method is used to generate a model without truncating the number of fired rules, to within user ...

Strategies employed by sexual minority adolescents to cope with minority stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldbach, J T; Gibbs, J J

2015-09-01

Sexual minority adolescents (SMA) experience disparities in health and behavioral health outcomes, including high rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, substance use, HIV risk behavior, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. These outcomes are commonly attributed to minority stress. Stress experiences are different for SMA than their adult counterparts. For example, disclosing their sexual orientation may be more likely to result in homelessness because these youth more often live with parents or other family members. Although stress in this population has been explored in previous research, very little is known about how SMA cope. Relying upon an adolescent coping model, this study examined the coping strategies, responses, and resources of SMA related to stress. Forty-eight racially and ethnically diverse SMA (age 14-19) were recruited for 90-minute tape-recorded interviews. The semi-structured interviews were guided by a life history calendar. Recordings were transcribed verbatim and entered into QSR NVivo. All transcripts were coded by two members of the research team and went through a consensus process. Forty-three unique coping statements emerged that fit with the Compas model of adolescent coping. SMA cope with minority stress in similar ways to heterosexual youth coping with general stress, but findings suggest that SMA may also use different kinds of coping resources. Although further research is needed, the present study identified a variety of ways SMA cope with stress and can inform future research on the development interventions.

Disparities in health system input between minority and non-minority counties and their effects on maternal mortality in Sichuan province of western China.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Yan; Qian, Ping; Duan, Zhanqi; Zhao, Ziling; Pan, Jay; Yang, Min

2017-09-29

The maternal mortality rate (MMR) markedly decreased in China, but there has been a significant imbalance among different geographic regions (east, central and west regions), and the mortality in the western region remains high. This study aims to examine how much disparity in the health system and MMR between ethnic minority and non-minority counties exists in Sichuan province of western China and measures conceivable commitments of the health system determinants of the disparity in MMR. The MMR and health system data of 67 minority and 116 non-minority counties were taken from Sichuan provincial official sources. The 2-level Poisson regression model was used to identify health system determinants. A series of nested models with different health system factors were fitted to decide contribution of each factor to the disparity in MMR. The MMR decreased over the last decade, with the fastest declining rate from 2006 to 2010. The minority counties experienced higher raw MMR in 2002 than non-minority counties (94.4 VS. 58.2), which still remained higher in 2014 (35.7 VS. 14.3), but the disparity of raw MMR between minority and non-minority counties decreased from 36.2 to 21.4. The better socio-economic condition, more health human resources and higher maternal health care services rate were associated with lower MMR. Hospital delivery rate alone explained 74.5% of the difference in MMR between minority and non-minority counties. All health system indicators together explained 97.6% of the ethnic difference in MMR, 59.8% in the change trend, and 66.3% county level variation respectively. Hospital delivery rate mainly determined disparity in MMR between minority and non-minority counties in Sichuan province. Increasing hospital birth rates among ethnic minority counties may narrow the disparity in MMR by more than two-thirds of the current level.

Majority and minority influence: A dual role interpretation

OpenAIRE

de Vries, N.K.; de Dreu, C.; Gordijn, E.; Schuurman, M.

1996-01-01

This chapter offers an analysis of majority vs. minority influence using the Heuristic-Systematic Model of persuasion (HSM). We evaluate evidence for and against leading perspectives such as Conversion Theory. Next, research and theory is reviewed suggesting that majority vs. minority influence differentially affect the processing of persuasive arguments. A dual-role interpretation of majority and minority influence is presented. First, numerical support for discrepant messages affects the de...

Prediction models for successful external cephalic version: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Velzel, Joost; de Hundt, Marcella; Mulder, Frederique M; Molkenboer, Jan F M; Van der Post, Joris A M; Mol, Ben W; Kok, Marjolein

2015-12-01

To provide an overview of existing prediction models for successful ECV, and to assess their quality, development and performance. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library to identify all articles reporting on prediction models for successful ECV published from inception to January 2015. We extracted information on study design, sample size, model-building strategies and validation. We evaluated the phases of model development and summarized their performance in terms of discrimination, calibration and clinical usefulness. We collected different predictor variables together with their defined significance, in order to identify important predictor variables for successful ECV. We identified eight articles reporting on seven prediction models. All models were subjected to internal validation. Only one model was also validated in an external cohort. Two prediction models had a low overall risk of bias, of which only one showed promising predictive performance at internal validation. This model also completed the phase of external validation. For none of the models their impact on clinical practice was evaluated. The most important predictor variables for successful ECV described in the selected articles were parity, placental location, breech engagement and the fetal head being palpable. One model was assessed using discrimination and calibration using internal (AUC 0.71) and external validation (AUC 0.64), while two other models were assessed with discrimination and calibration, respectively. We found one prediction model for breech presentation that was validated in an external cohort and had acceptable predictive performance. This model should be used to council women considering ECV. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Establishing a Cloud Computing Success Model for Hospitals in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Lian, Jiunn-Woei

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand the critical quality-related factors that affect cloud computing success of hospitals in Taiwan. In this study, private cloud computing is the major research target. The chief information officers participated in a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that the integration of trust into the information systems success model will have acceptable explanatory power to understand cloud computing success in the hospital. Moreover, information quality and system quality directly affect cloud computing satisfaction, whereas service quality indirectly affects the satisfaction through trust. In other words, trust serves as the mediator between service quality and satisfaction. This cloud computing success model will help hospitals evaluate or achieve success after adopting private cloud computing health care services. PMID:28112020

Establishing a Cloud Computing Success Model for Hospitals in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Lian, Jiunn-Woei

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand the critical quality-related factors that affect cloud computing success of hospitals in Taiwan. In this study, private cloud computing is the major research target. The chief information officers participated in a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that the integration of trust into the information systems success model will have acceptable explanatory power to understand cloud computing success in the hospital. Moreover, information quality and system quality directly affect cloud computing satisfaction, whereas service quality indirectly affects the satisfaction through trust. In other words, trust serves as the mediator between service quality and satisfaction. This cloud computing success model will help hospitals evaluate or achieve success after adopting private cloud computing health care services.

Establishing a Cloud Computing Success Model for Hospitals in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiunn-Woei Lian PhD

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to understand the critical quality-related factors that affect cloud computing success of hospitals in Taiwan. In this study, private cloud computing is the major research target. The chief information officers participated in a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that the integration of trust into the information systems success model will have acceptable explanatory power to understand cloud computing success in the hospital. Moreover, information quality and system quality directly affect cloud computing satisfaction, whereas service quality indirectly affects the satisfaction through trust. In other words, trust serves as the mediator between service quality and satisfaction. This cloud computing success model will help hospitals evaluate or achieve success after adopting private cloud computing health care services.

IS Success Model in E-Learning Context Based on Students' Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Freeze, Ronald D.; Alshare, Khaled A.; Lane, Peggy L.; Wen, H. Joseph

2010-01-01

This study utilized the Information Systems Success (ISS) model in examining e-learning systems success. The study was built on the premise that system quality (SQ) and information quality (IQ) influence system use and user satisfaction, which in turn impact system success. A structural equation model (SEM), using LISREL, was used to test the…

Safe and effective use of medicines for ethnic minorities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dam, Pernille; El-Souri, Mira Mahmoud; Herborg, Hanne

2015-01-01

, there was a need to adapt a previously developed and validated medicine-based intervention “safe and effective use of medicines” to this vulnerable group of unemployed ethnic minority patients. Methods: The objective of this before-after study was to improve medicines adherence, health status and work ability...... of the target group through an individualized pharmacist delivered intervention with focus on safe and effective implementation of medical treatments. The target group was ethnic minorities of non-western origin affiliated with a job center. Results: At baseline, 35.7 % of the patients had a potential adherence...... to the intervention. Conclusion: The counseling program “Safe and effective use of medicines” was successfully adapted to unemployed ethnic minority patients, and tested in a new collaboration between job centers and community pharmacies. The counseling program resulted in statistically significant improvements...

Majority and minority influence: A dual role interpretation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vries, N.K.; de Dreu, C.; Gordijn, E.; Schuurman, M.

1996-01-01

This chapter offers an analysis of majority vs. minority influence using the Heuristic-Systematic Model of persuasion (HSM). We evaluate evidence for and against leading perspectives such as Conversion Theory. Next, research and theory is reviewed suggesting that majority vs. minority influence

Sexual Minority Stress, Coping, and Physical Health Indicators.

Science.gov (United States)

Flenar, Delphia J; Tucker, Carolyn M; Williams, Jaime L

2017-12-01

Sexual minorities experience higher rates of several physical health problems compared to their heterosexual counterparts. The present study uses Meyer's Minority Stress Model (Psychological Bulletin, 129(5): 674-697, 2003) to examine physical health indicators among 250 adults who identified as sexual minorities. Study hypotheses include that sexual minority stress is predictive of two physical health indicators (i.e., engagement in a health-promoting lifestyle and number of physical health problems) and that planning (i.e., problem-focused) and social support coping will partially mediate the relationship between sexual minority stress and each physical health indicator. Results showed that as level of sexual minority stress increased, engagement in a health-promoting lifestyle decreased and the number of physical health problems increased. Planning and social support coping did not mediate these relationships; however, as levels of coping increased, engagement in a health-promoting lifestyle increased. These findings have implications for researchers and healthcare professionals in their efforts to promote the physical health of sexual minorities.

Associations of Timing of Sexual Orientation Developmental Milestones and Other Sexual Minority Stressors with Internalizing Mental Health Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Young Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz-Wise, Sabra L; Rosario, Margaret; Calzo, Jerel P; Scherer, Emily A; Sarda, Vishnudas; Austin, S Bryn

2017-07-01

Sexual minorities (mostly heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian/gay) are more likely than heterosexuals to have adverse mental health, which may be related to minority stress. We used longitudinal data from 1461 sexual minority women and men, aged 22-30 years, from Wave 2010 of the Growing Up Today Study, to examine associations between sexual minority stressors and mental health. We hypothesized that sexual minority stressors (earlier timing of sexual orientation developmental milestones categorized into early adolescence, middle adolescence, late adolescence/young adulthood; greater sexual orientation mobility; more bullying victimization) would be positively associated with mental health outcomes (depressive and anxious symptoms). Linear regression models stratified by gender and sexual orientation were fit via generalized estimating equations and controlled for age and race/ethnicity. Models were fit for each stressor predicting each mental health outcome. Reaching sexual minority milestones in early versus middle adolescence was associated with greater depressive and anxious symptoms among lesbians and gay men. Reaching sexual minority milestones in late adolescence/young adulthood versus middle adolescence was associated with greater depressive symptoms among lesbians, but fewer depressive and anxious symptoms among gay men. Greater sexual orientation mobility was associated with greater depressive symptoms among mostly heterosexual women. More bullying victimization was associated with greater depressive symptoms among bisexual women and with greater anxious symptoms among mostly heterosexual women. Sexual minority stressors are associated with adverse mental health among some sexual minority young adults. More research is needed to understand what may be protecting some subgroups from the mental health effects of sexual minority stressors.

Development of an Electronic Portfolio System Success Model: An Information Systems Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Balaban, Igor; Mu, Enrique; Divjak, Blazenka

2013-01-01

This research has two main goals: to develop an instrument for assessing Electronic Portfolio (ePortfolio) success and to build a corresponding ePortfolio success model using DeLone and McLean's information systems success model as the theoretical framework. For this purpose, we developed an ePortfolio success measurement instrument and structural…

Resilience in community: a social ecological development model for young adult sexual minority women.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmerman, Lindsey; Darnell, Doyanne A; Rhew, Isaac C; Lee, Christine M; Kaysen, Debra

2015-03-01

Family support and rejection are associated with health outcomes among sexual minority women (SMW). We examined a social ecological development model among young adult SMW, testing whether identity risk factors or outness to family interacted with family rejection to predict community connectedness and collective self-esteem. Lesbian and bisexual women (N = 843; 57% bisexual) between the ages of 18-25 (M = 21.4; SD = 2.1) completed baseline and 12-month online surveys. The sample identified as White (54.2%), multiple racial backgrounds (16.6%), African American (9.6%) and Asian/Asian American (3.1%); 10.2% endorsed a Hispanic/Latina ethnicity. Rejection ranged from 18 to 41% across family relationships. Longitudinal regression indicated that when outness to family increased, SMW in highly rejecting families demonstrated resilience by finding connections and esteem in sexual minority communities to a greater extent than did non-rejected peers. But, when stigma concerns, concealment motivation, and other identity risk factors increased over the year, high family rejection did not impact community connectedness and SMW reported lower collective self-esteem. Racial minority SMW reported lower community connectedness, but not lower collective self-esteem. Families likely buffer or exacerbate societal risks for ill health. Findings highlight the protective role of LGBTQ communities and normative resilience among SMW and their families.

The UIS Model for Online Success

Science.gov (United States)

Bloemer, Bill

2009-01-01

This case study describes the philosophy underlying the delivery of online programs and courses at the University of Illinois-Springfield. The strategies used to implement the UIS model and the measures used to validate its success are outlined. These factors are reviewed in the context of the Sloan-C Five Pillars for quality learning environments.

A differential equation approach to minor loops in the Jiles-Atherton hysteresis model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, K.H.

1991-01-01

Jiles and Atherton, in a series of papers, present physically based differential equations for magnetization in ferromagnetic materials. however, if one directly solves their differential equations, the minor loops obtained can be negative slopes, which is a nonphysical behavior. Only one of their papers gives a method for obtaining minor loops, and the method does not use a differential equation, but requires a priori knowledge of the loop turning points in order to obtain a scale factor and offset which allow a portion of a major loop to serve as a portion of a minor one. In this paper, the reason for the failure of the differential equations to yield physical minor loops is explained, and a modified solution for minor loops is presented which retains the features of Jiles and Atherton's original minor loops, but only requires knowledge of the initial point on each portion of the loop to obtain the solution. This yields a general differential equation formulation for the Jiles-Atherton theory that can be used with circuit simulations having arbitrary excitations and initial conditions for ferromagnetic components

The role of religious leaders in promoting acceptance of vaccination within a minority group: a qualitative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruijs, W.L.M.; Hautvast, J.L.A.; Kerrar, S.; Velden, K. van der; Hulscher, M.E.J.L.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Although childhood vaccination programs have been very successful, vaccination coverage in minority groups may be considerably lower than in the general population. In order to increase vaccination coverage in such minority groups involvement of faith-based organizations and religious

Evolution of imitation networks in Minority Game model

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lavička, H.; Slanina, František

2007-01-01

Roč. 56, - (2007), s. 53-63 ISSN 1434-6028 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 1P04OCP10.001 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : econophysics * networks * minority game Subject RIV: BE - Theoretical Physics Impact factor: 1.356, year: 2007

CU-STARs: Promoting STEM Diversity by Addressing First-year Attrition of Underrepresented Minorities

Science.gov (United States)

Battersby, Cara; Silvia, Devin W.; Ellingson, Erica; Sturner, Andrew P.; Peck, Courtney

2015-01-01

Upon first entering university, the fraction of students interested in pursuing a STEM major are distributed according to societal demographics (with 25% being underrepresented minorities), but by graduation, the fraction of students receiving STEM degrees is unbalanced, with underrepresented minorities receiving only 15% of STEM bachelor's degrees. The CU-STARs (CU Science, Technology, and Astronomy Recruits) program at the University of Colorado, Boulder is targeted to address the main triggers of early career attrition for underrepresented minorities in STEM disciplines. A select group of students are given financial support through work-study at the Fiske planetarium on campus, while resources to address other triggers of attrition are available to the entire cohort of interested students (typically ~5-10 per year). These resources are designed to promote social engagement and mentorship, while also providing a support network and resources to combat inadequate high school preparation for STEM courses. We achieve these goals through activities that include social events, mentor meetings, free tutoring, and special events to meet and talk with scientists. The culmination of the program for the recruits are a series of high school outreach events in underserved areas (inner city and rural alike), in which they become the expert. The STARs are paid for their time and take the lead in planning, teaching, and facilitating programs for the high school students, including classroom presentations, interactive lab activities, solar observing, and star parties. The high school outreach events provide role models and STEM exposure for the underserved high school community while simultaneously cementing the personal achievements and successes for the STARs. CU-STARs is now in its 4th year and is still growing. We are beginning the process of formal assessments of the program's success. We present details of the program implementation, a discussion of potential obstacles

Information Systems Success In Public Administration: Proposal For An Exploratory Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deyvison de Lima Oliveira

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Investments in Information Systems (IS have been significantly increasing and hence the relevance of the studies on the IS success is persistent. Delone and Mclean (2003 developed an IS successful model which is a benchmark for researches in the area, however, in the perspective of the public sector, studies are still rare. In this research it was sought to propose an exploratory model of successful IS in public administration, from the identification of each construct items of the Delone and McLean (2003 original model, through multiple case studies in three Municipalities and a Town Hall of the Southern Cone of Rondônia state, in Brazil. Based on the empirical research, it was found that the IS success factors in municipal public administration are close to those factors indicated in the reviewed literature, however, showing some particularities of the public sector. A model of successful factors and items of IS, from the confrontation between literature and empirical data, is presented in the end of this work.

Clinical research involving minors in international and serbian regulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Planojević, Nina; Zivojinović, Dragica

2013-07-01

Participation in clinical trials can be useful for the health of a person, in who it is conducted, but it does not have to be - it can even be harmful. Therefore, primary motive to accept such risk is humanity and human wish to contribute to the progress of medicine; this is expressed by personal consent. The consent, however, can be an expression of personal humanity, and for this, it is not logical that someone can give consent on behalf of someone else, as it is done by a legally authorized representative on behalf of a minor. Therefore, authors raise 3 questions: What are the reasons to consider representative's consent acceptable? How should a model of regulations look like in order to provide the most complete possible protection to a minor? Is actual regulation of minors' position within international and Serbian law, analyzed here by authors for their specific solutions, acceptable? Representative's consent is acceptable only for therapeutic research, because these can bring benefits to everyone's health, including a minor in which those are conducted - this is an acceptable (secondary) motive of participation in the research. Expression of humanity on other's behalf, typical for non-therapeutic research, is not acceptable; this makes ban of minors' participation in non-therapeutic research more appropriate regulation model. International regulations are not in accordance to results presented in the paper for allowing participation of minors both in therapeutic and non-therapeutic research. Serbian regulation is closer to the most acceptable regulation model.

Recruitment of ethnic minorities for public health research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Annemette Ljungdalh; Smith Jervelund, Signe; Villadsen, Sarah Fredsted

2017-01-01

Aims: This paper examines the importance of recruitment site in relation to the recruitment of ethnic minorities into health research. It presents a synthesis of experiences drawn from six interlinked Danish studies which applied different methods and used healthcare facilities and educational...... study designs also depended on the possibility of singling out specific locations with a high proportion of the relevant ethnic minority target population. Conclusions:The findings, though based on a small number of cases, indicate that health professionals and healthcare institutions, despite...... settings as sites for recruitment. Methods: Inspired by interpretive reviewing, data on recruitment methods from the different studies were synthesized with a focus on the various levels of recruitment success achieved. This involved an iterative process of comparison, analysis and discussion...

Characteristics of health professions schools, public school systems, and community-based organizations in successful partnerships to increase the numbers of underrepresented minority students entering health professions education.

Science.gov (United States)

Carline, Jan D; Patterson, Davis G

2003-05-01

To identify characteristics of health professions schools, public schools, and community-based organizations in successful partnerships to increase the number of underrepresented minority students entering health professions. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation funded the Health Professions Partnership Initiative program developed from Project 3000 by 2000 of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Semi-structured interviews were completed with awardees and representatives of the funding agencies, the national program office, and the national advisory committee between the fall of 2000 and the summer of 2002. Site visits were conducted at ten sites, with representatives of partner institutions, teachers, parents, and children. Characteristics that supported and hindered development of successful partnerships were identified using an iterative qualitative approach. Successful partnerships included professional schools that had a commitment to community service. Successful leaders could work in both cultures of the professional and public schools. Attitudes of respect and listening to the needs of partners were essential. Public school governance supported innovation. Happenstance and convergence of interests played significant roles in partnership development. The most telling statement was "We did it, together." This study identifies characteristics associated with smoothly working partnerships, and barriers to successful program development. Successful partnerships can form the basis on which educational interventions are built. The study is limited by the definition of success used, and its focus on one funded program. The authors were unable to identify outcomes in terms of numbers of children influenced by programs or instances in which lasting changes in health professions schools had occurred.

A STUDY ON THE SUCCESSION MODEL OF FAMILY BUSINESSS

OpenAIRE

Hung-Jung Chang; Szu-Ju Lin

2011-01-01

Family business has to face issues such as ownership issue, governance structure issue and succession issue, etc. in enterprise development history. Among them, the succession issue is an important transition point in enterprise’s survival and development. It is thus thought of as one of the most important strategic and decision making issues in the enterprise. This article aims at investigating the succession model of Family business. First, reviews are done on the meaning of Family business...

The role of religious leaders in promoting acceptance of vaccination within a minority group: a qualitative study

OpenAIRE

Ruijs, W.L.M.; Hautvast, J.L.A.; Kerrar, S.; Velden, K. van der; Hulscher, M.E.J.L.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Although childhood vaccination programs have been very successful, vaccination coverage in minority groups may be considerably lower than in the general population. In order to increase vaccination coverage in such minority groups involvement of faith-based organizations and religious leaders has been advocated. We assessed the role of religious leaders in promoting acceptance or refusal of vaccination within an orthodox Protestant minority group with low vaccination coverage in T...

Retention of minority participants in clinical research studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Colleen S; Gonzales, Adelita; Fleuriet, K Jill

2005-04-01

Recruitment of minority participants for clinical research studies has been the topic of several analytical works. Yet retention of participants, most notably minority and underserved populations, is less reported and understood, even though these populations have elevated health risks. This article describes two related, intervention-based formative research projects in which researchers used treatment theory to address issues of recruitment and retention of minority women participants in an exercise program to reduce obesity. Treatment theory incorporates a model of health promotion that allows investigators to identify and control sources of extraneous variables. The authors' research demonstrates that treatment theory can improve retention of minority women participants by considering critical inputs, mediating processes, and substantive participant characteristics in intervention design.

What is a good death? Minority and non-minority perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Elizabeth; McGraw, Sarah A; Dobihal, Edward; Baggish, Rosemary; Cherlin, Emily; Bradley, Elizabeth H

2003-01-01

While much attention has been directed at improving the quality of care at the end of life, few studies have examined what determines a good death in different individuals. We sought to identify common domains that characterize a good death in a diverse range of community-dwelling individuals, and to describe differences that might exist between minority and non-minority community-dwelling individuals' views. Using data from 13 focus groups, we identified 10 domains that characterize the quality of the death experience: 1) physical comfort, 2) burdens on family, 3) location and environment, 4) presence of others, 5) concerns regarding prolongation of life, 6) communication, 7) completion and emotional health, 8) spiritual care, 9) cultural concerns, 10) individualization. Differences in minority compared to non-minority views were apparent within the domains of spiritual concerns, cultural concerns, and individualization. The findings may help in efforts to encourage more culturally sensitive and humane end-of-life care for both minority and non-minority individuals.

Improving Rice Modeling Success Rate with Ternary Non-structural Fertilizer Response Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Juan; Zhang, Mingqing; Chen, Fang; Yao, Baoquan

2018-06-13

Fertilizer response modelling is an important technical approach to realize metrological fertilization on rice. With the goal of solving the problems of a low success rate of a ternary quadratic polynomial model (TPFM) and to expand the model's applicability, this paper established a ternary non-structural fertilizer response model (TNFM) based on the experimental results from N, P and K fertilized rice fields. Our research results showed that the TNFM significantly improved the modelling success rate by addressing problems arising from setting the bias and multicollinearity in a TPFM. The results from 88 rice field trials in China indicated that the proportion of typical TNFMs that satisfy the general fertilizer response law of plant nutrition was 40.9%, while the analogous proportion of TPFMs was only 26.1%. The recommended fertilization showed a significant positive linear correlation between the two models, and the parameters N 0 , P 0 and K 0 that estimated the value of soil supplying nutrient equivalents can be used as better indicators of yield potential in plots where no N or P or K fertilizer was applied. The theoretical analysis showed that the new model has a higher fitting accuracy and a wider application range.

Transmutation of minor actinide using thorium fueled BWR core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Susilo, Jati

2002-01-01

One of the methods to conduct transmutation of minor actinide is the use of BWR with thorium fuel. Thorium fuel has a specific behaviour of producing a little secondary minor actinides. Transmutation of minor actinide is done by loading it in the BWR with thorium fuel through two methods, namely close recycle and accumulation recycle. The calculation of minor actinide composition produced, weigh of minor actinide transmuted, and percentage of reminder transmutation was carried SRAC. The calculations were done to equivalent cell modeling from one fuel rod of BWR. The results show that minor actinide transmutation is more effective using thorium fuel than uranium fuel, through both close recycle and accumulation recycle. Minor actinide transmutation weight show that the same value for those recycle for 5th recycle. And most of all minor actinide produced from 5 unit BWR uranium fuel can transmuted in the 6 t h of close recycle. And, the minimal value of excess reactivity of the core is 12,15 % Δk/k, that is possible value for core operation

Developing a dimensional model for successful cognitive and emotional aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Vahia, Ipsit V; Thompson, Wesley K; Depp, Colin A; Allison, Matthew; Jeste, Dilip V

2012-04-01

There is currently a lack of consensus on the definition of successful aging (SA) and existing implementations have omitted constructs associated with SA. We used empirical methods to develop a dimensional model of SA that incorporates a wider range of associated variables, and we examined the relationship among these components using factor analysis and Bayesian Belief Nets. We administered a successful aging questionnaire comprising several standardized measures related to SA to a sample of 1948 older women enrolled in the San Diego site of the Women's Health Initiative study. The SA-related variables we included in the model were self-rated successful aging, depression severity, physical and emotional functioning, optimism, resilience, attitude towards own aging, self-efficacy, and cognitive ability. After adjusting for age, education and income, we fitted an exploratory factor analysis model to the SA-related variables and then, in order to address relationships among these factors, we computed a Bayesian Belief Net (BBN) using rotated factor scores. The SA-related variables loaded onto five factors. Based on the loading, we labeled the factors as follows: self-rated successful aging, cognition, psychosocial protective factors, physical functioning, and emotional functioning. In the BBN, self-rated successful aging emerged as the primary downstream factor and exhibited significant partial correlations with psychosocial protective factors, physical/general status and mental/emotional status but not with cognitive ability. Our study represents a step forward in developing a dimensional model of SA. Our findings also point to a potential role for psychiatry in improving successful aging by managing depressive symptoms and developing psychosocial interventions to improve self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism.

Electronic Commerce Success Model: A Search for Multiple Criteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Didi Achjari

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The current study attempts to develop and examine framework of e-commerce success. In order to obtain comprehensive and robust measures, the framework accomodates key factors that are identified in the literature concerning the success of electronic commerce. The structural model comprises of four exogenous variables (Internal Driver, Internal Impediment, External Driver and Exgternal Impediment and one endogenous variable (Electornic Commerce Success eith 24 observed variables. The study that was administered within large Australian companies using questionaire survey concluded that benefits for both internal organization and external parties from the use of e-commerce were the main factor tro predict perceived and/or expected success of electronic commerce.

MUICYCL and MUIFAP: models tracking minor uranium isotopes in the nuclear fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blum, S.R.; McLaren, R.A.

1979-10-01

Two computer programs have been written to provide information on the buildup of minor uranium isotopes in the nuclear fuel cycle. The Minor Uranium Isotope Cycle Program, MUICYCL, tracks fuel through a multiyear campaign cycle of enrichment, reactor burnup, reprocessing, enrichment, etc. MUICYCL facilities include preproduction stockpiles, U 235 escalation, and calculation of losses. The Minor Uranium Isotope Flowsheet Analyzer Program, MUIFAP, analyzes one minor isotope in one year of an enrichment operation. The formulation of the enrichment cascade, reactors, and reprocessing facility is presented. Input and output descriptions and sample cases are presented. The programs themselves are documented by short descriptions of each routine, flowcharts, definitions of common blocks and variables, and internal documentation. The programs are written in FORTRAN for use in batch mode

How minorities fare under referendums: A cross-national study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bochsler, Daniel; Hug, Simon

2015-01-01

Referendums are often viewed as a threat to the rights of minorities. Empirical studies, so far, have tried to deal with the impact of referendums on minorities and civil rights at the subnational level by comparing either referendum or policy outcomes across subnational units. These units are......' preferences, either by protecting minority rights or reducing them. We test this proposition with national-level information on preferences and institutions as well as minority policies from countries spanning the whole globe......., however, often constrained by the national level of government. Hence, to understand the full effect of referendums on minority policies, cross-national comparisons are required. Based on existing game-theoretical models, we argue that referendums and initiatives push policies towards the voters...

A Multi-Stage Maturity Model for Long-Term IT Outsourcing Relationship Success

Science.gov (United States)

Luong, Ming; Stevens, Jeff

2015-01-01

The Multi-Stage Maturity Model for Long-Term IT Outsourcing Relationship Success, a theoretical stages-of-growth model, explains long-term success in IT outsourcing relationships. Research showed the IT outsourcing relationship life cycle consists of four distinct, sequential stages: contract, transition, support, and partnership. The model was…

Lifelong Learning for Social Inclusion of Ethnic Minorities in Botswana

Science.gov (United States)

Maruatona, Tonic

2015-01-01

In spite of its overall economic success, most citizens living in the remote areas of Botswana face poverty and are unemployed. The article argues that minority communities in remote areas are excluded because education programs use unfamiliar languages and de-contextualized curricula, there is no national qualifications framework to sufficiently…

Documenting a best practice model for successful female inmate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Documenting a best practice model for successful female inmate and female ex ... of men and women within the prison and correctional services as well as inform and ... and beyond, with scope for transforming it into a robust business model.

Minorities and majorities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijman, J.E.; Fassbender, B.; Peters, A.

2012-01-01

This chapter discusses the paradox of minorities as a constitutive Other of international law. While minorities have been viewed as outside the international legal system for centuries, minorities have at the same time made a significant and fundamental contribution to precisely that system, as they

"I AM a Man": Manhood, Minority Men's Health and Health Equity.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffith, Derek M

2015-08-07

To consider how manhood is a key social determinant of minority men's health. This commentary explicates how manhood intersects with other determinants of health to shape minority men's stress responses, health behaviors and health outcomes across the life course. Manhood, which perpetually needs to be proven, is an aspirational identity that is defined by the intersection of age, race/ethnicity and other identities. Minority men seek to and successfully embody US-cultural and ethnic-specific aspects of manhood in their daily lives by engaging in behaviors that constantly reaffirm their gender identity through a complex internal and social calculus that varies by intra-personal characteristics and context. Manhood and health are relational constructs that highlight how the salience of masculinities are shaped by perceived and actual social norms and expectations. A life course perspective adds a framework for considering how some gendered beliefs, goals and behaviors change over time while others remain static. Three life course frameworks highlight different mechanisms through which minority men's life experiences and physiological and behavioral responses to gendered social norms, beliefs and expectations become embodied as premature mortality and other health outcomes over the life course. Manhood represents an important lens to understand how minority men's identities, goals and priorities affect their health, yet the role of manhood in minority men's health is understudied and underdeveloped. To achieve health equity, it is critical to consider how manhood shapes minority men's lives and health across the life course, and to address how manhood affects gendered and non-gendered mechanisms and pathways that explain minority men's health over time.

Mathematical Modeling Projects: Success for All Students

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Therese

2018-01-01

Mathematical modeling allows flexibility for a project-based experience. We share details of our regular capstone course, successful for virtually 100% of our math majors for almost two decades. Our research-like approach in this course accommodates a variety of student backgrounds and interests, and has produced some award-winning student…

Building a Model of Successful Collaborative Learning for Company Innovativeness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agata Sudolska

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to develop a model of successful collaborative learning for company innovativeness. First of all, the paper explores the issue of inter-firm learning, focusing its attention on collaborative learning. Secondly, inter-firm learning relationships are considered. Thirdly, the ex ante conditions of collaborative learning and the intra-organizational enhancers of inter-firm learning processes are studied. Finally, a model of the critical success factors for collaborative learning is developed.

AstroCom NYC: A National Model for Urban Minority Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Paglione, Timothy; Ford, Saavik; Robbins, Dennis; Mac Low, Mordecai-Mark; Agueros, Marcel A.

2016-01-01

AstroCom NYC is an undergraduate mentoring program designed to improve urban minority student access to opportunities in astrophysical research by greatly enhancing partnerships between research astronomers in New York City (City University of New York - an MSI, American Museum of Natural History, and Columbia). AstroCom NYC provides centralized, personalized mentoring as well as financial and academic support, to CUNY undergraduates throughout their studies, plus the resources and opportunities to further CUNY faculty research with students. The goal is that students' residency at AMNH helps them build a sense of belonging in the field, and readies and inspires them for graduate study. AstroCom NYC provides a rigorous Methods of Scientific Research course developed specifically to this purpose, a laptop, research and career mentors, outreach activities, scholarships and stipends, Metrocards, and regular assessment for maximum effectiveness. The goal of this support is to remove barriers to access and success. AMNH serves as the central hub for our faculty and students, who are otherwise dispersed among all five boroughs of the City. We welcomed our third and largest cohort last year, along with 13 additional students through a NASA community college initiative. We review plans for Year 4, when we expect all of our interns to compete for external summer REUs, and our growing participation and leadership within partner activities.

Criterion and Divergent Validity of the Sexual Minority Adolescent Stress Inventory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy T. Goldbach

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Sexual minority adolescents (SMA consistently report health disparities compared to their heterosexual counterparts, yet the underlying mechanisms of these negative health outcomes remain unclear. The predominant explanatory model is the minority stress theory; however, this model was developed largely with adults, and no valid and comprehensive measure of minority stress has been developed for adolescents. The present study validated a newly developed instrument to measure minority stress among racially and ethnically diverse SMA. A sample of 346 SMA aged 14–17 was recruited and surveyed between February 2015 and July 2016. The focal measure of interest was the 64-item, 11-factor Sexual Minority Adolescent Stress Inventory (SMASI developed in the initial phase of this study. Criterion validation measures included measures of depressive symptoms, suicidality and self-harm, youth problem behaviors, and substance use; the general Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ was included as a measure of divergent validity. Analyses included Pearson and tetrachoric correlations to establish criterion and divergent validity and structural equation modeling to assess the explanatory utility of the SMASI relative to the ASQ. SMASI scores were significantly associated with all outcomes but only moderately associated with the ASQ (r = −0.13 to 0.51. Analyses revealed significant associations of a latent minority stress variable with both proximal and distal health outcomes beyond the variation explained by general stress. Results show that the SMASI is the first instrument to validly measure minority stress among SMA.

Variation in Subjective Aging by Sexual Minority Status.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Anne; Barbee, Harry

2017-06-01

The past few decades have seen increased scholarly attention to gay and lesbian individuals' aging experiences; however, few studies examine differences in subjective aging by sexual minority status. We identify four perspectives on the association between sexual minority status and subjective aging-double jeopardy, crisis competence, gender interactive, and limited salience perspectives. We examine each perspective's predictions using data from the first wave of Midlife in the United States (1995-1996; MIDUS). Ordinary least square regression models reveal strongest support for the limited salience perspective, suggesting that sexual minority status has weaker effects on subjective aging than do other social factors, such as age, health, and gender. However, some results provide support for the gender interactive perspective, positing that the effect of sexual minority status on subjective aging varies by gender. Our study provides an organizational framework of theoretical perspectives that can guide further examinations of variation in aging experiences by sexual minority status.

Endoscopic treatment for pancreatic diseases: Needle-knife-guided cannulation via the minor papilla.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Gong, Biao; Jiang, Wei-Song; Liu, Lei; Bielike, Kouken; Xv, Bin; Wu, Yun-Lin

2015-05-21

To determine the efficacy and safety of meticulous cannulation by needle-knife. Three needle-knife procedures were used to facilitate cannulation in cases when standard cannulation techniques failed. A total of 104 cannulations via the minor papilla attempted in 74 patients at our center between January 2008 and June 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Standard methods were successful in 79 cannulations. Of the 25 cannulations that could not be performed by standard methods, 19 were performed by needle-knife, while 17 (89.5%) were successful. Needle-knife use improved the success rate of cannulation [76.0%, 79/104 vs 92.3%, (79 + 17)/104; P = 0.001]. When the 6 cases not appropriate for needle-knife cannulation were excluded, the success rate was improved further (80.6%, 79/98 vs 98.0%, 96/98; P = 0.000). There were no significant differences in the rates of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography adverse events between the group using standard methods alone and the group using needle-knife after failure of standard methods (4.7% vs 10.5%, P = 0.301). The needle-knife procedure may be an alternative method for improving the success rate of cannulation via the minor papilla, particularly when standard cannulation has failed.

Exploring nursing e-learning systems success based on information system success model.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Hui-Chuan; Liu, Chung-Feng; Hwang, Hsin-Ginn

2011-12-01

E-learning is thought of as an innovative approach to enhance nurses' care service knowledge. Extensive research has provided rich information toward system development, courses design, and nurses' satisfaction with an e-learning system. However, a comprehensive view in understanding nursing e-learning system success is an important but less focused-on topic. The purpose of this research was to explore net benefits of nursing e-learning systems based on the updated DeLone and McLean's Information System Success Model. The study used a self-administered questionnaire to collected 208 valid nurses' responses from 21 of Taiwan's medium- and large-scale hospitals that have implemented nursing e-learning systems. The result confirms that the model is sufficient to explore the nurses' use of e-learning systems in terms of intention to use, user satisfaction, and net benefits. However, while the three exogenous quality factors (system quality, information quality, and service quality) were all found to be critical factors affecting user satisfaction, only information quality showed a direct effect on the intention to use. This study provides useful insights for evaluating nursing e-learning system qualities as well as an understanding of nurses' intentions and satisfaction related to performance benefits.

Semivarying coefficient models for capture-recapture data: colony size estimation for the little penguin Eudyptula minor.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoklosa, Jakub; Dann, Peter; Huggins, Richard

2014-09-01

To accommodate seasonal effects that change from year to year into models for the size of an open population we consider a time-varying coefficient model. We fit this model to a capture-recapture data set collected on the little penguin Eudyptula minor in south-eastern Australia over a 25 year period using Jolly-Seber type estimators and nonparametric P-spline techniques. The time-varying coefficient model identified strong changes in the seasonal pattern across the years which we further examined using functional data analysis techniques. To evaluate the methodology we also conducted several simulation studies that incorporate seasonal variation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Status of National Minorities in Developed European Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nada Raduški

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Contemporary geopolitical changes, interethnic conflicts and clashes, and the connection between minority and territorial problems considerably influence the quality of inter-state relations and the preservation of global peace and security. National problems and ethnic confrontations found a firm ground on the territory of the Balkans, although they are known in democratic West-European countries as well, despite high standards in respecting human rights. However, even though they deserve special attention due to their seriousness, they remain exclusively under those countries’ jurisdiction, as opposed to countries in transition that are in the focus of interest and intervention of the international community. In developed countries, the method of regulating the minority question greatly depends on the position of that country on the world economic and political scene, apart from numerous historical and political factors. In each of these countries, there are specific models of coexistence of majority and minority population conditioned by numerous factors, so there does not exist a universal model that would be valid for all countries. Respecting basic human rights, as well as national minority protection, represent the basic factors of the stability, and democratic and socio-economic development of every country.

Dynamics of the minority game for patients

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyungsik; Yoon, Seong-Min; Kul Yum, Myung

2004-12-01

We analyze the minority game for patients, and the results known from the minority game are applied to the patient problem consulted at the department of pediatric cardiology. We find numerically the standard deviation and the global efficiency, which is discussed similar to the El Farol bar problem. After the score equation and the scaled utility are introduced, the dynamical behavior of our model is discussed for particular strategies. Our results presented will be compared with recent numerical calculations.

Establishing a Cloud Computing Success Model for Hospitals in Taiwan

OpenAIRE

Lian, Jiunn-Woei

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand the critical quality-related factors that affect cloud computing success of hospitals in Taiwan. In this study, private cloud computing is the major research target. The chief information officers participated in a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that the integration of trust into the information systems success model will have acceptable explanatory power to understand cloud computing success in the hospital. Moreover, information quality...

Do Double Minority Students Face Double Jeopardy? Testing Minority Stress Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Hayes, Jeffrey A.; Chun-Kennedy, Caitlin; Edens, Astrid; Locke, Benjamin D.

2011-01-01

Data from 2 studies revealed that ethnic and sexual minority clients experienced greater psychological distress on multiple dimensions than did European American or heterosexual clients, respectively, as did ethnic and sexual minority students who were not clients. Among sexual minority students, ethnicity was not an added source of distress.…

Vaccines for minor use and minor species (MUMS)--industry's views.

Science.gov (United States)

Bönisch, B

2004-01-01

Over the past 30 years the importance of vaccines for minor use and minor species has changed for multinational animal health companies. The major reasons for this are being reviewed, with a particular focus on technical, financial and business aspects. Key regulatory obstacles to the development of new products for minor uses and minor species are identified, and examples of vaccines falling into the various categories are provided. A number of proposals are offered with the intention of resolving the medicines availability problem between all the stakeholders involved. Finally, based on the presented scientific and regulatory considerations, ideas are shared as to where the legal and economical framework would need to change to reach a viable solution.

Campus Climate and the Underrepresented Minority Engineering Student Experience: A Critical Race Study

Science.gov (United States)

Mayes, Terrance

In the current technological era, the number of minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is a crucial factor in predetermining the economic growth of the United States. Since the minority population is growing at much faster rates than the non-minority population, the lack of proportionate production of minority engineers poses a threat to the United States' ability to remain a global competitor in technological innovation. Sixty-three per cent (63%) of undergraduate students who enter engineering majors continue on to graduate in that major. The graduation rate, however, for African-American, Hispanic, and Native-American students in engineering is significantly lower at 39%. As this group represents only a small fraction of the annual student enrollment, engineering programs are graduating these minority groups at rates that are greatly disproportionate to United States demographics. Therefore, researchers are thoroughly investigating certain initiatives that promote academic success among underrepresented minority students in engineering. Colleges and universities have attempted to address the growing achievement gap between underrepresented minority and non-minority engineering students, predominately through various deficit-based interventions, focusing on the student's flaws and problems. As the pipeline for minorities in engineering continues to narrow, it begs the question of whether institutions are focusing on the right solutions to the problem. Critical Race Theory scholars argue that colleges and universities must address institutional climate issues around students, such as racism, microaggressions, and marginalization, before members of oppressed groups can truly succeed. This dissertation explored the unique experiences of underrepresented minority engineering students in a predominately White and Asian campus.

National culture and business model change: a framework for successful expansions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalby, J.; Nielsen, L.S.; Lueg, Rainer

2014-01-01

Dalby, J., Nielsen, Lueg, R., L. S., Pedersen, L., Tomoni, A. C. 2014. National culture and business model change: a framework for successful expansions. Journal of Enterprising Culture, 22(4): 379-498.......Dalby, J., Nielsen, Lueg, R., L. S., Pedersen, L., Tomoni, A. C. 2014. National culture and business model change: a framework for successful expansions. Journal of Enterprising Culture, 22(4): 379-498....

Communication for social inclusion of minorities. La Clase Mágica, an intervention model for social change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mayra Martínez Avidad

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Cultural and ethnic minorities are typically among the socially and economically disadvantaged groups in most societies due to their lack of institutional representation. The aim of this paper is to propose an intervention model capable of increasing the participatory power of a minority group through sustained and strategically design interaction between them and representatives of the dominant groups in the society. The results of the case study of the socio-educational program La Clase Mágica, employing survey methods to collect data, shows that those elements contributes to develop key capabilities for the empowerment and social inclusion of the first and second generation Mexican origin immigrants in San Diego County. Furthermore, the results show that the program was a decisive factor in promoting community empowerment and voice in influencing social institutions in terms of external support.

Suicidal ideation in transgender people: Gender minority stress and interpersonal theory factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Testa, Rylan J; Michaels, Matthew S; Bliss, Whitney; Rogers, Megan L; Balsam, Kimberly F; Joiner, Thomas

2017-01-01

Research has revealed alarmingly high rates of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts among transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people. This study aims to analyze the role of factors from the gender minority stress and resilience (GMSR) model (Testa, Habarth, Peta, Balsam, & Bockting, 2015), the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (IPTS; Joiner, 2005; Van Orden et al., 2010), and the potential integration of these factors, in explaining SI in this population. A convenience sample of 816 TGNC adults responded to measures of current SI, gender minority stressors, and IPTS factors. Path analysis was utilized to test 2 models. Model 1 evaluated the associations between external minority stressors and SI through internal minority stressors. Model 2 examined the relationships between internal minority stressors and SI through IPTS variables (perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness). All GMSR external stressors (rejection, nonaffirmation, victimization, and discrimination), internal stressors (internalized transphobia, negative expectations, and nondisclosure), and IPTS factors (thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness) were related to SI. Both models demonstrated good fit. Model 1 revealed that rejection, nonaffirmation, and victimization were related to SI through experiences of internalized transphobia and negative expectations. Model 2 indicated that internalized transphobia and negative expectations were associated with SI through IPTS factors. The models demonstrate pathways through which GMSR and IPTS constructs relate to one another and confer risk for SI among TGNC individuals. These pathways and several recently proposed constructs examined here provide promising directions for future research and clinical interventions in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Major and minor axis kinematics of 22 ellipticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franx, M.; Illingworth, G.; Heckman, T.

1989-01-01

Rotation curves and velocity dispersion profiles have been determined for the major and the minor axes of 22 elliptical galaxies. Rotation was detected in all but one galaxy, even though the sample was biased toward round ellipticals. Minor axis rotation larger than major axis rotation was measured in two galaxies, NGC 4406 and NGC 7507. Roughly 10 percent of ellipticals may show large minor axis velocities relative to those on the major axis. A simple model is used to derive a rotational axis from the observed minor and major axis velocities to a typical accuracy of 6 deg. The rotational and photometric minor axes aligned to better than 10 deg for 60 percent of the sample, implying that the direction of the angular momentum is related to the orientation of the figure of the galaxy. IC 1459 has a kinematically distinct core with its angular momentum opposite to the angular momentum of the outer parts, and NGC 4406 has a core with its angular momentum perpendicular to that of the outer parts. 46 refs

Using Institutional Resources and Agency to Support Graduate Students’ Success at a Hispanic Serving Institution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie A. Tran

2016-08-01

Full Text Available There is a growing body of evidence that links increased social capital to minority student success in college. This paper seeks to expand specifically on the graduate experience of underrepresented minorities (URM at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI using the social capital framework. In a cross-sectional survey, 198 graduate students retrospectively considered the role of institutional resources and agents in their success towards graduation. Data revealed that motivational factors such as a sense of personal achievement, family support, peer support, career promotion, supportive faculty, program satisfaction, and faculty mentor played critical roles in the success of graduate students at HSI. Specifically, Latino students are more likely to report that faculty mentors played a significant role in their success compared to their non-Latino peers χ2(1, N = 195 = 5.33, p = 0.02. Latinos/as were also more likely to use writing support services than their non-Latino/a peers χ2(2, N = 190 = 7.59, p = 0.02. By identifying and increasing access to institutional resources and agents, underrepresented minorities in post-baccalaureate programs may encounter less barriers to graduate degree success.

Trends in US minority red blood cell unit donations.

Science.gov (United States)

Yazer, Mark H; Delaney, Meghan; Germain, Marc; Karafin, Matthew S; Sayers, Merlyn; Vassallo, Ralph; Ziman, Alyssa; Shaz, Beth

2017-05-01

To provide the appropriately diverse blood supply necessary to support alloimmunized and chronically transfused patients, minority donation recruitment programs have been implemented. This study investigated temporal changes in minority red blood cell (RBC) donation patterns in the United States. Data on donor race and ethnicity from 2006 through 2015, including the number of unique donors, collections, RBCs successfully donated, and average annual number of RBC donations per donor (donor fraction), were collected from eight US blood collectors. Minority donors were stratified into the following groups: Asian, black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, white, multiracial/other, and no answer/not sure. Over the 10-year period, white donors annually constituted the majority of unique donors (range, 70.7%-73.9%), had the greatest proportion of collections (range, 76.1%-79.8%), and donated the greatest proportion of RBC units (range, 76.3%-80.2%). These donors also had the highest annual donor fraction (range, 1.82-1.91 units per donor). Black or African American donors annually constituted between 4.9 and 5.2% of all donors during the study period and donated between 4.0 and 4.3% of all RBC units. Linear regression analysis revealed decreasing numbers of donors, collections, and donated RBC units from white donors over time. Although the US population has diversified, and minority recruitment programs have been implemented, white donors constitute the majority of RBC donors and donations. Focused and effective efforts are needed to increase the proportion of minority donors. © 2017 AABB.

Retaining minorities in engineering: Assessment of a program prototype

Science.gov (United States)

Good, Jennifer Marie (Phillips)

Program assessment is an essential part of healthy program development. Assessment should include multiple considerations, dimensions, and outcomes that match the program's objectives. As a newly formed retention program, the Auburn University Minority Engineering Program, designed to help pre-engineering minority students make the transition into their freshman year of university studies, incorporated evaluation and assessment into all three components of the program (the interactive learning laboratory, critical-thinking workshops, and Sunday-evening tutorials) from the program's inception. If students successfully adapted to the university environment and the demands of the pre-engineering course of study, then retention of minority students in the College of Engineering should improve. Data were gathered on the students involved in the various program components. Students who entered the Minority Engineering Program were pre- and posttested on three standardized subtests (critical thinking, mathematics, and science reasoning) of the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency. The first-quarter grade-point averages of the students were also gathered to compare their grades to freshman students in previous quarters within the College of Engineering. Qualitative data were also gathered on this same group of students. An analysis of the data revealed that student achievement is affected by involvement in the Minority Engineering Program. Specifically, the first quarter grade point averages of students involved in the program exceeded those of their peers in earlier years of study prior to the program's existence. In addition, mathematics and science reasoning scores on standardized tests increased pre- to postintervention. Comments collected in journals and files also demonstrated use of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills employed by the students. Recommendations for alterations of the program were made based on the outcome of the program evaluation

Minority engineering scholarships, 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

Scholarships for Minority Students Studying Engineering and Science: Support will make scholarships available to minority students : interested in engineering and science and will increase significantly the number of minority students that Missouri S...

Simple algorithm to estimate mean-field effects from minor differential permeability curves based on the Preisach model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perevertov, Oleksiy

2003-01-01

The classical Preisach model (PM) of magnetic hysteresis requires that any minor differential permeability curve lies under minor curves with larger field amplitude. Measurements of ferromagnetic materials show that very often this is not true. By applying the classical PM formalism to measured minor curves one can discover that it leads to an oval-shaped region on each half of the Preisach plane where the calculations produce negative values in the Preisach function. Introducing an effective field, which differs from the applied one by a mean-field term proportional to the magnetization, usually solves this problem. Complex techniques exist to estimate the minimum necessary proportionality constant (the moving parameter). In this paper we propose a simpler way to estimate the mean-field effects for use in nondestructive testing, which is based on experience from the measurements of industrial steels. A new parameter (parameter of shift) is introduced, which monitors the mean-field effects. The relation between the shift parameter and the moving one was studied for a number of steels. From preliminary experiments no correlation was found between the shift parameter and the classical magnetic ones such as the coercive field, maximum differential permeability and remanent magnetization

Open Source Software Success Model for Iran: End-User Satisfaction Viewpoint

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Niknafs

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The open source software development is notable option for software companies. Recent years, many advantages of this software type are cause of move to that in Iran. National security and international restrictions problems and also software and services costs and more other problems intensified importance of use of this software. Users and their viewpoints are the critical success factor in the software plans. But there is not an appropriate model for open source software case in Iran. This research tried to develop a measuring open source software success model for Iran. By use of data gathered from open source users and online survey the model was tested. The results showed that components by positive effect on open source success were user satisfaction, open source community services quality, open source quality, copyright and security.

Life after Stroke in an Urban Minority Population: A Photovoice Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Balakrishnan, Revathi; Kaplan, Benjamin; Negron, Rennie; Fei, Kezhen; Goldfinger, Judith Z; Horowitz, Carol R

2017-03-11

Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the United States and disproportionately affects minority populations. We sought to explore the quality of life in urban, minority stroke survivors through their own photos and narratives. Using the Photovoice method, seventeen stroke survivors were instructed to take pictures reflecting their experience living with and recovering from stroke. Key photographs were discussed in detail; participants brainstormed ways to improve their lives and presented their work in clinical and community sites. Group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and coded transcripts were reviewed with written narratives to identify themes. Participants conveyed recovery from stroke in three stages: learning to navigate the initial physical and emotional impact of the stroke; coping with newfound physical and emotional barriers; and long-term adaptation to physical impairment and/or chronic disease. Participants navigated this stage-based model to varying degrees of success and identified barriers and facilitators to this process. Barriers included limited access for disabled and limited healthy food choices unique to the urban setting; facilitators included presence of social support and community engagement. Using Photovoice, diverse stroke survivors were able to identify common challenges in adapting to life after stroke and important factors for recovery of quality of life.

Life after Stroke in an Urban Minority Population: A Photovoice Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Revathi Balakrishnan

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the United States and disproportionately affects minority populations. We sought to explore the quality of life in urban, minority stroke survivors through their own photos and narratives. Using the Photovoice method, seventeen stroke survivors were instructed to take pictures reflecting their experience living with and recovering from stroke. Key photographs were discussed in detail; participants brainstormed ways to improve their lives and presented their work in clinical and community sites. Group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and coded transcripts were reviewed with written narratives to identify themes. Participants conveyed recovery from stroke in three stages: learning to navigate the initial physical and emotional impact of the stroke; coping with newfound physical and emotional barriers; and long-term adaptation to physical impairment and/or chronic disease. Participants navigated this stage-based model to varying degrees of success and identified barriers and facilitators to this process. Barriers included limited access for disabled and limited healthy food choices unique to the urban setting; facilitators included presence of social support and community engagement. Using Photovoice, diverse stroke survivors were able to identify common challenges in adapting to life after stroke and important factors for recovery of quality of life.

Recent admissions trends at UNLV-SDM: perspectives on recruitment of female and minority students at a new dental school.

Science.gov (United States)

Sewell, Jeremy; Hawley, Nathan; Kingsley, Karl; O'Malley, Susan; Ancajas, Christine C

2008-11-01

As the U.S. population continues to become more diverse, there has been a movement toward the recruitment of more diverse students into the dental profession. The purpose of this study was to assess the current and historical trends in diversity among dental school applicants and enrollees at a new dental institution, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Dental Medicine (UNLV-SDM). Applicant and enrollment data for the first four cohorts, sorted by gender and ethnicity, were retrieved and summarized by the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs at UNLV-SDM. The principal findings of this analysis revealed enrollment of females at UNLV-SDM was relatively consistent during this time interval, although significantly lower than the U.S. average of all dental schools. The enrollment of minorities at UNLV-SDM, however, was consistent and comparable to the U.S. average, although these percentages were disproportionately smaller than the percentage of minorities in the general population. Based upon these findings, a new model for outreach and recruitment of females and minorities was recently created, based in part upon evidence of successful strategies by dental educators at other institutions, in order to increase the enrollment of female and underrepresented minority students.

The Influence of Quality on E-Commerce Success: An Empirical Application of the Delone and Mclean IS Success Model

OpenAIRE

Ultan Sharkey; Murray Scott; Thomas Acton

2010-01-01

This research addresses difficulties in measuring e-commerce success by implementing the DeLone and McLean (D&M) model of IS success (1992, 2003) in an e-commerce environment. This research considers the influence of quality on e-commerce success by measuring the information quality and system quality attributes of an e-commerce system and the intention to use, user satisfaction and intention to transact from a sample of respondents. This research provides an empirical e-commerce application ...

Model of succession in degraded areas based on carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Schwerk, Axel; Szyszko, Jan

2011-01-01

Degraded areas constitute challenging tasks with respect to sustainable management of natural resources. Maintaining or even establishing certain successional stages seems to be particularly important. This paper presents a model of the succession in five different types of degraded areas in Poland based on changes in the carabid fauna. Mean Individual Biomass of Carabidae (MIB) was used as a numerical measure for the stage of succession. The run of succession differed clearly among the different types of degraded areas. Initial conditions (origin of soil and origin of vegetation) and landscape related aspects seem to be important with respect to these differences. As characteristic phases, a 'delay phase', an 'increase phase' and a 'stagnation phase' were identified. In general, the runs of succession could be described by four different parameters: (1) 'Initial degradation level', (2) 'delay', (3) 'increase rate' and (4) 'recovery level'. Applying the analytic solution of the logistic equation, characteristic values for the parameters were identified for each of the five area types. The model is of practical use, because it provides a possibility to compare the values of the parameters elaborated in different areas, to give hints for intervention and to provide prognoses about future succession in the areas. Furthermore, it is possible to transfer the model to other indicators of succession.

The University of Maryland Medical System invests in its community's minorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Schimpff, S C; Rapoport, M I; O'Keefe, S L; Grote, D A; Snow, L K

1996-06-01

of new minority firms capable of effectively responding to the competitive marketplace. As a result, purchasing dollars spent with minority-owned firms increased from $1.5 million to $3.2 million in four years, and the portion of these dollars spent with African American-owned firms nearly tripled. In community outreach, a comprehensive program has emerged that includes education, career development, disease prevention, and health promotion activities. The Medical System has encountered many barriers to success in these efforts but fortunately has overcome many of them. This article outlines the methods the system has used to achieve its minority development goals, with particular emphasis on the difficult area of purchasing.

A Test of the Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model among Ethnic Minority Youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Goya Arce, Ana B; Polo, Antonio J

2017-08-01

Perfectionistic self-presentation (PSP) has been identified as a vulnerability factor in the development of depressive disorders during early adolescence. The Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model (PSDM) offers a theoretical framework suggesting PSP leads to depressive symptoms via interpersonal problems and social disconnection. Previous studies have supported the role of social disconnection as a mediator in the relation between PSP and suicidal ideation, but have not evaluated interpersonal problems in the model. Furthermore, the generalizability of the model has not been established for community and ethnic minority samples. Using cross-sectional data, the present study addresses these gaps by evaluating the PSDM and including social anxiety and loneliness as indicators of interpersonal problems and social disconnection, respectively, as predictors of youth depressive symptoms. The sample includes 289 (51.2% females) predominately low income and Latino and African American youth in fifth through seventh grade in three public schools. As predicted, social anxiety mediates the relationship between both PSP and loneliness and PSP and depressive symptoms. Moreover, mediational analyses indicate that social anxiety accounts for the relation between PSP and depression. Consistent with the PSDM model, the relationship between PSP and youth depressive symptoms is mediated sequentially through both social anxiety and loneliness, but primarily among the Latino sample.

Tobacco Denormalization as a Public Health Strategy: Implications for Sexual and Gender Minorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Antin, Tamar M J; Lipperman-Kreda, Sharon; Hunt, Geoffrey

2015-12-01

Although the population-level success of tobacco denormalization is widely accepted, it remains unclear whether these strategies alleviate health inequities for sexual and gender minorities. The high risk of smoking among sexual and gender minorities together with research that documents a relationship between stigma-related processes and smoking prevalence for these groups raises questions about whether tobacco-related stigma intensifies the disadvantages associated with the stigmas of other social identities. We have not adequately considered how tobacco-related stigma overlaps with other social identity stigmas. Given concerns about the intensification of inequality, this type of inquiry has important implications for understanding both the effectiveness and limitations of tobacco denormalization strategies for sexual and gender minorities and identifying those tobacco prevention, treatment, and public health policies that work to ameliorate health inequities.

Models of Interinstitutional Partnerships between Research Intensive Universities and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) across the Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) Consortium

Science.gov (United States)

Fair, Alecia; Norris, Keith; Verbalis, Joseph G.; Poland, Russell; Bernard, Gordon; Stephens, David S.; Dubinett, Steven M.; Imperato‐McGinley, Julianne; Dottin, Robert P.; Pulley, Jill; West, Andrew; Brown, Arleen; Mellman, Thomas A.

2013-01-01

Abstract Health disparities are an immense challenge to American society. Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) housed within the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) are designed to accelerate the translation of experimental findings into clinically meaningful practices and bring new therapies to the doorsteps of all patients. Research Centers at Minority Institutions (RCMI) program at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) are designed to build capacity for biomedical research and training at minority serving institutions. The CTSA created a mechanism fostering formal collaborations between research intensive universities and minority serving institutions (MSI) supported by the RCMI program. These consortium‐level collaborations activate unique translational research approaches to reduce health disparities with credence to each academic institutions history and unique characteristics. Five formal partnerships between research intensive universities and MSI have formed as a result of the CTSA and RCMI programs. These partnerships present a multifocal approach; shifting cultural change and consciousness toward addressing health disparities, and training the next generation of minority scientists. This collaborative model is based on the respective strengths and contributions of the partnering institutions, allowing bidirectional interchange and leveraging NIH and institutional investments providing measurable benchmarks toward the elimination of health disparities. PMID:24119157

The minor immigrant and the effects of juvenile migration in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andy Corneliu Pusca

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In the civil law and the international law, the minor immigrants are the new protagonists of migratory processes and constitute a fundamental subject. During the last decade, the presence of minors in the most important migration phenomenon has united migrations worldwide and the numbers increased significantly. There is no universal definition of the minor immigrant. This paper aims to describe the concept of minor immigrant, the effects of juvenile migration on the EU Member States and the measures to be taken in order to prevent the negative aspects and to reduce the human costs of migration processes. The method applied is the creation of placement and protection models able to comply with the obligations imposed by international conventions, model that is far from being considered adequate, since the convictions of the European Court of Human Rights prove the lack of practice in the field.

Increasing Minority Golf Participation Through PGA Education Initiatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jill Fjelstul

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The article provides a report on the successful acquisition of the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA golf management university program by the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES. The PGA’s accredited program is housed at 20 universities with UMES being the first predominantly Black college to offer the coveted program. The article provides interview excerpts on the process undertaken by UMES. The article also identifies initiatives by programs and associations to increase minority golf participation.

Hydrometallurgical minor actinide separation in hollow fiber modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geist, A.; Weigl, M.; Gompper, K.

2004-01-01

Hollow fiber modules (HFM) were used as phase contacting devices for hydrometallurgical minor actinide separation in the Partitioning and Transmutation context. Two single-HFM setups, one using commercially available HFM, the other one using miniature HFM, have been developed and manufactured. Several very successful DIAMEX and SANEX once-through tests were performed. The major advantage of the new miniature HFM is their size drastically reducing chemicals consumption: only several 10 mL of feed phases are required for a test. (authors)

Developing a Successful Open Source Training Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belinda Lopez

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Training programs for open source software provide a tangible, and sellable, product. A successful training program not only builds revenue, it also adds to the overall body of knowledge available for the open source project. By gathering best practices and taking advantage of the collective expertise within a community, it may be possible for a business to partner with an open source project to build a curriculum that promotes the project and supports the needs of the company's training customers. This article describes the initial approach used by Canonical, the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux operating system, to engage the community in the creation of its training offerings. We then discuss alternate curriculum creation models and some of the conditions that are necessary for successful collaboration between creators of existing documentation and commercial training providers.

The Natural Science Institute for Teachers of Minority Students: Performance report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ervin, C.J.

1995-02-01

The purpose of the Natural Science Institute for Teachers of Minority Students is to enhance the science knowledge and skills of grades four through twelve science teachers in the District of Columbia Public Schools. The Institute brings school teachers together with practicing scientists and experienced science educators who are currently doing or involved in research and publication, especially in the area of global change. Special emphasis is placed on the interdisciplinary nature of science and the part played by the understanding and teaching about the dynamics of the environment and global change. In addition to these goals, teachers will learn a number of successful alternate strategies for teaching science to minority, disabled and non-English speaking students.

Parental monitoring, parental warmth, and minority youths' academic outcomes: exploring the integrative model of parenting.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowe, Katie; Dotterer, Aryn M

2013-09-01

Guided by the integrative model of parenting, the present study investigated the relationship between parental monitoring and racial/ethnic minority adolescents' school engagement and academic motivation as a function of parental warmth, and explored whether these associations varied for boys and girls. Participants (60 % female) were 208 sixth through eighth grade students (63 % African American, 19 % Latino, 18 % Multiracial) from an urban middle school in the Midwestern United States. Youth completed an in-school survey with items on parenting (parental monitoring, mothers'/fathers' warmth), cognitive engagement (school self-esteem), behavioral engagement (school trouble), and academic motivation (intrinsic motivation). As hypothesized, mothers' warmth enhanced the association between parental monitoring and youths' engagement and motivation. No gender differences in these associations emerged. Fathers' warmth strengthened the negative association between parental monitoring and school trouble, and this association was stronger for boys. Implications regarding the importance of sustaining a high level of monitoring within the context of warm parent-adolescent relationships to best support academic outcomes among minority youth are discussed.

Assessing eGovernment Systems Success: A Validation of the DeLone and McLean Model of Information Systems Success

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yi-Shun; Liao, Yi-Wen

2008-01-01

With the proliferation of the Internet and World Wide Web applications, people are increasingly interacting with government to citizen (G2C) eGovernment systems. It is therefore important to measure the success of G2C eGovernment systems from the citizen's perspective. While general information systems (IS) success models have received much…

Family Literacy and Second Language Literacy Research: Focus on Language Minority Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Özgür Yıldırım

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Problem Statement: Countries like the U. S. A. or Canada have citizens from various ethnic backgrounds. Although English is the dominant language in many parts of these countries, immigrants generally prefer speaking their native language when they are in their homes. Whatever the reason for using native language at home is, when we consider the children in these families, we can say that being exposed to different languages at home and at school may be a problem for their language development.Purpose of Study: There are many studies conducted in order to better understand the problems of language minority children. A great deal of literature on language minority students focuses on the ties between these children‟s literacy development and their literacy practices at home. In other words, these studies aim to see how the literacy events these children are exposed to at home affect their literacy learning in the second language.Methods: This paper is an attempt to put together and discuss various theoretical and empirical studies conducted on the literacy development of language minority children in English speaking countries.Findings: Literacy education of language minority students is not an easy task. It is very complicated and difficult to achieve as it requires a complete collaboration among all the responsible parties (teachers, families, researchers, education policy makers, school administrators. Conclusion and Recommendations: Successful collaboration among all the involved parties would bring successful outcomes in terms of children‟s healthy literacy development. The collaboration between teachers and families is the most vital one because these two parties are the ones that have one-to-one interaction with children.

Baccalaureate Minority Nursing Students Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Clinical Education Practices: An Integrative Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Crystal L; Phillips, Shannon M; Newman, Susan D; Atz, Teresa W

2016-01-01

This integrative review synthesized baccalaureate minority nursing students' perceptions of their clinical experiences. The diversity of the nursing workforce does not mirror the United States population. Attrition rates of minority nursing students remain higher than rates for White students. Literature examining facilitators and barriers to minority student success predominantly focuses on academic factors, excluding those relevant to clinical education. An integrative review using literature from nursing and education. Three common perceived barriers were identified: discrimination from faculty, peers, nursing staff, and patients; bias in faculty grading practices; and isolation. Although little is known about the relationship between clinical failures and overall attrition, this review provides evidence that minority students encounter significant barriers in clinical education. To increase the diversity of the nursing workforce, faculty must address these issues and make modifications to ensure an equal opportunity at a quality education for all students.

Minor Actinides Recycling in PWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delpech, M.; Golfier, H.; Vasile, A.; Varaine, F.; Boucher, L.; Greneche, D.

2006-01-01

Recycling of minor actinides in current and near future PWR is considered as one of the options of the general waste management strategy. This paper presents the analysis of this option both from the core physics and fuel cycle point of view. A first indicator of the efficiency of different neutron spectra for transmutation purposes is the capture to fission cross sections ratio which is less favourable by a factor between 5 to 10 in PWRs compared to fast reactors. Another indicator presented is the production of high ranking isotopes like Curium, Berkelium or Californium in the thermal or epithermal spectrum conditions of PWR cores by successive neutron captures. The impact of the accumulation of this elements on the fabrication process of such PWR fuels strongly penalizes this option. The main constraint on minor actinides loadings in PWR (or fast reactors) fuels are related to their direct impact (or the impact of their transmutation products) on the reactivity coefficients, the reactivity control means and the core kinetics parameters. The main fuel cycle physical parameters like the neutron source, the alpha decay power, the gamma and neutrons dose rate and the criticality aspects are also affected. Recent neutronic calculations based on a reference core of the Evolutionary Pressurized Reactor (EPR), indicates typical maximum values of 1 % loadings. Different fuel design options for minor actinides transmutation purposes in PWRs are presented: UOX and MOX, homogeneous and heterogeneous assemblies. In this later case, Americium loading is concentrated in specific pins of a standard UOX assembly. Recycling of Neptunium in UOX and MOX fuels was also studied to improve the proliferation resistance of the fuel. The impact on the core physics and penalties on Uranium enrichment were underlined in this case. (authors)

Perspective: adopting an asset bundles model to support and advance minority students' careers in academic medicine and the scientific pipeline.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Japera; Bozeman, Barry

2012-11-01

The authors contend that increasing diversity in academic medicine, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics requires the adoption of a systematic approach to retain minority high school and college students as they navigate the scientific pipeline. Such an approach should focus on the interrelated and multilayered challenges that these students face. The authors fuse an alternative conceptualization of the scientific and technical human capital theoretical framework and the theory of social identity contingencies to offer a conceptual model for targeting the critical areas in which minority students may need additional support to continue toward careers in science. Their proposed asset bundles model is grounded in the central premise that making greater progress in recruiting and retaining minorities likely requires institutions to respond simultaneously to various social cues that signal devaluation of certain identities (e.g., gender, race, socioeconomic status). The authors define "asset bundles" as the specific sets of abilities and resources individuals develop that help them succeed in educational and professional tasks, including but not limited to science and research. The model consists of five asset bundles, each of which is supported in the research literature as a factor relevant to educational achievement and, the authors contend, may lead to improved and sustained diversity: educational endowments, science socialization, network development, family expectations, and material resources. Using this framework, they suggest possible ways of thinking about the task of achieving diversity as well as guideposts for next steps. Finally, they discuss the feasibility of implementing such an approach.

Differential Experiences of Women and Minority Engineering Students in a Cooperative Education Program

Science.gov (United States)

Fifolt, Matthew M.; Abbott, Gypsy

Although slight gains have been made in attracting women and minority students to the field of engineering, the differences are not great enough to meet current economic demands [National Academy of Sciences (2007). Rising above the gathering storm: Energizing and employing America for a brighter economic future, Washington, DC: National Academies Press]. Therefore, it has become imperative that colleges and universities increase efforts to both recruit and retain these students who express interest in the STEM fields [National Science Foundation (2006), Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering, NSF 4-311, Arlington, VA: NSF]. In engineering, one promising venue for students to gain professional experience as part of their undergraduate training is through cooperative education (co-op). However, there is a dearth of information in the research literature regarding how co-op programs can be structured to address the needs of diverse students. There is consensus, however, about one aspect of addressing the needs of diverse students, namely, mentoring and role models are key strategies for success. In this study, a mixed methods design was used to examine students' perceptions of mentoring in a cooperative education program in a southeastern university. Using Noe's [Noe, R. (1988). An investigation of the determinants of successful assigned mentoring relationships. Personnel Psychology, 1, 457-479] mentoring functions scales, which described psychosocial and career-related support, research findings indicated a statistically significant difference between gender and the psychosocial aspect of mentoring. Analysis of the qualitative data further confirmed differences in cooperative education experiences with respect to both gender and ethnicity.

Empirical evaluation of a forecasting model for successful facilitation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

During 2000 the annual Facilitator Customer Satisfaction Survey was ... the forecasting model is successful concerning the CSI value and a high positive linear ... namely that of human behaviour to incorporate other influences than just the ...

The role of personality in predicting drug and alcohol use among sexual minorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Livingston, Nicholas A; Oost, Kathryn M; Heck, Nicholas C; Cochran, Bryan N

2015-06-01

Research consistently demonstrates that sexual minority status is associated with increased risk of problematic substance use. Existing literature in this area has focused on group-specific minority stress factors (e.g., victimization and internalized heterosexism). However, no known research has tested the incremental validity of personality traits as predictors of substance use beyond identified group-specific risk factors. A sample of 704 sexual minority adults was recruited nationally from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning community organizations and social networking Web sites and asked to complete an online survey containing measures of personality, sexual minority stress, and substance use. Hierarchical regression models were constructed to test the incremental predictive validity of five-factor model personality traits over and above known sexual minority risk factors. Consistent with hypotheses, extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with drug and alcohol use after accounting for minority stress factors, and all factors except agreeableness were associated with substance use at the bivariate level of analysis. Future research should seek to better understand the role of normal personality structures and processes conferring risk for substance use among sexual minorities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Model of succession in degraded areas based on carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Axel Schwerk

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Degraded areas constitute challenging tasks with respect to sustainable management of natural resources. Maintaining or even establishing certain successional stages seems to be particularly important. This paper presents a model of the succession in five different types of degraded areas in Poland based on changes in the carabid fauna. Mean Individual Biomass of Carabidae (MIB was used as a numerical measure for the stage of succession. The run of succession differed clearly among the different types of degraded areas. Initial conditions (origin of soil and origin of vegetation and landscape related aspects seem to be important with respect to these differences. As characteristic phases, a ‘delay phase’, an ‘increase phase’ and a ‘stagnation phase’ were identified. In general, the runs of succession could be described by four different parameters: (1 ‘Initial degradation level’, (2 ‘delay’, (3 ‘increase rate’ and (4 ‘recovery level’. Applying the analytic solution of the logistic equation, characteristic values for the parameters were identified for each of the five area types. The model is of practical use, because it provides a possibility to compare the values of the parameters elaborated in different areas, to give hints for intervention and to provide prognoses about future succession in the areas. Furthermore, it is possible to transfer the model to other indicators of succession.

First record of Molorchus minor minor (Linnaeus (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ubirajara R. Martins

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Molorchus minor minor (Linnaeus (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae is recorded for the first time in Brazil (Bahia. It was originally described from Europe and is currently widely distributed in that continent and Asia.

The Trojan minor planets

Science.gov (United States)

Spratt, Christopher E.

1988-08-01

There are (March, 1988) 3774 minor planets which have received a permanent number. Of these, there are some whose mean distance to the sun is very nearly equal to that of Jupiter, and whose heliocentric longitudes from that planet are about 60°, so that the three bodies concerned (sun, Jupiter, minor planet) make an approximate equilateral triangle. These minor planets, which occur in two distinct groups, one preceding Jupiter and one following, have received the names of the heroes of the Trojan war. This paper concerns the 49 numbered minor planets of this group.

25-years three-fluid modeling-experience: successes and limits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolev, N.I.

2004-01-01

The paper presents many examples of successful use of the three fluid processes modeling in 1D-networks, 3D-single volumes and 3D-boundary fitted volumes in the nuclear engineering. Fig. 1 shows 2700K hot molten aluminum oxide dropped in water and 3000K uranium oxide dropped in water as a demonstration for mathematical modeling of very complex real processes. (author)

Minorities in Iran

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elling, Rasmus Christian

Contrary to the popular understanding of Iran as a Persian nation, half of the country's population consists of minorities, among whom there has been significant ethnic mobilization at crucial stages in Iranian history. One such stage is now: suppressed minority demands, identity claims, and deba......Contrary to the popular understanding of Iran as a Persian nation, half of the country's population consists of minorities, among whom there has been significant ethnic mobilization at crucial stages in Iranian history. One such stage is now: suppressed minority demands, identity claims......, and debates on diversity have entered public discourse and politics. In 2005–2007, Iran was rocked by the most widespread ethnic unrest experienced in that country since the revolution. The same period was also marked by the re-emergence of nationalism. This interdisciplinary book takes a long-overdue step...

Theory in Highly Cited Studies of Sexual Minority Parent Families: Variations and Implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Farr, Rachel H; Tasker, Fiona; Goldberg, Abbie E

2017-01-01

This article includes a systematic review and citation analysis of the literature regarding sexual minority parent families, particularly attending to what theories have been used, and how. We consider the importance of theoretical frameworks for future research and implications for policy, practice, and law related to sexual minority parent families. Our review targets 30 highly cited studies located through Google Scholar (as an interdisciplinary search engine) and published within a specific timeframe (2005-2010). We highlight the dominant theoretical models employed across disciplines studying sexual minority parent families. Although the majority of studies reviewed referred to theoretical models or perspectives, explicit theoretical grounding was frequently lacking. Instead, the empirical work reviewed appeared to have a predominantly applied focus in addressing public debates on sexual minority parent families. We provide recommendations for how theory might be more fully integrated into the social science literature on sexual minority parents and their children.

Multilingual education for European minority languages: The Basque Country and Friesland

Science.gov (United States)

Gorter, Durk; Cenoz, Jasone

2011-12-01

Over the last three decades, regional minority languages in Europe have regained increased recognition and support. Their revitalisation is partly due to their being taught in schools. Multilingualism has special characteristics for speakers of minority languages and it poses unique challenges for learning minority languages. This article looks at the cases of Basque and Frisian, comparing and contrasting their similarities and differences. The educational system in the Basque Autonomous Community underwent an important transformation, starting in 1979 from a situation where less than 5 per cent of all teachers were capable of teaching through Basque. Today this figure has changed to more than 80 per cent. An innovative approach was chosen for teaching the minority language, Basque, alongside the dominant language, Spanish, and the international language, English. The outcome is a substantial increase in the proficiency in the minority language among the younger age groups. The decline of the minority language has thus been successfully reversed and one of the major challenges now is to uphold a sustainable educational system. By contrast, the Frisian language has fared less well in the Netherlands, where developments over the last 30 years have been much slower and the results more modest. Here policy-making for education and for language is caught in a continuous debate between a weak provincial level and a powerful central state level. Overall, multilingualism as a resource for individuals is valued for "bigger" languages such as English, French and German, but not for a "small" language such as Frisian. Nevertheless, a few trilingual experiments have been carried out in some schools in Friesland in teaching Frisian, Dutch and English. These experiments may also be instructive for other cases of minority languages of a "moderate strength". In the cases of both Basque and Frisian multilingualism is generally perceived as an important resource.

The social networking application success model : An empirical study of Facebook and Twitter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ou, Carol; Davison, R.M.; Huang, Q.

2016-01-01

Social networking applications (SNAs) are among the fastest growing web applications of recent years. In this paper, we propose a causal model to assess the success of SNAs, grounded on DeLone and McLean’s updated information systems (IS) success model. In addition to their original three dimensions

A community-based healthy living promotion program improved self-esteem among minority children

Science.gov (United States)

Improving self-esteem, dietary habits, and physical activity is essential for long-term success in childhood obesity prevention. The aim is to evaluate the effects of a healthy living promotion program, Healthy Kids-Houston, on BMI, dietary habits, self-esteem, and physical activity among minority c...

Population dynamics along a primary succession gradient: do alpine species fit into demographic succession theory?

Science.gov (United States)

Marcante, Silvia; Winkler, Eckart; Erschbamer, Brigitta

2009-05-01

Understanding processes and mechanisms governing changes in plant species along primary successions has been of major importance in ecology. However, to date hardly any studies have focused on the complete life cycle of species along a successional gradient, comparing pioneer, early and late-successional species. In this study it is hypothesized that pioneer species should initially have a population growth rate, lambda, greater than one with high fecundity rates, and declining growth rates when they are replaced by late-successional species. Populations of late-successional species should also start, at the mid-successional stage (when pioneer species are declining), with growth rates greater than one and arrive at rates equal to one at the late successional stage, mainly due to higher survival rates that allow these species to persist for a long time. The demography of pioneer- (Saxifraga aizoides), early (Artemisia genipi) and late-successional species (Anthyllis vulneraria ssp. alpicola) was investigated together with that of a ubiquitous species (Poa alpina) along the Rotmoos glacier foreland (2300-2400 m a.s.l., Central Alps, Austria) over 3 years. A matrix modelling approach was used to compare the main demographic parameters. Elasticity values were plotted in a demographic triangle using fecundity, individual growth and survival as vital rates contributing to the population growth rates. The results largely confirmed the predictions for population growth rates during succession. However, high survival rates of larger adults characterized all species, regardless of where they were growing along the succession. At the pioneer site, high mortality rates of seedlings, plantlets and young individuals were recorded. Fecundity was found to be of minor relevance everywhere, but it was nevertheless sufficient to increase or maintain the population sizes. Demographically, all the species over all sites behaved like late-successional or climax species in secondary

Development of a Predictive Model for Induction Success of Labour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Pruenza

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Induction of the labour process is an extraordinarily common procedure used in some pregnancies. Obstetricians face the need to end a pregnancy, for medical reasons usually (maternal or fetal requirements or less frequently, social (elective inductions for convenience. The success of induction procedure is conditioned by a multitude of maternal and fetal variables that appear before or during pregnancy or birth process, with a low predictive value. The failure of the induction process involves performing a caesarean section. This project arises from the clinical need to resolve a situation of uncertainty that occurs frequently in our clinical practice. Since the weight of clinical variables is not adequately weighted, we consider very interesting to know a priori the possibility of success of induction to dismiss those inductions with high probability of failure, avoiding unnecessary procedures or postponing end if possible. We developed a predictive model of induced labour success as a support tool in clinical decision making. Improve the predictability of a successful induction is one of the current challenges of Obstetrics because of its negative impact. The identification of those patients with high chances of failure, will allow us to offer them better care improving their health outcomes (adverse perinatal outcomes for mother and newborn, costs (medication, hospitalization, qualified staff and patient perceived quality. Therefore a Clinical Decision Support System was developed to give support to the Obstetricians. In this article, we had proposed a robust method to explore and model a source of clinical information with the purpose of obtaining all possible knowledge. Generally, in classification models are difficult to know the contribution that each attribute provides to the model. We had worked in this direction to offer transparency to models that may be considered as black boxes. The positive results obtained from both the

Study of high energy ion loss during hydrogen minority heating in TFTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, J.; Zweben, S.J.

1994-03-01

High energy ion loss during hydrogen minority ICRF heating is measured and compared with the loss of the D-D fusion products. During H minority heating a relatively large loss of high energy ions is observed at 45 degrees below the outer midplane, with or without simultaneous NBI heating. This increase is most likely due to a loss of the minority tail protons, a possible model for this process is described

Syndemic Factors Mediate the Relationship between Sexual Stigma and Depression among Sexual Minority Women and Gender Minorities.

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Logie, Carmen H; Lacombe-Duncan, Ashley; Poteat, Tonia; Wagner, Anne C

Stigma and discrimination contribute to elevated depression risks among sexual minority women (SMW) and gender minority (GM) people who identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer. Syndemics theory posits that adverse psychosocial outcomes cluster to negatively impact health and mental health outcomes among sexual minorities. We tested whether a syndemic condition composed of low social support, low self-rated health, low self-esteem, and economic insecurity mediated the relationship between sexual stigma and depressive symptoms among SMW/GM. We implemented a cross-sectional, Internet-based survey with SMW and GM in Toronto, Canada. We conducted structural equation modeling using maximum likelihood estimation to test a conceptual model of pathways between sexual stigma, syndemic factors, and depressive symptoms. A total of 391 SMW/GM with a mean age of 30.9 (SD = 7.62) were included in the analysis. The model fit for a latent syndemics construct consisting of psychosocial variables (low social support, low self-rated health, low self-esteem, economic insecurity) was very good (χ 2  = 6.022, df = 2, p = .049; comparative fit index = 0.973, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.918, root-mean square error of approximation = 0.072). In the simultaneous model, sexual stigma had a significant direct effect on depression. When the syndemic variable was added as a mediator, the direct path from sexual stigma to depression was no longer significant, suggesting mediation. The model fit the data well: χ2 = 33.50, df = 12, p = .001; comparative fit index = 0.951, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.915, root-mean square error of approximation = 0.068. Our results highlight the salience of considering both sexual stigma and syndemic factors to explain mental health disparities experienced by SMW and GM. Addressing sexual stigma in the context of co-occurring psychosocial factors and economic insecurity will be key to achieving optimal health for SMW and GM. Copyright © 2017 Jacobs

Global optimization of minority game by intelligent agents

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Yan-Bo; Wang, Bing-Hong; Hu, Chin-Kun; Zhou, Tao

2005-10-01

We propose a new model of minority game with intelligent agents who use trail and error method to make a choice such that the standard deviation σ2 and the total loss in this model reach the theoretical minimum values in the long time limit and the global optimization of the system is reached. This suggests that the economic systems can self-organize into a highly optimized state by agents who make decisions based on inductive thinking, limited knowledge, and capabilities. When other kinds of agents are also present, the simulation results and analytic calculations show that the intelligent agent can gain profits from producers and are much more competent than the noise traders and conventional agents in original minority games proposed by Challet and Zhang.

Reconstructing social networks : The Importance of friends and family in the acculturation of unaccompanied minors

OpenAIRE

Spaun, Hege

2007-01-01

The main goal of this study was to explore how social network variables and social skills influence acculturation in a group of immigrants who came to Norway as unaccompanied minor asylum seekers. Acculturation, as measured by ethnic and host culture competence, is seen as a resource for the individual, and a necessity in order to be successful and have a sense of belonging in a given culture. Sixty-two youth who came to Norway as unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UMAs) between the years 20...

Contextual Factors in Education: Improving Science and Mathematics Education for Minorities and Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Michael, Ed.; Griffin, Peg, Ed.

This book summarizes research on the various ways that students' cultural backgrounds and innate ways of learning affect academic achievement. It also offers descriptions and recommendations for improving science and mathematics education for minorities and women, based on successful programs, that take these differences into account. The focus is…

A self-adaptive genetic algorithm to estimate JA model parameters considering minor loops

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Hai-liang; Wen, Xi-shan; Lan, Lei; An, Yun-zhu; Li, Xiao-ping

2015-01-15

A self-adaptive genetic algorithm for estimating Jiles–Atherton (JA) magnetic hysteresis model parameters is presented. The fitness function is established based on the distances between equidistant key points of normalized hysteresis loops. Linearity function and logarithm function are both adopted to code the five parameters of JA model. Roulette wheel selection is used and the selection pressure is adjusted adaptively by deducting a proportional which depends on current generation common value. The Crossover operator is established by combining arithmetic crossover and multipoint crossover. Nonuniform mutation is improved by adjusting the mutation ratio adaptively. The algorithm is used to estimate the parameters of one kind of silicon-steel sheet’s hysteresis loops, and the results are in good agreement with published data. - Highlights: • We present a method to find JA parameters for both major and minor loops. • Fitness function is based on distances between key points of normalized loops. • The selection pressure is adjusted adaptively based on generations.

A self-adaptive genetic algorithm to estimate JA model parameters considering minor loops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Hai-liang; Wen, Xi-shan; Lan, Lei; An, Yun-zhu; Li, Xiao-ping

2015-01-01

A self-adaptive genetic algorithm for estimating Jiles–Atherton (JA) magnetic hysteresis model parameters is presented. The fitness function is established based on the distances between equidistant key points of normalized hysteresis loops. Linearity function and logarithm function are both adopted to code the five parameters of JA model. Roulette wheel selection is used and the selection pressure is adjusted adaptively by deducting a proportional which depends on current generation common value. The Crossover operator is established by combining arithmetic crossover and multipoint crossover. Nonuniform mutation is improved by adjusting the mutation ratio adaptively. The algorithm is used to estimate the parameters of one kind of silicon-steel sheet’s hysteresis loops, and the results are in good agreement with published data. - Highlights: • We present a method to find JA parameters for both major and minor loops. • Fitness function is based on distances between key points of normalized loops. • The selection pressure is adjusted adaptively based on generations

Perspective: Adopting an Asset Bundle Model to Support and Advance Minority Students’ Careers in Academic Medicine and the Scientific Pipeline

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Japera; Bozeman, Barry

2012-01-01

The authors contend that increasing diversity in the scientific pipeline (e.g., academic medicine, science, technology, engineering and mathematics) requires a systematic approach to retain minority high school and college students. Such an approach should focus on the interrelated and multilayered challenges that these students face. The authors fuse an alternative conceptualization of the scientific and technical human capital theoretical framework and the theory of social identity contingencies to offer a conceptual model for targeting the critical areas in which minority students may need additional support in order to continue toward a career in science. Their proposed asset bundles model is grounded in the central premise that making greater progress in recruiting and retaining minorities likely requires institutions to respond simultaneously to various social cues that signal devaluation of certain identities (e.g., gender, race, or socioeconomic status). The authors define “asset bundles” as the specific sets of abilities and resources individuals develop that help them succeed in educational and professional tasks, including but not limited to science and research. The model consists of five asset bundles, each of which is supported in the research literature as a factor relevant to educational achievement and, the authors contend, may lead to improved and sustained diversity: educational endowments, science socialization, network development, family expectations, and material resources. Using this framework, they suggest possible ways of thinking about the task of achieving diversity as well as guideposts for next steps. Finally, they discuss the feasibility of implementing such an approach. PMID:23018329

Testing the tenets of minority stress theory in workplace contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Velez, Brandon L; Moradi, Bonnie; Brewster, Melanie E

2013-10-01

The links of minority stressors (workplace discrimination, expectations of stigma, internalized heterosexism, and identity management strategies) with psychological distress and job satisfaction were examined in a sample of 326 sexual minority employees. Drawing from minority stress theory and the literature on the vocational experiences of sexual minority people, patterns of mediation and moderation were tested. Minority stressors were associated with greater distress and lower job satisfaction. A mediation model was supported in which the links of discrimination and internalized heterosexism with psychological distress were mediated by a concealment-focused identity management strategy (i.e., avoiding), and the links of discrimination, expectations of stigma, and internalized heterosexism with job satisfaction were mediated by a disclosure-focused identity management strategy (i.e., integrating). Tests of moderation indicated that for sexual minority women (but not men), the positive association of discrimination with distress was stronger at higher levels of internalized heterosexism than at lower levels. In addition, lower levels of internalized heterosexism and concealment strategies (i.e., counterfeiting and avoiding) and higher levels of a disclosure strategy (i.e., integrating) were associated with higher job satisfaction in the context of low discrimination, but this buffering effect disappeared as level of discrimination increased. The implications of these findings for minority stress research are discussed, and clinical recommendations are made.

Minorities and Malnutrition.

Science.gov (United States)

Kornegay, Francis A.

Various aspects of the relationship between minorities and malnutrition are discussed in this brief paper. Malnutrition, one of the byproducts of low economic status, is creating a crisis-proportion health problem affecting minority citizens. Malnutrition seriously affects children, older people in poverty, and chronically unemployed or…

Entrepreneurial Women in Radiology: Role Models of Success.

Science.gov (United States)

Anzai, Yoshimi; Meltzer, Carolyn C; DeStigter, Kristen K; Destounis, Stamatia; Pawley, Barbara K; Oates, M Elizabeth

2016-11-01

Radiology is undeniably male dominated. Alongside surgery and orthopedic surgery, academic radiology ranks near the bottom in having the lowest proportion of full-time female faculty members. Despite many efforts to recruit talented women, the pipeline entering the radiologic disciplines continues to flow at a trickle. One factor is the relative lack of role models for female medical students. Entrepreneurial women in radiology can lead the field with their innovation and creativity, courage, and commitment. In this article, the authors highlight two entrepreneurial female radiologists who shared their success stories at the American Association for Women Radiologists' session at the 2015 ACR annual meeting. Their successes underscore the potential for such women to serve as role models to female medical students and even college undergraduates. Despite the gender gap in radiology, the field has yielded some exceptional women who can take on challenges, overcome barriers and assume risks, create strategies and processes to operationalize their visions, secure funding, and expand their enterprises to make sustainable impacts both at home and abroad. As we move toward more patient- and family-centered care models and become increasingly visible to diverse populations, there is no better time for female leaders in radiology to inspire the next generation to join our essential and rewarding specialty. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Minority engineering scholarships renewal, 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-01

Scholarships for Minority Students Studying Engineering and Science : Support will make scholarships available to minority students : interested in engineering and science and will increase significantly the number of minority students that Missouri ...

A Lotka-Volterra competition model with seasonal succession.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Sze-Bi; Zhao, Xiao-Qiang

2012-01-01

A complete classification for the global dynamics of a Lotka-Volterra two species competition model with seasonal succession is obtained via the stability analysis of equilibria and the theory of monotone dynamical systems. The effects of two death rates in the bad season and the proportion of the good season on the competition outcomes are also discussed. © Springer-Verlag 2011

Magnetoresistance based determination of basic parameters of minority charge carriers in solid matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y.O. Uhryn

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Magnetoresistance as a tool of basic parameters determination of minority charge carriers and the ratio of minority charge carriers conductivity to majority ones in solid matter has been considered within the framework of the phenomenological two-band model. The criterion of the application of this model has been found. As examples of these equations usage the conductor, semiconductor and superconductor have been introduced. From the obtained temperature dependences of the aforementioned values in superconductor, a supposition of a deciding role of minority charge carriers in the emergence of superconductivity state has been made.

Genetic programming-based mathematical modeling of influence of weather parameters in BOD5 removal by Lemna minor.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandrasekaran, Sivapragasam; Sankararajan, Vanitha; Neelakandhan, Nampoothiri; Ram Kumar, Mahalakshmi

2017-11-04

This study, through extensive experiments and mathematical modeling, reveals that other than retention time and wastewater temperature (T w ), atmospheric parameters also play important role in the effective functioning of aquatic macrophyte-based treatment system. Duckweed species Lemna minor is considered in this study. It is observed that the combined effect of atmospheric temperature (T atm ), wind speed (U w ), and relative humidity (RH) can be reflected through one parameter, namely the "apparent temperature" (T a ). A total of eight different models are considered based on the combination of input parameters and the best mathematical model is arrived at which is validated through a new experimental set-up outside the modeling period. The validation results are highly encouraging. Genetic programming (GP)-based models are found to reveal deeper understandings of the wetland process.

Multi-state succession in wetlands: a novel use of state and transition models

Science.gov (United States)

Zweig, Christa L.; Kitchens, Wiley M.

2009-01-01

The complexity of ecosystems and mechanisms of succession are often simplified by linear and mathematical models used to understand and predict system behavior. Such models often do not incorporate multivariate, nonlinear feedbacks in pattern and process that include multiple scales of organization inherent within real-world systems. Wetlands are ecosystems with unique, nonlinear patterns of succession due to the regular, but often inconstant, presence of water on the landscape. We develop a general, nonspatial state and transition (S and T) succession conceptual model for wetlands and apply the general framework by creating annotated succession/management models and hypotheses for use in impact analysis on a portion of an imperiled wetland. The S and T models for our study area, Water Conservation Area 3A South (WCA3), Florida, USA, included hydrologic and peat depth values from multivariate analyses and classification and regression trees. We used the freeware Vegetation Dynamics Development Tool as an exploratory application to evaluate our S and T models with different management actions (equal chance [a control condition], deeper conditions, dry conditions, and increased hydrologic range) for three communities: slough, sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense), and wet prairie. Deeper conditions and increased hydrologic range behaved similarly, with the transition of community states to deeper states, particularly for sawgrass and slough. Hydrology is the primary mechanism for multi-state transitions within our study period, and we show both an immediate and lagged effect on vegetation, depending on community state. We consider these S and T succession models as a fraction of the framework for the Everglades. They are hypotheses for use in adaptive management, represent the community response to hydrology, and illustrate which aspects of hydrologic variability are important to community structure. We intend for these models to act as a foundation for further restoration

The American Geological Institute Minority Participation Program

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, M. J.; Byerly, G. R.; Callahan, C. N.

2001-12-01

Since 1971, the American Geological Institute (AGI) Minority Participation Program (MPP) has supported scholarships for underrepresented minorities in the geosciences at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Some of our MPP scholars have gone on to hugely successful careers in the geosciences. MPP scholars include corporate leaders, university professors, a NASA scientist-astronaut and a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER awardee. Yet as ethnic minorities continue to be underrepresented in the geosciences, AGI plans to expand its efforts beyond its traditional undergraduate and graduate scholarships to include diversity programs for secondary school geoscience teacher internships, undergraduate research travel support, and doctoral research fellowships. Funding for the MPP has come from multiple sources, including industry, scientific societies, individuals, and during the last 10 years, the NSF. College-level students apply for the MPP awards or award renewals, and the MPP Advisory Committee selects scholarship recipients based upon student academic performance, financial need, and potential for success as a geoscience professional. Mentoring is a long-standing hallmark of the AGI MPP. Every AGI MPP scholar is assigned a professional geoscientist as a mentor. The mentor is responsible for regular personal contacts with MPP scholars. The MPP Advisory Committee aims to match the profession of the mentor with the scholar's academic interest. Throughout the year, mentors and scholars communicate about possible opportunities in the geosciences such as internships, participation in symposia, professional society meetings, and job openings. Mentors have also been active in helping younger students cope with the major changes involved in relocating to a new region of the country or a new college culture. We believe that AGI is well-positioned to advance diversity in the geosciences through its unique standing as the major professional organization in the

Surveying ethnic minorities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joost Kappelhof

2015-01-01

Obtaining accurate survey data on ethnic minorities is not easy. Ethnic minorities are usually underrepresented in surveys, and it is moreover not certain that those who do take part in surveys are representative of the group the researcher is interested in. For example, is it only people with

Successful microsurgical replantation of an amputated penis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanchit Garg

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Penile amputation is an uncommon injury for which immediate surgical replantation is warranted. Microsurgical replantation is the “standard” method for penile replantation. Early replantation yields a high success and low complication rate. We report a case of a 34-year-old male who presented with amputation at the proximal penile shaft which was successfully replanted using microsurgical techniques. Minor skin necrosis was noted post-operatively which was debrided and covered with skin graft. Follow-up at 6 months showed satisfactory cosmetic appearance, normal voiding, return of sensations and erectile function. The level of evidence was V.

Modeling the interaction of light intensity, nutrient concentration and uranium toxicity in Lemna minor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zimmer, E.; Horemans, N.; Vandenhove, H. [Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK-CEN (Belgium); Cedergreen, N. [University of Copenhagen (Denmark); Jager, T. [Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2014-07-01

Radioecology aims at assessing the effect of radionuclides and radiation on the environment. Since we cannot test every possible environmental situation in the laboratory, we need modeling approaches to extrapolate the results of toxicity assays to environmentally relevant scenarios. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to understand the effect of relevant environmental factors, such as nutrients, temperature and light on the toxicity of the test. Radionuclides are often found to induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In plants, an overload of ROS can lead to disturbances of the photosynthetic system. Since the light intensity determines the efficiency of the photo-systems in plants, it can be expected to interact with the effect of radionuclides. The nutrient concentration of the test medium determines the physiological state of the plant, affecting in turn the plant's capability of dealing with stress and hence influences the toxicity of the contaminant. To study the interaction of stressors with environmental conditions, mechanistic effect modeling is promoted widely in ecotoxicology. In principle, the modelling aims at a mechanistic understanding of the different processes causing the stress individually, and integrating them in one framework to study their joint effect and possible interaction. We here present a mechanistic effect model for Lemna minor (common duckweed), which is based on Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory. Models based on DEB have been used widely to study the effects of compounds on animals. Due to its general applicability to all types of organisms, it holds potential to be used for comparison of species and compounds in a broad context. Energy uptake from the environment is modeled explicitly, and metabolic rates are set to depend on temperature in DEB models. Therefore, they can be used to extrapolate effects to a wide range of environmentally relevant scenarios. Until now, the DEB research in ecotoxicology has

Reconstructing marginality: a new model of cultural diversity in nursing.

Science.gov (United States)

Southwick, Margaret; Polaschek, Nick

2014-05-01

This article presents a new model of cultural diversity in nursing that critically reconstructs the concept of marginality that underpins other models. Rather than viewing the marginal as "other," marginality is redefined as the space in between the dominant cultural reality and the cultural realities of minority groups located within a society. Members of a minority cultural group who become skilled in the difficult process of negotiating this in-between space open the possibility of transformation within nursing education and practice. This model has been applied in a study of the experience of nursing students of Pacific ethnicity in New Zealand. Subsequently, an undergraduate Pacific nursing program was developed, with greatly increased success rates in registration of Pacific nurses. This model of cultural diversity can also be used to understand nursing practice involving people from minority cultures or other socially excluded categories. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Validation of the DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Ojo, Adebowale I

2017-01-01

This study is an adaptation of the widely used DeLone and McLean information system success model in the context of hospital information systems in a developing country. A survey research design was adopted in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 442 health information management personnel in five Nigerian teaching hospitals. A structural equation modeling technique was used to validate the model's constructs. It was revealed that system quality significantly influenced use (β = 0.53, p Information quality significantly influenced use (β = 0.24, p 0.05), but it significantly influenced perceived net benefits (β = 0.21, p 0.05). The study validates the DeLone and McLean information system success model in the context of a hospital information system in a developing country. Importantly, system quality and use were found to be important measures of hospital information system success. It is, therefore, imperative that hospital information systems are designed in such ways that are easy to use, flexible, and functional to serve their purpose.

Modelling the effect of food availability on recruitment success of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Modelling the effect of food availability on recruitment success of Cape anchovy ichthyoplankton in ... To characterise the recruitment dynamics of Cape anchovy ichthyoplankton, we used an individual-based ... AJOL African Journals Online.

An ecological framework for sexual minority women's health: factors associated with greater body mass.

Science.gov (United States)

Eliason, Michele J; Fogel, Sarah C

2015-01-01

In recent years, many studies have focused on the body of sexual minority women, particularly emphasizing their larger size. These studies rarely offer theoretically based explanations for the increased weight, nor study the potential consequences (or lack thereof) of being heavier. This article provides a brief overview of the multitude of factors that might cause or contribute to larger size of sexual minority women, using an ecological framework that elucidates upstream social determinants of health as well as individual risk factors. This model is infused with a minority stress model, which hypothesizes excess strain resulting from the stigma associated with oppressed minority identities such as woman, lesbian, bisexual, woman of color, and others. We argue that lack of attention to the upstream social determinants of health may result in individual-level victim blaming and interventions that do not address the root causes of minority stress or increased weight.

The Effect of Private Benefits of Control on Minority Shareholders: A Theoretical Model and Empirical Evidence from State Ownership

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerry Liu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of private benefits of control on minority shareholders. Design/methodology/approach: A theoretical model is established. The empirical analysis includes hand-collected data from a wide range of data sources. OLS and 2SLS regression analysis are applied with Huber-White standard errors. Findings: The theoretical model shows that, while private benefits are generally harmful to minority shareholders, the overall effect depends on the size of large shareholder ownership. The empirical evidence from government ownership is consistent with theoretical analysis. Research limitations/implications: The empirical evidence is based on a small number of hand-collected data sets of government ownership. Further studies can be expanded to other types of ownership, such as family ownership and financial institutional ownership. Originality/value: This study is the first to theoretically analyse and empirically test the effect of private benefits. In general, this study significantly contributes to the understanding of the effect of large shareholder and corporate governance.

Cadmium removal by Lemna minor and Spirodela polyrhiza.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhuri, Devaleena; Majumder, Arunabha; Misra, Amal K; Bandyopadhyay, Kaushik

2014-01-01

The present study investigates the ability of two genus of duckweed (Lemna minor and Spirodela polyrhiza) to phytoremediate cadmium from aqueous solution. Duckweed was exposed to six different cadmium concentrations, such as, 0.5,1.0,1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 mg/L and the experiment was continued for 22 days. Water samples were collected periodically for estimation of residual cadmium content in aqueous solution. At the end of treatment period plant samples were collected and accumulated cadmium content was measured. Cadmium toxicity was observed through relative growth factor and changes in chlorophyll content Experimental results showed that Lemna minor and Spirodela polyrhiza were capable of removing 42-78% and 52-75% cadmium from media depending upon initial cadmium concentrations. Cadmium was removed following pseudo second order kinetic model Maximum cadmium accumulation in Lemna minor was 4734.56 mg/kg at 2 mg/L initial cadmium concentration and 7711.00 mg/kg in Spirodela polyrhiza at 3 mg/L initial cadmium concentration at the end of treatment period. Conversely in both cases maximum bioconcentration factor obtained at lowest initial cadmium concentrations, i.e., 0.5 mg/L, were 3295.61 and 4752.00 for Lemna minor and Spirodela polyrhiza respectively. The present study revealed that both Lemna minor and Spirodela polyrhiza was potential cadmium accumulator.

The Five-Factor Model of Personality and Career Success.

Science.gov (United States)

Seibert, Scott E.; Kraimer, Maria L.

2001-01-01

Measures of career success and an inventory of the Five-Factor Model of Personality were completed by 496 workers. Extraversion was related positively to salary, promotion, and career satisfaction; neuroticism was related negatively to satisfaction. A significant negative relationship between agreeableness and salary was found for workers in…

Exploring Discrimination and Mental Health Disparities Faced By Black Sexual Minority Women Using a Minority Stress Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Calabrese, Sarah K; Meyer, Ilan H; Overstreet, Nicole M; Haile, Rahwa; Hansen, Nathan B

2015-09-01

Black sexual minority women are triply marginalized due to their race, gender, and sexual orientation. We compared three dimensions of discrimination-frequency (regularity of occurrences), scope (number of types of discriminatory acts experienced), and number of bases (number of social statuses to which discrimination was attributed)-and self-reported mental health (depressive symptoms, psychological well-being, and social well-being) between 64 Black sexual minority women and each of two groups sharing two of three marginalized statuses: (a) 67 White sexual minority women and (b) 67 Black sexual minority men. Black sexual minority women reported greater discrimination frequency, scope, and number of bases and poorer psychological and social well-being than White sexual minority women and more discrimination bases, a higher level of depressive symptoms, and poorer social well-being than Black sexual minority men. We then tested and contrasted dimensions of discrimination as mediators between social status (race or gender) and mental health outcomes. Discrimination frequency and scope mediated the association between race and mental health, with a stronger effect via frequency among sexual minority women. Number of discrimination bases mediated the association between gender and mental health among Black sexual minorities. Future research and clinical practice would benefit from considering Black sexual minority women's mental health in a multidimensional minority stress context.

The first draft genome of the aquatic model plant Lemna minor opens the route for future stress physiology research and biotechnological applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Hoeck, Arne; Horemans, Nele; Monsieurs, Pieter; Cao, Hieu Xuan; Vandenhove, Hildegarde; Blust, Ronny

2015-01-01

Freshwater duckweed, comprising the smallest, fastest growing and simplest macrophytes has various applications in agriculture, phytoremediation and energy production. Lemna minor, the so-called common duckweed, is a model system of these aquatic plants for ecotoxicological bioassays, genetic transformation tools and industrial applications. Given the ecotoxic relevance and high potential for biomass production, whole-genome information of this cosmopolitan duckweed is needed. The 472 Mbp assembly of the L. minor genome (2n = 40; estimated 481 Mbp; 98.1 %) contains 22,382 protein-coding genes and 61.5 % repetitive sequences. The repeat content explains 94.5 % of the genome size difference in comparison with the greater duckweed, Spirodela polyrhiza (2n = 40; 158 Mbp; 19,623 protein-coding genes; and 15.79 % repetitive sequences). Comparison of proteins from other monocot plants, protein ortholog identification, OrthoMCL, suggests 1356 duckweed-specific groups (3367 proteins, 15.0 % total L. minor proteins) and 795 Lemna-specific groups (2897 proteins, 12.9 % total L. minor proteins). Interestingly, proteins involved in biosynthetic processes in response to various stimuli and hydrolase activities are enriched in the Lemna proteome in comparison with the Spirodela proteome. The genome sequence and annotation of L. minor protein-coding genes provide new insights in biological understanding and biomass production applications of Lemna species.

Impact of supplemental instruction leader on the success of supplemental instruction model

Science.gov (United States)

Mahabaduge, Hasitha; Haslam, Jeanne

Supplemental instruction utilizes peer-assisted study sessions to provide review sessions on course material and an opportunity to discuss and work out problems. The impact of supplemental instruction on student performance is well researched and used in a large number of universities around the world due to its proven success. However, the impact of the student leader who plays a significant role in this model is rarely discussed in the literature. We present a case study on the impact of student leader on the success of supplemental instruction model. This case study was done for an Introductory Physics course correlating student performance and the supplemental instruction sessions they attended. Further analysis revealed that the academic performance and work ethics of the student leader has a significant impact on the success of the supplemental instruction model. Important factors to consider when selecting a student leader, the challenges and possible remedies will also be discussed.

External Validation of a Prediction Model for Successful External Cephalic Version

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Hundt, Marcella; Vlemmix, Floortje; Kok, Marjolein; van der Steeg, Jan W.; Bais, Joke M.; Mol, Ben W.; van der Post, Joris A.

2012-01-01

We sought external validation of a prediction model for the probability of a successful external cephalic version (ECV). We evaluated the performance of the prediction model with calibration and discrimination. For clinical practice, we developed a score chart to calculate the probability of a

Production and measurement of minor actinides in the commercial fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stanbro, W.D.

1997-03-01

The minor actinide elements, particularly neptunium and americium, are produced as a normal byproduct of the operation of thermal power reactors. Because of the existence of long-lived isotopes of these elements, they constitute the major sources of the residual radiation in spent fuel or in wastes resulting from reprocessing. This has led to examinations by some countries of the possibility of separating the minor actinides from waste products. The papers found in this report address the production of minor actinides in common thermal power reactors as well as approaches to measure these materials in various media. The first paper in this volume, open-quotes Production of Minor Actinides in the Commercial Fuel Cycle,close quotes uses calculations with the ORIGEN2 reactor and decay code to estimate the amounts of minor actinides in spent fuel and separated plutonium as a function of reactor irradiation and the time after discharge. The second paper, open-quotes Destructive Assay of Minor Actinides,close quotes describes a number of promising approaches for the chemical analysis of minor actinides in the various forms in which they are found at reprocessing plants. The next paper, open-quotes Hybrid KED/XRF Measurement of Minor Actinides in Reprocessing Plants,close quotes uses the results of a simulation model to examine the possible applications of the hybrid KED/XRF instrument to the determination of minor actinides in some of the solutions found in reprocessing plants. In open-quotes Calorimetric Assay of Minor Actinides,close quotes the authors show some possible extensions of this powerful technique beyond the normal plutonium assays to include the minor actinides. Finally, the last paper in this volume, open-quotes Environment Measurements of Transuranic Nuclides,close quotes discusses what is known about the levels of the minor actinides in the environment and ways to analyze for these materials in environmental matrices

Endoscopic minor papilla balloon dilation for the treatment of symptomatic pancreas divisum.

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Yamamoto, Natsuyo; Isayama, Hiroyuki; Sasahira, Naoki; Tsujino, Takeshi; Nakai, Yousuke; Miyabayashi, Koji; Mizuno, Suguru; Kogure, Hirofumi; Sasaki, Takashi; Hirano, Kenji; Tada, Minoru; Koike, Kazuhiko

2014-08-01

A subpopulation of patients with pancreas divisum experience symptomatic events such as recurrent acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. Minor papilla sphincterotomy has been reported as being an effective treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic balloon dilation for the minor papilla. Between 2000 and 2012, 16 patients were retrospectively included in this study. After endoscopic balloon dilation for the minor papilla was received, a pancreatic stent or a nasal pancreatic drainage catheter was placed for 1 week. If a stricture or obstruction was evident, it was treated with balloon dilation followed by long-term stent placement (1 year). When an outflow of pancreatic juice was disturbed by a pancreatic stone, endoscopic stone extraction was performed. Balloon dilation and stent placement were achieved and were successful in all the cases (16/16; 100%). Clinical improvement was achieved in 7 (84.7%) of the 9 patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis and in 6 (85.7%) of the 7 patients with chronic pancreatitis. Early complications were observed in 1 (6.3%) patient. Pancreatitis or bleeding related to balloon dilation was not observed. Endoscopic balloon dilation for the minor papilla is feasible for the management of symptomatic pancreas divisum.

Exploring Discrimination and Mental Health Disparities Faced By Black Sexual Minority Women Using a Minority Stress Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Calabrese, Sarah K.; Meyer, Ilan H.; Overstreet, Nicole M.; Haile, Rahwa; Hansen, Nathan B.

2015-01-01

Black sexual minority women are triply marginalized due to their race, gender, and sexual orientation. We compared three dimensions of discrimination—frequency (regularity of occurrences), scope (number of types of discriminatory acts experienced), and number of bases (number of social statuses to which discrimination was attributed)—and self-reported mental health (depressive symptoms, psychological well-being, and social well-being) between 64 Black sexual minority women and each of two groups sharing two of three marginalized statuses: (a) 67 White sexual minority women and (b) 67 Black sexual minority men. Black sexual minority women reported greater discrimination frequency, scope, and number of bases and poorer psychological and social well-being than White sexual minority women and more discrimination bases, a higher level of depressive symptoms, and poorer social well-being than Black sexual minority men. We then tested and contrasted dimensions of discrimination as mediators between social status (race or gender) and mental health outcomes. Discrimination frequency and scope mediated the association between race and mental health, with a stronger effect via frequency among sexual minority women. Number of discrimination bases mediated the association between gender and mental health among Black sexual minorities. Future research and clinical practice would benefit from considering Black sexual minority women's mental health in a multidimensional minority stress context. PMID:26424904

A Framework for Studying Minority Youths' Transitions to Fatherhood: The Case of Puerto Rican Adolescents

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Erkut, Sumru; Szalacha, Laura A.; Coll, Cynthia Garcia

2005-01-01

A theoretical framework is proposed for studying minority young men's involvement with their babies that combines the integrative model of minority youth development and a life course developmental perspective with Lamb's revised four-factor model of father involvement. This framework posits a relationship between demographic and family background…

The Economics of Minorities

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Coles, Flournoy A., Jr.

1973-01-01

This article discusses some of the more important economic problems of minorities in the United States, identifying the economics of minorities with the economics of poverty, discrimination, exploitation, urban life, and alienation. (JM)

Original article Criminal thinking styles of minors. Social and personality correlates

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Magdalena Rode

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Background This paper presents an attempt to determine the predictors of criminal thinking styles of minors, based on the theory of Glenn Walters. The construct which is the subject of this study, that is, criminal thinking, is treated as a factor that initiates and supports anti-social behaviour. It manifests itself in eight thinking styles (patterns: mollification, cut-off, entitlement, sentimentality, power orientation, cognitive indolence, discontinuity, and superoptimism. Participants and procedure The study involved 114 people: 65 boys and 49 girls. The research group consisted of minors – boys and girls who were referred, by order of the court, to Diagnostic and Consultation Family Centres to receive a psychological opinion, the purpose of which was to determine the degree of demoralisation of the minor. The study was also attended by the guardians of minors. A criterion for including a minor in this study was committing an offence. Results For each criminal thinking style, a forward stepwise regression analysis was conducted. Variables describing minors and mothers were included in the regression model. The aim of this approach is to identify the configuration of predictors of criminal thinking styles. In each of the models the coefficient of determination, R2, and  coefficients were calculated. Conclusions The predictors of criminal thinking styles identified by the regression analysis show the complexity and heterogeneity of factors contributing to the emergence of these cognitive distortions. Predictors include both properties conditioning the psychosocial functioning of mothers and factors determining the personality of a minor (sense of control, low empathy, low self-esteem. There is a noticeable influence of factors attributable to the mothers – variables derived from the environment (demanding, rejecting, inconsistent attitude.

"There She Is": Hispanic Identity, Academic Success, and Class Mobility in a Collegiate Beauty Pageant

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Smith, Taylor Renee

2018-01-01

Widely accepted definitions of academic success are neither adequate nor meaningful for many ethnic minority students. Using ethnographic research with high-achieving Latina college students in Oklahoma, student experiences in a collegiate Hispanic beauty pageant were analyzed. These successful Latina students negotiated academic achievement…

[Succession caused by beaver (Castor fiber L.) life activity: II. A refined Markov model].

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Logofet; Evstigneev, O I; Aleinikov, A A; Morozova, A O

2015-01-01

The refined Markov model of cyclic zoogenic successions caused by beaver (Castor fiber L.) life activity represents a discrete chain of the following six states: flooded forest, swamped forest, pond, grassy swamp, shrubby swamp, and wet forest, which correspond to certain stages of succession. Those stages are defined, and a conceptual scheme of probable transitions between them for one time step is constructed from the knowledge of beaver behaviour in small river floodplains of "Bryanskii Les" Reserve. We calibrated the corresponding matrix of transition probabilities according to the optimization principle: minimizing differences between the model outcome and reality; the model generates a distribution of relative areas corresponding to the stages of succession, that has to be compared to those gained from case studies in the Reserve during 2002-2006. The time step is chosen to equal 2 years, and the first-step data in the sum of differences are given various weights, w (between 0 and 1). The value of w = 0.2 is selected due to its optimality and for some additional reasons. By the formulae of finite homogeneous Markov chain theory, we obtained the main results of the calibrated model, namely, a steady-state distribution of stage areas, indexes of cyclicity, and the mean durations (M(j)) of succession stages. The results of calibration give an objective quantitative nature to the expert knowledge of the course of succession and get a proper interpretation. The 2010 data, which are not involved in the calibration procedure, enabled assessing the quality of prediction by the homogeneous model in short-term (from the 2006 situation): the error of model area distribution relative to the distribution observed in 2010 falls into the range of 9-17%, the best prognosis being given by the least optimal matrices (rejected values of w). This indicates a formally heterogeneous nature of succession processes in time. Thus, the refined version of the homogeneous Markov chain

Information system success model for customer relationship management system in health promotion centers.

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Choi, Wona; Rho, Mi Jung; Park, Jiyun; Kim, Kwang-Jum; Kwon, Young Dae; Choi, In Young

2013-06-01

Intensified competitiveness in the healthcare industry has increased the number of healthcare centers and propelled the introduction of customer relationship management (CRM) systems to meet diverse customer demands. This study aimed to develop the information system success model of the CRM system by investigating previously proposed indicators within the model. THE EVALUATION AREAS OF THE CRM SYSTEM INCLUDES THREE AREAS: the system characteristics area (system quality, information quality, and service quality), the user area (perceived usefulness and user satisfaction), and the performance area (personal performance and organizational performance). Detailed evaluation criteria of the three areas were developed, and its validity was verified by a survey administered to CRM system users in 13 nationwide health promotion centers. The survey data were analyzed by the structural equation modeling method, and the results confirmed that the model is feasible. Information quality and service quality showed a statistically significant relationship with perceived usefulness and user satisfaction. Consequently, the perceived usefulness and user satisfaction had significant influence on individual performance as well as an indirect influence on organizational performance. This study extends the research area on information success from general information systems to CRM systems in health promotion centers applying a previous information success model. This lays a foundation for evaluating health promotion center systems and provides a useful guide for successful implementation of hospital CRM systems.

Information System Success Model for Customer Relationship Management System in Health Promotion Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Wona; Rho, Mi Jung; Park, Jiyun; Kim, Kwang-Jum; Kwon, Young Dae

2013-01-01

Objectives Intensified competitiveness in the healthcare industry has increased the number of healthcare centers and propelled the introduction of customer relationship management (CRM) systems to meet diverse customer demands. This study aimed to develop the information system success model of the CRM system by investigating previously proposed indicators within the model. Methods The evaluation areas of the CRM system includes three areas: the system characteristics area (system quality, information quality, and service quality), the user area (perceived usefulness and user satisfaction), and the performance area (personal performance and organizational performance). Detailed evaluation criteria of the three areas were developed, and its validity was verified by a survey administered to CRM system users in 13 nationwide health promotion centers. The survey data were analyzed by the structural equation modeling method, and the results confirmed that the model is feasible. Results Information quality and service quality showed a statistically significant relationship with perceived usefulness and user satisfaction. Consequently, the perceived usefulness and user satisfaction had significant influence on individual performance as well as an indirect influence on organizational performance. Conclusions This study extends the research area on information success from general information systems to CRM systems in health promotion centers applying a previous information success model. This lays a foundation for evaluating health promotion center systems and provides a useful guide for successful implementation of hospital CRM systems. PMID:23882416

Effectiveness of the Incredible Years Parenting Program for Families with Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and Ethnic Minority Backgrounds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leijten, P.; Raaijmakers, M.A.J.; Orobio de Castro, B.; van den Ban, E.; Matthys, W.

2017-01-01

Families with socioeconomically disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds are often hard to reach for the prevention and treatment of disruptive child behavior problems. We examined whether the Incredible Years parenting intervention can successfully reach and benefit families with socioeconomic

Preparing for success: Readiness models for rural telehealth

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Jennett P

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Readiness is an integral and preliminary step in the successful implementation of telehealth services into existing health systems within rural communities. Methods and Materials: This paper details and critiques published international peer-reviewed studies that have focused on assessing telehealth readiness for rural and remote health. Background specific to readiness and change theories is provided, followed by a critique of identified telehealth readiness models, including a commentary on their readiness assessment tools. Results: Four current readiness models resulted from the search process. The four models varied across settings, such as rural outpatient practices, hospice programs, rural communities, as well as government agencies, national associations, and organizations. All models provided frameworks for readiness tools. Two specifically provided a mechanism by which communities could be categorized by their level of telehealth readiness. Discussion: Common themes across models included: an appreciation of practice context, strong leadership, and a perceived need to improve practice. Broad dissemination of these telehealth readiness models and tools is necessary to promote awareness and assessment of readiness. This will significantly aid organizations to facilitate the implementation of telehealth.

Coalitions in the quantum Minority game: Classical cheats and quantum bullies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flitney, Adrian P.; Greentree, Andrew D.

2007-01-01

In a one-off Minority game, when a group of players agree to collaborate they gain an advantage over the remaining players. We consider the advantage obtained in a quantum Minority game by a coalition sharing an initially entangled state versus that obtained by a coalition that uses classical communication to arrive at an optimal group strategy. In a model of the quantum Minority game where the final measurement basis is randomized, quantum coalitions outperform classical ones when carried out by up to four players, but an unrestricted amount of classical communication is better for larger coalition sizes

Decisional Capacity among Minors with HIV: A Model for Balancing Autonomy Rights with the Need for Protection.

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Chenneville, Tiffany; Sibille, Kimberly; Bendell-Estroff, Debra

The purpose of this paper is threefold: (1) to describe the relevant ethical and legal issues associated with decisional capacity among minors and to discuss the importance of these concepts for children and adolescents living with HIV; (2) to provide a framework for assessing the decisional capacity of children and adolescents with HIV; and (3) to present a model for thinking about how to use this assessment data to guide action along the protection-autonomy continuum.

The Truth about Mentoring Minorities: Race Matters.

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Thomas, David A.

2001-01-01

A 3-year study of mentoring patterns at 3 corporations reveals that whites and minorities follow distinct patterns of advancement and should be mentored in very different ways. Cross-race mentoring must acknowledge issues of negative stereotypes, role modeling, peer resentment, skepticism about intimacy, and network management. (JOW)

Culturally Targeted Strategies for Diabetes Prevention in Minority Populations: A Systematic Review and Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Lagisetty, Pooja A.; Priyadarshini, Shubadra; Terrell, Stephanie; Hamati, Mary; Landgraf, Jessica; Chopra, Vineet; Heisler, Michele

2017-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study is to (a) assess the effectiveness of culturally tailored diabetes prevention interventions in minority populations and (b) develop a novel framework to characterize four key domains of culturally tailored interventions. Prevention strategies specifically tailored to the culture of ethnic minority patients may help reduce the incidence of diabetes. Methods We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL for English-language, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental (QE) trials testing culturally tailored interventions to prevent diabetes in minority populations. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Inductive thematic analysis was used to develop a framework with four domains (FiLLM: Facilitating [i.e., delivering] Interventions through Language, Location and Message). The framework was used to assess the overall effectiveness of culturally tailored interventions. Results Thirty-four trials met eligibility criteria. Twelve studies were randomized controlled trials, and 22 were quasi-experimental trials. Twenty-five out of 34 studies (74%) that used cultural tailoring demonstrated significantly improved Hemoglobin A1C, fasting glucose, and/or weight loss. Of the 25 successful interventions, 21 (84%) incorporated at least three culturally targeted domains. Seven studies used all four domains and were all successful. The least utilized domain was delivery (4/34) of the intervention’s key educational message. Conclusions Culturally tailoring interventions across the four domains of facilitators, language, location, and messaging can be effective in improving risk factors for progression to diabetes among ethnic minority groups. Future studies should evaluate how specific tailoring approaches work compared to usual care as well as comparative effectiveness of each tailoring domain. Registration (PROSPERO registration: CRD42015016914) PMID:28118127

Minor crashes and 'whiplash' in the United States.

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Bartsch, Adam J; Gilbertson, Lars G; Prakash, Vikas; Morr, Douglas R; Wiechel, John F

2008-10-01

In the United States there is currently a paucity of available real world minor rear crash data with struck vehicle delta-V, or speed change, less than or equal to 15 kilometers per hour. These data are essential as researchers attempt to define 'whiplash' injury risk potential in these minor crashes. This study analyzed a new set of 105 U.S. minor rear aligned crashes between passenger vehicles. Mean struck vehicle delta-V and acceleration were 6.3 km/h (s.d. = 2.1 km/h) and 1.4 g (s.d. = 0.5 g), respectively. A total of 113 struck vehicle occupants were diagnosed within five weeks post-crash with 761 ICD-9-CM complaints and 427 AIS injuries (99.5% AIS1) attributed to the crashes. No striking vehicle occupants reported complaints. The main ICD-9-CM diagnoses were 40.6% cervical, 22.5% lumbar/sacral and 10.2% thoracic and the main AIS1 diagnoses were 29.7% cervical, 23.2% lumbar/sacral and 14.3% thoracic. The diagnosis disparity was mainly due to coding for pre-existing degenerative diagnosis in ICD-9-CM. Degenerative spine conditions were not significant for increased AIS1 injury risk. Surprisingly, many non-'whiplash' diagnoses were found. The AIS injury diagnosis distribution and frequency in these minor delta-V crashes did not correspond with previous minor rear crash studies. A prospectively collected and unbiased minor rear crash databank in the model of CIREN or NASS is highly desirable to verify or refute these results for the U.S. population since the current study cohort may have been influenced by litigation.

Bisexual-Specific Minority Stressors, Psychological Distress, and Suicidality in Bisexual Individuals: the Mediating Role of Loneliness.

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Mereish, Ethan H; Katz-Wise, Sabra L; Woulfe, Julie

2017-08-01

Bisexual individuals are at higher risk for poor mental health outcomes compared to heterosexual as well as lesbian and gay individuals and experience minority stressors, such as discrimination, from both heterosexual and sexual minority communities. However, there is little research examining the negative effects of bisexual-specific minority stressors on bisexual individuals' mental health as well as psychological factors that might help explain minority stressors' deleterious effects. This research examined the effects of distal minority stressors (i.e., anti-bisexual experiences from both heterosexual as well as lesbian and gay people) and proximal stressors (i.e., internalized heterosexism and sexual orientation concealment) on psychological distress and suicidality among bisexual adults (N = 503). Building on the relational framing of the minority stress model, we also tested one relational factor (i.e., loneliness) as a mediator of the associations between distal and proximal minority stressors and poor mental health (i.e., psychological distress and suicidality). Structural equation modeling analyses were used to test the mediating effects of loneliness on the associations between minority stressors and psychological distress and suicidality. Although distal and proximal minority stressors were not associated with each other, loneliness mediated the effects of distal and proximal minority stressors on psychological distress and suicidality. The results of this study underscore the importance of targeting bisexual-specific minority stressors as well as loneliness in preventive interventions to improve the mental health of bisexual individuals.

Effects of cocoa butter triacylglycerides and minor compounds on oil migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hao; Maleky, Farnaz

2018-04-01

In a multi-component chocolate product, oil migration, from high oil content filling into chocolate, is one of the major contributors to the product quality loss. Among various parameters influencing oil diffusivity, cocoa butter is studied intensively. Studies have shown that the rate of oil transportion in cocoa butter is affected by its composition, the way that it is crystallized, and also the storage conditions. To model and study effects of cocoa butter type and processing conditions on oil migration, five different cocoa butter samples were studied in this work. Samples' chemical compositions in addition to their structural properties were analyzed to understand and compare oil migrations in the networks. Crystallized cocoa butter samples were placed in contact with a cream as a source of liquid oil. Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the movement of liquid oil into samples was investigated. The effects of minor differences in the cocoa butter chemical compositions on oil migrations rate are shown clearly. The highest effective diffusion coefficient was observed in the sample with the higher unsaturated fatty acids and phospholipids content. Although shearing at 250s -1 delayed oil migration in all the samples and a significantly lower diffusion coefficient was observed in the dynamic samples, the effects of chemical composition were still dominant. This study successfully highlighted that even minor differences in cocoa butter composition affect the network mass transfer phenomenon dramatically and that it is not easy to diminish these possessions by just crystallization processes. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Modeling Success: Using Preenrollment Data to Identify Academically At-Risk Students

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Gansemer-Topf, Ann M.; Compton, Jonathan; Wohlgemuth, Darin; Forbes, Greg; Ralston, Ekaterina

2015-01-01

Improving student success and degree completion is one of the core principles of strategic enrollment management. To address this principle, institutional data were used to develop a statistical model to identify academically at-risk students. The model employs multiple linear regression techniques to predict students at risk of earning below a…

The Importance of Minority Teachers: Student Perceptions of Minority versus White Teachers

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Cherng, Hua-Yu Sebastian; Halpin, Peter F.

2016-01-01

The demographic divide between teachers and students is of growing public concern. However, few studies have explicitly addressed the common argument that students, and particularly minority students, have more favorable perceptions of minority versus White teachers. Using data from the Measure of Effective Teaching study, we find that students…

Siblings as Mediators of Literacy in Linguistic Minority Communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, Eve

1998-01-01

Argues for need to move beyond model of "parental" involvement in reading, which presently informs home/school reading programmes for linguistic-minority children in UK. First examines literature informing current model showing marked absence of studies on role played by siblings as mediators of literacy in new linguistic and cultural…

Model for assessing the success of SMEs in the internacionali­zation process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lea Kubíčková

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with evaluating the success of small and medium-sized companies in in­ter­na­tio­na­li­za­tion process. The process of internationalization is defined in the literature in a many ways; there is a countless variety of different approaches and models of internationalization process of firms. Like all processes in the firm also the internationalization process is accompanied by risks. For risk management it is important to know what the key factors of success are in the international arena. In this article is presented a simple evaluation model that could be used by SMEs to determine not only how strong are they compared to competitors, but also at what level are their key success factors in the process of internationalization. The aim was to find a simple method to help small and medium enterprises to assess their situation in the field of internationalization and to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses in this area. Proposed simple evaluation model has the graphic output from which it can be seen in which areas the company is doing well in internationalization process and in what areas is doing badly – then there is room for further improvement. Creating the model it was essential to divide the various factors into several groups and further evaluation to determine the range by which SMEs can quantify the level of success in internationalization process. Before the model was constructed it was necessary to collect data among small and mid-sized firms, and to process the outputs of the survey. After confirmation or to rejection of the certain hypotheses key success factors of SMEs in the internationalization process were selected and these factors were then aggregated into 4 groups. The model was then applied to data obtained from a survey of 40 SMEs and in the paper there are presented specific examples of graphical output of the model for the best and worst rated company. Authors are aware that the model is

An internally validated prognostic model for success in revision stapes surgery for otosclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wegner, Inge; Vincent, Robert; Derks, Laura S M; Rauh, Simone P; Heymans, Martijn W; Stegeman, Inge; Grolman, Wilko

2018-03-09

To develop a prediction model that can accurately predict the chance of success following revision stapes surgery in patients with recurrent or persistent otosclerosis at 2- to 6-months follow-up and to validate this model internally. A retrospective cohort study of prospectively gathered data in a tertiary referral center. The associations of 11 prognostic factors with treatment success were tested in 705 cases using multivariable logistic regression analysis with backward selection. Success was defined as a mean air-bone gap closure to 10 dB or less. The most relevant predictors were used to derive a clinical prediction rule to determine the probability of success. Internal validation by means of bootstrapping was performed. Model performance indices, including the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC), and the explained variance were calculated. Success was achieved in 57.7% of cases at 2- to 6-months follow-up. Certain previous surgical techniques, primary causes of failure leading up to revision stapes surgery, and positions of the prosthesis placed during revision surgery were associated with higher success percentages. The clinical prediction rule performed moderately well in the original dataset (Hosmer-Lemeshow P = .78; AUC = 0.73; explained variance = 22%), which slightly decreased following internal validation by means of bootstrapping (AUC = 0.69; explained variance = 13%). Our study established the importance of previous surgical technique, primary cause of failure, and type of the prosthesis placed during the revision surgery in predicting the probability of success following stapes surgery at 2- to 6-months follow-up. 2b. Laryngoscope, 2018. © 2018 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

The BCLA Minor: Business, Communication, and Liberal Arts Minor at Towson University

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Mahin, Linda

2008-01-01

In this article, the author describes a cross-disciplinary minor that combines elements of business, communication, and the liberal arts. The BCLA Minor enhances employment opportunities and cultural awareness for students with majors in the Colleges of Business and Economics, Fine Arts and Communication, and Liberal Arts by integrating the…

The California-Arizona Minority Partnership for Astronomy Research and Education (CAMPARE): A New Model for Promoting Minority Participation in Astronomy Research and Education

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Rudolph, Alexander L.; Impey, C. D.; Bieging, J. H.; Phillips, C. B.; Tieu, J.; Prather, E. E.; Povich, M. S.

2013-01-01

The California-Arizona Minority Partnership for Astronomy Research and Education (CAMPARE) program represents a new and innovative kind of research program for undergraduates: one that can effectively carry out the goal of recruiting qualified minority and female students to participate in Astronomy and Planetary Science research opportunities, while mentoring them in a way to maximize the chance that these students will persist in obtaining their undergraduate degrees in STEM fields, and potentially go on to obtain their PhDs or pursue careers in those fields. The members of CAMPARE comprise a network of comprehensive universities and community colleges in Southern California and Arizona (most of which are minority serving institutions), and four major research institutions (University of Arizona Steward Observatory, the SETI Institute, and JPL/Caltech). Most undergraduate research programs focus on a single research institution. By having multiple institutions, we significantly broaden the opportunities for students, both in terms of breadth of research topics and geographical location. In its first three years, the CAMPARE program has had 20 undergraduates from two CSU campuses, both Hispanic Serving Institutions, take part in research and educational activities at four research institutions, the University of Arizona Steward Observatory, the SETI Institute, and JPL/Caltech. Of the 20 participants, 9 are women and 11 are men, a much more even split than is typical in Astronomy research programs; 10 are Hispanic, 2 are African American, and 1 is part Native American, including 2 female Hispanic and 2 female African-American participants, an exceptionally high participation rate (65%) for students from underrepresented minority groups. Of the five participants who have graduated since the program began, two are in graduate programs in Physics or Astronomy, two are pursuing a K-12 teaching credential, and one has enlisted in the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate

A Partial Test and Development of Delone and Mclean's Model of IS Success

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Seddon

1996-11-01

Full Text Available DeLone and McLean's (1992 comprehensive review of different information system success measures concludes with a model of interrelationships between six IS Success constructs. This paper critically examines the meaning of four of these constructs and the evidence of relationships between them. It then provides results from empirical tests of these relationships. Tests are conducted using both conventional ordinary least squares regression path analysis and structural equation modeling - with substantially similar results. The empirical results provide substantial support for the "up stream" two thirds of DeLone and McLean's model. Three factors. System Quality, Information Quality, and Usefulness, are found to explain 75% of the variance in the overall User Satisfaction measure. The empirical results also provide substantial support for the use of usefulness as an IS success measure, and of the hitherto-unreported importance of "Importance of the task" in user perceptions of IS usefulness.

Model of Islamic Social Entrepreneurship: A Study on Successful Muslim Social Entrepreneur in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boulven Mohd Adib

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Since research effort in the area is minimal, there is a clear need to examine the practice of Islamic social entrepreneurship among successful Muslim social entrepreneurs in Malaysia. One such practice is to organize charitable activities to benefit the community through the gains made from entrepreneurial activities that are based on social mission and vision. The research problem is lacking of model on Islamic social entrepreneurship. The main objective of this paper is to develop a Model of Islamic Social Entrepreneurship based on successful Muslim social entrepreneur in Malaysia. The research method used in this study is literature review, content analysis, and interview with 14 participants constituting nine successful Muslim social entrepreneurs and five experts with religious academic backgrounds participated in the study. The research finding shows that model of Islamic social entrepreneurship is the major contribution of the study which could serve as guidelines for successful Muslim social entrepreneurs, particularly young entrepreneurs.

Critical Factors Analysis for Offshore Software Development Success by Structural Equation Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Yoshihisa; Tsuji, Hiroshi

In order to analyze the success/failure factors in offshore software development service by the structural equation modeling, this paper proposes to follow two approaches together; domain knowledge based heuristic analysis and factor analysis based rational analysis. The former works for generating and verifying of hypothesis to find factors and causalities. The latter works for verifying factors introduced by theory to build the model without heuristics. Following the proposed combined approaches for the responses from skilled project managers of the questionnaire, this paper found that the vendor property has high causality for the success compared to software property and project property.

STEM Success: Perceptions of Women of Color at Community Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, Nina Maria

2017-01-01

Women of color, particularly African-Americans and Hispanics, have a science, and engineering degree attainment rate of 11% whereas White women have a rate of 29%. Research has demonstrated that these underrepresented minorities experience various racial/ethnic and gender issues that impact their academic success in science, technology,…

Institutional Investors as Minority Shareholders

OpenAIRE

Assaf Hamdani; Yishay Yafeh

2013-01-01

We examine the link between minority shareholders' rights and corporate governance by studying institutional investors' voting patterns in a concentrated ownership environment. Institutions rarely vote against insider-sponsored proposals even when the law empowers the minority. Institutions vote against compensation-related proposals more often than against related party transactions even when minority shareholders cannot influence outcomes. Potentially conflicted institutions are more likely...

Self-Esteem Comparisons among Intellectually Gifted Minority/Non-Minority Junior High Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Legin-Bucell, Cynthia; And Others

Differences in self-esteem between 48 minority and 62 non-minority intellectually gifted and 75 intellectually average junior-high students were assessed using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Results indicated a higher level of self-esteem for the gifted students than for the control group. Significant differences were also found to exist…

Minority stressors, rumination, and psychological distress in monozygotic twins discordant for sexual minority status.

Science.gov (United States)

Timmins, Liam; Rimes, Katharine A; Rahman, Qazi

2017-11-07

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals report higher levels of depression and anxiety than heterosexual people. Genetic factors may be a 'common cause' of sexual minority status and psychological distress. Alternatively, these may be correlated because of non-genetic environmental factors (e.g. minority stressors). This study investigated minority stressors and distress in monozygotic twins discordant for sexual minority status. This design provides a test of the role of non-shared environmental factors while minimizing differences due to genetics. Thirty-eight twin pairs in which one was heterosexual and the other was LGB completed a survey. Differences between twin pairs in minority stressors, rumination, psychological distress, and gender non-conformity were examined. Associations between these variables were also tested. Although there were no significant group differences for distress, LGB twins had higher rumination, a vulnerability factor for distress, than heterosexual co-twins. LGB twins also had higher scores than heterosexual co-twins on expectations of rejection, active concealment, self-stigma, prejudice events, childhood gender non-conformity, and lower scores on sexual orientation disclosure. Differences between twin pairs in rumination were positively associated with differences in acceptance concerns and self-stigma. Finally, self-stigma was positively associated with rumination in the full sample of heterosexual co-twins and microaggressions were positively associated with rumination when looking at exclusively heterosexual co-twins. These results support environmental factors as a causal explanation for disparities in rumination between LGB and heterosexual individuals. These factors likely include minority stressors. Rumination may also be associated with minority stressors in heterosexual MZ co-twins of LGB individuals.

Explaining ethnic polarization over attitudes towards minority rights in Eastern Europe : a multilevel analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Evans, Geoffrey; Need, Ariana

2002-01-01

This paper examines divisions between majority and minority ethnic groups over attitudes towards minority rights in 13 East European societies. Using national sample surveys and multilevel models, we test the effectiveness of competing explanations of ethnic polarization in attitudes towards

Radial diffusion of a minority species in a tokamak due to ICRH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vacca, L.

1993-01-01

The author studies the transport of a minority species in a scenario where minority ions in a tokamak are heated by fast Alfven waves having a resonance layer in a tokamak. He does not assume the minority distribution function to be a Maxwellian at leading order, as transport theory generally assumes, but adopts a more realistic model where the strong anisotropy of the distribution function is accounted for. This anisotropy has been observed in experiments and is predicted by numerical calculations based on Fokker-Planck equation with quasilinear diffusion. By adopting a different ordering from that used in previous work on transport due to waves and taking moments of the kinetic equation which includes the rf driving term, he calculates the fluxes of the resonant minority species accounting for collisions of minority with bulk electrons and ion species. Finally he makes comparison of fluxes of rf-heated minority with standard neoclassical predictions (no rf source present) showing the enhancement in transport introduced by the presence of both a strongly anisotropic distribution function and an rf source

Heavy Vehicles on Minor Highway Bridges

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkegaard, Poul Henning; Nielsen, Søren R. K.; Enevoldsen, I.

of heavier trucks moving at larger speeds, and partly because the authorities want to permit transportation of special heavy goods at a larger part of the road net. These needs will in many cases cause the strengthening of the bridges becomes necessary. In order to keep the expenses of such strengthening...... the results obtained using the numerical models given in details in "Heavy Vehicles on Minor Highway Bridges : dynamic modelling of vehicles and bridges". The models are established using a ordinary vehicle which consists of a 48 t Scania with a 3 axle tractor and a 3 axle trailer, joined in a flexible hinge...

A Postsecondary Transition Model for Low-Income, Minority Youth in Philadelphia

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Alexis Tolbert

2016-01-01

School administrators are in the best position, but often lack the knowledge, to help low-income, minority youth transition to college. Consequently, some youth are not meeting their full potential and there are long-term, deleterious consequences on local economies as wage earning potential stagnates. Using Aslanargun's, Farmer-Hinton's, and…

Developing entrepreneurial competencies for successful business model canvas

Science.gov (United States)

Sundah, D. I. E.; Langi, C.; Maramis, D. R. S.; Tawalujan, L. dan

2018-01-01

We explore the competencies of entrepreneurship that contribute to business model canvas. This research conducted at smoked fish industries in Province of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. This research used a mixed method which integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches in a sequential design. The technique of snowball sampling and questionnaire has been used in collecting data from 44 entrepreneurs. Structural equation modeling with SmartPLS application program has been used in analyzing this data to determine the effect of entrepreneurial competencies on business model canvas. We also investigate 3 entrepreneurs who conducted smoked fish business and analyzed their business by using business model canvas. Focus Group Discussion is used in collecting data from 2 groups of entrepreneurs from 2 different locations. The empirical results show that entrepreneurial competencies which consists of managerial competencies, technical competencies, marketing competencies, financial competencies, human relations competencies, and the specific working attitude of entrepreneur has a positive and significantly effect on business model canvas. Additionally, the empirical cases and discussion with 2 groups of entrepreneurs support the quantitative result and it found that human relations competencies have greater influence in achieving successful business model canvas.

Determination of minor actinides fission cross sections by means of transfer reactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jurado, B.; Aiche, M.; Barreau, G.; Boyer, S.; Czajkowski, S.; Dassie, D.; Grosjean, C.; Guiral, A.; Haas, B.; Osmanov, B.; Petit, M. [CENBG - UMR 5795 CNRS/IN2P3-Univ. Bordeaux 1- Le Haut Vigneau, 33175 Gradignan (France); Berthoumieux, E.; Gunsing, F.; Perrot, L.; Theisen, Ch. [CEN Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA/SPhN, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex (France); Bauge, E. [CEA, SPhN, BP12 91680 Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France); Michel-Sendis, F. [IPN, 15 rue G. Clemenceau, 91406 Orsay cedex (France); Billebaud, A. [LPSC, 53 Avenue des Martyrs, 38026 Grenoble cedex (France); Wilson, J. N. [IPN, 15 rue G. Clemenceau, 91406 Orsay cedex (France); LPSC, 53 Avenue des Martyrs, 38026 Grenoble cedex (France); Ahmad, I.; Greene, J.P.; Janssens, R. V. F. [ANL, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States)

2005-07-01

We present an original method that allows to determine neutron-induced cross sections of very short-lived minor actinides. This indirect method, based on the use of transfer reactions, has already been applied with success for the determination of the neutron-induced fission and capture cross section of {sup 233}Pa, a key nucleus in the {sup 232}Th - {sup 233}U fuel cycle. A recent experiment using this technique has been performed to determine the neutron-induced fission cross sections of {sup 242,243,244}Cm and {sup 241}Am which are present in the nuclear waste of the current U-Pu fuel cycle. These cross sections are highly relevant for the design of reactors capable to incinerate minor actinides. The first results will be illustrated. (authors)

Sexual minorities, human rights and public health strategies in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Epprecht, Marc

2012-01-01

Remarkable progress has been made towards the recognition of sexual minority rights in Africa. At the same time, a marked increase in attacks, rhetorical abuse, and restrictive legislation against sexual minorities or ‘homosexuality’ makes activism for sexual rights a risky endeavour in many African countries. Campaigns for sexual rights and ‘coming out’ are frequently perceived as a form of Western cultural imperialism, leading to an exportation of Western gay identities and provoking a patriotic defensiveness. Cultures of quiet acceptance of same-sex relationships or secretive bisexuality are meanwhile also problematic given the high rate of HIV prevalence on much of the continent. This article examines specific initiatives that are using subtle, somewhat covert means to negotiate a path between rights activism and secretive bisexuality. It argues that strategies primarily focused on health concerns that simultaneously yet discreetly promote sexual rights are having some success in challenging prevalent homophobic or ‘silencing’ cultures and discourses.

The CAMPARE Program:A New Model Promoting Minority Participation in Astronomy Research and Education

Science.gov (United States)

Rudolph, Alexander L.; Impey, C. D.; Bieging, J. H.; Phillips, C. B.; Tieu, J.; Povich, M. S.

2014-01-01

The California-Arizona Minority Partnership for Astronomy Research and Education (CAMPARE) program represents a new and innovative kind of research program for undergraduates: one that can effectively carry out the goal of recruiting qualified minority and female students to participate in Astronomy and Planetary Science research opportunities, while mentoring them in a way to maximize the chance that these students will persist in obtaining their undergraduate degrees in STEM fields, and potentially go on to obtain their PhDs or pursue careers in those fields. The members of CAMPARE comprise a network of comprehensive universities and community colleges in Southern California and Arizona (most of which are minority serving institutions), and four major research institutions (University of Arizona Steward Observatory, the SETI Institute, and JPL/Caltech). Most undergraduate research programs focus on a single research institution. By having multiple institutions, we significantly broaden the opportunities for students, both in terms of breadth of research topics and geographical location.

Study of market model describing the contrary behaviors of informed and uninformed agents: Being minority and being majority

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yu-Xia; Liao, Hao; Medo, Matus; Shang, Ming-Sheng; Yeung, Chi Ho

2016-05-01

In this paper we analyze the contrary behaviors of the informed investors and uniformed investors, and then construct a competition model with two groups of agents, namely agents who intend to stay in minority and those who intend to stay in majority. We find two kinds of competitions, inter- and intra-groups. The model shows periodic fluctuation feature. The average distribution of strategies illustrates a prominent central peak which is relevant to the peak-fat-tail character of price change distribution in stock markets. Furthermore, in the modified model the tolerance time parameter makes the agents diversified. Finally, we compare the strategies distribution with the price change distribution in real stock market, and we conclude that contrary behavior rules and tolerance time parameter are indeed valid in the description of market model.

Outcomes of a questionnaire survey on intracranial hypotension following minor head injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dohi, Kenji; Aruga, Tohru; Abe, Toshiaki; Ogawa, Takeki; Onuma, Takehide; Katayama, Yoichi; Sakaki, Toshisuke; Shima, Katsuji; Hirakawa, Kimiyoshi

2007-01-01

Intracranial hypotension (IH) is a rare condition caused by leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Recently, a small number of clinicians have proposed a new concept about IH following minor head injury. They suggest that many of their patients with IH can be successfully treated with epidural blood patch therapy. They also argue that some patients with post-traumatic cervical syndrome and general fatigue syndrome suffer from IH following minor head injury. Consequently, IH following minor head injury was widely recognized and dealt with as a social problem in Japan. On the other hand, pathophysiological aspects of the condition as well as the provisional criteria to describe this clinical entity remain to be elucidated. In 2006, the Japan Society of Neurotraumatology performed a questionnaire survey asking 44 hospitals belonging to trustees of this society about IH following minor head injury. This paper provides a report of the outcomes of this survey. The response rate to this questionnaire was 57% (25/44). Fifty-six percent of respondents did not have experience of IH following minor head injury. Moreover, respondents' criteria for describing this disease differed greatly, especially in the radiological examinations and symptoms for the diagnosis of this entity which showed significant variation. These problems might originate from the general features of this disease. With the exception of postural headache, the symptoms of this disease varied enormously. This wide range of symptoms confused with the pathophysiolosies of a great many similar conditions. As such, clarifications of the pathophysiological characteristics of IH following minor head injury, together with consensus on specific criteria to describe the condition, are required. In conclusion, the results of this survey revealed many serious scientific and social problems associated with the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial hypotension following minor head injury. Scientific study including the

Minority students benefit from mentoring programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Cullen, D L; Rodak, B; Fitzgerald, N; Baker, S

1993-01-01

Mentoring has been proposed as one strategy to attract minority students to the radiologic sciences profession. This case study describes a minority mentoring program conducted for pre-radiologic science students at a Midwestern university during the 1991-92 academic year. Ten minority radiologic science students enrolled in the mentoring program. The study showed that mentoring may be a viable option to serve the special needs of minorities for recruitment and retention.

Investigation of Amino Acids As Herbicides for Control of Orobanche minor Parasitism in Red Clover.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Aparicio, Mónica; Bernard, Alexandre; Falchetto, Laurent; Marget, Pascal; Chauvel, Bruno; Steinberg, Christian; Morris, Cindy E; Gibot-Leclerc, Stephanie; Boari, Angela; Vurro, Maurizio; Bohan, David A; Sands, David C; Reboud, Xavier

2017-01-01

Certain amino acids induce inhibitory effects in plant growth due to feedback inhibition of metabolic pathways. The inhibition patterns depend on plant species and the plant developmental stage. Those amino acids with inhibitory action on specific weeds could be utilized as herbicides, however, their use for weed control has not been put into practice. Orobanche minor is a weed that parasitizes red clover. O. minor germination is stimulated by clover root exudates. The subsequent seedling is an obligated parasite that must attach quickly to the clover root to withdraw its nutrients. Early development of O. minor is vulnerable to amino acid inhibition and therefore, a series of in vitro , rhizotron, and field experiments were conducted to investigate the potential of amino acids to inhibit O. minor parasitism. In in vitro experiments it was found that among a collection of 20 protein amino acids, lysine, methionine and tryptophan strongly interfere with O. minor early development. Field research confirmed their inhibitory effect but revealed that methionine was more effective than lysine and tryptophan, and that two successive methionine applications at 308 and 543 growing degree days inhibited O. minor emergence in red clover up to 67%. We investigated additional effects with potential to influence the practical use of amino acids against broomrape weeds, whether the herbicidal effect may be reversible by other amino acids exuded by host plants or may be amplified by inducing host resistance barriers against O. minor penetration. This paper suggests that amino acids may have the potential to be integrated into biorational programs of broomrape management.

Investigation of Amino Acids As Herbicides for Control of Orobanche minor Parasitism in Red Clover

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mónica Fernández-Aparicio

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Certain amino acids induce inhibitory effects in plant growth due to feedback inhibition of metabolic pathways. The inhibition patterns depend on plant species and the plant developmental stage. Those amino acids with inhibitory action on specific weeds could be utilized as herbicides, however, their use for weed control has not been put into practice. Orobanche minor is a weed that parasitizes red clover. O. minor germination is stimulated by clover root exudates. The subsequent seedling is an obligated parasite that must attach quickly to the clover root to withdraw its nutrients. Early development of O. minor is vulnerable to amino acid inhibition and therefore, a series of in vitro, rhizotron, and field experiments were conducted to investigate the potential of amino acids to inhibit O. minor parasitism. In in vitro experiments it was found that among a collection of 20 protein amino acids, lysine, methionine and tryptophan strongly interfere with O. minor early development. Field research confirmed their inhibitory effect but revealed that methionine was more effective than lysine and tryptophan, and that two successive methionine applications at 308 and 543 growing degree days inhibited O. minor emergence in red clover up to 67%. We investigated additional effects with potential to influence the practical use of amino acids against broomrape weeds, whether the herbicidal effect may be reversible by other amino acids exuded by host plants or may be amplified by inducing host resistance barriers against O. minor penetration. This paper suggests that amino acids may have the potential to be integrated into biorational programs of broomrape management.

The Achieving Success Everyday Group Counseling Model: Implications for Professional School Counselors

Science.gov (United States)

Steen, Sam; Henfield, Malik S.; Booker, Beverly

2014-01-01

This article presents the Achieving Success Everyday (ASE) group counseling model, which is designed to help school counselors integrate students' academic and personal-social development into their group work. We first describe this group model in detail and then offer one case example of a middle school counselor using the ASE model to conduct a…

Bullying and Cyberbullying in Minorities: Are They More Vulnerable than the Majority Group?

Science.gov (United States)

Llorent, Vicente J; Ortega-Ruiz, Rosario; Zych, Izabela

2016-01-01

Inclusion in education of all the children is necessary for the success, equality and peace among individuals and societies. In this context, special attention needs to be paid to the minorities. These groups might encounter additional difficulties which make them more vulnerable to be involved in bullying and cyberbullying. The current study was conducted with the objective of describing the involvement in bullying and cyberbullying of students from the majority group and also from sexual and ethnic-cultural minorities. The second objective was to explore if the implication is predicted by the interaction with gender, grade and the size of the population where the schools are located. It is an ex post facto transversal descriptive study with a survey on a representative sample of adolescents enrolled in the Compulsory Secondary Education in the south of Spain (Andalusia). The survey was answered by 2139 adolescents (50.9% girls) in 22 schools. These participants were selected through the random multistage cluster sampling with the confidence level of 95% and a sampling error of 2.1%. The results show that the minority groups, especially sexual minorities, are more involved in bullying and cyberbullying. Regression analyses show that being in the majority or a minority group predicts a small but significant percentage of variance of being involved in bullying and cyberbullying. Results are discussed taking into account the social vulnerability of being a part of a minority group and the need of designing educational programs which would prevent this vulnerability thorough the inclusion in education. There is a need for an educational policy that focuses on convivencia and ciberconvivencia which would promote the social and educational development of all the students.

Bullying and Cyberbullying in Minorities: Are They More Vulnerable than the Majority Group?

Science.gov (United States)

Llorent, Vicente J.; Ortega-Ruiz, Rosario; Zych, Izabela

2016-01-01

Inclusion in education of all the children is necessary for the success, equality and peace among individuals and societies. In this context, special attention needs to be paid to the minorities. These groups might encounter additional difficulties which make them more vulnerable to be involved in bullying and cyberbullying. The current study was conducted with the objective of describing the involvement in bullying and cyberbullying of students from the majority group and also from sexual and ethnic-cultural minorities. The second objective was to explore if the implication is predicted by the interaction with gender, grade and the size of the population where the schools are located. It is an ex post facto transversal descriptive study with a survey on a representative sample of adolescents enrolled in the Compulsory Secondary Education in the south of Spain (Andalusia). The survey was answered by 2139 adolescents (50.9% girls) in 22 schools. These participants were selected through the random multistage cluster sampling with the confidence level of 95% and a sampling error of 2.1%. The results show that the minority groups, especially sexual minorities, are more involved in bullying and cyberbullying. Regression analyses show that being in the majority or a minority group predicts a small but significant percentage of variance of being involved in bullying and cyberbullying. Results are discussed taking into account the social vulnerability of being a part of a minority group and the need of designing educational programs which would prevent this vulnerability thorough the inclusion in education. There is a need for an educational policy that focuses on convivencia and ciberconvivencia which would promote the social and educational development of all the students. PMID:27803677

The Integration of Minorities into Special Operations: How Cultural Diversity Enhances Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-01

Darlene Marie Iskra. Breaking through the Brass Ceiling : Elite Military Women’s Strategies for Success ProQuest, 2007. Ethnic Majority. The Glass ...United States dates back to the American Revolution. Native Americans, African American slaves, immigrants and women made up a diverse group that...The 1 commission focused almost solely on a statistical comparison of service by white males and minorities, which included women , as opposed to

The effects of perceived phenotypic racial stereotypicality and social identity threat on racial minorities' attitudes about police.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn, Kimberly Barsamian; Lee, J Katherine; Renauer, Brian; Henning, Kris R; Stewart, Greg

2017-01-01

This study examines the role of perceived phenotypic racial stereotypicality and race-based social identity threat on racial minorities' trust and cooperation with police. We hypothesize that in police interactions, racial minorities' phenotypic racial stereotypicality may increase race-based social identity threat, which will lead to distrust and decreased participation with police. Racial minorities (Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, and multi-racials) and Whites from a representative random sample of city residents were surveyed about policing attitudes. A serial multiple mediation model confirmed that racial minorities' self-rated phenotypic racial stereotypicality indirectly affected future cooperation through social identity threat and trust. Due to the lack of negative group stereotypes in policing, the model did not hold for Whites. This study provides evidence that phenotypic stereotypicality influences racial minorities' psychological experiences interacting with police.

SEBACEOUS CYSTS MINOR SURGERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Gusti Ayu Agung Laksemi

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Minor surgery is small surgery or localized example cut ulcers and boils, cyst excision, and suturing. Somethings that need to be considered in the preparation of the surgery is minor tools, operating rooms and operating tables, lighting, maintenance of tools and equipment, sterilization and desinfection equipment, preparation of patients and anesthesia. In general cysts is walled chamber that consist of fluid, cells and the remaining cells. Cysts are formed not due to inflammation although then be inflamed. Lining of the cysts wall is composed of fibrous tissue and usually coated epithelial cells or endothelial. Cysts formed by dilated glands and closed channels, glands, blood vessels, lymph channels or layers of the epidermis. Contents of the cysts wall consists of the results is serum, lymph, sweat sebum, epithelial cells, the stratum corneum, and hair. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

Comparison calculations for an accelerator-driven minor actinide burner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

International interest in accelerator-driven systems (ADS) has recently been increasing in view of the important role that these systems may play as efficient minor actinide and long-lived fission-product (LLFP) burners and/or energy producers with an enhanced safety potential. However, the current methods of analysis and nuclear data for minor actinide and LLFP burners are not as well established as those for conventionally fuelled reactor systems. Hence, in 1999, the OECD/NEA Nuclear Science Committee organised a benchmark exercise for an accelerator-driven minor actinide burner to check the performances of reactor codes and nuclear data for ADS with unconventional fuel and coolant. The benchmark model was a lead-bismuth-cooled subcritical system driven by a beam of 1 GeV protons. This report provides an analysis of the results supplied by seven participants from eight countries. The analysis reveals significant differences in important neutronic parameters, indicating a need for further investigation of the nuclear data, especially minor actinide data, as well as the calculation methods. This report will be of particular interest to reactor physicists and nuclear data evaluators developing nuclear systems for nuclear waste management. (authors)

Multichoice minority game

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ein-Dor, Liat; Metzler, Richard; Kanter, Ido; Kinzel, Wolfgang

2001-01-01

The generalization of the problem of adaptive competition, known as the minority game, to the case of K possible choices for each player, is addressed, and applied to a system of interacting perceptrons with input and output units of a type of K-state Potts spins. An optimal solution of this minority game, as well as the dynamic evolution of the adaptive strategies of the players, are solved analytically for a general K and compared with numerical simulations

Establishing a Research Center: The Minority Male Community College Collaborative (M2C3)

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, J. Luke; Urias, Marissa Vasquez; Harris, Frank, III

2016-01-01

This chapter describes the establishment of the Minority Male Community College Collaborative (M2C3), a research and practice center at San Diego State University. M2C3 partners with community colleges across the United States to enhance access, achievement, and success among men of color. This chapter begins with a description of the national…

Knowledge management driven leadership, culture and innovation success – an integrative model

OpenAIRE

Zieba, M.; Schivinski, Bruno

2015-01-01

Purpose - This article examines the relation between knowledge management (KM) driven leadership, culture and innovation success of knowledge-intensive small and medium sized companies. By building on the previously reported research on leadership, culture, innovation , and knowledge management, we synergistically integrate d KM-driven leadership and innovation success while exploring the meditational role of culture in that. Design/methodology/approach - A conceptual model comprising three c...

A model for estimating the minimum number of offspring to sample in studies of reproductive success.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Joseph H; Ward, Eric J; Carlson, Stephanie M

2011-01-01

Molecular parentage permits studies of selection and evolution in fecund species with cryptic mating systems, such as fish, amphibians, and insects. However, there exists no method for estimating the number of offspring that must be assigned parentage to achieve robust estimates of reproductive success when only a fraction of offspring can be sampled. We constructed a 2-stage model that first estimated the mean (μ) and variance (v) in reproductive success from published studies on salmonid fishes and then sampled offspring from reproductive success distributions simulated from the μ and v estimates. Results provided strong support for modeling salmonid reproductive success via the negative binomial distribution and suggested that few offspring samples are needed to reject the null hypothesis of uniform offspring production. However, the sampled reproductive success distributions deviated significantly (χ(2) goodness-of-fit test p value reproductive success distribution at rates often >0.05 and as high as 0.24, even when hundreds of offspring were assigned parentage. In general, reproductive success patterns were less accurate when offspring were sampled from cohorts with larger numbers of parents and greater variance in reproductive success. Our model can be reparameterized with data from other species and will aid researchers in planning reproductive success studies by providing explicit sampling targets required to accurately assess reproductive success.

Autonomy and minority rights

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barten, Ulrike

2008-01-01

on the content of the syllabus. When autonomy is understood in the literal sense, of giving oneself one's own laws, then there is a clear connection. Autonomy is usually connected to politics and a geographically limited territory. Special political rights of minorities - e.g. is the Danish minority party SSW...

An investigation of potential success factors for an introductory model-driven programming course

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bennedsen, Jens; Caspersen, Michael Edelgaard

2005-01-01

In order to improve the course design of a CS1 model-driven programming course we study potential indicators of success for such a course. We explain our specific interpretation of objects-first. Of eight potential indicators of success, we have found only two to be significant at a 95% confidence...

Bioremediation of an iron-rich mine effluent by Lemna minor.

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira, S; Vieira, M N; Espinha Marques, J; Pereira, R

2014-01-01

Contamination of water resources by mine effluents is a serious environmental problem. In a old coal mine, in the north of Portugal (São Pedro da Cova, Gondoma),forty years after the activity has ended, a neutral mine drainage, rich in iron (FE) it stills being produced and it is continuously released in local streams (Ribeiro de Murta e Rio Ferreira) and in surrounding lands. The species Lemna minor has been shown to be a good model for ecotoxicological studies and it also has the capacity to bioaccumulate metals. The work aimed test the potential of the species L. minor to remediate this mine effluent, through the bioaccumulation of Fe, under greenhouse experiments and, at the same time, evaluate the time required to the maximum removal of Fe. The results have shown that L. minor was able to grow and develop in the Fe-rich effluent and bioaccumulating this element. Throughout the 21 days of testing it was found that there was a meaningful increase in the biomass of L. minor both in the contaminated and in the non-contaminated waters. It was also found that bioaccumulation of Fe (iron) occurred mainly during the first 7 days of testing. It was found that L. minor has potential for the bioremediation of effluents rich in iron.

Wellness of Minority Female Counselor Educators

Science.gov (United States)

Shillingford, M. Ann; Trice-Black, Shannon; Butler, S. Kent

2013-01-01

Minority female counselor educators are faced with numerous challenges. This qualitative study revealed that for female minority counselor educators, these challenges continue to negatively affect their professional and personal experiences. It is through operational wellness practices and optimal balance and functioning that minority female…

Modeling disturbance and succession in forest landscapes using LANDIS: introduction

Science.gov (United States)

Brian R. Sturtevant; Eric J. Gustafson; Hong S. He

2004-01-01

Modeling forest landscape change is challenging because it involves the interaction of a variety of factors and processes, such as climate, succession, disturbance, and management. These processes occur at various spatial and temporal scales, and the interactions can be complex on heterogeneous landscapes. Because controlled field experiments designed to investigate...

Using landscape disturbance and succession models to support forest management

Science.gov (United States)

Eric J. Gustafson; Brian R. Sturtevant; Anatoly S. Shvidenko; Robert M. Scheller

2010-01-01

Managers of forested landscapes must account for multiple, interacting ecological processes operating at broad spatial and temporal scales. These interactions can be of such complexity that predictions of future forest ecosystem states are beyond the analytical capability of the human mind. Landscape disturbance and succession models (LDSM) are predictive and...

Minor Crashes and ‘Whiplash’ in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Bartsch, Adam J.; Gilbertson, Lars G.; Prakash, Vikas; Morr, Douglas R.; Wiechel, John F.

2008-01-01

In the United States there is currently a paucity of available real world minor rear crash data with struck vehicle delta-V, or speed change, less than or equal to 15 kilometers per hour. These data are essential as researchers attempt to define ‘whiplash’ injury risk potential in these minor crashes. This study analyzed a new set of 105 U.S. minor rear aligned crashes between passenger vehicles. Mean struck vehicle delta-V and acceleration were 6.3 km/h (s.d. = 2.1 km/h) and 1.4g (s.d. = 0.5g), respectively. A total of 113 struck vehicle occupants were diagnosed within five weeks post-crash with 761 ICD-9-CM complaints and 427 AIS injuries (99.5% AIS1) attributed to the crashes. No striking vehicle occupants reported complaints. The main ICD-9-CM diagnoses were 40.6% cervical, 22.5% lumbar/sacral and 10.2% thoracic and the main AIS1 diagnoses were 29.7% cervical, 23.2% lumbar/sacral and 14.3% thoracic. The diagnosis disparity was mainly due to coding for pre-existing degenerative diagnosis in ICD-9-CM. Degenerative spine conditions were not significant for increased AIS1 injury risk. Surprisingly, many non-‘whiplash’ diagnoses were found. The AIS injury diagnosis distribution and frequency in these minor delta-V crashes did not correspond with previous minor rear crash studies. A prospectively collected and unbiased minor rear crash databank in the model of CIREN or NASS is highly desirable to verify or refute these results for the U.S. population since the current study cohort may have been influenced by litigation. PMID:19026229

Minority Stress, Smoking Patterns, and Cessation Attempts: Findings From a Community-Sample of Transgender Women in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Science.gov (United States)

Gamarel, Kristi E; Mereish, Ethan H; Manning, David; Iwamoto, Mariko; Operario, Don; Nemoto, Tooru

2016-03-01

Research has demonstrated associations between reports of minority stressors and smoking behaviors among lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations; however, little is known about how minority stressors are related to smoking behaviors and cessation attempts among transgender women. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the associations between transgender-based discrimination and smoking patterns among a sample of transgender women; and (2) to identify barriers to smoking cessation in a sample of transgender women with a history of smoking. A community sample of 241 transgender women completed a one-time survey. Binary and multinomial logistic regression models examined associations between minority stressors and (1) smoking behaviors and (2) cessation attempts. Both models adjusted for income, education, race/ethnicity, recent sex work, HIV status, depression, alcohol use, and current hormone use. Overall, 83% of participants indicated that they had smoked a cigarette in the last month. Of these women, 62.3% reported daily smoking and 51.7% reported an unsuccessful quit attempt. Discrimination was positively associated with currently smoking (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01, 1.08). Discrimination was positively associated with unsuccessful cessation (AOR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.18) and never attempting (AOR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.11) compared to successful cessation. Discrimination was also positively associated with never attempting compared to unsuccessful cessation (AOR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.03). Smoking cessation may be driven by unique transgender-related minority stressors, such as discrimination. Future research is warranted to address unique stigmatizing contexts when understanding and providing tailored intervention addressing smoking among transgender women. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2015. This work is written by (a) US Government

Evolutionary Analysis of Minor Histocompatibility Genes In Hydra

KAUST Repository

Aalismail, Nojood

2016-05-01

Hydra is a simple freshwater solitary polyp used as a model system to study evolutionary aspects. The immune response of this organism has not been studied extensively and the immune response genes have not been identified and characterized. On the other hand, immune response has been investigated and genetic analysis has been initiated in other lower invertebrates. In the present study we took initiative to study the self/nonself recognition in hydra and its relation to the immune response. Moreover, performing phylogenetic analysis to look for annotated immune genes in hydra gave us a potential to analyze the expression of minor histocompatibility genes that have been shown to play a major role in grafting and transplantation in mammals. Here we obtained the cDNA library that shows expression of minor histocompatibility genes and confirmed that the annotated sequences in databases are actually present. In addition, grafting experiments suggested, although still preliminary, that homograft showed less rejection response than in heterograft. Involvement of possible minor histocompatibility gene orthologous in immune response was examined by qPCR.

Phytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles to Lemna minor L

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gubbins, Eva J. [Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Batty, Lesley C., E-mail: l.c.batty@bham.ac.uk [Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Lead, Jamie R. [Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

2011-06-15

The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in commercial products has increased significantly in recent years. Although there has been some attempt to determine the toxic effects of AgNPs, there is little information on aquatic plants which have a vital role in ecosystems. This study reports the use of Lemna minor L. clone St to investigate the phytotoxicity of AgNPs under modified OECD test conditions. AgNPs were synthesised, characterised and subsequently presented to the L. minor. Results showed that inhibition of plant growth was evident after exposure to small ({approx}20 nm) and larger ({approx}100 nm) AgNPs at low concentrations (5 {mu}g L{sup -1}) and this effect became more acute with a longer exposure time. There was a linear dose-response relationship after 14 d exposure. Using predicted environmental concentrations for wastewaters it was found that AgNPs may pose a significant potential risk to the environment. - Highlights: > Silver nanoparticles are toxic to Lemna minor at concentrations of 5 {mu}g L{sup -1}. > The effect of silver nanoparticles varies with size and concentration. > Standard toxicity tests are not appropriate for application to NPs. > Silver nanoparticles pose a potential environmental risk based on modelled environmental concentrations. - Silver nanoparticles are toxic to Lemna minor at low concentrations and constitute a significant environmental risk.

Phytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles to Lemna minor L

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gubbins, Eva J.; Batty, Lesley C.; Lead, Jamie R.

2011-01-01

The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in commercial products has increased significantly in recent years. Although there has been some attempt to determine the toxic effects of AgNPs, there is little information on aquatic plants which have a vital role in ecosystems. This study reports the use of Lemna minor L. clone St to investigate the phytotoxicity of AgNPs under modified OECD test conditions. AgNPs were synthesised, characterised and subsequently presented to the L. minor. Results showed that inhibition of plant growth was evident after exposure to small (∼20 nm) and larger (∼100 nm) AgNPs at low concentrations (5 μg L -1 ) and this effect became more acute with a longer exposure time. There was a linear dose-response relationship after 14 d exposure. Using predicted environmental concentrations for wastewaters it was found that AgNPs may pose a significant potential risk to the environment. - Highlights: → Silver nanoparticles are toxic to Lemna minor at concentrations of 5 μg L -1 . → The effect of silver nanoparticles varies with size and concentration. → Standard toxicity tests are not appropriate for application to NPs. → Silver nanoparticles pose a potential environmental risk based on modelled environmental concentrations. - Silver nanoparticles are toxic to Lemna minor at low concentrations and constitute a significant environmental risk.

Implementation and research priorities for FCTC Articles 13 and 16: tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship and sales to and by minors.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagler, Rebekah H; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula

2013-04-01

Article 13 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) calls for a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS), and Article 16 calls for prohibition of tobacco sales to and by minors. Although these mandates are based on sound science, many countries have found provision implementation to be rife with challenges. This paper reviews the history of tobacco marketing and minor access restrictions in high-, middle-, and low-income countries, identifying past challenges and successes. We consider current challenges to FCTC implementation, how these barriers can be addressed, and what research is necessary to support such efforts. Specifically, we identify implementation and research priorities for FCTC Articles 13 and 16. Although a solid evidence base underpins the FCTC's call for TAPS bans and minor access restrictions, we know substantially less about how best to implement these restrictions. Drawing on the regulatory experiences of high-, middle-, and low-income countries, we discern several implementation and research priorities, which are organized into 4 categories: policy enactment and enforcement, human capital expertise, the effects of FCTC marketing and youth access policies, and knowledge exchange and transfer among signatories. Future research should provide detailed case studies on implementation successes and failures, as well as insights into how knowledge of successful restrictions can be translated into tobacco control policy and practice and shared among different stakeholders. Tobacco marketing surveillance, sales-to-minors compliance checks, enforcement and evaluation of restriction policies, and capacity building and knowledge transfer are likely to prove central to effective implementation.

Implementation and Research Priorities for FCTC Articles 13 and 16: Tobacco Advertising, Promotion, and Sponsorship and Sales to and by Minors

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Introduction: Article 13 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) calls for a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS), and Article 16 calls for prohibition of tobacco sales to and by minors. Although these mandates are based on sound science, many countries have found provision implementation to be rife with challenges. Objective: This paper reviews the history of tobacco marketing and minor access restrictions in high-, middle-, and low-income countries, identifying past challenges and successes. We consider current challenges to FCTC implementation, how these barriers can be addressed, and what research is necessary to support such efforts. Specifically, we identify implementation and research priorities for FCTC Articles 13 and 16. Discussion: Although a solid evidence base underpins the FCTC’s call for TAPS bans and minor access restrictions, we know substantially less about how best to implement these restrictions. Drawing on the regulatory experiences of high-, middle-, and low-income countries, we discern several implementation and research priorities, which are organized into 4 categories: policy enactment and enforcement, human capital expertise, the effects of FCTC marketing and youth access policies, and knowledge exchange and transfer among signatories. Future research should provide detailed case studies on implementation successes and failures, as well as insights into how knowledge of successful restrictions can be translated into tobacco control policy and practice and shared among different stakeholders. Conclusion: Tobacco marketing surveillance, sales-to-minors compliance checks, enforcement and evaluation of restriction policies, and capacity building and knowledge transfer are likely to prove central to effective implementation. PMID:23291641

Language, Ethnicity and Education: Case Studies on Immigrant Minority Groups and Immigrant Minority Languages. Multilingual Matters 111.

Science.gov (United States)

Broeder, Peter; Extra, Guus

Immigrant minority groups and immigrant minority languages in Europe are viewed from three perspectives (demographic, sociolinguistic, and educational) through case studies. The first part, using a demographic approach, includes research on immigrant minority groups in population statistics of both European Union and English-dominant countries…

Statistical mechanics of the mixed majority-minority game with random external information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martino, A de; Giardina, I; Mosetti, G

2003-01-01

We study the asymptotic macroscopic properties of the mixed majority-minority game, modelling a population in which two types of heterogeneous adaptive agents, namely 'fundamentalists' driven by differentiation and 'trend-followers' driven by imitation, interact. The presence of a fraction f of trend-followers is shown to induce (a) a significant loss of informational efficiency with respect to a pure minority game (in particular, an efficient, unpredictable phase exists only for f 1/2. We solve the model by means of an approximate static (replica) theory and by a direct dynamical (generating functional) technique. The two approaches coincide and match numerical results convincingly

The establishment of minority affairs offices in schools of dentistry: pros and cons.

Science.gov (United States)

Ballard, Billy R

2003-09-01

The establishment of Minority Affairs Offices in dental schools following the American Association of Medical Colleges' model is discussed as one method of addressing the declining enrollment and compounding oral health disparities of underrepresented minorities African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans in U.S. dental schools. The pros and cons of the approach are discussed, with recommendations.

Self-management model in the scheduling of successive appointments in rheumatology.

Science.gov (United States)

Castro Corredor, David; Cuadra Díaz, José Luis; Mateos Rodríguez, Javier José; Anino Fernández, Joaquín; Mínguez Sánchez, María Dolores; de Lara Simón, Isabel María; Tébar, María Ángeles; Añó, Encarnación; Sanz, María Dolores; Ballester, María Nieves

2018-01-08

The rheumatology service of Ciudad Real Hospital, located in an autonomous community of that same name that is nearly in the center of Spain, implemented a self-management model of successive appointments more than 10 years ago. Since then, the physicians of the department schedule follow-up visits for their patients depending on the disease, its course and ancillary tests. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the self-management model for successive appointments in the rheumatology service of Ciudad Real Hospital versus the model of external appointment management implemented in 8 of the hospital's 15 medical services. A comparative and multivariate analysis was performed to identify variables with statistically significant differences, in terms of activity and/or performance indicators and quality perceived by users. The comparison involved the self-management model for successive appointments employed in the rheumatology service of Ciudad Real Hospital and the model for external appointment management used in 8 hospital medical services between January 1 and May 31, 2016. In a database with more than 100,000 records of appointments involving the set of services included in the study, the mean waiting time and the numbers of non-appearances and rescheduling of follow-up visits in the rheumatology department were significantly lower than in the other services. The number of individuals treated in outpatient rheumatology services was 7,768, and a total of 280 patients were surveyed (response rate 63.21%). They showed great overall satisfaction, and the incidence rate of claims was low. Our results show that the self-management model of scheduling appointments has better results in terms of activity indicators and in quality perceived by users, despite the intense activity. Thus, this study could be fundamental for decision making in the management of health care organizations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de

Observations involving broadband impedance modelling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berg, J S [Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Menlo Park, CA (United States)

1996-08-01

Results for single- and multi-bunch instabilities can be significantly affected by the precise model that is used for the broadband impedance. This paper discusses three aspects of broadband impedance modelling. The first is an observation of the effect that a seemingly minor change in an impedance model has on the single-bunch mode coupling threshold. The second is a successful attempt to construct a model for the high-frequency tails of an r.f. cavity. The last is a discussion of requirements for the mathematical form of an impedance which follow from the general properties of impedances. (author)

Observations involving broadband impedance modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, J.S.

1995-08-01

Results for single- and multi-bunch instabilities can be significantly affected by the precise model that is used for the broadband impendance. This paper discusses three aspects of broadband impendance modeling. The first is an observation of the effect that a seemingly minor change in an impedance model has on the single-bunch mode coupling threshold. The second is a successful attempt to construct a model for the high-frequency tails of an r.f cavity. The last is a discussion of requirements for the mathematical form of an impendance which follow from the general properties of impendances

Adapting the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model: Predicting HIV-Related Sexual Risk among Sexual Minority Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Colleen M.

2012-01-01

Young sexual minority males are among those at highest risk for HIV infection, yet we know relatively little about the impact of sexual identity development on HIV risk. This study used cross-sectional data to investigate factors associated with HIV-related sexual risk among a sample of sexual minority males (n = 156), ages 14 to 21 years, using…

Educational Attainment: Success to the Successful

Science.gov (United States)

Anthony, Peter; Gould, David; Smith, Gina

2013-01-01

Systems archetypes are patterns of structure found in systems that are helpful in understanding some of the dynamics within them. The intent of this study was to examine educational attainment data using the success-to-the-successful archetype as a model to see if it helps to explain the inequality observed in the data. Data covering 1990 to 2009…

Gender Minority Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Transitioned Swiss Transpersons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiziana Jäggi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Compared to the general population, transpersons are exposed to higher levels of discrimination and violence. The stigmatization of transpersons can lead to physical and psychological problems. In particular, transindividuals exhibit a higher prevalence of depression compared to the cispopulation. The gender minority stress model (GMSM provides a comprehensive theoretical basis to interpret these biopsychosocial interactions. Using the GMSM, this study aimed to identify associations between experience of stigmatization and the mental health of transitioned transpersons using correlational analyses and multiple regression models. In total, 143 transpersons were recruited. Multivariate analyses identified three variables (i.e., unemployment, nonaffirmation of gender identity, and internalized transphobia to explain variance of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, a mediation of the proximal factors between distal factors and depressive symptoms was found. However, the moderating effect of resilience factors was not demonstrated. The results confirmed the importance of distal and proximal minority stressors for the mental health of transpersons. At the same time, the protective influence of resilience factors seemed to be surprisingly minor. In the treatment of transpersons, practitioners should not only focus on somatic aspects, but also consider the person’s previous experiences of stigmatization.

Gender Minority Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Transitioned Swiss Transpersons

Science.gov (United States)

Corbisiero, Salvatore; Schaefer, Dirk J.; Jenewein, Josef; Schneeberger, Andres; Kuhn, Annette; Garcia Nuñez, David

2018-01-01

Compared to the general population, transpersons are exposed to higher levels of discrimination and violence. The stigmatization of transpersons can lead to physical and psychological problems. In particular, transindividuals exhibit a higher prevalence of depression compared to the cispopulation. The gender minority stress model (GMSM) provides a comprehensive theoretical basis to interpret these biopsychosocial interactions. Using the GMSM, this study aimed to identify associations between experience of stigmatization and the mental health of transitioned transpersons using correlational analyses and multiple regression models. In total, 143 transpersons were recruited. Multivariate analyses identified three variables (i.e., unemployment, nonaffirmation of gender identity, and internalized transphobia) to explain variance of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, a mediation of the proximal factors between distal factors and depressive symptoms was found. However, the moderating effect of resilience factors was not demonstrated. The results confirmed the importance of distal and proximal minority stressors for the mental health of transpersons. At the same time, the protective influence of resilience factors seemed to be surprisingly minor. In the treatment of transpersons, practitioners should not only focus on somatic aspects, but also consider the person's previous experiences of stigmatization. PMID:29850581

The Role of Minority Stressors in Lesbian Relationship Commitment and Persistence over Time.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrantes, Renzo J; Eaton, Asia A; Veldhuis, Cindy B; Hughes, Tonda L

2017-06-01

The Investment Model of relationship commitment uses interpersonal investment, relationship satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and commitment to predict relationship longevity (Rusbult, 1980, 1983). Although ample support for the Investment Model has been found in heterosexual couples, it appears to be less powerful in predicting stability in same-sex relationships (Beals, Impett, & Peplau, 2002), potentially because the model does not account for factors unique to same-sex relationships, such as anti-gay discrimination. However, no research has tested the nature and power of sexual minority stress factors in predicting same-sex relationship stability over time. Using secondary, longitudinal data collected from a diverse sample of lesbian women in relationships ( N = 211), we examined how internalized homonegativity, sexual identity disclosure, and workplace discrimination affected the Investment Model antecedents of relationship persistence: satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and investment. We tested the influence of sexual minority stressors on Investment Model processes using structural equations modeling and found that sexual identity disclosure was positively associated with satisfaction and investment, internalized homonegativity was only negatively associated with satisfaction and investment, while workplace discrimination was negatively associated with alternatives. Moreover, both relationship satisfaction and investment influenced commitment which predicted persistence in these relationships over about seven years' time, demonstrating support for the Investment Model. Our findings support the addition of sexual minority stress variables to the Investment Model when examining same-sex relationships and implications are discussed.

Latina girls of Puerto Rican origin who are successful in science and mathematics high school courses

Science.gov (United States)

Oquendo-Rodriguez, Aida L.

Professions and careers related to science and mathematics lack representation of minorities. Within these underrepresented minority populations there is no other group more affected than Latina women and girls. Women in general, are still underrepresented in many areas of our society. While women's roles are changing in today's society, most changes encourage the participation of more White/Anglo women in traditionally male roles. Latina women are still more disadvantaged than White women. There is no doubt that education is significant in increasing the participation of minorities in the fields of science and mathematics, especially for minority girls (Oakes, 1990; Rodriguez, 1993). This study explored the interests, life experiences, characteristics and motivations of Latina girls of Puerto Rican origin who are successful in science and mathematics high school courses. The study identifies factors that can influence the interest of Latina girls of Puerto Rican origin in science and mathematics career choices. This research is significant and relevant to educators and policy makers, especially to science and mathematics educators. The research is primarily descriptive and exploratory. It explores the social characteristics of Latina girls and professional women who have been successful in science and mathematics high school courses. The research offers the reader a visit to the participants' homes with descriptions and the opportunity to explore the thoughts and life experiences of Latina girls, their mothers and young Latina professionals of Puerto Rican origin. This research reveals the common characteristics of successful students found in the Latina girls of Puerto Rican origin who where interviewed. Creating a portrait of Latina girls of Puerto Rican origin who are successful in science and mathematics high school courses in one of the school districts of western Massachusetts. The research findings reveal that teacher relationships, family expectations

14 CFR 152.419 - Minority business.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Minority business. 152.419 Section 152.419... AIRPORT AID PROGRAM Nondiscrimination in Airport Aid Program § 152.419 Minority business. Each person subject to this subpart is required to comply with the Minority Business Enterprise Regulations of the...

"deutsche Sprache, gute Sprache...": Minorities in Germany and Their German-Language Literature for Upper-Division German.

Science.gov (United States)

Veteto-Conrad, Marilya

1997-01-01

Describes how the topic of minorities and minority literature can be integrated into an upper-division German course. Presents materials and approaches used in a recent fourth-year model minicourse. (28 references) (Author/CK)

A model for successful use of student response systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Kathleen; Kientz, Mary

2013-01-01

This article presents a model developed to assist teachers in selecting, implementing, and assessing student response system (SRS) use in the classroom. Research indicates that SRS technology is effective in achieving desired outcomes in higher education settings. Studies indicate that effective SRS use promotes greater achievement of learning outcomes, increased student attention, improved class participation, and active engagement. The model offered in this article is based on best practices described in the literature and several years of SRS use in a traditional higher education classroom setting. Student feedback indicates increased class participation and engagement with SRS technology. Teacher feedback indicates opportunities for contingent teaching. The model described in this article provides a process to assist teachers in the successful selection, implementation, and assessment of SRS technology in the classroom.

Bullying and Cyberbullying in Minorities: Are they more Vulnerable than the Majority Group?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vicente J. Llorent

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Inclusion in education of all the children is necessary for the success, equality and peace among individuals and societies. In this context, special attention needs to be paid to the minorities. These groups might encounter additional difficulties which make them more vulnerable to be involved in bullying and cyberbullying. The current study was conducted with the objective of describing the involvement in bullying and cyberbullying of students from the majority group and also from sexual and ethnic-cultural minorities. The second objective was to explore if the implication is predicted by the interaction with gender, grade and the size of the population where the schools are located. It is an ex post facto transversal descriptive study with a survey on a representative sample of adolescents enrolled in the Compulsory Secondary Education in the south of Spain (Andalusia. The survey was answered by 2139 adolescents (50.9 % girls in 22 schools. These participants were selected through the random multistage cluster sampling with the confidence level of 95% and a sampling error of 2.1%. The results show that the minority groups, especially sexual minorities, are more involved in bullying and cyberbullying. Regression analyses show that being in the majority or a minority group predicts a small but significant percentage of variance of being involved in bullying and cyberbullying. Results are discussed taking into account the social vulnerability of being a part of a minority group and the need of designing educational programs which would prevent this vulnerability thorough the inclusion in education. There is a need for an educational policy that focuses on convivencia and ciberconvivencia which would promote the social and educational development of all the students.

Minor burn - first aid - slideshow

Science.gov (United States)

... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/presentations/100213.htm Minor burn - first aid - series—Procedure, part 1 To use ... out of 2 Overview To treat a minor burn, run cool water over the area of the ...

Special Issues in Working with Gifted Minority Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindstrom, Rena R.; Van Sant, Sondra

1986-01-01

Gifted adolescents from minority groups face the same issues all gifted young people face, but the addition of racial and cultural factors increases the complexity of these issues. Discusses individual versus cultural pressures that affect identity, issues related to assisting students with long-range planning, and two models for programming.…

CRIMINALITY AT MINORS WITH MENTAL DEFICIENCY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoran Kitkanj

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to present, from penological aspect, the involvement and structure of recidivism at minors with mental deficiency within the whole area of juvenile criminality in Macedonia. The research covers 62 subjects who pay the penalty in juvenile penitentiary or institutional measure directing to correctional institution for minors. Of the total number of minors who hold one of the above-mentioned sanctions, minors with lower average IQ are presented with 56.4%. The shown involvement is in penological terms (refers to minors who hold institutional measure correctional institution for minors or penalty - juvenile penitentiary which does not mean that this category of juvenile delinquents participate in such percent in the total number of reported, accused and convicted minors. According to the research results it can be concluded that falling behind in intellectual development is an indicator for delinquent behavior but in no case it can be crucial or the most important factor for criminality. Of the total number of juvenile delinquents with intellectual deficit, 80% are repeat offenders in criminal legal sense. It is of great concern that 56% of the under average juvenile delinquents defied the law for the first time before the age of 14 years that is as children.

7 CFR 795.12 - Minor children.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Minor children. 795.12 Section 795.12 Agriculture... PROVISIONS COMMON TO MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM PAYMENT LIMITATION General § 795.12 Minor children. (a) A minor child and his parents or guardian (or other person responsible for him) shall be considered as one...

Developing Earth System Science Courses and Programs at Minority Serving Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, D. R.; Jackson, C.; Ruzek, M.

2004-12-01

In the current NASA/USRA ESSE21 Program, emphasis is placed on the development of Earth System Science courses and degree offerings in Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Of the 18 colleges/universities being supported by NASA through USRA, 10 colleges/universities are MSIs. While there is recognition of the need for Earth system science courses, minors and degree programs by NASA and other agencies, within MSIs, a central challenge is how to provide a vision of the future opportunities in ESS and STEM disciplines that attracts and motivates students to these studies. Students need career guidance, role models and mentoring to encourage entry into STEM in general, and Earth system science in particular. Then there is the question of how to bring interested faculty together in institutions to form a critical mass that would forego the breadth and depth of disciplinary interests to undertake the development of multi/cross and interdisciplinary courses, minors and degree programs in ESS. Within the ESSE21 Diversity Working Group, the question has been raised as to how will MSIs ever be mainstream participants in ESS without teaching and engaging in research in remote sensing, modeling of the Earth's climate system and other like endeavors. Two other related questions raised within the Working Group are what are the long-term objectives of MSI adoption of ESS and what course corrections are needed to make ESS viable at MSIs. Within these considerations there are unresolved questions concerning the need and availability of resources from NASA, other agencies and local institutions. Apart from these larger considerations, efforts are underway within the ESSE21 Program that provide for sharing of resources among participants, organization of and access to materials that already exist, online resources, course outlines and successful listings for online resources by topics for particular courses and subject areas. The Lesson Learned Working Group, as well as the program

The minor third communicates sadness in speech, mirroring its use in music.

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis, Meagan E; Bharucha, Jamshed J

2010-06-01

There is a long history of attempts to explain why music is perceived as expressing emotion. The relationship between pitches serves as an important cue for conveying emotion in music. The musical interval referred to as the minor third is generally thought to convey sadness. We reveal that the minor third also occurs in the pitch contour of speech conveying sadness. Bisyllabic speech samples conveying four emotions were recorded by 9 actresses. Acoustic analyses revealed that the relationship between the 2 salient pitches of the sad speech samples tended to approximate a minor third. Participants rated the speech samples for perceived emotion, and the use of numerous acoustic parameters as cues for emotional identification was modeled using regression analysis. The minor third was the most reliable cue for identifying sadness. Additional participants rated musical intervals for emotion, and their ratings verified the historical association between the musical minor third and sadness. These findings support the theory that human vocal expressions and music share an acoustic code for communicating sadness.

Teaching minority children hygiene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rheinländer, Thilde; Samuelsen, Helle; Dalsgaard, Anders

2015-01-01

infrastructures were important barriers for the implementation of safe home child hygiene. Furthermore, the everyday life of highland villages, with parents working away from the households resulted in little daily adult supervision of safe child hygiene practices. While kindergartens were identified......Objectives. Ethnic minority children in Vietnam experience high levels of hygiene- and sanitation-related diseases. Improving hygiene for minority children is therefore vital for improving child health. The study objective was to investigate how kindergarten and home environments influence...... children were further disadvantaged as teaching was only provided in non-minority language. Conclusions. Kindergartens can be important institutions for the promotion of safe hygiene practices among children, but they must invest in the maintenance of hygiene and sanitation infrastructures and adopt...

North Dakota's Experience with the Academy Model: A Successful Replication

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Tom; Clapper, Ann

2016-01-01

In this article, professors share how the district/university partnership model thriving at Kansas State University was successfully replicated in North Dakota, and was adapted to match their own department goals. While teacher leadership has become a theme among Kansas State academies, their model was created out of principal preparation efforts.…

The Characteristics and Experiences of Successful Undergraduate Latina Students Who Persist in Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Carrie

Females and underrepresented ethnic minorities earn a small percentage of engineering and computer science bachelor's degrees awarded in the United States, earn an even smaller proportion of master's and doctoral degrees, and are underrepresented in the engineering workforce (Engineering Workforce Commission, [2006], as cited in National Science Foundation, 2012; United States Department of Education, [2006], as cited in National Science Foundation, 2009a; United States Department of Education, [2006], as cited in National Science Foundation, 2009b). Considerable research has examined the perceptions, culture, curriculum, and pedagogy in engineering that inhibits the achievement of women and underrepresented ethnic minorities. This action research study used a qualitative approach to examine the characteristics and experiences of Latina students who pursued a bachelor's degree in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU) as part of the 2008 first-time full-time freshman cohort. The researcher conducted two semi-structured individual interviews with seven undergraduate Latina students who successfully persisted to their fourth (senior) year in engineering. The researcher aimed to understand what characteristics made these students successful and how their experiences affected their persistence in an engineering major. The data collected showed that the Latina participants were motivated to persist in their engineering degree program due to their parents' expectations for success and high academic achievement; their desire to overcome the discrimination, stereotyping, and naysayers that they encountered; and their aspiration to become a role model for their family and other students interested in pursuing engineering. From the data collected, the researcher provided suggestions to implement and adapt educational activities and support systems within the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering to improve the retention and graduation rates

Minority stress and relationship functioning among young male same-sex couples: An examination of actor-partner interdependence models.

Science.gov (United States)

Feinstein, Brian A; McConnell, Elizabeth; Dyar, Christina; Mustanski, Brian; Newcomb, Michael E

2018-05-01

In different-sex couples, individual and partner stress can both have a negative impact on relationship functioning (actor and partner effects). Gay and bisexual men experience unique stress (sexual minority stress), but few studies have examined the effects of this stress on relationship functioning among young male couples. The current study examined (a) actor and partner effects of general and minority stress (internalized stigma, microaggressions, victimization, and outness) on relationship functioning (relationship quality and negative relationship interactions), (b) interactions between individual and partner stress as predictors of relationship functioning, and (c) dyadic coping and relationship length as moderators of actor and partner effects. Actor-partner interdependence models were tested using data from 153 young male couples. There was strong support for actor effects. Higher general stress and internalized stigma were associated with lower relationship quality, but only for those in longer relationships. Additionally, higher general stress, internalized stigma, and microaggressions, and lower outness, were associated with more negative relationship interactions. There was limited support for partner effects. Having a partner with higher internalized stigma was associated with more negative relationship interactions, but none of the other partner effects were significant. There was no support for individual and partner stress interacting to predict relationship functioning or for dyadic coping as a stress buffer. Findings highlight the influence of one's own experiences of general and minority stress on relationship functioning, but raise questions about how partner stress influences relationship functioning among young male couples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Harassment Due to Gender Nonconformity Mediates the Association Between Sexual Minority Identity and Depressive Symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin-Storey, Alexa; August, Elana G

2016-01-01

The visibility of a stigmatized identity is central in determining how individuals experience that identity. Sexual minority status (e.g., identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual) has traditionally been identified as a concealable stigma, compared with race/ethnicity or physical disability status. This conceptualization fails to recognize, however, the strong link between sexual minority status and a visible stigma: gender nonconformity. Gender nonconformity, or the perception that an individual fails to conform to gendered norms of behavior and appearance, is strongly stigmatized, and is popularly associated with sexual minority status. The hypothesis that harassment due to gender nonconformity mediates the association between sexual minority status and depressive symptoms was tested. Heterosexual and sexual minority-identified college and university students (N = 251) completed questionnaires regarding their sexual minority identity, experiences of harassment due to gender nonconformity, harassment due to sexual minority status, and depressive symptoms. A mediational model was supported, in which the association between sexual minority identity and depressive symptoms occurred via harassment due to gender nonconformity. Findings highlight harassment due to gender nonconformity as a possible mechanism for exploring variability in depressive symptoms among sexual minorities.

Role of Family, Culture, and Peers in the Success of First-Generation Cambodian American College Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Tang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Cambodian American college students are often overlooked in academe because of the model minority myth. The stereotype overshadows the challenges and heterogeneity in the Asian American and Pacific Islander population. This exploratory study examined the experiences of 13 first-generation Cambodian American college students at a large, public institution in California. Findings revealed that, despite obstacles of being first-generation with limited cultural capital, students were transformed into successful leaners when they received validation from their parents and peers and felt a sense of belonging to the college community through their involvement in an ethnic-based student organization.

Electronic cigarette initiation among minority youth in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammig, Bart; Daniel-Dobbs, Page; Blunt-Vinti, Heather

2017-05-01

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette) use among youth is a pressing public health issue, with prevalence of use surpassing that of tobacco cigarettes. While research concerning e-cigarettes has proliferated in recent years, there is a dearth of information regarding those whose first exposure to tobacco products was an e-cigarette. To examine factors associated with e-cigarette initiation among minority youth in the United States. Data on minority students in middle and high schools in the United States derived from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) were sampled (weighted N = 27,294,454). We examined e-cigarette initiation among minority youth using logistic regression models to identify related factors. In 2014, 736,158 minority youth were e-cigarette initiators. Odds of e-cigarette initiation was highest among Hispanic youth [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.70; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.60-4.56]. Exposure to e-cigarette advertising (AOR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.07-2.50), perceptions of little to no harm (AOR = 7.08; 95% CI = 4.03-12.46), and believing e-cigarettes were less addictive than tobacco (AOR = 2.15; 95% CI = 1.52-3.02) were associated with e-cigarette initiation. Odds of initiating e-cigarette use was highest among Hispanic youth. Among minority youth, e-cigarette initiation was associated with perceptions of harm and addiction potential, as well as exposure to e-cigarette advertising. Therefore, prevention efforts targeting minority youth who are at risk of becoming e-cigarette initiators may benefit by incorporating these factors into prevention campaigns.

Modeling Student Success in Engineering Education

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Qu

2013-01-01

In order for the United States to maintain its global competitiveness, the long-term success of our engineering students in specific courses, programs, and colleges is now, more than ever, an extremely high priority. Numerous studies have focused on factors that impact student success, namely academic performance, retention, and/or graduation.…

Legislative vulnerability of minority groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Paula, Carlos Eduardo Artiaga; Silva, Ana Paula da; Bittar, Cléria Maria Lôbo

2017-12-01

Minorities are in an inferior position in society and therefore vulnerable in many aspects. This study analyzes legislative vulnerability and aims to categorize as "weak" or "strong" the protection conferred by law to the following minorities: elderly, disabled, LGBT, Indians, women, children/ adolescents and black people. In order to do so, it was developed a documental research in 30 federal laws in which legal provisions were searched to protect minorities. Next, the articles were organized in the following categories: civil, criminal, administrative, labor and procedural, to be analyzed afterwards. Legal protection was considered "strong" when there were legal provisions that observed the five categories and "weak" when it did not meet this criterion. It was noted that six groups have "strong" legislative protection, which elides the assertion that minorities are outside the law. The exception is the LGBT group, whose legislative protection is weak. In addition, consecrating rights through laws strengthens the institutional channels for minorities to demand their rights. Finally, it was observed that the legislative protection granted tominorities is not homogeneous but rather discriminatory, and there is an interference by the majority group in the rights regulation of vulnerable groups.

Teaching Counselors to Use the DSM-III-R with Ethnic Minority Clients: A Paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Velasquez, Roberto J.; And Others

1993-01-01

Presents model for teaching counselors to use Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised (DSM-III-R) with ethnic minority clients. Discusses limitations of the DSM-III-R as they relate to minorities. Concludes that need exists to examine the diagnostic process which is crucial to delivery of culturally…

Transgender Individuals' Workplace Experiences: The Applicability of Sexual Minority Measures and Models

Science.gov (United States)

Brewster, Melanie E.; Velez, Brandon; DeBlaere, Cirleen; Moradi, Bonnie

2012-01-01

The present study explored whether 3 existing measures of workplace constructs germane to the experiences of sexual minority people could be modified to improve their applicability with transgender individuals. To this end, the Workplace Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (WHEQ; C. R. Waldo, 1999); the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered…

Separation of minor actinides from a genuine MA/LN fraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satmark, B.; Courson, O.; Malmbeck, R.; Pagliosa, G.; Romer, K.; Glatz, J.P.

2001-01-01

Separation of the trivalent Minor Actinides (MA), Am and Cm, has been performed from a genuine MA(III) + Ln(III) solution using Bis-Triazine-Pyridine (BTP) as organic extractant. The representative MA/Ln fraction was obtained from a dissolved commercial LWR fuel (45.2 GWd/tM) submitted subsequently too a PUREX process followed by a DIAMEX process. A centrifugal extractor set-up (16-stages), working in a continuous counter-current mode, was used for the liquid-liquid separation. In the nPr-BTP process, feed decontamination factors for Am and Cm above 96 and 65, respectively were achieved. The back-extraction was more efficient for Am (99.1% recovery) than for Cm (97.5%). This experiment, using the Bis-Triazine-Pyridine molecule is the first successful demonstration of the separation of MA from lanthanides in a genuine MA/Ln fraction with a nitric acid concentration of ca. 1 M. It represents an important break through in the difficult field of minor actinide partitioning of high level liquid waste. (author)

Enrolling Minority and Underserved Populations in Cancer Clinical Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallington, Sherrie F; Dash, Chiranjeev; Sheppard, Vanessa B; Goode, Tawara D; Oppong, Bridget A; Dodson, Everett E; Hamilton, Rhonda N; Adams-Campbell, Lucile L

2016-01-01

Research suggests that community involvement is integral to solving public health problems, including involvement in clinical trials-a gold standard. Significant racial/ethnic disparities exist in the accrual of participants for clinical trials. Location and cultural aspects of clinical trials influence recruitment and accrual to clinical trials. It is increasingly necessary to be aware of defining characteristics, such as location and culture of the populations from which research participants are enrolled. Little research has examined the effect of location and cultural competency in adapting clinical trial research for minority and underserved communities on accrual for clinical trials. Utilizing embedded community academic sites, the authors applied cultural competency frameworks to adapt clinical trial research in order to increase minority participation in nontherapeutic cancer clinical trials. This strategy resulted in successful accrual of participants to new clinical research trials, specifically targeting participation from minority and underserved communities in metropolitan Washington, DC. From 2012 to 2014, a total of 559 participants enrolled across six nontherapeutic clinical trials, representing a 62% increase in the enrollment of blacks in clinical research. Embedding cancer prevention programs and research in the community was shown to be yet another important strategy in the arsenal of approaches that can potentially enhance clinical research enrollment and capacity. The analyses showed that the capacity to acquire cultural knowledge about patients-their physical locales, cultural values, and environments in which they live-is essential to recruiting culturally and ethnically diverse population samples. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A dendrochronological analysis of a disturbance-succession model for oak-pine forests of the Appalachian Mountains, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick H. Brose; Thomas A. Waldrop

2010-01-01

Disturbance-succession models describe the relationship between the disturbance regime and the dominant tree species of a forest type. Such models are useful tools in ecosystem management and restoration, provided they are accurate. We tested a disturbance-succession model for the oak-pine (Quercus spp. - Pinus spp.) forests of the...

The impact of civil union legislation on minority stress, depression, and hazardous drinking in a diverse sample of sexual-minority women: A quasi-natural experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Everett, Bethany G; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Hughes, Tonda L

2016-11-01

A small but growing body of research documents associations between structural forms of stigma (e.g., same-sex marriage bans) and sexual minority health. These studies, however, have focused on a limited number of outcomes and have not examined whether sociodemographic characteristics, such as race/ethnicity and education, influence the relationship between policy change and health among sexual minorities. To determine the effect of civil union legalization on sexual minority women's perceived discrimination, stigma consciousness, depressive symptoms, and four indicators of hazardous drinking (heavy episodic drinking, intoxication, alcohol dependence symptoms, adverse drinking consequences) and to evaluate whether such effects are moderated by race/ethnicity or education. During the third wave of data collection in the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women study (N = 517), Illinois passed the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, legalizing civil unions in Illinois and resulting in a quasi-natural experiment wherein some participants were interviewed before and some after the new legislation. Generalized linear models and interactions were used to test the effects of the new legislation on stigma consciousness, perceived discrimination, depression, and hazardous drinking indicators. Interactions were used to assess whether the effects of policy change were moderated by race/ethnicity or education. Civil union legislation was associated with lower levels of stigma consciousness, perceived discrimination, depressive symptoms, and one indicator of hazardous drinking (adverse drinking consequences) for all sexual minority women. For several other outcomes, the benefits of this supportive social policy were largely concentrated among racial/ethnic minority women and women with lower levels of education. Results suggest that policies supportive of the civil rights of sexual minorities improve the health of all sexual minority women, and may be most

The Association of Minority Self-Rated Health with Black versus White Gentrification.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibbons, Joseph; Barton, Michael S

2016-12-01

There exists controversy as to the impact gentrification of cities has on the well-being of minorities. Some accuse gentrification of causing health disparities for disadvantaged minority populations residing in neighborhoods that are changing as a result of these socioeconomic shifts. Past scholarship has suggested that fears of displacement and social isolation associated with gentrification lead to poorer minority health. However, there is a lack of research that directly links gentrification to minority health outcomes. We address this gap with individual data from the 2008 Philadelphia Health Management Corporation's Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey and census tract data from the 2000 Decennial Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey. We implement logistic multilevel models to determine whether and how a resident's self-rated health is affected by gentrification of their neighborhoods. We find that while gentrification does have a marginal effect improving self-rated health for neighborhood residents overall, it leads to worse health outcomes for Blacks. Accounting for racial change, while gentrification leading to increases in White population has no measurable effect on minority health, "Black gentrification" leads to marginally worse health outcomes for Black respondents. These results demonstrate the limitations that improvements of neighborhood socioeconomic character have in offsetting minority health disparities.

The Concept of Ethnic Minorities. International Law and the German-Austrian Response

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Salzborn

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Following World War I, the League of Nations promoted a liberal system of minority rights conceived on the basis of individual rights and designed to provide human rights protection against discrimination. In reaction to this conception of minorities as deserving democratic protection, an alternate, ethnicallyoriented concept was developed in German-speaking territories, particularly in Germany and Austria, which was based on collective rights and whose goal was ethnically-based legislation (called “Volksgruppenrecht” or “ethnic-group law”. This political concept was gradually developed into a system of international standards. Supporters hoped that ethnically based law would replace international liberal-democratic law. This paper examines how the political paradigm of collective rights was redefined during the 1920s to produce a conceptual system of legal standards, and how successful efforts were in providing a legal foundation for the sociotheoretical concept of “Volksgruppe” (“ethnic group”.

Workplace harassment: double jeopardy for minority women.

Science.gov (United States)

Berdahl, Jennifer L; Moore, Celia

2006-03-01

To date there have been no studies of how both sex and ethnicity might affect the incidence of both sexual and ethnic harassment at work. This article represents an effort to fill this gap. Data from employees at 5 organizations were used to test whether minority women are subject to double jeopardy at work, experiencing the most harassment because they are both women and members of a minority group. The results supported this prediction. Women experienced more sexual harassment than men, minorities experienced more ethnic harassment than Whites, and minority women experienced more harassment overall than majority men, minority men, and majority women.

Computation of geometric representation of novel spectrophotometric methods used for the analysis of minor components in pharmaceutical preparations.

Science.gov (United States)

Lotfy, Hayam M; Saleh, Sarah S; Hassan, Nagiba Y; Salem, Hesham

2015-01-01

Novel spectrophotometric methods were applied for the determination of the minor component tetryzoline HCl (TZH) in its ternary mixture with ofloxacin (OFX) and prednisolone acetate (PA) in the ratio of (1:5:7.5), and in its binary mixture with sodium cromoglicate (SCG) in the ratio of (1:80). The novel spectrophotometric methods determined the minor component (TZH) successfully in the two selected mixtures by computing the geometrical relationship of either standard addition or subtraction. The novel spectrophotometric methods are: geometrical amplitude modulation (GAM), geometrical induced amplitude modulation (GIAM), ratio H-point standard addition method (RHPSAM) and compensated area under the curve (CAUC). The proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of the minor component TZH below its concentration range. The methods were validated as per ICH guidelines where accuracy, repeatability, inter-day precision and robustness were found to be within the acceptable limits. The results obtained from the proposed methods were statistically compared with official ones where no significant difference was observed. No difference was observed between the obtained results when compared to the reported HPLC method, which proved that the developed methods could be alternative to HPLC techniques in quality control laboratories. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Minority Capital Resource Handbook. A Guide to Raising Capital for Minority Entrepreneurs. Second Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Ewing, Samuel D., Jr.; Maloney, Clifton H. W.

This minority capital resource handbook consists of a guide to raising capital for minority entrepreneurs and a listing of sources that provide such capital. The first section deals with the process of raising capital. The realities of raising capital, intermediaries and financial advisors, and assessing needs are outlined. Factors considered in…

A structural equation model to integrate changes in functional strategies during old-field succession.

Science.gov (United States)

Vile, Denis; Shipley, Bill; Garnier, Eric

2006-02-01

From a functional perspective, changes in abundance, and ultimately species replacement, during succession are a consequence of integrated suites of traits conferring different relative ecological advantages as the environment changes over time. Here we use structural equations to model the interspecific relationships between these integrated functional traits using 34 herbaceous species from a Mediterranean old-field succession and thus quantify the notion of a plant strategy. We measured plant traits related to plant vegetative and reproductive size, leaf functioning, reproductive phenology, seed mass, and production on 15 individuals per species monitored during one growing season. The resulting structural equation model successfully accounts for the pattern of trait covariation during the first 45 years post-abandonment using just two forcing variables: time since site abandonment and seed mass; no association between time since field abandonment and seed mass was observed over these herbaceous stages of secondary succession. All other predicted traits values are determined by these two variables and the cause-effect linkage between them. Adding pre-reproductive vegetative mass as a third forcing variable noticeably increased the predictive power of the model. Increasing the time after abandonment favors species with increasing life span and pre-reproductive biomass and decreasing specific leaf area. Allometric coefficients relating vegetative and reproductive components of plant size were in accordance with allometry theory. The model confirmed the trade-off between seed mass and seed number. Maximum plant height and seed mass were major determinants of reproductive phenology. Our results show that beyond verbal conceptualization, plant ecological strategies can be quantified and modeled.

EFFECTS OF NITROGEN PHOTOABSORPTION CROSS SECTION RESOLUTION ON MINOR SPECIES VERTICAL PROFILES IN TITAN’S UPPER ATMOSPHERE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luspay-Kuti, A.; Mandt, K. E.; Greathouse, T. K.; Plessis, S.

2015-01-01

The significant variations in both measured and modeled densities of minor species in Titan’s atmosphere call for the evaluation of possible influencing factors in photochemical modeling. The effect of nitrogen photoabsorption cross section selection on the modeled vertical profiles of minor species is analyzed here, with particular focus on C 2 H 6 and HCN. Our results show a clear impact of cross sections used on all neutral and ion species studied. Affected species include neutrals and ions that are not primary photochemical products, including species that do not even contain nitrogen. The results indicate that photochemical models that employ low-resolution cross sections may significantly miscalculate the vertical profiles of minor species. Such differences are expected to have important implications for Titan’s overall atmospheric structure and chemistry

EFFECTS OF NITROGEN PHOTOABSORPTION CROSS SECTION RESOLUTION ON MINOR SPECIES VERTICAL PROFILES IN TITAN’S UPPER ATMOSPHERE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luspay-Kuti, A.; Mandt, K. E.; Greathouse, T. K. [Space Science and Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238 (United States); Plessis, S., E-mail: aluspaykuti@swri.edu [ICES, The University of Texas at Austin, 201 East 24th Street, Austin, TX 78712 (United States)

2015-03-01

The significant variations in both measured and modeled densities of minor species in Titan’s atmosphere call for the evaluation of possible influencing factors in photochemical modeling. The effect of nitrogen photoabsorption cross section selection on the modeled vertical profiles of minor species is analyzed here, with particular focus on C{sub 2}H{sub 6} and HCN. Our results show a clear impact of cross sections used on all neutral and ion species studied. Affected species include neutrals and ions that are not primary photochemical products, including species that do not even contain nitrogen. The results indicate that photochemical models that employ low-resolution cross sections may significantly miscalculate the vertical profiles of minor species. Such differences are expected to have important implications for Titan’s overall atmospheric structure and chemistry.

An exploration of the factors that contribute to the success of African American professionals in STEM-related careers

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander Nealy, Yolande Kristine

This study examined factors that contribute to the success of African American professionals in STEM careers. Data were collected through a survey from 40 participants and in-depth interviews with eight of them. The survey was used to explore the participants' educational experiences from elementary school through college and on their STEM-related careers, whereas the individual interviews were used to gain insights into their perspectives as STEM professionals. The results of this study indicate that most of these African American STEM professionals attributed their choice of a STEM career to early exposure to and positive experiences in science and mathematics mediated by teachers and/or parents. Furthermore, the positive experiences and success in science and mathematics continued in high school and college, further solidifying their choice of a STEM career. However, for almost half of the participants, attending a HBCU seems to have played an important role in their enjoyment of and success in a STEM major. HBCUs provided them with role models and the necessary support and encouragement to succeed in their pursuit of a STEM degree. The results of this study illustrate the various factors that play a role in preventing leakage in the minority STEM pipeline: K-12 experiences mediated by parents and teachers; support systems in college and the workplace mediated by counselors, professors, peers, and administrators; and policies that facilitate integration and the development of such support systems. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge on minorities in STEM by focusing on what works, instead of focusing on the deficit model and what does not work. It is hoped that these results help validate the efforts of those who work towards a more equitable representation of the STEM fields.

COPING AS A MEDIATOR OF INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG YOUNG ADULT SEXUAL MINORITY WOMEN.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaysen, Debra; Kulesza, Magdalena; Balsam, Kimberly F; Rhew, Isaac C; Blayney, Jessica A; Lehavot, Keren; Hughes, Tonda L

2014-09-01

Sexual minorities have higher rates of depression and anxiety than their heterosexual counterparts. This elevated risk of psychological distress has generally been hypothesized to be a result of the effects of discrimination including internalized negative beliefs about sexual minorities. However, little research has examined the role of various types of coping in mediating between internalized homophobia and mental health. We tested the direct relationship between internalized homophobia and psychological distress and evaluated general and sexual minority-specific coping strategies as potential mediators using structural equation modeling. Data are from a national sample of 1,099 young adult sexual minority women who were on average 20.86 ( SD = 2.12) years old, participating in a study on mental health and substance use. The model demonstrated acceptable fit, χ 2 (83) = 402.9, p homophobia and psychological distress, sexual minority-specific coping did not. Our findings support previous studies that have demonstrated the impact of internalized homophobia on psychological distress as well as the role of coping as a protective/risk factor in this relationship.

Linking mode of action of the model respiratory and photosynthesis uncoupler 3,5-dichlorophenol to adverse outcomes in Lemna minor.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Li; Gomes, Tânia; Solhaug, Knut Asbjørn; Song, You; Tollefsen, Knut Erik

2018-04-01

Standard chemical toxicity testing guidelines using aquatic plant Lemna minor have been developed by several international standardisation organisations. Although being highly useful for regulatory purposes by focusing on traditional adverse endpoints, these tests provide limited information about the toxic mechanisms and modes of action (MoA). The present study aimed to use selected functional assays in L. minor after exposure to 3,5-dichlorophenol (3,5-DCP) as a model to characterise the toxic mechanisms causing growth inhibition and lethality in primary producers. The results demonstrated that 3,5-DCP caused concentration-dependent effects in chloroplasts and mitochondria. Uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), reduction in chlorophyll (Chlorophyll a and b) content, reproduction rate and frond size were the most sensitive endpoints, followed by formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (LPO), reduction of carotenoid content and impairment of photosynthesis efficiency. Suppression of photosystem II (PSII) efficiency, electron transport rate (ETR), chlorophyll (a and b) contents and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) were closely correlated while ROS production and LPO were negative correlated with ETR, carotenoid content and growth parameters. A network of conceptual Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) was developed to decipher the causal relationships between molecular, cellular, and apical adverse effects occurring in L. minor to form a basis for future studies with similar compounds. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Happiness and Sexual Minority Status.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomeer, Mieke Beth; Reczek, Corinne

2016-10-01

We used logistic regression on nationally representative data (General Social Survey, N = 10,668 and N = 6680) to examine how sexual minority status related to happiness. We considered two central dimensions of sexual minority status-sexual behavior and sexual identity. We distinguished between same-sex, both-sex, and different-sex-oriented participants. Because individuals transition between sexual behavior categories over the life course (e.g., from both-sex partners to only same-sex partners) and changes in sexual minority status have theoretical associations with well-being, we also tested the associations of transitions with happiness. Results showed that identifying as bisexual, gay, or lesbian, having both male and female partners since age 18, or transitioning to only different-sex partners was negatively related to happiness. Those with only same-sex partners since age 18 or in the past 5 years had similar levels of happiness as those with only different-sex partners since age 18. Additional tests showed that the majority of these happiness differences became non-significant when economic and social resources were included, indicating that the lower happiness was a product of structural and societal forces. Our findings clearly and robustly underscored the importance of taking a multi-faceted approach to understanding sexuality and well-being, demonstrating that not all sexual minority groups experience disadvantaged happiness. Our study calls for more attention to positive aspects of well-being such as happiness in examinations of sexual minorities and suggests that positive psychology and other happiness subfields should consider the role of sexual minority status in shaping happiness.

Happiness and Sexual Minority Status

Science.gov (United States)

Thomeer, Mieke Beth; Reczek, Corinne

2017-01-01

We used logistic regression on nationally representative data (General Social Survey, N = 10,668 and N = 6,680) to examine how sexual minority status related to happiness. We considered two central dimensions of sexual minority status—sexual behavior and sexual identity. We distinguished between same-sex, both-sex, and different-sex oriented participants. Because individuals transition between sexual behavior categories over the life course (e.g., from both-sex partners to only same-sex partners) and changes in sexual minority status have theoretical associations with well-being, we also tested the effects of transitions on happiness. Results showed that identifying as bisexual, gay, or lesbian, having both male and female partners since age 18, or transitioning to only different-sex partners was negatively related to happiness. Those with only same-sex partners since age 18 or in the past five years had similar levels of happiness as those with only different-sex partners since age 18. Additional tests showed that the majority of these happiness differences became non-significant when economic and social resources were included, indicating that the lower happiness was a product of structural and societal forces. Our findings clearly and robustly underscored the importance of taking a multi-faceted approach to understanding sexuality and well-being, demonstrating that not all sexual minority groups experience disadvantaged happiness. Our study calls for more attention to positive aspects of well-being such as happiness in examinations of sexual minorities and suggests that positive psychology and other happiness subfields should consider the role of sexual minority status in shaping happiness. PMID:27102605

Incorporating the user perspective into a proposed model for assessing success of SHS implementations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans Holtorf

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Modern energy can contribute to development in multiple ways while approximately 20% of world's populations do not yet have access to electricity. Solar Home Systems (SHSs consists of a PV module, a charge controller and a battery supply in the range of 100 Wh/d in Sunbelt countries. The question addressed in this paper is how SHS users approach success of their systems and how these user's views can be integrated in to an existing model of success. Information was obtained on the user's approach to their SHSs by participatory observation, interviews with users and by self-observation undertaken by the lead author while residing under SHS electricity supply conditions. It was found that success of SHSs from the users' point of view is related to the ability of these systems to reduce the burdens of supplying energy services to homesteads. SHSs can alleviate some energy supply burdens, and they can improve living conditions by enabling communication on multiple levels and by addressing convenience and safety concerns. However, SHSs do not contribute to the energy services which are indispensable for survival, nor to the thermal energy services required and desired in dwellings of Sunbelt countries. The elements of three of the four components of our previously proposed model of success have been verified and found to be appropriate, namely the user's self-set goals, their importance and SHSs' success factors. The locally appropriate, and scientifically satisfactory, measurement of the level of achievement of self-set goals, the fourth component of our model of success, remains an interesting area for future research.

The impact of the language barrier on the success of Hungarian minority women in the higher education system of Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lendák-Kabók Karolina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The subject of the paper is to analyze the impact of the language barrier faced by Hungarian minority female professors and students in the higher education sys­tem of Serbia. The aim of this paper is to propose measures which might allow Hungarian minority students to overcome the language barrier more easily and to raise awareness for the need of more Hungarian women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM. The analysis is based on twenty four semi-structured interviews conducted with minority Hungarian female professors and students, who are working or studying at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. Interviews were conducted with a pre-composed questionnaire between the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015. Interviewees were chosen with a snowball sampling method. Results of analysis show that the majority of Hungarian women face a language barrier at the start of their studies, mostly because of their limited knowledge of the majority’s language. These barriers were more pronounced in Hungarian female students than with professor. This phenomenon can be attributed to the time in which they grew up, or to a different social environment of the twentieth century, when bilingualism was completely natural, from which, less segregation of the nations resulted and a better knowledge of the Serbian language. The professors particularly point out that being bilingual is a great advantage and that their knowledge of several languages was a key advantage in their academic careers. With the analysis of the interviews it was determined that the language barrier was mostly pronounced for students of social sciences and humanities (SSH, where language is the primary tool of communication. The language barrier was less important for the students studying in STEM sciences, where students and professors interact through formulas and written exams.

Development of the Sexual Minority Adolescent Stress Inventory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheree M. Schrager

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Although construct measurement is critical to explanatory research and intervention efforts, rigorous measure development remains a notable challenge. For example, though the primary theoretical model for understanding health disparities among sexual minority (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual adolescents is minority stress theory, nearly all published studies of this population rely on minority stress measures with poor psychometric properties and development procedures. In response, we developed the Sexual Minority Adolescent Stress Inventory (SMASI with N = 346 diverse adolescents ages 14–17, using a comprehensive approach to de novo measure development designed to produce a measure with desirable psychometric properties. After exploratory factor analysis on 102 candidate items informed by a modified Delphi process, we applied item response theory techniques to the remaining 72 items. Discrimination and difficulty parameters and item characteristic curves were estimated overall, within each of 12 initially derived factors, and across demographic subgroups. Two items were removed for excessive discrimination and three were removed following reliability analysis. The measure demonstrated configural and scalar invariance for gender and age; a three-item factor was excluded for demonstrating substantial differences by sexual identity and race/ethnicity. The final 64-item measure comprised 11 subscales and demonstrated excellent overall (α = 0.98, subscale (α range 0.75–0.96, and test–retest (scale r > 0.99; subscale r range 0.89–0.99 reliabilities. Subscales represented a mix of proximal and distal stressors, including domains of internalized homonegativity, identity management, intersectionality, and negative expectancies (proximal and social marginalization, family rejection, homonegative climate, homonegative communication, negative disclosure experiences, religion, and work domains (distal. Thus, the SMASI development process illustrates

Successful N2 leptogenesis with flavour coupling effects in realistic unified models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bari, Pasquale Di; King, Stephen F.

2015-01-01

In realistic unified models involving so-called SO(10)-inspired patterns of Dirac and heavy right-handed (RH) neutrino masses, the lightest right-handed neutrino N 1 is too light to yield successful thermal leptogenesis, barring highly fine tuned solutions, while the second heaviest right-handed neutrino N 2 is typically in the correct mass range. We show that flavour coupling effects in the Boltzmann equations may be crucial to the success of such N 2 dominated leptogenesis, by helping to ensure that the flavour asymmetries produced at the N 2 scale survive N 1 washout. To illustrate these effects we focus on N 2 dominated leptogenesis in an existing model, the A to Z of flavour with Pati-Salam, where the neutrino Dirac mass matrix may be equal to an up-type quark mass matrix and has a particular constrained structure. The numerical results, supported by analytical insight, show that in order to achieve successful N 2 leptogenesis, consistent with neutrino phenomenology, requires a ''flavour swap scenario'' together with a less hierarchical pattern of RH neutrino masses than naively expected, at the expense of some mild fine-tuning. In the considered A to Z model neutrino masses are predicted to be normal ordered, with an atmospheric neutrino mixing angle well into the second octant and the Dirac phase δ≅ 20 o , a set of predictions that will be tested in the next years in neutrino oscillation experiments. Flavour coupling effects may be relevant for other SO(10)-inspired unified models where N 2 leptogenesis is necessary

Interpersonal success factors for strategy implementation: a case study using group model building

OpenAIRE

Rodney J Scott; Robert Y Cavana; Donald Cameron

2015-01-01

Strategy implementation has been identified as an area of system dynamics literature requiring greater attention. Most strategies fail to be implemented successfully, and processes for effectively implementing strategy are yet to be fully explained and explored. The reported interpersonal success factors for strategy implementation are reported outcomes for group model building, suggesting potential applicability. A case study using validated survey methods yielded promising results, and sugg...

Penetrators for delivering Scientific equipment to minor bodies by flying-pass missions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagrov, Alexander; Martynov, Maxim; Pichkhadze, Konstantin M.; Dolgopolov, Vladimir; Sysoev, Valentin

Many space missions are planned to have close encounters with Solar system minor bodies as a pass-fly. Short time of such close encounters were effectively used for photographing of these bodies, i.e. for distant investigations only because of large velocities of the encounter. We propose to use high-velocity penetrators to provide contact investigations of the minor bodies in situ. These devices were designed by Lavochkin Association for lunar missions. They were designed for long lived scientific equipment to be placed under surface up to depth 2...3 m. Penetrators could survive under 500 g shock, so the contact velocity was from 90 to 250 m/s, so each of them had booster engine to decelerate orbital velocity. As flying-pass velocity near minor body can be more then 10 km/s, penetrators would hit target at speed above 1 km/s and successfully bear 1500 g. To do so we propose to fulfill whole internal space inside penetrator with distilled water and froze it to temperature - 80°C or lower. At this temperature water ice is as hard as steel, so penetrator will plunge into target like armour-piercing shell. After landing protective ice will be evaporated (particularly due to heating from collision) and all sensitive mechanics will be set free.

Science Lives: Women and Minorities in the Sciences.

Science.gov (United States)

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. KUOM Radio.

This pamphlet and accompanying brochure of the same title describe a radio series of 13 half hour programs on the participation of women and minorities in science in the United States. The series attempts to make the public aware of the crisis in the sciences and science education and provides role models for young people, particularly young women…

Measuring online learning systems success: applying the updated DeLone and McLean model.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hsiu-Fen

2007-12-01

Based on a survey of 232 undergraduate students, this study used the updated DeLone and McLean information systems success model to examine the determinants for successful use of online learning systems (OLS). The results provided an expanded understanding of the factors that measure OLS success. The results also showed that system quality, information quality, and service quality had a significant effect on actual OLS use through user satisfaction and behavioral intention to use OLS.

TRANSP modeling of minority ion sawtooth mixing in ICRF + NBI heated discharges in TFTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldfinger, R.C.; Batchelor, D.B.; Murakami, M.; Phillips, C.K.; Budny, R.; Hammett, G.W.; McCune, D.M.; Wilson, J.R.; Zarnstorff, M.C.

1995-01-01

Time independent code analysis indicates that the sawtooth relaxation phenomenon affects RF power deposition profiles through the mixing of fast ions. Predicted central electron heating rates are substantially above experimental values unless sawtooth relaxation is included. The PPPL time dependent transport analysis code, TRANSP, currently has a model to redistribute thermal electron and ion species, energy densities, plasma current density, and fast ions from neutral beam injection at each sawtooth event using the Kadomtsev (3) prescription. Results are presented here in which the set of models is extended to include sawtooth mixing effects on the hot ion population generated from ICRF heating. The ICRF generated hot ion distribution function, line-integral(ν parallel , ν perpendicular ), which is strongly peaked at the center before each sawtooth, is replaced throughout the sawtooth mixing volume by its volume averaged value at each sawtooth. The modified line-integral(ν parallel ,ν perpendicular ) is then used to recalculate the collisional transfer of power from the minority species to the background species. Results demonstrate that neglect of sawtooth mixing of ICRF-induced fast ions leads to prediction of faster central electron reheat rates than are measured experimentally

Characterizing researchers by strategies used for retaining minority participants: results of a national survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, James; Quinn, Sandra C; Fryer, Craig S; Garza, Mary A; Kim, Kevin H; Thomas, Stephen B

2013-09-01

Limited attention has been given to the optimal strategies for retaining racial and ethnic minorities within studies and during the follow-up period. High attrition limits the interpretation of results and reduces the ability to translate findings into successful interventions. This study examined the retention strategies used by researchers when retaining minorities in research studies. From May to August 2010, we conducted an online survey with researchers (principal investigators, research staff, and IRB members) and examined their use of seven commonly used retention strategies. The number and type of retention strategies used, how these strategies differ by researcher type, and other characteristics (e.g., funding) were explored. We identified three clusters of researchers: comprehensive retention strategy researchers - utilized the greatest number of retention strategies; moderate retention strategy researchers - utilized an average number of retention strategies; and limited retention strategy researchers - utilized the least number of retention strategies. The comprehensive and moderate retention strategy researchers were more likely than the limited retention strategy researchers to conduct health outcomes research, work with a community advisory board, hire minority staff, use steps at a higher rate to overcome retention barriers, develop new partnerships with the minority community, modify study materials for the minority population, and allow staff to work flexible schedules. This study is a novel effort to characterize researchers, without implying a value judgment, according to their use of specific retention strategies. It provides critical information for conducting future research to determine the effectiveness of using a combination of retention strategies. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Sexual Minority-Related Victimization as a Mediator of Mental Health Disparities in Sexual Minority Youth: A Longitudinal Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, Chad M.; Marshal, Michael P.; Chisolm, Deena J.; Sucato, Gina S.; Friedman, Mark S.

2013-01-01

Sexual minority youth (youth who are attracted to the same sex or endorse a gay/lesbian/bisexual identity) report significantly higher rates of depression and suicidality than heterosexual youth. The minority stress hypothesis contends that the stigma and discrimination experienced by sexual minority youth create a hostile social environment that…

MS PHD'S PDP: Vision, Design, Implementation, and Outcomes of a Minority-Focused Earth System Sciences Program

Science.gov (United States)

Habtes, S. Y.; Mayo, M.; Ithier-Guzman, W.; Pyrtle, A. J.; Williamson Whitney, V.

2007-05-01

As minorities are predicted to comprise at least 33% of the US population by the year 2010, their representation in the STEM fields, including the ocean sciences, is still poorly established. In order to advance the goal of better decision making, the Ocean Sciences community must achieve greater levels of diversity in membership. To achieve this objective of greater diversity in the sciences, the Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science® Professional Development Program (MS PHD'S PDP), which was launched in 2003, is supported via grants from NASA's Office of Earth Science, and NSF's Directorate for Geosciences. The MS PHD'S PDP is designed to provide professional and mentoring experiences that facilitate the advancement of minorities committed to achieving outstanding Earth System Science careers. The MS PHD'S PDP is structured in three phases, connected by engagement in a virtual community, continuous peer and mentor to mentee interactions, and the professional support necessary for ensuring the educational success of the student participants. Since the pilot program in 2003, the MSPHD'S PDP, housed at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science, has produced 4 cohorts of students. Seventy-five have completed the program; of those 6 have earned their doctoral degrees. Of the 45 current participants 10 are graduate students in Marine Science and 15 are still undergraduates, the remaining 10 participants are graduate students in other STEM fields. Since the implementation of the MSPHD'S PDP a total of 87 students and 33 scientist mentors have become part of the MSPHD'S virtual community, helping to improve the learning environment for current and future participants as well as build a community of minority students that encourages each other to pursue their academic degrees.

Dictionary of Minor Planet Names

CERN Document Server

Schmadel, Lutz D

2007-01-01

Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Fifth Edition, is the official reference for the field of the IAU, which serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and any surface features on them. The accelerating rate of the discovery of minor planets has not only made a new edition of this established compendium necessary but has also significantly altered its scope: this thoroughly revised edition concentrates on the approximately 10,000 minor planets that carry a name. It provides authoritative information about the basis for all names of minor planets. In addition to being of practical value for identification purposes, this collection provides a most interesting historical insight into the work of those astronomers who over two centuries vested their affinities in a rich and colorful variety of ingenious names, from heavenly goddesses to more prosaic constructions. The fifth edition serves as the primary reference, with plans for complementary booklets with newl...

Introduction-Minority Language Policy: Theory and Practice

OpenAIRE

Stefan Oeter

2007-01-01

In practice the Charter has created legal standards that work like individual and collective rights and that empower minority language speakers to insist upon education in minority languages, on using the languages before judicial courts and the administration, on claiming a right to receive radio and television programmes in minority languages, and on insisting to be treated in the minority language in hospitals and homes for the elderly, to name only some of the most important guarantees of...

A Primary Human Critical Success Factors Model for the ERP System Implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenko Aleksander

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Many researchers have investigated various Critical success factors (CSFs and the different causes of ERP implementation project failures. Despite a detailed literature preview, we were unable to find an appropriate research with a comprehensive overview of the true causes behind CSFs, observed from a human factors perspective. The objective of this research was therefore to develop and evaluate the Primary human factors (PHFs model and to confirm the significant impact of PHFs on traditional CSFs and on the project success.

Economic sustainability in franchising: a model to predict franchisor success or failure

OpenAIRE

Calderón Monge, Esther; Pastor Sanz, Ivan .; Huerta Zavala, Pilar Angélica

2017-01-01

As a business model, franchising makes a major contribution to gross domestic product (GDP). A model that predicts franchisor success or failure is therefore necessary to ensure economic sustainability. In this study, such a model was developed by applying Lasso regression to a sample of franchises operating between 2002 and 2013. For franchises with the highest likelihood of survival, the franchise fees and the ratio of company-owned to franchised outlets were suited to the age ...

Validation of the DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success Model

OpenAIRE

Ojo, Adebowale I.

2017-01-01

Objectives This study is an adaptation of the widely used DeLone and McLean information system success model in the context of hospital information systems in a developing country. Methods A survey research design was adopted in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 442 health information management personnel in five Nigerian teaching hospitals. A structural equation modeling technique was used to validate the model's constructs. Results It was revealed that syst...

Using a micro-level model to generate a macro-level model of productive successful aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Jessica K M; Sarkisian, Natalia; Williamson, John B

2015-02-01

Aging successfully entails good physical and cognitive health, as well as ongoing participation in social and productive activity. This study hones in on participation in productive activity, a factor that makes an important contribution to successful aging. One conceptual model of productive activity in later life specifies the antecedents and consequences of productivity. This study draws on that micro-level model to develop a corresponding macro-level model and assesses its utility for examining the predictors of and explaining the relationships between one form of productivity (labor force participation rates) and one aspect of well-being (average life expectancy) among males and females. Random effects regression models and path analysis were used to analyze cross-national longitudinal data for 24 high-income Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries at seven time points (1980-2010; 168 observations total). OECD countries with higher labor force participation rates among older workers have higher life expectancies. Labor force participation mediates the effects of gross domestic product per capita on male and female life expectancy, and it mediates the effect of self-employment rate for men, but it acts as a suppressor with regard to the effect of public spending on male and female life expectancy. A well-known micro-level model of productive activity can be fruitfully adapted to account for macro-level cross-national variation in productivity and well-being. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Critical success factors model developing for sustainable Kaizen implementation in manufactur-ing industry in Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haftu Hailu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the research is to identify critical success factors and model developing for sustaining kaizen implementation. Peacock shoe is one of the manufacturing industries in Ethiopia facing challenges on sustaining. The methodology followed is factor analysis and empirically testing hypothesis. A database was designed using SPSS version 20. The survey was validated using statistical validation using the Cronbach alpha index; the result is 0.908. The KMO index value was obtained for the 32 items and had a value of 0.642 with Bartlett's Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 4503.007, degree of freedom 496 and significance value 0.000. A factor analysis by principal components and varimax rotation was applied for finding the critical success factors. Finding designates that 32 items were merged into eight critical success factors. All the eight factors together explain for 76.941 % of the variance. Multiple regression model analysis has indicated that some of the critical success factors had relationship with success indicators. Due to constraint of time, the researcher focused only at peacock shoe manufacturing industry. Other limitation also includes the absence of any local research that shows the critical success factors at the moment.

Tobacco sales to minors in Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallus, Silvano; Tramacere, Irene; Zuccaro, Piergiorgio; Colombo, Paolo; La Vecchia, Carlo

2009-01-01

One of the strategies to control tobacco is to limit purchase of cigarettes to minors. To understand the attitudes of Italian adults towards regulations to prevent minors from purchasing tobacco products, we added specific questions to the annual survey on smoking in Italy. During March-April 2007, we conducted a survey on smoking on 3,057 subjects representative of the Italian population aged > or = 15 years. Two specific questions were included, one investigating the attitudes towards the proposed legislation prohibiting purchase of tobacco to individuals under 18 years of age (instead of 16 years) as a policy to reduce smoking prevalence and consumption. The second question asked whether the current tobacco sales-to-minors law was observed. Overall, 78% of Italians believed that a restriction of the current tobacco sales-to-minors law could be moderately to extremely effective as a strategy to decrease smoking prevalence and consumption. More than 90% of Italians reported that they had never seen in their lifetime a retailer refusing to sell cigarettes to an adolescent or requesting the minor's identification or age. A restriction of the legislation, increasing to 18 years the minimum age for purchasing tobacco, would limit access to tobacco products by minors, only if adopted together with systematic and effective enforcement measures.

Treatment of Events Representing System Success in Accident Sequences in PSA Models with ET/FT Linking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vrbanic, I.; Spiler, J.; Mikulicic, V.; Simic, Z.

2002-01-01

Treatment of events that represent systems' successes in accident sequences is well known issue associated primarily with those PSA models that employ event tree / fault tree (ET / FT) linking technique. Even theoretically clear, practical implementation and usage creates for certain PSA models a number of difficulties regarding result correctness. Strict treatment of success-events would require consistent applying of de Morgan laws. However, there are several problems related to it. First, Boolean resolution of the overall model, such as the one representing occurrence of reactor core damage, becomes very challenging task if De Morgan rules are applied consistently at all levels. Even PSA tools of the newest generation have some problems with performing such a task in a reasonable time frame. The second potential issue is related to the presence of negated basic events in minimal cutsets. If all the basic events that result from strict applying of De Morgan rules are retained in presentation of minimal cutsets, their readability and interpretability may be impaired severely. It is also worth noting that the concept of a minimal cutset is tied to equipment failures, rather than to successes. For reasons like these, various simplifications are employed in PSA models and tools, when it comes to the treatment of success-events in the sequences. This paper provides a discussion of major concerns associated with the treatment of success-events in accident sequences of a typical PSA model. (author)

Increasing Scientific Literacy at Minority Serving Institutions Nationwide through AMS Professional Development Diversity Workshops

Science.gov (United States)

Brey, J. A.; Geer, I. W.; Mills, E. W.; Nugnes, K. A.; Moses, M. N.

2011-12-01

Earth and back sets the stage for differentiating between climate, climate variability, and climate change. The AMS Climate Studies Diversity Project will follow the successful models of the Weather and Ocean Diversity Projects. Hands on examples, computer based experiments, round table discussions, lectures, and conversations with scientists in the field and other experienced professors are all important parts of previous workshops, and will be complimented by previous participants' feedback. This presentation will also focus on insight gained from the results of a self-study of the long term, successful AMS DataStreme Project, precollege teacher professional development courses. AMS is excited for this new opportunity of reaching even more MSI faculty and students. The ultimate goal of the AMS is to have a geoscience concentration at MSIs throughout the nation and to greatly increase the number of minority students entering geoscience careers, including science teaching.

Minority Stress across the Career-Lifespan Trajectory

Science.gov (United States)

Dispenza, Franco; Brown, Colton; Chastain, Taylor E.

2016-01-01

Sexual minority persons (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer) are likely to encounter "minority stress", such as discrimination, concealment, expectation of rejection, and internalized heterosexism. Minority stress occurs alongside one's lifespan and has considerable implications in the context of the career lifespan trajectory.…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Student Success in Community Colleges: A Conceptual Model

Science.gov (United States)

Hirschy, Amy S.; Bremer, Christine D.; Castellano, Marisa

2011-01-01

Career and technical education (CTE) students pursuing occupational associate's degrees or certificates differ from students seeking academic majors at 2-year institutions in several ways. This article examines several theoretical models of student persistence and offers a conceptual model of student success focused on CTE students in community…

Nutritional composition of minor indigenous fruits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shajib, Md. Tariqul Islam; Kawser, Mahbuba; Miah, Md. Nuruddin

2013-01-01

In line of the development of a food composition database for Bangladesh, 10 minor indigenous fruits were analysed for their nutrient composition comprising ascorbic acid, carotenoids and mineral values. Nutrient data obtained have been compared with published data reported in different literatur...... values of these minor fruits would make awareness among the people for their mass consumption for healthy life and to grow more minor fruit trees from extinction in order to maintain biodiversity....

Minor actinide transmutation - a waste management option

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koch, L.

1986-01-01

The incentive to recycle minor actinides results from the reduction of the long-term α-radiological risk rather than from a better utilization of the uranium resources. Nevertheless, the gain in generated electricity by minor actinide transmutation in a fast breeder reactor can compensate for the costs of their recovery and make-up into fuel elements. Different recycling options of minor actinides are discussed: transmutation in liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs) is possible as long as plutonium is not recycled in light water reactors (LWRs). In this case a minor actinide burner with fuel of different composition has to be introduced. The development of appropriate minor actinide fuels and their properties are described. The irradiation experiments underway or planned are summarized. A review of minor actinide partitioning from the PUREX waste stream is given. From the present constraints of LMFBR technology a reduction of the long-term α-radiological risk by a factor of 200 is deduced relative to that from the direct storage of spent LWR fuel. Though the present accumulation of minor actinides is low, nuclear transmutation may be needed when nuclear energy production has grown. (orig.)

Work-related stress according to the demand-control model and minor psychic disorders in nursing workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janete de Souza Urbanetto

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This was a cross-sectional study that aimed to assess the association between work-related stress according to the Demand-Control Model, and the occurrence of Minor Psychic Disorder (MPD in nursing workers. The participants were 335 professionals, out of which 245 were nursing technicians, aged predominantly between 20 and 40 years. Data were collected using the Job Stress Scale and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20. The analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical statistics. The prevalence of suspected MPD was 20.6%. Workers classified in the quadrants active job and high strain of the Demand-Control Model presented higher potential for developing MPD compared with those classified in the quadrant low strain. In conclusion, stress affects the mental health of workers and the aspects related to high psychological demands and high control still require further insight in order to understand their influence on the disease processes of nursing workers.

Phase transitions in adaptive competitive environments: Theories and applications of the minority game

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yi

It is of great scientific significance to study the complex systems of agents with adaptive strategies competing for resources. In many of such systems in social and biological environments, agents succeed by making innovative choices. In this thesis, we model this behavior by presenting the results and analysis of a class of games in which heterogeneous agents are rewarded for being in a minority group. Each agent possesses a number of fixed strategies, each of which takes publicly available information as input to predict next group. Commonly known as the minority game, this simple model manifests a maladaptive, informationally efficient phase in which the system performs poorly at generating resources and an inefficient phase in which there is an emergent cooperation among the agents, and the system more effectively generates resources. The best emergent coordination is achieved at the phase transition, which occurs when z, the ratio of the dimension of the strategy space to the number of agents, is about 0.34. This model also has similar properties to a spin glass system thus statistical mechanics methods were employed to provide analytical results. The phase structure persists under variations such as variable payoff schemes and evolutionary mechanisms. Agents in real life are subject to local connectivity and incomplete information. A framework based on bi-graph was proposed to model these factors. In the context of economics, we proposed a stock market model incorporating delayed majority dynamics and agents holding heterogeneous expectations. We found that for a range of parameter settings, minority dynamics are dynamically induced, effectively reducing market volatility. Finally, we introduce a version of the minority game played by human participants. We observed emergent coordination of players' choices leading to increased average reward. Furthermore, players with the simplest strategies reap the most wealth.

22 CFR 51.28 - Minors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... under § 51.28(a)(5) must be made by a senior passport authorizing officer pursuant to guidance issued by... appearance of the minor is specifically excused by a senior passport authorizing officer pursuant to guidance..., unless the personal appearance of the minor is specifically excused by a senior passport authorizing...

Molecular modeling and computational simulation of the photosystem-II reaction center to address isoproturon resistance in Phalaris minor.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Durg Vijay; Agarwal, Shikha; Kesharwani, Rajesh Kumar; Misra, Krishna

2012-08-01

Isoproturon is the only herbicide that can control Phalaris minor, a competitive weed of wheat that developed resistance in 1992. Resistance against isoproturon was reported to be due to a mutation in the psbA gene that encodes the isoproturon-binding D1 protein. Previously in our laboratory, a triazole derivative of isoproturon (TDI) was synthesized and found to be active against both susceptible and resistant biotypes at 0.5 kg/ha but has shown poor specificity. In the present study, both susceptible D1((S)), resistant D1((R)) and D2 proteins of the PS-II reaction center of P. minor have been modeled and simulated, selecting the crystal structure of PS-II from Thermosynechococcus elongatus (2AXT.pdb) as template. Loop regions were refined, and the complete reaction center D1/D2 was simulated with GROMACS in lipid (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylglycero-3-phosphoglycerol, POPG) environment along with ligands and cofactor. Both S and R models were energy minimized using steepest decent equilibrated with isotropic pressure coupling and temperature coupling using a Berendsen protocol, and subjected to 1,000 ps of MD simulation. As a result of MD simulation, the best model obtained in lipid environment had five chlorophylls, two plastoquinones, two phenophytins and a bicarbonate ion along with cofactor Fe and oxygen evolving center (OEC). The triazole derivative of isoproturon was used as lead molecule for docking. The best worked out conformation of TDI was chosen for receptor-based de novo ligand design. In silico designed molecules were screened and, as a result, only those molecules that show higher docking and binding energies in comparison to isoproturon and its triazole derivative were proposed for synthesis in order to get more potent, non-resistant and more selective TDI analogs.

75 FR 81395 - Minority and Women Inclusion

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-28

... 2590-AA28 Minority and Women Inclusion AGENCIES: Federal Housing Finance Board; Federal Housing Finance... and the inclusion of women and minorities in all activities. The final rule implements the provisions.... It also requires each regulated entity to establish an Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, or...

75 FR 10446 - Minority and Women Inclusion

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-08

... 2590-AA28 Minority and Women Inclusion AGENCIES: Federal Housing Finance Board; Federal Housing Finance... minority and women inclusion. Section 1116 of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 amended section... Loan Banks to promote diversity and the inclusion of women and minorities in all activities...

Success probability orientated optimization model for resource allocation of the technological innovation multi-project system

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Weixu Dai; Weiwei Wu; Bo Yu; Yunhao Zhu

2016-01-01

A success probability orientated optimization model for resource al ocation of the technological innovation multi-project system is studied. Based on the definition of the technological in-novation multi-project system, the leveling optimization of cost and success probability is set as the objective of resource al ocation. The cost function and the probability function of the optimization model are constructed. Then the objective function of the model is constructed and the solving process is explained. The model is applied to the resource al ocation of an enterprise’s technological innovation multi-project system. The results show that the pro-posed model is more effective in rational resource al ocation, and is more applicable in maximizing the utility of the technological innovation multi-project system.

Influence of minor geometric features on Stirling pulse tube cryocooler performance

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, T.; Spoor, P. S.; Ghiaasiaan, S. M.; Perrella, M.

2017-12-01

Minor geometric features and imperfections are commonly introduced into the basic design of multi-component systems to simplify or reduce the manufacturing expense. In this work, the cooling performance of a Stirling type cryocooler was tested in different driving powers, cold-end temperatures and inclination angles. A series of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations based on a prototypical cold tip was carried out. Detailed CFD model predictions were compared with the experiment and were used to investigate the impact of such apparently minor geometric imperfections on the performance of Stirling type pulse tube cryocoolers. Predictions of cooling performance and gravity orientation sensitivity were compared with experimental results obtained with the cryocooler prototypes. The results indicate that minor geometry features in the cold tip assembly can have considerable negative effects on the gravity orientation sensitivity of a pulse tube cryocooler.

Minors and Sexting: Legal Implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorang, Melissa R; McNiel, Dale E; Binder, Renée L

2016-03-01

Sexting is the sending or forwarding of sexually explicit photographs or videos of the sender or someone known to the sender via cell phone. It has become common practice among young people, as cell phones are being given to adolescents at ever younger ages. Youths often send messages without giving appropriate thought to the content of the images. In studies on the subject, rates of minors who have sent sexual images range from 4 to 25 percent, depending on the age of the youths surveyed, the content of the messages and other factors. Because transferring and viewing sexually explicit material when the subject is a minor can be considered child pornography, there can be serious legal consequences. Several states have enacted legislation to help differentiate between child pornography and sexting by minors. The trend reflected in statutes has been that minors involved in sexting without other exacerbating circumstances should be charged with a less serious offense. There is no clear national consensus on how sexting by minors is adjudicated, and therefore we compared several statutes. Case examples are used to illustrate the range of legal outcomes, from felony charges to no charges. Two sexting episodes that were followed by suicide are described. We also address the role of the forensic mental health professional. © 2016 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

Minor actinide transmutation in accelerator driven systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Friess, Friederike [IANUS, TU Darmstadt (Germany)

2015-07-01

Transmutation of radioactive waste, the legacy of nuclear energy use, gains rising interest. This includes the development of facilities able to transmute minor actinides (MA) into stable or short-lived isotopes before final disposal. The most common proposal is to use a double-strata approach with accelerator-driven-systems (ADS) for the efficient transmutation of MA and power reactors to dispose plutonium. An ADS consists of a sub-critical core that reaches criticality with neutrons supplied by a spallation target. An MCNP model of the ADS system Multi Purpose Research Reactor for Hightech Applications will be presented. Depletion calculations have been performed for both standard MOX fuel and transmutation fuel with an increased content of minor actinides. The resulting transmutation rates for MAs are compared to published values. Special attention is given to selected fission products such as Tc-99 and I-129, which impact the radiation from the spent fuel significantly.

From Forever Foreigners to Model Minority: Asian American Men in Sports

OpenAIRE

Lee Yomee

2016-01-01

Despite their long history in the United States, relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to Asian Americans and their lived experience in sports. The purpose of this study was to give voices to Asian American men by focusing on their experiences in sports. In particular, this study examined the experiences of East Asian and Southeast Asian American male college students who were often perceived as “foreign” and “pejoratively feminine” racialized minority yet participated in sports...

Future goal setting, task motivation and learning of minority and non-minority students in Dutch schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andriessen, I.; Phalet, K.; Lens, W.

2006-01-01

Background. Cross-cultural research on minority school achievement yields mixed findings on the motivational impact of future goal setting for students from disadvantaged minority groups. Relevant and recent motivational research, integrating Future Time Perspective Theory with Self-Determination

In vitro Ca(2+)-dependent maturation of milk-clotting recombinant Epr: minor extracellular protease: from Bacillus licheniformis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ageitos, José Manuel; Vallejo, Juan Andrés; Serrat, Manuel; Sánchez-Pérez, Angeles; Villa, Tomás G

2013-06-01

The minor extracellular protease (Epr) is secreted into the culture medium during Bacillus licheniformis, strain USC13, stationary phase of growth. Whereas, B. subtilis Epr has been reported to be involved in swarming; the B. licheniformis protease is also involved in milk-clotting as shown by the curd forming ability of culture broths expressing this protein. The objectives of this study are the characterization of recombinant B. licheniformis Epr (minor extracellular protease) and the determination of its calcium-dependent activation process. In this work, we have cloned and expressed B. licheniformis Epr in Escherichia coli. We were also able to construct a tridimensional model for Epr based on its homology to Thermococcus kodakarensis pro-tk-subtilisin 2e1p, fervidolysin from Fervidobacterium pennivorans 1rv6, and B. lentus 1GCI subtilisin. Recombinant Epr was accumulated into inclusion bodies; after protein renaturation, Epr undergoes an in vitro calcium-dependent activation, similar to that described for tk protease. The recombinant Epr is capable of producing milk curds with the same clotting activity previously described for the native B. licheniformis Epr enzyme although further rheological and industrial studies should be carried out to confirm its real applicability. This work represents for the first time that Epr may be successfully expressed in a non-bacilli microorganism.

Ethnic density of regions and psychiatric disorders among ethnic minority individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Emerson, Scott Daniel; Minh, Anita; Guhn, Martin

2018-03-01

Ethnic minorities form an increasingly large proportion of Canada's population. Living in areas of greater ethnic density may help protect mental health among ethnic minorities through psychosocial pathways such as accessibility to culturally appropriate provision of mental health care, less discrimination and a greater sense of belonging. Mood and anxiety disorders are common psychiatric disorders. This study examined whether ethnic density of regions was related to mood and anxiety disorders among ethnic minorities in Canada. Responses by ethnic minority individuals to the 2011-2014 administrations of the Canadian Community Health Survey ( n =  33,201) were linked to health region ethnic density data. Multilevel logistic regression was employed to model the odds of having mood and/or anxiety disorders associated with increasing region-level ethnic density and to examine whether sense of community belonging helped explain variance in such associations. Analyses were adjusted for individual-level demographic factors as well as region-level socio-economic factors. Higher ethnic density related to lower odds of mood and/or anxiety disorders for Canadian-born (but not foreign-born) ethnic minorities. Sense of community belonging did not help explain such associations, but independently related to lower odds of mood and/or anxiety disorders. These findings remained after adjusting for regional population density and after excluding (rural/remote) regions of very low ethnic density. Ethnic density of regions in Canada may be an important protective factor against mental illness among Canadian-born ethnic minorities. It is important to better understand how, and for which specific ethno-cultural groups, ethnic density may influence mental health.

Bullying and Cyberbullying in Minorities: Are They More Vulnerable than the Majority Group?

OpenAIRE

Llorent García, Vicente J.; Zych, Izabela; Ortega Ruiz, Rosario

2016-01-01

Inclusion in education of all the children is necessary for the success, equality and peace among individuals and societies. In this context, special attention needs to be paid to the minorities. These groups might encounter additional difficulties which make them more vulnerable to be involved in bullying and cyberbullying. The current study was conducted with the objective of describing the involvement in bullying and cyberbullying of students from the majority group and also from sexual an...

Towards combinatorial spectroscopy: the case of minor milk fatty acids determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Stefanov, I; Baeten, V; De Baets, B; Fievez, V

2013-08-15

Chemometrical models for determination of milk fatty acids (FA) are typically developed using spectral data from a single spectroscopy technique, e.g., mid-infrared spectroscopy in milk control. Such models perform poorly in determining minor components and are highly dependent on the spectral data source and on the type of matrix. In milk fat, the unsuccessful determination of minor (fatty acids lower than 1.0 g/100g in total fat) FA is often the result of: (1) the molecular structure similarity between the minor and the major FA within the milk fat matrix (thus the chemical signature specific to individual fatty acids has restricted specificity), and (2) the low signal intensity (detection limit) for specific vibrational modes. To overcome these limitations, data from different types of spectroscopy techniques, which brings additional chemical information in relation to the variation of the FA, could be included in the regression models to improve quantification. Here, Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectra were concatenated with attenuated total reflectance FT infrared (ATR/FTIR) spectra. The new combinatorial models showed up to 25% decrease in the root mean squared error of cross-validation (RMSECV) values, accompanied with a higher Rcv(2) for most individual FA or sums of FA groups, as compared to regression models based on Raman only or ATR/FTIR only spectra. In addition, improved models included less PLS components indicating an increased robustness. Interpretation of the most contributing regression coefficients indicated the value of newly combined spectral regions as carriers of specific chemical information. Although requiring additional spectroscopy instrumentation and prolonged acquisition time, this new combinatorial approach can be automated and is sufficient for semi-routine determination of the milk FA profile. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Nursing Workforce Diversity Project: Strategies for Recruitment, Retention, Graduation, and NCLEX-RN Success.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Ted A; Pole, David C; Ciarlo, Erica M; Holmes, Shearon

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe a collaborative project designed to recruit and retain students from underrepresented minorities and disadvantaged backgrounds into nursing education. Ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in the nursing workforce in comparison to the general population. The numbers of minorities enrolled in nursing education programs are insufficient to meet the health care workforce diversity needs of the future. High school students were provided with a preprofessional education program to prepare them for admission into a nursing program. Retention strategies were implemented for newly admitted and enrolled nursing education students. Twenty-one high school students enrolled in a nursing education program. The students enrolled in the nursing education program graduated and passed the licensure examination. Early recruitment and multiprong retention programs can be successful in diversifying the registered nurse workforce.

Obesity management: what brings success?

Science.gov (United States)

Lagerros, Ylva Trolle; Rössner, Stephan

2013-01-01

The upward trend in obesity prevalence across regions and continents is a worldwide concern. Today a majority of the world's population live in a country where being overweight or obese causes more deaths than being underweight. Only a portion of those qualifying for treatment will get the health care they need. Still, a minor weight loss of 5-10% seems to be sufficient to provide a clinically significant health benefit in terms of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Diet, exercise and behavior modifications remain the current cornerstones of obesity treatment. Weight-loss drugs play a minor role. Drugs which were available and reasonably effective have been withdrawn because of side effects. The fact that the 'old' well known, but pretty unexciting tools remain the basic armamentarium causes understandable concern and disappointment among both patients and therapists. Hence, bariatric surgery has increasingly been recognized and developed, as it offers substantial weight loss and prolonged weight control. The present review highlights the conventional tools to counter obesity, lifestyle modification, pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery, including some of the barriers to successful weight loss: (1) unrealistic expectations of success; (2) high attrition rates; (3) cultural norms of self-acceptance in terms of weight and beliefs of fat being healthy; (4) neighborhood attributes such as a lack of well-stocked supermarkets and rather the presence of convenience stores with low-quality foods; and (5) the perception of the neighborhood as less safe and with low walkability. Prevention is the obvious key. Cost-effective societal interventions such as a tax on unhealthy food and beverages, front-of-pack traffic light nutrition labeling and prohibition of advertising of junk food and beverages to children are also discussed.

The Minority Teacher Shortage: Fact or Fable?

Science.gov (United States)

Ingersoll, Richard M.; May, Henry

2011-01-01

This research examines national data on the status of the minority teacher shortage--the low proportion of minority teachers in comparison to the increasing numbers of students of color in schools. The authors show that efforts over recent decades to recruit more minority teachers, and place them in disadvantaged schools, have been very…

Results from occultations by minor planets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, G.E.

1982-01-01

Since the minor planets are believed to consist of primordial matter dating from the time of the formation of the solar system there is great interest in determining their composition. It is therefore necessary to calculate their densities, for which we need accurate masses and sizes. On the rare occasions when a minor planet occults a star, timed observations of the event from a number of observing sites enable an accurate size of the minor planet to be determined. (Auth.)

18 CFR 16.19 - Procedures for an existing licensee of a minor hydroelectric power project or of a minor part of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... existing licensee of a minor hydroelectric power project or of a minor part of a hydroelectric power....19 Procedures for an existing licensee of a minor hydroelectric power project or of a minor part of a hydroelectric power project with a license not subject to sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act. (a...

Migrant and Ethnic Minority Health

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise; Agyemang, Charles; Stronks, Karien

2015-01-01

in health related to migration and ethnicity. Thereto we will first define the concepts of migration and ethnicity, briefly review the various groups of migrants and ethnic minorities in Europe, and introduce a conceptual model that specifies the link and causal pathways between ethnicity and health......European populations have become increasingly ethnically diverse as a result of migration, and evidence supports the existence of health inequalities between ethnic groups in Europe. This chapter addresses two main issues. First, we examine the pathways that are considered causal to inequalities....... Then we use the example of ethnic inequalities in cardiovascular disease and diabetes to illustrate the conceptual model. The second issue concerns the potential contribution from the health-care system to minimize the ethnic inequalities in health. As a public health sector, we should do all we can...

Health Risks among Sexual Minority Youth

Science.gov (United States)

... Sexual Minority Youth Communication Resources Protective Factors for LGBT Youth Survey of Today’s Adolescent Relationships and Transitions ( ... as a result of challenges such as stigma, discrimination, family disapproval, social rejection, and violence. Sexual minority ...

Global Optimization of Minority Game by Smart Agents

OpenAIRE

Yan-Bo Xie; Bing-Hong Wang; Chin-Kun Hu; Tao Zhou

2004-01-01

We propose a new model of minority game with so-called smart agents such that the standard deviation and the total loss in this model reach the theoretical minimum values in the limit of long time. The smart agents use trail and error method to make a choice but bring global optimization to the system, which suggests that the economic systems may have the ability to self-organize into a highly optimized state by agents who are forced to make decisions based on inductive thinking for their lim...

d-3He reaction measurements during fast wave minority heating in PLT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chrien, R.E.; Strachan, J.D.

1983-01-01

Time- and energy-resolved d- 3 He fusion reactions have been measured to infer the energy of the d + or He ++ minority ions heated near their cyclotron frequency by the magnetosonic fast wave. The average energy of the reacting 3 He ions during 3 He minority heating is in the range of 100 to 400 keV, as deduced from the magnitude of the reaction rate, its decay time, and the energy spread of the proton reaction products. The observed reaction rate and its scaling with wave power and electron density and temperature are in qualitative agreement with a radial reaction rate model using the minority distribution predicted from quasilinear velocity space diffusion. Oscillations in the reaction rate are observed concurrent with sawtooth and m = 2 MHD activity in the plasma

Improving student success using predictive models and data visualisations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanan Ayad

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The need to educate a competitive workforce is a global problem. In the US, for example, despite billions of dollars spent to improve the educational system, approximately 35% of students never finish high school. The drop rate among some demographic groups is as high as 50–60%. At the college level in the US only 30% of students graduate from 2-year colleges in 3 years or less and approximately 50% graduate from 4-year colleges in 5 years or less. A basic challenge in delivering global education, therefore, is improving student success. By student success we mean improving retention, completion and graduation rates. In this paper we describe a Student Success System (S3 that provides a holistic, analytical view of student academic progress.1 The core of S3 is a flexible predictive modelling engine that uses machine intelligence and statistical techniques to identify at-risk students pre-emptively. S3 also provides a set of advanced data visualisations for reaching diagnostic insights and a case management tool for managing interventions. S3's open modular architecture will also allow integration and plug-ins with both open and proprietary software. Powered by learning analytics, S3 is intended as an end-to-end solution for identifying at-risk students, understanding why they are at risk, designing interventions to mitigate that risk and finally closing the feedback look by tracking the efficacy of the applied intervention.

CULTURAL IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP. THE CASE OF THE ROMA MINORITY IN ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

VALENTIN QUINTUS NICOLESCU

2011-04-01

Full Text Available My paper focuses on the intersection between the Roma cultural-identitary construction and the political concept of citizenship, trying to reveal if such an approach can prove itself helpful in providing a better understanding of the unilaterality of the majority-Roma relationship. By unilaterality I understand the particular model in which the Roma-Romanian relationship has structured itself overtime. It mainly consists of a segregationist view that stresses the majority’s responsibility with the minority’s integration process and the failures to promote a partnership with the minority. This approach tends, in my opinion, to treat the minority in absentia, producing therefore the well-known effects of the so-called “Roma problem”. On the other hand, the idea of empowering the Roma minority is also seen as being fundamentally within the majority’s attributions, therefore contradicting the very essence of the concept. My approach seeks to apply a theoretical framework developed first by Gramsci and later by Boudieu to this particular situation. Thus I hope to be able to provide a better understanding of both the history and the present of majority-minority relations and to highlight possible directions or outcomes relating to the dichotomy of integration/communitarian privacy in the case of the Roma minority.

The Impact of Minority Stress on Mental Health and Substance Use among Sexual Minority Women

Science.gov (United States)

Lehavot, Keren; Simoni, Jane M.

2011-01-01

Objective: We examined the direct and indirect impact of minority stress on mental health and substance use among sexual minority women. Method: A combination of snowball and targeted sampling strategies was used to recruit lesbian and bisexual women (N = 1,381) for a cross-sectional, online survey. Participants (M age = 33.54 years; 74% White)…

Technical success, technique efficacy and complications of minimally-invasive imaging-guided percutaneous ablation procedures of breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauri, Giovanni; Sconfienza, Luca Maria; Pescatori, Lorenzo Carlo; Fedeli, Maria Paola; Alì, Marco; Di Leo, Giovanni; Sardanelli, Francesco

2017-08-01

To systematically review studies concerning imaging-guided minimally-invasive breast cancer treatments. An online database search was performed for English-language articles evaluating percutaneous breast cancer ablation. Pooled data and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Technical success, technique efficacy, minor and major complications were analysed, including ablation technique subgroup analysis and effect of tumour size on outcome. Forty-five studies were analysed, including 1,156 patients and 1,168 lesions. Radiofrequency (n=577; 50%), microwaves (n=78; 7%), laser (n=227; 19%), cryoablation (n=156; 13%) and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU, n=129; 11%) were used. Pooled technical success was 96% (95%CI 94-97%) [laser=98% (95-99%); HIFU=96% (90-98%); radiofrequency=96% (93-97%); cryoablation=95% (90-98%); microwave=93% (81-98%)]. Pooled technique efficacy was 75% (67-81%) [radiofrequency=82% (74-88); cryoablation=75% (51-90); laser=59% (35-79); HIFU=49% (26-74)]. Major complications pooled rate was 6% (4-8). Minor complications pooled rate was 8% (5-13%). Differences between techniques were not significant for technical success (p=0.449), major complications (p=0.181) or minor complications (p=0.762), but significant for technique efficacy (p=0.009). Tumour size did not impact on variables (p>0.142). Imaging-guided percutaneous ablation techniques of breast cancer have a high rate of technical success, while technique efficacy remains suboptimal. Complication rates are relatively low. • Imaging-guided ablation techniques for breast cancer are 96% technically successful. • Overall technique efficacy rate is 75% but largely inhomogeneous among studies. • Overall major and minor complication rates are low (6-8%).

Neutron Capture Measuremetns on Minor Actinides at the n_TOF Facility at CERN: Past, Present and Future

CERN Document Server

Cano-Ott, D; Eleftheriadis, C; Leeb, H; Calvino, F; Herrera-Martinez, A; Savvidis, I; Vlachoudis, V; Haas, B; Abbondanno, U; Vannini, G; Oshima, M; Gramegna, F; Wiescher, M; Pigni, M T; Wiendler, H; Mengoni, A; Quesada, J; Becvar, F; Rosetti, M; Cennini, P; Mosconi, M; Duran, I; Rauscher, T; Ketlerov, V; Couture, A; Capote, R; Sarchiapone, L; Vlastou, R; Domingo-Pardo, C; Pavlopoulos, P; Karamanis, D; Krticka, M; Griesmayer, E; Jericha, E; Ferrari, A; Martinez, T; Oberhummer, H; Karadimos, D; Plompen, A; Mendoza, E; Terlizzi, R; Cortes, G; Cox, J; Voss, F; Pretel, C; Colonna, N; Berthoumieux, E; Dolfini, R; Vaz, P; Heil, M; Lopes, I; Lampoudis, C; Walter, S; Calviani, M; Gonzalez-Romero, E; Stephan, C; Tain, J L; Belloni, F; Igashira, M; Papachristodoulou, C; Aerts, G; Tavora, L; Milazzo, P M; Rudolf, G; Andrzejewski, J; Villamarin, D; Ferreira-Marques, R; Meaze, M H; O'Brien, S; Gunsing, F; Reifarth, R; Perrot, L; Lindote, A; Neves, F; Poch, A; Konovalov, V; Kerveno, M; Marques, L; Rubbia, C; Koehler, P; Dahlfors, M; Wisshak, K; Fujii, K; De Albornoz, A C; Salgado, J; Dridi, W; Ventura, A; Andriamonje, S; Dillman, I; Assimakopoulos, P; Ferrant, L; Lozano, M; Patronis, N; Chiaveri, E; Guerrero, C; Kadi, Y; Vicente, M C; Praena, J; Baumann, P; Moreau, C; Kappeler, F; Rullhusen, P; Furman, W; David, S; Marrone, S; Paradela, C; Audouin, L; Tassan-Got, L; Alvarez-Velarde, F; Massimi, C; Mastinu, P; Isaev, S; Pancin, J; Papadopoulos, C; Tagliente, G; Alvarez, H; Haight, R; Goverdovski, A; Chepel, V; Plag, R; Kossionides, E; Badurek, G; Marganiec, J; Lukic, S; Frais-Koelbl, H; Pavlik, A; Goncalves, I

2011-01-01

The successful development of advanced nuclear systems for sustainable energy production and nuclear waste management depends on high quality nuclear data libraries. Recent sensitivity studies and reports {[}1-3] have identified the need for substantially improving the accuracy of neutron cross-section data for minor actinides. The n\\_TOF collaboration has initiated an ambitious experimental program for the measurement of neutron capture cross sections of minor actinides. Two experimental setups have been constructed for this purpose: a Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC) {[}4] for measuring neutron capture cross-sections of low-mass and/or radioactive samples and a set of two low neutron sensitivity C(6)D(6) detectors for the less radioactive materials.

Minority Veteran Report

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Veterans Affairs — This report is the first comprehensive report that chronicles the history of racial and ethnic minorities in the military and as Veterans, profiles characteristics...

Information visualization of the minority game

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, W.; Herbert, R. D.; Webber, R.

2008-02-01

Many dynamical systems produce large quantities of data. How can the system be understood from the output data? Often people are simply overwhelmed by the data. Traditional tools such as tables and plots are often not adequate, and new techniques are needed to help people to analyze the system. In this paper, we propose the use of two spacefilling visualization tools to examine the output from a complex agent-based financial model. We measure the effectiveness and performance of these tools through usability experiments. Based on the experimental results, we develop two new visualization techniques that combine the advantages and discard the disadvantages of the information visualization tools. The model we use is an evolutionary version of the Minority Game which simulates a financial market.

Information visualization of the minority game

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, W; Herbert, R D; Webber, R

2008-01-01

Many dynamical systems produce large quantities of data. How can the system be understood from the output data? Often people are simply overwhelmed by the data. Traditional tools such as tables and plots are often not adequate, and new techniques are needed to help people to analyze the system. In this paper, we propose the use of two spacefilling visualization tools to examine the output from a complex agent-based financial model. We measure the effectiveness and performance of these tools through usability experiments. Based on the experimental results, we develop two new visualization techniques that combine the advantages and discard the disadvantages of the information visualization tools. The model we use is an evolutionary version of the Minority Game which simulates a financial market

A practice model for rural district nursing success in end-of-life advocacy care.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Frances M; Fitzgerald, Les; Bish, Melanie R

2017-08-24

The development of a practice model for rural district nursing successful end-of-life advocacy care. Resources to help people live well in the end stages of life in rural areas can be limited and difficult to access. District nurse advocacy may promote end-of-life choice for people living at home in rural Australia. The lack of evidence available internationally to inform practice in this context was addressed by exploratory study. A pragmatic mixed method study approved by the University Faculty Ethics Committee and conducted from March 2014 to August 2015 was used to explore the successful end-of-life advocacy of 98 rural Australian district nurses. The findings and results were integrated then compared with theory in this article to develop concepts for a practice model. The model illustrates rural district nurse advocacy success based on respect for the rights and values of people. Advocacy action is motivated by the emotional responses of nurses to the end-of-life vulnerability people experience. The combination of willing investment in relationships, knowing the rural people and resources, and feeling supported, together enables district nurses to develop therapeutic emotional intelligence. This skill promotes moral agency in reflection and advocacy action to overcome emotional and ethical care challenges of access and choice using holistic assessment, communication, organisation of resources and empowering support for the self-determination of person-centred end-of-life goals. Recommendations are proposed from the theoretical concepts in the model. Testing the model in practice is recommended to gain the perceptions of a broader range of rural people both giving and receiving end-of-life-care. A model developed by gathering and comparing district nursing experiences and understanding using mixed methods and existing theory offers evidence for practice of a philosophy of successful person-centred advocacy care in a field of nursing that lacks specific

LEGAL PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES IN SLOVENIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vera Klopčič

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia mentions only Italian and Hungarian national minority and Roma community as holders of special collective minority rights. Special rights of the autochthonous Italian and Hungarian national minorities in Slovenia are defined in Article 64. Although data on the ethnic structure in Slovenia reflect more heterogeneous ethnic structure, members of other ethnic groups than Italian and Hungarian national communities and Roma community, at present, do not have the status of a national minority in the sense of collective holders of minority rights. In February 2018 the draft Act on the Implementation of Collective Cultural Rights of National Communities of the Nations of the Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Republic of Slovenia was prepared. The draft received a support within the National Parliament of the Republic of Slovenia for further consideration

Legal protection of informed consent of minors.

Science.gov (United States)

Osuna, Eduardo

2010-06-01

One of the pillars of healthcare provision is respect for the autonomy of the patient's wishes, which is given substance by the process of obtaining informed consent. Minors deserve special protection, entitled to basic rights and increasingly autonomous as they develop. In certain situations, minors are deemed matures and able to consent to treatment without the involvement of a parent or guardian. The assessment of competence would be based on the child's functional ability, not on age or outcome of the decision. This manuscript includes a brief analysis of legal perspectives on informed consent of minors, and minors' capacities to make medical decisions. Remaining questions of how to evaluate capacity and balance parental and minor autonomy are explored. Considerations on informed consent in different situations as refusing treatment and termination of pregnancy by female children are analyzed.

Modeling antecedents of electronic medical record system implementation success in low-resource setting hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Tilahun, Binyam; Fritz, Fleur

2015-08-01

With the increasing implementation of Electronic Medical Record Systems (EMR) in developing countries, there is a growing need to identify antecedents of EMR success to measure and predict the level of adoption before costly implementation. However, less evidence is available about EMR success in the context of low-resource setting implementations. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by examining the constructs and relationships of the widely used DeLone and MacLean (D&M) information system success model to determine whether it can be applied to measure EMR success in those settings. A quantitative cross sectional study design using self-administered questionnaires was used to collect data from 384 health professionals working in five governmental hospitals in Ethiopia. The hospitals use a comprehensive EMR system since three years. Descriptive and structural equation modeling methods were applied to describe and validate the extent of relationship of constructs and mediating effects. The findings of the structural equation modeling shows that system quality has significant influence on EMR use (β = 0.32, P quality has significant influence on EMR use (β = 0.44, P service quality has strong significant influence on EMR use (β = 0.36, P effect of EMR use on user satisfaction was not significant. Both EMR use and user satisfaction have significant influence on perceived net-benefit (β = 0.31, P mediating factor in the relationship between service quality and EMR use (P effect on perceived net-benefit of health professionals. EMR implementers and managers in developing countries are in urgent need of implementation models to design proper implementation strategies. In this study, the constructs and relationships depicted in the updated D&M model were found to be applicable to assess the success of EMR in low resource settings. Additionally, computer literacy was found to be a mediating factor in EMR use and user satisfaction of

The first draft genome of the aquatic model plant Lemna minor opens the route for future stress physiology research and biotechnological applications

OpenAIRE

Van Hoeck, Arne; Horemans, Nele; Monsieurs, Pieter; Cao, Hieu Xuan; Vandenhove, Hildegarde; Blust, Ronny

2015-01-01

Background: Freshwater duckweed, comprising the smallest, fastest growing and simplest macrophytes has various applications in agriculture, phytoremediation and energy production. Lemna minor, the so-called common duckweed, is a model system of these aquatic plants for ecotoxicological bioassays, genetic transformation tools and industrial applications. Given the ecotoxic relevance and high potential for biomass production, whole-genome information of this cosmopolitan duckweed is needed. Res...

The Willink Minority Commission and minority rights in Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Consequently, copious provisions to protect some basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Nigerians were enshrined in the independence constitution. This article examines the debates about minority rights in the work of the Willink Commission and the circumstances leading to the enactment of human rights ...

The American Geological Institute Minority Participation Program (MPP): Thirty Years of Improving Access to Opportunities in the Geosciences Through Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships for Underrepresented Minorities

Science.gov (United States)

Callahan, C. N.; Byerly, G. R.; Smith, M. J.

2001-05-01

Since 1971, the American Geological Institute (AGI) Minority Participation Program (MPP) has supported scholarships for underrepresented minorities in the geosciences at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Some of our MPP scholars have gone on to hugely successful careers in the geosciences. MPP scholars include corporate leaders, university professors, a NASA scientist-astronaut and a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER awardee. Yet as ethnic minorities continue to be underrepresented in the geosciences, AGI plans to expand its efforts beyond its traditional undergraduate and graduate scholarships to include diversity programs for secondary school geoscience teacher internships, undergraduate research travel support, and doctoral research fellowships. AGI promotes its MPP efforts primarily through its web pages, which are very successful in attracting visitors; through its publications, especially Geotimes; and through its Corporate Associates and Member Societies. Funding for the MPP has come from multiple sources over the past 30 years. Industry, non-profit organizations, and individuals have been the primary source of funding for graduate scholarships. The NSF has regularly funded the undergraduate scholarships. AGI Corporate Associates have contributed to both scholarship programs. The MPP Advisory Committee selects scholarship recipients based upon student academic performance, financial need, and potential for success as a geoscience professional. AGI currently has 29 MPP scholars, including 11 undergraduate and 18 graduate students. Undergraduate scholarships range from \\1000 to \\5000, with an average award of approximately \\2500. Graduate scholarships range from \\500 to \\4000, with an average award of approximately \\1300. In addition to financial assistance, every MPP scholar is assigned a professional geoscientist as a mentor. The mentor is responsible for regular personal contacts with MPP scholars, and with writing evaluation reports that

An Examination of the Impact of Minority Status Stress and Impostor Feelings on the Mental Health of Diverse Ethnic Minority College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Cokley, Kevin; McClain, Shannon; Enciso, Alicia; Martinez, Mercedes

2013-01-01

This study examined differences in minority status stress, impostor feelings, and mental health in a sample of 240 ethnic minority college students. African Americans reported higher minority status stress than Asian Americans and Latino/a Americans, whereas Asian Americans reported higher impostor feelings. Minority status stress and impostor…

Internalized Homophobia as a Partial Mediator between Homophobic Bullying and Self-Esteem among Sexual Minority Youths in Quebec (Canada)

Science.gov (United States)

Blais, Martin; Gervais, Jesse; Hébert, Martine

2016-01-01

Verbal/psychological homophobic bullying is widespread among sexual minority youths. Homophobic bullying has been associated with both high internalized homophobia and low self-esteem. The objectives were to document verbal/psychological homophobic bullying among sexual minority youths and to model the relationships between homophobic bullying, internalized homophobia and self-esteem. Method: A community sample of 300 sexual minority youths aged 14 to 22 years old was used. A structural equations model was tested using a nonlinear, robust estimator implemented in Mplus. The model postulated that homophobic bullying impacts self-esteem both directly and indirectly, via internalized homophobia. Results: 60.7% of the sample reported at least on form of verbal/psychological homophobic bullying. The model explained 29% of the variance of self-esteem, 19.6% of the variance of internalized homophobia and 5.3% of the verbal/psychological homophobic bullying. The model suggests that the relationship between verbal/psychological homophobic bullying and self-esteem is partially mediated by internalized homophobia. Conclusion: Our results underscore the importance of initiatives to prevent homophobic bullying in order to prevent its negative effects on well-being of sexual minority youths. PMID:24714888

Russian Minorities in the Former USSR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ángel Pérez González

2000-12-01

Full Text Available The end of the Soviet Empire has brought out the importance of the nationalities problem and the contradictory results produced by the various formulas applied since 1922 for resolving it. Two characteristics conditioned the evolution of this problem in the Soviet Union: the choice of a territorial model which would give a important role to the Empire’s non-Russian peoples; and the contradiction between the theoretical base established by Lenin and Stalin for solving the problem and actual practice, which followed traditional channels. The result was a new territorial structure endowed with the external elements characteristic of a state but cancelled out by the superiority of a party and by a policy ofprotecting minorities deliberately designed to make the new national entities nonviable. The lack of an adequately institutionalized state was at the root, of the virtual disappearance, after the collapse of the Communist Party, of links between the center and the periphery, a situation that nationalism, where it existed, exploited to gain powerand that governing minorities, meaningless outside the framework created by the USSR, exploited to stay in power. The result was none other than the appearance of new ethnically heterogeneous states with imprecise borders, bereft of the systems of interethnic equilibriumthe Soviet administration had created, and willing to consolidate their independence and identity at the expense of minorities such as the Russians, which have been discriminated against at times and excluded from political and cultural life at others. This phenomenonhas reduced the chances for the new states’ integration on an international level, placed a burden on the incipient democratic systems and made for tense relations with Russia.

Jogo da Minoria: um modelo baseado em agentes aplicado ao mercado financeiro Minority Game: an agent-based model applied to financial market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Fernando Crepaldi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Nos últimos anos houve uma contribuição significativa dos físicos para a construção de um tipo de modelo baseado em agentes que busca reproduzir, em simulação computacional, o comportamento do mercado financeiro. Esse modelo, chamado Jogo da Minoria consiste de um grupo de agentes que vão ao mercado comprar ou vender ativos. Eles tomam decisões com base em estratégias e, por meio delas, os agentes estabelecem um intrincado jogo de competição e coordenação pela distribuição da riqueza. O modelo tem demonstrado resultados bastante ricos e surpreendentes, tanto na dinâmica do sistema como na capacidade de reproduzir características estatísticas e comportamentais do mercado financeiro. Neste artigo, são apresentadas a estrutura e a dinâmica do Jogo da Minoria, bem como as contribuições recentes relacionadas ao Jogo da Minoria denominado de Grande Canônico, que é um modelo mais bem ajustado às características do mercado financeiro e reproduz as regularidades estatísticas do preço dos ativos chamadas fatos estilizados.Over the past ten years physicists have made a significant contribution to the building of an agent-based model to reproduce the behavior of financial markets using computer simulation. This model, called the Minority Game, consists of a group of agents that buy or sell assets. They make decisions based on strategies, and through them the agents establish an intricate game of competition and coordination resulting in the distribution of wealth. The model has shown outstanding surprising results concerning both the dynamics of the system and the ability to reproduce statistical and behavior characteristics of the financial market. In this study, the structure and dynamics of the Minority Game and the recent contributions related to the Grand Canonical Minority game, a model which is better adapted to the characteristics of the financial market and reproduce the statistical regularities of asset prices (called

The Importance of MS PHD'S and SEEDS Mentoring and Professional Development Programs in the Retenion of Underrepresented Minorities in STEM Fields

Science.gov (United States)

Strickland, J.; Johnson, A.; Williamson Whitney, V.; Ricciardi, L.

2012-12-01

According to a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences, underrepresented minority (URM) participation in STEM disciplines represents approximately one third of the URM population in the U.S. Thus, the proportion of URM in STEM disciplines would need to triple in order to reflect the demographic makeup in the U.S. Individual programs targeting the recruitment and retention of URM students in STEM have demonstrated that principles of mentoring, community building, networking, and professional skill development are crucial in encouraging URM students to remain in STEM disciplines thereby reducing this disparity in representation. However, to paraphrase an old African proverb, "it takes a village to nurture and develop a URM student entering into the STEM community." Through programs such as the Institute for Broadening Participation's Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success (MS PHD'S) Professional Development Program in Earth system science and the Ecological Society of America's Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS), URM students are successfully identifying and benefitting from meaningful opportunities to develop the professional skills and strategies needed to achieve their academic and career goals. Both programs share a philosophy of professional development, reciprocal mentoring, field trips, internships, employment, research partnerships, collaborations, fellowships, scholarships, grants, and professional meeting travel awards to support URM student retention in STEM. Both programs share a mission to bring more diversity and inclusivity into STEM fields. Both programs share a history of success at facilitating the preparation and advancement of URM students. This success has been documented with the multitude of URM students that have matriculated through the programs and are now actively engaged in the pursuit of advanced degrees in STEM or entering the STEM workforce. Anonymous surveys from

Synthesis of selective extractor for minor actinide elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jong Seung [Konyang University, Nonsan (Korea); Cho, Moon Hwan [Kangwon National University, Chunchon (Korea)

1998-04-01

To selectively co-separate the lanthanide and actinide elements (MA) such as Am or Cm ion from radioactive waste, synthesis of diamide derivatives has been accomplished. In addition, picoline amide derivatives were also synthesized for selectively separate the minor actinide elements from lanthanide elements. The content of research has don are as follows: (1) synthesis of diamide as co-extractant (2) introduction of n-tetradecyl to increase the lipophilicity (3) Picolyl chloride, intermediate of the final product, was synthesized by improved method rather than reported method. (4) The length of alkyl side chain was adjusted to increase the lipophilicity of free ligand and its derivatives able to selectively separate the actinide metal from lanthanide metal ions was successfully synthesized and determined their purity by analytical instruments. (author). 12 refs., 28 figs.

Duckweed (Lemna minor) as a Model Plant System for the Study of Human Microbial Pathogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yong; Hu, Yangbo; Yang, Baoyu; Ma, Fang; Lu, Pei; Li, Lamei; Wan, Chengsong; Rayner, Simon; Chen, Shiyun

2010-01-01

Background Plant infection models provide certain advantages over animal models in the study of pathogenesis. However, current plant models face some limitations, e.g., plant and pathogen cannot co-culture in a contained environment. Development of such a plant model is needed to better illustrate host-pathogen interactions. Methodology/Principal Findings We describe a novel model plant system for the study of human pathogenic bacterial infection on a large scale. This system was initiated by co-cultivation of axenic duckweed (Lemna minor) plants with pathogenic bacteria in 24-well polystyrene cell culture plate. Pathogenesis of bacteria to duckweed was demonstrated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus as two model pathogens. P. aeruginosa PAO1 caused severe detriment to duckweed as judged from inhibition to frond multiplication and chlorophyll formation. Using a GFP-marked PAO1 strain, we demonstrated that bacteria colonized on both fronds and roots and formed biofilms. Virulence of PAO1 to duckweed was attenuated in its quorum sensing (QS) mutants and in recombinant strains overexpressing the QS quenching enzymes. RN4220, a virulent strain of S. aureus, caused severe toxicity to duckweed while an avirulent strain showed little effect. Using this system for antimicrobial chemical selection, green tea polyphenols exhibited inhibitory activity against S. aureus virulence. This system was further confirmed to be effective as a pathogenesis model using a number of pathogenic bacterial species. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrate that duckweed can be used as a fast, inexpensive and reproducible model plant system for the study of host-pathogen interactions, could serve as an alternative choice for the study of some virulence factors, and could also potentially be used in large-scale screening for the discovery of antimicrobial chemicals. PMID:21049039

Duckweed (Lemna minor as a model plant system for the study of human microbial pathogenesis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Zhang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Plant infection models provide certain advantages over animal models in the study of pathogenesis. However, current plant models face some limitations, e.g., plant and pathogen cannot co-culture in a contained environment. Development of such a plant model is needed to better illustrate host-pathogen interactions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We describe a novel model plant system for the study of human pathogenic bacterial infection on a large scale. This system was initiated by co-cultivation of axenic duckweed (Lemna minor plants with pathogenic bacteria in 24-well polystyrene cell culture plate. Pathogenesis of bacteria to duckweed was demonstrated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus as two model pathogens. P. aeruginosa PAO1 caused severe detriment to duckweed as judged from inhibition to frond multiplication and chlorophyll formation. Using a GFP-marked PAO1 strain, we demonstrated that bacteria colonized on both fronds and roots and formed biofilms. Virulence of PAO1 to duckweed was attenuated in its quorum sensing (QS mutants and in recombinant strains overexpressing the QS quenching enzymes. RN4220, a virulent strain of S. aureus, caused severe toxicity to duckweed while an avirulent strain showed little effect. Using this system for antimicrobial chemical selection, green tea polyphenols exhibited inhibitory activity against S. aureus virulence. This system was further confirmed to be effective as a pathogenesis model using a number of pathogenic bacterial species. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results demonstrate that duckweed can be used as a fast, inexpensive and reproducible model plant system for the study of host-pathogen interactions, could serve as an alternative choice for the study of some virulence factors, and could also potentially be used in large-scale screening for the discovery of antimicrobial chemicals.

Medical students' learning orientation regarding interracial interactions affects preparedness to care for minority patients: a report from Medical Student CHANGES.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgess, Diana J; Burke, Sara E; Cunningham, Brooke A; Dovidio, John F; Hardeman, Rachel R; Hou, Yuefeng; Nelson, David B; Perry, Sylvia P; Phelan, Sean M; Yeazel, Mark W; van Ryn, Michelle

2016-09-29

There is a paucity of evidence on how to train medical students to provide equitable, high quality care to racial and ethnic minority patients. We test the hypothesis that medical schools' ability to foster a learning orientation toward interracial interactions (i.e., that students can improve their ability to successfully interact with people of another race and learn from their mistakes), will contribute to white medical students' readiness to care for racial minority patients. We then test the hypothesis that white medical students who perceive their medical school environment as supporting a learning orientation will benefit more from disparities training. Prospective observational study involving web-based questionnaires administered during first (2010) and last (2014) semesters of medical school to 2394 white medical students from a stratified, random sample of 49 U.S. medical schools. Analysis used data from students' last semester to build mixed effects hierarchical models in order to assess the effects of medical school interracial learning orientation, calculated at both the school and individual (student) level, on key dependent measures. School differences in learning orientation explained part of the school difference in readiness to care for minority patients. However, individual differences in learning orientation accounted for individual differences in readiness, even after controlling for school-level learning orientation. Individual differences in learning orientation significantly moderated the effect of disparities training on white students' readiness to care for minority patients. Specifically, white medical students who perceived a high level of learning orientation in their medical schools regarding interracial interactions benefited more from training to address disparities. Coursework aimed at reducing healthcare disparities and improving the care of racial minority patients was only effective when white medical students perceived their

Minorities and Women and Honors Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Maria Luisa Alvarez

1986-01-01

Although honors education can be a key to the liberation of women and minorities, both groups continue to be underrepresented, perhaps because bright women and minority students are uncomfortable displaying their talents and adding pressure in an already stressful situation. (MSE)

Young ethnic minorities in education