Showing papers by "Bridgewater State University published in 2006"

Assessing the relationship between spirituality, life stressors, and social resources: Buffers of stress in graduate students

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between stress, spirituality and social support in a sample of graduate students in a counselor education program. Fifty-Six graduate students ranging in age from 25 to 51 years, with a mean age of 33.9 years, participated in the study. Each participant completed the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB) and the Life Stressors and Social Resources Inventory (LISRES-A). Results showed that, for most variables, stress was negatively correlated with social support and spiritual well-being. However, specific domains of stress, social support, and spirituality showed no relationship and some complimentary domains were positively correlated. The results are discussed in terms of their applicability to understanding graduate student related stress, and how the global constructs of stress, social support, and spirituality need to be addressed by examining specific domains/subscales and how they participate in moderating the effects of stress-related illness. Graduate students involved in a rigorous program of academic and clinical instruction frequently experience stress related to increased workload and demands (Toews, Lockyer, Dobson, & Brownwell, 1993). Students have less time to dedicate to stress reduction activities in social and personal venues due to academic and intellectual challenges. Prior studies have shown that the increased stress of academia can have a negative impact on student's academic performance (Sloboda, 1990) and can lead to anxiety, depression, and lower well being (Frazier & Schauben, 1994). Students in a graduate course of study are at a greater risk of developing physical and psychological health problems as a result of the increased stress. Students who use effective coping strategies and have social support available report lower stress levels and experience greater success in graduate school (Nelson, Dell'Oliver, Koch, & Buckler, 2001). The purpose of this study was to examine how stress is related to spirituality and social support in a sample of graduate students in a counselor education program. Stress and Health Over time considerable research has supported the idea that a positive correlation exists between stress and psychological/physical illness (Miller & Thoresen, 2003; Rabkin & Strueing, 1976), yet illness is only one of several possible reactions to stress (Mantila & Salokangas, 1981). Adaptation to change has been associated with health related concerns and is usually experienced as an inability to adequately meet demands or challenges. The majority of these demands can best be described as social stressors, which require life change (Holmes & Rahe, 1967). Social stressors, although seldom life threatening, produce life threatening consequences via stress related illness. In a seminal study Rahe (1972) studied the relationship between social stress and illness by asking American Naval personnel to report a history of life change units (LCU's) and illness over the a 10 year period. Rahe's findings revealed a linear relationship between LCU's and illness; subjects who reported low LCU's during the previous year typically exhibited good health in the following year, most subjects who reported moderate LCU's also reported some type of illness, while 70% of those scoring high on LCU's reported illness. Other researchers reported significant relationships between life change and illness (Bramwel, Masuda, Wagner, & Holmes, 1975; Rahe & Lind, 1971). Using a longitudinal model, Billings and Moos (1982) attempted to assess the impact of negative life events while controlling for the propensity of experiencing stressful events and current symptoms. The results showed that an increase of stressful events during the follow-up period was positively related to an increase in stress related symptoms. Other early research has also demonstrated that life stress is related to an increase in psychological problems such as depression, tension, and anxiety (Monroe, Imhoff, Wise, & Harris, 1983; Johnson & Sarason, 1978). …

Averting and insurance decisions in the wildland–urban interface: implications of survey and experimental data for wildfire risk reduction policy

Abstract: When confronted by catastrophic wildfire risk, homeowners simultaneously allocate resources between insurance and averting activities. Expected utility theory suggests that complete insurance coverage precludes investment in averting activities. However, when potential losses include a significant nonmarket component, optimal choice includes both. To investigate this issue, the authors analyze a unique combination of contingent valuation and experimental data. Both settings include a splitsample treatment to test the influence of wildfire risk zone information. The authors find that amenity values, subjective risk, averting efficacy perception, and demographic factors influence both willingness to pay and averting share and that risk information has the predicted ordering effect. (JEL C9, Q51, Q54)

Ethical Challenges in a Complex World: Highlights of the 2005 ACA Code of Ethics

Abstract: Being an effective counselor includes having knowledge of and the ability to integrate a code of ethics into one's professional practice. This article addresses some of the highlights of the changes in the 2005 ACA [American Counseling Association] Code of Ethics such as end-of-life issues, boundaries and relationships, and multicultural and diversity considerations. It is critical for counselors to demonstrate cultural sensitivity during the ethical decision-making process throughout their counseling, supervision, teaching, and research practice.

Early Intervention and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention: Evidence from the Chicago Longitudinal Study

Abstract: This study investigated the role of an early educational intervention and child-, family-, peer-, and school-level predictors on court-reported juvenile delinquency. Data were provided from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, an ongoing investigation of the scholastic and social development of more than 1,500 low-income youths (93% of whom were African American). Preschool intervention was associated with reductions in the incidence, frequency, and severity of juvenile delinquency by age 18. Childhood classroom adjustment, special education placement for an emotional or behavioral disorder, and school mobility were also predictive of delinquency outcomes, as were gender and family and environmental risk status. Findings demonstrate the importance of early intervention and schooling factors in reducing delinquency and highlight the benefits of early intervention as one mechanism for delinquency prevention. KEY WORDS: childhood risk factors; early intervention; juvenile delinquency ********** Juvenile delinquency is often treated through a myriad child-oriented programs and services that attempt to decrease the likelihood of recidivism. This treatment paradigm has been a consistent fixture of the juvenile justice system for more than 100 years, since the birth of the juvenile court in Cook County, Illinois, in 1899. Although the intent of the juvenile court has shifted over the years from policies focused on the best interests of the child to the best interests of the public, its goals have remained the same: to intervene in the trajectories of youths after they have already engaged in delinquent acts (Feld, 1999; Tonry, 1998). This strategy has been associated with high costs and relatively low effectiveness (Feld; Tonry). In response to the treatment-oriented policies of juvenile crime control, primary prevention programs have been offered as an alternative approach to reducing negative developmental outcomes. Primary preventions have been defined as interventions that promote well-being and prevent future problems. Primary programs contrast with secondary and tertiary programs that are timed during or after a problem has manifested (Durlak, 1997). Early educational interventions, such as Head Start, have been devised as primary prevention programs to increase cognitive and academic functioning, and they have the potential to influence outcomes in other domains as well, including delinquency and crime (Barnett, 1995). PREDICTING JUVENILE DELINQUENCY Through extant research, a framework for predicting juvenile delinquency has been developed and includes four categories of predictor variables: early antisocial behavior, individual-level attributes of the child, family attributes, and social characteristics of both the child and the family (Lipsey & Derzon, 1998). Focus on these predictor domains has greatly added to the literature, especially as they help to identify the developmental trajectories of youths. However, these four domains are limited in identifying the contribution of intervention to delinquency prediction. Findings from the current study attempt to apply the structure of the existing prediction model and expand its scope to include both early intervention experiences and the early and later educational experiences that influence the social and behavioral development of youths. The inclusion of an intervention component in a large-scale longitudinal study is a unique contribution to the literature on the causes and correlates of juvenile delinquency. Evidence presented in this article uses an evaluation of a large-scale early educational intervention to examine the relation between program participation and lower rates of juvenile delinquency through age 18 in a high-risk low-income urban sample. This study also examined the contribution of child-developed abilities and social competence; family factors, including child maltreatment and parental involvement; and school-level risk and protective factors above and beyond preschool participation. …

Social acceptance of RFID as a biometric security method

Abstract: The acceptance of biometric security controls in documentation, travel, and employment may soon be facing a strong test as those controls are further expanded through radio frequency identification (RFID). Global security advocates are working aggressively toward broadening the scope of tracking to the individual human level through implanted chips. An anticipated solution is to implant a small means of identification within humans that would hold a unique identification number and possibly other pertinent information. The integration of technology such REID with biometric methods enhances the accuracy and security of biometric identification, and also provides easily accessible data on an REID-enabled object that can be accessed by user

Sustainable Development in Public Administration: A Match With Practice?

Abstract: Sustainability and sustainable development are concepts that are increasingly used in the field of public administration. In considering long-run planning, intergenerational equity, reduction of risk, and conservation of resources in administrative planning, sustainability may have a significant contributory role. This article traces the link between the principles of sustainable development and the tenets of public administration. In the application of broad-based sustainable development, it finds the reflection of efficiency, effectiveness, and citizen participation. By asking, Are the goals of sustainable development a match with public administration practice?, it finds that sustainable development may be applied to much of the work of the public sector, including to the provision of transportation, public housing, human services, and environmental protection. Finally, it suggests the unique contribution of sustainability to the field of public administration.

Evidence of NK cell dysfunction in SIV-infected rhesus monkeys: impairment of cytokine secretion and NKG2C/C2 expression.

Abstract: Defects in the adaptive immune response have been extensively characterized in human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals; however, much less is known about the function of natural killer (NK) cells during the course of HIV-1 infection. In the present study, we demonstrate that the NK cells from simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus monkeys are significantly impaired in their ability to secrete IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2, while NK cell function in SIV-infected long-term non-progressor monkeys is similar to that of normal monkeys. These findings suggest that abnormal NK cell activity may contribute to the global immune dysfunction observed in HIV-1-infected individuals. NK cell function is modulated by several families of cell surface receptors, including the CD94/NKG2 family. We evaluated the messenger RNA levels of these inhibitory and activating NKG2 molecules in SIV-infected rhesus monkeys. These experiments demonstrate that the activating molecules NKG2C and NKG2C2 are significantly down-regulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of SIV-infected rhesus monkeys, suggesting that the dysregulation of these molecules may contribute to the abnormal NK cell function observed in the setting of infection.

MasterMind©: a predictor of computer programming aptitude

Abstract: For two semesters, the authors have tested CS1 introductory students on their ability to play the MasterMind© game at the beginning of the semester and compared those scores with in class programming test scores. The resulting correlations suggest that this game can be used as part of a computer programming aptitude test. This aptitude test could be used to advise potential students or employees about their probable success as programmers. Our survey of the literature yielded many programming aptitude tests with correlations lower than ours of 0.6; we are unique in using a game as an aptitude test.

From executive control to self‐control: predicting problem drinking among college students

Abstract: This study tested whether individual differences in executive control can be used to predict problem drinking among college students. Performance on tests of executive control functions was contrasted in two groups of students. The groups were defined by how often they experienced negative consequences of drinking. The executive control measures included both objective and self-report measures from neuropsychological batteries, and a novel measure of working memory scanning that allowed us to test performance on theoretically dissociable executive functions. The students who experienced high levels of negative consequences of drinking made fast decisions, but they displayed high levels of interference from prepotent responses. In addition, the self-report measure of executive function was a very strong predictor of group membership.

An Analysis of the Working Memories of Expert Sport Instructors

Abstract: A distinguishing characteristic of expert teachers appears to be an excellent memory (Berliner, 1986; Tan, 1997). Possessing an excellent memory aids experts in building a substantial knowledge base relative to teaching and learning. Despite its importance, the memory skills of expert teachers have yet to be investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the working memories of expert sport instructors. Forty-three expert teachers served as subjects for this study. Each teacher was shown a series of slides depicting play and instructional situations in their respective domains. The test required that the subjects view a slide for 5 seconds and then recall as much as they could from the slide. The audio taped responses were transcribed and then analyzed inductively using Huberman and Miles’ (1995) four stage analysis framework to draw themes and commonalities from the data. The findings revealed three themes of experts’ working memories: (a) voluminous and rich, (b) a dominant order, and...

The Idea of Sustainable Development in Public Administration

Abstract: This article introduces the Focus Issue on Sustainable Development by first discussing the environmental problems caused by unsustainable development and then the shortcomings caused by a piecemeal approach to policy development and implementation. The idea of sustainability appears to fit well with other core values of public administration, which is a consistent theme throughout each of the articles in this issue. Definitions of sustainability are discussed, followed by two relevant models. Finally, each article in the focus issue is introduced.

How Important is Student Computing Ability? The Role of Information Technology Compe- tence in Business School Accreditation

Abstract: Research involving students taking a senior capstone course in a public four- year business school revealed a significant relationship between student satisfaction in their perceived computing ability and student satisfaction in their analysis and problem solving skills. Computing availability and student satisfaction in the level of instruction were not related to student satisfaction in computing ability. Increasing accreditation pressures require detailed examination of the effect of student competence in information technology. The study provides a brief history and examination of the importance of information technology skills to employers and for accreditation standards.

College women's reported behaviors and beliefs regarding fish and folic acid and their roles in birth defects.

Abstract: The purpose of the current study was to examine college women's beliefs and behaviors regarding birth defect prevention via folic acid intake and avoidance of fish with high mercury levels. We surveyed 313 college women and found that the majority of them reported eating fish despite their awareness that certain types of fish contained levels of mercury that are dangerous for women of childbearing age. We also found that the majority of the women did not comply with dietary guidelines for vegetable and legume consumption, and more than half of them did not take vitamin supplements that provide folic acid.

Poster: An Embedded Sensor Network for Measuring Hydrometeorological Variability within an Alpine Valley

Abstract: Conditions of glacier recession in the seasonally dry tropical Peruvian Andes motivate research to better constrain the hydrological balance in alpine valleys. Studies suggest that glacial mass balance in the outer tropics of the Andes is particularly sensitive to variations between the dry and wet season humidity flux. In this context, we introduce a novel embedded network of low-cost, discrete temperature microloggers and an automatic weather station installed in the Llanganuco valley of the Cordillera Blanca. This paper presents data for distinct dry and wet periods sampled from a full annual cycle (2004-2005) and reports on modeled estimations of evapotranspiration (ET). The transect of temperature sensors ranging from about 3500 to 4700 m revealed seasonally characteristic diurnal fluctuations in up-valley lapse rates that promote up-slope warm air convection that will affect the energy balance of the glacier tongue. Nocturnal rainfall dominated the wet season. Strong solar forcing dominated during both dry and wet periods, but extreme seasonal variations in soil water content and cooler wet season near-surface air temperature suggests the importance of considering the process of ET. Estimates of potential ET using the widely applied Penman-Monteith FAO model suggest nearly twice as much for the dry period, and we attribute this primarily to the five times higher dry period vapor pressure deficit. We ran a process-based water balance model, BROOK90, to estimate actual ET, which was nearly 100 times greater for the wet season. These results reinforce the importance of diurnal cloud cover variability in regulating ET in the Peruvian Andes.

‘Race’, IQ and Genes

Abstract: Dominant social classes have often used scientific arguments to explain their privileged status. With the development of intelligence quotient (IQ) tests and the founding of the field of genetics, some researchers explained racial differences in behaviours such as IQ test performance as due to genetic differences. Recent discoveries in molecular genetics have provided evidence that human variation at the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) level is slight; much more variation exists within the members of any single group than between two different population groups. However, as the DNA of populations worldwide has been further characterised, some have assumed that racial differences in intelligence or other social behaviours can be ascribed to those slight interracial genetic differences. Scientists must remain vigilant and expose misrepresentations of scientific data that overemphasise the genetics of group differences and that support genetically deterministic explanations for complex behaviours, such as intelligence. Key Concepts Science, through measurements of brain size and IQ test scores, has been misused to support the idea of presumed racial hierarchies in intelligence. Identical twin studies yield heritability numbers for various traits such as intelligence. However these heritability numbers do not give any information on the strength of genetic contributions to the trait under study. Furthermore, questionable assumptions that are made in carrying out these studies raise issues about the validity of the numbers themselves. The search for gene variants with strong influences on complex behavioural traits, including intelligence, has been largely unsuccessful. Environment plays a major role in the manifestation of most genetic traits. Recent discoveries in molecular genetics have shown that most of the genetic variation that is found among human beings around the world is found in all racial and ethnic groups, and only a small amount is found in specific groups. Using large numbers of genetic variants that differ only slightly in proportion between population groups, researchers can assort individuals into major continental geographic clusters with a high degree of accuracy. Aside from a small fraction of genes influencing apparent, visible physical features distinguishing people, the distribution of genetic variation does not support a biological basis for the concept of human races. Preliminary and faulty scientific studies on issues relating to race and intelligence are often rapidly and unjustifiably translated into calls for changes in social policy. Scientists have a responsibility to help ensure that studies on the genetics of group differences are not misused and misrepresented to support racist theories regarding human behaviours. Keywords: racism; race; ethics; behaviour genetics; IQ; eugenics

B-Complex Vitamins' Role in Energy Release

Abstract: ARBOHYDRATES HAVE long been touted as an excellent source of energy for physical activity. This is categorically true. Recently, even infomercials have rescinded the opinion that carbohydrates are the nemesis of physically active individuals. If carbohydrates do provide energy, how are they broken down from a food to energy for the body to use during activities? The answer lies in the three non-energy-yielding nutrients: vitamins, minerals, and water. The purpose of this column is to specifically address the B-complex vitamins that have a vital role in the extraction of energy from carbohydrates, fats, and protein. All foods are a mixture of chemicals, some of which are essential (and must come from the diet) for normal body function. These essential chemicals are called nutrients. The minimum diet for human growth and development and maintenance must supply about 45 nutrients.1 In general, of the six basic nutrients—carbohydrates, fats, protein, water, minerals, and vitamins—only carbohydrates, fats, and protein are energy sources. They supply potential energy to power muscle contractions and cellular functions, both critically important to the physically active. Vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, act first and foremost as coenzymes. According to Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, a coenzyme is a substance that enhances or is necessary for the action of enzymes. An enzyme is a protein that acts as a catalyst to induce chemical changes in other substances while remaining apparently unchanged itself by the process. Enzymes regulate numerous life-sustaining chemical reactions. Unless a coenzyme is present, however (e.g., B vitamins), an enzyme cannot function. In essence, the B-complex vitamins act as coenzymes in energy metabolism. The B complex of vitamins includes thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), folate (folic acid), vitamin B12 (cobalamin), pantothenic acid, and biotin.

The MPA Program in Small Markets: An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract: The public administration/policy academic community has had little systematic data on which to base decisions about program location or expansion, especially in small markets. This study presents the results of a multivariate regression of MPA student numbers on eight independent variables.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association is the preferred certification for personal training employment in southeastern Massachusetts.

Abstract: Robinson, E.M., L.B. Graham, M.A. Bauer. The National Strength and Conditioning Association is the preferred certification for personal training employment in southeastern Massachusetts. J. Strength Cond. Res. 20(2):450-451. 2006.-Offering a college program in exercise science presents challenges when attempting to mainstream credentialed students into the fitness industry, specifically as personal trainers. Unfortunately, today's clubs, regardless of their education or degree, are more interested in hiring personal trainers with specific certifications. With the growing number of available certifications, college students are expected to have a college degree and obtain multiple fitness related certifications before being considered for a personal training position. Is a college graduate still required to obtain a personal training certification? In an effort to have the best qualified individuals training clients, i.e., those with degrees, it becomes necessary to know what certification is the most preferred. The purpose of this study was to impact local college curriculums to increase the marketability of degree recipients upon graduation

A linguistic time-capsule

Abstract: The present study builds on the work of Lipski (2005a) regarding the nature and scope of Afro-Iberian language. It narrowly focuses on pluralization patterns found in historical texts covering five centuries. The analyses show that the representations of Black speech in Afro-Portuguese examples are consistent with a pattern of plural marking independently verified in comparable creole and semi-creole systems, such as Cape Verdean, Papiamentu, Helvecia and popular varieties of Brazilian Portuguese. Comparatively, the evidence of variation found in earlier Afro-Hispanic texts is less conclusive about the possible contribution of the bozal language to modern-day varieties of Caribbean Spanish. The analyses add to the debate over the prior creolization of non-standard varieties in Latin America.

Teach graphics using excel in place of a graphing calculator

Abstract: Excel spreadsheets were developed to teach the underlying math in a computer graphics course including reviewing basic linear algebra operations, tracing a series of OpenGL transformations, and creating Bezier curves and surfaces with forward differences. Each spreadsheet contains an English overview of the mathematical process and the numerical result of each sub step thus providing a high level of abstraction. Double clicking a numerical result shows the underlying equation and operands used. The authors recommend using Excel in place of a graphing calculator in a computer graphics course.

Five Thorny Questions to Ask when Planning for an Avian Flu Pandemic.

Abstract: Public health experts project a strong possibility that an avian flu pandemic will occur in the next 4 years, and the federal government has already warned that states and localities must make their own plans for this event since such a broad scale public health crises would far outstrip federal capacity to respond. Colleges and universities are among those institutions that should be preparing now for an avian flu pandemic. This article suggests five thorny questions that higher education administrators must address as they prepare their avian flu plans. This article presents information and considerations that have guided the preparation of a plan to respond to an expected avian flu pandemic at the authors' home institution, Bridgewater State College. This is a Master's/L-level public institution in southeastern Massachusetts, approximately 45 minutes south of Boston and 45 minutes north of Providence, RI. The college has 9,649 students, about 25% of whom live on campus. The campus health service is staffed by nurses and licensed nurse practitioners. The college's relationship with most employees is governed by union contracts. These facts - the teaching focus of the institution, its governance, geographic location, student enrollment, on-campus population, health service staff and facilities, and union status - affect the college's anticipated response to a pandemic. Readers should consider which elements presented in this article are relevant to their own campuses and which need amending to take into account their own institution's specific facts. Fast Facts about Avian Flu College and university administrators who are creating institutional plans to respond to an avian flu pandemic need basic information about this disease and what public health experts expect in a coming pandemic. These are the key points that have guided the Avian Flu Crisis Team at Bridgewater State College. * The H5N1 avian flu virus is spreading throughout the world among birds, including migratory wild birds as well as fowl in domestic or farming conditions. The disease is primarily passed from bird to bird or inefficiently from bird to human. Suspected human-to-human transmission has been reported within several family clusters which included one person with direct contact with infected birds (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2006b, 2006c). * The avian flu in humans begins with typical influenza symptoms (fever, cough, muscle aches, sore throat, etc.) and progresses over 2 to 5 days toward pneumonia, which is the largest mortality risk factor. The incubation period averages 2 days from exposure. The primary means of infection for any flu is airborne droplets, spread by those infected through coughing or sneezing. Infected persons can transmit a typical flu virus to others beginning about a day before symptoms appear, and they will shed virus for 2 to 8 days after the onset of symptoms. Children can be contagious for weeks. Residence hall living and group activities such as college classes, sporting events, and other programs increase the risk of exposure to the virus (American College Health Association, 2006). * A pandemic's severity depends on influenza's transmissibility (ability of a disease to spread), morbidity (the number of cases of a disease within a population) and mortality (number of deaths in a population). Bird-to-human transmission of H5N1 influenza appears to have a high human case fatality rate (over 50%). Given the propensity of this virus to mutate, future case fatality is uncertain (CDC 2006b; World Health Organization [WHO], 2005). * When a flu pandemic starts, experts think it will spread quickly throughout the world and may appear in most places within days. Restrictions on international and other travel are expected, but at best such restrictions would only slow the spread of the disease (WHO, 2006b). * A vaccine to prevent infection with H5N1 flu can only be developed after avian flu becomes contagious among humans. …

Averting and Insurance Decisions in the Wildland-Urban Interface: Implications of Survey and Experimental Data for Wildfire Risk Reduction Policy

Abstract: When confronted by catastrophic wildfire risk, homeowners simultaneously allocate resources between insurance and averting activities. Expected utility theory suggests that complete insurance coverage precludes investment in averting activities. However, when potential losses include a significant nonmarket component, optimal choice includes both. To investigate this issue, the authors analyze a unique combination of contingent valuation and experimental data. Both settings include a split-sample treatment to test the influence of wildfire risk zone information. The authors find that amenity values, subjective risk, averting efficacy perception, and demographic factors influence both willingness to pay and averting share and that risk information has the predicted ordering effect.

Knee valgus in self-initiated vertical jump landings: developmental and gender comparisions

Abstract: The study examined gender and developmental differences in knee valgus angle and external knee valgus moment at the time of maximal vertical ground reaction force (MGRFz) in self-initiated vertical jump (VJ) landings. Fifty-six subjects grouped by age (pre-pubescent (8-11 yrs); post-pubescent (19-29 yrs)) and gender jumped for a ball set at 50% of their maximum VJ height then landed on two feet with only their dominant foot on the force plate. Statistical analyses of motion analysis (3-D) and GRF data showed that children had greater valgus angles (p = .003) and moments (p = .026) at MGRFz compared to adults. Females had greater (p = .016) valgus moments than males, but similar valgus angles at MGRFz. It will be important to ensure that as both boys and girls progress through puberty they develop an ability to offset high valgus moments and land with good lower extremity alignment.

Sustainability Development and Capital Investments: Exploring P lanning in Public Housing and Higher Education Building Construction

Abstract: As public agencies consider costs, management, and environmental impact in developing goods and services with high capital investment in a world of increasingly limited resources, inclusion of sustainability goals becomes increasingly important (Leuenberger 2006 a and 2006b). Focus on sustainable development and financial planning for public services with high long-term capital investment costs is necessary and can have huge long-run impacts. Public housing and higher-education construction projects, which require high investment in capital through building and land costs, also require long-run planning, resource management, and environmental impact assessment. This paper offers examples of sustainable building planning decision making tools and related financial measurement techniques. It investigates the financial impact of initially investing in sustainable properties, the costs of maintenance, projections for resource, and cost savings into the future. This paper discusses economic planning in sustainability management outcomes by looking at system impacts of government decision making. It offers measurement tools for use in planning for existing and new developments (Leuenberger 2006c). Finally, it provides examples of sustainable development outcomes for public housing and higher education building construction projects and explores mechanisms by which costs for capital investments can be managed for maximum short-run efficiency as well as long-run sustainability.