The "Black Box" Behind Prison-Based Vocational Training Programs

Despite the great importance of prison vocational programs, studies have pointed to a wide variety of barriers that inhibit the released prisoner's chances to integrate into the labor market. The present qualitative investigation was designed to crack the "black box" behind six vocational programs implemented in the Israel Prison Service (IPS). Our findings based on the interviews with all the supervisors in the programs emphasized several factors that seem necessary for the success of the different vocational programs. The interviews show that training in a correctional environment poses a number of major difficulties for the respondents. Furthermore, a significant part of the prisoners' motivation to participate in the training programs is not necessarily related to the desire to find work after release. It was also found that a relatively long training, which makes it possible to find work in the field even during the period of incarceration, holistically addresses the various needs of the prisoner, and corresponds to the job market requirements, increases the chances of its participants to find employment also after their release from prison. When the characteristics of the various programs were examined, it was found that in addition to the characteristics of prisoners, one must also consider structural characteristics such: to what extent do the programs comply with the requirements of the Israeli labor market, confer a formal diploma at the end of the training period, or allow integration into the work force after release

LADM-based Israeli Country Profile: Toward Implementation of 3D Cadastre Registration

Land is a valuable and finite resource, particularly in a small country such as Israel. A variety of drives, such as: urbanization and smart utilization of space, is prompting the stakeholders to promote new land policies. These policies should reflect the societal needs and demands as well as factor in and balance between numerous aspects. Furthermore, in recent years the ecological angle, forest and species preservation have become more and more acute, urging in turn for an even stricter land related actions.In most countries around the world - Israel being no exception - land administration system is a decentralized one, that is to say, multiple organizations and government departments are involved. In Israel the spatial component is under the authority of Survey of Israel, whereas the Land Registry Offices, with the Ministry of Justice, are in charge of the legal aspects of land administration. However, there are several more players to consider, such as: Israeli Land Authority which is responsible for the managing of approximately 93 percent of all land; the Planning Administration and Planning Commissions - on both national and local levels - which need up-to-date cadastral and land use information for spatial planning, urban and rural development and adequate allocation of land; and finally the entrepreneurs and private citizens, who too require access to the relevant land data. To ensure consistency in access to data, as well as sharing and exchange thereof, institutional interoperability is crucial. Informed decision making, effective and efficient management of land resources and ultimately economic development and sustainability of a country are dependent on it. In order to achieve this cross-organizational coherence a model-driven approach is required.Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) - ISO 19152 standard, a conceptual model which incorporates both legal and spatial components, offers a common language and provides a solid foundation for establishing a national Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI).This paper describes the development of an LADM-based Israeli country profile, in light of the amendment to the Land Law of 1969 which allows the registration of 3D parcels and calls for new affiliated regulations and the utilization of new technologies. An overview of the existing land administration system key components and procedures as well as ongoing and planned enhancements are given.GIS Technologi

Deposition of collagen type I onto skeletal endothelium reveals a new role for blood vessels in regulating bone morphology

Recently, blood vessels have been implicated in the morphogenesis of various organs. The vasculature is also known to be essential for endochondral bone development, yet the underlying mechanism has remained elusive. We show that a unique composition of blood vessels facilitates the role of the endothelium in bone mineralization and morphogenesis. Immunostaining and electron microscopy showed that the endothelium in developing bones lacks basement membrane, which normally isolates the blood vessel from its surroundings. Further analysis revealed the presence of collagen type I on the endothelial wall of these vessels. Because collagen type I is the main component of the osteoid, we hypothesized that the bone vasculature guides the formation of the collagenous template and consequently of the mature bone. Indeed, some of the bone vessels were found to undergo mineralization. Moreover, the vascular pattern at each embryonic stage prefigured the mineral distribution pattern observed one day later. Finally, perturbation of vascular patterning by overexpressing Vegf in osteoblasts resulted in abnormal bone morphology, supporting a role for blood vessels in bone morphogenesis. These data reveal the unique composition of the endothelium in developing bones and indicate that vascular patterning plays a role in determining bone shape by forming a template for deposition of bone matrix

Physicians prescribe fewer analgesics during night shifts than day shifts

Adequate pain management is one of the biggest challenges of the modern healthcare system. Physician perception of patient subjective pain, which is crucial to pain management, is susceptible to a host of potential biases. Here we explore the timing of physicians' work as a previously unrecognized source of systematic bias in pain management. We hypothesized that during night shifts, sleep deprivation, fatigue, and stress would reduce physicians' empathy for others' pain, leading to underprescription of analgesics for patient pain relief. In study 1, 67 resident physicians, either following a night shift or not, performed empathy for pain assessment tasks and simulated patient scenarios in laboratory conditions. As predicted, following a night shift, physicians showed reduced empathy for pain. In study 2, we explored this phenomenon in medical decisions in the field. We analyzed three emergency department datasets from Israel and the United States that included discharge notes of patients arriving with pain complaints during 2013 to 2020 (n = 13,482). Across all datasets, physicians were less likely to prescribe an analgesic during night shifts (compared to daytime shifts) and prescribed fewer analgesics than generally recommended by the World Health Organization. This effect remained significant after adjusting for patient, physician, type of complaint, and emergency department characteristics. Underprescription for pain during night shifts was particularly prominent for opioids. We conclude that night shift work is an important and previously unrecognized source of bias in pain management, likely stemming from impaired perception of pain. We consider the implications for hospitals and other organizations employing night shifts