THE FUTURE OF MINNESOTA'S AGRICULTURE UNDER THE FOOD SECURITY ACT OF 1985

Agricultural and Food Policy,

A Mixed Methods Multiple Case Study of Implementation as Usual in Children\u27s Social Service Organizations

Increasing the adoption and sustainment of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) in children\u27s mental health and social service systems will require the development of evidence-based implementation strategies. In order to ensure that these strategies are feasible, acceptable, sustainable, and scalable, efforts to identify and develop implementation strategies will need to be grounded by a thorough understanding of real world service systems as well as organizational stakeholders\u27 preferences for particular strategies. In other words, there is a need for a better understanding of usual care settings, and in particular, what constitutes implementation as usual. This study employed a mixed methods, multiple-case study of six organizations that provide social and mental health services to children and youth in a Midwestern city to describe the state of implementation as usual in children\u27s social services, evaluate the extent to which implementation as usual reflects emerging best practices specified in the implementation literature, and inform the future development of implementation strategies that will be practical and effective. The specific aims of this study were: (1) to identify and characterize the implementation strategies used; (2) to explore how organizational leaders make decisions about which treatments and programs to implement and how to implement them; (3) to assess stakeholders\u27 (organizational leaders and clinicians) perceptions of the effectiveness, comparative effectiveness, feasibility, and appropriateness of implementation strategies; and (4) to examine the relationship between organizational social context (culture and climate) and implementation strategy selection, implementation decision making, and perceptions of implementation strategies. These aims were accomplished through semi-structured interviews, focus groups, document review, an online survey of stakeholders\u27 perceptions of implementation strategies, and a standardized measure of organizational social context. Organizations considered a range of factors when making treatment and implementation decisions. While some considered empirical evidence to make decisions about which treatments to implement, they rarely considered empirical evidence when considering how to implement interventions. Across organizations, provider-focused strategies (e.g., training, supervision) were dominant; however, many of these strategies were not offered at the frequency and intensity that is generally required to implement EBTs effectively. Multiple areas of implementation were not well addressed, including process, client, organizational, financial, and policy levels. Several problematic trends related to strategy use were identified, such as the inconsistent provision of training and supervision, monitoring fidelity in ways not thought to be helpful, and failing to measure or appropriately utilize clinical outcome data. Stakeholders generally perceived active implementation strategies to be more effective than passive strategies, and did not respond well to strategies that were punitive in nature. Findings demonstrate how organizational social context can impact implementation processes and stakeholders\u27 perceptions of the effectiveness of implementation strategies. Important implications for practice, policy and research were derived

From Clowns to Computers: Performing Theatrical Interactivity and Pervasive Transmedia Fictions

The Collins English Dictionary defines “Interaction” as “a mutual or reciprocal action or influence”, and “Interactivity” as “allowing or relating to continuous two-way transfer of information between a user and the central point of a communication system”. This study will analyze the range of pre-existing interactive theatre types, using the model of interaction theorized by Gary Izzo in The Art of Play. This model will be used to categorize and problematize the various strategies developed and deployed through seven years of practical interactive research in the theatre. The sites of this research include five productions I worked on as a director, from 2008-2012, with Toronto-based U.N.I.T. Productions, featuring clown duo Morro and Jasp, and an eight-month long, massive, trans- media fiction project called ZED.TO, created by The Mission Business, a local event design company where I worked in 2012 as both writer and narrative designer. The central research question steering this dissertation is twofold. First, what strategies of interactivity already exist and how has the pre-existing theory of audience interaction behind these strategies evolved through the production and performance of these two projects? Second, in what ways have these strategies been proven effective, in real-time or during online encounters, to encourage an audience to believe, trust, share, play and ultimately participate inside an interactive theatre production? To prove the efficacy of these strategies, observations and opinions of both the public and the press are examined. The answers to these research questions trace the sources, evolution and distribution of these strategies from within the established theatre practice (including improvisation and clown) as well as interactive approaches sourced from game design and social media. This multidisciplinary research helps to define what strategies work towards achieving interactivity in the theatre and how, or when, it is appropriate to utilize it during a theatrical production. In essence, this study examines, through a survey of the history of immersive and interactive theatre, the strategies realized by the Morro and Jasp clown series and ZED.TO and how these projects have contributed to the evolving theory and practice of interactivity in the theatre. Analyzing such strategies will create a sourcebook for those seeking to bring theatre into the digital world as well as understand (and perhaps even undertake) the performance of pervasive interactive narratives in the future

Self-denial and self-sacrifice in the life and teaching of Jesus

The sacrificial principle forms the background for the concepts of self-denial and self-sacrifice in the life and teaching of Jesus. The underlying purpose of sacrifice in the Old Testament was the offering of life to God. In accomplish¬ ing this purpose, sacrifice came to have three general aspectst gift, communion and expiation. The various forms of sacrifice were expressions of certain principles of substitution, repre¬ sentation, commutation of sacrifice, human sacrifice, and the practice of vowing persons to Yahweh.Expressions of self-denial and self-sacrifice appear in the lives of early patriarchs, but with the prophetic denunciation of improper sacrificial activity came a spiritualising of sacrificial terminology alongside the continued offering of material sacrifice. Thus language indicating concepts of self-sacrifice appears to a great extent in the Psalms; but the highest expression of self-sacrifice is found in the character of the Suffering Servant of Deutero-Issiah.The extra-canonical writings show how individual sacrifices were considered to be offerings of one's own soul. The Qumran discoveries shed light on the sacrificial cult and suggest possible contacts with the concepts of self-denial and self-sacrifice as practiced and taught by Jesus.Certain attitudes and concepts with regard to selfdenial and self-sacrifice in the life and teaching of Jesus bear the influence of Rabbinic Judaism. These include the yoke of Christ, obedience to death, the doctrine of merit, renunciation, finding greatness in service, humility and the losing of one's life to find it.In his attitude toward sacrifice, Jesus was conscious of the real value of the cultus but was quite aware of its limitations. He seems to have assumed a position of "detachment with acquiescence" in regard to the cult.The unifying element in Jesus' thoughts concerning the selX-oenial and self-sacrifice of his life is the princi¬ ple implicit in tae Old Testament sacrifices. Jesus sees ais work defined in the Suffering Servant.In this thesis a distinction is made between the Jesus of history and the kerygma of the church with regard to the Son of man sayings. The conclusion is drawn that Jesus united in his mind the three different usages of the term Son of man and employs the title in clarifying his intention of fulfiling his work of self-denial and self-sacrifice.Jesus' ethical teaching concerning self-denial and self-sacrifice demanded that the disciples understand their personal welfare to be subservient to the work of the kingdom. He taught that greatness and exaltation came through service, humility and suffering. All of this has come to be included in the terms self-denial and self-sacrifice.In the fourth Gospel there is evidence that special Son of sum words may be quite reliable for presenting the mind of Jesus. This is particularly true of John 3:14, 8:23, 12:32 and 12:34 which express belief in only the rejection and exaltation of Jesus.With regard to self-denial and self-sacrifice in the life of Jesus according to the presentation of the fourth Gospel, the author editorially declares that God gives Jesus for the world. He uses the good shepherd narrative to present the passion of Jesus as a voluntary self-sacrifice.The fourth Gospel emphasises the parallel sufferings which the disciples are to undergo. Some of the sayings may well present a tradition nearer the common original than those of the Synoptics. This seems particularly true of John 12:25, where to hate one's life is to keep it, and John 13:16, where a servant is not greater than his master. This Gospel indicates that self-denial and self-sacrifice formed a principal facet of Jesus' teachingThe thesis concludes with the Inference that there is no real distinction between the terms self-denial and self-sacrifice and that these two concepts become the unifying force which is central in Jesus* life and teaching as the means of accomplishing his purpose of offering the Kingdom of God to all

Common trends and common cycles in Canada: who knew so much has been going on?

It is generally accepted that convergence is well established for regional Canadian per capita outputs. The authors present evidence that long-run movements are driven by two stochastic common trends in this time series. This evidence casts doubt on the convergence hypothesis for Canada. Another prevalent belief is that Canada forms an optimal currency area (OCA). The authors uncover three serially correlated common cycles whose asymmetries suggest Canada is not an OCA. Their common trend-common cycle decomposition of regional outputs also reveals that trend shocks dominate fluctuations in Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes in the short run and long run but not in British Columbia and the Prairie region. Thus, regional Canadian economic fluctuations are driven by a rich, diverse, and economically important set of propagation and growth mechanisms.

THE FOOD SECURITY ACT OF 1985: IMPLICATIONS FOR MINNESOTA'S FARM ECONOMY

Agricultural and Food Policy,