Employed Rural,Low-Income,Single Mothers’ Family and Work Over Time

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine how low-income, single mothers manage their family and work lives. Analysis was based on longitudinal data collected from 28 rural, low-income, single mothers across 11 states who were continuously employed over three waves. Four main themes were identified: demands from family and work, resources the mothers used to maintain employment, work-family conflict, and strategies to retain employment. This study concludes that despite all the difficulties, mothers try to utilize their limited resources and adopt strategies for combining family and work life even though their demands and resources vary over time. Mothers employed in the same jobs receive consistent support from families. Implications for child care and leave policies are discussed.     

Actual Versus Perceived Generational Differences in the Preferred Working Context: An Empirical Study

ABSTRACT

This study extends generational research by delineating actual versus perceived cohort differences through a theoretically grounded model using the Social Identity Approach (SIA). Subjects rated how much they valued 15 workplace characteristics and then provided value ratings for generational cohorts based on their perceptions of said cohorts. This allowed for the determination of actual and perceived cohort differences by characteristics. Results revealed actual cohort value differences across seven characteristics; however, perceived differences exceeded actual ones. Post-hoc, an examination of cohort values by characteristics revealed generational identities and the presence of prototypical distancing between cohort in groups and out groups.     

Simple and effective number-of-bins circumference selectors for a histogram

Two very effective data-based procedures which are simple and fast to compute are proposed for selecting the number of bins in a histogram. The idea is to choose the number of bins that minimizes the circumference (or a bootstrap estimate of the expected circumference) of the frequency histogram. Contrary to most rules derived in the literature, our method is therefore not dependent on precise asymptotic analyses. It is shown by means of an extensive Monte-Carlo study that our selectors perform well in comparison with recently suggested selectors in the literature, for a wide range of density functions and sample sizes. The behaviour of one of the proposed rules is also illustrated on real data sets.     

Analysis of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Maternal Cohort Study: Evidence for Direct Maternal Transmission

In an initial exploratory analysis of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) maternal cohort study data we demonstrate several confounding effects in the study design. Given these effects, we assess a variety of statistical models to determine the relative contributions of direct maternal transmission of the aetiological agent of BSE and of genetic susceptibility to the observed maternally enhanced risk of BSE in the offspring of affected dams. To control for the substantial between-herd variation in the risk of exposure to the BSE agent, it is essential that analyses take into account the matched pair structure of the data. Maternal exposure is estimated to be most important in animals born within 150 days of disease onset in their dams. The analysis of a full survival likelihood model indicates that the hypothesis of maternal transmission with no genetic variation in susceptibility fits the data significantly better than the hypothesis of genetically variable susceptibility with no maternal transmission. However, models incorporating both maternal transmission and genetically variable susceptibility fit the data significantly better than pure maternal transmission models. Although genetic susceptibility cannot be excluded as the cause of the cohort study results in the absence of detailed genotyping, the analysis of these study data suggest that low level maternal transmission of BSE is, at least in part, responsible for the significantly enhanced risk of BSE in the offspring of affected dams. Similar results indicating significant maternal transmission in the later stages of the dam incubation period are obtained from the independent analysis of data on the dam–offspring relationships among confirmed BSE cases.     

Bimodality based on the generalized skew-normal distribution

This paper focuses on the development of a new extension of the generalized skew-normal distribution introduced in Gómez et al. [Generalized skew-normal models: properties and inference. Statistics. 2006;40(6):495–505]. To produce the generalization a new parameter is introduced, the signal of which has the flexibility of yielding unimodal as well as bimodal distributions. We study its properties, derive a stochastic representation and state some expressions that facilitate moments derivation. Maximum likelihood is implemented via the EM algorithm which is based on the stochastic representation derived. We show that the Fisher information matrix is singular and discuss ways of getting round this problem. An illustration using real data reveals that the model can capture well special data features such as bimodality and asymmetry.     

Further Results on Order Statistics Generated by Two Simulation Methods

Uniform order statistics generated by two simulation methods are compared by means of Pitman’s measure of closeness. This measure, as a probability, is shown to be asymptotically 1/2. Some results are also established for fixed points of the cumulative distribution function (CDF) for a uniform order statistic. These fixed points are important for calculations involving the joint distribution of these order statistics.     

Community exercise program for older adults recovering from hip fracture: a pilot study

Community-based rehabilitative exercise programs might be an effective means to improve functional outcomes for hip-fracture patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a community exercise program (CEP) for older adults recovering from hip fracture. Twenty-five older adults (mean age 80.0 +/- 6.0 years; 24 women; 71 +/- 23 days post-hip fracture) participated in this pilot study (17 exercise, 8 control). The CEP involved functional stepping and lower extremity-strengthening exercises. Control participants received only standard outpatient therapy. Measures of functional mobility, balance confidence, falls efficacy, lower extremity strength, and daily physical activity were evaluated at baseline and at 16 weeks. Improvements for self-reported physical activity, mobility, balance, and knee-extensor strength were observed for the CEP group. This study demonstrated that a CEP is beneficial for community-dwelling older adults post-hip fracture.     

Occupational rehabilitation services provided by a community workers health centre in Hong Kong: a case study

Ergonomics is commonly known as "the scientific study of human work" [14, p. 3] and "the application of scientific information concerning human beings to the design of objects, systems, and environments" (p. 4). The American Occupational Therapy Association defines occupational therapy as "skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence in all facets of their lives. It gives people the 'skills for the job of living' necessary for independent and satisfying lives [1]." Both professions share common backgrounds. Occupational therapy has been involved in health care and ergonomics is looking for its place in the health care field.