Policing just outcomes: improving the police response to adults reporting sexual assault

This report identifies failures in Victoria Police\u27s handling of sexual assault cases, and recommends reforms. Executive summary The prevalence of sexual assault and its consequent harm to both individual victims and society as a whole has now been widely researched, documented and recognised in Western jurisdictions for generations. In particular, policing of this gendered5 crime has been the subject of many research endeavours and police organisations have increasingly opened their doors to academics and other researchers in pursuit of evidence-based knowledge that will assist them to enhance their training, investigations and Brief preparations in this respect. Victoria Police has been among the foresighted police organisations in this regard over the past several years. This report is the result of one major research endeavour concerning reports of sexual assault made by adults and the related police response, investigation and management involving Edith Cowan University in partnership with Victoria Police. This study was designed in terms of three strands, each of which incorporated a number of interrelated research programs. Strand one focused on victims/survivors and it proceeded through the use of an online survey and interviews of adult victims/survivors as well as focus groups and interviews of police officers in the State of Victoria and rape crisis counsellors from Centres Against Sexual Assault located across Victoria. Strand two focused on police decision-making processes and police networking in relation to complaints of sexual assault by adults. It proceeded through close reading of Victoria Police operational case files, individual interviews and focus groups involving police, and a focus group of Office of Public Prosecutions personnel. Strand three focused on the management of the police response and the recruitment, training and development of police for the specialist role of sexual assault policing. It proceeded through the use of strand two methods, as well as observation of Victoria Police training courses, police trainee feedback sheets and online survey, and interview of trainers in relation to the specialist sexual assault policing role. Authored by S. Caroline Taylor AM, Professor David Bradley, Dr. Shane D Muldoon and Dr. Caroline Norma

Management of Long QT Syndrome in Women Before, During, and After Pregnancy

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a primary genetic and electrical disorder that increases risk for torsades de pointes, syncope, and sudden death. Post-pubertal women with LQTS require specialized multidisciplinary management before, during, and after pregnancy involving cardiology and obstetrics to reduce risk for cardiac events in themselves and their fetuses and babies. The risk of potentially life-threatening events is lower during pregnancy but increases significantly during the 9-month postpartum period. Treatment of women with LQTS with a preferred β-blocker at optimal doses along with close monitoring are indicated throughout pregnancy and during the high-risk postpartum period

Distribution and abundance of sei whales off the west coast of the Falkland Islands

The survey was funded by Falklands Conservation, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and the Falkland Islands Government Environmental Studies Budget.Little information exists on the current status of Southern Hemisphere sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis). We assessed their distribution and abundance along the west coast of the Falkland Islands (southwest Atlantic) during February and March 2018, using line transect and nonsystematic surveys. Abundance estimates were generated for a single survey stratum using design- and model-based approaches. Sightings of sei whales and unidentified baleen whales (most, if not all, likely to be sei whales) occurred from the coast to the 100 m depth isobath that marked the offshore boundary of the stratum. The modeled distribution predicted highest whale densities in King George Bay and in the waters between Weddell Island and the Passage Islands. Sei whale abundance was estimated as 716 animals (CV = 0.22; 95% CI [448, 1,144]; density = 0.20 whales/km2) using the design-based approach, and 707 animals (CV = 0.11; 95% CI [566, 877]; density = 0.20 whales/km2) using the model-based approach. For sei whales and unidentified baleen whales combined, the equivalent estimates were 916 animals (CV = 0.19; 95% CI [606, 1,384]; density = 0.26 whales/km2) and 895 animals (CV = 0.074; 95% CI [777, 1,032]; density = 0.25 whales/km2). The data indicate that the Falkland Islands inner shelf region may support globally important seasonal feeding aggregations of sei whales, and potentially qualify as a Key Biodiversity Area.PostprintPeer reviewe

An effective environmental enrichment framework for the continual improvement of production animal welfare

Substrates and objects are provided to farm animals on the assumption that they improve animal welfare by enriching the environment, but these often fail to consider the extent to which an environmental enrichment (EE) improves animal welfare, if at all. Furthermore, there are numerous definitions of EE, each with a unique expectation. If expectations of animal welfare improvement are set too high, industry uptake may be thwarted, but if thresholds are set too low it will not result in meaningful improvements to animal welfare. We propose an EE framework based on revised definitions of EE that reflect improvements to various components of animal welfare: (i) pseudo-enrichment" (ii) EE for meeting basic needs" (iii) EE for pleasure" and (iv) EE for positive welfare balance. This framework requires short- and long-term assessments to determine the impact of the EE, although many are lacking in the production animal literature. Redefining EE with a focus on specific animal welfare outcomes will assist producers in identifying the optimal EE for their enterprise. Subsequently, we encourage dialogue between farmers, researchers and industry stakeholders when designing environmental enrichment programmes. This framework is a science-based tool that can be used to inform the development of clear EE assessment protocols and requirements for animal welfare legislation, assurance programmes and industry. This evidence-based framework ensures that the focus is on the outcome of EE programmes rather than the intent. Importantly, this framework has the flexibility to adapt even as baseline environments evolve, ensuring the continual improvement to production animal welfare

Long-term, multiwavelength light curves of ultra-cool dwarfs: I. An interplay of starspots & clouds likely drive the variability of the L3. 5 dwarf 2MASS 0036+ 18

We present multi-telescope, ground-based, multiwavelength optical and near-infrared photometry of the variable L3.5 ultra-cool dwarf 2MASSW J0036159+182110. We present 22 nights of photometry of 2MASSW J0036159+182110, including 7 nights of simultaneous, multiwavelength photometry, spread over ∼120 days allowing us to determine the rotation period of this ultra-cool dwarf to be 3.080 ± 0.001 hr. Our many nights of multiwavelength photometry allow us to observe the evolution, or more specifically the lack thereof, of the light curve over a great many rotation periods. The lack of discernible phase shifts in our multiwavelength photometry, and that the amplitude of variability generally decreases as one moves to longer wavelengths for 2MASSW J0036159+182110, is generally consistent with starspots driving the variability on this ultra-cool dwarf, with starspots that are ∼100 degrees K hotter or cooler than the ∼1700 K photosphere. Also, reasonably thick clouds are required to fit the spectra of 2MASSW J0036159+182110, suggesting there likely exists some complex interplay between the starspots driving the variability of this ultra-cool dwarf and the clouds that appear to envelope this ultra-cool dwarf.https://arxiv.org/pdf/1609.03586.pdfFirst author draf

Nobiletin Affects Circadian Rhythms and Oncogenic Characteristics in a Cell-Dependent Manner

The natural product nobiletin is a small molecule, widely studied with regard to its therapeutic effects, including in cancer cell lines and tumors. Recently, nobiletin has also been shown to affect circadian rhythms via their enhancement, resulting in protection against metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that nobiletin’s anti-oncogenic effects, such as prevention of cell migration and formation of anchorage independent colonies, are correspondingly accompanied by modulation of circadian rhythms. Concurrently, we wished to determine whether the circadian and anti-oncogenic effects of nobiletin differed across cancer cell lines. In this study, we assessed nobiletin’s circadian and therapeutic characteristics to ascertain whether these effects depend on cell line, which here also varied in terms of baseline circadian rhythmicity. Three cell culture models where nobiletin’s effects on cell proliferation and migration have been studied previously were evaluated: U2OS (bone osteosarcoma), which possesses robust circadian rhythms; MCF7 (breast adenocarcinoma), which has weak circadian rhythms; and MDA-MB-231 (breast adenocarcinoma), which is arrhythmic. We found that circadian, migration, and proliferative effects following nobiletin treatment were subtle in the U2OS and MCF7 cells. On the other hand, changes were clear in MDA-MB-231s, where nobiletin rescued rhythmicity and substantially reduced oncogenic features, specifically two-dimensional cell motility and anchorage-independent growth. Based on these results and those previously described, we posit that the effects of nobiletin are indeed cell-type dependent, and that a positive correlation may exist between nobiletin’s circadian and therapeutic effects

Dietary Patterns, Abdominal Visceral Adipose Tissue and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in African Americans: the Jackson Heart Study

Dietary behavior is an important lifestyle factor to impact an individual’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the influence of specific dietary factors on CVD risk for African Americans remains unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1775 participants from Jackson Heart Study (JHS) Exam 2 (between 2006 and 2009) who were free of hypertension, diabetes and CVD at the baseline (between 2001 and 2004). Dietary intakes were documented using a validated food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and dietary patterns were generated by factor analysis. Three major dietary patterns were identified: a “southern”, a “fast food” and a “prudent” pattern. After adjustment for age, sex, smoking and alcohol status, education level and physical activity, high “southern” pattern score was associated with an increased odds ratio (OR) for high abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (OR:1.80, 95%CI:1.1–3.0, p=0.02), hypertension (OR:1.42, 95%CI:1.1–1.9, p=0.02), diabetes (OR:2.03, 95%CI:1.1–3.9, p=0.03) and metabolic syndrome (OR:2.16, 95%CI:1.3–3.6, p=0.004). Similar associations were also observed in the “fast food” pattern (p ranges 0.03–0.0001). The “prudent” pattern was significantly associated, in a protective direction, with hypertension (OR 0.69, 95%CI 0.5–0.9, p=0.02). In conclusion, dietary patterns, especially the “southern” pattern, identified from a regional specific FFQ in this Deep South African Americans, are correlated with abdominal VAT and cardiometabolic risk factors

Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers

Background Volunteering has been advocated by the United Nations, and American and European governments as a way to engage people in their local communities and improve social capital, with the potential for public health benefits such as improving wellbeing and decreasing health inequalities. Furthermore, the US Corporation for National and Community Service Strategic Plan for 2011–2015 focused on increasing the impact of national service on community needs, supporting volunteers’ wellbeing, and prioritising recruitment and engagement of underrepresented populations. The aims of this review were to examine the effect of formal volunteering on volunteers’ physical and mental health and survival, and to explore the influence of volunteering type and intensity on health outcomes. Methods Experimental and cohort studies comparing the physical and mental health outcomes and mortality of a volunteering group to a non-volunteering group were identified from twelve electronic databases (Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, HMIC, SSCI, ASSIA, Social Care Online, Social Policy and Practice) and citation tracking in January 2013. No language, country or date restrictions were applied. Data synthesis was based on vote counting and random effects meta-analysis of mortality risk ratios. Results Forty papers were selected: five randomised controlled trials (RCTs, seven papers); four non-RCTs; and 17 cohort studies (29 papers). Cohort studies showed volunteering had favourable effects on depression, life satisfaction, wellbeing but not on physical health. These findings were not confirmed by experimental studies. Meta-analysis of five cohort studies found volunteers to be at lower risk of mortality (risk ratio: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.90). There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate a consistent influence of volunteering type or intensity on outcomes. Conclusion Observational evidence suggested that volunteering may benefit mental health and survival although the causal mechanisms remain unclear. Consequently, there was limited robustly designed research to guide the development of volunteering as a public health promotion intervention. Future studies should explicitly map intervention design to clear health outcomes as well as use pragmatic RCT methodology to test effects