No Right Turn: Illinois' Auto Title Loan Industry and its Impact on Consumers

This study examines the auto title lending industry in Illinois. Auto title loans are a type of high-cost, small-dollar loan. They are similar to payday loans, but are secured by the title to the borrower's automobile. Title lenders operate in 25 states across the country, and each year an estimated two million American consumers take out title loans. This report examines data from two reports on the consumer lending industry released by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations (IDFPR) and loan-level data from court records of collection cases filed in Cook County

The Case for Banning Payday Lending: Snapshots from Four Key States

For years, community groups and advocates around the country have waged pitched battles to eliminate payday lending in their respective states. Notwithstanding extensive documentation of the payday lending debt trap and the billions of dollars payday lenders have systematically stripped from low-income families and communities, especially those of color, the payday lending industry has cannily built and exerted its political power in state capitols throughout the U.S. As a result, many states permit usurious payday lending, with often dire consequences for millions of payday loan borrowers already struggling to make ends meet. A key move in the industry's playbook is to convince states that the best way to address predatory payday lending is to regulate the industry. But regulations in states that authorize payday loans are too often written by industry and porous at best, and across the board fail to eliminate the hooks that trap people in these usurious and harmful loans. Other less subtle strategies the industry employs are to co-opt state legislators through generous campaign contributions, and to lobby aggressively against any and all attempts to prohibit or curtail payday lending. This report presents snapshots on payday loan regulation in four key states -- California, Illinois, New York, and North Carolina. The snapshots are intended to provide helpful lessons and serve as a useful basis for comparison. Although New York has long prohibited payday lending altogether through its strong usury law, North Carolina opened the door to payday lending for five years before restoring its previous ban in 2001. Illinois, by contrast, has attempted to restrict payday lending through a series of legislative and regulatory reforms adopted over the past 12 years, many of which the industry immediately circumvented. California, for its part, has few payday loan regulations on the books. While some cities and counties in California have sought to curb payday lending by passing local ordinances, the industry has to date successfully thwarted all efforts to pass meaningful state-level protections.The four organizations that prepared the snapshots -- California Reinvestment Coalition, New Economy Project (formerly NEDAP), Reinvestment Partners, and Woodstock Institute -- offer their perspective as financial justice advocates that have been in the thick of payday lending battles in their home states. Their direct experience with a range of regulatory frameworks has shown that strong usury caps have proven the single most effective means of banning payday lending.The report comes at an exciting time. Advocates have spent years refuting and defending against the payday lending industry's shameless and aggressive lobbying, and there is now a clear turning of the tide. Last month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a comprehensive study on storefront and bank payday loans, which showed how payday loans lead many borrowers to a long-term cycle of indebtedness. That same week, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued strong proposed guidance that would effectively rein in predatory payday lending by banks. There is an emerging chorus at local, state, and federal levels calling for an end to payday lending -- whether by banks, storefront payday lenders, or over the internet -- and the squeeze is now squarely on the industry. The changing dynamic will likely increase pressure in battleground states, such as California and Illinois, and we hope soon to see strong federal action that ends payday lending once and for all

The effect of mHealth and conventional awareness campaigns on caregivers’ developmental literacy

Children in impoverished settings face a multitude of risk factors that may impact early childhood development (ECD). Poor ECD can lead to negative outcomes and the continuation of the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Early stimulation from caregivers can counter the effects of risk factors. Increased developmental literacy supports positive parenting, thus improving ECD outcomes. This study aimed to determine if mHealth and conventional awareness campaigns have an effect on caregivers’ developmental literacy. Caregivers were recruited from a primary healthcare facility in a low-resource setting. Participants were randomly divided into three groups; two intervention groups (mHealth and conventional awareness campaigns) and a control group. Caregivers’ developmental literacy was assessed prior to their exposure to awareness campaigns. Participants were reassessed after three months, during which the intervention groups received the same information, through different mediums. The results showed that neither of the awareness campaigns was more effective (p=.359); as the intervention groups’ results were similar to those of the control group. There was, however, a significant improvement (p=.000) from pre-test to post-test, across the entire sample. The improvements may be due to pre-test face-to-face (FTF) interviews between healthcare professionals and caregivers. FTF interviews may be effective in fostering developmental literacy in primary caregivers of young children in low socio-economic populations.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gecd20hj2022Science, Mathematics and Technology EducationSpeech-Language Pathology and Audiolog

Individual differences in early language learning: a study of English learners of French

The present longitudinal study examines the interaction of learner variables (gender, motivation, self-efficacy and first language literacy) and their influence on second language learning outcomes. The study follows English learners of French from Year 5 in primary school (aged 9-10) to the first year in secondary school (Year 7 aged 11-12). Language outcomes were measured by two oral production tasks; a sentence repetition task and a photo description task both of which were administered at three time points. Longitudinal data on learner attitudes and motivation were collected via questionnaires. Teacher assessment data for general first language literacy attainment were also provided. The results show a great deal of variation in learner attitudes and outcomes and that there is a complex relationship between first language literacy, self-efficacy, gender and attainment. For example, in general, girls held more positive attitudes to boys and were more successful. However, the inclusion of first language ability, which explained 30-40% of variation, shows that gender differences in attitudes and outcomes are likely mediated by first language literacy and prior learning experience

How to Build Reputation in Financial Markets

A company's reputation for accountability and trustworthiness is a critical factor in its ability to attract the financial resources required to support its strategies. However, there has been little research done on how companies build and preserve the trust of financial markets. This research highlights a number of practices and features that seem to positively influence the formation of corporate reputation in financial markets. Collectively, the findings indicate that companies are guided by knowledgeable, respected and committed leaders, that are transparent and comprehensive in their communication of corporate plans, and that display credible and independent control systems are more likely to gather the consensus of the financial community around bold strategic plans

Psychosocial impact of undergoing prostate cancer screening for men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

OBJECTIVES: To report the baseline results of a longitudinal psychosocial study that forms part of the IMPACT study, a multi-national investigation of targeted prostate cancer (PCa) screening among men with a known pathogenic germline mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. PARTICPANTS AND METHODS: Men enrolled in the IMPACT study were invited to complete a questionnaire at collaborating sites prior to each annual screening visit. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics and the following measures: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Impact of Event Scale (IES), 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer, Cancer Worry Scale-Revised, risk perception and knowledge. The results of the baseline questionnaire are presented. RESULTS: A total of 432 men completed questionnaires: 98 and 160 had mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, respectively, and 174 were controls (familial mutation negative). Participants' perception of PCa risk was influenced by genetic status. Knowledge levels were high and unrelated to genetic status. Mean scores for the HADS and SF-36 were within reported general population norms and mean IES scores were within normal range. IES mean intrusion and avoidance scores were significantly higher in BRCA1/BRCA2 carriers than in controls and were higher in men with increased PCa risk perception. At the multivariate level, risk perception contributed more significantly to variance in IES scores than genetic status. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to report the psychosocial profile of men with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations undergoing PCa screening. No clinically concerning levels of general or cancer-specific distress or poor quality of life were detected in the cohort as a whole. A small subset of participants reported higher levels of distress, suggesting the need for healthcare professionals offering PCa screening to identify these risk factors and offer additional information and support to men seeking PCa screening

Same but different? Measurement invariance of the PIAAC motivation-to-learn scale across key socio-demographic groups

Abstract Background Data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) revealed that countries systematically differ in their respondents’ literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments skills; skill levels also vary by gender, age, level of education or migration background. Similarly, systematic differences have been documented with respect to adults’ participation in education, which can be considered as a means to develop and maintain skills. From a psychological perspective, motivation to learn is considered a key factor associated with both skill development and participation in (further) education. In order to account for motivation when analyzing PIAAC data, four items from the PIAAC background questionnaire were recently compiled into a motivation-to-learn scale. This scale has been found to be invariant (i.e., showing full weak and partial strong measurement invariance) across 21 countries. Methods This paper presents further analyses using multiple-group graded response models to scrutinize the validity of the motivation-to-learn scale for group comparisons. Results Results indicate at least partial strong measurement invariance across gender, age groups, level of education, and migration background in most countries under study (all CFI > .95, all RMSEA < .08). Thus, the scale is suitable for comparing both means and associations across these groups. Conclusions Results are discussed in light of country characteristics, challenges of measurement invariance testing, and potential future research using PIAAC data

Production Distribution: Gaps and Opportunities for Local Food and Regional Aggregation (conducting phone interviews with distributors)

Our project examines the economic opportunities, barriers, and gaps between local and non-local food distribution networks in order to pinpoint new market distribution opportunities within the Capital Region, with a focus on low-income areas. Area producers will be surveyed in order to pinpoint new market opportunities. Additionally, the study will highlight how food distribution networks help local communities embody the UN Global Goal of Responsible Production and Consumption

Administration of intravenous antibiotics in patients with open fractures is dependent on emergency room triaging.

BACKGROUND:Recent literature has demonstrated that emergent administration of antibiotics is perhaps more critical than even emergent debridement. Most recent studies recommend patients receive antibiotics no later than 1 hour after injury to prevent infection. The objective of this study is to evaluate the time to antibiotic administration after patients with open fractures arrive to a trauma center depending on triaging team. METHODS:A retrospective study at a level 1 Trauma center from January 2013 to March 2015 where 117 patients with open fractures were evaluated. Patients who presented with open fractures of the extremities or pelvis were considered. Subjects were identified using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Patients aged 18 and older were analyzed for Gustilo type, antibiotics administered in the emergency room (ER), presence of an antibiotic allergy, post-operative antibiotic regimen and number of debridements, among others. Additionally, whether a patient was triaged by ER doctors or trauma surgeons (and made a trauma activation) was evaluated. Outcome measurements included time to intravenous (IV) antibiotic administration and time to surgical debridement. RESULTS:Patients received IV cefazolin a median of 17 minutes after arrival. Eighty-five patients who were made trauma activations received cefazolin 14 minutes after arrival while 24 non-trauma patients received cefazolin 53 minutes after arrival (p = <0.0001). The median time to gentamicin administration for all patients was 180 minutes. Patients not upgraded to a trauma received gentamicin 263 minutes after arrival, while patients upgraded received gentamicin 176 minutes after arrival. There was no statistically significant difference between the timing to cefazolin or gentamicin based on Gustilo type. CONCLUSIONS:Overall, patients that arrive at our institution with open fractures receive IV cefazolin significantly faster when trauma surgeons evaluate the patient. Additionally, delays in gentamicin administration are demonstrated in both triaging groups. This is due to the fact that cefazolin is stocked in the hospital ER, while gentamicin is commonly not due to weight-based dosing requirements precluding a standard dose. Improvements can be made to antibiotic administration of non-trauma patients and those requiring gentamicin via improved education and awareness of open fractures