Compare Healthcare Utilization in the First Three Years of Life for Infants with Prenatal Opioid Exposure Based on Type of Neonatal Care Received

Purpose/Background: Infants with prenatal opioid and other drug exposure often experience withdrawal symptoms known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Some hospitals have modified clinical environments to promote recovery (reduced stimulation, nursery-like rooms, permitting rooming-in). While existing research has demonstrated efficacy of lower-stimulation environment, there is no known research evaluating longer-term implications of clinical environment on infant health beyond immediate neonatal period in states disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic with diverse urban-rural populations such as Alaska. Materials & Methods: The goal of this project is to determine whether supportive care decreases the likelihood of foster care placement from birth to age three by the type of neonatal care received using linked administrative health data from Alaska Medicaid and the Alaska Office· of Children\u27s Services (OCS) for infants born between 201O and 2017, in the State of Alaska. Data sourced from Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Medicaid database was linked with data from Vital Statistics (birth and death records), and OCS data. Demographic data (e.g., age of mother, urban and rural residence (based on census classification)) was extracted from Vital Statistics database. Reports of child maltreatment, duration of foster care placement, rates of adoption, and return to the biological family among infants placed in foster care based on NAS status and the type of neonatal care received sourced from OCS data. Regression was used to assess likelihood of infants removed to foster care at birth being returned to their mother by one year, Poisson or negative binomial regression to determine if there are significant differences foster care days and rates of adoption by infants with NAS based on receipt of neonatal supportive care. Results: Based on interim analysis, infants with NAS who have been treated in a supportive care setting (e.g. Alaska Regional NEST) that uses rooming-in and a family oriented approach will have fewer days in foster care. This may be due to increased education and support provided to mothers and infants in lower-stimulation environment. Discussion/Conclusion: Further study is necessary to understand the impact of supportive care interventions on the health outcomes of infants with NAS

Philosophy into Practice? Community Policing Units and Domestic Violence Victim Participation

Much research has focused on the police response to domestic violence; however, relatively little research has considered performance differences of various types of police officers. Although there has been widespread adoption of community policing by police departments across the country, it is not conclusive as to whether units with a specific community policing philosophy perform better than traditional units when handling domestic violence calls. The current study addresses this issue by analyzing the factors associated with victim participation; specifically, do officers and detectives operating under a specific community policing mandate produce higher rates of victim participation? Bivariate and multivariate analyses indicate that victim participation rates did not differ by a community policing orientation; rather, situational factors exert the strongest effect on victim participation

The Importance of Expectation Fulfillment on Domestic Violence Victims’ Satisfaction with the Police in the UK

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate what victims of domestic violence expect police to do for them, and how these expectations subsequently influence their levels of satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Structured interviews with 222 victims of domestic violence were conducted by staff from an integrated community-based service delivery agency in Cardiff, Wales. Multivariate analyses were performed to reveal the factors that contribute to domestic violence victims\u27 satisfaction with the police. Findings – Consistent with the expectancy disconfirmation model, results indicate that the most important determinant of satisfaction is the extent to which victims\u27 expectations about police behaviour and demeanour are fulfilled. Originality/value – The results of this study and implications for police policy are discusse

Serial domestic abuse in Wales: an exploratory study into its definition, prevalence, correlates, and management

Analysis of information held by police, probation, and third-sector organizations in Wales about 100 domestic abuse perpetrators, along with 16 practitioner interviews, provides the empirical context for a discussion of the problem of “serial domestic abuse.” Despite increased concern over the harm caused by serial abusers, different definitions and recording systems prevent a reliable estimation of the problem. This exploratory study suggests that the offending profiles of serial abusers are heterogeneous, and recommends that approaches aimed at reducing the harm caused by the “power few” domestic abusers incorporate information about serial alongside repeat and high-risk offending

Establishing the efficacy of a telephone-based police response to domestic abuse: Hampshire Constabulary’s Resolution Centre

Capitalising on a natural experiment in Hampshire Constabulary, this research utilised police officially recorded data to directly compare a sample of grade-3 domestic abuse incidents that received a telephone-based response from the force’s Resolution Centre to a similar sample of incidents dealt with by the same force one year later that received the standard provision of ‘slow time’ deployment. A clear pattern of findings emerged, which taken together demonstrate the efficacy of providing a telephone-based response to certain types of domestic abuse incidents. Specifically, a detailed and formalised operations protocol has been embedded into the work of the Resolution Centre and all evidence suggests this is leading to a higher quality response overall to grade-3 domestics. The initial response provided by the Resolution Centre results in more crimes being recorded and more investigations that result in formal police action. The practice of risk assessment appears to be more comprehensive and detailed, generating a higher number of disclosures and more cases classified as ‘medium’ and ‘high’ risk. Due to the robust methodological approach of the research, these positive findings can be directly attributed to the setting where the police work was performed, rather than any differences in case characteristics

Perceptions of Shared Power, Gender Conformity, and Marital Quality in Same- and Different-Sex Marriages

Marriage is a key institutional context for the study of gender and gender inequality. One way in which gender inequality is maintained in marriage is through gender norms, which are often upheld by hegemonic masculinity—the pattern of practices that legitimize men’s dominance over women. While studies have focused on how gender conformity (i.e., women embody femininity and men embody masculinity) affects different-sex unions, they have not considered how gender conformity might shape inequalities and marital quality within same-sex unions. Marriage is a key institutional context for the study of gender and gender inequality. This research brief, led by PRC postdoctoral fellow Amanda Pollitt, examines the relationships between gender conformity (i.e., women embody femininity and men embody masculinity), perceptions of shared power, and marital quality in same- and different-sex marriages.This research was supported, in part, by Grant R21AG044585 from the National Institute on Aging (PI, Debra Umberson); Grant P2CHD042849 awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); and Grant T32 HD007081, Training Program in Population Studies, awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin by NICHD.Population Research Cente

An introduction to time-resolved decoding analysis for M/EEG

The human brain is constantly processing and integrating information in order to make decisions and interact with the world, for tasks from recognizing a familiar face to playing a game of tennis. These complex cognitive processes require communication between large populations of neurons. The non-invasive neuroimaging methods of electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) provide population measures of neural activity with millisecond precision that allow us to study the temporal dynamics of cognitive processes. However, multi-sensor M/EEG data is inherently high dimensional, making it difficult to parse important signal from noise. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) or "decoding" methods offer vast potential for understanding high-dimensional M/EEG neural data. MVPA can be used to distinguish between different conditions and map the time courses of various neural processes, from basic sensory processing to high-level cognitive processes. In this chapter, we discuss the practical aspects of performing decoding analyses on M/EEG data as well as the limitations of the method, and then we discuss some applications for understanding representational dynamics in the human brain

Comparison of carotid, brachial, and popliteal intima media thickness among sedentary and physically active subjects between 40 and 60 years old

The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of long term versus recent training on intima-media thickness (IMT) and if this effect is localized in the vascular beds of the tissues directly involved in the activity. Thirty-four male subjects (aged 49.69 ± 6.48 years) were recruited and divided into the following groups: sedentary (SE), recent aerobic exercisers (RE) or long-term aerobic exercisers (LE). Carotid, brachial, and popliteal artery IMT was measured using B-mode ultrasonography. Diet, physical activity, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured as well. Carotid IMT was not significant (p=0.974) between the groups, with SE values of 0.5945 ± 0.2156 mm, RE at 0.6017 ± 0.1560 mm, and LE at 0.5868 ± 0.1127 mm. Brachial IMT trended towards significance (p=0.069) between the groups (SE = 0.3450 ± 0.0528 mm; RE = 0.4163 ± 0.0896 mm; LE = 0.4232 ± 0.0958 mm). Popliteal IMT was not significant (p=0.127) between the groups, with the SE values of 0.5669 ± 0.0786 mm, RE at 0.4625 ± 0.0812 mm, and LE at 0.5388 ± 0.1302 mm. Significant differences were observed in MET-min/wk (p=0.011; SE = 2225.67 ± 2510.02; RE = 3370.2 ±1136.29;LE = 6039.97 ± 3775.74) and CRP (p=0.018; SE = 3.801 ± 4.438 mg/L; RE = 0.885 ± 0.507 mg/L; LE = 0.877 ± 0.609 mg/L) data. When adjusted for MET-min/wk and caloric intake, brachial IMT was significantly different between SE and both RE and LE, and popliteal IMT was significantly different between SE and RE (p=0.035 and p=0.038 respectively). Based on the findings of this study and previous research, vascular IMT may be related to physical activity, specifically in vascular beds proximal to active muscles, however the relationship may be at least partially dependent upon specific dietary factors

Understanding motivation to abstain from Pathological Gambling: The influence of negative expectancies and moderation inefficacy

The present investigation aimed to test a theory-guided model of problem gambling cessation in a sample who were quitting without professional assistance. The main hypothesis was that higher levels of moderation inefficacy (MIE) and higher levels of negative outcome expectancies (NOE) would combine to produce higher levels of both readiness to change (RTC) and commitment to abstinence (CTA). Respondents consisted of 62 community-dwelling problematic gamblers whose change goal was abstinence. Regression and moderation analyses were performed. Results showed that higher levels of NOE predicted residual criterion variance in RTC, but not CTA. MIE was not found to be a significant predictor, and the predicted interaction between NOE and MIE was non-significant. Post-hoc analyses revealed that there may be significant gender differences. Results of the present study have important implications for the development of brief online motivation enhancements which aim to reduce the public health burden of problematic gambling