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This study aimed to find out the effects of demographic variable i.e. gender, age, group of studies, GPA etc. on level of academic integrity among Pakistani students. The design of the study is quantitative in nature, in which the survey research method was employed to gather data from the respondents. A self-reported questionnaire was adapted on the basis of previously developed and validated questionnaire, with the consent of the authors. The developed scale was validated with the help of experts and pilot tested. Multilevel stratified convenience sampling technique was used to collect data from 4 provinces and federal area of Pakistan. The collected data was analyzed by using SPSS 16.0 version

Constructing a personal narrative and consolidating identity is an ongoing process that becomes pressing in the face of mortality. The current pilot study examined the process of life review in a sample of older people, specifically examining the effects of participation in a memoir course on wisdom, identity, and well-being. We hypothesized that wisdom, identity fidelity and coherence, and subjective well-being would increase for those in the memoir group compared to a control. Eighteen elderly individuals from two senior retirement communities were randomly assigned to participate in weekly classes, for four weeks, either to work on a memoir or discuss films (control group). After engaging in the process of organizing their life story and writing about important memories, the nine individuals in the memoir group scored significantly higher on self-report measures of wise reminiscence, identity fidelity, and subjective well-being compared to those in the control group. Furthermore, exploratory analyses found that wise reminiscence statistically mediated relationships between the memoir condition and the outcome measures of identity fidelity, identity coherence, and subjective well-being. These findings point to the benefits of memoir writing for positive aging as well as potential mechanisms underlying its effectiveness.

Grey Sparrow Press, in this landmark book, cherishes the voices of national writing treasures published over ten years; Robert Bly, Robert Wexelblatt, Michael C. Keith, Jules Nyquist, Khem Aryal, Marie Sheppard Williams [posthumously,] Doug Holder, Momila Joshi, William Woolfitt, Thomas R. Smith, M.J. Iuppa, LB Chhetri, John Roche, and Bhisma Upreti to name a few. Grey Sparrow Press was formed as a non-profit 501[c]3 on May 11, 2009.

The authors have had many years of leadership and management experience in a variety of settings and have discovered that there are few books that cover the majority of topics related to leadership and management specifically for social work education and practice. This book covers all the main areas of expertise required in a typical social work leadership and management experience. It incorporates all 21 competencies and 126 practice behaviors from the Network on Social Work Management (NSWM) and nine competencies and 29 practice behaviors espoused by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and can serve as a textbook for social work programs at the graduate level. The book has many unique features. It provides a comprehensive list of leadership and management competencies from the NSWM and the CSWE along with a list of competencies and practice behaviors. The book presents leadership and management competencies and practice behaviors each chapter along with cases, examples, and activities of how to use them in practice situations. It discusses in detail the differences between management and leadership along with best management and leadership practices. The book provides examples of how to motive and successfully work with different age cohorts. It presents effective communication and marketing strategies. The book discusses in detail how to effectively work with groups and give examples of how to make meetings productive. It exhibits specific problem-solving and decision-making strategies along with examples. The book summarizes how to manage a range of organizational functions. It discusses the importance of collaborating with community groups and other stakeholders to succeed in making a difference. The book contains five parts that replicate the <abbrev>NSWM</abbrev>’s four domains of leadership: executive leadership in social work; resources management practices; strategic management and administrative skills for organizational growth and success; community collaboration; and supplemental materials.

The authors have had many years of leadership and management experience in a variety of settings and have discovered that there are few books that cover the majority of topics related to leadership and management specifically for social work education and practice. This book covers all the main areas of expertise required in a typical social work leadership and management experience. It incorporates all 21 competencies and 126 practice behaviors from the Network on Social Work Management (NSWM) and nine competencies and 29 practice behaviors espoused by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and can serve as a textbook for social work programs at the graduate level. The book has many unique features. It provides a comprehensive list of leadership and management competencies from the NSWM and the CSWE along with a list of competencies and practice behaviors. The book presents leadership and management competencies and practice behaviors each chapter along with cases, examples, and activities of how to use them in practice situations. It discusses in detail the differences between management and leadership along with best management and leadership practices. The book provides examples of how to motive and successfully work with different age cohorts. It presents effective communication and marketing strategies. The book discusses in detail how to effectively work with groups and give examples of how to make meetings productive. It exhibits specific problem-solving and decision-making strategies along with examples. The book summarizes how to manage a range of organizational functions. It discusses the importance of collaborating with community groups and other stakeholders to succeed in making a difference. The book contains five parts that replicate the <abbrev>NSWM</abbrev>’s four domains of leadership: executive leadership in social work; resources management practices; strategic management and administrative skills for organizational growth and success; community collaboration; and supplemental materials.

Play in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often atypical, yet consensus regarding effective occupational therapy strategies for improving play is not established. To examine the efficacy of strategies used in occupational therapy to improve play in ASD, authors completed a systematic review of papers from January 1980 through January 2019. Search terms included autism, Asperger’s, ASD, autistic in combination with play, playfulness, pretend, imagination, praxis, creativity, and generativity. Twenty papers met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Reviewed interventions included parent education, modified play materials or environments, imitation of the child, and modeling by an adult, a peer, or video. Moderate to strong support exists for the specific strategies of imitation of the child and modeling for the child, with lesser or mixed support for other strategies. Certain strategies commonly used in occupational therapy may be effective in improving the occupation of play in ASD.

There are emerging concerns about the preparedness of rural communities in the United States in the face of the 2019 novel coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2, causing the disease COVID-19) considering the existing disparities across the social determinants of health between rural and urban Americans. Taking into account the current exponential rate of spread of the coronavirus, this article critically examines the risk facing the 60 million Americans living in rural areas, discusses possible solutions pertaining to rural COVID-19 prevention, and examines measures to consider to prepare for this epidemic before it reaches rural areas.

Breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy often experience severe levels of anxiety and depression within the African context. There is a gap in the research literature from Africa, particularly Ghana, with few studies focusing on depression among patients undergoing radiation treatment. The purpose of the study was to find various interventions for depression and anxiety among breast cancer patients in Ghana. A mixed method study examined breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and their responses through a concurrent triangulation involving an interview with selected professional and a detailed patient survey. In all, 100 patients between the ages of 20-89 completed a questionnaire and individual interviews were held with 6 professionals with a minimum of 5 years of work experience. Themes were generated through open coding of the interview data, while multiple regression was performed to determine the relationship between depression and anxiety with the independent variables. In all, 89% had no family history of breast cancer, and the majority (55%) had the disease duration of one to three years. Almost 95% of patients with breast cancer had anxiety and depression in different categories. This included hair loss, discolored finger nails, cost of treatment, and fear of the unknown. Age and monthly income of patients were statistically significant in predicting the anxiety and depression among the patients. Coping mechanisms are essential for all patients undergoing treatment. This study’s implications will lead to positive change when all stakeholders assist in implementing measures to promote coping strategies for breast cancer patients in Ghana.

In an effort to craft recommendations to managers regarding effective confidential information policies, the present paper reviewed 88 published grievance arbitration cases involving proprietary information, trade secrets, and confidential information. Most cases dealt with the application of managerial discipline for employee violations of company polices and collective-bargaining provisions. Themes that emerged included: the importance of a Management Rights clause (as well as specific Misconduct clauses and policies), clauses that address changing business conditions (such as subcontracting and new technology), employee insubordination, theft, falsification, conflict of interest, and the need for training. Additionally, arbitrators often considered specific laws that apply in health care, cable television, and telecommunications industries. Finally, several mitigating factors were noted such as: having permission from a supervisor to access confidential information, safety, and whistleblowing concerns. By attending to factors that influence arbitrator decision making, managers and their attorneys can use these identified factors to create better policies and negotiate robust collective bargaining provisions.

Shocks transmitted from productivity leaders to lagging economies are systematic sources of risk. Global technology and knowledge diffusion leads to predictable patterns in productivity dynamics across countries and industries. Technology gaps determine the level of exposure to the systematic productivity shocks. Firms in a country-industry with larger technology gaps relative to the world leader are more dependent on the leader’s innovations compared to their own productivity improvements. They thus have higher loadings on the leader productivity shocks and higher average stock returns. For OECD panel data, a country-industry’s technology gap significantly predicts the stock returns of the country-industry: holding the quintile of country-industry portfolios with the largest gaps and shorting the quintile with the smallest gaps generates annual returns of 9.8% (6.7% after risk adjustment with standard factors). A factor representing the technological productivity gap explains country-industry portfolio returns substantially better than standard factor models. Loadings on leader-country productivity shocks have substantial correlation with technology gaps, and leader productivity shocks are more important for stock returns than idiosyncratic productivity shocks. These findings support that the technology gaps and associated higher average returns are indeed linked to systematic risk.

There is a significant increase in the number of students with disabilities. However, many general education teachers report that they feel ill-equipped to educate a classroom of students with diverse special education and learning needs. In this qualitative study, the structured focus group interviews were conducted to determine the PD opportunities and characteristics that general education teachers perceive to influence their sense of self-efficacy for educating students with special needs. The results of the focus group discussions revealed that there are several targeted professional development strategies to increase teachers’ efficacy for educating students with special needs. This study makes recommendations for the research supported professional development activities, focused on educating students with special needs, provided to general education teachers.

Teacher self-efficacy has been linked to positive student outcomes. This quantitative research study aimed to examine the mindsets and behaviors of regular education teachers concerning their ability to educate students with special needs. The modified Teacher Self Efficacy Survey was administered to general education teachers. Data revealed that general education teachers feel less efficacious for educating students with special needs in the areas of engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. This study makes recommendations for professional development, focused on educating students with special needs, provided to general education teachers. Particularly, the findings speak to the need for a more diverse, flexible, and comprehensive approach to implement teacher professional development activities to improve the achievement of students with special needs.

"This poetry anthology, with poems from poets throughout New England and from other states - is a result of Peterborough Poetry Project's second poetry contest. We invited poets, writers, and observers to submit up to three poems about New Hampshire - past, present, future, or fantasy. Forty-eight poems from the contest form this book. The poems are in three different sections by themes: People, Places, and The Wild, but readers may find that several poems have more than one theme. A poem may appear to be about nature, but also our reactions to it. Another poem may appear to be true, but might be pure fantasy. Such is the nature of poetry: read it for the obvious, then read it again to see if more reveals itself"--Back cover

Forecasting the daily flows of rivers is a challenging task that have a significant impact on the environment, agriculture, and people life. This paper investigates the river flow forecasting problem using two types of Deep Neural Networks (DNN) structures, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Layered Recurrent Neural Networks (L-RNN) for two rivers in the USA, Black and Gila rivers. The data sets collected for a period of seven years for Black river (six years for training and one year for testing) and four years for Gila river (three years for training and one year for testing) were used for our experiments. An order selection method based partial auto-correlation sequence was employed to determine the appropriate order for the proposed models in both cases. Mean square errors (MSE), Root mean square errors (RMSE) and Variance (VAF) were used to evaluate to developed models. The obtained results show that the proposed LSTM is able to produce an excellent model in each case study.

Image clustering presents a hot topic that researchers have chased extensively. There is always a need to a promising clustering technique due to its vital role in further image processing steps. This paper presents a compelling clustering approach for brain tumors and breast cancer in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Driven by the superiority of nature-inspired algorithms in providing computational tools to deal with optimization problems, we propose Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA) and Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) to present a clustering method for brain tumors and breast cancer. Evaluation clustering results of CSA and FPA were judged using two apposite criteria and compared with results of K-means, fuzzy c-means and other metaheuristics when applied to cluster the same benchmark datasets. The clustering method-based CSA and FPA yielded encouraging results, significantly outperforming those obtained by K-means and fuzzy c-means and slightly surpassed those of other metaheuristic algorithms.

Sleep is an essential part of health and longevity persons. As people grow older, the quality of their sleep becomes vital. Poor sleep quality can make negative physiological, psychological, and social impacts on the elderly population, causing a range of health problems including coronary heart disease, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Early detection, proper diagnosis, and treatments for sleep disorders can be achieved by identifying sleep patterns through long-term sleep monitoring. Although many studies developed sleep monitoring systems by using non-invasive measures such as body temperature, pressure, or body movement signal, research is still limited to detect sleep position changes by using a depth camera. The present study is intended (1) to identify concerns on the existing sleep monitoring system based on the literature review and (2) propose to developing a non-invasive sleep monitoring system using an infrared depth camera. For the literature review, various journal/conference papers have been reviewed to understand the characteristics, tools, and algorithms of the existing sleep monitoring systems. For the system development and validation, we collected data for the sleep positions from two subjects (35 years old man and 84 years old women) during the four-hour sleep. Kinect II depth sensor was used for data collection. We found that the averaged depth data is useful measure to notify the participants’ positional changes during the sleep.

Use of the first fish pheromone biopesticide, 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate (3kPZS) in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control requires an understanding of both how the amount 3kPZS applied to a trap relates to catch, and how that relationship varies among stream types. By conducting 3kPZS dose-response experiments over two years and across six varied trapping contexts, we conclude (1) that 3kPZS application is best standardized by how much is emitted from the trap instead of the fully mixed concentration achieved downstream, and (2) that 3kPZS is more effective in wide streams (>30 m). In wide streams, emission of 3kPZS at 50 mg hr.−1 from the trap increased capture rate by 10–15% as sea lamprey were 25–50% more likely to enter the trap after encounter. However, in narrow streams (< 15 m), 50 mg hr.−1 3kPZS generally reduced probabilities of upstream movement, trap encounter, and entrance. While 3kPZS significantly influenced upstream movement, encounter, and capture probabilities, these behaviors were also highly influenced by water temperature, stream width, sea lamprey length, and sex. This study highlights that a pheromone component in a stream environment does not ubiquitously increase trap catch in all contexts, but that where, how, and when the pheromone is applied has major impacts on whether it benefits or hinders trapping efforts.