This study explores the beliefs of middle class urban Hindus (MCUHs) about the meaning and purpose of the institution of heterosexual marriage. The intention was to develop a foundation for assessment tools valid for India’s population. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted in the homes of 32 MCUH in New Delhi who had been married for at least seven years. Qualitative methodology along with the constant comparison method was used to analyze the data. This sample conceived of marriage, both as a noun and a verb, differently than the theoretical models underlying Western assessment tools. To these MCUH, marriage is a sacred, inescapable, socially-sanctioned, developmental stage in which pragmatic collectivist rationales exclude romantic motives. Accordingly, the researchers found probes about marital “satisfaction” to be largely unfruitful. Some MCUH described minor changes driven by formal education, Western thinking, and technological development. Implications for family clinicians and future research are given.

This is a cautionary illustration of what errors may occur when marital concepts and assessment tools based on one culture are used to explore another. The Marital Satisfaction Inventory - Revised, largely standardized on Western populations, was administered to 88 male and female middle class urban Hindus (MCUH) residing in New Delhi, India. The inventory items were modified so that the questions asked the respondents to reply in terms of their beliefs about marital relationships. Subsequent exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses clearly demonstrated that the theoretical infrastructure of the MSI-R—its item content and sub-scales—was not at all a “good fit” for the data of these MCUH. These findings are discussed in terms of the challenges of cross-cultural social research and their shaping of all future work by the researchers. The ultimate goal is to produce a behavior actually shaped by other forces. The present study utilizes the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and discrete-time event history analysis to examine the influence of religious affiliation and attendance on ethnic remarriage differences. The findings suggest that Catholicism does not account for the lower rates of remarriage of Latinos compared to Whites and provide strong evidence for dispelling the previously untested but frequently assumed Catholic influence on ethnic differences in remarriage.Additionally, Evangelical Protestants, particularly men, appear the most likely to remarry. culturally relevant and valid Indian marital survey instrument for both clinical and academic use.

Treatment for type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1) decreases morbidity from hematological cytopenias, hepatosplenomegaly and bone complications. Consequently, untreated symptomatic patients for study of late outcomes are hard to find. We identified 184 untreated GD1 patients (67.4% Ashkenazi; splenectomy 51.1%) who died between 1950 and 2010. Here, we report confirmed causes of death for these patients compared with the overall US population. Median age of death 66years (2-97years); causes of death (COD) with a high proportional mortality rate (PMR) included malignancies (PMR 1.57), suicide/drug overdose (PMR 3.86), liver disease (PMR 4.76) and septicemia (PMR 9.22). PMRs for CNS/gastrointestinal bleeding, pulmonary hypertension, post-splenectomy complications and Parkinsonism were also increased. PMR for heart disease (0.33) was significantly decreased. Average age at death was normal for heart disease, septicemia, suicide, and malignancies but younger for liver disease and Parkinsonism. COD more prevalent in splenectomy patients included liver disease, septicemia, pulmonary hypertension and GI bleeding. With timely diagnosis, improved risk assessment and obsolescence of splenectomy, GD1-associated malignancies, liver disease, septicemia, pulmonary hypertension, suicide and drug dependency may decrease with early institution of appropriate treatment. Our population of untreated patients is a valuable historical control for studies of the effect of GD1 treatment on premature mortality.

Studies meant to allow “cross-cultural” comparisons may be fatally flawed by the concepts, instruments, and discoveries of one culture being applied uncritically to another (namely, “etic” errors; cf. current discussions and examples in Chand, 2008; Durrenberger and Erem, 2007). Moreover, studies of foster families often disregard the unique ecosystemic environments in which those families are embedded (Lee, 2008). Therefore, this paper describes an overarching family adaptation model meant to resolve the foregoing problems. Secondary analysis of data describing urban Egyptian foster families (Megahead, 2008; Megahead and Cesario, 2008) illustrates the application of this model and suggests its heuristic value: Use of this model and method will allow common understanding of commonalities and differences within and between cultures, while respecting the uniqueness of each. The Family Stress and Adaptation Model focuses on family adaptation as a function of family stressors interacting with family coping resources. Although the framework is thought to apply to all cultures involving families, the variables—adaptation, stressors, and resources—are defined and operationalized emically (that is, the cultural insider’s perspective determines what is to be considered, its nature, and size).

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between blood coagulation and fibrinolytic potential and physical activity. Physical activity levels to predict blood coagulation and fibrinolytic potential were also examined. Methods: Twenty-three pregnant women, aged 19-34 yrs, had a fasted blood draw between 6 and 10 a.m. analyzed for tPA antigen, tPA activity, PAI-1 antigen, and vWF antigen. Trimester specific volume of leisure time physical activity was assessed by the Modifiable Activity Questionnaire (MAQ) and converted to METmin/wk. Based on MAQ results, women were grouped as meeting (“active”) or not meeting (“sedentary”) physical activity recommendations established by American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Average daily step count was calculated from 2 week pedometer logs and women were categorized as “sedentary” (<5,000 steps/day) or “at least low active” (5,000+ steps/day) according to step count. Results: PAI-1 and tPA antigen were higher and tPA activity was lower during the 3 rd trimester of pregnancy versus 2 nd trimester. ANCOVA suggests gestational age produced an statistically significant model for predicting PAI-1, tPA activity, and tPA antigen, but not vWF; average METmin/wk and step count groupings did not produce a statistically significant model predicting PAI-1, tPA antigen, tPA activity, or vWF but approached statistical significance for tPA antigen (METmin/wk p = 0.073 and steps/day p = 0.057). METmin/wk predicted tPA antigen, during pregnancy, in a forward stepwise multiple regression. Linear regressions based on physical activity groups resulted in a significant y-intercept difference (p=0.047) for tPA antigen using

“Resiliency” is a synergistic collection of attributes of individuals and their families that allows them to (a) stand up to stress and (b) grow from it. Extension of this model to family businesses is inchoate. Resiliency is being explored as a stable characteristic of family functioning in its business. This variable also is expected to have an intuitive relationship to family business “sustainability”. Resiliency in family-run businesses is assessed by an on-line Q-sort wherein individuals involved in family-run businesses individually and/or collectively describe that business according to characteristics known to be associated with resilient family systems. Ongoing development requires a substantial number of participants across diverse family business settings. Such a growing sample will allow psychometric-based strengthening of the assessment device and useful comparisons within and between family business types: family involvement only; family as management team; new v. multi-generational family businesses; family-run businesses demonstrating diverse levels of stability, “growth”, and “success”.

Pensions are one of the largest and fastest growing costs facing cities. Contributions to these plans are expected to increase each year for the next 4-5 years unless the investment return for these plans is significantly higher than 8% for several years (Matkin, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of local government pensions with a particular focus on Florida Statutes Chapter 175 and 185 Pension Plans, which provide a funding source for certain firefighter and police officer retirement benefits through a tax on insurance premiums. More specifically, the paper summarizes the evolution of pension plans in the United States and the notable legislative changes, Attorney General Opinions, and court cases pertaining to these Florida Chapter 175 and 185 Plans. The reader will draw some correlations between this history and the growing cost of funding these plans. From the research conducted, it's clear that local pensions are a relatively new benefit (mid-19th century) and the cost of providing Florida Chapter 175 and 185 pensions are increasing exponentially due to state legislative mandates that require any increases in premium tax revenues be used exclusively for "extra benefits" rather than to ensure a sustainable pension fund to pay the benefits obligated under these plans. Risky investment experiences and unrealistic actuarial assumptions have added to this condition. The above is evidenced by the historical decrease in the funding ratios of the 32 Chapter 175 and 185 pension funds of the 20 Florida cities that were sampled for this paper.

The professional practice of marriage and family therapy (MFT) scholarship is regulated at the master's level in the United States. Consequently, contemporary curricular issues have largely been focused on what is to be achieved within the master's degree, with an emphasis on clinical practice. We consider here what value may and should be added through the doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy. Doctoral programs are the developmental stage wherein we should seek to transmit the specialized knowledge and skills germane to MFT scholarship and practice in diverse settings, e.g., clinical and research intensive university, family law, health care, child development and education, child welfare, juvenile justice, faith based, and business. However, underlying this specialty education are three transcendental goals: sophistication of family systems scholarship, socialization into the profession of MFT, and cultivation of professional maturity.

Foster parents of Sudanese refugee adolescents were both gratified and frustrated by their desires to nurture, successfully parent, and socially interact and experience cultural differences with the youths. These parents coped with challenges with the help of God, family, peers and self-talk. Commitment to their wards typically was lifelong.

Foster parents of Sudanese refugee adolescents were both gratified and frustrated by their desires to nurture, successfully parent, and socially interact and experience cultural differences with the youths. These parents coped with challenges with the help of God, family, peers and self-talk. Commitment to their wards typically was lifelong.

Foster care places children at high risk for immediate and long-term psycho-social-educational problems. A therapeutic “cocktail”—transitional group therapy (TGT)—has been developed as an inoculation for first-time foster children in order to inhibit these undesirable effects. TGT combines best practices culled from diverse therapeutic approaches to foster children. Psychoeducational and play therapeutic interventions are included in a group therapy context. This combination focuses on the immediate experiences of these children while cultivating the bases of personal resiliency. In this pilot study, 11 first-placement foster children, ages 6 to 11 years, demonstrated desirable changes in prosocial behavior and orientation toward peers, family, and schools. TGT is worth further exploration as a “shot in the arm” to boost resiliency in first-placement foster children.

OBJECTIVE:To determine the visual, spatial, and/or statistical relationships between food availability/dietary patterns and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). METHODS:CVD mortality rates and diet information (the number of kilocalories and amount of alcohol, fats, fish, fruits, meats, sugars, and vegetables available per person daily) were obtained from internationally available databases. The analyses included 32 LAC countries with sufficient data (15 of 47 had been excluded for incomplete data). Pearson's correlations (r) were used to determine relationships between diet and CVD mortality, and multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of mortality. ArcGIS version 9.2 (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., Redlands, California, United States) was used to construct maps to explore visual relationships between CVD and diet. RESULTS:No relationships were found between CVD and alcohol, fruit, meat, sugar, or vegetable intake. Statistically significant, positive correlations were found between oil-crops (r = 0.680, P = 0.000) and fish and seafood (r = 0.411, P = 0.019) and CVD mortality. Regression analysis revealed that high kilocalorie availability was a predictor of low CVD mortality (P = 0.020). High oil-crop availability was a predictor of high CVD mortality (P = 0.000). Maps constructed show visual relationships between availability of fish and seafood, kilocalories, and oil-crops, and CVD mortality. CONCLUSIONS:Fish and seafood, kilocalorie, and oil-crop availability appear to be related to CVD mortality, but further investigation is needed. Associations between diet and CVD mortality create the opportunity to target specific countries for nutrition education and CVD prevention programs.

This manuscript will compare, research, and comment on how work education experts and practitioners conduct research and evaluations of learning models in today’s modern society. It will measure how valid these practices are and how work education assessment tools are used to determine if learning is taking place. This paper will compare the different paradigms of learning between teaching adults vice teaching children, and give a historical perspective of how these paradigms were developed and modified over the years. The question on whether any of this research is considered useful and valid by educational practitioners will be debated and what experts in the field of work education have determined is worthwhile and should be pursued further. Kirkpatrick’s fourth level of assessment will be introduced as a possible assessment model for evaluation work education research and evaluation. In conclusion the author will give his opinion and suggestions for improving work education research and evaluation methods. Online Journal of Workforce Education and Development Volume III, Issue 2 – Summer 2008 3 Introduction In today’s society where everyone communicates globally in a matter of seconds, where technology changes in a matter of seconds, and industry requirements for trained workers changes almost as quickly, research has and is being done to determine the best way to teach work education, especially to adult learners. Andragogy, the art of teaching adults (MerriamWebster, 2002) focuses on different learning styles used when teaching adults to be successful in today’s workforce and the constant technological changes that forces industry to determine what training requirements are needed to be competitive and successful in today’s global economy. One problem that researchers have found is when teaching adults we fall back on the pedagogical method, the art of teaching children (Merriam-Webster, 2002) when trying to determine the right paradigm or model to teach adult learners. It is very important to teach adults in a manner that addresses their needs and expectations. Malcolm Knowles (1990) is the theorist who brought the concept of adult learning to the forefront of developing adult learning models. He argued that adulthood has arrived when people behave in adult ways, believe they are adults, and should be treated as adults. He taught that adult learning was special in a number of ways. He felt that adult learners bring a great deal of experience to the learning environment and should be considered a resource. He also stated that adult learners believe they should have a high degree of influence on what they learn, have active participation in that learning, and see applications for the learning. Adults also have high expectations on how their training is evaluated and, want feedback on these evaluations, and want to see how responses to feedback given on their training are acted upon. “By adulthood people are self-directing. This is the concept that a lie in the heart of andragogy...andragogy is therefore student-centered, experience based, problem orientated and collaborative” (Burns, 1995, p. 16-17). These observations on how adults learn should be foremost in the researcher’s strategy on how their research in work education models used today or are being developed for the future should be studied. One of the main issues that concern industry and business today is workplace literacy. Companies are developing “workplace basic skills programs to address this issue...because this field is still evolving, research on different instruments used in these workplace skills programs is sketchy” (Taylor, 2008, p. 1-3). The impact of adult literacy in the Canadian and American workforce has become increasingly visible and the gap between demands and desired skills is growing (Taylor, 2008). The question arises “what are workplace literacy requirements? Hull and Sechler (1987) examined the nature and extent of adult literacy needs in several major U.S. Corporations. They discovered with the help of company managers, instructors and union trainers the skills needed to enter and progress on the job could be classified into five major categories: mathematics, reading, and writing, listening and speaking. (Taylor 2008). This seems like common sense to me, but since our schools can’t seem to produce students that are entering the workforce that master these subject, research on “why” is definitely called for. Basic workplace research conducted by the American Society for Training and Development by the U.S. Department of Labor also examined the skills needed in the workplace. More recent employer complaints have focused on serious deficiencies in areas that focus on problem solving, personal and interpersonal skills. “These researchers developed a framework to study seven skill groups that include learning to learn, the 3 R’s, communication, creative thinking, teamwork and leadership” (Carnevale, Gainer & Meltzer, 1988, p. 1). These authors propose that this framework is a prescription for a well rounded worker. Online Journal of Workforce Education and Development Volume III, Issue 2 – Summer 2008 4 These seven skill groups are important as they lead directly into research and evaluation of workforce readiness. “Current economics and challenges in the competing global market have necessitated the rethinking of American corporations in utilizing their people...management now recognizes a need for workers to take on more responsibility in...production, sales and service” (O’Neil & Baker, 1992, p. 2). The authors also documented a fourteen step readiness and assessment methodology table that will measure workforce readiness competencies, and prototypes to measure these competencies. One of the measurement tools they employ was developed by U.S. Secretary of Labor called SCANS. This stands for The Secretary’s Commission on Necessary Skills and it was commissioned in 1991. The Commission based its discussions and meetings with business owners, public employers, workers, supervisors, union leaders, plants and stores. The SCANS Commission developed a table that investigated five major competencies to measure workforce readiness competencies (SCANS, 1991). They investigated resources, interpersonal skills, how workers acquire information, how different systems are understood by workers, and use of technology. Before we continue on and try to evaluate and assess research methods in work education, it is imperative to have a solid benchmark to measure what is known. Many educators and researchers have spent years trying to determine how effective the different research and evaluation methods are. The 106 Congress had a hearing titled Federal Education and Evaluation Efforts (Wigdor, 1999) to study the efforts of the Commission of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education Research Council on Education and the Workforce. The main emphasis of the report concerns how people learn and the research methods used to determine there conclusions. For decades we have debated whether schools need to be teaching facts, or they need to focus on big ideas. The ability to plan a task, notice pattern, generate reasonable arguments are more closely intertwined with factual knowledge than was once believed. At the same time, the key to making factual useable knowledge is the mastery of concepts. Further on in the report the author states all this research that is ongoing to how people learn in work education is not listened to by many educators and the influence of this research has gone largely unnoticed. The concern of researchers for the scientific validity of their findings often differs from the focus of educators on the applicability in real classroom settings. Some questions that will be addressed in this manuscript will focus on what type of research and evaluation works and will actually be adopted by educators. Is large scale and sharply designed programs of research, demonstration, and evaluation the answer? Or is a new research model that incorporates strict research models and flexible evaluation techniques combined the best path to follow? What type of assessment methods will be used to evaluate the research data obtained, and how will these assessment matrices be welcome by educators as valid and reliable. This papers approach to research, evaluation and assessment of work education will focus on four main themes; (a) History, (b) recent and current models in use today, (c) which models and studies are considered successful, (d) and conclusion and recommendations including a graphic of a workable research model. Before continuing, the definition of evaluation and research will be explained. Michael Scrivan, one of the founders of evaluation, recently noted that there are nearly sixty different terms for evaluation that apply to one context or another. These include adjudge, appraise, analyze, assess, critique, grade, inspect, judge, rate, review, score, study, test and so on (cited in Patton, 2000). While these terms may appear confusing, Scrivan (cited in Patton, 2000) notes that the term evaluation “reflects not only the immense importance of the process of evaluation Online Journal of Workforce Education and Development Volume III, Issue 2 – Summer 2008 5 in practical life” (p. 7). Early in the development of the field (Scriven 1967) defined evaluation as judging the worth of something. Fitzpatrick, Sanders, and Worthen (2004) believe evaluation uses inquiry methods to determine standards for judging quality, collecting relevant information, and applying the standards to determine quality, utility, effectiveness, and significance. Another question that needs to be explored is the difference between evaluation and research. Worthern and Sanders (1973) theorized “research itself varies across a wide spectrum, from basic research...which sometimes resembles evaluation in being applied to solve educational, and private sector probl

The theory of ambiguous loss is useful in understanding the experiences and challenges of the foster care system. Its indications are illustrated with foster children's perceptions and stories. These include semi-structured interviews with 23 foster children aged 7 to 12 years, and stories provided by 182 foster children, aged 2 years to 10, to the Blacky Pictures. The pervasive presence of ambiguous loss in the stories of these foster children illustrates that many behavioral indicators of cognitive and emotional discomfort in foster children are normative and that our interventions with them and their institutionalized caretakers could be effectively guided by this knowledge.

The present study examined the effects of domestic cooking methods on the hydrophilic antioxidant activity (HAA) of wild blueberries. Baked, microwaved, simmered, and pan-fried frozen wild blueberries, and a thawed uncooked control, were analyzed for HAA using an ABTS/H(2)O(2)/HRP decoloration method. All cooking treatments were derived from recipes using wild blueberries, and were performed in triplicate. A randomized block design was used to determine whether there were statistical differences in antioxidant content after cooking and between each of the trials. There were no statistically significant decreases after cooking the thawed berries. On both a fresh weight and a dry weight basis, pan-fried blueberries had significantly higher HAA than baked, simmered, and control blueberries (P<0.05). Antioxidants in wild blueberries appear to be heat stable since cooked berries retained significant HAA. Cooked wild blueberries can be recommended as a good source of dietary antioxidants.

The first indication that man was present in Canada well before the final retreat of glacial ice was found at the village of Sheguiandah, on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, in the early 1950s. This paper summarizes the relevant evidence and arguments. The key deposits are two thin layers of diamicton toward the top of the glacial sequence, immediately below a post-glacial level characterized by Paleo-lndian projectile points. The unsorted mixtures of clay, sand and stones contain undisputed quartzite artifacts. These diamictons are considered to be till; alternatives, such as mixing by frost action and mud flows, do not explain their origin. The means by which the artifacts survived the Laurentide glaciation are suggested by the orientation and dip of the pebbles. Apparently diverted from its normal direction of flow by a tough quartzite knob, the ice lacked much erosive power at this point, only transporting the artifacts from one part of the site to another. Geological interpretation indicates that man made the artifacts now found in the tills during Early Wisconsinan interstadials. Other evidence, in the form of prehistoric quarries, pollen analyses and radiocarbon dating, supports the published age estimate of more than 30,000 years BP.