The following research report will look at a series of domestic factors that posed a threat to Bulgaria’s integration into the European Union in January 2007. In this light, this research report will evaluate the efforts that Bulgarian political leaders have taken to meet those existing domestic political challenges and thus assess Bulgaria’s progress towards meeting the political and economic criteria towards EU membership. This research study will be explained by the theoretical tradition of the multi-level governance approach, which assumes the involvement of supranational, national and sub-national actors in the processes of European integration.

There have been numerous investigations seeking to quantify the experience of parents raising adolescents of autism, but remarkably few have looked at the total experience qualitatively, as reported by parents. The present study was conducted along with a larger study for adolescents with autism participating in the PEERS® social skills group intervention, which includes simultaneous parent sessions. This study analyzed comments made in the parent group, identifying the issues parents reported spontaneously through a qualitative analysis of 12 unstructured hour-long sessions including parents (n = 16) and graduate student clinicians. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the meaning and experiences of these parents to gain increased understanding about the needs of both parents and adolescents with autism. Themes resulting from the hermeneutic analysis of these videos focused on the adolescents and their "spark," a term coined by the parents denoting the unique strengths of their children, the values they share with the family, the impact of autism on the family, lack of self-awareness, being included and finding "one good friend." There was also a strong theme of the parents seeking support from one another. Finally, the parents spoke often of planning for/hoping for the future and what it may bring for their adolescent with autism. These themes can help describe the challenges/successes of parenting an adolescent with autism. This study provides some direction for further research to inform supports for parents whose children are approaching or are in the midst of adolescence with autism. Some other findings in our study were that parents are very concerned about acceptance of family values by their adolescent. Future studies can explore further what parents' needs are and how clinicians can help them.

This presentation will provide participants up to date and comprehensive information regarding tinnitus mechanisms, special populations, and interventions. Contemporary findings from research studies will be summarized and audiologic implications addressed. The presenters will review intervention approaches that employ hearing aid fittings as well as emerging sound-based and counseling strategies for tinnitus management.

This ontologically qualitative research study was conducted at Central China University (CCU, pseudonym). The purpose of this research was to (a) explore student narratives regarding their educational experiences in the CCU Business School's at-home internationalization programs; (b) provide an in-depth narrative analysis of student learning challenges and achievements; and (c) add valuable research-based knowledge of student-described experiences at CCU for use by program administrators. The findings focused on student-identified links between the challenges they encounter and their achievements. Additionally, student performance level and sex were closely associated with the challenges and achievements that students reported. In understanding the results, the concepts of student learning found in the approaches of learned optimism, growth mindset, and grit provide potentially fruitful insights. The findings of this research have powerful, instructive implications for administrators at CCU for determining how student challenges should be strategically chosen and shaped to generate specific, positive student achievements.

Thesis (MBA.) --University of Limpopo, 2016 / The Co-operatives and Small Medium Micro Enterprises (SMME) sector in general is known to be synonymous with job creation and economic growth. The cooperative movement is said to have a potential of aiding unemployment and poverty in South Africa. The present study aimed at identifying the role of primary-cooperatives in economic growth at Elim in Limpopo Province. The study sought to find out what were the potential growth factors and opportunities available for co-operatives. It is also to examine the effectiveness of primary cooperatives as drivers of economic growth. The study was carried out at Elim in Limpopo Province. The methods used were questionnaires and interviews with primary co-operative members. A purposive sampling method was used because the researcher intended to interview specific members of the cooperative. Data were collected using both self-administered questionnaire and interviews. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of these co-operatives are not growing, thus becoming unsustainable. They are also unable to drive the local economy and impact positively to such economies. Lack of access to markets and other resources has been identified in the study as a serious challenge opposed to the success to these enterprises. Subsequent to that are issues pertaining to shortage and lack of, in certain instances, business skills and education amongst members. Finally, the study provides recommendations on the impact of cooperatives on the growth of the economy and how these can be revitalized to benefit not only the local economy at the community level, but also the entire nation.

This study examined the challenges that female educational managers face in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. The purposes of the study were: to explore the challenges that female educational managers face in maintaining and obtaining their managerial positions, to identify the strategies that they employed in coping with those challenges, and to validate the participant questionnaire in KPK. This is a qualitative case study that was conducted in three phases: exploration, reinforcement, and validation. The data were collected through interviews, observations, and field notes. In the first and second phase, nine female managers from three districts participated, while the third phase engaged 15 participants. This study found that participants faced challenges at both the entry and workplace levels and that the challenges limited participants’’ efficiency and effectiveness in their managerial roles. Participants identified professional development courses, collaboration, acknowledgement, flexibility, and accountability as effective strategies for dealing with challenges. Finally, the study found the participant questionnaire to be a valid instrument (with modifications) in the context of KPK. It can be proved a useful tool to collect data on a larger scale. This study recommends a prerequisite degree in educational leadership for future educational managers, a proper induction method for new managers, and some policy- level changes that would empower managers to deal with challenges effectively. It concludes that the Participant Questionnaire is a cross-culturally valid tool and can be utilized by researchers in Pakistan, as well as other countries. Keywords: challenges to females in educational management, politics and educational management, female management in Pakistan

The perspective of the caregiver is vital to understanding the experiences of raising a child with autism, including the challenges faced in accessing services. The purpose of this qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of primary caregivers raising a school-age child with autism and to bring about an understanding of the challenges faced in accessing services. Resiliency theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 participants raising a child with autism in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Data were analyzed using Moustakas's descriptive approach. Results yielded 5 themes: overall experience, challenges, relationships, access to services, and stressors. Findings revealed effective ways to support caregivers through programs and services and highlighted the importance of supportive relationships and family connections. Implications for social change include opening conversations regarding the unique perspectives and needs of primary caregivers of children with autism, supporting awareness of the stressors associated in daily caregiving, and engaging in broader discussions regarding the importance of establishing supportive relationships among physicians, mental health providers, specialists, social workers and care managers in order to support the advocacy efforts of caregivers.

Background: There has been very little research regarding the metabolic health of women during the postpartum period. Metabolic flexibility is the physiological ability to alter substrate oxidation in response to substrate availability and is a good indicator of overall metabolic health. Metabolic flexibility can be assessed by placing metabolic demands on the body and observing metabolic responsiveness- two examples of such metabolic stressors are lipid oxidation rates in response to a high-fat meal and as well as exercise. However, it is unknown whether postpartum women will respond similarly to these two different types of metabolic stressors. This information will allow researchers and clinicians to understand whether postpartum women can be considered more or less metabolically flexible based on one of these tests alone, or if both types of metabolic stress should be incorporated into research designs and/or clinical practice to fully understand one’s metabolic health during this critical time period. Objective: To determine the association between the metabolic responsiveness to a high-fat meal and a 30- minute continuous, moderate-intensity exercise among women during the sixth- month postpartum period. Methods: Seventeen healthy, postpartum women (age: 32 ± 4.5 year; body mass index: 24.74 ± 3.97 kg/m²) participated approximately six months after delivery. Metabolic measurements VO2 and VCO2 (L. min ̄ ¹) were measured and used to calculate the rates of lipid oxidation (g. min ̄ ¹) at baseline, two-hour post consumption of a high-fat meal and during a moderate-intensity exercise for 30-minutes. Results: A correlation was found between the lipid oxidation fold change in response to a high-fat meal and exercise (r= 0.45, p= 0.08; however, it was not statistically significant. There was a significant effect of time on lipid and carbohydrate oxidation rates (p<0.001) during baseline, after consumption of a high-fat meal and during a 30-minute exercise bout. Conclusion: A trending relationship was observed between the metabolic responsiveness to a high-fat meal and a 30-minute moderate-intensity exercise bout among women during the six-month postpartum

This study explored the resettlement-related challenges that refugees encounter in the United States (U.S.). It utilized a qualitative research design with semi-structured interviews with three refugee families from different countries of origin: Afghanistan, Burma, and Iraq. The interviews were analyzed through a system of coding and categorization in order to develop themes of commonly reported challenges across participants. Six dominant themes of resettlement‑related challenges were identified: employment, financial insecurities, bureaucracy, English language competency, family separation, and unfulfilled expectations and hope. The participants also reported that these challenges had negative effects on their mental health and described feeling worried and depressed. The data was conceptualized utilizing Berry’s (2008) acculturation framework, and it was found that the families utilized the acculturation strategy of integration. Recommendations are provided for volunteer programs in which Americans assist newly resettled refugee families as well as for policies that are more adaptive to refugees’ needs and that uphold the values of diversity and create a welcoming environment for refugees.

Grandparent caregivers to their grandchild(ren) is a growing population that is not completely understood. This study explored the challenges faced by grandparent caregivers to their grandchild(ren) and how being part of a kinship support group can help in addressing the challenges. A qualitative research design was used for the purpose of gathering first account narratives from the participants in the study. California Family Life Center, a kinship support agency was contacted and allowed the researcher to reach out to grandparents who were interested in taking part of the study. Seven participants took part in this study. This study concluded that grandparent caregivers are presented with challenges such as: an impact in their social life, making adjustments to their retirement plans and learning to cope through support from the kinship support group. The Loss and Grief Theory and Erikson’s Developmental Stages, generativity vs. stagnation provided an analysis and a better interpretation from the data collected from the participants. Results from the study suggest that being part of a kinship support group for participants has been beneficial to them as they come to better understand their current situation through the kinship support group. Nevertheless, the challenges are still present in their everyday lives. Implications for practice, policy and research are also discussed.