Perceptions of the Neighborhood Environment Associated With Walking at Recommended Intensity and Volume Levels in Recreational Senior Walkers

This study examined the relationship of perceived neighborhood environment factors with recommended volume and intensity of walking in recreational senior walkers. A sample of 85 seniors used an accelerometer and completed the ALPHA questionnaire. Binomial logistic regressions were conducted to detect associations. Perceptions about traffic safety (odds ratio [OR] = 4.395; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.024; 18.866) and pleasant environment (OR = 8.718; 95% CI = 1.803; 42.149) were positively related with the achievement of 10,000 steps per day, in older women. The perception of nearby parks was positively associated with the compliance with peak 30-minutes cadence above 100, in older men (OR = 14.353; CI 95% = 1.321; 15.591). No more significant associations were found between perceptions of the neighborhood environment and walking at recommended intensity and volume levels. These results indicated that community initiatives that encourage traffic safety, pleasant environment, and parks may be a promising direction to promote walking at recommended volume and intensity in senior walkers.     

Les déterminants des déplacements de la courbe de Beveridge (et de l'appariement sur le marché du travail)

Les auteurs s'interrogent sur les politiques et facteurs qui influent sur la correspondance entre offre et demande de travail. Ils repèrent d'abord les déplacements de la courbe de Beveridge dans douze pays de l'OCDE (2000–2013) – avec trois méthodes complémentaires – avant de les expliquer avec un modèle à variable dépendante limitée. L'analyse montre que la croissance de la population active et la législation protectrice de l'emploi facilitent l'appariement, à l'inverse des qualifications moyennes et du chômage de longue durée. De même, l'effet favorable des politiques actives (partage d'emploi, aide à l'entrepreneuriat) contraste avec un effet nettement défavorable des politiques passives (allocations chômage, imposition du travail).     

Élaboration et validation d'un questionnaire sur le travail décent

Les auteurs cherchent à élaborer un outil de mesure du travail décent reposant sur un questionnaire inédit axé sur les perceptions des travailleurs. Les items proposés se fondent sur les «éléments fondamentaux» du travail décent selon l'OIT. Une première version de soixante‐douze items est administrée sur deux grands échantillons au Portugal et au Brésil. Les analyses factorielles exploratoire et confirmatoire menées sur cette base permettent d'isoler sept facteurs spécifiques et un facteur global du travail décent. Avec de bons coefficients de fiabilité et une bonne validité convergente et discriminante, le questionnaire proposé ouvre la voie à de nouvelles études empiriques dans le domaine.     

Affect in Daily Career Decision Self‐Efficacy and Career Choice Anxiety

The authors investigated the impact of emotional intelligence on 2 career decision variables: daily career decision self‐efficacy and daily career choice anxiety. They also examined the mediating effects of daily positive affect on these variables. At baseline, 103 Korean undergraduate and graduate students completed questionnaires about emotional intelligence. Using a daily diary method, the authors also collected data on participants’ daily positive affect, daily career decision self‐efficacy, and daily career choice anxiety for 21 consecutive days. Hierarchical linear model analyses indicated that emotional intelligence predicted daily career decision self‐efficacy and daily career choice anxiety. These findings suggest that fostering emotional intelligence and daily positive affect could help students determine their future career. For individuals experiencing difficulty in the career decision process, counselors may foster career decision self‐efficacy and reduced career choice anxiety via enhancing clients’ emotional intelligence and daily positive affect.     

Constructing Action: An Analysis of the Roles of Third Sector Actors During the Implementation of the Dominican Republic’s Regularization Plan

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - This article explores the experiences of third sector development actors and the actions that they took during the...     

Donald Trump's discursive field: A juncture of stigma contests over race,gender, religion,and democracy

Donald Trump's election to the U.S. Presidency in 2016 qualifies as one of the more shocking events in American political history. This article reviews the literature on the social construction of Donald Trump's political career. It finds prominent ideological laminations over racism, Islamophobia, nativism, sexism, Christianity, and right‐wing populism in Trump's discursive field. This article argues that Trump's discursive field comprises a juncture of stigma contests over the moral worth of numerous collective identities including men, women, racial minorities, immigrants, Muslims, Christians, and the middle class. Such stigma contests likely exacerbate recognition gaps created by neoliberal policies. This review suggests that scholars should continue to examine the connection between Trump's political career and stigmatization. Moreover, cultural sociologists should ready themselves to track the dialectical response to Trump and to assess the lasting impact on the American normative order.     

Professional judgements and decisions on placement in foster care and reunification in Portugal

This study aims to analyse professional judgements and decisions made in the Portuguese child care system in face of a case vignette of child maltreatment. Using the approach proposed by Benbenishty et al. [(2015). Decision making in child protection: An international comparative study on maltreatment substantiation, risk assessment and interventions recommendations, and the role of professionals’ child welfare attitudes. Child Abuse & Neglect, 49, 63–75. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.03.015], we assessed the decisions of professionals, such as to place the child in foster care or reunify her with her family, on the basis of a series of judgements (e.g. substantiation of alleged abuse and neglect, risk assessments) that are influenced by the characteristics of the case, the decision-making context, and mother's and child's wishes. We conclude that there are different approaches to the case based on different professionals' attitudes that can be classified in two groups: one more pro-removal and the other anti-removal. These groups presented different risk assessments and intervention recommendations, and their decisions where significantly influenced by the mother's and child's wishes. Furthermore, we have done comparisons with studies made in other countries, concluding that the country context can be an important factor that leads to different outcomes. Implications for both practice and research are presented.     

Reference database of hematological parameters for growing and aging rats

The normal hematological values in various phases of the rat life provide a valuable guide to researchers and could be useful for experimental works. However, database information available on the literature are incomplete. Aim: This study aimed to present normal hematological parameters of young and aged rats.

Methods: Male and female rats were distributed into seven experimental groups with 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age. Blood samples taken from the tails were analyzed. Normal hematological values were determined for each age group.

Results: Rats showed a progressive weight gain with advancing age, predominantly after 3 months of life. With advancing age, differences were found on hematological parameters: some of them showed a progressive rise with age and others did not. Hemoglobin levels and hematocrit did not change while the number of circulating red blood cells suffered slight increase.

Conclusion: The present study determined the normal values for absolute and relative hematological parameters in Wistar rats from 2 to 24 months for male and female rats. The results can be used in studies of effects of aging, feeding, and medications on growing and aging rats.