Five-year Longitudinal Study Research Articles

Spirometric variability in smokers: transitions in COPD diagnosis in a five-year longitudinal study.

BackgroundSpirometrically-defined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is considered progressive but its natural history is inadequately studied. We hypothesized that spirometrically-defined COPD states could undergo beneficial transitions.MethodsParticipants in the Lovelace Smokers’ Cohort (n = 1553), primarily women, were longitudinally studied over 5 years. Spirometric states included normal postbronchodilator spirometry, COPD Stage I, Unclassified state, and COPD Stage II+, as defined by GOLD guidelines. Beneficial transitions included either a decrease in disease severity, including resolution of spirometric abnormality, or maintenance of non-diseased state. ‘All smokers’ (n = 1553) and subgroups with normal and abnormal spirometry at baseline (n = 956 and 597 respectively) were separately analyzed. Markov-like model of transition probabilities over an average follow-up period of 5 years were calculated.ResultsAmong ‘all smokers’, COPD Stage I, Unclassified, and COPD Stage II+ states were associated with probabilities of 16, 39, and 22 % respectively for beneficial transitions, and of 16, 35, and 4 % respectively for resolution. Beneficial transitions were more common for new-onset disease than for pre-existing disease (p < 0.001). Beneficial transitions were less common among older smokers, men, or those with bronchial hyperresponsiveness but more common among Hispanics and smokers with excess weight.ConclusionsThis observational study of ever smokers, shows that spirometrically-defined COPD states, may not be uniformly progressive and can improve or resolve over time. The implication of these findings is that the spirometric diagnosis of COPD can be unstable. Furthermore, COPD may have a pre-disease state when interventions might help reverse or change its natural history.Trial registrationNA.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12931-016-0468-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Beyond return to work from sickness absence due to mental disorders: 5-year longitudinal study of employment status among production workers.

Background: Mental disorders are increasing and account for one-third of all disability benefits in OECD countries. This study investigated the work status after mental sickness absence (SA). Methods : Five-year longitudinal cohort study of 6678 male production workers. Work status, work schedule and work hours/week were retrieved from employer records in five years following RTW from mental SA. Longitudinal analysis was done with linear and logistic generalized estimating equations estimating relative risks (RRs) and odds ratios (ORs), respectively, controlled for age, marital status and occupational grade. Results : In total, 4613 (69%) workers had complete data and were included in the analyses; 552 of them had experienced mental SA. In the years following mental SA, 102 (18%) workers left employment compared to 384 (9%) workers without mental SA. In the first year after mental SA, workers left employment at their own request and in later years they were dismissed because of poor work functioning. After mental SA, workers more often (RR = 2.93; 95% CI 1.83–4.03) reduced their work hours/week than those without mental SA, whereas the odds of changing work schedule did not differ between them (OR = 1.02; 95% CI 0.84–1.24). Conclusions : After mental SA, workers left employment or reduced work hours/week more often than those without mental SA. The results suggest that changes in employment status are more common after SA caused by mental disorders as compared with somatic disorders.

Introduction to Special National Longitudinal Surveys Issue

ThisspecialissueoftheJournalofMarriageand Family celebrates 50 years of the National Longitudinal Surveys. In 1964, Professor Herbert Parnes wrote a proposal for a five-year longitudinal study to interview men approaching retirement age to describe their employment patterns as they neared the completion of their careers and to ascertain their plans for retirement. Thus began the first U.S. National Longitudinal Survey (NLS): the NLS Cohort of Older Men. The first interview took place on April 11, 1966, and in the 50 years since, seven different longitudinal surveys that make up the National Longitudinal Surveys have collectively interviewed close to 54,000 respondents with approximately 730,000 interviews.The NLS Older Men's cohort consisted of 5,020 men born between 1906 and 1921 who were between ages 45 and 59 and living in the United States when first interviewed in 1966. They were therefore born during a span of years when the first traffic light was introduced into the United States and average life expectancy for men was around 48 years, and it was a time of new innovations with expanding railways and early airplanes. These men ended up being interviewed 13 times during the next 24 years rather than 5, with a final interview occurring in 1990 when they were 71 to 83 years old.In the following year, 1967, a sample of 5,083 Mature Women born between 1922 and 1937 was drawn to study the return of women to the labor force as their children grew up and to investigate how women balanced the roles of homemaker, mother, and labor force participant. These women were born during a 15-year span when the Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced in the U.S. Senate, sliced bread was launched, Wall Street crashed, the Mickey Mouse comic strip debuted, and the Empire State Building opened in New York City. A total of 22 surveys were undertaken with these women, with their first interview at ages 30 to 44 and their last interview in 2003 at ages 63 to 77.Two cohorts of younger people were also initiated around the same time. Started in 1966 was the Young Men's cohort, which consisted of 5,225 males born between 1941 and 1952 who were ages 14 to 24 when first interviewed. This was a sample intended to chronicle the employment patterns of men transitioning from school and making initial career and job decisions that would impact their employment in the decades to follow. Twelve interviews were conducted between 1966 and 1981 when the study ended. Originated 2 years later in 1968 was the Young Women's cohort, which was made up of 5,159 females also ages 14 to 24 as they were completing school, making career and job decisions, and starting families. Twenty-two interviews were undertaken with this cohort, which ended in 2003. To place them in historical context, members of these two cohorts were born during years when M&Ms and slinky toys were created, Mount Rushmore was completed, Korea was divided into North and South, the United Nations and UNICEF were founded, Polaroid cameras were invented, the State of Israel was founded, the first organ transplant was undertaken, and color television was introduced. We hope that we may be able to reinterview members of both of these younger cohorts in the future.Then there are the three cohorts that are still ongoing. The first is the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79), which comprised a sample of 12,686 men and women born between 1957 and 1964 who were selected to replicate the NLS of Young Women and Young Men cohorts and designed to help researchers and policy makers evaluate the expanded employment and training programs for youths legislated by the 1977 amendments to the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act. These late baby boomers were born during the years when Alaska and Hawaii became the final two U.S. states admitted to the union, hula hoops became a national fad, and John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.Originally there were oversamples of Blacks, Hispanics, poor Whites, and military youth in the NLSY79, although most military oversample cases and the economically disadvantaged non-Black, non-Hispanic oversample had to be dropped later on due to a lack of funds. …

Five-year outpatient programme that provided children with continuous behavioural obesity treatment enjoyed high success rate.

Results from long-time follow-up of obesity treatment in early childhood are lacking. We investigate long-term continuous behavioural childhood obesity treatment and factors of importance for treatment effect. A five-year longitudinal retrospective controlled study of children aged five to 13 years in obesity treatment, divided into three groups depending on age at start of treatment. Outcome is presented as change in degree of obesity, body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS), change in weight status and decrease of ≥0.5 BMI SDS units, in relation to a age-matched obese comparison group. In total, 220 children (46% females) were included. After five years of treatment, the decrease in BMI SDS was significant in all age groups with the largest effect in age group 4-6 years. Compared to the comparison group (n = 369), the decline in BMI SDS was greater (p = 0.001). After five years of treatment, 48% of the patients were cured from their obesity and 72% reached a decline of 0.5 BMI SDS units. Age at start of treatment was the only factor affecting treatment efficacy. The ability to reach a significant weight loss in a paediatric outpatient clinic is promising through a long-term behavioural obesity treatment.

Predicting psychotherapy outcome based on therapist interpersonal skills: A five-year longitudinal study of a therapist assessment protocol

Objective: In the past decade, variation in outcomes between therapists (i.e., therapist effects) have become increasingly recognized as an important factor in psychotherapy. Less is known, however, about what accounts for differences between therapists. The present study investigates the possibility that therapists' basic therapy-related interpersonal skills may impact outcomes. Method: To examine this, psychotherapy postgraduate trainees completed both an observer- and an expert-rated behavioral assessment: the Therapy-Related Interpersonal Behaviors (TRIB). TRIB scores were used to predict trainees' outcomes over the course of the subsequent five years. Results: Results indicate that trainees' with more positively rated interpersonal behaviors assessed in the observer-rated group format but not in a single expert-rated format showed superior outcomes over the five-year period. This effect remained controlling for therapist characteristics (therapist gender, theoretical orientation [cognitive behavioral or psychodynamic], amount of supervision, patient's order within therapist's caseload), and patient characteristics (patient age, gender, number of comorbid diagnoses, global severity, and personality disorder diagnosis). Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of therapists' interpersonal skills as a predictor of outcome and source of therapist effects. The potential utility of assessing therapists' and therapists-in-training interpersonal skills are discussed.

Psycho-social activity factors associated with self-rated health among community-dwelling elderly people A five-year longitudinal study.

This longitudinal study examined psychological and social activity factors related to poor self-rated health (SRH) in community-dwelling elderly people. The general health of 7,413 elderly individuals aged 65 years and over in Toon City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan was surveyed. We followed 4,372 participants, over a five-year period, after excluding those who were aged 85 years and over, had a disability, had moved away, or had died. The data from 3,358 respondents (response rate: 76.8%) were analyzed. We divided the patients into two groups based on their SRH responses: healthy, including those who answered "excellent" or "good," and unhealthy, including those who answered "not good" or "poor." We examined changes in SRH for both groups between the first survey and the survey conducted after five years. Among the healthy subjects at the first survey, we analyzed the relationship between SRH, after five years, and psycho-social activity factors using a logistic regression analysis. These factors included physical and social competence, life satisfaction, and tendency towards dementia and/or depression. SRH of both men and women significantly declined over five years. The percentage of men and women, who maintained SRH as healthy, after the 5-year follow-up period, was approximately 60% in those aged 65-74 years and 40% in those aged 75-84 years. In those aged 65-74 years, the odds ratio (OR) for a SRH of unhealthy (after five years), associated with Life Satisfaction Index-K (LSI-K) scores (at the first survey), was significantly lower at 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77-0.93) for men and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.72-0.87) for women. The OR of tendency toward depression was significantly higher at 1.68 (95% CI: 1.11-2.56) for women only. In those aged 75-84 years, the OR for a SRH of unhealthy (after five years), associated with LSI-K scores (at the first survey), was significantly lower at 0.87 (95% CI: 0.77-1.00) for men and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.80-0.99) for women. The OR for higher Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology scores was significantly lower at 0.80 (95% CI: 0.70-0.91) for men and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.80-0.97) for women. This study shows that it is necessary to increase life satisfaction for preventing a decline in SRH in community-dwelling elderly. It also shows that preventing depression in elderly women under the age of 75 years and maintaining physical and social competence in both elderly men and women aged 75-84 years are important for maintaining the SRH status.

G.P.392 - Five-year longitudinal UC Davis CINRG Duchenne Natural History Study (DNHS) data show mobility-focused POSNA PODCI items are sensitive to 12-month disease progression across all stages of DMD functional ability

G.P.392 - Five-year longitudinal UC Davis CINRG Duchenne Natural History Study (DNHS) data show mobility-focused POSNA PODCI items are sensitive to 12-month disease progression across all stages of DMD functional ability

Who Aspires to a Science Career? A comparison of survey responses from primary and secondary school students

There is broad international agreement about the importance of increasing participation in science once it is no longer compulsory in school, particularly among groups who have been historically underrepresented in science. Previous research reflects that despite broadly positive attitudes to science in and outside of school, there is limited translation of these attitudes into later aspirations and participation in science. The ASPIRES project, a five-year longitudinal study, has sought to understand students’ science and career aspirations between the ages of 10 and 14 and to identify factors that contribute to, or hinder, the development of aspirations in science. Utilising data from two cross-sectional surveys conducted with students in their last year of primary school (9300 students) and in their third year of secondary school (4,600 students), we explore who is most likely to hold science aspirations and what factors seem to be connected to those aspirations at both time points. Descriptive, multivariate and multilevel modelling analyses of the data reflect consistency in who holds science aspirations, as well as highlighting that the factors connected to these aspirations—attitudes to school science and parental attitudes—are similar at both times. However, for many students, positive attitudes to school science and positive parental attitudes to science are not translating into children wanting a career in science. We suggest that differences in ‘science capital’ may help explain this persistent gap.

The effect of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and adjustable gastric banding on renal function and remission of metabolic disease: a five-year longitudinal study

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

Human γδ T cells: diverse orchestrators of the host response to influenza infection. (VIR5P.1145)

Abstract While often mild, influenza infection can occasionally progress to severe disease and even death. It is recognized that disease progression and outcome is often worse in the young and the old; however, the reason infection progresses in some individuals and not others is still unclear. Previous findings, reported by our laboratory, from a five-year longitudinal human study have shown that a definable inflammatory cytokine signature correlates with poor clinical outcome. Moreover, we have shown that this cytokine profile correlates with inflammatory monocyte numbers. Here we show a correlation between γδ T cell numbers and inflammatory monocyte numbers during infection within this clinical cohort. Further, we show that a subset of peripheral γδ T cells exhibit a surprisingly high T cell receptor (TCR) variable region gene diversity in infected individuals. Additionally, the CDR3 TCR sequences of this cellular subset show very high diversity, while retaining repetitive VJ gene junction-determined conserved motifs. The data presented here suggest that human peripheral γδ T cells are a more diverse cellular population than previously realized and are capable of playing a pivotal role in influencing the local immune environment during influenza infection with the potential to effect long-term outcome.

Changes in serum and urine SAA concentrations and qualitative and quantitative proteinuria in Abyssinian cats with familial amyloidosis: a five-year longitudinal study (2009-2014).

BackgroundDiagnosis of familial amyloidosis (FA) in Abyssinian cats usually is made on postmortem examination.Hypothesis/ObjectivesSequential analysis of serum SAA (sSAA), urinary SAA (uSAA), urinary protein:creatinine (UPC) ratio, or sodium‐dodecylsulfate agarose gel electrophoresis (SDS‐AGE) may facilitate early identification of cats with FA.AnimalsTwenty‐three Abyssinian cats belonging to cattery A or B (low and high prevalence of FA, respectively).MethodsProspective longitudinal study using 109 blood and 100 urine samples collected over 4‐year period every 4 months, if possible, or more frequently in case of illness. Cats that died during study were necropsied. Health status of live cats was checked 5 years after enrollment. Serum amyloid A (sSAA) and urinary SAA (uSAA) were measured using ELISA kit. The UPC ratio and SDS‐AGE also was performed.ResultsFamilial amyloidosis was not identified in cattery A, whereas 7/14 cats from cattery B had FA. Serum amyloid A concentrations were not significantly different between cats in catteries A and B or between cats with or without FA, despite frequent peaks in cats from cattery B. Conversely, uSAA was significantly higher in cattery B, especially in the terminal phases of FA. Proteinuria occasionally was found in cats from both catteries, especially in those with FA. Urine protein electrophoresis identified mixed proteinuria only in cats with FA.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceSerum amyloid A and UPC ratio are not helpful for early identification of Abyssinian cats with FA. Conversely, increases in uSAA with or without mixed proteinuria may be found before onset of clinical signs in cats with FA.

Learning communities: Pathways for educational success and social transformation through interactive groups in mathematics

Schools as learning communities have been recommended by the European Commission as an effective model to support school quality and development. Aiming at studying how these schools are achieving such positive results, this article focuses on the analysis of a particular classroom intervention called ‘interactive groups’. A five-year longitudinal case study has been conducted in a socio-economically deprived urban school under the European Union-funded large-scale research project INCLUD-ED: Strategies for Inclusion and Social Cohesion in Europe from Education. Descriptive and interpretative analysis was conducted based on quantitative indicators on school performance in mathematics and including qualitative data from classroom observations and interviews with pupils, parents and teachers. Particularly, the authors aim to explore in which ways and under which conditions dialogic interactions take place in culturally diverse small groups when doing interactive groups in mathematics. Data on school performance in mathematics shows a sustainable improvement over time. Families, teachers and students seem to link the interactions in interactive groups with an improvement in their relationships in the school and in the community. The authors conclude that the dialogical approach identified in interactive groups among students, teachers and parents improves students’ achievement and increases the potential of community-based mathematical interventions in primary classrooms. Lessons learned from this study have informed educational policies in Europe.

How do risk managers become influential? A field study of toolmaking in two financial institutions

This paper, based on a five-year longitudinal study at two UK-based banks, documents and analyzes the practices used by risk managers as they interact and communicate with managers in their organizations. Specifically, we examine how risk managers (1) establish and maintain interpersonal connections with decision makers; and how they (2) adopt, deploy and reconfigure tools—practices that we define collectively as toolmaking. Using prior literature and our empirical observations, we distinguish between activities to which toolmaking was not central, and those to which toolmaking was important. Our study contributes to the accounting and management literature by highlighting the central role of toolmaking in explaining how functional experts may compete for the attention of decision makers in the intraorganizational marketplace for managerially relevant information. Specifically, as risk management becomes more tool-driven and toolmaking may become more prevalent, our study provides a more nuanced understanding of the nature and consequences of risk management in contemporary organizations. An explicit focus on toolmaking extends accounting research that has hitherto focused attention on the structural arrangements and interpersonal connections when explaining how functional experts can become influential.

The literacy factor in the optimal age discussion: a five-year longitudinal study

This study examines the impact of L2 literacy on the development of writing proficiency in the L3, as related to age of onset (AO) of instruction, as well as the effects of AO on ultimate L3 attainment at the end of the period of normal schooling. Using longitudinal data for the same student cohort (200 Swiss learners of English) at the beginning and at the end of secondary education, it was found that advantages of an early start do not emerge even after a substantial amount of input has been gained. The late starters, who began English instruction five years after the early starters, were able to catch-up to the written performance of the early starters within six months, and this remained true even when the total number of hours of study input was not controlled for. Quantitative analysis revealed that this may be explained in terms of a possible ‘threshold level’ for L2 writing to transfer to the L3, since the late starters began L3 education with a better foundation in L2 German, which is their primary language of literacy. Furthermore, high statistical correlations were found between L2 and L3 literacy skills irrespective of starting age.

Expectations versus reality: the case of Liberal Studies in Hong Kong’s new senior secondary reforms

This article reports the findings of a five-year longitudinal study investigating the introduction of Liberal Studies in the context of Hong Kong’s new senior secondary educational reforms. The aim of this empirical research, which adopted diachronic analysis to allow comparisons over time, was to compare teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the Liberal Studies curriculum before and after its introduction. Methodologically speaking, the study was informed by documentary inquiry, with approximately 560 newspaper articles and government reports collected to identify the issues surrounding the curriculum debate. Questionnaire-based surveys conducted in the pre- and post-reform periods revealed a sharp contrast between expectations and reality for both participant groups following the curriculum’s introduction. Whilst the students demonstrated favourable attitudes towards Liberal Studies before studying the subject, a certain degree of disappointment was expressed after the new curriculum came into effect. In follow-up interviews with teachers, they expressed a lack of confidence in teaching such a multi-disciplinary subject and criticised the overly ambitious nature of the curriculum. Liberal Studies, as currently taught, runs the risk of falling out of favour with Hong Kong secondary school teachers, and the question of whether it will play an increasingly important role in promoting patriotic education after the demise of Moral and National Education is deserving of research attention.

An evaluation of knowledge management tools: Part 2 – managing knowledge flows and enablers

Purpose– This paper aims to evaluate a range of best practice knowledge management (KM) ideas used to manage knowledge flows and enablers. In total, four KM toolkits and 23 KM tools were tested over a five-year period (2008-2013), as part of a large-scale longitudinal change project. Each tool was assessed against an evaluative framework designed to test criticisms of KM: strategy, implementation and performance. The results provide empirical evidence about what KM tools work and which do not and why, and outcomes for practitioners, researchers and consultants.Design/methodology/approach– This paper presents a summary of the findings of a large Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project grant in the period of 2008-2013. The case study organisation (CSO) was a large public sector department, which faced the threat of lost capability caused by its ageing workforce and knowledge loss. The project aimed to solve this problem by minimising its impact via achieving learning organisation capacity. The CSO participating in the study was selected because it was a knowledge-intensive organisation, with an ageing workforce. All 150 engineering and technical staff at the CSO were invited to participate, including management and staff. An action research methodology was used.Findings– The results provide empirical evidence that KM can be used to manage knowledge flows and enablers. The highest rating toolkit was knowledge preservation, followed by knowledge usage. The most value was created by using KM to provide “why context” to structural capital (e.g. reports, databases, policies) (meta-data) and to create opportunities to reflect on experience and share the learning outcomes (peer assists and after action reviews). The results tended to support criticism that KM is difficult to implement and identified the main barriers as participation located at the tactical action research level, i.e. why is this useful? Evidence that KM works was found in progress towards learning organisation capacity and in practical outcomes.Research limitations/implications– The action research cycle and learning flows provide opportunities to examine barriers to KM implementation. The research also presents opportunities for further research to examine the findings in other organisational and industry settings, for example, the relationship between the KM toolkits and organisational change and performance, presents an important area for further research. Researchers might also consider some of the toolkits which rated poorly, e.g. knowledge sharing, and challenge these findings, perhaps selecting different KS tools for testing. The paper has limitations. It is based on a single case study organisation, offset, to some degree, by the longitudinal nature of the empirical evidence. It is ambitious and the findings may be controversial. However, the depth of the study and its findings provide rare longitudinal empirical evidence about KM and the results should be useful for practitioners, researchers and consultants.Practical implications– For practitioners, the research findings provide management with an evaluative framework to use when making decisions regarding KM. The findings provide discussion of KM toolkits and tools that may be used to manage knowledge flows and enablers. In addition to the discussion of each tool, there is analysis of what works and what does not and why, barriers to implementation as well as explanation of their impact on organisational change and performance, and a scorecard to guide toolkit choices. This method should allow managers to make sensible decisions about KM.Originality/value– The paper addresses criticisms of KM by examining the KM toolkits within the context of whether knowledge can be managed, implementation barriers may be addressed and improved organisational performance can be demonstrated. This approach allows generalisability of the findings to enable others to apply the research findings in their organisational contexts. The outcome is three sets of guidelines: strategy: which KM tools work; implementation: addressing barriers; and organisational performance: how to measure value. In doing so, the paper provides a systematic framework for evaluating KM tools. It also provides a rare opportunity to present empirical evidence gathered over a five-year longitudinal study.

Sense of coherence among cognitively intact nursing home residents – a five-year longitudinal study

Aim and objectives: To examine how stable the sense of coherence (SOC) is over a five-year period among residents of nursing homes (NH) who are not cognitively impaired and whether components of social support influence SOC.Background: Many studies have investigated the stability of SOC, and the findings have been inconsistent. Social support is a crucial resource in developing SOC. Few researchers have studied the stability of SOC and how various social support dimensions influence changes in SOC among older NH residents who are cognitively intact.Design: The study was prospective and included baseline assessment and five-year follow-up.Methods: The sample comprised 52 cognitively intact NH residents (Clinical Dementia Rating score ≤0.5). We obtained data through direct interviews using the Social Provisions Scale and Sense of Coherence Scale.Results: SOC increased statistically significantly from baseline to follow-up. The social support subdimension reassurance of worth predicted change in SOC after adjustment for sociodemographic factors. When controlled for baseline SOC, attachment was associated with change in SOC, but reassurance of worth was not.Conclusions: The study indicates that the change in SOC over time during the 5 years of follow-up and the social support dimension attachment appear to be important components of change in SOC. Nursing personnel should be aware of the residents’ individual needs for attachment and the importance of emotional support for personal strength and ability to cope.

Layered Identities and Being Gabby: A Five-Year Longitudinal Case Study

Compton-Lilly examines the identity construction of one student, Gabby, over a five year period to explore layers of gender and race that affect identity construction. In particular, she asks how does being female and Latino contribute to the ways Gabby and her family make sense of Gabby. Compton-Lilly draws on a rich data set (e.g., observations, interviews, artwork, photographs, writing) to explore the various ways Gabby enacts her identities in the contexts of home and school. Through this analysis, the roots of intersectionality become visible. In short, we begin to understand how identities are enacted within contested spaces where the figured worlds people bring - entailing the ways of being, acting, and interacting that are available to self and others - align and clash both presenting and restricting possibilities.

Measuring the Benefits of Smallholder Farmer Membership in Producer-Controlled Vertical Value Chains: Survey Findings From a Development Project in East Africa

The question addressed in this article is what precisely are the benefits that small-scale farmers in the developing world receive from being members of producer-controlled vertical value chains? A baseline comparative survey was conducted of members and non-members of four vertically coordinated dairy cooperatives, three in Kenya and one in Uganda (N = 3,986), which are part of a larger five-year longitudinal cooperative study. The study measures both objective income gains and subjective satisfaction gains from cooperative membership. Cooperative members have a small but statistically significant advantage over non-members in income from dairy, but other incentives for membership are based on selective incentives (i.e., provision of non-income services to members) and social capital (i.e., trust that the cooperative will purchase their milk and pay them a fair price). These findings suggest that the motivations for cooperative membership in developing countries are not dissimilar from motivations of cooperative members in more developed countries. This coupled with similar organizational design issues suggests that greater attention should be paid to larger-scale vertically coordinated collective action models in development theory and research.

¿Quién está en línea? A Five Year Longitudinal Study of Online Hispanic American Student Demographics

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; In a five-year longitudinal study of Hispanic-American students taking online courses at a U.S. South Central University, the researchers sought to describe the demographic makeup of the typical online Hispanic-American student and the demographic makeup of the successful online Hispanic-American student. Using archived data it was determined that the profile of the online Hispanic-American students closely mirrored the profile of white populations.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;