Quality Of Available Resources Research Articles

Resilience and family quality of life in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Resilience and quality of life (QOL) can involve a positive approach in group interventions for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study aims to evaluate resilience and family QOL at the start of a psychoeducational group. Cross-sectional assessment of resilience and family QOL used the Family Quality of Life Scale (ECVF) and 14-item Resilience Scale (RS-14). The study group showed high levels of resilience. Parents considered the resources/support domain crucial, although satisfaction in this area was comparatively lower. Concerns about low satisfaction with available resources and support were notable. Gender differences were observed but not statistically significant. The study's findings support prior research on parental resilience in families of children with ASD. The literature on the QOL for these families presents mixed findings. The importance of parental involvement in service planning is highlighted. This study emphasizes the importance of resilience in parents of children with ASD, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target. The findings underscore the need to address the perceived low quality of available resources and support. Further investigation is needed.

The path to sustainable environment: Do environmental taxes and governance matter?

AbstractA poor environment, in turn, hurts the growth and well‐being of the economy. This is because it reduces the quantity and quality of available resources or compromises health. Undoubtedly, economic growth and environmental degradation are closely linked. Hence, environmental taxes are introduced by countries to decrease environmental degradation caused by economic progress. This study checks the impact of environmental tax, governance, and energy prices on environmental quality in the context of organization for economic co‐operation and development countries using data from 1996 to 2019. By utilizing a host of second‐generation econometric methods, the study has empirically analyzed the impact of environmental tax and governance on environmental quality while considering the possible income and energy prices effect to avoid omitted variable bias. The long‐run results indicate that environmental tax and governance increase environmental quality. The empirical results of this study are also used to suggest policy implications for these countries.

An Investigation on the Systems of Collecting and Extracting Greywater from Surface Water and Wastewater

Lack of water resources, on the one hand and degradation of the quality of available resources; on the other hand, raise serious concerns about water supply. Limited water resources in some areas necessitate planning for use of unconventional resources, such as: Unconventional and recyclable water resources, which should be used optimally. Therefore, there is an increasing need for use of low-quality water in areas where freshwater is scarce, in which case, unconventional water resources (such as saline water, brackish water and household wastewater) can be considered as valuable resources. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of water extraction from household wastewater (greywater) and surface water running in villages in Abadan and to simultaneously evaluate some water collection systems to find the best one in order to use these water resources as unconventional and recyclable water resources for various uses such as: Agriculture and irrigation of date palms. In the present study, we investigated three systems for the collection of surface water and household wastewater (greywater) in villages of Abadan The studied systems included: A conventional system, a small-diameter gravity sewer system and a simplified conventional system. We evaluated the said systems using all three methods in five villages of Abadan County as case studies. While estimating the economic cost of implementing each of these systems and taking into account the existing economic, social and cultural constraints, we recommended the most suitable system for the extraction and collection of wastewater and surface water in the region considering the lack of a system for the collecting and disposal of surface water and wastewater. The results indicated that the small-diameter gravity sewer system was more preferable than the other two methods. The studied villages included Albuhameed Manyoohi, Abudgol of Arvandkenar, Hadd of Arvandkenar, Sadat of Bahmanshir and Tarreh Bakhakh.

A Comprehensive Antiracist Framework for SLHS Education: A Sample Curriculum Related to Arab American Populations

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students in higher education programs in Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences (SLHS) experience structural racism, entering a majority white profession, while confronting social inequalities in their personal and professional communities. A vision of an antiracist decolonized antiracist curriculum enhances the integration of BIPOC students in academic programs in the field, while also facilitating the preparation of non-BIPOC students to meet the needs of a growing and diverse community of individuals with communication disorders. Such a curriculum must be comprehensively designed to include pedagogy, community-based, and research based educational activities, and to adequately prepare students to be culturally responsive within our profession. The quantity and quality of available resources on diverse populations in the field is woefully limited, so this paper exemplifies the principles of this approach through research, teaching, and community-based learning activities focused on Arab Americans, to exemplify one possible application of such curricular transformation.

Tree Use, Niche Breadth and Overlap for Excavation by Woodpeckers in Subtropical Piedmont Forests of Northwestern Argentina

Studies dealing with the selection of tree species and characteristics for cavity-nesting birds are important to evaluate the abundance and quality of available resources in the environment. The aim of this study is to characterize the use of trees by woodpecker species in the subtropical piedmont forests of northwestern Argentina by using the analysis of niche selection, breadth and overlap in a total of five woodpecker species of different body size found in these subtropical forests: White-barred Piculet Picumnus cirratus (small woodpeckers), Golden-olive Woodpecker Colaptes rubiginosus, Golden-green Woodpecker Piculus chrysochloros, Dot-fronted Woodpecker Veniliornis frontalis (medium-sized woodpeckers), and Cream-backed Woodpecker Campephilus leucopogon (largest woodpeckers). From a total of 54 tree species, only 15 were used by these woodpecker species. Primary excavator species were moderate specialists in tree use (Levin's index), and they showed selection according to their availability (Ivlev's index) of four of the fifteen tree species (Calycophyllum multiflorum, Amburana cearensis, Cedrela balansae, Astronium urundeuva) and snags. There was a high overlap (Morisita's overlap index) in the use of tree species between Picumnus cirratus and medium-sized woodpeckers, while less overlap was found between Campephilus leucopogon and other woodpecker species. Both living trees and snags were used by the woodpeckers, although snags were more important for small and medium-sized woodpeckers, whereas living trees were more important for Campephilus leucopogon. Both snags and living trees had a large diameter at breast height (DBH) in > 50 cm. Results show the existence of different cavity-excavation niches for woodpecker species in subtropical forests of Argentina, and they allow us to identify the important relationships between these birds and the available tree species. Thus, the results of this work may be useful to develop sustainable forest management guidelines for this group of birds.

Brokering College Opportunity for First-Generation Youth: The Role of the Urban High School

Social capital research has demonstrated the value of relationships and networks to enhance college opportunity for first-generation students. While most work has focused on individual students and their ties, high schools play a critical role in social capital processes by connecting students to external college access organizations and resources. This case study employs Mario Small’s organizational brokerage theory to investigate social capital formation among college-bound first-generation youth in an urban high school. Specifically, we explore how the school itself brokered college-going resources through its partner organizations. Findings illustrate a range of passive and active brokerage strategies that influenced the quantity and quality of available resources, and in turn, the amount of student agency required to secure social capital gains.

Segregation by District Boundary Line: The Fragmentation of Memphis Area Schools

Boundary lines have long served as a mechanism to divide people, determining the quality of available resources, and ultimately, educational opportunity. In recent years, new school district bounda...

Teaching Abstract Algebra Online

This research attempted to document the instructional plan that a professor would have to apply in teaching Abstract Algebra online using the descriptive case study design to come up with a framework on online abstract algebra teaching. The instructional preparations employed enabled the researcher to determine: the students' background knowledge of the content; the students' technical knowhow; and the resources available in the online environment. The Philippine Normal University - Learning Management System (PNU -LMS), Smart Notebook and Microsoft Power Point slides, and verbal discussions recorded on Techsmith Camtasia Studio, were used to create interactive asynchronous discussions. The students' outputs were used to provide immediate feedback regarding the developed materials and the discussions thereof. The following conclusions were derived: 1) Preparing for an online environment requires: planning the content; determining the nature of the students; determining the students' background knowledge of content and their technical know-how; and determining the quality of available resources; 2) The capacity of asynchronous discussions could be enhanced by giving opportunities for interaction between student and professor, student to student, and student to content; and 3) Assessing students' performance during and after the discussions, giving regular feedback, and eliciting students' feedback on the accessibility of the online class are some assessment techniques that an online instructor may use. Consequently, these conclusions served as basis for deriving a framework on online abstract algebra teaching. It was recommended that an experiment on the effectiveness of the online teaching format in Abstract Algebra using the aforesaid framework be done.

Examining the impact of fisheries resources and quality on licence sales

One expects that participation and effort in outdoor recreation activities would be directly related to the quality of available resources. However, this expectation remains a largely untested empirical question. We examined this relationship explicitly by analysing the proportion of the population with freshwater angling licences in 188 different administrative regions of British Columbia, Canada. Variations in the proportion of anglers in the population within a region were explained by resource quality measures, including multiple catch and non-catch related factors (such as stocking and the accessibility of fishing destinations). The proportion of the population holding a fishing licence was greatly affected by physical determinants such as access and the availability of many fishing options. Catch-related factors were also important and positively related to participation. The results suggest that management agencies could use actions such as stocking to provide more fishing opportunities across the landscape, or increase the accessibility of opportunities in order to retain licence sales. However, the results also imply that participation decisions arise from more than just considerations of catch at and the accessibility of fishing sites, i.e., socio-demographic characteristics. Management implicationsThe results of this study offer a novel analytical approach for deriving management recommendations, based on a model of fishing licence sales as a function of resource quality and socio-demographic information on a regional scale. The analysis, based on these aggregate types of data, relies on information for 188 administrative units covering the entire province of British Columbia, Canada, and provides a number of important insights for fisheries management:–Stocking activities are an effective instrument to steer participation in recreational fishing;–providing more fishing opportunities, or increasing accessibility is likely to lead to increased participation rates and licence sales; and–non-catch related factors (i.e. accessibility, constraints, socio-demographic and cultural factors) also influence participation rates.

Comparison of Trends in Habitat and Resource Selection by the Spanish Festoon,Zerynthia rumina, and the Whole Butterfly Community in a Semi-Arid Mediterranean Ecosystem

Butterfly community and single species based approaches were taken to establish conservation priorities within a nature reserve in Central Spain. In this study, patch type (sclerophyllous, halophilous, or disturbed), potential herbaceous nectar availability, potential woody plant nectar availability, total nectar availability, and two approximations to plant diversity (herbaceous and woody plant diversity) were evaluated as variables that account for adult butterfly density. Butterfly communities in the reserve, which consist mostly of generalist species, were denser in relatively wet areas dominated by halophilous vegetation. Diversity did not significantly vary between ecologically different transects. Total nectar availability correlated with higher butterfly densities within both undisturbed and disturbed areas, which could be primarily explained by the lack of water typical of semi-arid Mediterranean climates, where fresh, nectariferous vegetation is scarce. Woody plants were also found to be important sources of nectar and shelter. In the dryer sclerophyllous sites, adult butterfly density was best explained by herbaceous plant diversity, suggesting better quality of available resources. The endangered specialist Zerynthia rumina (L.) (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) was only present at the sclerophyllous sites. Its density was very low in all sampled transects, excluding one relatively isolated transect with high larval host-plant density. In contrast to the community-based approach, density of Z. rumina adults is better explained by the density of its larval host-plant than by nectar availability, a trend previously described for other sedentary species. Management strategies for protecting insect-rich areas should consider the specific ecological requirements of endangered species.

Comparison of trends in habitat and resource selection by the Spanish Festoon, Zerynthia rumina, and the whole butterfly community in a semiarid Mediterranean ecosystem.

Butterfly community and single species based approaches were taken to establish conservation priorities within a nature reserve in Central Spain. In this study, patch type (sclerophyllous, halophilous, or disturbed), potential herbaceous nectar availability, potential woody plant nectar availability, total nectar availability, and two approximations to plant diversity (herbaceous and woody plant diversity) were evaluated as variables that account for adult butterfly density. Butterfly communities in the reserve, which consist mostly of generalist species, were denser in relatively wet areas dominated by halophilous vegetation. Diversity did not significantly vary between ecologically different transects. Total nectar availability correlated with higher butterfly densities within both undisturbed and disturbed areas, which could be primarily explained by the lack of water typical of semiarid Mediterranean climates, where fresh, nectariferous vegetation is scarce. Woody plants were also found to be important sources of nectar and shelter. In the dryer sclerophyllous sites, adult butterfly density was best explained by herbaceous plant diversity, suggesting better quality of available resources. The endangered specialist Zerynthia rumina (L.) (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) was only present at the sclerophyllous sites. Its density was very low in all sampled transects, excluding one relatively isolated transect with high larval hostplant density. In contrast to the community-based approach, density of Z. rumina adults is better explained by the density of its larval hostplant than by nectar availability, a trend previously described for other sedentary species. Management strategies for protecting insect-rich areas should consider the specific ecological requirements of endangered species.

Temporal changes in species interactions in simple aquatic bacterial communities

BackgroundOrganisms modify their environment and in doing so change the quantity and possibly the quality of available resources. Due to the two-way relationship between organisms and their resource environment, and the complexity it brings to biological communities, measuring species interactions reliably in any biological system is a challenging task. As the resource environment changes, the intensity and even the sign of interactions may vary in time. We used Serratia marcescens and Novosphingobium capsulatum bacteria to study how the interaction between resource environment and organisms influence the growth of the bacterial species during circa 200 generations. We used a sterile-filtering method to measure how changes in resource environment are reflected in growth rates of the two species.ResultsChanges in the resource environment caused complex time and species composition-dependent effects on bacterial growth performance. Variation in the quality of the growth medium indicated existence of temporally fluctuating within-species facilitation and inhibition, and between-species asymmetric facilitation.ConclusionsThe interactions between the community members could not be fully predicted based only on the knowledge of the growth performance of each member in isolation. Growth dynamics in sterile-filtered samples of the conditioned growth medium can reveal both biologically meaningful changes in resource availability and temporally changing facilitative resource-mediated interactions between study species. This is the first study we are aware of where the filter-sterilization – growth assay method is applied to study the effect of long-term changes in the environment on species interactions.

Evaluation of a GIS-Based Integrated Vulnerability Risk Assessment for the Mancha Oriental System (SE Spain)

It is widely recognized that groundwater-vulnerability maps are a useful tool for making decisions on designating pollution-vulnerable areas, in addition to being a requirement of European Directive 91/676/EEC. This study addressed the vulnerability of the Mancha Oriental System (MOS) to groundwater contamination with an integrated Generic and Agricultural DRASTIC model approach. In the MOS, groundwater is the sole water resource for a total population of about 275,000 inhabitants and for 1,000 km2 of irrigated crops. DRASTIC vulnerability maps have been drawn up for two different years (1975 and 2002) in which the potentiometric surface has dropped dramatically (80 m in some areas) due to the considerable expansion of irrigated croplands. The quality of available resources has also deteriorated due to the agricultural practices and the discharge of wastewater effluents. Vulnerability maps are used to test the data on nitrate, sulphate, and chloride contents in groundwater in the Central and El Salobral-Los Llanos hydrogeologic domains of the MOS for 2002. Regardless of the method applied, the dramatic alteration in land use leads to a change in the DRASTIC index and vulnerability to groundwater contamination decreases for the study period. Vulnerability in the MOS increases in areas where the irrigation return flow is notable. The lack of a statistical correspondence between the DRASTIC index and the spatial distribution of nitrate, chloride, and sulphate contents and the distribution of the pollution load suggest that this method does not accurately assess the risk of the MOS to groundwater pollution.

Assessing a Problem-Based Learning Approach To An Introductory Instructional Design Course: A Case Study

Although there are numerous instructional models or learning environments that use problems today (e.g., case-based learning, action learning, goal-based scenario, problem-based learning, and project-based learning), problem-based learning (PBL) is the most extensive and complex in “putting the problem to use.” PBL is defined as “the learning that results from the process of working toward the understanding or resolution of a problem.” This case study examines the application of PBL to the teaching of introductory instructional design. Implementation of the PBL process in the classroom and implications on instruction and learning are discussed. The argument made is that instructional design (ISD) is a dynamic process of problem under standing and problem solution, and therefore ISD is an ill-structured problem-solving process defined by the context of the problem, the knowledge and skills of the instructional designer, and the quality of available resources. This suggests that ISD instruction should focus more on the problem attributes and not on the generality of the systems approach model with its context-free rules. The results of this case study demonstrate that students in a PBL environment acquired the necessary skills of ISD through direct experience and interaction. The results also demonstrate that students who have experienced PBL are more likely to become self-directed learners and be better skilled in group learning than students who receive instruction using a more prescriptive approach.

Sustainable wastewater management in developing countries: are constructed wetlands a feasible approach for wastewater reuse?

Water shortage is a major problem in many developing countries and represents one of the key factors for their development. The quality of available resources has deteriorated owing to pollution by lack of wastewater treatment facilities and control mechanisms/laws. Therefore there is a great need to propose appropriate wastewater management in developing countries. This paper summarises wastewater management policies applied in developing countries which in many cases involve reuse for irrigation. An evaluation of constructed wetlands is proposed in prospect of reuse and of a sustainable management of water resources.

Marshaling Resources to Form Small New Ventures: Toward a More Holistic Understanding of Entrepreneurial Support

This article makes two contributions to our understanding of the core entrepreneurial activity of assembling resources to pursue an opportunity. First, a conceptual framework is presented to organize the research on resource mobilization. Second, a study is presented based upon interviews with a random sample of 48 entrepreneurs to identify the supporters whom the entrepreneurs considered to have been key to their success and the resources obtained from these individuals. Results indicate that maximizing the overall effectiveness of resource combinations is a complex undertaking involving trade–offs between the quantity and quality of available resources and the efficiency versus effectiveness of supporters.

Assigning priorities to agricultural research: A critical evaluation of the use of programmes by product-line and production systems

The employment of the production system approach as a basis for selecting research priorities and allocating human and financial resources to agricultural research activities has been proposed by several research institutions in Latin America. The primary purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the logic of this proposition and its implicit criticism of the assignment of research priorities on a product-line basis. In general, the product-line approach represents a tested and effective approach for certain types of agriculture, especially monocultures. The production systems approach seems best suited for situations where the characteristics of the production unit, the quantity and quality of available resources and adverse ecological conditions constitute primary limitations to the adoption of new technologies. It appears that the path to maximum benefit does not lie in the selection of one approach over the other as mutually exclusive alternatives, but rather in their complementary use within the national and international research infrastructure.