Alternative to welfare: the Milwaukee Jobs Commitment

The central theme of the paper is that although the only solution to poverty is income, this income must be obtained through a fair wage and package of benefits received in return for labor. Jobs, alone, can not eradicate poverty. They must offer benefits at least comparable to the benefits received while on welfare. This includes a package of sufficient income to support a family, including health care, child care, transportation and some type of career ladder so that a worker can see an opportunity for growth in his or her job. This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of a pilot project which has been designed for two target neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Known as The New Hope Project: The Milwaukee Jobs Commitment, the goal of this project is to provide jobs and benefits that offer the poor an incentive to voluntarily choose employment over welfare. One of the central tenets of the project is that all who work full-time and year-round should be entitled to a wage and package of benefits that puts them above the official poverty level

A social history of white working class women in industrializing Port Elizabeth, 1917-1936

The study period saw a significant increase in the urbanisation of whites and blacks in Port Elizabeth induced by droughts and coercive legislation, but also by burgeoning industrialisation. Industry had been given great stimulus by World War 1 and maintained by protectionist legislation in the 1920s which the local state and industrialists came to endorse. The ethos of the town was overwhelmingly British in terms of the population, the composition of the local council, business interests and the prevailing culture. Whites formed the largest component of the population in Port Elizabeth during the inter-war years. The majority of white women lived in the North End, the industrial hub and a major working class area of the city. Although the provision of housing was initially neglected, economic and subeconomic housing in the 1930s helped to create both racial separation and a sense of community between sectors of the working class. Yet, white working class women did not form a homogenous group, but rather consisted of different ethnic groups, occupations and classes. The Afrikaans speaking sector, formed a significant component of the industrial labour force especially in the leather, food and beverage and clothing industries. In a centre where white labour was favoured and marketed as an advantage to outside investors, they rapidly displaced coloured women. The female workforce was basically young, underpaid (especially in comparison to wages on the Rand) and temporary. While white women were still in evidence in other occupations such as domestic work and in the informal sector, their numbers here steadily diminished as both racial segregation and municipal regulation, were implemented. Against a background of chaotic social conditions, large slum areas and the spread of infectious diseases, the local council did much to improve health services particularly for women and children. Poor relief instituted in 1919 was, however, less forthcoming and female - headed households were often left to rely on the services of local welfare organisations. The extended family, however, was the norm affording support against atomization. Although pressurised by social ills throughout the period, the family was increasingly buttressed by state assistance. Prevailing morality was likewise actively constructed in terms of legislative repression and racial division. This often lead to social aberrations such as infanticide which was only reduced by the increase of state assistance and, in the longer term, social mobility of the whites

Access to breast prostheses via a government-funded service in Victoria, Australia

For many women, the only alternative to breast reconstruction following a mastectomy is to use external prostheses, which need replacing regularly at a cost of up to $395 per prosthesis. Commonwealth and state governments across Australia have responded to this need by providing subsidies to assist in the purchase of breast prostheses. However, current arrangements have been highly variable and sometimes difficult to access. As part of a larger review of breast pros-thesis services in Victoria, Australia, the aim of this research was to evaluate client satisfaction among Victorian women who accessed funds through the State Government\u27s Aids and Equipment Program, compare the responses of the program service providers with the experiences of clients accessing funding, and identify opportunities to improve service provision. <br /

Immune Modulation by Schistosoma mansoni Antigens in NOD Mice: Effects on Both Innate and Adaptive Immune Systems

We have shown that Schistosoma mansoni egg soluble antigen (SEA) prevents diabetes in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse inducing functional changes in antigen presenting cells (APCs) and expanding T helper (Th) 2 and regulatory T cell (Treg) responses. A Th2 response to S. mansoni infection or its antigens is key to both the establishment of tolerance and successfully reproduction in the host. More recently we demonstrated that SEA treatment upregulates bioactive TGFβ on T cells with consequent expansion of Foxp3+ Tregs, and these cells might be important in SEA-mediated diabetes prevention together with Th2 cells. In this study we profile further the phenotypic changes that SEA induces on APCs, with particular attention to cytokine expression and markers of macrophage alternative activation. Our studies suggest that TGFβ from T cells is important not just for Treg expansion but also for the successful Th2 response to SEA, and therefore, for diabetes prevention in the NOD mouse

Registration of supine MR mammography with breast ultrasound for surgical planning of breast conserving surgery: a feasibility study

Purpose To report the feasibility, accuracy and initial clinical experience of the use of real-time magnetic resonance navigated ultrasound (rtMRnUS) in the surgical planning of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) via guide wire insertion. Materials and Methods 29 participants were recruited into this prospective ethics committee approved study. The first 4 cases were utilized as a training set. Participants underwent a supine contrast-enhanced breast MR examination with external fiducials and corresponding ink marks placed on the skin of the affected breast to act as co-registration pairs. MR examinations included both functional and morphological images. A LOGIQ E9 ultrasound system (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA) equipped with a 6 - 15 MHz transducer was utilized for rtMRnUS. To facilitate point co-registration of the previously acquired MR dataset with the real-time ultrasound, co-registration pairs were identified on both imaging modalities. The following co-registration quality metrics were recorded: root mean square deviation (RMSD), lesion and global accuracies. Post co-registration guide wire insertion was performed. Results Co-registration was successfully undertaken in all participants. Results from 25 participants are presented. The median (min, max) RMSD was 3.3 mm (0.6 mm, 8.8 mm). The global accuracy was assessed as very good (8), good (12), moderate (3) and poor (2) while the median (min, max) lesion accuracy was recorded at 8.9 mm (2.1 mm, 33.2 mm). Conclusion The use of rtMRnUS to facilitate guide wire insertion is a feasible technique. Generally, very good or good global registration can be expected. Lesion accuracy results indicate that a median difference, in 3 D space, of 9 mm can be expected between imaging modalities

The global and the local: precautionary behaviors in the realms of crime, health, and home safety

Open accessExpressions of anxieties are examined in the realms of crime, health and home safety. We consider protective behaviours that individuals undertake in each of these realms as potential outlets for the expression of anxiety; the way in which elements of social context such as age, education and income, and biographical factors including past experiences, perceived control, and anxieties about future events contribute to protective behaviours within each realm is examined. Findings indicate different factors drive precautionary behaviours for men and women, suggesting gender as a lens through which precautionary behaviours are taken up. Global anxiety inconsistently predicts precautionary behaviours — a finding that questions both the utility of and the theoretical significance of global anxiety. Local (individual) negative experiences within these realms play an important role in predicting preventative behaviour, although the impact of negative experiences among the realms and between the sexes is inconsistent. Light is shed on the relationship between global anxieties and local expressions suggesting that behaviour may have a far more local element than might be expected.Ye

A Proposal for Stewardship Support to Private Native Forests in NSW

The Southern Cross Group is proposing a completely new approach to private forest management in NSW based on stewardship support. This means that incentives will be used to encourage landholders to manage their forests in a way that maintains their environmental and other values for the community, without compromising their value as a resource to the farming community. Importantly, the Southern Cross Group system will foster good outcomes through innovation rather than through cumbersome and onerous prescriptions. Private forests in NSW are important as a source of timber as well as for the conservation values they provide to the general community. Landholders should be encouraged to manage them in a way that preserves their productive capacity and their conservation values for the long term. At present, however, neither the current regulatory regime, including the Private Native Forest legislation and proposed code of practice, nor the current market regime encourages sustainable management of the State's private timber resources. The Southern Cross Group has designed an effective and simple way of fostering and rewarding good stewardship of private native forests. Good stewardship may be viewed as a 'duty of care' responsibility that should be enforced by legislation, or as an environmental service that should be recognised and rewarded. The distinction is academic: the reality is that incentives are more effective than punitive regulations. Good environmental outcomes for most forests depend on active management and, especially in the case of private native forests, on incentives for continuing management. The challenge is to devise an equitable scheme that sends the right signals for forest management, is cost-effective to administer, and represents a worthwhile investment in terms of the public good generated. We believe the way forward is with simple, transparent indicators that provide an immediate and ongoing incentive. Under our proposal, landholders will receive an annual cash payment as a reward for progress towards specific outcomes. Rather than complicated targets, we are proposing a simple, two-tiered system that will give enough incentive to landholders to provide the environmental services desired by the community. The first tier rewards and encourages landholders to regenerate more forest, to retain big trees, and to stimulate tree growth on private land. The second tier rewards and encourages stewardship of endangered species and ecological communities. These incentives will be simple to apply and audit, and will encourage landholders to learn about and encourage biodiversity on their land, and to consider it part of their income portfolio. This system will contribute to farmers seeing forests as core business, both as part of their income stream and as part of their environmental stewardship responsibilities. When all farmers view forests in this way, Australia will reap the benefit of forests that are more diverse and productive, and a forest estate that no longer continues to shrink

The changing landscape of conservation science funding in the United States

To understand the changing role of funding sources in shaping conservation science in the United States, we analyzed acknowledgments from published studies, trends in research funding, and survey responses from conservation scientists. Although the U.S. federal government was the most frequently acknowledged source of support overall, U.S. foundations and NGOs were the predominant sources for tropical and socioeconomic research. Acknowledgments of foundation support for conservation research increased over the last two decades, while recognition of federal funds declined. Concordant trends in funding and acknowledgments indicated a changing landscape for conservation science, in which federal support has not kept pace with the growth in conservation research efforts or needs. Survey responses from conservation scientists about their funding sources were consistent with acknowledgment data, and most (64%) indicated that shifts in funding sources and amounts affected the type of research they conduct. Ongoing changes in the funding landscape shape the direction of conservation research and may make conservation science more vulnerable to economic recessions

Audio feedback design: principles and emerging practice

This paper considers the design of audio feedback as experienced in several faculties of a UK university and as identified in the literature. Several adaptable models are presented, including: 'personal tutor monologue' recorded at the PC by the tutor as part of the marking process; 'personal feedback conversations', recorded by the tutor or student(s) in the lab or studio to capture project discussions or studio 'crits'; 'broadcast feedback' targeted at large groups; 'peer audio feedback', in which students learn as they assess each other's work; 'tutor conversations', a 'common room conversation' approach designed to model critical thinking; and 'personal audio interventions', targeted at individuals to address emerging issues. The methods are introduced and evaluated according to their potential to formatively affect learning. Audio feedback design factors are outlined and practical recommendations are offered. The paper concludes that the use of audio feedback can promote a culture of dialogic engagement