Search results

This study aims to explore perceived effectiveness in the Warriors' Ascent program through interviews of volunteer staff, to leverage improvements in the design and delivery of programs through peer-volunteers.

Focused interviews were conducted to explore peer-volunteer perspectives on program effectiveness. The alignment of themes and statements emerging from interviews was explored in detail relative to the program curriculum.

Five main themes emerged, with alignment for 86% of the peer-volunteers’ commentary and program curriculum. Areas of non-alignment may present opportunities for program growth.

Analysis of peer-volunteer perspectives on practical activities and overall program effectiveness identified options to enhance program delivery. Warriors’ Ascent and both existing and emerging organizations (such as those who will serve distressed frontline pandemic workers) are essential social resources poised to evolve by encompassing appreciation and more effective use of non-professional volunteer support staff.

Peer-volunteers supporting behavior change programs are an emerging focus for research. Peer-volunteers contribute unique perspectives, common experiences and building of relations with a program’s participants serving as an effective agent of change contributing toward healthier lifestyles. Considering the influences of peer-volunteers during program evaluation allows triangulation among sources of information and offers additional opportunities for influencing program growth.

The analysis of acetate acrylic and acrylic copolymers systems is described. Much useful information is rapidly obtained by infra‐red spectrophotometry and pyrolysis gas chromatography, however quantitative analyses generally require the polymer material to be cleaved by chemical means with subsequent identification of the fragments by gas chromatography.

In spite of escalating efforts to curb abuse, fraud, and corruption in Congress, members of Congress persist in violating the norms, rules, and laws that aim to ensure they behave ethically. This chapter combines qualitative and quantitative analysis to describe congressional corruption in the modern era. Case studies illustrate consequential financial scandals while also differentiating four categories of corrupt financial practices.

Existing datasets on congressional scandals span the time period from 1972 to 2010, and this chapter extends the dataset to 2018. The analysis next uses the dataset to answer important questions empirically. Which types of scandals occur more often? Have these scandals grown more common or less common over time? What are the consequences of financial scandals for representatives' careers as public servants?