The Kansas City Foot Patrol project : An evaluation of the effectiveness of foot patrol in violent crime micro-places

Title from PDF of title page, viewed on July 15, 2014Thesis advisor: Kenneth J. NovakVitaIncludes bibliographical references (pages 82-87)The Kansas City Foot Patrol Project is a replication of the Philadelphia Foot Patrol Experiment (Ratcliffe et al. (2011). The current study was conducted in Kansas City, Missouri and evaluated the effectiveness of foot patrol in violent crime micro-places. Specifically the goal of foot patrol was to reduce incidents of aggravated assaults and robberies in the micro-places. For a period of 90 days 8 pairs of rookie officers patrolled on foot in violent crime micro-places. The foot patrols operated Tuesday thru Saturday from August 1, 2011 to October 31, 2011. The number of reported aggravated assaults and robberies in four target areas were compared pretreatment, during treatment, and post treatment for within group variance. Repeated measures t-tests were conducted to determine the statistical significance of any observed differences in reported incidents. The current study found a significant reduction of targeted offenses in the target areas during treatment. During the first 6 weeks of treatment an especially significant reduction of reported aggravated assaults and robberies occurred. Then as treatment continued the reported incidents returned to pretreatment levels even while treatment continued. Policy implications and areas for future research are discussed.Abstract -- List of illustrations -- List of tables -- Acknowledgements - Introduction -- Literature review -- Methodology -- Results -- Conclusion -- Appendix -- Reference lis

Occupational Therapy Students\u27 Perceptions of their own Notetaking

Purpose: Notetaking is a critical skill for higher-level thinking and information integration in graduate students, including occupational therapy students. Though there is a growing body of literature about notetaking modalities, strategies utilized, and self-perceptions of skills in college students, studies about occupational therapy (OT) students’ notetaking preferences have been absent from the literature. This study examines how OT students take notes and their perceptions of their notes. Method: This descriptive study of students in a Master of Occupational Therapy program (n=57) completed the Notetaking Abilities and Strategies of University Students (NASUS) questionnaire which captures the constructs of notetaking methods, reasons for taking notes, students’ opinions of their notes, satisfaction with notetaking and usefulness of notes, students’ desires to change their notetaking methods, and organization and review of notes after class. Results: Study found that students utilized both handwritten and digital forms of notetaking, as expected, and took notes in class primarily as a resource to study for assessments and complete assignments as well as to remember information. Overall, students had a moderate degree of confidence and satisfaction with the usefulness of their notes and expressed a desire to improve their notetaking. Conclusions: Understanding the notetaking preferences of OT students can facilitate OT programs’ ability to support these students’ learning

What role do middle and high school counselors perceive they should adopt in dropout prevention?

This study investigated the role school counselors perceived they should adopt in dropout prevention and ways to assess their effectiveness. The ASCA National Model's theme and element definitions (advocacy, collaboration/teaming, leadership, systemic change, delivery system, and accountability) were adapted to support a dropout prevention focus. Three domains recommended by the What Works Clearinghouse -- staying-in-school, progressing-in-school, and completing-school -- served as the lens for exploring the accountability element. Counselors perceived delivery system to be the primary role they should adopt followed by advocacy, collaboration, systemic change, and leadership. They did not indicate a preference for one assessment domain except when comparing the completing-school and progressing-in-school domains. The progressing-in-school domain was the preferred method of assessing effectiveness in providing dropout prevention services

Population Size Estimates of Sturgeon in the Suwannee River, Florida, U.S.A.

An inventory of the Gulf of Mexico sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus de sotoi) population in the Suwannee River was conducted from 1986 to 1997. Sturgeon were collected using gill nets as the fish migrated from the ocean into the river during their annual spring migrations. The average population size for sturgeon was estimated at 3,152 ± 369 individuals using the Jolly-Seber capture-recapture model for open populations. Annual population estimates ranged from 2,097 to 5,312 individuals over a 10-yr period. The Suwannee River sturgeon population may represent one of the last viable populations of the species and may require special management. Habitat restoration, protection, and establishment of a population augmentation and replenishment program for the species is advocated

A study of cytokine expression and function in myeloma clones

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a B cell malignancy characterised by the presence of a monoclonal population of terminally differentiated plasma cells in the bone marrow. It generally occurs in older people. Clinical manifestations result from monoclonal protein (immunoglobulin) production and accumulation in the serum and / or the urine, anaemia, lytic bone disease, hypercalcaemia, renal insufficiency and immune deficiency. II-6 is thought to be the major growth factor of MM but the part played by other cytokines in the pathogenesis of the disease is unclear. In the use of cloned U266 cells we hoped to gain an insight into the cytokines that are important in the survival / expansion of the myeloma clone. In this study we demonstrate that these myeloma clones express a variety of cytokine mRNA transcripts, IL-lalpha, IL-ibeta, IL-6, IL-15 and TGF-beta. IL-6, although considered the major proliferative factor, was observed in one clone only. In contrast TGF- beta mRNA transcripts were expressed by many clones. These clones were capable of suppressing T cell responses. However if IL-15 and TGF- beta mRNA transcripts were co-expressed, the suppression of T cell proliferation was more pronounced. Due to these findings, it was decided to further investigate the effects of EL-6 and IL-15 on myeloma clones. Cell studies examining the effects of exogenous IL-6 or IL-15 alone or in combination with dexamethasone on cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis and cell signalling were performed. The U266 cells were found to be sensitive to the anti-proliferative effect of dexamethasone, while most of the myeloma clones were resistant. IL-6 and IL-15 were able to protect the U266 cells from the effects of dexamethasone at 50mu/ml but not at 100mu/ml. However we observed a significant reduction in proliferation when IL-15 was added in combination with dexamethasone to clone M3 (expresses mRNA transcripts for IL-15, TGF- beta). This clone was resistant to dexamethasone alone. The role of IL-15 is complex and seems to behave differently depending on what other cytokines are present. Further studies may help elucidate the role of IL-15 in the pathogenesis of this disease

Does connectivity exist for remnant boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) along the Lake Superior Coastal Range? Options for landscape restoration

Genetic analysis can provide important information on the dynamic and spatial structure of groups of animals or populations. Little is known of the genetic population structure of caribou that inhabit the Lake Superior Coastal Range (LSCR) and the level of gene flow between individuals within the range and beyond. From a landscape perspective, this range is spatially isolated and genetic connectivity within the range is presumed limited due to large water crossings on Lake Superior. This study aims to answer if animal movement can be discerned, using genetic population and relatedness analyses, within and beyond the LSCR. Faecal and hair samples collected between 2005 and 2015 in Pukaskwa National Park were analyzed for genetic markers and compared to 131 unique genotypes previously obtained from both within the LSCR and in the two next closest ranges. Animals from one nearshore island (i.e. Otter) were more closely associated with offshore islands than other mainland caribou, likely a result of past movement and translocation rather than ongoing movement. Conversely, on another nearshore island (i.e. Pic), individuals assigned to a different genetic cluster and were related to animals further north outside the range, demonstrating some connectivity through the discontinuous distribution to the coast. Long-term population declines have been observed in the LSCR range despite genetic connectivity within the range and relatively low total habitat disturbance. Restoring connectivity of the LSCR so that it is not isolated from populations to the north is required for the recovery of the mainland portion of the coastal range. These genetic analyses provide some insights on where movements may occur and where landscape restoration efforts may best be directed to enhance connectivity

Neoliberal and Neoconservative Immiseration Capitalism in England: Policies and Impacts on Society and on Education

In this article we firstly set out the facts about the current stage of capitalism, the Immiseration stage of neoliberal capitalism in England. We note its relationship with conservatism and neo-conservatism. We identify increased societal inequalities, the assault by the capitalist state on its opponents, and proceed to describe and analyse what neoliberalism and neo-conservatism have done and are doing to education in England- in the schools, further education, and university sectors. We present two testimonies about the impacts of neoliberalism/ neo-conservatism, one from the school sector, one from the further / vocational education sector, as a means of describing, analysing, and then theorising the parameters of the neoliberal/ neoconservative restructuring education and its impacts. We conclude by further theorising this. With the election of a Conservative majority in the 7 May 2015 general election in the UK, the policies and processes of neoliberalisation and neoconservatisation are being intensified

Physicochemical and sensory assessments in Spain and United States of PGI-certified Ternera de Navarra vs. Certified Angus Beef

The physicochemical and sensory differences between the PGI-Certified Ternera de Navarra (CTNA) (Spanish origin) and Certified Angus Beef (CAB) (US origin) were assessed in Spain and the USA. To characterize the carcasses, the ribeye areas (REAs), and marbling levels were assessed in both testing places. Twenty striploins per certified beef program were used as study samples. For sensory analysis, the striploins were vacuum packaged and aged for 7 days at 4◦ C and 85% RH in each corresponding laboratory. Thereafter, the samples were half cut and frozen. One of the halves was shipped to the other counterpart-testing place. The fat and moisture percentage content, Warner Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF), and total and soluble collagen were tested for all the samples. The CAB carcasses had smaller REAs (p < 0.0001) and exhibited higher marbling levels (p < 0.0001). The CAB striploins had a higher fat content (p < 0.0001) and required lower WBSF (p < 0.05) than the CTNA samples. Trained panelists rated the CAB samples as juicer (p < 0.001), more tender/less tough (p < 0.0001), and more flavorful (p < 0.0001) than the CTNA counterparts. This study shows that beef from both countries had medium-high tenderness, juiciness, and beef flavor scores and very low off-flavor scores. Relevant differences found between the ratings assigned by the Spanish and the US panelists suggest training differences, or difficulties encountered in using the appropriate terminology for defining each sensory attribute. Furthermore, the lack of product knowledge (i.e., consumption habits) may have been another reason for such differences, despite the blind sensory evaluation.The research was supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project AGL-2009-13303-CO2-01)